grannyknot Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Hi guys, I've read several times that the 280z is the better/stronger body to drop a V8 into but just came across Bad Dogs site http://baddogparts.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_8 If I were to weld in Bad dogs 240z rear rails or even his 280z rails, wouldn't I have enough strength in the frame to handle the torque of the V8? Thanks, Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miles Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 This has been covered hundreds of times here. What are your plans? 300HP? 400HP? over 400HP? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grannyknot Posted March 11, 2012 Author Share Posted March 11, 2012 This has been covered hundreds of times here. What are your plans? 300HP? 400HP? over 400HP? Sorry, I'll search harder next time, 300hp will be fine, no tracking just a great weekend car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 A 240 is just fine. Lots of opinions out there. Here's mine. Weld in the Bad Dog rails, bolt or weld in a roll bar, and add strut bars and you're fine so long as your unibody is solid to begin with. The 280 is stronger in many areas over the 240, not just the frame rails. But all that re-enforcement adds weight too. Your not racing, you're fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsicard Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 The Bad Dog sub-frame rails front and rear to do not strengthen the torsional stiffness of the 240Z. I installed them on my 240Z and all they did was make the floors stronger. The sheet metal in the floors is so thin, that I did not weld the Bad Dog rails to the floor. I used 2 inch spacing and 10-32 screws and fender washers on the upper side and it made the FLOOR much more solid. Did nothing for torsional strength. The rocker boxes under the doors are one of the strongest parts of the 240Z. Welding a roll-cage to these channels helps with strength. Welding an "X" to the back of the roll bar back to the rear strut towers would yield torsional stiffness for the rear of the vehicle. Obtaining torsional stiffness for the front is more difficult. A six or eight point roll cage may add torsional strength to the front. The sure fire way to handle the engine torque is to put a welded torque tube from the rear diff to the transmission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miles Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Before you get too far into your build be sure to buy and study the JTR 240Z engine swap manual. It will save you time and money. Go here: http://www.jagsthatrun.com/Pages/Datsun_Z_V-8.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grannyknot Posted March 11, 2012 Author Share Posted March 11, 2012 Thanks guys, I found the word that unleashes all of the good stuff from the archives "reinforcing". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.