Z-TARD

Thanks Skipzoomie, I figured it might be a longshot considering how many variations there are for these hubs. From what I've noticed, the hubs with the same bearings as our datsuns are sort of rare. I'll definitely post results once I get mine out here. My Z is patiently waiting in the garage on jackstands. Mike

Hmmmmm... I was under the apparently mistaken impression that the SBC internal parts such as rods, pistons and splayed main caps would work in the 4.3 since it's basically an SBC minus two cylinders. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember the buick V6 having a different bellhousing pattern than the SBC as well, which would make the adaptation of the T56 a little more complicated than with the 4.3. At this point though it's all academic, as my current project is getting the status quo SBC swap. I figure at the rate this project is progressing, I'll have time for another one sometime in April of 2043..... Getting the hood is definitely what started this idea, it just looks like everything would line up perfectly under there. I figured the 4.3 would make a good cantidate because it retains a lot of the advantages of the SBC while being a smaller, lighter package that would bias even more weight percentage towards the rear of the car than the V8 it was based on. Thanks for all the info guys, keep it coming! Mike

Has anyone done one of these yet? I'm pretty much commited to the SBC swap for now, but I've been kicking this idea around for a future project maybe. I can't really think of many disadvantages to using this engine. It's based on the SBC, so a T56 tranny would bolt up without too many issues. The aftermarket is there for it, maybe not as abundant as the SBC but still more selection and cheaper than a lot of imports. With twin turbos, I'm pretty confident that some disgusting horespower levels could be reached. After picking up this hood over the weekend, I just can't get this idea out of my head...... Mike

True. If the spacing is too narrow I'm pretty much screwed. If it's too wide though, I can always press out the races and then bore the seats out to the correct depth, which as an added benefit would allow me to have some level of control over the offset. I'm crossing my fingers on this one.... Mike

Nice! The P-1800 is one of my favorite cars of all time, those body lines are a work of art. I've never seen one with modern(ish) looking wheels on it before, they look amazing on there. That is probably one of the only cars that I would give up the Z for, well, that and the Cobra Daytona Coupe..... good luck with the swap, and keep us posted! Mike

Yeah, I'm sure there has to be some kind of DOT standard for trailer hubs. It's good to know that you haven't seen a hub failure. If these were made out of some kind of brittle casting, I'm sure you would have seen a few pop by now. Are the trailers you guys use a 5 lug setup? I'd be interested to know some of the specs for those hubs like bearing sizes, etc. The flange on the one I purchased looks pretty beefy, so hopefully it should stand up to quite a bit of side loading. If it looks at all questionable, I'm going to sacrifice it as a destructive test piece just to see how much abuse it will take. In simple terms, if it looks like it might not be up to the task at hand I'm going to beat the living f%$# out of it with a sledge hammer, along with a stock datsun unit for comparison. My only other concern is the diameter of the outer hub, and if the Cobra rotor will slip over it. Unless I get really lucky, I'll either end up machining off some of the outer diameter on a lathe, or making a spacer to properly center the rotor on the hub. It should show up in the mail within a week or two, pics shortly after that. Mike

Just ordered one of these for fit testing on my 240: http://shop.easternmarine.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=catalog.prodInfo&productID=4724&categoryID=187 Although not listed on that particular page, I did some research and discovered that it has a 1500 lb. load rating. The bearings it uses are the same ones found on the Z car front hubs: LM11949 (.75" ID) and LM67048 (1.25" ID). These are similar, if not identical to the hubs discussed in this thread:http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?p=557224#post557224 The plan is to use these to mount my 13" Cobra rotors. I'll also be using the PBR 2 piston calipers from the mustang Cobra as well. These should be pretty close to zero offset, so I may be able to use the Modern Motorsport Cobra Brake kit http://www.modern-motorsports.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=61 At $39.00 each, these are a lot cheaper than the billet aluminum hubs available. One concern I have over these is of course the overall strength. They are designed for carrying 1500 pounds per hub, more than enough for the 240Z regardless of what pig of an engine resides under the hood. I'm kind of worried about their durability under cornering and braking though. they appear to be made of cast iron, probably similar to the original Z hubs, but if the material is not as high quality as automotive style hubs, some problems could manifest themselves under hard use. If everything fits okay dimensionally, I might do some destructive testing on it to see how well it compares to a stock hub. I'll post some pics once I get it mounted up. Mike

That is kick a$$! Makes me want to swap out wheels with my Jeep. I'll have to put a new post in "Brakes, wheels and suspension": "Will 31" Baja Claws fit on my 240Z?" Mike

To the best of my knowlege, nobody has done a V8 rally Z yet. That would be sweet!

That looks mean as hell. I never would have though an Am-6 Zero paint job would look good on a Z, but it definitely does. How about doing the whole nose in black? That way you could airbrush in some exhaust streaks from the radial engine onto the doors Mike

I like the hood ducting on that one, flows really well with the hood bulge. Your flares are looking really good now too. Keep up the good work! Mike

Welding to the cast intake runners is going to be fun..... Just make sure that everything is super clean, and then preheat the cast stuff before welding. Cast aluminum loves to crack during welding, and once it starts to crack you can spend all day chasing them out with a grinder. I'd suggest getting a junk manifold and practicing on that before doing the actual parts. Mike

I bet this is totally going to divide the ricer crowd. On one side you'll have the Old Skewl "Live my life 1/4 mile at a time, just like Vince" guys, and on the other there will be the "Live my life choking on tire smoke and dumping most of my paycheck into tirerack.com like the new a$$clown" guys. Maybe this is a government conspiracy, carried out via the magic of hollywood to divide and conquer the street ricer scene..... Mike

This has been covered many times over on this site, the two best examples that come to mind are Terry's car (BlueovalZ): http://www.fototime.com/ftweb/bin/ft.dll/pictures?userid={7DC317B0-8EDB-4B2E-A837-F708D07C9769}&inv=9C67398D46D99D9&userid={7DC317B0-8EDB-4B2E-A837-F708D07C9769}&inv=9C67398D46D99D9 And Boodlefoofs car: http://www.geocities.com/boodlefoof/Project_Racer-Zfiberglass.html Using the search fuction located in the upper right portion of the screen will yield even more info..... Mike

I'm really liking the idea of the rising sun paint job. Seeing it in a color sketch helps a lot. I still like the idea of using one of the rear wheels as the center point for the sun in the design. I've seen pictures of tires molded in colors, seems like something for the Honda crowd but it might prove useful for this paint job. Use a red rim, along with a red tire and then have the rays of the sun design radiating out from there. If nothing else, it'll sure spin up some of the old WWII vets. I've always though that this paint scheme would look cool on a Z too:

Yikes! Are they building these things from deplete uranium or something? You'd be better off doing the Jag V-12 swap, it "only" weighs in at around 700 pounds including a 120lb transmission. Of course the Jag won't make as much power without some serious work, but it would have better weight distribution for sure. I'm wondering if the weights for the Bugatti and Lambo combos are including the entire rear suspensions and drivetrain as well....

It's okay I guess, but no way would it keep up with a KA-24 turbo swap......

Not really, I traced a pic of my car, then added all the stuff I see in my head that costs too much money/time to actually put on the car: Conformal stainless steel side pipes inspired by Buell Fiberglass airdam with super extra custom lawn edging lower..... Fiberglass ducted/ cowl induction hood Obligatory extra wide ZG flares Clear headlight covers Tracing really helped with the wheels and tires, for some reason i just can't draw those to save my life. In a way I guess it's cheating, but it's soooo much faster than all the plotting/drawing/erasing/re-drawing required to get the perspective just right otherwise. Mike

As John said, argon is heavier than air so you want to start the purge from the lowest portion of whatever you are welding, and vent it out of the uppermost portion. I normally just stick the end of the purge hose into the part I'm welding and seal the opening around it with duct tape. It works pretty well, but be prepared to clean off some sticky gunk if the taped area gets hot. For the purge outlet, I again use duct tape, this time with a hole cut out of it that is at least as large as the ID of the purge hose. Anything smaller could cause backpressure which could blow out your weld, or create lots of porosity. Along with the Y fitting on the gas line, I also use a small inline ball valve fitting to throttle the flow. For a good purge you should have just enough flow through the workpiece that you can barely feel it on your wrist when you hold it over the purge outlet, probably only around 3 to 5 CFH.

He has a Z?

This has been posted before, but it pertains to the thread so...... http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5721579124059513186&q=ferrari

If you're going to cover the dash in leather, I'd suggest making a new one from fiberglass as an option first, and then covering that. Since it would be covered, surface finish wouldn't be that important. It would also be much lighter than the factory dash.

WOW..... I'd hate to be a bird flying within 20 feet of that thing.

If you are fiberglassing, the floral foam found at craft stores like Michael's works pretty well, and the resin doesn't attack it like styrofoam. I used styrofoam for the dash I built, and then covered that with drywall joint compound made by DAP to make a smoothe surface for taking a mold from. Plaster of Paris would probably have been a better choice because it sets up faster and is a little denser than drywall compound. Here is the thread on my dash:http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=98077 Mike