gvincent

Well I cleared off all the crap that was piled on top of my old 78 Z, started it up and moved it over a bay and pushed the 76 HybridZ project in to the garage. I swapped my old 15" Enkei wheels off my 78 and put them on the 76 to see how they look. It will look better once I lower the car I think. Next is to set up the tent/garage and put my old 78Z in there for the winter so my wife can park the Infiniti in the garage. Once that is done I can pull the motor and trans out of the 76 HybridZ. More pics are in my Gallery More to come Greg

78zlt1, do you have dimensions available for the trans mount in those Cad file pics? How about AutoCAD DWG files possible maybe? I want to get both the tans and diff mount made up locally. Thanks again, Greg

There is a bunch of threads on side pipes already in the Exhaust section. I am going this route but most guys who bought these side pipes found out they are way too restrictive. The inner diameter of the internal pipe is way too small. Cozy Cole did a big write-up on his and Do a search and check these threads out. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=90639&highlight=side+exhaust+install http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=110202&highlight=Patriot+side+pipes http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=110321&highlight=Patriot+side+pipes http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=115813&highlight=Patriot+side+pipes I am going to go the same route as rytherwr/Wayne and have them made from glasspacks. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=116374 Greg

Thanks Mark for the pics. I took your before and after pics with the pole in the background and compared them side by side. It definately shows a good drop in the front and a small or very little drop in the rear, althought the car definately looks more balanced now. I think you were a little high in the front to begin with. I really like the look of the front now but I could go with a slightly lower stance in the rear but then again it could be the camera angles as the pics are at a different angle. Thanks, Greg

Well I bought another Z to do my HybridZ project. Here is my long story. I originally was going to use my beloved 1978 280Z that I have owned since 1982. I had taken the Z off the road in 1993 and parked it in the garage. I had started to do some body work to it during the 90's and with Kids and everything never found time to work on it seriously, We moved in 2000 to a new house we had built and I promptly parked the Z in the new garage. I drove it onto and off the flatbed tow truck from our old house about 15 miles away. It got buried under boxes and became a storage bench until this year when I cleared out the garage and built a garden shed to make room in the garage to actually work on cars, What a novel idea!! My beloved 78 is half in primer and faded and cracked silver paint, I had taken off all the chrome and bumpers, lights etc. to do the body work which I hate and am no good at. I also have some rot on the passenger side frame rail so I new I was going to have to have some welding done which is another thing I am no good at. My 78 has a perfect interior with no cracks, a great running L6 with a mild cam and headers, it has all urethane bushings up front, 7/8 sway bar aluminum cup tension rod, and Eibach springs wih KYB struts, I took it to Bob Sharp Motors back around 1989 or 90?? and had them do all the suspension work. I have had a Jones to build a Hybrid Z ever since I was living in CA and drove a friends Scarab back in 1980. I am originally from CA and came to MA in 1981 Well enter the 76 280z, I was adding up costs in my head for my HybridZ project and decided it would cost me more of my budget to get the 78 fixed and painted than it would to find another Z with a blown engine and a good body and frame. Well I found the 76 and drove 6 hours to western NY state and trailered home the 76 280Z The body and frame are in great shape, the motor was blown, the kid who only owned it for a month said the oil pressure went down and the motor stopped DUH! the previous owner before the kid had spent a lot of money restoring this Z, all new fenders, hood, had the motor rebuilt, Kaminari kit front and rear bumpers, new carpet, new emblems paint etc. the restore was done in 2003 so the car was in great shape. The frame rails had been done completely front to rear and the floors are solid. New clutch cylinders, brake cylinders, rotors calipers, etc, everything!! Paid the kid $2,400 for the car and brought it home. So the project begins, I had already been collecting odds and ends here and the for the swap, I have the JTR mounts, Chevy motor mounts, Aluminum radiator, JTR radiator mount, a new steering wheel, Toyota calipers, braided brake lines and a bunch of other little stuff. A new engine hoist with a leveler, and a bunch of new tools. After the new year I will be pulling the motor and trans and prepping and painting the engine bay. I have been shopping for a motor and trans and thought I had an 1999 LS1 with a brand new T56 out of a 1999 firebird with 112K on the motor but the weasel backed out at the last minute. In the mean time I had passed on a totaled 1998 camaro that EvilC had found, Oh well Shite happens! So now I am looking again and I am leaning towards a GM crate or stroker with a T56 although if the price is right I won't turn down an LT1 either. I am giving my self to mid to late Feb to find the right combo. I will post pics as I go along with this project. To start are Pics of the 76 280z coming home on the U-Haul and you can see the buried 78 280z in the garage which is cleared out now and both Z's are in the gargae right now. I bought a tent/garage to move my 78 280z outside for the winter as the WIFE insists that her new 35K Infiniti G35X use the other side of the garage for the winter. So I have to button up the Old Z first and setup the garage tent in the next week or two. More to come.. Greg

Hey, anything available for a Mac? I have the 350Z Mac Screen saver from Nissan but would love one of the First gen cars if available. Greg

Thanks Mark, I look forward to your pictures. I have been going back and forth on the Eibach springs with Illumina's or just going all Tokico springs and struts, but the few threads I read about the Tokico springs going too low have me leaning towards the Eibachs htat is why I want to see you pics with a tape measure. Thanks, Greg

I emailed him and got 3 measly pics sent to me. Does that look like he went into a TREE backwards??? LOL!! Looks like another F car gets bitten by a tree! Greg

Hey Mark, I would be interested in seeing before and after pictures. Maybe put a tape measure or yard stick in the picture? Thanks, Greg

Hey Clive I found another LS1, Its a 2001 Firebird Formula its on Ebay right now. the bid is at $1525 with 2 days to go, doesn't look bad at all. It is in Georgia. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Pontiac-Firebird-formula-wrecked-in-rear-still-a-nice-car_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6420QQihZ004QQitemZ140060696081QQrdZ1 Tis the season for wrecked f bodies!! Again thanks for everything Greg

Cyngusx1 thank you! That was exactly the reply I was looking for! (Glad you got a chuckle out of it also () Back in the late 80's I took my 78 280z to Bob Sharp's place in CT and the put the 1-1/8" swaybar on, all Polyurethane bushings front and rear, the solid steering coupler, and the T/C rod kit with the aluminum socket and nylon? ball? (I still have the metal template to check the tension on it) some KYB shocks and I think the european springs. My 76 280Z that I am putting in the V8/T56 is all stock from what I can tell and I will replace all the bushings with a new Poly kit, I was going to swap over the sway bar and TC kit from the 78 280Z along with the tires and wheels. So as a "Package" I like the Tokicos for struts but read some of the posts about their springs lowering too much, being loose in the perch and being progressive type up front. Should I still consider their package or go with different springs? what rate springs did you go with? BY the way I just check out your web site and you are an incredibly good photographer!, your car is a piece of art! I can only hope mine turns out half a good as yours is! Thanks again Greg I need to start posting pictures of my 2 Z's in their different stages on not running and mid project.

Thanks Cyngusx1, what size bump steer spacers did you end up using? how much did you lower your car? so you are using the adjustable bump steer bushings as well? All the suspension postings by Ross, Jon M and John C etc are really detailed and these guys are really smart but I wish I could understand what they are saying.. I start to read those posts and my eyes start to glaze over. I am the type of person that can tear a motor down and rebuild it perfectly, but I always need advice on what selection of parts to use. I can do research and try to understand what I should use for a selection but am always looking for advice. Or If I do understand it I can narrow down my choices but will still ask a pro on his opinion or his choice and why. Please everybody be patient with my questions So based on my research to date my suspension setup: 1976 280Z with Lseries SBC and T56 trans to lower my car 1-1/2" on 15" Enkei rims with Falken 225/60 Tokico Illumina struts (Ebay?) Eibach, Suspension Technics, or ??? lowering springs at 200 front and 225-235 rear (JC Whitney Arizona Z?) MSA bump steer spacers for the front. Size??? (Anybody else?) Do more research on Bump steer bushings for Front and rear lower contol arms? I already have Suspension Technics 1-7/8' sway bar, tension control arm and aluminum cup and ball from my 78 280Z, solid steering coupler, and all my steering rack and other bushings I will swap over to the 76 does this sound like I am on the right track? thanks again everybody. Greg