Z06Fanatic

Love it or Hate it?

http://www.superstreetonline.com/fea...s13/index.html

SpeedyRCM_TX

I actually really enjoy seeing people's creativity and crazy hybrid setups! What can I say, I love anything fast and well put together.

andrewdonald1

At least he was smart enough to go Vette in the heart of it.

jrose7004

I think it's pretty cool!

itzza427

I grew up in the hot rodding days,,which included motor/drive train swaps,,so I agree,,,at least he put the corvette motor in something else!! He could have commuted a sacrilege and put a Nissan in a vet!! One way to make an import cool!!!!!:chee rs:

RideZX6R

I did this with a newer body (1995) 240SX... in 2006-7. It wasn't really a new thing back then either. Fun car 2750lbs and 425whp.

However... the real deal is much nicer to own

ZishanM

This pretty much sums it up. I think its awesome, its a great swap but the cost and the hassle just isnt worth it when you buy a C5 for the prices you can these days. The C5 will do everything this car can, just better, and the price is better too!

The real deal is better not because its a corvette, but the actual performance numbers in every category; from street, strip, auto-x, road race, gas mileage, insurance premium, reliability, etc.

I know people are going to mention weight, but you have to understand that alot of these cars dont have power steering and a/c and you can't compare apples to apples with that.

RideZX6R

Well you're half right. C5s are now available in the low to mid teens (97-99s usually with higher miles).
To build a proper 240SX with an LS1 and a T56 will cost you at least 12k (including a proper suspension setup and brakes and tires). So for a few grand more you get a Vette. So the cost is very similar...
The thing is... the real deal is better because it IS a corvette. Much better quality of ownership, more respect, etc.

However... Insurance is cheaper on an S14 chassis 240SX than a Vette (I know I owned both).

Reliability is moot. The only unreliable things in the 240 are the stock trans, and they get removed when the car gets swapped. However stuff like, air conditioning, the radio, power windows etc... I'd say the Nissans are more reliable in that respect.

As far as performance. my car weighed 2773 with a full tank of gas, working A/C and power steering and everything else you'd want (stereo etc). I built it as a street car, and you BEST BELIEVE it'd outperform my C5 (as my C5 sits right now making 350whp with a few bucks in suspension/brakes and tires) in every arena.
240s don't have 50/50 weight distribution, however the LSx swap actually makes them LIGHTER in the front because the 2.4L inline 4 they have is an IRON block which is to say... VERY HEAVY. LSx being aluminum is lighter, transmission weight is the same. And in short, anyone who builds an LSx 240 isn't gonna leave the stock manifolds/exhaust/intake (or more than likely the heads and cam as well) on - theyre gonna mod them before the motor is installed.

Now, add that to a good suspension setup, brakes, tires, etc (which most will also do before the car hits the pavement). It'll run circles around a stock (or even mildly modded - like mine) C5. However you don't need the LSx to do it, a good friend of mine has the Japanese aluminum block 2.0L 4 cylinder turbo motor (SR20DET) making 400whp on pump gas, he runs it at the track with 330whp on lower boost for safety. His suspension is VERY well sorted out... he'll beat me on the drag strip or at any HPDE, the car is well done. However he'll openly admit 2 things about his car...
1- if he had to do it over again, he'd have swapped in an LSx
2 - He likes my Corvette better on the whole - however he likes his cheap insurance more


Basically, I would have enjoyed keeping my LS powered 240, however at the time I needed the cash and had to go to one car only - so I sold it and my Trailblazer and bought an STI. Eventually I found a C5 and I've wanted one since I was 12. I won't get rid of it unless I have to, slower than my 240 or not. It's a more prestigious car, it garners more attention anywhere/everywhere I go and its MUCH better looking if you ask me.

ZumZum

Never cared for the SX. Put that motor in '72 240Z, now we're talking.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3125/...0e4800.jpg?v=0

RideZX6R

yesssss!!!

dpd3672

I don't think most folks that do swaps like this do so for the value for the money. It seems like most do it just to prove (or see if) it can be done.

I'm all for stuff like this. If done well, it's pretty cool.

JustinStrife

Most people on the import forums who were doing this, did it not only to prove it could be done, but because it was such a badass swap that made the car considerably better than before. Not to mention, when most of these swaps were being done, C5's still commanded 20+ on the market.

ClipperFan

I bought one with a v-8 four speed manual trans from my brother many years ago. That thing was so much fun to drive I almost wish I'd kept it. It ran like low 12's at 115-120 mph.................

ZishanM

C5's have been commanding between 15-20k for years now, nearly 3-4 years in fact, but the idea is as you stated early because its the best mod they could do. More reliable power and less weight and more power potential to go with it.

ZishanM

The chassis on those cars isn't like the cars they produced twenty years ago. I imagine a high hp motor would twist the car apart. I suppose bracing is an option.

Corey O'neal

If I wanted to take my 240sx and put it on a corvette chassis do you think it would fit? There almost the same body just a little smaller in length.

LTC Z06

I love sleepers and think that body style is still handsome.

sublime1996525

Holy thread revival.