boodlefoof

Mikelly, I work every day of the week, but usually get home by around 7pm. Shoot me an email at boodlefoof@hotmail.com The original windshield would require a massive amount of work to fit... and I think it would look funny. After having laid back the A pillars the windshield will be much more flat.

It might be a little while before I do figure out the glass situation. I'm hoping to move onto other (less expensive) parts of the build process until finances are in better shape. But, I will post back when I get the glass situation figured out.

Stony, Thanks for putting up those pics for me! ToplessZ, I just used an electric reciprocating saw to perform the cuts. The thing is a little unweildy, but it did the job.

Thanks again guys. I will be sure to keep pictures coming as I make more progress. Today I just cut the hatch to fit the new opening and welded that in. Now I have a slicktop Z. blueovalz, Thanks for the compliments. Your car has been one of my inspirations and I emailed you awhile back about laying up fiberglass. Thanks for all of the help. I plan on starting to build up the fiberglass mold soon. That will probably be the next big round of pics.

Henrik, who did the other choptop 240 used a Peugeot windshield. But as I recall from reading his web writeup... it was just serendipitous that the windshield fit. He did his thing and then went looking for a factory windshield that would fit... and the Peugeot did. zdmz, The head room actually isn't going to be too bad. I'm about 5' 10'' and I will have a few inches of room left once I do the interior. However, with the stock seats... it would be tight. I'm planning on a custom frame that will allow me to lower the seats a bit... I'll be sitting about 4-5'' off of where the current floor is. This gives me about 3-4'' of head clearance. I think when all is said and done and the car is at normal ride height the roofline will be about 42'' off the ground. Just a hair taller than the original Ford GT-40. Dan Juday, I think that lexan will be my best bet for the rear, but for the sides I am going to get custom glass cut (I want to maintain window functionality)... for flat pieces it is pretty cheap. The windshield is the big problem. I'd rather not do lexan for it... so I'll be looking into the cost of having a custom piece formed. I've heard it is very pricey (on the order of $1k).

Thanks for the compliments guys! Sorry about the exceeded bandwidth... I posted this on a few other car sites I frequent as well. To answer questions... spork, I just welded the outer layer of sheetmetal all the way around the perimeter. I plan on building a complete spaceframe for the car and will probably be cutting out much of the current supporting structure anyway. Mike, I'm in Northern Virginia for the summer and that is where I have the car. I'm still kind of transient though... I'm finishing up grad school. About the glass... the windshield will no longer fit (not even close). I don't really want a lexan windshield... so when I commented about "having glass made" I mean that I'm going to see if I can find someone to make a custom windshield. I do plan to call hot rod shops and see what they think. The rear hatch no longer fits (because I moved the roof back about 3''). But, I didn't plan on retaining a functional hatch... I want to smooth the hatch into the roofline. I'll either make the hatch out of fiberglass and rivet it in, or I'll modify the existing hatch and weld it in. I'll probably make the glass out of lexan. For the side windows... the quarter windows will be lexan. The door windows I'm hoping to keep functional (i.e., roll up and down) so I plan on using real glass. I'm not sure if I'll be able to modify the windows I have... I hear that cutting tempered glass is pretty tricky. I will be sure to post back when I figure out the glass situation, but for right now my next step is going to be some custom fiberglass bodywork. I'll keep you posted.

Hey guys, I haven't been on in awhile... been busy working on my Z! I decided to chop the top on the car... and well, it only took about 8 hours today to do! Most of the work was just overcoming the nervousness of cutting off the roof! Now it is quite low and the windshield has a real rake to it. I've got pics on my website at... http://www.geocities.com/boodlefoof/Project_Racer-Zroof2.html Geocities tends to shut me down if I exceed my allocated bandwidth... so if the page is "unavailable" just try back later. Next step in the project... starting to build the fiberglass molds for the custom bodywork! Thanks to all for giving me the inspiration to do this project, particularly BlueOvalZ. Your car is awesome!

Looking good! Can't wait to start mine... hopefully in a few months...

if your goal is around 400 horsepower, you don't need forced induction to get you there. But, for some info on turbos... check out this link... http://www.turbofast.com.au/javacalc.html

big block and small block are completely different. No parts are interchangeable. The physical dimensions of the blocks are simply different. Chevy used to make the 348 "W" engine, which was a "big block..." Stroking is simply chaning the crankshaft stroke of an engine to increase displacement. A very popular "stroker" is swapping out a 3.48'' crank in a standard Chevy 350 small block and replacing it with a 3.75'' crank to make a 377 cubic inch (383 inches if you also do a .030'' overbore) engine. As above, short block has no cylinder heads, long block has cylinder heads. These are just various levels of completion of either a big block or a small block engine which you would purchase.

It isn't too hard to install a windshield yourself... well, if you have an assistant to help you. Basically, you first want to clean up the pinch weld surface upon which the windshield will sit. Make sure it is de-rusted, holes are filled and it is painted. Water tends to collect around windows and rust is a problem. Improperly setting a windshield will create rust where water pools. First, go to the local auto parts store and buy a "windshield installation kit." This includes a long roll of butyl sealer with a tape backing. Be sure to get butyl with about a 5/16'' or 3/8'' diameter. The window will mash it down a bit... so too small a diameter roll will leave the windshield too deep in the channel. The kit will also include a pair of rubber blocks used to locate the windshield. First, place the rubber blocks at the base of the windshield frame and test fit your windshield to get it where you want it... Then, get some 3M "pinch weld primer." Brush it on the surface after the surface is completely cleaned. After that is on, make sure the window is completely clean at the edges... then begin to put the butyl roll into the window frame... Start at the bottom center of the windshield frame... and work your way around. Leave the tape on it so that you don't stuff stuck into the backside of the butyl... it is very sticky. Also, if you leave the tape on you can re-test-fit the windshield again. Then with your helper set the glass in. Don't let it touch the butyl until you have it where you want it. Once you set it down... it's pretty much stuck. If you have the glass a little over or up or down too much you can move it a little after the glass is lying in. Once your windshield is set on... leave the car out in the sun to warm up the butyl to make it more pliable... then firmly press the window down to completely seal it. For added security, you may want to add some extra sealer. Some do the following: Take a plastic "bondo" spreader and cut it to about a half inch in width. Round the corners with the razor nice and clean. Using a high quality urethane sealant, put a little strip right on the side of the glass edge or on the butyl itself. Using the spreader spread it down the side of the glass over the butyl to the bottom of the pinch weld, forming a seal from the top to the bottom vertically. Do the same across the top and bottom. Be sure not to make any little nooks and crannys that water can hide in... Good luck.

I've sprayed POR before and it goes on very well. I thinned it 8:1 with their POR Solvent. I sprayed over freshly sandblasted items with no additional roughing-up and haven't had any problems. I am very liberal with the metal ready!

Hi bucnasty, I too will be doing the swap you're considering. As far as I know there are no kit swaps for what you're planning. You'll have to fabricate an entirely new rear suspension and figure out how to attach it to the car. I'm going to be making a complete new spaceframe for the car, so that part isn't an issue. As far as the rear suspension, I'd suggest looking into the Satchell link or a Z link. I think either should package all right without too much chopping on the floorboards.

I'm lucky enough not to have had this happen and I swear by EOS! Grumpy, Do you have any opinion on cam manufacturer and the cam's tendency to lose lobes? I've heard lots of people say that Comp Cams are more prone to lose lobes than others... then again it seems as though Comp is one of the most often used cams so the numbers may just seem inflated. Also, I have been told that Comp, Crane, Luntai, etc all get their cam cores from a single manufacturer so there shouldn't be any difference in cam material.

I'll give a second to 2x3 being stronger than 1x3. Most people I know of making connectors are using 2x3x.083... those are going into Camaros, and Mustangs.

Nice job! How long have your pics been up? I seem to recall seeing them (or somebody elses LS1 300ZX) posted over at zcar.com awhile back.

They look excellent! I would be interested, but am unfortunately not in the market yet. For those wondering, the price is pretty comparable to other builders making headers for turbo applicaitons... they ain't cheap.

I'm in the planning stage of building my own complete spaceframe for an early Z. I'm designing the frame on a freeware structural testing program called GRAPE. I want something that will fit very well and will allow me to mount up the custom suspension I've been designing. I think the Jegs kit frames are basically meant for use on drag cars... they take up lots of interior space and probably don't hug the contours of the car very well.

another book to throw into the mix... For those considering playing with turbos. I'd recommend "Maximum Boost" by Corky Bell. I also hear that Mr. Bell is coming out with a new updated version soon.

I think a case in point to your post is the newer GM gen III heads. Correct me if I am wrong, but the LS1 has an intake port of somewhere around 210cc. Most people looking at a roughly 350 cubic inch engine would say that this is a big port that will kill intake velocity at lower speeds. Yet, the LS1 definitely isn't lacking in the torque department.

grumpyvette, I wholeheartedly agree. And, I have that article burned into my memory... from the time I first read it in the magazine on the newsstand I thought it was an excellent buildup. I had always wished that they would revisit the engine and see just how it would do with more compression and a bigger cam. If it could run 11:1 on 87 octane and a short cam... I imagine 12:1 would be pretty simple. Or, think of forced induction...

I plan on doing this as well... but I will be making a full custom spaceframe, so I'll just put the suspension pickups wherever they need to be. Really all you can do is figure out what suspension geometry you want and then start cutting and welding to make it fit.

There has been much speculation over what the price will be on the LS7 in crate format on some other forums I frequent. One individual (who works for GM) said that word around the office was that the price would be around the 15k range. It is one killer engine though! If you're looking for other exotic powerplant options... check these out... http://www.brammo.com/content.php?content.16 3.5L all aluminum V8 that weighs only 340 pounds. Dual exhaust ports, supercharged, very trick! 560hp at 8000rpm and 420 # torque at 5500rpm. They'll also slap a pair of turbos on it if you like! http://www.falconerengines.com/prod04.htm Then there is the Falconer V 12. 600 cubic inches, only weighs 500 pounds and makes 800 horses and 780 # torque on pump gas! Oh yeah! Or get the race gas version which puts out well over 1000 horses and gobs of torque naturally aspirated. If only I had the money.

ZheadV8, I don't know if you get Super Chevy Magazine across the big pond, but the May 2005 issue (Volume 34 No. 5) is full of articles about transplanting gen III (LS1, LS6, etc) small blocks into older cars. There are several companies which sell aftermarket wiring harnesses to make installation more simple. Edelbrock even makes an intake manifold and wiring kit which allows using a carburetor, which makes installation even more simple. I personally love the gen III small blocks. They have enormous potential! Whether or not this particular engine is the right one for you I cannot say... Price sounds a bit high... but I'm sure the price in the UK is different than it is over in the States. Good luck with your decision. Cheers!

Check out "Chassis Engineering" by Herb Adams at your local bookstore. Gives great info about building your own chassis and suspension.