ls2 conversion (questions)
Lower center of mass but hellish over-steer. The LSX carries most of it's weight in the block its self versus the VQ with the dual OHC.
I found myself having replace all the spring on my Buddy Club racing spec coilovers to custom spring rates (Don't ask NOT telling - Secret) from Swift. It only took about two months of trial and error testing to get it right. (Just)
http://www.swiftsprings.com/
100% Correct! 
And yet for some reason I keep getting PM's from people asking if there is any "Cheap and Easy" way of doing it.
Answer: It really depends on if you do all the labor yourself or send it to one of two know shop that specialize in this swap. Either way if money is a factor then my advice would be not to attempt it. Getting your hand on a LS motor and trans was the easiest part.
If you need me to up a number to it then I'd say you should expect to spend more the 20+k. If your going the work yourself you can expect to shell out only a little less than that. NO SHOP WILL QUOTE YOU AN ESTAMATED COST UNTIL THE WORK IS DONE and if they do THEY LIE!
I personally handed my Z over to JE Performance with a blow motor and told them to spare no expense. For what it cost I could have just bought another Z. For the money I've invested (BLOWN) on my Z since I purchased it new in 2005 I could have bought a new Viper or 911 with money left over.
If you can see yourself getting rid of the Z in the next few years then you shouldn't even think about doing this swap.
This swap isn't just about swapping in a LS and trans and calling it done, it's rebuilding the car from the ground up to handle it. Brakes, suspension, fuel system, electrical system, and custom fabbed everything else. No more off the shelf replacement parts in some cases. I'm sure if snyper was still here he would back me up on this. Quamen is the second only person I know of on this forum who doing all the work himself but he's the exception because he's used to building race cars. Custom fabbing and welding is nothing much to him but I still bet he'd say the same.
Truth: I never would have considered this swap if I didn't love the Z so much (this is my second one I also used to own a 93 300zxTT) and my VQ hadn't blown up.
The only "less expensive" way to do it is to do all the work and fabrication yourself like Quamen or Snyper. But there is NO cheap way or easy complete kits.
I'm just saying this again because there have been more than a few guys who have started this project only to have fallen way short of completion because they didn't realize just how big a project it would turn out to be, thus destroying perfectly running car for nothing.
And yet for some reason I keep getting PM's from people asking if there is any "Cheap and Easy" way of doing it.
Answer: It really depends on if you do all the labor yourself or send it to one of two know shop that specialize in this swap. Either way if money is a factor then my advice would be not to attempt it. Getting your hand on a LS motor and trans was the easiest part.
If you need me to up a number to it then I'd say you should expect to spend more the 20+k. If your going the work yourself you can expect to shell out only a little less than that. NO SHOP WILL QUOTE YOU AN ESTAMATED COST UNTIL THE WORK IS DONE and if they do THEY LIE!
I personally handed my Z over to JE Performance with a blow motor and told them to spare no expense. For what it cost I could have just bought another Z. For the money I've invested (BLOWN) on my Z since I purchased it new in 2005 I could have bought a new Viper or 911 with money left over.
If you can see yourself getting rid of the Z in the next few years then you shouldn't even think about doing this swap.
This swap isn't just about swapping in a LS and trans and calling it done, it's rebuilding the car from the ground up to handle it. Brakes, suspension, fuel system, electrical system, and custom fabbed everything else. No more off the shelf replacement parts in some cases. I'm sure if snyper was still here he would back me up on this. Quamen is the second only person I know of on this forum who doing all the work himself but he's the exception because he's used to building race cars. Custom fabbing and welding is nothing much to him but I still bet he'd say the same.
Truth: I never would have considered this swap if I didn't love the Z so much (this is my second one I also used to own a 93 300zxTT) and my VQ hadn't blown up.
The only "less expensive" way to do it is to do all the work and fabrication yourself like Quamen or Snyper. But there is NO cheap way or easy complete kits.
I'm just saying this again because there have been more than a few guys who have started this project only to have fallen way short of completion because they didn't realize just how big a project it would turn out to be, thus destroying perfectly running car for nothing.
Havok, the only thing I can say about my setup that is different than the information you provided is that my engine is actually further back than the VQ because I did the swap myself. The front of my block (minus water pump) is flush with where the the mating surface would be between the front and rear timing covers on a VQ. I will try to get some comparison pictures and post them since I have good side views of my VQ.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 337
Likes: 4
From: Worcester,MA
Let me ask you this. Your tanabe GF210 were designed to give a 1" drop on a stock Z were the end of the V6 engine block sits behind the front wheels right? Do you really expect them to totally compensate for an extra 100+LBS and an engine the sits 4" forward the front wheels and provide the same ride quality? No.
I found myself having replace all the spring on my Buddy Club racing spec coilovers to custom spring rates (Don't ask NOT telling - Secret) from Swift. It only took about two months of trial and error testing to get it right. (Just)
http://www.swiftsprings.com/
I found myself having replace all the spring on my Buddy Club racing spec coilovers to custom spring rates (Don't ask NOT telling - Secret) from Swift. It only took about two months of trial and error testing to get it right. (Just)
http://www.swiftsprings.com/
Don't worry about it Blue I'm sure the information will surface one way or another. Remember there are more than 1 Z rolling around with an LS2...or LS1......
100% correct information. It is not cheap even if you get hook ups, deals and bargains. Doing the work yourself saves money but it is still a tremendous amount of work that very few people are capable of doing right.
Havok, the only thing I can say about my setup that is different than the information you provided is that my engine is actually further back than the VQ because I did the swap myself. The front of my block (minus water pump) is flush with where the the mating surface would be between the front and rear timing covers on a VQ. I will try to get some comparison pictures and post them since I have good side views of my VQ.
Havok, the only thing I can say about my setup that is different than the information you provided is that my engine is actually further back than the VQ because I did the swap myself. The front of my block (minus water pump) is flush with where the the mating surface would be between the front and rear timing covers on a VQ. I will try to get some comparison pictures and post them since I have good side views of my VQ.
Are you still able to get good access to the pass side rear spark plugs? It gets pretty tight back there?
I don't know anything about the tokico d-spec shocks but I'm sure that the guys at swift can help you with the proper spring selection for those specific shocks. I PM'ed you.
Comparison of where the front of the block is on the LS1 compared to the stock VQ on my install:
A teaser of my B&M Pro Ratchet shifter installed! Just need to make the aluminum cover panel on the waterjet now and I will be good to go!
A teaser of my B&M Pro Ratchet shifter installed! Just need to make the aluminum cover panel on the waterjet now and I will be good to go!
Originally Posted by TheBlue350z
im on the website and the complete conversion package is $5,359. where is the 14k coming from. im having the swap done by a very experience performance shop that do alot of engine swaps and conversions.
u have been telling me alot of negative information about this swap, but can i ask why u did it?
u have been telling me alot of negative information about this swap, but can i ask why u did it?
First Blue I'm not telling you negative information, I'm telling you the truth. If you can't handle that then you have a few choices.
1. Stop F*cking PMing me with your stupid questions.
2. Ask your "very experience performance shop that do alot (a lot is 2 words) of engine swaps and conversions" and Stop F*cking PMing me with your stupid F*cking questions.
I have already said it before that a shop cant and wont quote a final build cost until the work is completed for a swap like this and that includes anything you may think is posted on their website. I know very well what Hinson Super Cars has posted on their for "Basic" swap parts. Brian quoted me $3947.50 in parts without motor and trans and $19,500.00 for their turn-key install less vehicle shipping to and from their install shop(I have both written estimate in hand while typing this). BTW a lot of other required parts are not listed on their site genius.
You still keep coming back to the cost questions. WHY do you keep asking the COST of this swap if money is not an issue? You sound like a kid to me that just thinks it would be "cool" to do a motor swap. Is that your motivation? You trying to get cool points with your high school friends or something?
Yeah that's something an ID-10-t child would do. 
I find it funny that Quamen asked me some of the same questions back before he started his swap and I gave him the same answers as I've given you and yet he never acted or reacted as you have. I think it's because people that can DO and people who really CAN'T worry about how much it cost. Let me make it more simple for you... If you're expecting to finance this swap off your part time job of your weekly allowance from your parents your wrong. If that's not that case then stop b!tching about why it cost so much and just do it. Either way I could give a ****.
One more thing... I did the swap because my motor was blown and I could afford to. Your motor is not blown, you sound like you can't afford it, so that makes you an idiot in my eyes.
I've added you to my Ignore list don't bother PMing me or replying to any of my post. I wont see it.
You have a nice life now.
Bu-Bye.
Last edited by Havok_RLS2; Sep 11, 2010 at 09:19 PM.
handy dandy kinetic persuader = Hammer Time!
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Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 8
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From: Suisun City, Ca
" I know very well what Hinson Super Cars has posted on their for "Basic" swap parts. Brian quoted me $3947.50 in parts without motor and trans and $19,500.00 for their turn-key install less vehicle shipping to and from their install shop(I have both written estimate in hand while typing this). BTW a lot of other required parts are not listed on their site." .
From what I have gathered It will cost about $24,000 for an LS3 600hp Mast Motorsports motor, Stoptech big brake kit front and back, Spec Clutch Kit Stage 2, Nismo shock kit, Swift Spec-R Springs (Unless you recommend a different kind of Swift spring for a 2008 Standard 350z). Me and a mechanic friend of mine would be doing all of the labor.
I think you mentioned having to replace the transmision. If so, with what kind that will handle close to 600 torque?
Any advice for this build and materials I have considered being incompatible or other parts necessary listed would be greatly appreciated.
-Chance
save your money and get an ls from the escalade, a t56 trans (most expensive part), and the hinson kit. ls series parts cost pennies. get a turbo setup, run a couple pounds and make a ton of power reliably. shouldnt cost more than 10k total (and thats on the expensive side!) *already thought this process through when i plan on my ls fd rx7 swap*
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 88
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From: USA
How come the 3.5L is bigger than the 6.0L? You would think that the engine would be twice the size no? You guys are nuts doing stuff like this. My dream car would be a Single turbo LS 350z. Maybe if I put it on my wish list Santa will have one sitting in my garage.
Last edited by The Fallen; Oct 24, 2010 at 08:39 PM.
There use to be a member that has the exact "Single turbo LS2 350z" setup you mentioned so I wouldn't call your idea unique. It's a little crazy if you ask me but the guy with the Single turbo LS2 350z is also just a little bit insane.
It's the heads. The DOHC on the 3.5L are huge but you knew that already didn't you?
There use to be a member that has the exact "Single turbo LS2 350z" setup you mentioned so I wouldn't call your idea unique. It's a little crazy if you ask me but the guy with the Single turbo LS2 350z is also just a little bit insane.
There use to be a member that has the exact "Single turbo LS2 350z" setup you mentioned so I wouldn't call your idea unique. It's a little crazy if you ask me but the guy with the Single turbo LS2 350z is also just a little bit insane.