gvincent

Just got more pictures of the undercarriage, It looks good from what I can see, although the frame rails do not look stock, replacements maybe? Anybody with a better eye than me see any deal breaker problems? My offer still stands if there is anybody willing to go look for some extra money for your time and gas. Thanks, Greg

PoP N Wood, I would love to think I am that talented and take credit for the Pictures, But I couldn't weld my way out of a paper bag. 78zLT1 posted all that beautiful stuff. He deserves all the credit!!! If somebody on the list had the time and resources and was good at fabricating this stuff fairly easily with a jig or something I would buy this stuff in a heartbeat! Thanks all, Greg

Also If anybody is near that part of NY state or PA I would pay for your gas and time to check it out for me. I have PayPal

I am praying/hoping the frame is good, It would save me from having to do alot of bodywork and framework om my own 78. The owner is not near the car so is having somebody else go and take the undercarriage pics, I will post them once he sends them to me. There are a couple of undercarriage pics on the site but tough to see what is what. One pics looks to be a frame rail and the TC cup? but it doesn't look stock, I couldn't tell. One other pic is totally blurry and the third seems to be a rear wheel well shot showing a possible newer fuel pump?? Thanks for everybody opinions, I am getting excited about this.. Monday is my 53rd birthday, Nothing like another Z car for you Birthday:) Now to line up the LT1/T56......

Pop N Wood, exactly what I was looking for, Awesome! Thank you for answering my questions. The Laser setup is really quite simple actually! 78ZLT1 beautiful mounts, I wish I had the welding skills all you guys have. I have AutoCAD experience (Not 3D though) and could draw something up I suppose but would still have to have somewbody fabricate it for me. I think I will wait until I have the Engine and Trans in place and then start measuring and drawing. I will post my drawings for a sanity check with you guys when I'm done.

This 76 280Z is being sold on this forum in the 280Z classified area, It has a blown engine but looks good outside and in, I am awaiting pictures of the underside from the owner before I make a decision. My plans were to put an LT1/T56 into my 78 280Z which has a mint interior, suspension upgrades, a great running L28 with cam and headers, but it needs a lot of body work, a paint job, and some framerail work. The Idea here is I can save money on not having to do any bodywork or frame welding and swap over whatever I want from my 78 to the 76 and put in the LT1/T56 package. Then either sell my 78 as is or part it out? Do you think I will save money going this route? I have to drive 12 hours and rent a trailer to pick it up. Besides the pictures in the classified area under 280Z the owner posted this site of more pictures http://s58.photobucket.com/albums/g262/tparrotte/ Wife doesn't know I am planning on bringing home another Z yet! () Anybody near Painted Post NY willing to take a look at it for me? Greg

Thanks guys, 78zLt1, I already have the urethane moustache bar bushings but I could not find the details on Ron Tylers Diff mount, your pictures are great! How much did you lower the front of the diff? So you did not raise the back of the diff any? All the web links for the details on Ron Tylers or Paul's diff mounts are dead, anybody still have this information with drawings so I can get it fabricated? Anybody have one they want to sell? MikeJTR, I guess I have been planning this for way too long and my seventh edition manual that I bought back mid 2003 does not have a page 5-11:( it stops at 5-10, can I buy that page from you? I thought I asked for any differences between the 7th and 8th edition awhile back and sombody said it was the cooling sectiion only which was different and I was able to download that section from the JTR site. Anything else I am missing? God I got to get this done this winter before anything else including myself becomes obsolete!! () So I use a piece of flat stock? what is the GM tranny rubber mount #, I couldn't find that either. Thanks again, Greg

Please don't flame me! I have searched and searched but I could not find a part # for the GM or equivalent transmission mount for the T56. I read alot of posts saying the JTR trans mount will work and will not work with the T56 so what is it? I intend on using the JTR motor mounts (LT1) without the lowering plates. I want to use the JTR trans mount as well and am now concerned about driveline angles and am paranoid about vibration. I read all the old posts I could find and have read Pete's web page on this subject a couple of times over, He really drives home the 1 degree alignment being a must for no vibration. Is it reall necessary to chage the diff angles to get the nose down and tail up more with the T56 and LT1 using the JTR trans and engine mounts? I also read about Pauls diff mount as well. Unfortunately most of the pictures or links to these discussions no longer work and yes I do think there has to be a better solution than wrapping wire rope around the diff. I could no longer find any drawings of the Ron Tyler diff mount either. Somebdy has to have a 280Z with an LT1 and a T56 that is running and is aligned and vibration free and solved the diff lift problem under acceleration without using solid diff mounts? I know I ask too many questions at once.. Thanks, Greg

AHHH 240ZV8, I feel for you man.... DAMM I was all hyped up for you for finding such a score and to be let down so hard, Oh well keep looking I know they are out there somewhere. Greg

What a score!!! DAMMM! I have been looking for the last 3 months to find such a score, I was even going to go as high as 2500-3K We just don't have the selection here in the Northeast to find such cars. I hate all you guys on the left coast with your super deals and rust free bodies..... Well I really don't hate you guys because everyone is very helpful and very knowledgable but yes I am definately Jealous!! Still looking for that LT1/T56 locally in NE Greg

Hey EvilC, no I don't have the LT1/T56 combo yet. I have been keeping an eye out on EBay and the Boston Craigslist for any deals at least 2 or 3 times a week. Unless a good deal on a fresh wreck or running F body pops up I will probably go the local Junk yard route this winter when parts are cheaper. I check Car-Parts.com for the local yards inventories every week. I have to finish the tool shed in the next 2 weeks to get all the crap out of the garage and off the Z! The 8K I have has to cover everything so I think I can't spend more than 2500-3000 on the LT!/T56 combo to leave enough money for radiator, Taurus fan, driveshaft, wire harness mod, Frame rails and welding, toyota front disks, LT1 brackets for AC compressor, clutch master and slave, Maybe bigger fuel lines, and finally body work and paint (obviously not show quality but not Macco!) I am starting a budget and using threads found here too fill it out. I hope I can do it for 8K with some luck. Greg

Damm I wish you guys lived closer! Hoping to start a project up in Buffalo early next year for my work so If I am in the area I will send an email to see about stopping by. EvilC and 1tuffz wow both LS1's I am jealous I only have about 8K to play with so I am working on a budget for an LT1/T56 swap. EvilC, almost done parting out the Maro? Greg 1978 280Z needing bodywork, welding, and LT1/T56

Hey Brad, Had a great time hanging with you guys at the Exoctic car show meet last Saturday. Seeing all those beautiful Z cars really got my Z craving going again!!! I joined ZCCNE on Monday. I plan on getting everything together this winter and start putting it together late winter and all through spring hoping to have it driveable by the end of spring. I am going to hit you guys up at ZCNNE for advice and contacts on local help for the stuff I can't do, I am confident I can do the swap mechanically and electrically but need to get ahold of the right contacts people for welding, bodywork, driveshaft welding etc. so I will be in contact and will post some pictures as soon as I remove all the stuff sitting atop the Z right now! Don't remember the name of the guy in Albany do ya? A ZANY member? Talk later, Greg

OK I guess no HybridZ's in Southern New England. How about ALL of New England?? Anybody??? I just went to an ZCCNE (Z Car Club of New England) meet this past weekend and no SBC hybridZ plenty of Turbos though. Nice bunch of guys. Finally met John of Baddog parts! I am going to join the ZCCNE anyway and hope to be the first SBC HybridZ in the club. I just wish I had another one in the area I could look at, oh well. Greg

Anybody in southern New England want to show me you HybridZ? I am getting ready finally, I have received the funds I needed to START my conversion about 8K. I have been collecting things for the past few years. (JTR manual and mounting kit) All new poly mounts installed, some body pieces, etc. I am going to wait till winter to see if local junk yard prices come down any for an LT1/T56 combo. I also have an insurance adjuster friend keeping an eye out for for a fresh wreck. Winter seems to collect it's more than fair share of F body cars here. I would like to see a completed conversion or one in progress if there are any locally or within a 3 hour drive of Boston that would like to meet and talk about their car some. I have a 1978 280Z with a mint interior and a fair exterior, the floor pans are good but the passenger side frame rail could use some help, I am thinking having the rails replaced/capped with the ones available from Baddog parts who is local to me. I can do anything mechanically but have had to part out any welding or extensive body work, I can paint good though and have painted plenty of cars in my day. I built a wheel standing VW bus with a Buick Turbo V6 many years ago and built my share of muscle cars back then as well so I know I can do a swap as long as I can get somebody to do the welding and body work. Thanks talk soon maybe? Greg

Thanks Joe and Terry for your generous offer to send information. Joe take your time, I am not quite there yet but I will be, The Z is out being welded up with new rails and some reinforcement here an there right now, goin to start prepping the motor soon so I haven't gotten to the point where I need to start figuring out the belts and pullys yet. Thanks again guys! Greg

Thanks for the offer Joe, I will definately take any info you are willing to send me. Mounting bracket from a Pontiac? year, model, etc.?? Terry, Please if you read or are following this post and smiling right now might I bother you to send me your measurments on your setup? My email is Gvincent@cdaconsultants.com This forum is awesome!! Thanks guys for sharing this information.

Jeff, I read that thread awhile ago. Love-my V8-280Z stated that "I found I could not not install my LT1 with the A/C installed because it hit the frame rail. I'm not sure if just a pulley would hit or not. I think it would." So I dsimissed that picture as not working, Later on in that thread Bartman shows a Bowers setup but he doesn't say if it works or not either, it is the same picture as on the Bowers web site. Then Wheelman shows his setup but it has no A/C??? Then the rest of the thread discusses the Alternator but no more about A/C?? Does someone actually have working A/C with an LT1 installed and running? What 280Z A/C parts do I keep? What do I need to mate to the GM compressor?

I have searched the threads and seen the expensive pully set-ups and the set-up from Bowers etc. but they all show the power steering pump in place as well, Some of the older posts I searched have bad links to members pictures. I would like to know how to save my perfectly good working late 1978 air conditioning? When I swap in the LT1 what A/C parts I should keep from the Camaro and what do I keep from the Z? If the GM compressor is kept and is mounted high on the drivers side what do I use to plumb the A/C lines over to the existing A/C lines which are on the passenger side? Do I need the tank with the sight glass? How has one done this cheaply using junk yard parts and slight modifications to brackets etc. I am using the JTR mounts. I need pictures and parts, I got to have my A/C!!

You guys are starting to talk me back into going this route again instead of an LT1/T56. If what you are saying is that it is about the same price or even cheaper to go this route. So find me a good 5.3 or 6.0 Vortec truck engine and then find a T56. Then buy an LS1 intake manifold form somebody and a F body oil pan and I am set to go?? do I need anything else? will the Vortec throttle body work on the LS1 manifold or do I need the LS1 manifold complete with the throttle body? About the water pump mod mentioned by Jonus, I don't weld is there another solution around the water pump? also I would like to keep the AC in the car as it is working great right now. replace my Z compressor for a GM unit and try to find R-12 to refill the system?

So finding an LS1 with 100K-150K miles is ok, Basically expect to do a complete valve job soon though, What about the 1995 LT1 F body? expect about the same?

After doing a quick search on Car-parts.com I need a dictionary to decipher the codes, for example a 2000 firebird LS1 was listed as follows: 5.7L VIN G-TMU N/PAN OR IMA CLEAN-U, another 5.7L VIN G- WQTP, another, 51K N/R -OIL PAN C200 another 5.7L VIN G-W/CAL COMPLETE X-OVER X-175 What do all these letter mean? I know the 5.7, the Vin-G and the 51k is the mileage but what about the other stuff, is ther a legend or glossary somewhere? There a Parts grade legend but most yards don't use it!

So it is boiling down to this, An LS1/T56 combo preferably a 2000-2002 at the right price instead of a 98-99 or settle for a 98-99 LS1/T56 if the price is even better. As a last resort a 95 LT1/T56 combo, I have to start searching local New England junkyards for going prices. At what mileage should I not consider an LS1? Over 100K? Over 150K? At what point will I have to refresh or rebuild an LS1 What about Mileage on an LT1, the same? Thanks, Greg

So I should look for a 5.3 out of a GM SUV instead of a 1500 Silverado/GMC iron block 5.3? Will I still have to swap oil pans and intake manifolds to fit in the Z? A T56 will bolt right up and no problem with the shifter? Do you think going this route with an aluminum 5.3 and finding and mating a T56 is less expensive and easier to obtain that a LS1/T56 combo intact? Stock 5.3 out of and SUV how much horsepower am I giving away to an LS1? The aluminum 5.3 stock already has the same horsepower as a stock 95 LT1 out of a Camaro but with a better future correct?

DaMeat could you post that link again? it doesn't seem to work