kj280z

Bernard, Keep me posted on your progress... I am doing something similar and would love to hear your results... Should be a lot of fun! I think you'll be impressed with the low end torque and instant power... How much boost are you planning to run? I hope you're going to run a BOV since you left the throttle body in the stock position. Regards Ken Jones Sport Z Magazine 321-454-4971 email: ken280z@hotmail.com

Anyone have any experience with Mikuni 44mm (N44phh) jetting for a 3.1? I have an extra motor laying around that I was going to put in my 240Z... It's 10.5:1CR 3.1liter with a .540 270/280 cam (P90 head shaved and shimmed) I have an opportunity to get my hands on the carbs so I figured it might be worth putting it all together. Probably would be used for autoX and occasional road coarse days... doesn't have to be the fastest car out there, but "kinda" drivable on the street (as drivable as possible)... Anyone have any experience with a "similar" combination?

I sent an email requesting 2 gaskets and told him about the magazine... Regards Ken Sport Z Magazine

I would consider buying 2 of them for our Project cars for the Magazine... They'd also get a lot of interest from readers once they're successfully installed and tested... They would need to support at least a 89mm cylinder bore. I'd need mine in a 1mm thickness... Regards Ken Technical Editor Sport Z Magazine

Scottie, Have you considered a Z32 body for that GN beast? I think it would meet all of your criteria and even better... you'd still have a Z car! Remember what I told you at SEZS!!! Call me!! Ken

Hey all, In case you guys need to know how I handled this... As far as the "stolen" issue... I still don't have any way of checking, but I called a police officer who is a friend of mine and he's checking into it... As far as protecting myself against sending the money and not receiving the parts, here's what I did... I arranged the shipping myself and negotiated with the buyer to have it sent COD. I paid the shipping and COD fee ($314) and gave the seller a good faith deposit of $500. When the motor arrives I give the shipping company the funds in the form of a check or certified check made out to the seller and they mail it to him... I used Roadway as the shipping company... they can be found at http://www.roadway.com

Hey all, I may have found a LS1/T56 combo, but I'm really leary about sending the funds to the guy... 1. How can I find out if the motor is legit and not out of a stolen vehicle? 2. Are there records for the casting numbers and are they part of a stolen vehicle record or do they just track the VIN? 3. Is there a way to protect myself? If I send him the money how can I insure that the motor will actually be sent? I'm usually a trusting person but it's a lot of money and I want to be cautious.

Then I would recommend calling them... They'll point you in the direction of several of their customers (they did this for me) and you can make an decision with some more confidence.

I personally spoke to them... and quoted their website in the context of my conversation with them... We spoke about several cars that EXCEED the numbers above. Obviously, they need to be conservative with what they put in writing, but I'm quite comfortable with what I said and feel it's accurate... Are you trying to prove a point? If so... what is it? Do you have some sort of proof that it won't be able to handle the torque? If not then why the comments? Ken

Most have higher miles and you run the risk of them having been abused in the past... A T56 rebuild will cost you over $2000 is some cases. The example you gave is $1000 has 60,000 miles and has had a previous "clutch explosion"... Sure you might find one cheaper, but in the long run the $2000 for a bullet proof BRAND NEW T5 trans is well worth it. You're comparing a used T56 price to a new aftermarket ENHANCED transmission... not an apples to apples comparison...

Well I spoke to G-Force today... They say there won't be any real issues with bolting it up. The challenges? Finding a reasonably priced 88-92 WC T5 housing for the right price... If you can find one for $250 - $450 range then I think this is a viable solution. Unfortunately, the WC case can get pricey... The Gear set is $950 and an upgraded main shaft is another $250. If you have them assemble it they charge $250. Case $300 Gearset $950 Main Shaft $250 Assembly $250 Misc $250 Total around $2000 for a brand new transmission that should be bullet proof! I've seen a few cheaper T56's go for no lower than $750 (but with higher miles)... Most times they sell for $1300 to $1500 Here's a quote for any doubters about the strength and durability "the G-Force T-5 kit will handle roughly 600 hp or 500 ft-lb. of torque in a 3300 lb. vehicle running drag radials at the track with a moderate clutch upgrade." As far as the gearing... 2.94, 1.94, 1.34, 1.00, .59 You guys can make your own decisions, but with a 245/45/16 with an OD of 24.7" and a 3.70 Diff here's the numbers: 80 MPH 3rd Gear 5402 RPM 4th Gear 4031 RPM 5th Gear 2378 RPM 40 MPH 1st Gear 5926 RPM 2nd Gear 3910 RPM 3rd Gear 2701 RPM 4th Gear 2016 RPM 5th Gear 1189 RPM I like what I see so far. Your thoughts? Thanks for the responses... Ken

I'm in the process of collecting parts for a 240Z LS1 swap. I was considering the T56 but thought that it would be worth checking into a T5... The T5 can be upgraded to put up with the torque, fits better in the tranny tunnel, is ~100 pounds lighter. The cost to upgrade a T5 vs buying a T56 is comparable... During the process of having the T5 "beefed up" you can select any gears you want, that's yet another benefit... Will a stock GM style T5 bell housing bolt up to a LS1? Any issues? Will there be any issues with the ECM? (Speed sensing stuff Ect) Thanks! Ken

Mike, I'm with you 100% It seems like you and I have been trying to give Juan the right advice required to proceed with his project and a few others are bashing which isn't necessary. I have to say I'd love to see the part made, but I say that cautiously knowing there's much more to the process... which we've both tried to explain to Juan. Why don't we end the thread like this... Everyone do a little research into services available to R&D aftermarket parts that Juan could approach about the project and provide him some constructive options for him to pursue from a business perspective. What I think all of you will find is the EYE OPENING complexities of the process and the associated costs to do it right. I think you'll have new respect for people like Juan trying to provide services in this industry... Juan... Take our advice and look into it... It's your business and it's your choice how you run it. I think for the most part everyone is trying to help and give advice... Sometimes the impersonal nature of a thread will cause this... Mike stated it right on... There's no need for you to respond to this stuff... it won't help you... Business can be tough, but if approached correctly anything can be done with some creativity and doing your homework... As I said before, the cost of the part will naturally be higher, but it's a required peice to the puzzle of aftermarket part development (especially load bearing parts)

Jared... That's the whole point that we're trying to make to Juan... In order to protect himself and others HE needs to have spent the money and R&D costs to insure that not only the correct materials are selected but that tolerances and many other aspects of the design are tested satisfactorily. He should already know all that stuff and be TELLING US what rigoruos testing is planned or in progress for the part in question. Don't get me wrong... his parts "look" good and appear that they are machined to high standards but there is MUCH more to the design process than that! I am not an engineer by trade but have been involved in building custom parts before... Simply stated... The R&D cost and testing process usually costs many times more than actually making the part. Which drives up the final cost of the part but ultimately keeps everyone safe and protects the manufacturer from law suits. Expansion, heat tolerance, shear strength, warp tolerance and much more need to be tested. It's all part of the ball game of making custom parts and protecting yourself... Some parts carry less risk than others (obviously) and the associated insurance reflects that. When you approach an insurance company and tell them that you are manufacturing and selling wheel hubs or brake components, expect to open up your wallet... With all that said... If you could provide the insurance company with the test results and endorsements, it would favorably help you with premiums... Again, it's all part of the ball game... Hope that helps... And let me say this... I am in no way trying to discourage Juan from making his parts. I'm only trying to point out the risks and requirements for doing so. I am a little concerned that he needs to get a little more educated in this regard and I'm trying to help him understand the whole thing... Bottom line? In the end he'll get the part done, but it will be more expensive because he had to spend extra bucks on these things, but we'll all be safer in the process and I'd bet that he'll learn some valuable lessons about his initial design that he'll be able to improve before his production run.

Juan... I must admit... your cavilier attitude in your last post is what is bringing all these questions on you! It's obvious from that last post that you don't have an idea about what can happen to you or your company if something fails and they find that you had not done the appropriate research into the design. Furthermore if they find that you had not done the necessay R&D to have your parts tested and if a flaw is discovered that caused injury, not only would you be liable, you could lose everything. Please think about all of this VERY carefully. We are all trying to help you by our posts here ...not hurt you! We appreciate your efforts but are also concerned about the possible ramifications of you not doing your homework. Speak to a business lawyer and get his/her advice if you want a dose of reality. Hopefully someone in that profession will open your eyes... Throttle body spacers are one thing... hubs and brakes are a whole different ball game... Talk to some professionals (not a free consultation either)... Pay for their time and make sure they are practicing law in the automotive industry... particularly in the aftermarket... I imagine after doing so, your next post will be humble and thankful that we are all looking out for you and everyone else that are your "would be" customers...

While I think it's great to see new vendors enter the Z marketplace, the consumer always has to be cautious for many obvious reasons. Juan, since you're not a engineer by education/trade, you'll always have people questioning your products... UNLESS you do a couple of things... 1. Develop the product(s) and find a reputable engineering company to R&D it for you. 2. Don't use unothodox methods for testing (that 150 psi "match" test did more to hurt you than help you) 3. Find a race team willing to work with you and endorse your products after they are satisfied that they are safe. 4. Many more... Obviously there more things you can do, but credibility is key to continued success in business. All of this will add to the price that you will need to charge to make a profit, but it's required to keep your customers safe and your business out or serious problems. It's very possible that your products are engineered to perfection and you won't have any problems, but you need to have done the proper due dilligence to keep your business from being sued. What were to happen if you didn't have the backing/endorsements and something failed causinig injury? How would you protect yourself? On the other hand if something failed that had been approved/tested to meet a stringent set of tolerances and requirements, then you would probably fair much better in a lawsuit because most likely the product failed due to "user error". Just my .02 Regards Ken Jones Sport Z Magazine

Boobala, Ross's stuff is always well engineered and a lot of thought and time goes into everything he does... I would consider his parts and service some of the best that the Z Car Community has to offer. The junkyard comment was outta line... if you decide to combine junkyard parts with some of the things that Ross has to offer to be economical, that's your choice but the undertone of your comment seems to be that you're saying that his stuff is overpriced etc... You're just plain wrong... Do the comparisons before you "make off the cuff" comments without any basis... And remember... you get what you pay for! I am personnaly running the 300zx fronts and 240sx rears on my car from Ross with GREAT success... An excellent value and a significant upgrade over stock. I have used the setup on the track and am VERY happy with it.

Alan... Would you mind sending me a copy of the pictures too? Sorry to be a pain... If you'd like I can post them to a URL that I have so you don't have to email them anymore... If you'd like for me to do that let me know. ken280z@hotmail.com I will not post them without your permission. Regards Ken