Michael

Before you swap in that 7M-GTE, weigh it. You might be surprised. Years ago I had a MkIII Supra, with the 7M-GTE; used to frequent the Supra boards. There were several 7M-GTE swaps into the MkII (1983-1986) chassis. And there was a SBC swap too – that one was my favorite.

Yes, this topic has been discussed over and over again, but as the FI technology keeps advancing and LS1 engines become ever more popular, it’s worth revisiting the discussion. That said, I’m still going with a simple 4-barrel vacuum-secondary Holley. Why? Because whereas I fancy myself to be reasonably competent with automotive engineering and the occasional custom fabrication, my skills in basic auto mechanics are mediocre at best, especially in automotive electronics. For a daily-driver FI is the ultimate solution, but for a very occasional car (and mostly a wannabe race car) carbs are a satisfactory alternative. If I can’t tune the carb, I can find a local mechanic who can. That won’t work for a custom FI system.

The BBC conversion is a handful. I don’t want to insult the people who believe that it doesn’t require anything “radicalâ€, but suffice it to say that I couldn’t disagree more strongly! Weight and balance issues can be overcome, but they are not trivial. There is no analog to the JTR kit, though the Mark IV BBC and the Gen I SBC have the same mounting bolt pattern, and the same transmission bellhousing pattern. There are (or were ) some 5 or 6 big block Chevy Datsuns on this board, but to my knowledge all are either backhalved, tube-chassis, altered-firewall or some combination of the above. Mine retains the stock suspension and nominally the stock front end, but the firewall is relocated aft for better balance and more clearance, and there are a few reinforcement tubes here and there. The BBC swap is worthwhile if you’re a BBC specialist and would like to carry that knowledge over to the Z world. Otherwise the safer bet is on a stroker SBC. But like 5foot2 said, mock-up the engine installation and gauge for yourself whether the fit is acceptable or not, whether the headers hit the frame rails or not, whether the steering shaft clears or not, whether the crank pulley hits the steering rack, and so forth. Then worry about engine mounts – you’re almost guaranteed to have to mount off the frame rails, not off the steering crossmember (as most SBC’s mount). And then proceed to considerations of structural reinforcement. It isn’t strictly necessary to radically alter the engine compartment, for example by relocating the firewall aft, but it makes sense from an overall balanced-car (literally and figuratively) point of view. Don’t hesitate to post specific questions if you have them. I don’t want to come across as excessively negative – but it’s better to forego a risky project than to go knee-deep and then capitulate.

Scottie, If you could get me that phone number, it would be a huge help - thanks!

Oops, disregard question #2 - they ARE the same lifters.

What I meant to say was that this is not a gimmicky attempt at variable valve timing; it just has 9 keyways instead of the more usual 3, and the gears are billet steel. Otherwise it’s just a regular “true roller†timing chain set. My only frustration (well, at least in this particular context) is that I’ve never heard of SA, and I’m reluctant to purchase a brand with no reputation.

Questions for you, Grumpy – 1. To what extent should we trust those DD2000 numbers? 1951 ft-lbs at 2000 rpm??? Running a “junior version†of your engine (461, Brodix Race-Rite oval-port heads, 0.640†mechanical roller, dual-plane, 750 cfm, also 6000-rpm limit, but no nitrous) on DD2000 ad nauseam I also get remarkably good numbers – like 596 ft-lb at 4000 rpm, 559 hp at 5000 rpm. In my application, by the way, DD2000 predicts a drop of almost 150 ft-lb in going from 5000 to 5500 rpm. 2. Are those lifters similar to the Isky Red-zones? 3. I understand the quoted bore limitations with that block, but why not a larger stroke? 4. Any nitrous-specific considerations for the cam, such as greater intake duration than one might have chosen otherwise? 5. Would the deck have to be O-ringed? 6. What sort of valve spring pressures would be needed? Would you need a shaft rocker system? 7. At this power level, are there any symmetric-port heads available with “smallâ€-enough (as opposed to pro-stock) intake ports?

For my 454 BBC an engine builder recommended a "SA adjustable billet timing set". Has anyone ever heard of SA? They're not in the Summit or Jegs catalogs. It's supposed to be a relatively high-end timing chain, with 9 keyways.

Let me add to the chorus of congratulations!!! It takes considerable wisdom to find the right balance between doing work by oneself and farming-out portions to others. Done right, the reward is a reliable car that's ready in a small fraction of the time. I'd love to see this thing on my next visit to the D.C. area (should be in late August/early September).

In a matter of hours this thread will be filled with posts, some dignified and some less so, enjoining you to search more thoroughly, as all of your questions have been answered multiple times before. But briefly, the R200 should be OK for your application; the weak link is the half shafts and their U-joints, for which there are relatively straightforward solutions. The 5x4.5" swap has also been done n-number of times before, and there are several members (vendors) on this site who sell stub axles and related components to enable the swap. Wheel/tire choices depend on whether you do the coilover swap, what ride height the car will achieve, the tire diameter and other specs, and your choice in aesthetics. So, the point is that the rear drivetrain and suspension is the least of your problems. First worry about doing the actual swap and achieving your desired 500 hp. Then worry about traction, halfshaft breakage and so forth.

Douglas - Point taken. I'm trying to be realistic about my results. Had a stock or stock-like hood been usable, I would not have done this. But, with the firewall relocation and other mods, I need a hood whose front lip begins somewhat aft of where the stock 280Z radiator "frame" is located, and which ends at the windshield, and which has about a 1/2" bulge to accommodate the air cleaner (any higher and my forward line of sight would suffer, as I'm short but I have to sit way back (Kirkey sheet-metal sit up against the rear wheel well). So far I have a spider web of thin wood planks, forming a structure akin to balsa wood model airplanes of the 1930's. I used a similar approach to built a sort of stubby G-nose, which is bolted where the original hood hinges bolt. There the finish was mediocre, but acceptable for my tastes. The foam which you mentioned - what is it's brand name, and what sort of retailers (home improvement stores? boat stores?) would carry it? Would it dissolve if covered with polyester resin? I prefer polyester resin to 2-part epoxy (very tolerant to incorrect mixture ratios of resin/hardener, very long working time), but the polyester resin has a solvent which eats away white insulation-type foam.

No hope of fitting these without spacers if using the stock springs (no coilovers), is there?

I’ve got a 24’ x 40’ detached garage on my 5+ acres in the boonies of southwest Ohio. But so what? My car project is still snailing along ever so slowly. It seems that if you don’t have adequate space for working on your car, the complaint is about getting adequate space. But once you get the space, you need the tools or the time to get the work done. And once you get the tools and the time, you need the skills. But getting the skills takes a lifetime. Anyway, the point is that even a small garage can be enough to build an excellent car; and no amount of garage space is by itself sufficient to make any project easy. Now if only real estate around here would EVER appreciate (it’s lagged the rate of inflation for decades, and the so-called “national†housing boom of recent years has completely bypassed this area)! So what’s my point? Well, if you don’t save your money diligently, you will almost certainly not have a comfortable retirement. BUT, save as much as you like – if you’re unlucky, you’ll still be poor in retirement. There’s much to be said for good judgment and good discipline, but the final arbiter is good luck!

Would you be willing to sell cloth by the yard? If so, how much per yard? What’s the weight of the cloth (oz/yd^2)? I’m currently in the process of making a custom hood. Instead of a mold, I made a wooden frame consisting of plywood cross-members and pine stringers. The plan is to fill gaps between the stringers with foam, then cover everything on both sides with composite cloth. No mold, no vacuum bag, no oven. Just shadetree-type stuff.

So maybe the oil-starvation problem that Mikelly identified would explain why the LS7 went dry-sump? If you’re a seasoned engine builder and an experienced wheeler-and-dealer, then doubtless you can build a stouter, more reliable and cheaper engine than the crate LS-7. If you’re not experienced with engines and are not good at finding deals, but you still have the ambition and desire for a niche engine, then the LS-7 starts making good financial sense. However, if I chose to spend that kind of money I would go all-aftermarket, with an aluminum Mark IV big block, a 4.5†billet crank, billet rods and one of several possible choices of heads (most likely AFR, since such an engine would be fine with rectangle-ports).

Don't mean to get too far off-topic - but that huge rise in torque between 2400 and 4000 rpm - is that normal for turbocharged engines of this type?

Stoking fear is every government's best instrument in making the public easier to govern. Fear causes people to willingly surrender privacy, liberty and self-determination to a central authority. Which is exactly what any self-respecting central authority wants! After all, a frightened public is more likely to reelect leaders who promise to "stay the course".

Unfortunately chauvinism and xenophobia are eternal.

Terry, what would you recommend for a brand of epoxy or polyester resin? BTW, I've had good luck with generic Bondo polyester resin (comes in a blue can), except that it eats away white foam. It works OK with pink (household insulation) foam.

Ideal rear-end gearing would depend on a multidude of factors, including rear tire diameter, transmission gears, and operating rpm range of the engine. I recall mention of cars on this site running in the 11's or better, with tall gears such as 3.08; most Z's run 3.54, which is the most common ratio in R200 rear ends in 280Z's, and R180 rear ends in 240Z's. But intuitively, it's very hard to ascribe a slowing down from 12 seconds to 15 seconds in the 1/4 mile to bad gearing alone, considering that the Z's weight is comparable to (if not less than) the Monza, the aerodynamics are comparable, and the Z has better weight distribution. Could it be that something went wrong with the engine, during the swap?

I've also heard that starters of Type 1 above are less reliable, because the starter gear is cantilevered. Can't confirm that from experience, though. One advantage of starters of type 1 is that some models have adjustable orientation; the motor casing can be rotated relative to the rectangular mounting block, allowing for adjustment of header clearance.

Recently I built a custom nose-piece for my '78 280Z, integrating the headlights and radiator upper-support. I used polyester resin and cheap fiberglass cloth, both available from home improvement or generic autoparts stores; also, plywood ribs and foam between the ribs, with aluminum glassed-in here and there for hard-points. In functionality it's similar to a G-nose, but it's much shorter and follows a different philosophy. From that experience, for my next trick I'd like to build a custom hood. It has a slight bulge to accommodate a standard 14â€-diameter, 3"-high air cleaner atop the big-block. [with a Performer RPM intake, BBC’s are too tall to use the stock Z hood]. Again I'm using plywood ribs and wood stringers. The framing is coming out pleasingly, but I am concerned about underhood heat. The fiberglass cloth should be OK, but conventional polyester resin, as well as similar 2-part epoxies, would soften and possibly melt. So here's my question: any advice on brands/methods/retailers for high-temperature epoxy or polyester resin? I'm not expecting something that would survive a direct flame, but good stability at 250 deg F would be nice. I also plan to use a heat-insulating glue-on blanket, of the type used to wrap starters to prevent heat-soak. BTW, a search such as http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=83659&highlight=epoxy+high+temperature is pretty much a dead end, but I vaguely recall discussions on this topic some years ago.

My 1991 Corolla (rest in peace!) had a 1.6L 4-cylinder with 16 valves, but SOHC

I'm one of the victims of the BBC cam lobe wipe problem. It happened to me with a very mild hydraulic roller from Comp Cams, DESPITE following proper break-in procedure. Since then I've learned of lots of people having trouble specifically with Comps Cams hydraulic flat-tappet cams. The other day I spoke with an engine builder who flat-out said that he no longer trusts Comps' off-the-shelf build quality (he says that their custom grinds are still OK). In the new iteration of my engine, I've got a Milodon high-volume oil pump and a Hamburger 8-qt pan with windage screen. However, the only oil-system mod that I made was radiusing the oil passage in the rear main cap - I didn't make any mods to the lifter bores, and now that the short block is assembled, it's too late. Crank main tolerances are quite loose, at least by Pyro's recommendations: 0.0025". I am going with a mechanical roller cam, partially because I want to hedge my bets on the cam-wiping issue. I'm getting top-of-the-line roller lifters and a custom-ground cam from Isky. The required valve spring pressure worries me a little, though; about 200 seat pressure, 500 open.

I'd go with mechanical. They're harder to plumb, but are more reliable; no worries about a broken sender unit or poor electrical connection. BTW some years ago there was a thread on the accuracy of Autometer water temp gauges. As I recall, they can be off by some 10 degrees at room-temperature boiling point (212 deg F). I ended up with mechanical temperature and oil pressure gauges from Suntune (sp?) - from Pep Boys. Yes, they're cheap and cheezy-looking, but they are full-sweep and the water temperature gauge is dead-on accurate.