Z-TARD

Has anyone ever tried putting a Getrag 5 speed from a BMW behind a Small Block Chevy? They look like a pretty beefy transmission from the outside. Does anyone have any positive/negative experiences with these trannys? Any info would be appreciated. Mike

First, let me apologize for my previous post about the SU-27. I did'nt realize you worked at a speed shop and had a mental image of you as some kid whos only tuning experience on cars had been on Gran Turismo 3 on PS2. The post would be pathetic, had it been an attempt at irony. (It would really be ironic if someone had posted later with links to SU-27 turbofan engines on Ebay....) As far as rear ends go, you might want to look at the independant setups in the 91 and up T-birds. Its a sub unit that removes from the car by taking out like 4 or 6 bolts. Has all the goodies attached to it: Upper and lower A-arms, rear end carrier, sway bar, etc. They use the Ford 8.8" rear. Looking through JEGS, it seems that gear sets and locking/ limited slip carriers are pretty plentiful for it. This is also the same rear end used in the new SVT Cobra and Cobra R mustangs. I dont know if any of the Mustang guys are pushing that kind of HP, but it seems to me you'd be more likely to break CV's than your rear end at 1000+ HP anyway. Hardened CV's are available for these rear ends as well, a freind of mine just got some for his Cobra. The T-bird rear setup will also bolt in to a 99 or newer mustang without any modifications, I guess using the stock mounting points for the solid axle suspension setup. Seems like it would be pretty easy to adapt it to a JEGS tube frame setup for 4 link solid axle rear. If you feel the need to stick to import parts, I would suggest using the rear out of an 87' or newer Toyota Supra. Similar setup to the T-bird, almost looks like they use the same mounting positions actually. I worked as a chassis fabricator at Shelby for a while, and while I'm not an expert in the field of chassis engineering, I feel pretty confident in my ability to make design suggestions on them. The 427 Cobras use a chassis made from 4" diameter carbon steel tubing, with lots of stiffeners and gussets to make them less flexible. These chassis still flex a considerable amount under acceleration, I think mostly because the Cobras dont have much for stiffening in the cockpit area. Since the Z has a roof, you can hide all kinds of bracing under there. The Z's unibody flexes most at the area where the frame rails connect to the firewall, and where the rear subframe attaches to the bulkhead just behind the seats. Having a tube frame with full frame rails that extend from the front all the way to the rear suspension is a must for the HP levels you are talking about. I would keep the Z you have now, use it as a template to take measurements off of while you build your frame. When you're finished with the frame, cut the entire floorboard out of the Z, along with the front clip (frame rails, strut towers, and upper horns). Then make brackets to attach it to the tube frame. You'll have to copy the geometry of the upper frame horns to a certain extent so you have a mounting place for your front fenders. If you dont know how to weld yet, I would advise you to learn because most chassis shops will charge you a lot of money for this. If you learn how to do it yourself, the only money you will have to put into it will be for material, a welding machine, and a pipe bender. I'm not sure if its legal for frame building or not, but you can make pretty accurate hot bends in pipe by filling it with tightly packed sand and plugging the ends, then heating with an oxyacetalene torch to dull red where you want to bend it. (Its a little more involved than that, but its real easy to learn) Some of the wire feed welders made by Miller and Hobart will run off 110V power, and will still weld with enough amperage to make a tube frame. I think they run for about $500 or so. You can also get a TIG welding machine by Miller for about $800 that runs off 110V and weighs about 20 pounds. I've welded with one and was very impressed with it. However, TIG takes a long time to learn, so I would suggest getting a wire feed unit. You can get pretty good with wire feed in a few months if you try. I think using the steel body from the Z would be cool. Granted, the fiberglass body is lighter, but it wouldnt really be a Z if it had a complete glass body. Anyway, I suppose I've rambled on long enough. Hope theres no hard feelings about the SU-27 thing. (although I still think it would be really friggin cool...) Mike

I've been considering this swap as well. I pulled a VLSD diff from an Infiniti J-30, and an R-200 out of a 280Z. The carriers will interchange without any problems as far as I can tell, but you will have to have spacers machined for the LSD carrier as it has the 12mm holes in it for ring gear attachment vs the 10 mm holes of the 280's open diff. The LSD carrier also seems to have a different offset for the ring gear than the 280 diff, it seems to be about 1/8 inch further away from the pinion, and then uses a spacer which is about 1/4 thick located between the ring gear and carrier to space the ring gear into the pinion. So if you use the spacer, you end up putting the ring gear to close to the pinion, and if you decide not to use it, you will have to add about 1/8 inch of spacers to the outside of the drivers side bearing. I havent had much luck finding bearing spacers for these things, so for the time being I've decided just to use the 280Z R-200 diff as is. Guess I'll have to be content with leaving single skid marks wherever I go.... Mike

Dont pay any attention to these sceptics dude, they all said the same thing about my 72 240Z/Russian SU-27 Air Superiority Fighter conversion as well. I heard things like: "Those turbofan engines will never fit in a Z", "How do you plan on making enough room for the avionics?", "Daily driver/ weekend road racer/ mach 2 interceptor! Are you insane?" Etc. My project is going on according to plan with zero glitches, except that I still need to find an SU-27 for parts. I'm looking at about 70,000 pounds of thrust, totally ommiting the rear end and transmission. Should be able to pull a 1/4 mile in about 2 seconds on afterburner. Aphid missiles should come in handy for clearing traffic jams as well....Dont let the man get you down. Mike

A lot of the 240sx's I've looked at in the junkyards have VLSD rear ends. All that I have seen have been the R-200 short pinion shaft diff, which is about 6 or 7 inches shorter overall than a R-200 out of a 280Z. The ones I have checked out have all been approx 3.90 ratio. Infiniti J-30's also have this same rear diff. As far as what years have them.....I'm guessing, but I think anything from about 94 and up can have them, look for a finned aluminum rear cover on it. There will also be a little orange sticker with the letters "VLSD" on it located on the rear cover. Hope this helps. Mike

Decided to look at domestics on last outing at the junkyard. 91 and up T-birds with rear discs have .950 rotors. I think the calipers should work on my supra rotors as well. Mike

BTW, the Supra was an 87, so it also has 5 lug hubs.

Went back to the junkyard today and got the measurement for the Supra rear end, its 60.5" from side to side measured at the outer face of the disc brakes where the wheel bolts to. I was too lazy to measure the Z today, but I'm sure the Supra is wider by at least a few inches. I think it would work with 40mm offset wheels and maybe some mild flares in the back though. Mike

We've been tossing around the idea of swapping the entire rear suspension carrier from a late 80's Toyota Supra into a Z. I havent taken a measurement on total width on one yet, but I'm betting its a little wider than a first gen Z. It also already has 5 lugs, rear disks, LSD, and CV shafts. it would just require some modification to the Z unibody to make mounting pads for it. As an added bonus, it has both upper and lower control arms in the rear, which lets you get away with running sub 10 second 1/4 miles without having to switch to solid rear axle as per NHRA (I think) rules. Mike

I've seen guys running 600+ HP through the Supra rear end, dont know what kind of torque figures though. From the looks of it, I think it could take nearly any engine you could stuff under the hood. It seems every bit as beefy as the Jag rear end, and its CV so it would be a lot smoother too. I've got my R-180 completly removed from my car now, and all the bolts holding the rear suspension in place are only finger tight....It would be so easy to just get rid of it altogether. Gears are turning in my head now. I could probably get the whole setup for about $300 or less. Dammit, why does life have to be full of such difficult decisions? Mike

I'd have to opt for the gold plated ones too. If you're gonna go pimpin, you'd better go all the way.....Maybe they make smaller versions of the wheel to hang on a chain around your neck as well. Hmmmmm. If they dont, they probably should. That would be the mad Bling Bling, Yo! Mike

Anyone know of a rear caliper w/e-brake that will fit over a .830" rotor? I'm asking because I'm thinking of going with Toyota Supra 12" rotors on the rear of my Z, as I have already converted the fronts to Supra rotors. I realize this may be a bit excessive, I'll just bias them down a lot, and they should last forever. Mike

The 300ZX front hubs will add about 1" or so to your offset. I'm using a set on the front of my car now. Heres a picture showing how far out they will put a wheel with 40mm offset: Hope this helps some. Mike

I'll take a set of those in 42" please............ Bling Bling, Mike

Most likely the spline count will be different than an R-200. I'm having a similar issue with trying to put the carrier from an R-200 out of an Infiniti J-30 into the case from a 280Z R-200. I'm going to have to use the output shafts from the Infiniti differential to make it work, which is cool because I had planned on using CV shafts anyway. I suspect that if the Toyota carrier will fit in an R-200 case, you will probably have to do the same thing and use the output shafts and CV's from the Toyota as well. I was looking at a Supra in the junkyard today actually, the differential was identical to the one in your pictures. I think it was an 87 or so. It occured to me while looking at it, that it would be a fairly easy swap to just use the entire rear subframe from the Supra under a Z. Its held in by what looks like 4 big bolts and rubber insulaters much like a Jag or 91 or newer T-bird rear end. It has ultra beefy upper and lower A-arms, LSD rear end with stout looking CV's. The rear crossmember is already dimpled to allow the running of dual exhaust as well. Had I not already started down another path for the rear end on my car, this is probably what I would do. Sorry for rambling..... Mike

I pulled out the metal studs by tightening down two nuts on them, and then backing them out. I had considered using the side pieces in their original way, coming down the side of the car, but after much measuring and head scratching, I've decided to trim them down to use as flat endcaps on the spoiler. I'm only going to be covering the width of the rear hatch now, with no overhang onto the rear fenders at all. (ala Shelby Daytona Coupe) The angle should be just slightly under 45 degrees, and although it will create a lot of drag, it should counteract the lifting effect of the Z's rear hatch pretty well. Should have it roughed out this weekend, will try to post pics when I have anything worth showing. Also, I think if you look around, many of the camaro spoilers are made of fiberglass instead of plastic. Mine is definetly fiberglass, as it tends to shear away into fiberous splinters when you try cutting it to quickly. Mike

Here ya go http://www.millerwelds.com/main/products/tig/M08900/buy/ They quote a price of about $1200 for the TIG unit, but it should be a lot cheaper through a distributor. Hope this helps. Mike

Ive used a unit made by Miller that does Tig/Stick. It runs off 115V power, so its only good to about 80 amps or so, which should be plenty for exhaust work. Its only about the size of a kids lunch box, weighs maybe 20 lbs. It doesnt have high frequency, so you have to scratch start it every time, which takes some getting used too. last I saw they were going for about $750. I'll try to find one online and post a link for you. Mike

Do you still have the original engine/tranny? Mine did something similar to me about a year ago. I could still get into the gears, but wasnt getting any power to the wheels. The slave cylinder was over extending and locking open. It would only do it occasionally, so it was a pain in the ass to track down. Hope this helps. Mike

I was fortunate enough to actually work at Shelby between stints in the Navy about 2 years ago. I never had the chance to work on the series one cars, I was welding frames and exhausts for the 289 FIA cobras that Shelby also still produces. The Series one is definetly a bitchin ride, although I think for the money you'd be better off getting a Corvette ZO6. Many of the suspension and drivetrain components from the new corvettes are used in the series one. They also had problems with the carbon fiber body panels delaminating after a while. Paint was also an issue, although they worked very hard and eventually fixed that problem. For the most part the cars were only available in silver with or without red or blue stripes. They had a few that were jet black though, which was really a good color on them. Eventually they had to lay off about 50% of the workforce though, because nobody was buying the series one cars (which had gone up to about $175,00 by then) And I ended up coming back in the Navy again. Still, definetly the coolest job I ever had. Mike

I dont know if this is the same thing or not, but the slave cylinder on my 240 actually overtravelled and wedged the piston halfway out of the cylinder, blowing out all the hydraulic fluid in the process. Since it wedged in the open position, I didnt have any power going to the transmission anymore. I ended up walking to Auto Zone to get a slave rebuild kit, and rebuilding it by the side of the road. Bleeding was accomplished by loosening the bleeder screw and depressing the clutch pedal, then bracing it with a 2x4 to keep it depressed, then tightening bleeder screw, releasing clutch pedal, loosening bleeder screw, depressining clutch pedal.....and so on, until I had used the better part of 2 quarts of brake fluid. About 40 miles down the road it did it again, and I had to remove the linkage between the clutch and cylinder to drive the car, as I had no further resources to fix it. Drove the rest of the trip 200+ miles without a clutch. Developed a really good ear for engine rpm levels. Sounds like you're getting air in your system somewhere. Double check all your hose connections, hard line fittings, and maybe rebuild or replace your slave cylinder. It really sucks to lose one on a long trip. Mike

I pulled the 3 piece spoiler from an early 80's camaro in the junkyard for $40. with some modification I'm going to make it fit my 240. Could be made to look quite a bit like the one pictured in the above post. Mike

I'd gut the 307 and use the crank in the 350 block (327), or just build up the 350. Personally I like the 327 idea. It will rev up faster than the 350, and your cylinder walls will last longer because of the shorter stroke. Whichever way you go, definetly use the 350 block. Bigger bore is ALWAYS better. Better combustion, it unshrouds the valves for better breathing. Check your 350 block to see if it is a high nickel content block also, these are the most desirable because the nickel makes the casting stronger and more wear resistant than standard cast iron. You'll be able to tell by looking under the timing cover, or on the backside of the block berhind the flexplate. If it has the numbers 010 and 020 cast in it, this is the block to have 1%Tin, 2%Nickel. If it only has the 010, its a 1% nickel block. if it has none of these, then it is regular cast iron. As far as rebuilding goes, do yourself a favor and do some research before ordering any parts. I'd strongly recomend a book by David Vizard titled "How to build max performance chevy small blocks on a budget". You can find it at most bookstores, or you can get it at http://www.motorbooks.com. This will save you countless trial and error mistakes down the road, and will probably pay for itself within minutes of reading the first few chapters. Hope this helps. Good luck with you conversion. Mike

Subzero, when did you go through nuke school? Mike (HT2)

Its been my experience that most Aluminum MIG outfits are very touchy about setup. You can spend half a day just setting one up so it will run a decent bead. TIG is much easier to set up, since you dont have to deal with feed rates vs amperage, wire size, etc. Granted, the TIG machine will probably cost you more, but will ultimately be less frustrating than a MIG. Just make sure to use pure tungsten for the electrode, not the 2% thoriated stuff. Pure runs better for some reason. Considering the application (seat brackets), I would opt for steel anyway. Anything thats going to support your weight in the car, or have a signifigant function concerning safety should in my opinion be made of steel. You should only gain a few extra pounds by using steel anyway, and you wont have to worry about the galvanic corrosion that occurs betwwen aluminum and steel. (This is a signifigant issue, I work on a ship that has its hull made of steel, and superstructure out of aluminum. The aluminum is literally rotting away in places. The places that are not rotting have stress fractures.) Additionally, any welding of the aluminum pretty much voids any heat treatment its had within the heat affected area. A T-6 flat bar will only be T-6 hardness in the areas that havent been welded on. Anything within about 3" of the weld will just be plain old soft aluminum, hardly the material I'd trust my safety to. Anyway, sorry to be a stormcloud. Just putting in my 2 cents worth. Mike