Phantom

Quik240z - And the best part is that they plug right into the LS1 harness for control. They do take care of a siginificant part of the huge hole that used to exist between the engine and the radiator mount. I actually stood in that space on mine once for some photos.

So what did you discover with the sniffer? Leaky gasket? Hole you missed?

How about BAD - Broad A--ed Datsun?

Thanks for the input guys. I don't think I'm gong to stick with the first plan on the 3 1/2" exhaust. Need to find a way to keep 2 1/2" duals at least until I'm behind the R200. Then maybe I can transition to a 3 1/2" or I need to find a dual inlet muffler that's sized for 2 1/2" in and a single 3 1/2" or 4" out. I hope I'm not dreaming here as I haven't been able to find one so far.

Phyte - Looking good! Sounds like things are progressig well too. Nice to be able to drive while work is being done. Trust me, it really isn't cool to be a JSR member unless you have more than one Z, About keeping up with the LS1?

Phyte - Check the website I gave you then to get a feel for going prices. To give you an idea - the one I got was a 2002 LT with 16,200 miles on it for 27.5. It is 2WD with the lift hatch in the back & quad captains chairs plus all the other LT stuff. Beautiful vehicle ,gourgeous interior and exterior, with only a few minor blemishes. Absolutely floored me when I saw it was getting 18.8 MPG the way I pushed it coming back. Up here a similar one at similar price would have had 45-60,000 on it. It was the low mileage and overall condition that sent me there. I've been looking for about 4 months and that was by far the best deal - short of an auction. Hey - you got that Z straightened out and on the road yet? You know you owe me a ride some time.

So is the general consensus that 4" will be sufficient under most circumstances? I've got more than that now but I'm considering going to a 3 1/2" exhaust from the current 2 1/2" which will obviously eat another inch out of my current clearance. I have scraped the exhaust once, very lightly, when going over a sharply curved entrance into a car wash. I have had no trouble with any of the speed bumps I've encountered. I think I'll stop next time I go over some that I go over all the time and see what my current clearance is.

If you are planning on doing a lot of drag racing you'll want to increase your spring/strut stiffness in the rear and soften it in the front. That will allow the front to raise - rather than the rear to squat - to help with wieght transfer to the rear wheels. Adjustable struts would be a good start before you change any spring rates. It wil screw the car for crooked track driving & also hurt the daily driving aspect some too. Only installing adjustable struts and then "returning" for each type driving will minimize that. Another issue you'll be dealing with on the IRS when you get the additional torque is wheel hop. Z's are notorious for it and, short of adding traction bars or going to a solid rear axle, no one seems to have found a sure cure for it. My differential mount has been raised about 5/8 - 3/4" in an attempt to minimize it but has had only a little impact.

Phyte, Definitely go to the http://www.texasdirectauto.com website and check them out. You might ssee what they would give you for the van in trade, THey offered me enough on my Jeep to make it NOT worth my while to try to sell it myself. If yo see a car you like let them know I sent you - it's worth $50 to me. Spot, "It isn't so!" The plan all along has been to have a super tanker for family trips - towing the 280Z28 to long distance events, etc. PLUS the 350Z for her to sport around town in when she does her shopping. Right now she's using the '83 280ZX for that. BTW - how's the new truck!?

Yeah, but nearly all the Z32's beat that hands down.

OK - I'm 55 and just a bit gray. Three times now I have driven the 280Z28 into the middle of a bunch of "ricers" in a parking lot, popped the hood, and spent literally hours having a great time talking cars with guys 1/3 my age. I love those guys. Many are obnoxious just because they get put down and ridiculed a lot. Once I show I'm just interested in cars it is great! They introduce themselves, shake hands, and have always been very respectful. I wouldn't necessarily want to drive what they have but I sure do appreciate what they put into them. Whether they do all the work themselves, or work and have someone else do it, the cars are extensions of themselves and they are proud of them - just like I am of mine. In my case, the only time it's "Us vs. Them" is when the lights are ticking down on the tree - then that only lasts for less than 15 seconds.

Just depends on if you want to draw the attention to the flares and the spoiler. Personally I think the differnt colors makes them look like bolt-ons instead of an integral part of the car. Like I said, just depends on the look you want.

I have to chime in too. I chose the 280Z initially - before I even decided to do a V8 conversion - because of it's stronger chassis and that it is fuel injected. 280Z's are also more plentiful, generally have less rust, and won't get you bashed quite as badly by a "purist" because it's really not a collectible - yet. Also - if you are looking at pounding the drive train hard - drag racing - the 280Z's come with the R200 differential aleady vs the R180 on the 240Z which will work fine for daily driving and road racing but don't always survive the hard launch and shifting of drag racing. That all being said, http://www.johnscars.com, has a conversion components kit for the LS1 conversion in the 280Z. My car was the prototype and a few other guys on the forum are currently using at least some of the components in their conversions. Just depends on how much of the work and detail figuring you want to do. doing a search using "LS1" as the search phrase will net you a lot of information.

The exhaust is currently a DUAL 2 1/2" that Y's into a SINGLE 2 1/2" just aft of the transmission. It is choking the LS1 and costing me at least 10 HP. The idea is to upsize the single to 3 1/2"

Items outstanding from #32 include the brakes, tires & exhaust. The Porterfield R4S pads arrived and have been installed. Definitely an improvement over their AutoZone predecessors. Also noted that one pad had twice as much wear on it as the other three and located a sticky piston on the drivers side inside. Good excuse for another brake upgrade! Still need to replace the brake fluid to get ready for TMS. Starter went schizophrenic on me two weeks ago. Turned out some of the wiring was just a bit too close to the exhaust and literally got fried. Rerouted the wiring and redid the heat shield around the starter and all is wonderful there now. Quote for 3 1/2" exhaust, Y-pipe back was $500. Ouch. Contemplating dual 2 1/2" to aft off the rear axle and then into a 3 1/2". Concerned about ground clearance. Shifted desires from Kumho Victoracers to Ecsta V700's. Specs look like they might fit with my car a bit better. Still haven't gotten them though. Sure is nice to have all the climate control stuff fixed and be able to turn the AC on and freeze out the cabin rather than continually bake my right foot. Drivetrain still bullet proof. Engine, tranny & rear end running smoothly and with plenty of oomph when I call for it. I do enjoy driving this car!

John, There are two rubber covered "buttons - one at each trailing corner of your hood that ensure that it is properly supported at each of those corners. If one or both are down a little the hood can move around or even 'flutter' a bit. If you adjust them up they will put a little tension on the latch which will eliminate movement and also encourage the hood to 'spring' up a bit when you pull the hood release. That might also eliminate your squeak.

My "Chevyfication" is underway. First it was the LS1 motor in my 280Z and now I've traded my Jeep Grand Cherokee for a Suburban LT with the 5.3 L / 4L60E in it. Only had it a few days but am really impresssed with it so far. Cruised from Houston to DFW on cruise at 75 MPH with passing bursts to 100 mph and averaged 18.8 MPG and, even though it's new and more expensive than the Jeep, the insurance on it is less! Decent accelleration for a vehicle twice the weight of a Z, great room, quiet and smooth on the highway and, to top it all off, I even figured out a way to get it in the garage! Now I just need to find a decent car trailer and I'm set for long distance events with the 280Z28.

I have a '77 280Z. It works intermittent, slow, and fast. I live in Texas where we have "frog choker" rainstorms and, except under the worst downpours, they work fine. I find coating the windshield with Rain-Ex allows me to run at 45+ without them at all but they generally do fine. The only time they seem to 'drag' is when it is barely misting and the windshield is pretty dry and the wipers have new, soft blades.

Hey Joey, Mounted the ECU in the passenger side footwell up by the heater fan. Ran the harness down through the big hole on the passenger side.

OK- now we've set the bar for the 240 & 280Z, the 280Zx and the Z31. Any Z32 "fatties" around?!?

So I need to find some from a really old moth??

Hey Grumpy - how about moth balls?

Joey, I guess the JCI headers are out because of the CARB certification requirement? That is where Sanderson gets you. At $385 you could jet coat the JCI headers and still be over $150 cheaper than the Sandersons. sure glad I live in Texas and don't have to deal with that. Of course you are getting 1.75" primaries instead of 1.5", right? Glad to see things are rolling along for you. What are your plans for fuel delivery? You gong to use a fuel cell or a Z tank? One bonus for the fuel cell is that it makes it possible to run dual exhausts and getting some decent size exhaust is a big deal for the LS1. The lowest thing on my car right now is the exhaust and it's gong to get an inch lower when I go to the 3.5" from the 2.5".

Labrat - My stock NA '83ZX with T-tops, power steering & windows tipped the scales at 2,880 lbs with 3/4 tank of gas. THat should give yo a reference.

Use your web browser for wheels and/or go to th eTire Rack & discount Tire web sites and look at what they offer.