# rb26 280zx



## 1983 280zx (Mar 30, 2009)

I need to know if anyone has put a rb26 in a 280zx and how well it fits


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## drifting737 (Apr 5, 2009)

i havnt seen it yet but it fits well i heard and it pulls hard


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## sinning (Mar 28, 2008)

it fits perfect ive seen 8 cylinder engines in those cars so an rb26dett should fit easily


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## avusilvia (Feb 1, 2009)

it fits well. the engine bays of the zx and earlier z's are practically the same. check out hybridz.org and zcar.com for more ideas and pics of some z's with rb's stuffed into them. z31 300zx also like to be powered by rb's azzcar.com has some pics I believe. if you google rb powered z You'll find tons of info. Youtube also has a couple videos of rb powered z's. good luck man
-mike


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## 1983 280zx (Mar 30, 2009)

Thanks that really helped


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## wrathe73 (Oct 11, 2009)

do You know what a swap like that cost??? last I read it was around 10 grand to do it right. Thats way out my league.


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## dubaholic (May 23, 2010)

its not worth the money personally, build up a stock engine with a big turbo and go nuts with it


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## Shadao (Aug 14, 2007)

dubaholic said:


> its not worth the money personally, build up a stock engine with a big turbo and go nuts with it


lol... so set up a carb-turbo and paint the car midnight blue and have your very own "Devil Z" 

a friend of mine has a 350chev in his 280Z that car rips, very very fun...
i know a guy(from a diff forum) who just bought a near mint 280Z for cheap, and is now putting in an rb26dett... its gonna be one of the nicest Z's in Canada when hes done...

turboing a 30yr old engine is no cheap and easy task, especially if you didnt have the carb-turbo engine to begin with... first off you need to do a complete rebuild, add in forged EVERYTHING, get lower comp cams(if it was non-turbo)... do you think its gonna be cheap to get all these parts? do you think its gonna be easy to find them? and when its all said and done the most amount of power you could possibly make is gonna be about 550rwhp... which is WAY more than you need since you wont be able to get much traction...

swaping in an rb26 or a v8 is gonna be cheaper, very easy to do(its been done many times) and nets VERY VERY good results...


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## 240zPK (Mar 15, 2011)

Same for Me!! But i am trying to put a RB25/RB26 in my 240z- Where could I find a wiring harness to fit from the engine to the car?? New to engine swaps, please help:wtf:


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## skittle (Apr 27, 2010)

Shadao said:


> swaping in an rb26 or a v8 is gonna be cheaper, very easy to do(its been done many times) and nets VERY VERY good results...


Where do you get your numbers? You don't need to do forged anything to upgrade to turbo. 

The engines are pretty much the same with some minor ones. 

To turbo any Z (70-83) all it takes is the turbo, oil feed line, manifold, j-pipe (or FMIC), EFI intake, and either the stock wiring harness or an aftermarket FMU. 

I did this exact same swap and spent about $700. $700 < 6k+


The second best swap price wise is the SBC or small block Ford. When I'm done with my v8 swap i'll have less than 2k into it. 

The most expenisive is going to be the RB series.

For example take the RB25DET NEO

Front clip - $1500-$2500
FMIC setup - $400 
Special intercooler with brackets - $400
Engine/tranny mounts -$600
Rear sump oil pan (custom job) - $500
Wiring harness revamp - $300-$600
Drive shaft - $200
Exhaust system - $300-$800 depending on how you want it to go
Throttle cable -$70 (lokar)
Hoses, fueses, extra wire & connectors, fluids ext... say about $200 or so

So say you get a good deal on the front clip you'll be spending close to anywhere from 5k-10k just for just parts not including labor and beer for when you mess something up.

I digress yes the RB will fit in a z/zx but it will not be cheap.


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## skittle (Apr 27, 2010)

240zPK said:


> Same for Me!! But i am trying to put a RB25/RB26 in my 240z- Where could I find a wiring harness to fit from the engine to the car?? New to engine swaps, please help:wtf:


As far as the wiring the best thing to do is head on over to hybridz.org and ask there.


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## Shadao (Aug 14, 2007)

skittle said:


> Where do you get your numbers? You don't need to do forged anything to upgrade to turbo.
> 
> The engines are pretty much the same with some minor ones.


did you see a single number on my post? no no you did not...

i say go forged internals because on a stock set up you will fry the internals in no time while having fun... ive seen it happen numerous times on numerous different makes and models...

yes to turbo a car all you 'need' is what you posted... but and this is a BIG BUT if you want the car to be reliable and last then you're gonna need to go forged...

cheap, fast, reliable... PICK 2

as for going rb26, it would be easier to go rb25 less work involved and you can see very good numbers come from them, but again if you want more than 400rwhp you should go forged or you are just waiting for something to happen...

on a stock engine thats almost 30yrs old... bad things happen alot quicker... also findingforged internals for engines of that era isnt cheap or easy...

it will be cheaper and easier to go rb than to 'properly' build the stocker up... and even cheaper nd easier to go v8...


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## skittle (Apr 27, 2010)

^^^ tell that to anyone on Zcar.com they too will tell you its not worth upgrading to forged internals. Only way forged makes sence is if you plan on boosting 20-30psi. At that point you'll need alot more than just a rebuilt engine. 

I may only have 54 posts on this site but check out what I have on Z car. I'm not new to these cars or engines. 

I do agree though if you want to get 400hp out of an L-series engine you will be paying more than to swap to a v8 / rb / sr / ka engine setup.

Realistically the cheapest route to get 400hp is the V8. I'll be pushing close to 320hp at the rear when done with my swap. After I upgrade the rear end to either a 9" ford or the c4 vett IRS setup then I'll upgrade the engine with a supercharger/turbo (not decided yet) and juice it.


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## Shadao (Aug 14, 2007)

well like i said over 400rwhp on a rb25 will require forged internalls as depending on the size of your turbo you will be pushing over 20psi in the cylinder...

on an 30yr old L series engine to get the same numbers you are gonna have to do a solid rebuild anyways, so while there might as well go forged... cause when you are wanting big numbers and big power you dont want to be thinking " will my internalls hold up to this abuse ? "

you want to know they will...

also to get reliable power out of a rb26 anything over 450awhp(i speak in GTR terms since i own one)500rwhp you are gonna need to go forged... and expect to be paying over $20k on the total build... rb26's make easy and reliable power upto the 450 range but past that and things start to get very expensive, very fast... and things will break.

everything is dependant on the goal for the build, what the car is intended to do once done. etc etc etc... if you just want more power, how much power do you want? 

i always find it very difficult to give good advice when people ask such open ended questions in regards to builds...


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## Shadao (Aug 14, 2007)

and anything over 300hp in a Z is alot to handle, my buddy who has a SBC swap has nothing but traction issues... the car is fun as hell, but also very scary at times... he wants more power but also doesnt want to go any higher than what he has because of how hard it is to hook up(hes more into draging than anything else)...

hes prolly only pushing around 280rwhp... i can only imagine how much crazier even your 320rwhp Z is... and you are going bigger...  with my 300-350awhp gtr32 its more than enough for me to enjoy, but one day i do intend on giving it a magical 600awhp... it will go along nicely with my other cars i intend to own


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## skittle (Apr 27, 2010)

Could not dissagree with you there. I miss understood what you and the op said. 

No fair you have a GTR32...


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## OriginalFairlady (Jun 26, 2011)

RB engines are far too heavy. My 71 fairlady weighs 2300lbs wet, the best engine to use and keep the car light is an aluminum VQ35 and lose 50lbs. A stock vq swap in a Z will run circles around a lot of cars.


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