Racin_Jason

Thx Davy! I honestly didnt expect it to turn out as clean as it did. I'm almost NOT looking forward to seeing it between the fenders of my "turd on wheels". The key word being almost I hope to get the engine/tranny combo in the car this coming weekend. One step closer to being among the group of asphault terrorists! Jason

Oops..lag induced double post. Dan you fiddling with settings again?

Heh, it was like building my engine in a bar at 1AM. Everyone's drunk, the music was loud and the place is full of cigar/cigarette smoke. The work bench was covered with engine parts and beer bottles. And No, I wasn't drinking while building the engine Never a dull moment at Dan's place! Jason

Umm Dan..you wanna comment on that? Thanks Pete, I appreciate it Jason

I finally got all the right parts and got it built I was startin to wonder if it would ever get done! And the unveiling...WahLah! 355 Chevy 9.6:1 AFR 195's Xtreme Energy 268H cam TRW forged slugs GM forged crank/rods w/4-bolt mains Holley Dominator-2 intake Carter 625cfm (for now) Scorpion roller rockers Accel 300+ ignition A special thanks to my buddy, and our gracious webmaster, SuperDan, for allowing me to build my engine (and keep all my parts) in his garage, sharing his experience.. and just generally being a coolguy and a great friend. A very rewarding experience! I can't wait to fire it up!! More pics here if interested.. http://photos.yahoo.com/jasonpreiss2 Anyways, I just wanted to share Racin (Weeeee!!!) Jason

are you sure thats not a V6? It looks like it to me ...and I cant imagine a 510 having THAT much engine bay room infront of ANY V8. I dont recognize the engine but Im sure someone will.

hehe I was about to post the same thing Scottie

Welcome to the group Nick! The smog laws can seem pretty complex, i know. I live in CA (the smog capitol) and we have it as strict as anybody. Im not quite sure what Texas' laws are but I would imagine that if you stayed within CA specs you should be legal. On with the info. First off, in CA atleast, indeed 1973 and OLDER are smog exempt. What this means is you will never have to have the car inspected or 'sniffer' tested. However, the law still states that you have to replace the original engine with " the same year as the vehicle or newer". For all practical purposes tho, you can do what you please to the exempt cars because nobody is going to ever verify the engine in them. By installing an LT1 you are WELL within the true legal limits anyways. Now if you were to buy a car thats 1974 or older (not exempt), thats where the red tape kicks in for engine swaps. It goes as follows. The engine must be the same year as the car or NEWER. The swap engine must retain ALL of the smog equipment the donor car came with. The car will be tested by the same standards as the donor car the swapped engine came out of. So if you swapped in a 1995 Camaro LT1, the smog station will setup to test the Camaro..not your 1974+ Datsun. All go-fast goodies must be C.A.R.B (california air resource board..smog nazi's) certified and pass the visual inspection. Something as simple as an air filter can fail you during visual inspection if the part doesnt have a C.A.R.B sticker with it. Theres lots of BS involved when you have to smog a hotrod. By getting a 1970-1973 240Z, assuming TX has similar smog laws to CA, you'll be saving yourself alot of trouble. Also, regarding the 1982 engine with a 1972 head, the "smog nazi's" will judge the year of the engine based on the engine block number. But mind you, if the swapped head wasn't as compliant to emissions as the original, the sniffer will rat you out and you'll get the big F even if you have no other speed parts. The bottom line in your case is that your plan of attack is fine! With a 70-73 car you can go nuts and the LT1 is "within legal limits" anyways so rest easy. Do your swap the way you want to do it and enjoy your car! Hope this clears up the "smog" alittle Jason

VERY nice work Phil. Man, you've made some changes..then changed them again..and again! One of these days I'd love to have a look at it in person and maybe pick your brain about my idea for retrofitting tailights into my 240Z. Im also in San Diego keep up the unique work! Jason

got an empty album this time

I agree with davy on this one. The one with the "supa-kit" looks yellow to me. The 'vert looks like a light bronze.

Joe, Sounds like you got a good deal on a stout short block. Just a warning from a longtime ebay user, if I may. When you pay this person, make sure you a have a solid leg to stand on incase of fraud. I find that Paypal with my CC works well. The reason for my concern is the feedback of your seller.. http://cgi2.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=princesspatty]http://cgi2.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=princesspatty]http://cgi2.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=princesspatty One of his complaints is on an engine sale..and its a nasty one. be careful, Jason

You know when you've scoured the web for Z's SO much that you ultimately just end up looking at the same stuff over and over again? (cmon...I know its not just me. You're an addict too )..its like you have seen it all. Well I found a couple fresh ones today that maybe you havent seen, so i wanted to share. They are both quite 'unique' i thought. Enjoy ala convertable.. interesting kit here..just when i thought i'd seen them all.. and one of these for no reason in particular. ok maybe two

ok then I have a suggestion... Can someone download the "worth seeing" video clips and convert them to mpeg? I just want to see the action...my 240 is all the japanese i wanna hear anyways (with a healthy american powerplant )

What exactly would you like to know? I'll explain the basics in hopes that i answer your question(s). Cowl induction is a sealed air induction system that draws cool, pressurized (if thats a word) air from the base of the windshield. The aerodynamics of the car creates a high pressure area at the bottom of the windshield that cowl induction uses two ways. It forces, to some degree, air into the opening at the rear of the hood and into your intake system. it also allows the engine to breathe the air outside of the engine compartment, which is a much lower temperature, thus making a few more horsepower. A proper cowl induction setup would have the aircleaner sealed to the bottom of the hood..and sealed off from the engine bays hot air. The hood scoop is rear-facing and draws the engines air from the base of the windshield. I personally like this design as opposed to a forward facing scoop. It prevents rain and objects from entering your intake, while still giving the ram-air benefits. Hope this helps, Jason

ditto on the movie I'd like to have a copy also

Here's a shot of SuperD's any answers on my ^above^ question?

Does anyone know if NHRA will accept an Optima gell-cell mounted within the cockpit when NOT placed in a sealed box?? BTW anytime a battery is relocated anywhere (especially within the cockpit), you really should have it bolted down to either the frame itself or a welded extension from the frame. NHRA requires this, and for good reason. Think about a 50 pound projectile upside your head at around 70+mph. Ichabod Crane comes to mind. Stay safe folks Jason

Greetings John, Sigh...compromise is a hard thing to stomach aint it? ESPECIALLY when it comes to your car! I've been in the same boat all along with both of my cars. I look at it like an additional challenge to keep it interesting To the point...ET. I'm going to assume the weight to be about 3000Lbs with driver, tank of gas and the cage etc you mentioned. Using your HP guess, minus 20% drivetrain loss, you would have around 428HP at the wheels Quite a bit. According to the math, if your car is setup correctly and hooks very well, it would run basement 11's. in the 11.10 range. Now, if you could manage to shave some weight off my projected total (late Z's are heavy!...and cages arent lite either)...you could have yourself a 10 second Z car fairly easily! Also, I notice you said your 327 is now over 450HP. Then you mention that you would 'bump up' the compression to 10.6:1. Just my opinion here, but with your current lower compression, if you are indeed making 450+HP...thats one HELL of a 327 pumpgas engine! Most of the folks here have had to go the stroker route to achieve those numbers..let alone the 536HP you expect to get from the same cubes and relatively low compression. Sounds alittle high to me for real world power. I'd love to hear your current head, cam, intake, carb, compression setup. You must have some magic in the heads BTW it sounds like you are getting a GREAT deal on the 280Z! The weight wouldn't bother me to much either. You are gaining a MUCH stiffer chassis and more safety for the price of some pounds. Not a bad tradeoff for the power you are looking to put down! Hope i could help and good luck! Jason

Wow Phil! Thats gonne be a bad little pocket rocket! I have a very good friend who has a 1600 Roadster. Super fun little car. You are gonna drop alot of jaws with the performance of that! Jason

Heh I suggest you try and get as much money for MY parts as possible Dan...cause your tombstone wont be cheap. p.s dont make me bring up the dent

Kris~ I live on the west side of El Cajon close to the 67/I-8 split. I get around quite a bit also so im sure we can hook up sometime. As for your smog issues... As I understand the views of the DMV, you should be able to have it legally V8'ed with the newer LT1. I spoke to a rep and was told that the guidelines are as follows. Aslong as the transplanted engine is from a NEWER vehicle, has all the stock smog-type equipment and any performance upgrades are CARB certified...the car is legal aslong as it passes the sniffer test for the CAR THE ENGINE CAME OUT OF. So, as i understood it, your 77 Z would be tested on the same regiment as The Camaro/Vette that the engine originated from. I have not actually gone through the process myself, as both my modifyed vehicles are smog exempt, but that what i was told by the rep at the DMV office. There are other ways around it also..but you have to have a 'friend' who works as a smogtech. Did I say that??...I couldn't have cause that would be illegal! Someone grabbed the keyboard from me..i swear! As for seeing a V8-Z in the buff..Im the wrong guy to visit. My car doesnt have the drivetrain in it yet. Within a couple months hopefully tho. Any questions you might have about just about anything regarding these cars can almost certainly be answered here on the forums. This group is very well versed in most,if not all methods of modifying these cars. You'll learn loads day by day! Jason

Welcome aboard Kris! Sounds like you have a very nice package in the making. It also sounds an awful lot like SuperDan's car, actually. Im sure you'll have a blast with it..and if you give me half a chance, SO WILL I! Im also from San Diego..as is Superdan. So welcome aboard the local HybridZ crazy train! We're NUTS for V8-Z's in San Diego Jason

Well after alot of research and bending GrumpyVettes ear , Im real close to droppin the bucks on this design and buildin it. The plan is to throw a new topend and cam on my current 350 which is out of my 73 Camaro. The mileage and condition of the engine is unknown, but it always been reliable for me so I think Im gonna give it a try and hope for the best. Anyways, here's the proposed plan.. 350 with stock cast dish pistons and stock bottom end. Trick Flow 23degree aluminum heads w/64cc (gonna attempt to bowl blend and gasket match myself i think), Holley Strip Dominator II dual plane (have it), Carter 625 (have it), Comp XE268 cam, roller rockers, HEI w/module and coil and hooker shortys (have it). Summit electric fuel pump w/bypass (have it,thanks Dan!)..3/8" feed line with stock feedline used for return line. 700r4 with stock TC (thanks again Dan!) will feed the fun to a R200. The (have it) stuff will save me money until I can afford to replace them, if needed. SO WADDAYA THINK??? Comments? questions? better ideas? name calling? I might just might have it ready for MSA next year!! Ugly as sin but I hope to be there representing HYBRIDZ! Jason

Greetings Rick, Sorry to hear about your battery drain woes. These gremlins can be tricky to track down..but arent impossible. Well from the sound of it you are either.. a: Using alittle more current per drive than you are recharging from your alternator. This would be from a low output alternator, to much resistance in the line between the alternator + and the battery such as a poor connection like corroded contacts (pay close attention to your ground wires also..they are just as suspect as the positives)..or possibly (but not probably) you arent spinning the alternator fast enough. Its also possible to drive a car to little to recharge the current you use at start up. If you crank the thing a bit to get it started..and only drive around the block...its not gonna charge much. b: You have something within the circuit that is drawing current steadily that is slowly draining your battery. If nothing stands out as obvious to you, here's what i would do.. Take a close look at the connector on your alternator and make sure the connections are all making good,clean contact. Next, take a good look at your ground wire from the battery to the chassis. Verify that you arent corroded at the terminal and you have a good,clean connection at the chassis (the chassis ground sounds suspect to me). Just make sure you have good contact between the alternator and the battery and you have a solid ground. With the car running (might need to be above 1500-2000rpm) you should see over 14 volts at the battery from the alternators charge (on the battery post...not the terminal. This will prove that its making it to the battery). If you arent..backtrack the wire to the alternator. If the output of the alternator is well under 14 volts..alternators bad or isnt spinning fast enough. If it has a good output but it isnt making it to the battery post..its in the wires between the two. If your alternator checks out ok then you probably have something thats draining your battery ever so slightly. This can be alittle tedious to find..but it sounds like you have the initiative. Get a multimeter and put it on the DC CURRENT setting. Now, while the car is sitting idle with nothing on, remove a battery terminal and put the meter in series between the terminal and the battery post. You might see a small current draw register on the meter. If you do..you can play sherlock holmes now. Start by removing fuses from suspect circuits. When you remove the fuse from the circuit thats draining your battery, youll see the current on the meter go away. Now you know which circuit its in. Then its just a matter of tracing through the circuit and finding the issue. I would remove power from any aftermarket gear such as stereo equipment first. Hope this gets ya started off in the right direction. Good luck finding your gremlin. Jason