Introduced in 1983 and sold as the Fairlady Z in Japan, the 300ZX is one of auto manufacturer Nissan's most storied offerings. The 1991 to 1996 Z32's 300-horsepower twin-turbo VG30DETT is a popular swap into nonturbo Z-cars.
The VG30DETT and its Japan-only, single-turbo VG30DET cousin were very specialized engines and came in only a few select cars. In the United States, you'll only find a turbo VG engine under the hood of a Z32 300ZX.
You'll need to replace everything between the firewall and the headlights, including the entire engine, all of the accessories, the computer and wiring harness and possibly the transmission and all associated components, computers and sensors.
Although the Z32 engine is technically a stock-replacement swap for nonturbo VG engines, the only way you're going to collect all the parts you'll need is to acquire a wrecked Z32 donor and pirate every major component from it. The new engine will bolt into your nonturbo Z-car the same way the old one came out.
You might also consider installing the supercharged version of this engine, known as the VG33ER. It only produces about 210 horsepower in stock form, but it's slightly larger in displacement, so you can attain 300-plus horsepower by turning up the boost. Also, it's a lot easier to find since it came in 2001 to 2004 U.S.-market Nissan Frontiers and Xterras. You might also consider a powerful, cheap and plentiful GM LS-series V8.
