kj280z

Hey... I can tell you that I received a different G Nose from Show Cars Body Parts and the quality is very poor... I have 30 years of autobody experience and "if" I can get it right it will take at least 40 man hours... bad fit, just all around poor quality... I have to admit though... I called them and told them about it... they were going to try to help, but I didn't want to pay for the shipping back and forth for another attempt. I decided to "eat it". It will be GREAT if the Z Fiberglass stuff is a viable option... We all realize that fiberglass parts require some work... there is rarely a fiberglass part that fits perfect outta the crate that you can bolt on sand prime and paint... So to make me happy, all I'd need is something that requires a few hours of work (3-4 would be fine and expected). Let's hope that the quality meets those type of expectations when they arrive!

I'm waiting for a lot of parts from Z Fiberglass... Tom Crise seems like a real stand-up guy. I will share my experiences when the parts arrive this week (GNose and a bunch of other stuff) Ken

Your supercharger idea sounds very similar to what I did for mine... It's posted on other threads if ya search some... or email me if you'd like more info

I'll be curious to see how this works out... I have heard about some successful projects using the LD28 block, but have never "actually" seen one. Good luck!

Garrett, I think what we were focused on was that the tranny is identical but there is a different shifter which mounts kinda like a T5 shifter mounts. This would eliminate the need for that remotely mounted shifter (even on your car). It fits right into the top of the tranny when you remove the shifter cover. Using this shifter would greatly minimize the installation difficulties and probably make the kit cheaper too since you wouldn't need the shifter or remote mounting flange that comes as part of it... Basically any aftermarket shifter for a Z31 turbo (88-89) should work in the stock shifter hole with no cutting (hopefully)... I will take a look and try to confirm these findings a little further

Rick and I were looking at a 1988 Z31 turbo shifter the other day... The Z31 turbo uses the same tranny as the Z32. The only difference is that the shifter is not remotely mounted. I think that solution would make it fit pefrectly with no need for cutting. If we can get some pics of a 88 Z31 turbo shifter it would be useful. If no one has them, we'll try to post one next time the owner is around.

Jon, I haven't been keeping up with all those threads (many of the pictures are no longer visible)... I started to read them early on, but I had never seen any reference to the power brute being the same as the Nissan clutch type LSD... That's pretty cool if that is the case! I did read with interest the thread on the group buy for the LSD clutch disks but haven't been on hybrid for awhile... I'd like to hear more about the group buy pricing if it's going to happen...

I haven't read through all the posts, but make sure you put the steering column in before you finalize anything... I think you'll have to make some room for clearance.

Ron/Mike, I don't have any experience with the Power Brute, but since you've eliminated the quaife due to the cost then the comparisons need to be made between the clutch LSD and the Power Brute... My gut says that the extra money you'll spend on the power brute will not yield much of a difference in performance over a properly setup clutch type Nissan LSD unit... You'll probably be able to find a 3.7 for $400ish and having someone set it up with the proper break away would be around $150ish... $550 ready to install sounds reasonable. So unless the power brute gets you something better (I have no clue) for similar cost, I'd like to hear what it is... Would be good to comapre the two units to understand the pros and cons

Stay with the R200 and try to find one with a clutch type LSD out of a 87-88 z31 turbo and spend the extra money to have the internal clutch plates adjusted to your liking. The added weight of the R230 kinda turns me off and the pro and cons have already been discussed. If you have the money the quaife is a great upgrade for the R200 and it sounds like it will meet your intended use/goals just fine Ken

Garrett, Hey! Great info! How much did they take off the bell housing? Is it the exact amount of the thickness of the adapter? If so, I guess the real question is, how thick is the adapter? Ken

A 77 did not have a N42 it only came on 75 and 76 Z's... Check again it's probably a P79

Well sorry to say I haven't touched it in 3 months... I got side tracked ... sold my home and moved into a new one which needed a re-model... The re-model is done, we've moved in and I'm starting to feel like I'll have some time soon again. Although, we're putting an addition on the house starting next month (which will include my dream garage), so time might be at a premium for awhile... I promise I'll keep you updated...

Hang on Mike... James told me to hold off bringing it to him because he was moving his shop and couldn't get to it right away. I think even you would recall that I was one of the first to call him... I was actually talking to him when you were at his shop once or twice! I "believe" if you look at my initial posts on this subject that I actually started the post because I have been thinking of doing this for a long time (another thread prior to this one). Here's the post to jog your memory http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=97904 Ken

Garrett, Not quite sure how that happened... I wasn't aware that you were keeping the names and I have been speaking directly to James about this and a number of other things... like the adapter for my VK motor for a long time.... I was actually one of the first and was supposed to bring my Z32 tranny to him so he could index it for the bolt pattern.

Garrett.... Hey! Do you know who the 5 lucky recipients for the first run will be? Mind sharing? I better be on the list!!!

James, Hey... We've spoke before about an adapter... I need one adapter to utilize this tranny with the L28 but also need one to utilize this tranny with the VK56DE (DOHC Titan V8)... I'm sure that will jog your memory My email address is ken280z@hotmail.com

I like it! Can you give a little more info on the speedo and tach guages that you selected?

Well thanks! It will be a little while before I get back on the Z's. But I'm dying to get rolling. I have been getting REALLY excited about the vk56de... My buddy has a Titan and I've been in it a lot lately. That motor with a little work is gonna be amazing!

Not sure what ya mean but if you're referring to the kit, it's not dead. I'll keep everyone posted. I bought a new house that requires an addition so I'm kinda focused on that right now

Mike... I have to disagree... There were 3 Elises at Sebring the last time I ran. One of them was being driven by a very experienced Lotus engineer. He was turning some pretty impressive lap times. There were 6 Miata spec racers (all out race cars) being driven by pro drivers and if I remember correctly the Elise was 7-10 seconds faster around the 3.7 mile long coarse... It was light years faster than the non-street-legal race prepped miata's (with road race slicks, cage etc). The Elise was pure stock with street tires. I talked with the driver of the Elise at length after our session... He basically said "Ya steer this thing with your right foot" jokingly... He actually said just the opposite of how things are being characterized in this thread about the Elise... He said it was a very manageable and forgiving car that was very competent on the track or street... And based on what he was able to do with the car, I'd say he nailed it...

My phone and email has been pretty lively since the magazine is starting to hit peoples mailboxes! Joey's TT 350z is an amazing machine. He has a lot of experience upgrading cars to meet his expectations... This one is certainly a great example of what can be done. I like his approach to the upgrades... He does his research and the things he does are performed in a very methodical and logical manner. The car has received a few more modifications since the article and I believe it has reached it's limitations (without internal engine mods). It is truly a TOTALLY fun car that has very impressive performance. Regards Ken

The motor was being fitted into a parts car in the pictures. I cut off the front for easy access and measuring... Much better than putting it in and out of my newly painted engine compartment.

I got it out of a Armada that was rolled after 150 miles! it's brand new! I paid $3000 I have since stripped the motor of all the stuff that will not be needed for the project (power steering, wiring harness, manifolds (making custom stuff), and lot's more...). I wonder what they'll bring on ebay? We'll see soon. My guestimate is that I should be able to get $500 - $700 for the extras which will be nice to reduce the cost of the motor. There is a LOT of extra stuff that came with it.

Hey I spoke to the guys last week. They are moving to a bigger shop across the street, so I told him I'd bring both of my Z32 tranny's after the first of the year because he said he couldn't get started until then anyway. I did some measuring recently. It appears the shifter will come up through the existing hole pretty good (back slightly further than stock but still fits). We were also taking a closer look at the output shaft with our focus on the driveshaft angle. Kinda unknown right now but things are encouraging. As soon as I have it further along I'll let ya know