2.9 Motor build up

[LittleHorse]

I was under the impression that engine swaps were ok in Cali as long as you kept all of the emissions equipment with the engine and the engine came from a model year equal to or newer than the vehicle it's going into? So wouldn't that mean you could do a 5.0 as long as it came from a vehicle made after the BII?

 

[Beanmachine7000]

I was under the impression that engine swaps were ok in Cali as long as you kept all of the emissions equipment with the engine and the engine came from a model year equal to or newer than the vehicle it's going into? So wouldn't that mean you could do a 5.0 as long as it came from a vehicle made after the BII?

Actually I don't think any engine swap is legal into a BII... Doesn't the engine have to come from the same model, from the same year or newer? I think since the BII only ever came with a 2.9 that would mean anything is not legal... Luckily where I live if it goes and if it stops it's legal, lol

 

[LittleHorse]

Actually I don't think any engine swap is legal into a BII... Doesn't the engine have to come from the same model, from the same year or newer? I think since the BII only ever came with a 2.9 that would mean anything is not legal... Luckily where I live if it goes and if it stops it's legal, lol

I was really into Datsun Z cars a while back and seem to remember a lot of people putting 350's into them, and I thought it was ok in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Kalifornia as long as the 350 came out of something newer. That was like 2002 though, so it's likely to have changed, and I could be misremembering.

In Oklahoma, I can put in whatever engine I want.

 

[holyford86]

What you can do to the 2.9 is this...

Get a MAF 3.0 computer and maf sensor from a taurus/ranger/aerostar, verify the pinout, but it should be the same, add a pigtail for the MAF sensor.

Send your cam to Delta camshaft and have them grind you up their RV grind and some new lifters.

Gasket match your lower intake to the head, and your upper intake to the lower intake, can easily be done with a dremel.

If I remember correctly, you can use the flat top pistons from a 2.8 in the 2.9 for a compression bump, however I could be wrong.

Dont waste your time porting the heads, chances are youll replace one in the future and you wont wanna go through the hassle of porting another head, plus the benefits are very little for the amount of work put into them. If you have the heads done, use 88tm castings or even better the world products castings. The 86tm heads have a VERY bad rep for cracking, the 88tm's crack too, but not as often.

You could have a machine shop turn you up some rocker arm spacers to get rid of the springs on the shafts, this will free up a couple of HP.

Get some headers on it, and make sure you have a nice free flowing cold air intake and thats just about all you can do short of boosting it.

If the BII is a california emissions model, the computer is already MAF if it is a '90. A cam will move your power band up a bit and make the 2.9 even more useless on the low end than it already is. The 4.0 is the best bang for your buck, hands down.

 

[Beanmachine7000]

I was really into Datsun Z cars a while back and seem to remember a lot of people putting 350's into them, and I thought it was ok in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Kalifornia as long as the 350 came out of something newer. That was like 2002 though, so it's likely to have changed, and I could be misremembering.

In Oklahoma, I can put in whatever engine I want.

I don't really know, or care that much... Here in Montgomery County, TN if it goes, and it stops it's pretty much legal, lol... Yes, I'm exaggerating a little... I say go for a 4.0... The power change is monumental compared to a 2.9....

 

[RacinNdrummin]

If the BII is a california emissions model, the computer is already MAF if it is a '90. A cam will move your power band up a bit and make the 2.9 even more useless on the low end than it already is. The 4.0 is the best bang for your buck, hands down.

The info I gave was general info, if you have a cali model, then obviously you dont have to worry about swapping to MAF.

As far as the cam goes, RV as in "Recreational Vehicle" cams dont move the RPM range up, they change the timing characteristics to make more power in the lower end. The cam Delta offers is a good RV cam with a noticeable difference in driveability.

I agree the 4.0 is a better bang for the buck, I was just answering the question he asked in the first place, that nobody would give him an answer about.