Racin_Jason

OK first I want to say thanks for all the help and being honest with me. I appreciate it and it can make all the difference in the long run to have someone with prior knowledge help guide the newbie. Now Im not a newbie to cars or working on them. I've been building a 73 Camaro for 3 years and I'm capable of doing the work myself or finding a friend that can if I cant. I ALREADY have a 355 and a TH350 ready to drop in this car..the engines rebuilt and the tranny has a shift kit and is solid. (looks like kaka but runs well..see my website under camaro-'2ndgen striptease'). http://www.jasonshobbycase.homestead.com/homepage.html I'm really not looking at having a clean Z that can be shown off...thats what my Camaro will be for (eventually). Im also not looking to build the Z into a monster...the Camaro is being built to run 10's on pumpgas/all motor then 9's on NOS (you can see the 490BBC on my site aswell). Here's what I would buy this car for. A fun, streetable sleeper that i wouldnt have to worry about to much. The goal would be to get it in the 12's and be as sleeperish and cruiseable as possible. The th350 I have for it is NOT very highway friendly i understand..but it'll do for now. It will be garaged so the primer wouldn't be an immediate rust sponge. I figure to get the car running, with another junkyard r200 and springs..and add in 100-200 for "the stuff that comes up"..my out of pocket beyond the price of the car would be 5-600 maybe. Thats with ugly interior,primer intact and only a few visual additions. Im not even sure if this car is going to be available to buy because he hasnt called me and I should have heard from him by now. Ya know what?...screw it! I'm gonna SHOW you guys the car. I figure if someone see's it here and buys it out from under me then it just wasn't meant to be. Have a look for yourself... http://www.jasonshobbyshowcase.homestead.com/240z.html I think Ive described it pretty accurately. It DOES need ALOT to be nice..and more than meets the eye,too. I don't want nice really (maybe eventually..a bit at a time), I want to street race it, get my jollies driving it to work and just have a sleeper that I can entertain myself with. I will however pull the door panels and check for rust FIRST. Also, I will check anything you all warn me about. I want to know what Im getting myself into..but working on it is no biggie and neither is the look of it. Anything I can't do I'll just ask for help on here. I'm humble As always, opinions appreciated. Thanks again..great site! Jason

Thanks for looking out for me. I hear ya. Actually I was so caught up in the performance thats all i wanted to talk about when I got home..laf I did give the car a good looking over and here's my inspection sheet. The body was very straight with only a few door dings and is primered and somewhat ready for paint. To thr RUST then..He pointed out a slight bit under the doors (very little) and said that was all that was on the car. The underhood was factory paint (i think) and I pulled the battery and the tray and it was only rust colored..NO rust really to speak of. Its missing the carpet under the drivers feet and there was no rust there either although I remember him mentioning it did have some on the floor (i didnt see any) The rest of the car IS in primer so that could hide alot but the body panels were smooth. The only place I saw that 'filler texture' was under the hatch at the bottom right corner..but it was primed over too. The orimer doesnt look new at all so I would assume any BAD rust might have showed itself by now. Other body stuff..hmm...it has a plastic front spoiler, all the chrome is there except for one tailight surround, glass is all good, no dents..oh and it has a sunroof that he says has never leaked (i hope) Interior then~ Pretty trashed I guess. Carpets gone, dash is cracked up, missing guages in the center (he's keeping them), seats are decent, headliner is good, the center console was CUT off of the dash for a aftermarket shifter to fit (looks like kaka), has a nice steering wheel, nice Autometer tach w/shiftlite, the door panels are tore up badly, it has 5point harnesses and the doors weatherstripping is trashed. Personally im not too worried about the interior looks. Ive fixed up worse before.. Suspension has Tokico struts (non-adjustable) and CUT Eibach springs..the thing is pretty low and rides stiff. I would swap out those springs. He has the Toyota brakes in a box that he will throw in. The rearend has to be replaced due to the spider gears being welded together. It actually hooked up amazingly well for having such a taught suspension, being lowered and all. The motor mounts and tranny mounts are homemade but are in the JTR position..if not closer. The distributer (HEI) was damn near touching the firewall. I havent check the brakes yet. The radiator is out of a Maxima and has a 16" electric fan on it. The car comes with NO motor, tranny, rims, or muffler (but the piping and headers stay). He is also taking the aftermarket guages for oil and water temp i believe but the big tach stays. So what do you think? Im not looking for a clean Z. Im looking for a solid foundation to build speed on..looks can come later. I would post the price but Im not sure if i have any competition floating around on this car seeing as how it was posted on these forums and many guys are local. I would appreciate hearing what people think I SHOULD be willing to pay for it. Any and all comments are welcome and requested. I'll keep ya posted! Jason

Ok, first of all i'll say Im new to Z cars but have always admired the bodies and wanted to try a hybrid. Im also not new to quick street cars and have ridden in quite a few. That aside here's my introduction to the V8 Zcar. We get in the car and he fires up the high compression 400sbc and I can feel the torque of the engine starting rolling the chassis on its suspension..but after that it was just a slight tingle of vibration. It sounded nice..not to loud but beefy inside the cockpit. So he pops the auto into drive with a jerk from the drivetrain. After feeling that jerk from just engaging it into gear im thinking this thing is gonna be awnry to drive. So we start puttin it around. The car is AMAZINGLY docile and easy to cruise. Very smooth and not jerky and touchy like i expected. Then he stabs it a slight bit a couple times and I can feel thats its gonna move real well! So after cruising the district a bit we finally come to a long straight road, and im ready to see what all the hype is about. I lean back into the seat with my head against the headrest and just go into a high sensory observation mode..you know..when you are really into a car and want to 'feel' it out. So we're rolling about 10mph and he floors it...HOLY$H!T!!!...BAM already into second in within one seconds time and its just a slight pause to the viscous acceleration and its back to feeling like im being held against that seat by two PO'ed Arnold Swartzenegger's..and it just doesnt stop!! I mean the acceleration didnt feel like other cars..its just constant,steady and wicked! 2nd gear lasts about 2-2.5 seconds and he slams third (3speed auto) and it plants you 'deep' into the seat with pressure..damn near like 1st does..VISCOUS! He's into 3rd for a couple of seconds and lets off the loud pedal..it was euphoric! Then it just settles back in to a calm cruiser..totally streetable and docile. We went from the bottom of 1st up to 3rd and to i'd guess-timate about 100mph in about 7 seconds and in alittle over a short blocks worth of road. I was shocked!..it didnt seem real but at the same time it seemed so 'right'. The car needs suspension work and has had a hard life, but it just seemed to work in harmony with all that torque. The tires were about a 6-7" wide sport tire and they hooked and maintained control well. As soon as he hit it in 1st..Im thinking this thing is gonna sidestep BIGTIME when he bumps second...didnt happen. There was tire spin for sure but I couldnt really hear it over the engine nor could i feel any acceleration going away. It was just a constant massive thrust of that little body..Id almost describe it like 'being into the afterburners'. Just THRUUUUST that doesnt let up until you let go off that pedal! So anyway we toodle around some more and end up coming onto yet another straight away...uphill this time. Same thing...He hits it again and the whole time, 1st to 3rd im just thinking "Yeaaaaaaa Baby Yeaaaaaaaaaa!!". Uphill/downhill..1st gear/3rd gear...this car was bad and it didnt matter. It all felt the same..DAMN GOOD! I was just as amazed at how mellow and nice to cruise it could be. it was similar to a well built turbo car with big boost and power. It was real mellow like they are until you wanted it to get evil..the only difference was that this Z was like the turbo car at full power/full boost all the time..and at ANY rpm and in ANY gear..yet was as docile as the turbo car would be at low revs/low boost as soon as you let off the gas. A good description would be Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde...and its two personalities were that different. Sweet car and obviously a design that was just meant to be. I can only imagine how it would do with fender flares and some better rubber with a suspension that wasnt as hard as a ROCK from cut springs that were lowering springs in the first place. Under full acceleration the car literally only dropped the back end 1.5 inches..NOT a good setup for that kind of power to utilize weight transfer. Still it did amazingly well and stayed poised and under full control the whole time. Even changing lanes at full throttle was precise. I'm hooked...theres no doubt. I've always wanted a v8-Z, even since I was in my early teens. Now that I finally got the opportunity to experience the E-ticket ride (and thats what it is) Ive got to have one for myself. The guy that is selling the car is real cool and down to earth. He has some issues that are yet to be determined regarding my buying this car, but Id say it looks good. We are working on a deal on just the rolling chassis because I cant afford the whole asking price and the engine runs on race gas and Im not interested in that. Fun?...HELL YES!..but I want to drive this car alot and sleep on people. I want to cruise it on Saturday nights and just drop jaws of those that decide to test "the old clunker". $5/gallon gas is NOT going to work for that. I hope it works out between he and I so we can both get what we want out of the deal, but if it doesnt Ill just find another one. This one was fairly beat and needed ALOT to be nice..but i really dont want nice anyway. I want FAST...and I want Honda and 5.0 drivers heads on a stick! We will see. I'll keep you all posted and thanks for everyones help! Jason..the newest V8-Z NUT! ------------------ Future owner of 70-73 240Z-28 1973 Chevy Camaro street/strip project w/490BBC 2000 Ford F150 lifted on 35" BFG's w/5.4L V8 Have a look.. http://JasonsHobbyShowcase.homestead.com/homepage.html [This message has been edited by Racin_Jason (edited March 02, 2001).]

Wow Dave thanks alot! Thats VERY nice of you to offer that. Seeing as how i havent bought the car yet ill wait to respond to that one, but its looking good so far. If I could find a way to get it up there I'd definately enjoy meeting ya and taking you up on the offer. There are some extremely nice people here on this forum and Im glad to be a part of it. Jason

Ok..damn I was hoping i could just pull the spiders and replace them. We do have a Zonly yard down here so I will probably not have a problem finding another r200...price might be more than expected tho here in SoCA. I'm fairly limited on experience doing major work on cars and have NO experience with Z's. Could I get a blow-by-blow of how to take out/replace a rearend in these cars? Im hopin its not to hard although i doubt it would be.

A Z im looking at buying has welded spider gears for the "spool effect"...but I want a street car so this has to go. What exactly would i need, how hard would it be and what would it cost to replace these?

Hey FF..FYI it worked for me. I just scrolled down and the times were listed .

OK OK...you have GOT to be kidding me that NOSZCAR is running an open diff and hookin like that! I found that video earlier this week and it had a shortcut on my desktop at work for 2 days If that car has an open IRS...i'd really like to know what his suspension consists of. NOSZCAR are you there? (BAD Z BTW!)

Wow, I guess the IRS isn't to bad then with an open diff. I know before I put the first locker in my Camaro (solid rear axle) it was most definately a "one wheel wonder"..lol. I'll have a look at those links. Thanks much for the quick response! Jason

Ive realized that LSD's arent common in 240's but Im sure some of you must be running the open rearend with a V8. I also know that TRACTION is a main topic among HybridZ owners. I'd like to hear your experiece with leaving the line in a non-LSD Zcar. I understand that you cant have 400hp and just drop the clutch/floor the auto..unless you want one VERY bald tire Im just curious how much you have to baby it out of the hole and also once your moving does it smoke the tire at the shift? Thanks for tolerating the newbie Jason ------------------ Future owner of 70-73 240Z-28 1973 Chevy Camaro street/strip project w/490BBC 2000 Ford F150 lifted on 35" BFG's w/5.4L V8 Have a look.. http://JasonsHobbyShowcase.homestead.com/homepage.html [This message has been edited by Racin_Jason (edited March 01, 2001).]

uncleEd~ I would like that. being that im new to this I would appreciate any help and advice I could get. SuperDan is here in SD also and I hope to get a chance to meet him too. You can shoot me an email at Drag_Race_Nut@hotmail.com if you like. Jason

I agree. Being from the muscle scene im very familiar with Weld wheels. Actually i have the same wheels on my Camaro in 15x5 front and 15x10 rear. MANY people run these on the street and run them HARD and they are well suited for it. Jason http://www.jasonshobbyshowcase.homestead.com/homepage.html

Thanks guys, After finding some pictures of the JTR motor-mounts I can see itll be obvious if its setback or not. I do know that he is using hoodpins, but I believe its because he has a highrise intake because theres a 1" gap at the back of the hood (cant shut all the way). we'll be finding out soon. I just hope its still there and this guy is serious about selling it. Wish me luck!

Thanks alot Jeromio. That seems to be pretty straight forward. He already said it has a "3.55 gear and its a 300 rearend". I didnt ask if it was LSD (doh!). Is 3.55 available in the "300 rearend" and were most of them posi or LSD? Thanks again Jason

Im getting ready to go have a look at a car and the owner claims it has a 300Z or ZX (unclear which) rearend in it. Im totally new to this stuff and would appreciate a way (pictures maybe?) to determine exactly which is actually in the car by looking at it. Thanks alot! Jason

Thanks for the warm welcome! Im already enjoying my time here although it looks like its gonna cost me some money (Z car time!). Ive been looking through the VAST info and learning alot. On the car Im going to look at.. Ive learned that his motor mounts and tranny mounts are homemade. I HOPE they were done well with weight bias in mind. It has electric fans, camamro radiator, elctric fuel pump, 5point harnesses, 300Z rearend..Ill know more soon. Im alittle worried because im unfamiliar with Z cars and dont really know what to check for or where! Dan, I live in El Cajon and work in La Jolla so i get around the county abit. I'd love to meet ya one evening (im a vampire..graveyards) and have a look and maybe a ride in your car! Hopefully Ill be the newest Z-8 in our neighborhood soon! Jason

Well Ive located a 240Z with a 350/th350 in it that is for sale WITHOUT the engine/tranny. Everything else goes tho inc. exhaust,radiator,fuel system etc. I havent seen the car yet but Im very excited about it. Since this guy fabricated his own mounts Id like to be able to tell if the engine position is close to JTR for the best tractin and cornering. The engine will stil be in the car when i see it. He says the distributer is only 1/2" from the fire wall..but ive yet to see it for myself. I dont want to buy a "mistake" because im so anxious to get my OWN Z-V8 Please advise what to check for. Jason

Hello to everyone! I've was lucky enough to find this forum about a week ago and Ive been reading ever since. I must say that you all come together to make an impressive group of nice folks mixed with knowledge. Alittle about myself then. I reside in San Diego,CA and Ive been an avid car nut my whole life. I was raised on Chevy muscle cars but I enjoy and respect anything thats fast and well designed. Im currently building a 1973 Camaro for some fun on the track and the streets. You can have a look at it as well as my lifted F150 here http://www.jasonshobbyshowcase.homestead.com/homepage.html Welp the reason I'm here is that Im seriously considering doing a V8 240Z. When i was growing up, there was a guy in our nieghborhood with one that had a built 327...oh how I loved that car! It started something that has stuck with me to this day (28yrs old now). I would love to just run out and buy a 240 and drop a 350/th350 combo that i have now in it and go play...BUT...I still have along ways to go on my Camaro. Sigh...dilemma. If i had known how cheaply I could have built a Z-8 before i started my Camaro, i MIGHT have done it first. Anyways I have a new father-in-law(to be) and he is showing interest in doing a Z project with me so the Z-8 just might happen. He owns a 240 and i had the opportunity to drive it...WOW what a classic roadcar. I fell in love but immediately thought "Man, if this thing had a SBC in it it would be an ANIMAL!". So..theres an ad in the local autotrader this week for a 240 with a 406SBC in it and it says it runs 12's. OK Im REALLY losing control of my credit now! It's $3000...for 12's! If that isnt cheao speed, i dont know what is. Im thinking about having a look at it, even tho I really should be putting this money into the Camaro. I'll tell ya, reading the posts from people who have done it and their experiences with these cars makes it HARD to resist! I have quite a bit more to put into the Camamro to complete it than it would take to buy this Z already running. Theres a post from SuperDan in the Buy-Sell area about it now if you want to have a look. I was hoping I could get some advice on what to look for when shopping for a Z car..especially one thats been converted. Specific parts/systems that are prone to failure or excessive wear. ANYTHING that would be an expense or safety issue would be helpful too. Sorry for such a long post but Im finding myself more and more worked up about getting a Z-8 and I find myself being more enthusiastic than normal. Also, i just want to say this forum is very informative and seems to have a great group of people. Nice (and rare) these days. Jason