Installing a Z06 in an NSX

[keene1bj]

the ls1 is smaller from head to head but the ls1 block is five inches longer than the nsx engine. A complete ls1 engine dressed and oiled is 457.6 lbs, the new ls2 is 443 lbs

something else i just found on ls1tech.com


"TOTAL, COMPLETE, FULLY DRESSED, FULLY OILED, crate ls1 from GM is 458#s

This is with manifolds, and a clutch.

Clutch tips the scales @ 49#s, and the cast iron manifolds are 13 each. Subtract this from the motor, and you get 383#s, with oil, intake, coil packs, Water pump, pan, filter, TB, you name it, sans manifolds and clutch. Not bad!"

 

[bradofflorida]

I love the NSX, that is why I occaisionally lurk around here, but the LS series is practically a modern miracle of an engine. Lots of people are starting to come around to that in just the last couple of years. In its newest stage of development, the "LS7", is 7.0 liters, forged crank, six bolt main caps, titanium rods, and over five hunderd hp and almost 500 lb ft of torque. With $2000 of cam and headers, this motor will hit 600 hp and still be streetable and pleasant to drive. I have the lowly 400hp LS2 in my C6 Vette and the power of that is great. I even get 27 mpg on the highway. I can barely imagine what a Z06 with less weight and another hundred plus HP will be like.

 

[Yellow Rose]

But Brad - you still have a rattle trap Vette with squeaks, noises, buzzing and all the other "quirks" that plague the Vette.

My NSX that is ten years old but DOES NOT SQUEAK, BUZZ NOR VIBRATE with 91k miles on it......can you say that with your car after ten years of ownership? We both know the answer to this question, now don't we.

Oh, by the way, mine will do +163 "with change" left on the speedo.

 

[keene1bj]

I love the NSX, that is why I occaisionally lurk around here, but the LS series is practically a modern miracle of an engine. Lots of people are starting to come around to that in just the last couple of years. In its newest stage of development, the "LS7", is 7.0 liters, forged crank, six bolt main caps, titanium rods, and over five hunderd hp and almost 500 lb ft of torque. With $2000 of cam and headers, this motor will hit 600 hp and still be streetable and pleasant to drive. I have the lowly 400hp LS2 in my C6 Vette and the power of that is great. I even get 27 mpg on the highway. I can barely imagine what a Z06 with less weight and another hundred plus HP will be like.

Yeah, that is truly an awesome engine, but estimates on the crate engine is anywhere between $13-15,000. I would rather just go with an ls1 and mod it from there.

 

[98GS400]

Here's my (late) contribution, 'vette engine in a 300zx. I know that anyone that's ever owned one, or owns one now knows how cramped the 300zx (Z32) engine bay is! But as it turns out, you can work in a LS1 engine...

*edit* i know it looks like a photochop.. its not, there's pics of the engine going in etc, and i have a video of it too (hard to replicate that V8 roar!)

 

[keene1bj]

Here's my (late) contribution, 'vette engine in a 300zx. I know that anyone that's ever owned one, or owns one now knows how cramped the 300zx (Z32) engine bay is! But as it turns out, you can work in a LS1 engine...

*edit* i know it looks like a photochop.. its not, there's pics of the engine going in etc, and i have a video of it too (hard to replicate that V8 roar!)

was it difficult to wire? Did you keep the factory gauges and climate controls? Did you have to keep the 300zx ecu as well as the ls1 ecu?

 

[bradofflorida]

But Brad - you still have a rattle trap Vette with squeaks, noises, buzzing and all the other "quirks" that plague the Vette.

My NSX that is ten years old but DOES NOT SQUEAK, BUZZ NOR VIBRATE with 91k miles on it......can you say that with your car after ten years of ownership? We both know the answer to this question, now don't we.

Oh, by the way, mine will do +163 "with change" left on the speedo.

===========================

You are confusing earlier generations of the Vette with the 97-04 C5. The C4(84-96) were certainly notorious for squeaks and rattles. They got better towards the end of the run, but they always had the weakness. The C6 is yet one step better. I have ridden in and driven a friend's 98 that is in the 120k range in mileage, and it has no rattles and hardly a squeak to speak of. Only time I ever hear anything is leaving a steep driveway at an angle, when the two opposing corners of the suspension are compressed and the other corners are light.

I love the NSX. One of the most fun cars I have driven. I drive a C6 because I travel 30k miles a year, it has a warranty, and can be serviced in almost any town. The speed is nice too. If Acura was currently selling the NSX at anywhere near the same price and power, I would be driving it.

I would also feel guilty putting that many miles on such a nice car.

 

[bradofflorida]

Here's my (late) contribution, 'vette engine in a 300zx. I know that anyone that's ever owned one, or owns one now knows how cramped the 300zx (Z32) engine bay is! But as it turns out, you can work in a LS1 engine...

*edit* i know it looks like a photochop.. its not, there's pics of the engine going in etc, and i have a video of it too (hard to replicate that V8 roar!)

======================

Did I see your car for sale at time, maybe a year ago? Or did you buy it from that owner. I remember one like it for sale. Nice conversion

 

[spartan2-3]

===========================

If Acura was currently selling the NSX at anywhere near the same price , I would be driving it.

If thats the case then every Tom, Dick and Harry would be driving one which will ruin its "exclusiveness".

Acura/Honda pls dont let it happen :biggrin:

 

[NSX-Tuner]

If you were to do such a dastardly deed, you would have to bullet-proof the tranny.

 

[willabeest]

Funny coincidence that I was checking out an RX7 with an LS1 today. The shop it was at specializes in engine swaps. Lots of cool cars like 5.0 Mustang engines in Miatas, even one with an LT1.

how about an RX-7 engine in an NSX?

 

[The Kid]

Why an RX7 engine? Those rotaries suck even in the RX7... Awful reliability :frown:

 

[NetViper]

How about an F40 engine instead... :biggrin:

I would NEVER drive a NSX with a rotary engine... NO WAY.

 

[Accord-R]

I think it is a great idea...all though the dimensions may be the problem.

About the Grand National motor...my Uncle used to own a Porsche tuning shop and he was working on one of his customer's car was in the shop. When the customer dropped by to see it, he noticed his Volvo station waggon sounding funny. Well the owner was proud to pop the hood and show a nice Grand National motor under the hood. Pretty cool guy, eh? It was Paul Newman.

 

[Bigglezworth]

I think it is a great idea...all though the dimensions may be the problem.

About the Grand National motor...my Uncle used to own a Porsche tuning shop and he was working on one of his customer's car was in the shop. When the customer dropped by to see it, he noticed his Volvo station waggon sounding funny. Well the owner was proud to pop the hood and show a nice Grand National motor under the hood. Pretty cool guy, eh? It was Paul Newman.

Sweet. The Buick Turbo 6 has a very distinctive tone so much so that you can spot it in the crowd blindfolded.

 

[Nsxdemon81]

A rotary that is non turbo is actually very reliable. With the turbo though it is capable of a lot of power. Most people don't like the rotary because they don't understand it i guess. So is this z06 gonna happen or is it just disscussion?

 

[98GS400]

======================

Did I see your car for sale at time, maybe a year ago? Or did you buy it from that owner. I remember one like it for sale. Nice conversion

Sorry for any misunderstandings but that's not my car:redface::redface::redface:, but i do know the owner (not personally) on a Z forum...

was it difficult to wire? Did you keep the factory gauges and climate controls? Did you have to keep the 300zx ecu as well as the ls1 ecu?

I used to have the bookmark for the site but lost it because of a harddrive problem...i'll try to dig it up again, from what i remember, the site made the swap seem pretty easy (but none ever are)..



My Z will be done in the spring time, and should look very similar to the one in the picture attached... Yeah, its a SR20DET (for all you nissan guys) seems like a step back going from a VG30DETT (V6) to a SR20 (Inline 4) but it makes so much sense..

-Taran

 

[Timpo]

I think it's not that easy...

NSX = mid engine
Corvette = front engine

 

[MYNSX2FAST4U]

You people have GOT to be kidding me.... right?

 

[Dave Hardy]

You people have GOT to be kidding me.... right?

Which part don't you like? The cheap repairs or the gobs of torque?

 

[vtecNSX1]

I am never a fan of cross brand engine swaps. That said i do like the corvette engine. I personally had a c4 and my stepbro drives a zr-1 and they are really fast. I would rather have a c5 than a nsx with a c5 engine it just seems wrong to me.

 

[suprhonda]

www.V8archie.com
This is the Fiero Web site. The Ls1 has the same bolt pattern as all 4.3L, small blocks and big blocks. The only bolt pattern available for transverse engines is the 3.8l, 3.1l 2.8l front wheel drive v6 pattern. The Northstar has the same pattern and that is a fwd v8 transverse engine. It would be a challenge in a lot of respects.

I think it would be easiest to mount transversely and this is not to hard to accomplish with an adapter plate for the trans from v8 Archie and I would definitely use a Northstar 4t80e trans as this is the only fwd trans capable of holding more than 400hp. The 4t60e found any all the v6 versions holds the 3.8l super engine at 260hp but the Northstar is now producing 320hp. and the trans is built a lot stronger. A manual gearbox would be cool but reliability would be compromised.

www.chrfab.com is the web site for Northstar v8 build ups. These guys build 500hp 4.6l Northstars and would probably know most about trans build ups for the 4t80e. This trans is also very short as most of the running gear runs beside the engine rather than behind the bell housing.

Axles are very easy to fabricate and can be done at most driveline shops that balance or repair driveshafts. I have had it done for other cars and it does not cost a lot.

Possibly a relocated electric water pump would help shorten up the engine as well.

The Ls1 replacement would be neat as the centre of gravity of the engine itself is lower due to not having 4 cams so high. Your handling may improve if engine weight is very similar due to lower centre of gravity. In the race jags of the 80s the drivers liked to have the sohc v12 installed b/c of the better handling with a lighter top end of the engine. The doch jags were faster but the sohc handled better due to this. (I don't know if this would be relevant in this case as their are so many factors).

Buy the way I still like the NSX Drivetrain as it is or modified but it is neat to think of other things, makes the gears start turning in ones head.

 

[nuck]

Not a chance. Would cost a ton for the fabricating on top of which the car would likely be worth less than when it was bone stock. Now if you had a car with a salvage title and a blown engine that might be a different story. A repaired write-off, even perfectly fixed, will always be worth substantially less than a clean car.The Mazda FD swap is a different story. Even though they were a relatively low production vehicle, I think around 10,000 North american units, and are wonderful handling cars, they continue to depreciate so the V8 car would possibly be worth a tad mor than a stocker. There are kits to put that engine in the second generation RX7 as well. Would be fun to have a 400hp RX7b convertible. If you want the extra grunt in the NSX bite the bullet, build the internals and run a turbo.