Z-TARD

Heres a link to some good heads with really decent prices. Check out the Topline heads.http://www.gofaststuff.com/heads.html Mike

On a somewhat related subject, here's a how to article on how to build your own heating oven. This one is meant for bake on finishes for rifles, but the concept could be applied to a larger oven for sheets of Lexan, etc.http://www272.pair.com/stevewag/heater/heater1.html Hope this gives you guys some ideas. Mike

Those Nismo seats look a little lumpy..... I like the design, but it looks like they were stuffed with random chunks of foam from the floor, kinda like how GPC cigarettes are made. They could probably benefit from some extra material sewn onto the edges of the bolsters as well. Seats with bolsters like that tend to wear out really quickly from sliding over them to sit down all the time. For a good example of this, go to the salvage yard and try to find Fiero seats that dont have giant holes in the bolsters, they're like a 1 in 100 find.

I picked these up from Ebay as well. They're manufacured by Dynamic auto Design. Great quality seats, extremely comfortable. I think they could have done a better job on the sliders though. These were only $360 for the pair, plus shipping.

Has anyone priced the Wier setup yet?

Not to worry Glenn, the engine will get used eventually. One of my future projects hopefully will be a ground up fabrication of an entire car, either a front engine-rear drive like a TVR Speed 12, or Mid-rear like a Saleen S7. The V12 would be the perfect powerplant for either design. Lessons learned from the construction of my Z, as well as experience gained while driving it should come in handy for something like that. I think my fabrication skills are up to the challenge, but my electrical skills and budget are somewhat restrictive for the time being. Baby steps, baby steps.... Mike

Been a while since I've posted anything. I just finished up a 6 month deployment to the middle east on board a destroyer, so I've had lots of time to think things through and save money. 6 months ago I had nearly convinced myself to go ahead with my original idea of installing a Jaguar V12 into my 240 Z, with the addition of a few turbos to make things exciting. After much research on the internet, and several consultations with my wallet, I have decided to follow the herd and stuff a chevy motor in my car. I already had a 4 bolt, high nickel block to build from, and have purchased the following items from ebay over the last few days. Used T-56 transmission from 1997 firebird, complete with flywheel, clutch, and clutch cylinder/pedal assembly (Flywheel and clutch will have to be replaced with aftermarket items). Internally balanced 383 rotating assembly. Cast steel Eagle crank, forged H-beam connecting rods, SRP forged pistons (10.48/1), Total Seal rings, Clevite 77 rod and main bearings. Pro Topline aluminum cylinder heads (bare). 235cc intake runner with 72cc chamber. 2.08 intake, 1.6 exhaust valve diameters. Set up for 7/16" screw in studs. $749.00 for the pair. I still have to get all the goodies to finish up the heads, but I should end up with a really good set of heads for a lot less than an assembled pair would cost. My goal for the engine is at or slightly above the 500 HP level, which should be more than sufficient to ensure a closed casket funeral, Heh Heh Heh If any of you guys know a good place to get a set of 2.08/1.6 vlaves for cheap, please feel free to pass that information along. More updates to follow, Mike

Thanks for all the help guys, should make this conversion a lot less painful than if I tried to go it alone. I'm in Singapore now, enroute to the Persian Gulf within a week or two, so I'm not going to be able to accomplish anything on the car for about the next 6 months or so. I did buy all the books I could find pertaining to fuel injection and turbocharging, so I should be fairly enlightened by the time I get back. Thanks again for the help guys. Mike

Your right, I did some more research and found that the RHB5 is good for motorcycles and itty bitty cars, and not much else. 4 of these would probably be really bitchin on a Jag V-12, but I dont really enjoy the thought of all the associated plumbing. Oh well, I have a buddy with a Honda that wants to buy it, so its not a total loss. I looked at the turbo in an 87 300ZX, actually tore a bunch of stuff off trying to get at it. Unfortunately it looks like it would be easier to just cut the exhaust and pull the motor to get it out, its buried in there pretty good. Maybe next time. Mike

I just aquired an IHI RHB5 Turbo from an 89 Isuzu Impulse, I cant find much for specifications on the internet and was wondering if 2 of these would be enough for a 5.3 liter 12 cylinder engine. Thanks in advance for the help, Mike

Thanks for the reply Glenn. I wish I had a turbo to get measurements from at the time, unfortunately I havent found any good used ones yet. As fas as routing intercooler piping goes, it shouldnt be too much of a problem since I'll be removing the entire radiator support structure and replacing it with an application designed home built unit. I think I could do it without relocating the radiator, but I'd like to have a couple more inches of clearance, just to help the cooling system out a little. The T45 should be up for the abuse I think. My friend has a 2000 Cobra with ATI procharger that dynos 470HP at the rear wheels. He runs in the 11's when using slicks. He hasnt done any mods to the tranny except for installing an aftermarket shifter. The weak point of the T45 from what I've read is the stock shifter and shift forks. Supposedly the forks have a tendancy to bend when shifted hard, because the stock shifter doesnt have stops in it to prevent overtravel. My transmission is a 97, manufactured by Borg Warner. Later ones made after Tremec bought Borg Warner are supposed to have stronger shift forks in them, hopefully a rebuild kit will come with the Tremec shift forks. What do you guys think of TBI for fuel injection? I'd prefer to go this route for FI due to its simplicity. I could probably even switch from carbs to FI without changing intake manifolds with a TBI setup, and I wouldnt have to buy and plumb 12 injectors either. Opinions? Comments? Thanks for the help guys. Mike

You could always go with a Scat cast steel crank and forged H-beam rods. Look around on ebay, there are normally a lot of guys selling these. ARP main studs and rod bolts are a good idea too. The crank/rods/studs/bolts will make for a nearly indestructible bottom end, even on a two bolt block. Mike

Most intake manifolds are cast with the 2 or 3 degree angle built in to the carb mounting flange, you could probably set your level on this to give you the correct engine angle. (assuming that the car is sitting level as well). I'd double check the angle on the diff too, just to make sure its the same, or nearly the same as the corrected angle on the intake manifold. Mike

If you wanted to go super light weight, you could get one of the complete dash caps from MSA and build a tube frame underneath it to support your gauges. Dont know how well that thin plastic would hold up to sunlight and heat though. Mike

If you can find a 5 speed out of an 87 or newer Camaro or Firebird, it should be a World Class regardless of V6 or V8 power. Most WC T5's will have orange stickers on the side of the case that tell you to use ATF only in them. Non World Class T5's wont have that sticker. The V6 bellhousing is different than the V8 model, so if you pull a V6 transmission, leave the bellhousing behind, it will cost less that way. At some point, GM switched bolt patterns as well for attaching the transmission to the bellhousing, I pulled a T5 out of a 2000 Camaro V6, and the bolt pattern is completely different than the 87-92 T5 bolt pattern, It actually looks more like a Ford bolt pattern. Just something to look for before you decide to pull one. The Chevy 87-92 V6 and V8 bolt pattern is pretty wide, the transmission has little ears the extend from the side of the case to bolt it to the bellhousing. The 93-and up bolt pattern is much narrower, and the transmission lacks the ears on the side. I'll try to post some pics later to better explain the difference in the two. Hope this helps. Mike

Hey Dot, was wondering when you were going to chime in. If I mounted two carbs in the center of the engine, rather than hanging over the side, do you think there would be enough room to make some custom headers and put a T-3 turbo on either side? Mike

What kind of turbo did the VG30ET come with?

Yeah, I've seen that one before. one of my favorite cars ever actually. If this doesnt work in the Z I'll probably end up building something similar to that using a ZF transaxle out of a Porsche 944. I'm pretty sure it will fit in the Z though. Picked up a couple of small intercoolers today from some Isuzu Implulses. They measure about 8x10 inches each, hopefully enough to support a mid sized turbo under moderate boost. (8 to 10 psi).

Just to satisfy my own curiosity, I decided to weigh the engine and transmission to get an idea of how much weight my car is going to gain by doing this. Thanks to Jeff and BlueovalZ for the bathroom scale idea. The cashiers look while I purchased 4 bathroom scales, covered in grease and dirt from the junkyard, was truly priceless. Total weight? 795 pounds including the stand. Not quite as heavy as I was expecting, but definitely more than the SBC/T5 setup. FYI, From all the info I've read, Jag V-12's all came with forged crankshafts, so I believe it should handle quite a bit of Horsepower. Mike

I pulled mine from a 76 XJ12 at the local pick and pull for $220.00. Currently there is a XJS there that has the 11/1 HE (High Efficiency) motor that I would love to pull if I had more time before leaving. They also have an 87 BMW 740 with a V12 as well, which appears to be a little smaller than the Jag engine. The BMW motor would be $360 since it is in the Gucci section of the yard, still a steal in my opinion.

Try the Pick and Pull in San Diego. 805 south to main street, left on main street. Left on Nirvana. Road T's at the end, go right and it will be about 2 blocks down on the right side of the road. I pulled my WC T5 from there a few weeks ago for $128.00 Just the transmission without bellhousing would be about $90.00 I think. I wouldnt pay $450 for a T5 of questionable origin. Hope this helps you out, Mike

Hard to beat the sound of a V-12 under throttle though, and I really like my dog. So I think I'll go ahead and do it. Its going to have to wait a while though, as I'm going on deployment for 6 months next week. On, the plus side, I wont be able to spend all my money for that time period, and will have considerable funds at my disposal when I get back. I'll have to section the T45 bellhousing about 3" and weld on 3" from the Jag bellhousing, along with lots of rienforcement ribs to strengthen the bellhousing. (Much more comlicated than that, but thats the general concept anyway.) Front radiator support will have to be moved forward about 5". Ground clearance should be pretty good, the Jag has a very shallow sump depth and plenty of room on either side due to its 60 degree layout. The V-12 I have is a low compression model, as I remember its something like 8.5-1. So I'm going to attempt to pipe in a small turbo on either side. Any suggestions on fuel/air management setups? I was thinking of two 390-400 CFM carbs on a custom built manifold, enclosed in an airtight box that the turbos would pipe into. Fuel injection would no doubt be a better option, but my understanding of it is pathetic at best. I'll try to keep you guys updated on this, expect progress reports to start in about 7 months or so..... Mike

Check this out: http://members.rogers.com/dotdotdot/

Yeah, I know..... But I already have 3 T5 transmissions and a really cool 4 bolt main 010 block thats never been bored, and a host of other chevy related stuff...... I may just have to get a bigger garage and more Z's to play with. Although I really like my suspension, brakes, and drivetrain on this one Why do decisions have to be so difficult? Mike

I cant do anything right on the first try.