240zV8

and for a novice like me, the search button comes up with more information about the v8 swap that i can read in a year....but i'll still probably end up posting some stupid questions once i get underway...lol

i've been looking locally and can't come up with a decent 280zx for the engine, so i think i should just do it right the first time and go with a nice 350 (or lt1 if i can find a good price on one). Thats the swap i've been planning for 6 months or so. I think i'll be happier doing it instead of somthing i wasn't sure about... so thanks for the input everyone, i just got alittle anxious about making the right choice for what i want. But i know i'll eventually want to build a engine that will tear the frame off the z...lol...so getting the car setup for a v8 in the first place is a great start...

up in bellingham.... i see you have both the swaps i'm thinking about. Which one do u like better for street/freeway/canyon driving? I still want a 350 because they have so much potential and are pretty simple, it's just the l28et bolts in and i can swap alot from the 280zx other than the drivetrain. But i've found plenty of lt1 donor cars (I'm pretty good at figuring out wiring...i think..lol), and 350 donor cars for pretty cheap. I didn't even consider the l28et until i read how so many people like them and how easy the swap is, and still can get 300-400hp if u wanted pretty easily.

Ok, i've been doing alot of thinking lately. I have the JTR book, and have done all kinds of searching over these months. I thought i was set on going with a 350 in the 76' 280, but this will be my first solo swap and i hear the l28et is much more suited for a novice and still can get good power. I helped put a 350 in a old chevy coupe last year, but I didn't do much except hold stuff and help bolt it down, and a z is a different swap. So i need some input on what you guys think would work out best for my situation, being my first swap, want a somewhat daily driver reliable but quick Z. I have a daily driver chevy truck i use for work, but with the Z i was hoping to get better gas milage with for recreational driving and all that non work driving, since my truck gets like 14mpg give or take. I still want power, but i won't see the track or strip in the near future, so good street power is what i'm looking for (200-240hp), and hoping for 25mpg.... So that brings me to the question, if you were doing ur FIRST swap again, and didn't have money to burn on extra power for racing, but still want a fun fast reliable engine, would u go l28et, or a stock 350?....to start with.

well i didn't get it because i thought for the price it would cost to fix plus not knowing how well it works all together, might as well save and get a nice one. Plus i am about to pick up my first welder (hobart handler 140), and have to pay for the welding class i'm getting in, so i can get by with the power tools i have until i need to paint, then i'll get serious about some air/tools....

if you fiberglass it, u can bondo over it and use whatever paint you want, or you can get special paint for fiberglass i think. just hit up your local paint store and tell them what your doing. how much did u buy it for?

i guess i'll find out for sure on sunday what diff it has... either way i'm gonna buy it because it's a really solid/straight very minimal rust body, and the engine runs so i can drive it while i repair until i get a nice engine for it.. But i have a question. When there's a 'clunk' in the rear end when u first accelerate or sharp decel, is that internal, or could that be part of the mustache bar/ bushings? Because it's hard to tell when u drive it where exactly the noise if from....But if the diff is bad i'd think it would grind all the way through the rpm range, so a flange or bushing has to be loose that is causing that clunk when u accelerate right?

theres alot of Z's in Wa....sunday i should be picking up a 76' 280.

I searched alot to get a clear answer, but kept gettin mixed results. I got a bunch sayin all 280 auto's had 180's, but i got a couple sayin 75-76 280 auto and manual had r200's. I found a good deal on a 76 280 auto and don't want to drive down to find out i gotta spend almost half the car value on a r200, because the cheapest r200 i found so far at the recyclers was $225!! are they kidding? thats steep...but anyway, this is the quote i hope is true...can anyone confirm this?

that engine make's me drool....i can't wait until i can afford to stuff that in a Z... nice car, prolly a blast to drive

i found this link on ebay with better pictures of the same model as the one i'm looking at http://cgi.ebay.com/5HP-AIR-COMPRESSOR-DeVilbiss-RA5E60VAD-Indus_W0QQitemZ150020877309QQihZ005QQcategoryZ633QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Devilbiss model# RA5E60VAD thanks for the info.... I did a search on the model number to see how much parts were, and the head gasket was like $24, and a new pump is like $125, so i think it will be worth it either way. Because i would get a nice size 60 gal, and even if i needed to get a new motor or pump i would still be around 350-400, and thats a good price for compressor this size.

Pro 4000 - 5hp - 60 Gal industrial unit.. The girl selling it said it needs a new headgasket because it looses air, but it runs. I'm not real familiar with the pump system on these, but would a headgasket cause the compressor to loose air? how much would a headgasket for that model be? I can get the compressor for $200. should i get it? thanks guys here's a pic of it

Well, since the craftsmen welder has already been used, u might as well test it out and see if it handles what u need to do. Most people will say to keep the Miller, but if your not welding ALOT, theres no reason to have the more expensive welder if the cratsmen works for the occasional patch panel or mod u want. But if you plan on welding alot, keep the miller for sure.

my guess is that most people who remove the heater system either mostly race, or only drive there car when it's nice out. For a daily driver or mostly street car, i'd leave it in. There's pleny of other things you can remove or replace to loose that same amount of wieght. just my opinion though.

yea i just realized that after i posted this. the search results for 280z brought up like 20,000 videos...but then i went through some of the pages and most the stuff didn't even have anything to do with cars..lol...but yea that drifter is nice, i hope my cars as solid as that when i get goin...

i was searching www.youtube.com for 280z, 260z, 240z, and theres a ton of video's of V8's and all that. Nice 240Z drifter video

sounds like a animal, great job.....i can tell at idle it probably has the perfect rumble, but still a sleeper until u get that thing going...

u might as well spend 250 more and buy a brand new Millermattic 135....it's the best for the money, and u won't be buyin used, and it's got alot of capability for almost anything u want.

this thread should be sticky.

the 175 is a beast....my nieghbor welded a mechanical thumb for my excavator with some scrap steel, used a grinder to take the paint off my excavator, didn't even clean it after, and he welded it to my excavator in 2 minutes, and that thing has held up to all the power of my hydrolics (which is alot). So i'm sure anything u need it to weld for a Z it will do great. I'm gonna get a 135 when i get more money, but in my opinion either one is a great choice for ur home shop. Just practice on sheet metal so u get comfortable with the thinness of it.

Well i was pretty set on a dark silver like gun metal, but i just saw this Z for sale locally and this black make's me want to change my mind....This Z looks pretty nice, it gives me some motivation, aside from the engine...lol... I want to get some opinions, solid black, or gun metalish dark silver? check the link for pics http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/car/188081655.html

definently use the search button... U can plan a whole build from that button. I've spent 6 months just using the search button. I know i'll be posting questions once i start my build, but you can get the basics and alot more from just searching what u need. It's better to learn everything ur gonna need to put a v8 in before u start, than get swamped and frustrated in the middle of it.

hey, u wanna ship that 97' up to me? lol