Danno74Z

V-8 Zfreak, I found this site many moons ago and I think you will find it most helpful. http://www.tolan-hoechst.com/cars/tirecalc.htm Danno74Z

All, I found this Website a while back and thought it may be of interest. http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2/merchant.mv Danno74Z

Instead of purchasing the JTR engine mounts and offset brackets I am contemplating on building my own. I know the JTR book has drawings on doing this but I was wondering if any members have either built their own or more importantly designed their own mounting system and located the engine in the “setback” position. I know of several hot rod companies that sell “universal” mounting brackets that one can cut to fit inside the frame rails and was wondering if this could possibly work. Thoughts? Comments? Danno74Z

Frank, Scarp, I went back and did a little research and the LT4 engine was an option put in the Grand Sport (only 1000 made)and Collector Edition versions. It might of also been put in a special Camaro or Firebird but I'm not sure. The stock Vette engine at that time put out 300HP and you are right on the LT4 at 330HP my 340 was the torque. So, Scarp you indeed may "only" have an LT1 at 300HP which was achieved with a true duel exhaust system in the Vette and some intake tweaking over the 285HP for the Camaro. Still in my opinion a great setup but I'm just a little biased. Danno74Z [ May 23, 2001: Message edited by: Danno74Z ]

Scarp, If the engine is indeed out of a 1996 Vette and I maybe wrong here, I thought all these were the LT4 engine - the big brother to the LT1. If it is the LT4 it will have a bright red intake as a dead give-a-way. This engine produced 340hp had 1.6 aluminum rocker arms and a higher compression ratio. This would be a great find. Your 300ZX is very nice car! Danno74Z

Scarp, I'm in the process of putting this exact combination into my 260Z. I'm assuming your engine and tranny came out of a Camaro or Firebird and these were rated at 285 HP and approximately 230 HP at the rear wheels. HorsepowerTV a few weeks back did a "bolt on" buildup of a 94' LT1 Camaro so we are talking apples to apples. They put on headers, catback exhaust, larger injectors, under drive pulleys, high flow mass airflow sensor, and a Jet Power control module- I think that was it. With all these bolt on parts in place and putting the car back on the dynamometer they picked up about 40HP at the wheels. Not cheap for only 40hp, but getting horsepower from an engine is not an inexpensive proposition. I'm still perplexed by the fact that the ZZ4 crate engine is rated at 350hp and it's basically a LT1 with the exception of 4 bolt vs. 2 bolt in the case of the LT1, and a slightly more aggressive cam. One figure must be net hp in the case of the LT1 and gross hp for the ZZ4, but I can't confirm that and nobody I've talked to could give me the correct scoop. The real hp gains that I've been able to see from reading everything I can on the LT1 be it in magazines or the Internet is swapping out the heads and cam (i.e. L.G. Motorsports) which can be done for around $2500. Doing the HorsepowerTV mods and swapping out the heads and cam and you are in the 400-450hp ATRW. Personally, I would just change out the mild cam, put headers and a good exhaust system together and I bet a 50-60hp increase over the stock 285hp is very achievable without costing a ton of money. Good heads however is where you can make a lot of hp but I think everybody at HybridZ knows this - but it costs. Danno74Z PS The Fast Burn heads are not compatible on the LT1 engine. The LT1 is a reverse cool engine - Heads first block second. The heads must be designed specifically for the LT1. To my knowledge just a few manufactures make aftermarket heads for the LT1 motor. However, many more shops such as LAP Racing and Agostino Racing Engines will port, polish and put bigger valves in the OEM heads and achieve great results.

All, I perhaps got a little too defensive and I apologize for that. Thanks for the kind words and the drawings will stay put for however long Pete and Mike want to host them. Danno74Z

Scottie-GNZ, I "drafted" up that Maxima bracket drawing about 3 months ago to help people out who were thinking about fabricating their own. Apparently, the real-deals are no longer available through Nissan so as a favor to the members I made the drawing by using an original one that I own as a template. I used a vernier caliper for most measurements so the "accuracy of those diagrams" should be very close in order to make a copy. Both Pete and Mike were gracious enough to post the drawing on their respective web pages. It now seems or at least I feel the drawing is causing more confusion then goodness so I going to ask both Mike and Pete to have it removed from both sites. This will end the confusion and someone else if so inspired can draft a more accurate one up. Again, this drawing was just meant to be a guide at best and not a detailed mechanical drawing. jeromio's brackets seem to have come out very well after some hard work on his part (shaping and detailing) but I don't think the drawing is too inaccurate to be worthless...But if the folks here think it is I will have it removed. Danno74Z

Yesterday, the UPS truck pulled up to the house and dropped off my Boyd Coddington rims. All I can say is - THEY ARE AWSOME!!!!! Absolutely fantastic quality all the way and each rim came packed in its own box and very protected. I will try and take some photos real soon. WOW Happy Easter to all. Danno74Z Out of curiosity, I weighed one of the rims and it came in at 20lbs on the nose (8" x17" rims). [This message has been edited by Danno74Z (edited April 14, 2001).]

BlueovalZ, Eight holes! What did they think the wheels were going on! I don't know of any vehicle that has eight holes except possibly a very BIG truck. What car did you eventually put them on? BLKMGK, Those $400 rims are very nice indeed. Did you call them and try to get a better deal? Danno74Z

Blueovalz wait a second I found B. Coddington wheels first on HybridZ. All kidding aside, BC wheels IMO are a good bang for the buck for custom wheels. My wheels should be here in about a month and I will definitely take some pictures and discuss fitment. They were very nice on the phone and I did not get the usual garbage - " I sorry those rims won't fit your Datsun". They listened imagine that! Ok Blueoval now that the cat is out of the bag you and I have to talk…………. . Danno74Z PS Here is a thread on BC wheels. http://24.4.88.29/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000376.html [This message has been edited by Danno74Z (edited March 30, 2001).] [This message has been edited by Danno74Z (edited March 30, 2001).]

I was just poking around and I found this website on restoration and here is on article on building a rotisserie for a Mustang. Perhaps it could be made to work on the Z. http://autorestorer.com/articles/art106.html

Pete, Thanks for the offset verification on my rims. I worked through the math myself a few times and the most over looked thing is the rim lip. As a quick guide, I found the chart to be handy and quickly give one a good estimate of offset knowing the other variables. Jeremy, based on what you said and Pete's calculations the Konig Monsoons should fit your application. Danno74Z

Hi Jeremy, I have been through this a million times myself - backspacing, offset, etc. etc. Please go to this site below and all will become clear. The rims I ordered have a 5.125" backspace and they are 8" wide. Look on the top of the chart and find 5.0" - 5.25" then look for 8" on the left side scale and where they intersect is you offset. In my case and verified mathematically by the guys at BC my rims are +15mm give or take a mm not +35 as mentioned. +35 would necessitate wheel spacers which I did not want. I hope this helps on clearing things up with offset and backspacing. Danno74Z http://www.wheelmart.com/SPINON.HTM

Ben, First of all welcome. I'm not sure but I think it is a 4 piece kit called the California Z. Here is a link to a site that offers it. http://showcars-bodyparts.com/240z.html Go down about 2/3rds.and you will see what I'm talking about. Another company that sells body panels for the wide look is VR Engineering and its called Subtle Z. http://www.kitcar.com/zcar/home.html I'm sure there are others companies. Did you try emailing Bob? Good luck. Danno74Z

Mike, Below, is right off of Carputing's web page: "This is a question we have been asked, and have struggled with, and in order to be fair to the people who are actually purchasing the software and supporting the product, we are introducing a level of copy protection. The standard packages will work with a single car's computer only. We have the capability to do a limited number of PCM's in one package, so if you have multiple PCM's that you use, that is possible. You will need to supply a flash memory dump of the PCM(s) at the time of your order of the software. How do you get that? Once you have your cable (ordered separately), you can run our PCMread, which will extract the flash file from the PCM. You can then send your file via email (and order, via snail mail) to Ken at Cyber Solutions, Inc. or Dave at Carputing LLC." I looked at some of the introductory screens and there is a vin number on the screen so there is definitely checking going on. From the programming page: At this point, once you select the Action... Connect buttons, the software will check the car's battery voltage to ensure there won't be a problem with it, and it will check the VIN of the PCM in the car you're trying to program. If it doesn't match the licensed VIN for the software, the software will halt. If everything's OK, you'll hear the cooling fans come on, and you'll see the following informational dialog box:" Reading through some of the introductory material the LT1 edit software will work on 1994-1995 ECM only - ODBI. They also have a program for ODBII but I haven't looked at it yet. Prior to 1994 GM used removable proms vs. flash memory in their later ECM's. (Talking F bodies - don't know about products). Danno74Z

Kevin, The LT1 edit software is not free. In order to receive 1 copy you must send them a download of your ECM. Each computer must have a unique serial number or vin # burned into it by GM(I'm gussing here). Once the software folks get this info that you provide they make a corresponding copy of the edit program that can only be used with that ECM. Look at it as a door key. Naturally, this prevents a single copy being pirated and distributed. As BLKMGK said in his post the copy you receive from Carputing will cost $150-$200 depending on the version you choose and is locked to one ECM. Like I mentioned in my post I'm going to buy a spare ECM so I need to pay an additional $50.00 only to unlock it. The LT1 edit software will allow you to datalog and change or delete anything so if your not careful you could trash the ECM. NOT GOOD! Danno74Z

Oldzdog, I dug up a little more information for you. and it comes from Fuel Injection Specialties of TX. http://www.fuelinjection.com/lt1lt4.html "FIS can build harnesses and furnish a ECM or PCM for virtually any LT1 / LT4 / LS1 transmission combination. The Vehicle Anti-Theft System (VATS) module used with the pass-key system can be deleted from all systems thru 95. The module must be installed on all Sequential Port Injection Systems (96 +). It is good to note that the 94 + PCM's can be reprogramed. This allows use of a PCM that was previously installed in a vehicle with a electronic transmission to be reprogramed for use with a standard transmission or any of the earlier automatic transmissions. Similarly, a standard shift unit can be reprogramed for use with a 4L60E transmission or any of the earlier automatics. FIS can reprogram these PCM's. Kevin, In regards to your question, if you did trip a few nonessential codes I don't think it would matter in the slightest to the computer. Again, only the nonessential sensors here and those are the ones I will delete (have done) form the ECM. Hopefully, you can get the diagnostic port from the F body donor vehicle. Depending on the year you can purchase scanning tools that plug into this port and capture the codes that have been tripped or sensed by the computer. Granted our Z's don't have a check engine service light but I'm sure with the correct schematics you could install one, which would be very cool. As a side note, Painless Wiring just released a new engine wire harness for the later model (94-95) LT1 engine - LT-1 Harness #60502. I don't have much information on this new product but a fact sheet is forthcoming. What I have read is that it has a built in VATS bypass module and seven circuit fuse block with ignition hot relays. This would definitely be the Cadillac (costly) of wiring for the LT1 but it would simplify one hornet's nest. I hope this info. helps and if I'm wrong please let me know. Danno74Z [This message has been edited by Danno74Z (edited March 25, 2001).]

OldZdog, To my knowledge the ECM from an automatic car can be used on a car with a manual T56. However, I would recommend talking with this guy about it. His name is Ken Kelly (lots of very knowledgeable Kelly's on this board ) and his e-mail address is: PCMdoc@surfree.com He can also reprogram the ECM for you and eliminate VATS, eliminate any pollution controls, and adjust for wheel size and rear end ratio etc. The one main item that the computer controls for both cars either manual or automatic are shift points and when to shift in the case of the manual tranny. On the automatic tranny the shift points are (to my best knowledge) controlled by the computer. On the standard T56 tranny the famous 1st to 4th is forced on the driver if his foot isn't into the gas. Naturally, for F body owners one can make or buy a skip shift to eliminate the 1st to 4th garbage and not throw a computer error. For the HybridZ application I'm just going to have the computer reprogrammed and have all the nonessential controls eliminated. One company that actually sells software for the do-it -yourselfer is http://www.lt1.net/editor/ Lots of stuff at this web site and if you good at electronics and programming this might be your ticket down the road. What I'm going to do is purchase a "spare" ECM for my experimentation. One can usually get a used ECM for $100 or so and if I ruin it well I still have the primary unit that was professionally done. Down the road, I plan on taking my LT1 to the LT4 level and this will require a major reprogramming of the ECM. Danno74Z [This message has been edited by Danno74Z (edited March 25, 2001).]

Al, Another company that you could try is: http://www.borgeson.com/ This company specializes in steering rod drive shafts and u-joints ( I assume you mean for steering shafts] for a very long time. Danno74Z [This message has been edited by Danno74Z (edited March 23, 2001).]

If I understand the question correctly both front and rear rims have the same offset -12. Front - 15"x7" w/3.5" backspacing has a -12mm offset. Rear - 15"x8.5" w/4.25" backspacing also has a -12mm offset. As a general rule, backspacing is measured in inches and offset is in millimeters. The more positive the offset >0 the more the wheel/rim is towards the interior and <0 towards the fender. In your case for the rears an 8.5" rim to fit w/o flares you would need a 5" BS/+6mmOS to 5.5"BS/+19mmOS. I believe this should get you in the ballpark. I'm going to use 8" rims with a 5-1/8" +15mmOS and I feel very confident these will fit w/coilovers unflared. Danno74Z

I realize this is getting off of the original subject and I'm sorry. I just trying to point out to you I think you will be unhappy with the final results with the engine in the "Scarab" location. But hay perhaps the rest of us are wrong. Enjoy and Peace. Danno74Z

Robert, I would definitely rethink your placement of the engine. I would say the vast majority if not all members used the JTR setback method for better weight distribution and center of gravity by either using the JTR kit or devising their own mounts. Another reason to set the engine back is to be able to use a manual transmission. I don't recall the setback amount but I thought it was around 3" and I think you will find yourself running out of room for the shifter in the cockpit. Hopefully, other members will chime in and offer their experiences. Danno74Z

Pete, If you guys do put together a gathering on the east coast please let me know. My sister and her family live in VA - just up the road from Mike and Chris and probably a two hour drive to your house I guess. Anyway, it would be fun to meet you Southern Gents I need about a month notice if possible. Danno74Z

Robert, Please correct me if I wrong but before you worry about the AC compressor fitting check to see if you can even use it with the JTR cantilever engine brackets. I don't think the passenger side arrangement will even work given the fact the compressor sits smack next to where the plate bolts to the engine in the "setback" method. You will find out relatively soon that you either abandon the JTR setback method with those plates, relocate the AC, or design your own motor mounts with the setback in mind when you do. I would venture to say 95-99% of the members use the JTR method to mount the engine into the car and very few perhaps less than 5% have AC. (It would be very interesting to hear from them) I'm going to try and keep the AC in the stock location and redesign the passenger side mounting method. This may take a combination of frame notching and relocation of a few things. One idea that I have is why bolt that offset plate to the engine? Perhaps the engine crossmember tower can be moved back 2 - 4 inches and placed directly inline with the engine mount. Naturally, coming up with a new method and having it work to support the engine is no easy task. I'm still working on the backend of the car so all efforts are going to complete this part of the car. Good luck to you. Danno74Z