Pete84

Anyone at all have much on Nistune? Experiances?

How tuneable is the 4G63 turbo's ECU? To do this swap in CA the ECU had better be fairly friendly to work with. Tons of blocks + options for a transmission = possability.

So besides finding a quite cheap parts car, what swaps would you advise then? And oh yes, I need to be able to get decent highway mileage too I ask as the cost of swapping in a CARB legal motor is quite dependant on how cheap I might get the parts car. Or in the case of the Z31 the 87-89 Turbo's have the least to upgrade, vented rear brakes, 5 bolt hubs, tunable ECU, LSD, etc, but cost the most to buy outright. And 280ZX's are so much cheaper to buy than S30's, well I am looking for a smogable design. Tough saving when I'm so close but really don't want to settle for less than I actually want . . . grrr

Did you at least have the main crank bearings replaced? That and the blown head gasket seem to be the top failurs on the 7MGTE. Given CARB laws here in CA, a 7M would be legal in a 280ZX. Whole lot cheaper than a JZ as well.

With the custom motor mounts, did you move the motor & transmission back so that the driveshaft fit in proper? How was the clearance with the firewall? PICS?!?!?

Wow, front clip for a VQ30DET?? How many parts are interchangable with the US VG motors? Is it possible to use and tune the stock motor or is a standalone needed?

Hahah! That is great!!

What color is the smoke?

A VG30DETT has been put into a 280Z. Almost done but for the steering rack according to the thread. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=117977

The Atom uses Honda K20's in the UK and Ecotec supercharged engines in the US. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariel_Atom

Never heard of it before, but apparently you get to drive Cobalt SS's on a track. I went to a MazdaSpeed event once, and wow, for a few minutes of drive time it was a serious let down, but this _looks_ to be move driving. It does cost $25, anyone ever gone to one or heard how they are? http://www.revitup.com/

http://www.toysport.com/webpages/Techinfo/Enginemod/7m_tech_notes.htm Found that page on the 7M engines, sounds like the heads are a bit finicky, getting warped fairly easily, and requiring some pretty serious prep work for metal head gaskets. What have your guys experiances been with the engine?

Buick powered? Buick aluminum V8 or 3.8 DOHC? Fast Z! must have had some serious aero bits to keep drag down on.

Back yard? No! The front, on cinderblocks!

How much will you be able to haul with it?

That metallic roar is very impressive!! Is it from the intake or what? Nothing loose I hope

Have any pics of the 323? I've seen a few of them around, and the AWD version can move!

I've taken a look at NIStune's specs, looks great, but what sort of experiances have you all had?

Very nice!! Any thoughts on putting a KA24 in there in the future? Body panels all look like they are in quite good condition though, nice find.

So people will swap out engines instead of having the timing belt replaced? Is that done by service centers, so that the customer can get their car back, while the center has a pool of engines that they refurb? Or what?

The Smart coming to America, officially that is, is the fortwo [sp?]. Fifth Gear did a piece on it, longer wheel base helps on the highway, but it is a bit longer so that the parking nose towards the curb doesn't work in the UK. Parking spaces in the US might be a bit larger on average though . . . . For a heavy commute area, like LA or the Bay Area, I imagine the Smart would rule. For a cross country trip though, I'd take something with more room and comfort. If I ever get stuck in a large metro area, sign me up for one !! Unless Chevy volt doens't get going by that time of course, with that 40K battery priced down to the 2K that it needs to hit lol

I assume that you are both mounting on the stock S30 engine mount locations? Clifton, are you using the 7MGTE mount positions? And materchan, by "accessory bolt holes in the block" I take it that you mean the A/C, PS, alternator bracket mounts? Is the block strong enough there? Not familiar with the 7MGTE, but is there anything on the back side of them?

Ever have to move home from college or do you live at home? Try getting anything into a Miata, it isn't easy. Hatchback Z31 FTW.

Looks like a really rough car got a paint job and a new engine.

Did you run into any fitment issues? Steering rack?