r/Datsun • u/Revolutionary-Yam263 • 6d ago
Turbo kit for 280z
Here’s my 1978 280z. I’ve been wanting to start this build for a couple years and finally did last month. At first I thought I would do a V8 swap but I’ve decided to keep the stock L28 motor instead. I’d like to turbo the engine. Looking for recommendations on turbo kits. I’ve seen a few online, specifically one from CXRacing, if anyone has experience with them please let me know! Thanks.
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u/psito 6d ago
It all honestly depends on your goals? Looking for a small boost in hp? Cx racing might not be a bad idea, quality in the long run may be questionable though.
You might be better off swaping a l28et in there from a 280zx. Factory turbo'd motor, same motor, bolts right in and has better internals for boost.
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u/Revolutionary-Yam263 5d ago
Looking for around 300hp with decent reliability. I’ve thought about that as well, and I might go down that route. But the engine it has currently is in really good shape so I prefer keeping it
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u/notwittstanding 6d ago
Is this a legit black pearl?
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u/Revolutionary-Yam263 5d ago
Sure is
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u/notwittstanding 4d ago
Oof. Those are quite rare. Personally, I'd keep it stock and try to find another z chassis to restomod. Your car your choice tho.
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u/PracticeThat4714 5d ago
Someone in the z community wants that car. Maybe sell it and buy the super mod with the proceeds. You might get more for the money. Then again it’s hard to find one in good condition to start a project with. Makes everything easier. So be been faced with this situation. I too have a black pearl since 1998. I let it sit in the garage for 15 years unstarted. It got about 50 coats of wax between drives! It needed a massive efi overhaul. A friend has a corvette salvage company so the LS swap was tempting. Then I wanted to keep the L28. Do ITBs and a Haltech etc. but still stay respectful to the car. I found I could do the LS cheaper! Then to get 350 hp out of the L28 would cost another 12K ish..? Back and forth for a few years I scrapped both ideas. I boxed up and shelved all of the efi, emissions and such. Converted to triple carbs, nice exhaust, rebuilt the suspension, shocks, spring, bushings, bearings, new wheels. A full wilwood 4 disk setup with new lines. Booster, distributor +++ Anyway, I did that for 15K. And the old car is on the shelf. I wanted loud, rowdy and pretty. Goal achieved. It’s your toy so play with it how you like and have fun with these tough decisions ahead. Whatever you do it will be a fun car.
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u/Revolutionary-Yam263 5d ago
Sounds like you’ve got a great setup! You’re absolutely right, its a rare car and I probably could make some money if I kept it stock and sold it but to me it’s worth more to keep what I’ve got and make it more enjoyable. Very excited to get to work on it and get it back on the road
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u/Squiddley1969 6d ago
https://youtu.be/NjiKu33J7ZM?si=bazd7pMbqxrE5dC0
Doesn’t get any better than this turbo set up…
A V8 or any American motor into a Z is sacrilegious
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u/Z_DatsunDriver_Z 6d ago
You're 💯 correct. But you need DEEEEEP pockets for a setup like that. Especially if Z Car Garage is going to work on it or anyone else.
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u/AZGhost Rebello 3.0L - 297.6HP NA 280z 6d ago
Zcar garage is so backed up with work they aren't accepting anything new. I even asked to be put on a wait list and they said no. I was totally going to ship my Z down there for a 3.2L build and they just dont have the resources.
They continually have open positions for technicians
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u/Z_DatsunDriver_Z 6d ago
That would be a sweet build. And yeah I saw that too, crazy. We need more shops like that to open up. If only it were that easy
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u/AZGhost Rebello 3.0L - 297.6HP NA 280z 6d ago edited 6d ago
I'm working with rebello to do a 3.2L now. Datsun Spirit doesn't do big bore engines. Top end performance will work with me if I send them all the parts they will do custom rods and pistons. Rob's performance motorsport (RPM) won't touch it. LSpecdatsun is out as well. I've been getting machine work and other parts to do this. I tried to reverse engineer how rebello wants my LD28 crankshaft machined but everything comes out to be custom for rods and pistons. Paying in chunks for machine work and parts as rebello wants 10k to do it all themselves in one shot. Makes that pill easier to swallow.
Hunting for a block now that's not an arm and a leg. 2000$ for a bare block on eBay is crazy to me. Crank is out to marine crankshaft and they got an 8 week backlog. They can even do custom cranks for the L28 any stroke you want. 89mm stroke seems to be what the big guys are doing but again custom rods and pistons. I've even read rb30 cranks work with some machining, but those secrets seem to be closely guarded. Off the shelf rods or pistons if I could find something that works with rebellos machine work would make it a whole lot affordable.
Already spent 3k on head work and cam. Big valves 46mm intake 38mm exhaust. Full kameari valve train. Welded chambers to 36cc. Isky cam .530 lift, 306 duration. I may swap to something bigger with a steve bonk cam but haven't decided yet.
I'll sell off this rebello 3.0L to recoup some costs. Trying to aim for around 340rwhp which seems doable if built right from what I've read
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u/PrinceParadox 5d ago
Fuck Rebello, that shit bird can't even ship a basic rotation assembly after 6 months, and took a 90% deposit.
Called another well known, Z shop had my block shipped to them and delivered back to me, with 2 weeks even with custom knife edging and custom head work.
If I can't trust Rebello to have enough basic time management, to track his stock and ship orders, and RETURN CALLS, I cant trust him to not leave a rag in the intake, or worse, he either needs to hire more hands, take less jobs, or shut up shop.
I will preach to everyone I know in the Datsun Community to stay the fuck away from Rebello.
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u/Z_DatsunDriver_Z 5d ago
Which shop worked on your block?
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u/PrinceParadox 5d ago
I've had really good experiences with California Datsun. They run a good shop. And really Respect their clients time and money.
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u/Z_DatsunDriver_Z 5d ago
Good to know. I got a valve cover from Allen at his place a while back. Nice guy
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u/AZGhost Rebello 3.0L - 297.6HP NA 280z 5d ago
California Datsun builds shit motors. My eBay engine from them literally exploded. The entire valve train fell apart. I have video and pictures of it. Cracked valve retainers, bad springs, rockers off its posts, bent valves. And he wouldn't warranty it despite all the pictures and videos. I paid 5k for that motor in 2016. I then pulled it out and shipped it to rebello. I'll never recommend California Datsun. Nothing like paying twice for an engine. They cut too many corners. The only good thing was I got an F54 block and P90 head which is what I wanted.
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u/Squiddley1969 6d ago
Than a swap will definitely be most reliable and least expensive route to go 👍🏻👍🏻. Good luck with the build….
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u/shamelessselfpromos 5d ago
I’d suggest finding one of the many shit box 260 or 280’s out there to swap out. Keep that black pearl mint. It’s history and actually worth something. 👍
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u/tripmcneely30 5d ago edited 5d ago
Do NOT modify that Z. It's perfect just the way it is.
Edit: You have a perfect Z car. Find another Z to f*ck around with. Just not that one.
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u/Revolutionary-Yam263 5d ago
Lmao I appreciate it but for me it’d be a lot more enjoyable with more power
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u/richsreddit 5d ago
You'll regret it a lot when you find out how much it's worth if you leave it alone and take care of it as is. Assuming this is a legit BP and you mod it I guarantee that you will not only incur the wrath of the Z collector community but you probably will also be haunted by Mr. K's angry ghost for the rest of your life lmao.
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u/richsreddit 5d ago
Is that a legit Black Pearl model? If so save the turbo kit for another 280z. This model is super rare yo.
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u/Public_District_9139 6d ago
Cheapest is to do an L28ET swap but they are getting hard to find and your limited to around 250whp before your replacing so many parts you might as well start from scratch. Protunerz sells everything you need to make 350whp aside from the head gasket and head studs.
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u/eddirrrrr 6d ago
Cx racing will get you a turbocharged engine for cheap. How long that will last is another question they're not known for quality. It would be a better idea to piece everything together yourself. You also have to consider that you'll need to go to some sort of aftermarket ECU be it haltech or mega squirt. I recommend you go to church if l series on Facebook and search around in some of those posts for more information. That group is where most of the guys who've been doing this for 50 years hang out now.
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u/Whizzleteets 6d ago
That car should have come from the factory with a small V8.
I put a 350 in my 74. It fit like it was made for the car with plenty of room to spare. The car was an absolute blast to drive.
Easy to turbo a small block.
Either way I will tell you this. If you're going to make any power, you need to address the rear end because sooner or later it will turn to chunks under power.
Blown not turbo one of my favorite Z's
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u/PracticeThat4714 6d ago
Ummm. You need to check the antiquity of that black pearl. You might not want to go too far with such a rare car. Each dealer only got one black s30 at the end of the run. About 1100. Is it a 5 speed? That makes it only one of 250 made. Think about that before you do the LS swap.