Drax240z

That sounds legit to me. You can raise compression if you want, it just means less boost before detonation. But anyway, I assume that is a reply from the seller, and it isn't full of holes technically.

Hehe, I like it.

Hehe, congrats on finding the problem Pete! Glad to hear that it is a relatively simple fix in the end. Now I must go rest my eyes.

I find that windex with newspaper works really well. Most other towels/cloths leave streaks.

Thinking about it its probably lower than 450rwhp than it becomes an issue, more like 400. SleeperZ was the 400ft-lbs guy, check out the details here: http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=23649 313rwhp, 417ft-lbs of torque. As for 400+rwhp setups, there are a few on this board, but they aren't too common.

Thanks a lot Doug. I plugged in your program and it really helped. Had to make a few mods of course, but I think its a fair bit better than what I had... a bit rich though! Went cruising tonight for a couple hours... moved my revlimiter up to 4000rpm. At ~5.5psi this car feels WAY faster than my 260z/L28 car. 4000rpm comes up really fast in first gear. Just got to keep driving and get some miles on this car so I can turn up the wick after break-in.

A reply on speedvision in 10 minutes, I might just watch it a second time!!!

Do it for sure. The 50mm TB is undersized in the stock engine, and you are far from stock! I've got one on my car but didn't do any back to back comparisons. With all your other mods, I'll bet you pick up quite a large chunk of power with just the TB swap.

It probably becomes a bottleneck at 450rwhp or so. Its just a bit restrictive at that point. An equal length tuned header won't net you as high a percentage of performance gain as it would on an NA engine. I'd definately stick with the stock cast manifold in your situation.

Yes and no. Most heat exchanges have a peak flowrate for efficient cooling (or heating) and higher or lower flow rates will drop this efficiency. So, if you go to a radiator with a bigger core size, you may need more flow, or you may need less flow. Depends on the radiator design. Proper ducting is of huge importance at high and low rpm if you are generating more heat than usual. However, I can't think of many instances where a Z with a properly functioning cooling system would need more core frontal area. Like its been said, if you've tried everything and its still running hot, check out your tuning.

Ti gets a bit of a bad rap for workability. It isn't as bad as most people think providing you have quality tools and use the right procedures. Welding something non-structural like an exhaust really makes it so you don't have to worry much about hydrogen embrittlement. Anyway, finding someone that WANTS to work with titanium might be difficult, as it has a bit of a... reputation of being extremely difficult to work with. Anyway, it is still gonna cost supreme $$$. Go to http://www.burnsstainless.com and ask at what raw materials will cost you.

My webpage can be accessed by clicking www at the bottom of my posts, ditto for MSN. Around here we usually talk abour rear wheel hp (RWHP) instead of flywheel hp. rwhp is typically about 15-20% less than flywheel horsepower, from drivetrain losses. So a 300flywheel hp engine probably only puts down about 240hp at the rear wheels. 280zx's from 81-83 came with a factory turbo option on an L6 engine. 300zx's from 84-89 came with a factory turbo option on a V6 engine. The 81-83 is basically a bolt in to the earlier Z's, the V6 is definately NOT a bolt in, but it has been done. So grab a 81-83 turbo engine and all the parts are there that you need. There is a bit of a misconception about turbo engines not producing torque. Quite the opposite is true! One guy here recently had his L6 turbo engine dyno'd at ~300rwhp and 410+ lbs-ft of torque! Also, the stock L6 turbo engine put out maximum torque at a very respectable 2800rpm. Milage will be significantly better with the L6 turbo/EFI option if you keep your foot out of it. If you are floored all the time, milage would be only slightly better than a V8 setup. (turbos are great in that it is more or less power on demand, so if you don't demand it, the car can go into economy mode) Z31 swap will mean cutting inner fenders, possibly custom manifolds, making your own engine brackets, it isn't for the faint of heart. As for increasing RPM, there is no magic item that you can change to allow an engine rev higher, though a cam designed for higher revs will help it breathe better up high. You really don't need high revs to make a lot of power with a turbo engine. (as demonstrated by the L6 torque peak at 2800rpm) Keep reading, keep using the search function. Most if not all of these questions have been asked and answered before. Lots of info on http://www.zhome.com, http://www.zdriver.com, http://www.zcar.com as well that might help you with the specifics of each different model of Z.

Certainly not in my experience, but I've only owned 6 Z's. Likely if you've experienced a 280z handling better than a 240z, it is because the 280z was in better condition as far as suspension and tires goes. I've been in a fully restored (stock) 71 240z for an enthusiastic drive, and the car cooks! Handles awesome, and has plenty of pick up. My slightly modified 240z's handled much better than my slightly modified 280z or 280zx. Anyway, most people put a 2.8 in their 240z's anyway, its so easy to do. Then you can have the best of both worlds, and besides, that is what this site is all about. Seeing a stock car, and saying "this just isn't fast enough, lets really make it move!" Sorry, Zguy, not trying to jump all over you, just disagreeing with you.

Yeah that guy was obviously a few carbs short of a 6-pack. A decent finish for McLaren at their home track too.

You'd have to make it yourself or have someone make it for you. I would say that its a waste of money however, and a good stainless system would be money better spent. (unless of course you are trying to build the ultimate Z, and have a $100,000 budget for your car. It may be worth while then!)

Hey Sam, I'm just across the water from you on Vancouver Island. Welcome! I'll go through a few things: S30 = any early (70-78) Z car, their vin numbers start with HLS30. Z31 = 84-89 1st generation 300zx Z32 = 90-96 2nd generation 300zx From 75-96 all Z's were fuel injected. 280zx into a 240z is a bolt in, and if you are comfortable with tracing wires then it shouldn't be a problem. I believe the 280zx engine wiring harness is independant from the rest of the car, so it could be swapped over as well. From 74-83 there were 2 seaters made, as well as 2+2's with 4 seats. Weight savings: buy a 240z instead of a 260 or 280z. It would be possible to get nearly 300hp out of a stock 280zx with an intercooler and some inexpensive mods. (and upgraded injectors) A 300hp 280zx could likely run low to mid 13's. Any increase in power output will sacrifice reliability and engine life. With that said, I think you could run with a 300hp 280zx engine and get 100,000km+ from it if you had good fuel control and took care of it. For performance per $$$, I'd say for under 300hp the L6 turbo is better, over 300hp the V8 becomes better for hp/dollar.

What are your power goals?

Honda engines in F1 can pull 17,000rpm plus for 2 hours straight, in the 800hp range out of a 3.5L. (229hp/L) The Honda F4i engine can pull 12,000+ rpm all day long, 110hp out of a 0.6L. (183hp/L) Heck, even the Honda S2000 engine could pull 8000rpm for 2 hours without a hiccup I'd bet, 240hp out of a 2.0L. (120hp/L) I can't believe I am sitting here defending Honda. Well I don't mind them, I just shun them because I don't want to conform with the masses.

Hey Brad, how is your SDS tuning going? I've put only about 50 miles on my car and haven't done much additional tuning. The car drives decently at this point, so I am more worried about shaking down loose bolts, wires, etc at this point. I've also got a vacuum leak or two right now, plan on finding those tomorrow. My intake gasket was leaking slightly, fixed that and the car has quite a bit more pep. I think I still have 1 more to find though, as I can hear it hiss out of the car when I kill it. Using the 101-145 like I was saying, I think the car is running too rich at idle, though I wonder if any of that is useful data with the vacuum leak that I may be suffering from. Doug, any luck digging up those old maps?

Ditto on the rack. I've never seen one wear out like that! It should be easy enough to check with a friends help though. Just get someone in the car turning the wheel, and look at the tie rods. Try to pinpoint where the steering shaft is moving with small movements and the rest of the steering system isn't moving.

Sweet!

Well I'll bite, but future posters please keep in mind this is a technical discussion, not a flame war. I totally agree with John. There is a lot of technology that goes towards making 120hp/L of naturally aspirated displacement, and making it last more than 100,000km at that. This can only be done with stringent control over material quality, manufacturing processes, and tolerances. Honda (and really, all sportbike engine manufacturers) have demonstrated that they are capable of making engines that can produce well over 150hp/L in naturally aspirated form. It really isn't fair to compare this with a 350, or any other pushrod V8 of that type. They are a 50? year old design, with modifications. GM has gone another route with their engines, enabling thousands of parts to interchange. Imaging what they have saved in manufacturing costs over this time! This is pretty amazing when you think about it! A design so good at what it was designed for, that 50 years later it is still in widespread use. However, I think the gig is up, and for GM to stay competative (and indeed all the big 3 in the US) they will have to lean towards higher efficiency engines. And I'm talking about efficient design, reducing mechanical losses, etc., not just fuel economy. Granted if you want to go fast in north america for a relatively small amount of money, the american V8 and its aftermarket are impossible to beat for powre to cost ratio.

First time I've heard of that one! You racers don't do anything slowly, do you?

I can't let this thread die! Some awesome cars pictured so far. My contribution is as follows. I'm not sure I like the rear wing at all, but I love those flares.

WOW. You're 60' wasn't all that impressive, and your MPH doesn't indicate that you had tons of power on board, but your time kicks ass in a 280zx! Looks like you drove a great race... If you can get those 60' times down you'll be solidly into the 12's. Great stuff!