deMideon

Still having cooling problems... but it looks like there is oil in the coolant. I believe I may have a head gasket leak ( cause I really don't want a cracked block or head!), I am using grumpies recommendation for head gasket.. SCE .021 thickness. I have retorked the heads. I had the heads checked for flatness before I put them on. I am just wondering if with the thinness of the gasket if it just isn't sealing well. Not entirley sure where to go with this next. There are no composite gaskets thin enough for my application either. Pete or Grumpy ... if you read this, how thick can I go quench wise, on 93 octane gas... maybe even pushing it a little? Or is there a better way to help seal the head gaskets? I did use the spray copper gasket sealer before I installed them. Maybe I should go with ARP studs so I can get higher torque down pressure? Here's my setup again. 400 block bored 40 over stock deck height Scat 9000 crank, 400 mains, internally balanced, 3.5" stroke for 6" rods Scat 6" I beam rods w/7/16" bolts Keith Black 194 pistons 10.7:1 w/64cc heads Canfield heads - 59.2 cc chambers Crane - 114681 cam

I have a 280Z with 410hp at the wheels, a T-56, 3.54 gears, and an aluminum flywheel. I find it to be relatively easy to drive. Not too much power for me, very easy to control. A very well balanced car.

Thanks grumpy!!! I've been wonder for a while why they would do an interference fit... and transfering the vibration properly does make sense!

Grumpy... is there a reason it's so hard to get it on? The Datsun L-6 motor damper slips on and works fine. Wouldn't it be much nicer to take a little off the inside of the SBC damper so it just slids on easily? I'm sure I'm missing something... but I'm just not sure what it would be!

Thanks everyone! I got the mount installed Wow! everthing seems so much smoother... I guess it was ripping for a while and I just didn't notice the increase in vibration! It NEVER ends though... now my starter is starting to stick... It doesn't surprise me though since I notice that I burned a hole in the solenoid since it is too close to the header! Ordered what I hope is a better one through summit. I have to use a starter with the staggered bolt pattern so my choices were limited, but thanks to Heavy Z, I will have a powermaster mini with a staggered bolt pattern so I should have that fixed soon.... I wonder what will break next! LOL!

Cool! I think that may be exactly what I am looking for! Thanks!!

The Hitachi has the normal mounting though doesn't it?

I need to find a starter for a SBC 350/400 with the offset mounting and the has the solenoid away from the header... I'm starting to have problems with it. Anyone have any ideas? Part numbers? It Absolutley has to have the offset mounting though... for some reason my block does not have the hole for the other mount. Thanks!!

LOL! It really just depends what your experience is... I used to own the Z pictured in my icon. I autocrossed it and it had 12:1 pistons, seriously ported head, wild cam etc.... That one didn't make as much HP as my 280 and it was much more of a bear to drive. I got used to really pushing the first one to it's limits when autocrossing, so this isn't hard to drive at all! Heh I know a lot of people that won't take their Z out in the rain! I have always been of the mind that I built it to drive it and damn it if I can I'm going to! Only if the is snow on the road won't I take it out. I think it would be way too easy to do donuts without wanting to!!!

Ok... for those of you that wanted to see the sheets... I created an album called Dyno (see link in my sig!). I put all of them there. 73TPIZ: Yes it is a destroked 400... you can see the details of my setup here http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=65990&page3&pp=25 on page 3. I would think a 383 would match up fairly well... but I've done things to lower the torque etc in the lower rpm range and for a truck and towing you want to do the exact opposite.

The first 2 runs were identical from the dyno standpoint. The other 2 we bumped the max speed up to try to capture a little more since we could.

Larry... ya know I should be able to do that pretty easily.... I'll scan the and put them in an album tomorrow! Good idea!

awd92gsx: kinda.... I added another album in my yahoo photos (see sig), called Old Z. This is all of the shots I have of it anymore. HarrisonTX: I've got the dyno sheets to prove it! LOL!! It really did amaze me that it was that dramatic, I wouldn't have thought it would change so much. Nothing else changed though and I changed the timing while it was on the dyno and ran it about 3 minutes apart! The next 3 runs were 405, 409, and 410. So it was consistant after I changed it!

I'll probably have the mount by Tuesday... I hate waiting especially when it's nice outside!!! So I'm know how it drives then! I am still amazed that the small timing change I did made 70 hp difference... and it was retarding it! That's so cool! No ping at all now.... Thanks grumpy for the cam advice!

Well today was fun ... then not so fun... then better I went and did 4 pulls on the dyno. First one was 331hp at 5200 rpm and 378 ft lbs torque at 3200 rpm... not what I was expecting but ok... I still have some tweaking to do on it. It was pinging a bit too, so I retarded the ignition and we ran another pull. 405 hp at 5400rpm and 412 ft lbs torque at 4470 rpm. Well that's much better!! Did another 2 pulls with the best being 410 hp at 5600 rpm and 419 ft lbs torque at 4300 rpm. I'm really glad I went! So I probably am getting about 450hp at the engine which is what Dyno 2000 predicted! So I leave (I'm about 1 1/2 hours from home), THUMP! CLANG CLANK CLANG CLANK. !@&$*&^#$^$#&!!! Sounds like my R-200 broke. Add some load and it goes away. I get out and look... no fluid leaking... nothing hanging down.... hmmm.... I'll try to drive home. As long as I kept a load on the drivetrain it didn't make any noise. Very wierd. I figured maybe I lost a spider gear? I have a phantom grip in it so I really wasn't sure how it would all work in there. I made it back home after a lot of banging and clanking. Get it up on jack stands and OH! I didn't think of this! I have Pete's (well Ron Tyler's... but I heard about it from Pete!) rear diff mount. I used the stock GM trans mount. Ripped the thing right in half and the drivesharf universal joint was resting on the rear sway bar! Ok under load the diff lifts up and no more noise.... well that makes sense! I just went and read the writup on the diff mount again to check the part numbers and OH (again) I guess I should have read it better. It happened to him twice. That's what I get for not reading it better the first time! So I just ordered an energy suspension mount that he actually Says to use... sheesh.... Well I'm glad I didn't break the R-200 (well yet anyway!) and the mount is really easy to replace... just means I have to wait for the part. All in all not too bad of a day... could have been worse!

Well lets see... I started with a shell and built the car from the ground up using a parts car. Pictures are in the link in my sig. Unfortunatley I'm not terribly sure about some of the suspension parts. The springs are not stock and lowered the car but couldn't tell you where they are from. Same with the sway bars. All of the rubber suspension bushing are replaced with urathane. Koni adj race shocks Painted it myself (which you can tell when you get close!) R-200 3.54 rear with a Phantom Grip T-56 trans that needs rebuilt, Weir bellhousing & hyd throwout bearing 400 block bored 40 over Scat 9000 crank, 400 mains, internally balanced, 3.5 stroke for 6" rods Scat 6" I beam rods w 7/16" bolts Keith Black 194 hyper pistons, 10.7:1 w/64cc heads Canfield heads - 59.2 cc chambers Valves - Intake - 2.02 Exhaust - 1.60 Flow: .6 253.5 and 175 .7 256.5 and 182 Crane Cam # 114681 Port match VicJr intake Holley 750 double pumper w mech secondaries alluminum flywheel AND it runs on pump gas!!! Car weighs in at 2860lbs So far best 0-60 time is 4.3 seconds As long as I don't break it this week I'll be going to a dyno on Saturday!

Well there are a lot of places. around the tail lights is one of the major ones. Another way to find the problem is to remove absolutly everything from the rear inside of the car. Interior panels etc. and start looking for holes. You might even be able to have someone inside in the back and someone outside holding a halogen shop light and look for light coming in. Also check the rubber grommets in the bottom of the hatch.

Well it sounds like I should pull the whole thing... I don't believe I can drop the trans, so I'll have to pull the engine. Not that terribley hard... and I suppose that will give me a chance to fix an oil leak I have too! At that point if I'm going to have it out, I'll rebuild the whole thing. Better to take it out once and get it done right.

JBC3 Wow! Is that something I should be able to do without pulling the trans out of the car as well? It almost sounds too easy!

Oh! Good point... well first mine is from a 93-94 so from what I understand it can't handle more than 400 hp.... I am having problems getting it into 5th, and it pops out of reverse. everything else works fine. Now I did modify the reverse lockout... but I wouldn't think that would matter.

I need to rebuild my T-56... anyone know of a good place to either get a good rebuilt T-56 maybe with an exchange program or a good rebuild kit? I'm putting out about 450hp so I do need to make it a bit stronger. Thanks!!

With what you have available the 400 really is the way to go... more displacement and it still uses the 350 parts, which are cheap and very available. If you can afford it get a new crank and have it internnally balanced, makes it easier to get flywheels and balancers. Watch out about the high intake you mentioned, they won't fit under the hood!

LOL just goes to show how different everyone is... I used to autocross and I've found that I love a great handling car with way too much power. I may not be able to hook up real well... which probably is as much me as it is the car:D... I built it because that's what I am looking for. I use ALL of the power at times when I can and I love it! I'm down to 4.4 seconds 0-60 and if I can do better on the launch I'll probably be at about 4 seconds heheheheheh

Well I have a T-56 trans, so I just needed to use the built in sensor. If you have a mechanical you would use one of their mechanical ones I suppose. Although I would call them to make sure it's fully adjustable to your trans.

I used the Autometer 5" ultralight. Very nice meter. I have a picture on my photos page under the finished album if you want to look see my singnature!