-Crane Cams -Eibach
-Weber -Intrax
-Motorsports Auto -Kartboy
-K&N -Apexi
-RamFlo -Borla
-Bosch -Flowmaster
-Holley -Twice Pipes
-Koing -Kaminari
-Tokio -Russell
-Koni -Recaro
And there's a lot more. The possibilities of making the Z into your Z is endless. You can create a nice daily driver, a weekend warrior, a drag strip king, or a show stopper. Or, if you have the funds, you could combined all of them! The Z is a truely exciting platform!
Engine Swaps
Engine swaps are a popular thing to do in the early Z's. Why? Because the L-Series, while a nice engine, is outdated and it's performance potential has a realtively low cap. The most power any could expect from a carberated L-26 bored and stroked to 3.1 liters with a performance cam, outreagousely high compression to the tune of something like 13.5:1 with an E31 head (I've seen it done), triple Weber carbs with K&N filters, a high-flow fuel pump, a bullet-proofed 5-speed with 3 disc clutch, new 4:11 rear end, and much more including weight reduction, would only yeild around 350 hp and cost north of $20,000 to build. That's a lot of power, but not enough compared to todays imports. Plus, most Z's were neglected when they were in their prime and now their engines are past the point repair. So, why not swap in a modern engine?
Some Popular Swaps:
By far, the most popular engine swap in a 1970-78 Z is an '81-'83 Turbocharged L-28. With mods they can run into the low 11 seconds and still be streetable. Another popular swap is a 350 Chevy small block swap with a high-flow Holley 1100 carb, shortie headers, and a Powerglide transmission (although I would prefer a Borg Warner T5 manual trany). The never-for-sale-in-America Nissan RB-series engines are another popular swap into late model Z cars, especially in Japan, The Land Down Under, and New Zealand.
Engines:
L28ET- 2.8 liter turbocharged OHC straight 6 from a 1981-1983 280ZX Turbo.
Pros: "Classic" Z because of the L-6, cheap, bolt in replacement (No custom fabricating required)
Cons: Hard to find in some places, probably will need to be rebuilt, not carburated.
350CSB- 350 cubic inch (5.7 liter), 16 valve, OHV Chevy small block. Easily found. Anywhere.
Pros: Easy power, easy to find, conversion kits available
Cons: Destroys handling, heavy, loses all of the "Z-ness"
RB25DET- 2.5 liter, 24 valve DOHC turbocharged and intercooled engine from the Nissan Skyline GT-S.
Pros: Lightweight, easy power, somewhat of a bolt-in
Cons: Hard to find in the USA, not as good as it's big brother, expensive
RB26DETT- 2.6 liter 24 valve DOHC twin turbocharged/intercooled engine from the Nissan Skyline GT-R
Pros: Awesome power potential, Keeps it "in the family", it's a freaken GT-R motor!
Cons: Very hard to get, pricey, telling your insurance company
SR20DET- 2.0 liter, 16 valve DOHC turbocharged/intercooled in-line 4 from JDM Nissan's
Pros: Lightweight, good power potential, easy power modifications
Cons: Requires custom fabricating to fit, pricey, more custom fabing than you know existed