labrat

well, I don't drive the car much, so I don't think so, but meeting up won't be a problem. I live off parmer and anderson mill way up north. I don't really wanna drive the car anywhere far, as it isn't street legal right now. Around the block or so isn't a problem, though. gimme a call on my cell at 689-9306

try http://www.smokemup.com they have lots of engine math calculators and such

Thanks bastaad, but I'm really just getting tired of wrenching on this thing. It's been 3 years (look at my member join date) and I kinda want my life back. the $2500.00 asking price is for HybridZ members only, locally I'm askin 3K. If anyone is thinking about starting a hybridz project, this is a great place to start. All mount issues, etc. have been resolved. Car drives great, and sounds MEAN. Dual 2" off manifolds into single 3" (behind tranny) with center in/out 50 series flowmaster. This car turns heads at every stoplight. It just needs some "taming" to give it better street manners. Bill

Sorry, can't find the cable for my digital camera, I just took a bunch today. I will scrounge it up and post pics in this thread

Here is the reason why it's for sale... http://hybridz.org/nuke/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=35708 here is the ad: http://hybridz.org/nuke/modules.php?op=modload&name=zClassifieds&file=detail&cat=52&de=610 Come on guys, I gotta come up with 3K in 30 days, so the Z has to go. Give it a good home! Bill

Well, the irresponsible part was not paying the tickets. Responsibility is not staying out of trouble, it's dealing with the consequences like an adult. Besides, I had an excuse, I was on my way to the gas station to refill the tank after pulling it and to air up the tires Still shouldn't have been on the road, though. Bill

I hate all of you. For full coverage on a 99 miata, 00 integra, and liability only on the ZX, I pay $415.00 a MONTH. I'm over 25 (at least that is in my favor) but tickets make it climb fast!

The funny thing is, the cop was worried that I was gonna take off running after he pulled me over. I laughed and told him that if I was gonna run, I would have done it before I pulled over. He popped the hood on the Z right before the tow truck got there, and then apologized He said that's the only car he's ever seen that might have been able to outrun the radio.

I have the same issues, idle I'm fine, running hard I'm fine, highway fine. But in stop and go, the needle steadily runs towards the red. I know I have an air pocket in the system, and it's a b***h to get out. I've tried ramps, etc, to no avail. The only way I can get it good and full is to wing the throttle up to about 3500 rpm and wait for the air pocket to move to the radiator, then fill it and cap it before I let off. Bill

Well, it finally happened. The long arm of the law caught up with me and my 11 unpaid tickets. I got pulled over in the Z for running a red light, and got locked up. Sucks very much bad. Before you start, I know it's my fault. I was irresponsible when I was younger, and now have to face the music. Plus, my Z definitley does not belong on any public street in the condition it's in now. Got popped for no license, registration, inspection, insurance, and driving on non-approved equipment (slicks). The worst part wasn't me spending a day and a half in county jail, but my Z had to spend 3 days in the impound lot. Very expensive weekend, to say the least. Bill

being from austin, lance is a local hero around here. it would almost be unpatriotic to miss it. LIVESTRONG! Bill

Well, if you can't get rubber in 3rd, that's just more motivation for the hybrid swap. I usually drive my 350/T5 280ZX like a grandma. Shift at 1700 rpm, drive in the right lane, etc. I don't really like being obnoxious, and with a 50 series flowmaster, it gets obnoxious real quick. Piss me off, however, and they are suddenly behind me. And they stay behind me.

Easy... Third gear. Leave em in a cloud of tire smoke. The smell of burning rubber drops my blood pressure 15 points....

Only problem is, that's about $100.00 more than the going rate for a good MS unit... It's appears to be just the ECU with no harnesses, injectors, sensors etc. I just got mine from a dude on here for $125.00 including shipping... Just my $.02 Bill

Yeah! What he said! I wanna see some gearhead porn!

If you're going that far and going with that kinda compression, you might as well go with a cam like this one: http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=CCA-12-250-3&N=120 300363 that will let you use the compression to it utmost and spin the heck out of that 327. It's a high winding motor, and we definitely don't need the raw torque in Z cars, so go for it! You just have to build a stout valve train to spin that high and keep it there long, though... Bill

Congratulations! Its a great feeling to finally get to drive it, isn't it! Happened to me about 2 weekds ago. Finally got to fire tha mutha up and lay some rubber around the block! I'm sure my neighbors hate me, as it's a single 3" exhaust with only 1 50 series flowmaster right at the end. It sets off car alarms at anything over 1000 RPM. But that's music to my ears! It's hot, has no AC, the seats kinda rock forward and backward where the bolt holes are kinda stripped, ( and exhaust fumes get sucked in, and it smells like gas, etc.. etc... ) but it's awesome when you finally get a chance to stomp on it in 3rd. I actually get looks of respect from camaro/corvette/mustang owners at light now when they hear the lope. And when I pull out and they realize its a five speed, it just gets that much better. Haven't had the chance to race it yet (well, I did pull a 2001 Cobra across and intersection and through 2nd) but it sure feels fast. I really need to practice driving it and get used to its quirks before I drive it fast, anyway. I've had it to about 110 on a straight stretch (top of 4th gear), but I'm afraid to do that much at all, especially with no tags or inspection yet. Right now, mostly just short tuning runs, but it runs!

Thanks grumpy, you confirmed my worst fears. This is my first engine rebuild, and after this, probably my last. I'll leave it to a competent machine shop to take care of it from now on. I can get a stock shortblock minus cam and timing set for about $350.00, so I'll probably go that route. I'm not sure aobut this motor anyway, as I didnt' do a complete rebuild on it, just freshened it up a little. When I bought it, it had been rebuilt, just had some broken rings and blown headgasket. (comnpression was WAY down on 3 cyls.) but everything else looked good, so I just threw new bearings and rings in it and reassembled it. If I'm going to all the trouble of pulling the motor out YET AGAIN, I'm putting in something I know will work perfectly. Bill

I got mine from the chrome section at pep-boys. like 6 bux or so, and it comes with a chrome surround to bolt to the tunnel. They have a small one and a large one, the small one worked great for me. This is in a 280ZX with 350/T5. Bill

Okay guys, help me tackle this one. Conversion complete, I have about 200 miles or so on the newly rebuilt 4 bolt main 350. When idling cold, I have good oil pressure, around 20-25 psi. When hot, however (180*), my oil pressure drops to almost nothing and the engine even knocks occasionally. What did I do wrong? If I rev it to even 1000 rpm, it shoots back up quickly to around 15-20, but at 600 rpm idle I'm lucky to get 5psi. I'm sure my lower bearing clearances were good, they were all plasti-guaged before install. Is the oil pump bad? Did the bearings wear excessively on the initial startup? I primed the oil pump with a drill before the intial start. The one thing that has bothered me about this motor is the fact that I overheated it on it first good drive, during the break-in period. I have replaced the heads and entire top end since then, but the shortblock is the same. Could this have caused the low oil pressure I'm getting? More importantly, do you think I could fix it with a high volume oil pump, or do you think more serious problems are afoot. Damn, I just got this thing running, now I have to pull the motor again. I'm thinking about just buying a shortblock from an engine shop. I'm tired of dealing with this... Bill

Also, unless you're doing drag strip launches on slicks, the T5 should hold up well. The tires will smoke before the tranny gives. I'm making about 400 ft./lbs. and have had no issues with my T5 in about 500 miles or so. I know they are limiting my acceleration, but I have the same tires on my Z with the 350 that I was running with the L28. I figured they would act as sort of a fuse for my drivetrain.

WOOT! I lucked out! I pulled the tank today to check it out, and it wasn't rusty at all! Just had some sediment from years of bad gas, I guess. I pulled it out, rinsed it with water, and it is now sparkling clean. No more clogged fuel filter, and no more running lean. YAY! Bill

I guess I should feel fortunate, the fuel level guage is the only one I have that works. Oh, and battery voltage

The earlier 240's are lighter and have inferior rear diffs (r180) while the later model (ZX's) are heavier by about 500 lbs and stiffer. Most of that weight is in bracing in the undercarriage. The rear diff is also stouter (r-200) and in a ZX model, there is no need for the JTR style mounts, as the engine compartment is about 3" shorter. Just bolt spacers to motor mounts and bolt to crossmember. Anyway, do some searches, as this is just the tip of the iceberg (do you want digital dash, etc.) Bill PS, when all was said and done, I use an 81 ZX. Heavier and harder to smog in cali, but stiffer and better built for the swap.

Good tip, Tim. My buddy has a jeep, and it has been raining here for like 40 days and 40 nights.... Problem is, I've dropped almost 3500 bux in this car this year getting it running with the 350, and my budget is now shot. 60 bux is outta my league! Gotta do this the hard way, (that is, with no money). I'm sure I can, but the work is gonna suck... Bill