differential issue

[pepman]

i have a 74 260z and i would like to put in a lexus 4.0l alloy v8 with a five speed box, the standard diff is to low a ratio and would like to know if anyone has any ideas on a stronger higher ratio. eg. 3.00 to 1 has any one put one of these motors in a 260 are there any bigger brakes from other nissans which are a easy swap help

[sblake01]

I had once considered putting a VH45 (Infiniti) V8 in a Z. I don't know how similar the Lexus engine is. The main problem with the swap is the engine's physical size. It's just too wide. I had talked to a couple of people who are familiar with the Z and engine swaps and the consensus was it couldn't be done. Even if you could get the engine into the car, there were other challenges. There would be engine management problems, size limitations not only for the engine but also for the transmission. The conlusion was that it could only be done with extensive, and I mean extensive (!) modification not to mention cost. You would basically have to tear down and refabricate virtually the entire car! As far as i Know, there are no 3.00-1 gearsets for any of the Z differentials but that would probably be the least of your worries. And when finished, what would you have? A car that you'd never get 1/4 of your investment back when it came time to sell it.

[Marty Rogan]

Pepman,

Putting the Lexus V8 in has been done. Check out this website: http://www.zparts.com/showcase/engines/pages/eng_lexus1.htm

Unfortunately, it does not giving any details. I bet that is really sweet though. Lexus engines are incredibly smooth.

Marty

[sblake01]

Originally posted by sblake01 The conlusion was that it could only be done with extensive, and I mean extensive (!) modification not to mention cost.

Pepman, I'm quoting myself here but these conclusions were for the Infiniti VH45DE. I don't know for sure about the Lexus V8. Looking at the picture posted by Marty Rogan and looking under the hood of my neighbors Lexus, I can see that the Lexus engine is not nearly as wide as the Infiniti and wouldn't requrie modifying the strut towers and all the other things we concluded when I was considering using the Infiniti motor.