Hey everyone, I'm fairly new here and was thinking about getting a Z project car. I'm thinking of buying a 350z with no engine or one that needs a new engine for fairly cheap (i've done a lot of browsing and hoping to get something under 2k), and then dropping in a fairly new VQ35 (around 30-60k miles). Of course I will have to fix various other interior, exterior, and other parts but I was wondering where a good place to look for a 350 that needs a new motor for cheap?

 

Craigslist for your area would be the best place to begin.

 

Unless you're going to drop a different motor in it (LS, 2J, etc.), you're going to be better off buying one that runs decently for $4k+. By the time you source a low mileage motor (difficult), trans, and diff (have to assume the whole drive train is garbage if the motor is gone) you'll have more money into a car with more potential issues than just getting a cleaner one to start with. Also keep in mind that shells or cars with blown motors usually have higher mileage, so when it comes time to resell you'll be handicapped.

 

The 350Z is not a simple car. Unless you´ve got past experience building cars, I wouldn´t recommend you take this on. As others have said, you´ll end up spending way more money to restore a Z33 to OEM specs.

 

On craigslist I normally see damaged 350z's but never really with blown motors. These motors are pretty stout