Phantom

Yeah - but we don't have to worry about having "winter cars" because of the salt on the roads, freezing our blocks, etc. Also, our girls don't braid their armpit hairs like some areas. California may have some good looking girls and great beaches but I'll stack Texas women up against anyone. I will have to give on the beaches though - ours suck and, until we annex Colorado, our snow skiing isn't too great either.

Many years ago I had a guy pull up next to me and want to run it. I noticed an undercover police sergeant in a car behind him so I revved the engine a couple times and then just sat there when the light changed and the guy next to me took off in a cloud of smoke only to get chased down by the unmarked car with the flip-up red beacon. I thoroughly enjoyed it - didn't bother me at all.

Drove into my friendly local inspection station last night. Guy asked for my insurance card, drove the car around the parking lot, popped the hood and stared unknowingly at the LS1 and then stuck a new sticker on the windshield. 15 minutes and $12.50. Cry you CA guys cry - Texas Rules!!

Hey - I did say to garage it just when you're not driving it - NOT forever like the JSR folks!

My stock '98 Camaro LS1 dyno'd at 311 RWHP which equates to about 365 at the flywheel. All it had was an updated ECU. Either the GTO LS1 is under-rated or they have detuned it.

Actually, one of the best paint care tips is to keep the car in a garage any time it's not on the road. The paint job on my car is over 6 years old now and I still get asked who painted it. I see all the nicks & dings but, overall, it still looks good.

I stand corrected - driver's side. It's been 18 months since the last time I looked at it and my memory got a little dyslexic. It did have to be very lightly dimpled out though.

David, Did you check the transmission fit while you had it in there? My 280Z required a minor dimple on the passenger side of the tunnel for the reverse lock-out switch on the T56. A 240Z requires some serious pounding to make room for the 4L60E. I think you're going the automatic route - right? If you can track down Gary McPhail (Lone Star 1) he could probably give you some info on what he had to do even though he didn't use the JCI kit.

fortunately I had asked to be notified of posts after mine so I was able to read about 45 of them. Mostly opinions on things and a lot of meaningless dissertaion on the number of posts. A few good posts that had some information in them. Generally the viewpoint - except for Elaine - was to do what you want to your Z - it's your Z - just do it tastefully. I think we can all pretty much agree to that. As a sidebar - My LS1 powered 280Z was referred to a a 'Z' at Texas Motorplex when I wasted most of my competition (except Zfan in another 'Z') and it was again referred to as a 'Z' at Texas Motor Speedway when I was barking on the tail of the Lotus. Nobody ever referred to it as an "LS1" or even a 'Hybrid'.

Phantom's the name - pictures the same. Well - you could look here: http://www.cowtownzclub.org/gallery/billdavis.html

Hope you guys have driveshaft & half-shaft loops. You're getting to where you may be needing them. Running CV's or U-joints on the half-shafts? Better tires are going to challenge the integrity of either one. Bottom line, though - excellent numbers - better than the Z06 in either case.

Gotta agree about the sound of the Ford 5.0 vs the LS1. I've got 8,000 miles on my LS1 conversion and I'm getting ready to redo the exhaust - engine sounds like crap - nothing like the throaty rumble of the Ford motor - but then again - what motor sounds better other than maybe a Ferrari V12?

OUCH!

I couldn't resist posting over there and asked what was acceptable and what was not. Was it only engines or did it include the Toyota brake upgrade, aftermarket cams, coil-overs, etc. Interested to see the response.

Mike -check the leads to your fuel pump too. I had that problem with my Z years ago. The bayonet connectors just behind the passenger seat were loose and would connect and reconnect. If it gets to be too much, though, you could always park it at my place for a year or two?

Yeah Next thing you know some heretic is going to put a turbine in one or - God forbid! - an electric motor!

Well - They've had both ZR8ED and my car as cars of the month lately so maybe it's starting to open up a little bit?

If that happens use the 'back' arrow to go back to your post and hit 'submit' a second time. It has always worked for me whenever I've had a post time out.

It's amazing how much room there appears to be at this stage - especially when using the JCI mounts which locate the engine well. When the radiator, fans & shroud, auxilliary equipment, and headers go in it all gets a lot tighter. Keep them rolling!

Yeah Michael - WE - WANT - PICTURES!! And remember you still owe me a ride - which is going to be much harder to do now that you've moved!

Tires are probably identified differently "down under" than here. Richard- are you talking about a super soft racing tire - lots of grip but wear out in less than 10,000 km or a high performance tire that's probably good for 45-50,000 km? If it's the former you're probably talking about the Kumho Victoracer V700 up here. Otherwise you may be referencing oour Kumho Ecsta 711 or 712. The V700 would have a tread depth of 6-8/32" while the others would be around 12/32" deep. I have the Ecsta 712's - about $180 AU each. I find that they work well for daily driving and did pretty well on a track day out at Texas Motor Speedway.

David - my LS1 is out of a '98 Camaro Z28 and its oil filter is in the same location as yours. It appears the F-bodies are all the same or at least all the years for the Camaro.

Congratulations!

http://www.zcarparts.com

On the torque side it should also develop 160-165 lb-ft of torque around 4,500 rpm. The late model 280ZX has a huge advantage there as it has equivalent torque but it comes on at 3,000 rpm.