Greywolf

Just so no one runs around US junkyards looking at 70s cars...the XLT Maverick in Australia is a rebadged Nissan Patrol. The US straight six is a very different animal than the TB42. Ben

300-6 uses the SBF bellhousing and flywheel (although it is internally balanced so you need a balanced flywheel). They can be made to rev, but it's pricey. Also, heavy, but probably lighter than the SBF/SBC engines. Tall, low revver and long. Look at the 200/250 inlines from Ford. Can also be made to rev, and are light and not a lot bigger than the 2.8 with larger displacement. 250 uses SBF bellhousing. Of course, US versions with poor-flowing 1bbl intake cast into the head are...less good. To put it mildly. Ben

...if you ask the guys at JTR, Jag engines don't even belong in Jags! Ben (Note to Jag lovers: I used to restore old MK, XK and "E" Jags...I liked the Jag engines, but got tired of the owners).

Well, as I'm sure you know, the number is based on engine size (2.4 through 3.0 liter). As for the Z versus the ZX, the major redesign of the Z car in 1979 was aimed at putting previous "Z" owners into a car that was more fitting with thier status as "Z car drivers that are 5 to 10 years older". This is similar to the fact that a 1977 Honda Civic bears little semblance to a 2007 Civic. Anyway, when the car was built, it had the same engine and basic drivetrain, but the interior was plusher, there were more "gizmos" inside, and the dimensions had been expanded in all directions. To reflect the difference, the car was called a "ZX" instead of a "Z", and the 280Z and 280ZX share very few components outside the compatible driveline items. In 1983, Nissan switched to the VG30 V-6 engine in a number of vehicles, including the Maxima. They decided to keep the luxury items and gizmos of the 280ZX (and add a few more, as well!) and so the 300ZX was born--without being a 300Z first. In my not so humble opinion, the 350Z is really more of a 350ZX...there are a lot of things in it that aren't in the minimalist spirit of the 240Z. Also in my not so humble opinion...minimalism is not always the best course for everyone. I'm rather fond of my 300ZX and some of the luxury. I'd rather take a date out in that than a street-class, race prepped 240. Of course, I'd need a date for that....but that's a whole different topic! Ben

Your suspension geometry won't change with an engine swap. The engine and transmission are not the weak point of the Z31, if you swap them, swap them because you like another engine, not because they are poor. I feel your pain if you have an automatic, though--but a 5-speed swap is still a cheap option. I don't know if the engine will fit, but I don't see why not: with enough time and money, you can make anything fit. I would look at finding a rear subframe (240SX? 300ZX/Z32?) and swapping that in, and worry about the engine swap after. I don't know what the rear suspension of the Z33 looks like. Ben

100 horsepower is just a matter of boost...a bigger turbo, an intercooler, and injectors, then some tuning, and you're there (engine-wise). With either engine, you'll need to ensure your chassis is good enough, your brakes are good enough, your steering and suspension are up to the driving you intend to do. A VG30DETT is heavier than a VG30 because it has much larger heads and intake on it. It's wider because of those heads, and the way the twin turbos hang down. Look at how it's wedged into the Z32...even the VG30DE is huge compared to a Z31 VG30E/ET. Now take a tape measure to the engine bay and you'll see what we're saying. If you want to do a swap, this can be done. But if the horsepower is the bottom line, your better bang for the buck is the engine you have: the VG30ET is an excellent platform for upgrades as it is, people already swap them into other cars for this reason (510s, trucks, S30s...). The cost of upgrading your turbo (500-ish?), chipping the ECU (200-ish?), a 5-speed swap ($500-ish?), intercooler (300-ish?)...sure it costs, but you'll need to do a lot of the plumbing and costs to make the DETT parts fit, too, so it's not just a $1500 swap. It's your call and your car, but unless you're looking at a goal of 500+ horsepower, the bang-for-the-buck is in going with the VG30ET, and you'll probably be able to drive it while work progresses, vs. being off the road for the whole time of the conversion. Ben

In the early '90s a friend and I painted his Honda flat black with two chrome stripes along the hood, top of the car and along the trunk, pretty much 1 in front of the driver, one in front of the passenger. It looked pretty sharp. We painted the hood stripes over because any light at all went straight into the driver's eyes. We left the roof and dulled the ones on the trunk. Ben

Better than that: A 1979 Mercury Zephyr station wagon. Was my first car. So far it's got SVO brakes, GT front spindles, polygraphite all around, and various other things that don't hurt the granny look. Still on the stock 200-6/C4/2.73 drivetrain with 340K miles. Ben Edit: I'm looking at a turbo version of it (or the OHC XR6T) for the Datsun. The mounts for this and a T-5 fall very, very close to those of the Datsun and it's only a hair tall near the front...

I've got one here in the States. I haven't found anyone in Australia who has done the swap into a Z-car, so I may beat all the Aussies to it here in the US! Getting parts has been slow, though, as my importer closed shop and never shipped half the stuff I ordered, been fighting for a new source and a refund. Ben

What's that car behind it? (Not the honda-ish one to the right, but the car you can just see the nose of straight back behind it?) Ben

Hi Vinh, I'd actually looked at your cardomain pages for a while. I also feel the 280ZX front looks fairly good with round headlights, but I wanted a different bumper/spoiler look. I have been in touch with John Washington; I'm hoping the Daytona will be of the quality that the Velo Rossa and his other work is. I don't see why it wouldn't be. I do like the look of the Daytona, and I like the look of the 280ZX (like the 240Z better, though, or a 280 with 240 bumpers). So, it was a hard decision. I'm going to use the pop-up headlights and try to integrate cues from the Datsun 280ZX concepts into the build, to have a vehicle that is really unique, but not in the "bright graphics, big spoiler, neon lights, loud stereo" way. I don't really like any of the Z taillights, I like the Ferrari/British tail look better. Too many years working on British cars, I guess (actually, was at a shop near you for some time back in the early '90s, in Perkasie). But now, I'm rambling. Anyway, the goal for me is to build a car with an exotic look that has a dependable, light, economical drivetrain for which parts are available and, most importantly, is fun to drive and easy on the eyes. We shall see. Ben

I'm hoping to keep the overall weight similar to the stock S130 weight, give or take. The L28 is fairly heavy (especially with an automatic!) and the replacement engine is much lighter. I considered various flavors of the VG30 but decided to go with the Ford US/Aussie hybrid as originally designed for my sleeper wagon. Should weigh in around 300lb for 3.3 litres. The T56 is pretty heavy and may throw the weights off; I'm also unsure as to the difference in weight of the 240SX rears (seting up 5 lugs, R180, LSD). Don't need the weight of the R200, I hope. Also, bracing for that suspension swap. As it's a "fun" car I will not be adding a roll cage, but may build a roll brace. I'm hoping to have it driveable by this time next year, but I expect it'll be spring of 2008 before I'm ready to show it off with all the kinks worked out. Ben Remember..it's not what you BUY...it's what you BUILD!

Sure, if I had a 'Vette, I'd be looking at a different kit. To be honest, if I had a 'Vette, I would probably not re-body it. I wasn't gonna totally re-body the 280ZX, but, 1) it needs so much "incidental work" on scratches and dings, and a paint job, and 2) I do rather like the GTO. So, I looked at GTO kits and realized I could: 1. Buy a 280Z GTO kit and fudge it until it fit my 280ZX, and then I'd have a GTO kit like all the other GTO kits, for a cost that probably could have paid for buying a 280Z to begin with. But if I bought a 280Z, I'd put 240-style bumpers on it and leave it well enough alone. I like the 240/260/280Z. 2. Consider the Ferrari-style 365 Daytona kits, which are less common on the Datsun. Or, I could build to stock, but since I always planned an engine/suspension /brake swap on the 280ZX, I'd have to add fender flares and...etc, etc. So, the Daytona looks nicer and nicer. Along with the custom Aussie/US hybrid 6-cylinder engine, manual transmission (still measuring the tunnel for T56 fitment, I have a T5WC if it doesn't fit and the unused trans replaces the C4 in my Mercury... ), and some manner of 240SX suspension which I'm still crawling around the graph paper on...I'll stick with stock if I have to, but that multilink rear gives me some nice brake options. But I digress. It looks like I'll be making a website as this goes on, as there aren't any documented Daytona/ZX builds hanging out on the 'web that I can find. Ben

Hi SpeedRacer, that black Spyder is the one! I was thinking of doing it as a hardtop, in silver. It seems I'll be the first person to do one on the web...I'll have to actually expend effort on my website...this is getting to be a big project! I shall forward my questions to John, then, and he'll have to deal with a few more tire kickings while I finish getting the money together (hoping to be driving this next summer, so starting bodywork in fall). Ben P.S. Nice handle...Speed Racer was my brother name in college...something about a turbocharged Dodge Caravan and driving exploits best not described or performed ever again.

I have a 1982 280ZX which is getting built from the ground up. It's a solid car, but the paint is peeling (not rust, just peel), the interior is badly burnt by the Texas sun, and the engine was last worked on by someone who didn't understand that you don't remove electrical connectors with vice-grips. So...it's a perfect candidate for a lot of work and customizing. Now, enter the "John Washington factor". I have seen the Velo Rossa kits. I have even talked to John via email (and I'm sorry I wasn't ready to buy then, but I was serious). John's reputation is good, and he was helpful, but I don't want to waste his time again: next time I email him, I will have cash in hand. I haven't seen much on the Daytona kits for the 280ZX, but what I've seen on the VR kits tells me I should have no trouble with quality, fit, etc. What I'd like to know is if anyone here has used a Daytona kit, what they needed that wasn't supplied, etc, etc. What is the weight difference of the kit vs stock? Where does the fuel filler go? How much more/less room is available in the engine compartment (this build is going in conjunction with an engine swap and major suspension work to allow big disks and 5 lugs); how much wider are the front/rear tracks? I have done a lot of automotive work and I am an engineer, so I'm not concerned by the difficulty, just curious as to the experiences of the install, hard to find parts, coupe vs spyder install (I want to build as a coupe) because most of the stuff shows the Spyder version, headlights (do they pop up on the kit? What do you need to make those work?). Are the Daytona bumpers attached to the stock bumper bar, or do you lose your bumpers if you decide you don't want the bumperettes? Thank you for your replies. Ben