alainburon

Where did you find this?

Update, Today I received the R200 back from John at Betamotorsports and I have to say I'm very pleased with his customer service and workmanship. The R200 was completely rebuilt with new bearings, seals and a OS Giken Super Lock LSD unit was installed. The case was powder coated to match the T56 transmission, driveshaft and CV axles. Still waiting on a opening at the fab shop for the frame rail and fuel tank work not to mention a reply from Ross at MM.

You are correct sir. I have a LS7 Z06 and as soon as my clutch wears down some I'm getting rid of it for a Textralia. The LS7 Clutch is a real piece of junk.

Thanks for keeping us updated on the progress. Looking forward to seeying the finished product.

Thanks, That looks good, unfortuantely I had to put a deposit to get an apointment with the fab shop that is doing my aluminum fuel tank and welding the frame rails in place. The tank is supposed to use the stock 280Z fuel sending unit since I want to maintain all my original gauges. I guess I'm too far into it to back out now. Great set up on your car, thanks for sharing your picture.

I just removed the wheels to send back to Centerline to be repolished. Waiting for my rear tires, I bought 4 just in case they stop making them. Had to order them from England since that size (285/40/15) is no longer available in the US but it is still being offered in Europe. Yokahama is making these tires in very small numbers for the European market only. Got my hood and pre-fitted it. Needs some work to get it right plus I need to open the front scoop. Hopefully that will force some heat out of the engine bay.

I just ordered a new brake master cylinder for a 1980 280ZX from Black Dragon. They told me it is on back order but still available at $139.95

Thanks for the compliment. I sent it out to be chromed at a local shop.

Update: The S30 engine and transmission are both out and sold. I received the Chromed R200 cover along with a new OEM diff. mount. Axles and drive shaft have been taken apart and dropped off at the powder coaters. Still waiting for a opening at the fab shop that's going to install the frame rails and build the new fuel tank. Still waiting for Modern Motorsport to answer my email from a month ago. Anyone know how to get a hold of Ross?

Thanks for the compliment and it was a pleasure dealing with you and your old man.

Thanks for the compliment, all my Corvette friends think I'm crazy for what I'm doing. They say the car is nice as it is and to leave it alone. I'm doing it because the car has a certain meaning to me and I want to build a one of a kind Z out of it. I could not do that to another Z it just would not be the same.

Update I removed the fuel tank and the 4.10 R200 (pictures attached) which I will be sending to John at Betamotorsport. He was kind enough to find me a 3.36 R200 to swap with. He will be installing the OGS Super Lock LSD on the 3.36 unit for me, powder coating the case and installing a chrome plated finned differential cover. I will post pictures of the unit once I receive it from John. I just received a set of 89 300ZX turbo axles yesterday. I will take them appart this weekend and send them to be powder coated to match the differential. One of these days when I hear back from Ross at modern motorsports I will be able to order the billet stub axles and adaptors.

Nice, good luck with your project. Looks like you are setting the car up for drag racing.

Well, after months of research and reading through posts on this and other forums my project has officially begun. I would like to thank all of you for posting information about your projects progress. This makes life a lot easier for the rest of us in understanding what we are getting into. The plan: Install a stroked LS3 (416 CID 605hp/560ft. lb. torque) and a T56 transmission on my S30. Install Bad Dog frame rails; have a custom aluminum tank built that will allow dual exhaust. Fit a built R200 LSD with 300zx turbo axles and billet stub axles and adaptors. Send the body to a restoration shop for complete disassembly, paint and body work to be completed. Replace all weather stripping and send dash to be refurbished. I’m sure other things as well, I will update as I go. I plan on not cutting any corners on this build regardless of what it will cost, my estimate so far is between 45 and 50K, who knows I may be off there too. This is the second car I purchased and I have owned it for 23 years. The car means to me more than it will ever be worth therefore I don’t care how much I spend on it. This project should take a couple of years since the body shop is telling me 6 to 8 months from the time they get the car. Here are some pictures of what I’m staring with. The car looks OK in the pictures but it is a long way from being done right.

Thanks Joe, I'm not sure what they go for. Let me know how much you want for it. I am interested.

looking for a finned differential cover for an R200. I can be reached at alain.buron@bakerhughes.com

I agree sir, the 3.36 gear R200 is not easy to come by. Luckly for me johnc with has been kind enough to locate one for me.

My email address is alain.buron@bakerhughes.com. What do you think is a fair price to ask? There is nothing wrong with it, I just can't use it for my set up.

John, Thanks for taking my call this morning and providing valuable information. As soon as I get my hands on a long nose R200 with 3.36 gears I will get with you and make arrangements to have it shipped to your shop and have you intall the OSG Super Lock in it. As I mentioned my R200 has 4.10 gears which will be useless for this LS set up especially with 24" tall tires.

John, Will the OSG Super Lock you offer withstand this type of torque if I go with the MMS's billet stub axles, companion flanges and Z31 turbo axles as Cable suggested?

Thanks Cable, I was sure I needed to go with the billet stub axles and companion flanges to be safe. I will look into the OBX LSD as well. You are correct sir this is a stroked LS3 416 CID I'm having built by Golen Engines, no turbo or supercharger I like naturaly aspirated. I have attached the Dyno sheet for your viewing pleasure. It is going to be mated to a tick-performance built T56 that can handle 700ft/lb of torque and a Textralia clutch/flywheel combo. The reason for the high horsepower motor for the street is just to have an S30 that is street legal and is capable of ripping most street cars that pull up next to it, if I can get traction. I gave up drag racing too many years ago, it becomes very expensive and it takes a lot of time going back and forth to the track. I just rather play on the street and go to car shows, car meets and cruises. Thanks again for the information. There is nothing cheap about this build and I don't want to cut corners to save a buck.

Any suggestions?

I was going to post this in the drivetrain section but really want feedback on guys running LS motors in the S30's Are the stub axles on a 78 280Z strong enough to withstand 560ft/lb of torque? Will the differential set up and axles I'm thinking of using withstand that amount of torque? This car will never see a track, it's going to be built for street/show purpose. I will get on it or else why have a LS3 put in it. But it will not see 4K clutch dumps on drag radials. I'm thinking of going with the long nose R200 CLSD with the Z31 turbo axles with flange adaptors since it requires less modifications than going with an R230. Your imput would be greatly appreciated.

Has anyone used the factory 280Z fuel gauge with an aftermarket sender? If so please share your experience. I have posted this in the electrical section but I have not received any replies.

I could not have put it any better myself. I'm ok with 1 3/4 or 1 7/8 if everyone decides to go that route. I have 1 3/4 on my LS7 Z06 and can't complain at all, I can get to my plugs without any issues and don't have clearance problems. My friend choose the 1 7/8 on the same car and his headers hit the underside of the car sometimes when idling due to clearance issues. Pretty anoying when he spent $1600 on a set of longtubes. Like the article says the horsepower numbers are identical untill over 4800 rpm and honestly for how long do most cars stay over 4800 rpm unless its a drag car. I think a lot of people get sucked into numbers and loose touch of fuctionality on the street. Anyways I'm in either way, just wanted to share my opinion.