Poll: RB26 or SBC

Be advised that this is a public poll: other users can see the choice(s) you selected.

  1. #1

    Help me choose an engine

    I'm working on a project car, and for a while I thought I had the engine decided, but now I'm not so sure. i was originally going to put a RB26 in it, but now I'm toying with the idea of a small block Chevy. Both engines are capable of the power I'm looking for, 800-1000, so that's not really a deciding factor.

    RB26

    Pros:
    • Although more then there used to be, not a whole lot of people are running around with RB's, especially the 26.
    • I already have the head and accessories, which made around 600 hp when pulled.
    • If I want to turn it into a full drag car later on, the stock 26 block starts to crack at 1600 hp, and I'm not going to be using a stock block.
    • The 26 in twin turbo format sounds amazing. Not a huge factor, but still a factor.


    Cons:

    • The head already has about $7000 invested in it, and between the bottom end, accessories I want to replace, and redoing some of the head, I'm looking at between $12000 and $18000 in engine alone before I have a complete 26 ready to be installed.
    • Maintenance and repair costs will be pretty high for an imported engine.
    • For what I could sell the head for, I could buy a complete SBC and still have some left over.


    SBC (350 or 383)

    Pros:

    • Easy to find and cheap
    • Will hook up to transmission easier (2 speed Powerglide)
    • Much easier to find parts
    • Better fitment since it is physically smaller


    Cons:

    • Won't turn heads, SBC's are everywhere
    • If I want more power later, I will hit a wall and have to switch to a big block at some point.
    • Kinda defeats the purpose to getting an old Z car.

  2. #2
    Get the flashy one.

  3. #3
    Legendary! llDemonll's Avatar
    15+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Washington
    Posts
    6,582
    why would you ever want to put that much power into a Z anyways? get an f20/f24, 4g63, sr20, b18c, etc., etc. and get a custom bellhousing with a getrag from an mk4 supra (pending it's short enough to fit) and call it a day.

    easiest swap (and for good reason), is the SR with either a KA or SR transmission, why not just do that?
    "I'm glad you play better than you read/post on forums." -Ninety
    BF3 Profile | Steam Profile | Assemble a Computer in 9.75 Steps! | Video Rendering Done Right

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by llDemonll View Post
    why would you ever want to put that much power into a Z anyways? get an f20/f24, 4g63, sr20, b18c, etc., etc. and get a custom bellhousing with a getrag from an mk4 supra (pending it's short enough to fit) and call it a day.

    easiest swap (and for good reason), is the SR with either a KA or SR transmission, why not just do that?
    You turn your man card back in :P

    In short to answer your question, because I can. I would never sell my 26 to buy any other those engines. It would be very stupid and pointless to sell an engine that already makes 600 hp to buy one that would struggle to make that much. SR's are decent, but unreliable above 550 or so.

    Although I'm going to try to keep it streetable, this isn't going into a daily driver. I basically want something I can drive to the track, race, and drive home, maybe take it to dinner every so often to show it off.

  5. #5
    Legendary! llDemonll's Avatar
    15+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Washington
    Posts
    6,582
    I hope you mean drive to the track to drag, because that car will be useless on a autox track and fairly useless on a road course. straight lines it'll go like a bat out of hell, but with that much weight in the front and that light of a car, putting 600whp+ to the ground is going to cause issues

    I vote F20/F24 + s2k transmission. awesome engine, can be turbo/SC, and it's light enough that it won't upset the whole car balance. rb's are heavy engines
    "I'm glad you play better than you read/post on forums." -Ninety
    BF3 Profile | Steam Profile | Assemble a Computer in 9.75 Steps! | Video Rendering Done Right

  6. #6
    Deleted
    Go see Tom Nelson

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by llDemonll View Post
    I hope you mean drive to the track to drag, because that car will be useless on a autox track and fairly useless on a road course. straight lines it'll go like a bat out of hell, but with that much weight in the front and that light of a car, putting 600whp+ to the ground is going to cause issues

    I vote F20/F24 + s2k transmission. awesome engine, can be turbo/SC, and it's light enough that it won't upset the whole car balance. rb's are heavy engines
    Yea, forgot to mention that. I mean drag racing. Rb's are heavy engines, but 280Z's aren't that light. With engine and everything installed, it will be fairly comparable to a GTR. Maybe balanced a little different.

  8. #8
    Whatever you do, don't get the Hero Engine!

  9. #9
    Legendary! Gothicshark's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Leftcoast 2 blocks from the beach, down the street from a green haze called Venice.
    Posts
    6,727
    The Small block Chevy.

    It can be tuned to be as powerful, but you have to be smart when you do it.

    Also you can go with Edelbrock.

    http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_...hevy_sbc.shtml

    Honestly you want one.
    Last edited by Gothicshark; 2012-11-11 at 07:52 AM.

  10. #10
    Legendary! llDemonll's Avatar
    15+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Washington
    Posts
    6,582
    Quote Originally Posted by Sapper View Post
    Yea, forgot to mention that. I mean drag racing. Rb's are heavy engines, but 280Z's aren't that light. With engine and everything installed, it will be fairly comparable to a GTR. Maybe balanced a little different.
    you're doing something wrong if your drag car 280z is going to weight 3800 lbs. that's 1000lbs over what the car normally weights
    "I'm glad you play better than you read/post on forums." -Ninety
    BF3 Profile | Steam Profile | Assemble a Computer in 9.75 Steps! | Video Rendering Done Right

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Gothicshark View Post
    The Small block Chevy.

    It can be tuned to be as powerful, but you have to be smart when you do it.

    Also you can go with Edelbrock.

    http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_...hevy_sbc.shtml

    Honestly you want one.
    If I go with a SBC, I'll be getting a short block and building it up. Mostly because I'm stubborn, no matter what engine goes in the car it will be twin turbo. The lowest compression EFI crate engine they have is 9.0:1, which could be doable with turbos, but it's a little higher than I'd like. If I'm going to have to replace parts anyways, I'd rather hand pick everything.

    With that being said, I'm more than likely going to stick with the RB. I was hoping someone would have a reason I hadn't thought of to use a SBC instead, but I'm just not seeing it. Ignoring cost, it's not like either option is really cheap, the only real benefit to using a non-rb engine for what I want is the RB26's horrible oil system. With the power I'm looking at making, I'm pretty much forced to go with a dry sump setup to protect my investment.

    Being that I'm going to be using a N1 block, if I lose my mind someday and decide I want a 2000 hp full drag car, it won't be the engine holding me back. One of the guys at McKinney Motorsports has a street legal 1600 hp twin turbo 350 in a 280Z that he drags in the street class, so I know what I want is doable. If I was starting with just the car, I'd probably go with a SBC instead, but being that I already have most of the RB I'll probably stick with it.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •