Phantom

It's as good as the guy that put it together. Let's face it - that was what all the cars ran back before 1970 with a few exceptions and they seldom had overheating problems. If you've done a good job of matching the components then there should be no problem. Also, whether it's carbed or FI makes no difference when we're talking about cooling. Lot's of FI cars out there with cooling problems - fortunately mine is not one of them.

Mark - I think what you were thinking of is a "torsion bar" like Chrysler used on the front suspension of some of it's cars back in the 60's & 70's. It actually replaced the spring and allowed the suspension to move by actually twisting the steel bar.

Think G-nose, headlight covers, and underbody panels. The Gen 1 Z's have terrible CD's but a lot can be done to improve it.

When my '77 280Z was converted form the L28 & 5-spd to the LS1 & T56 it went from 2,800 lbs to 2,830 lbs. Unless you are going to strip a lot of stuff off the car in the process of the conversion it is not going to lose weight. Yes, the LS1 is lighter than the L28 but the T56 is heavier than the T-5. Plus, you will need to do structural reinforcements to handle the significant increase in torque and resultant chassis twist. Also, none of the LS1 cars so far have been completely sorted out with adequate traction, ideal gearing, etc. Their times will basically equivalent to any other engine developing equivalent HP & torque.

Let's remember one thing though - done right - these swaps are measured in 1,000's of dollars, not 100's. Take your time - do lot's of research and then develop a plan and stick to it. Most folks don't have the patience but it will pay off in reduced do-overs and cost.

I'll never forget the time my son came alongside a Lamborghini Diablo in his '83 Sentra. It was a fast Sentra though because it was a 2-door with a 5-spd. It could really scat with all 69 HP out of the I4. Anyway the Lambo guy for some reason decided to teach him a lesson (I'm sure it had nothing to do with my kid revving the engine to about 18 grand repeatedly) Anyway to get to the fun part - the Lambo driver stalled it on the launch and the kid in the Sentra spanked him for the first 200' - then the Lambo caught up - visualize doors coming off Sentra as it spins around from Lambo passing by at Mach !!! Anyway - at the next light the Lambo driver hid behind his Foster Grants & wouldn't even look at him. Still laughing about that years later.

James, Did you replace the sending unit with a new one or one from another car? The old sending units used on the Gen1 cars have a terrible reputation while the pumps have a great one - not that yours isn't an exception.

I've had the MSA Aero II kit on my car, and the current paint job for nearly 6 years now. There are no cracks i the fiberglass front or rear and only one small door ding on one side. I drive the car to work daily unless it' heavy inclement weather so I've been logging about 10,000 miles annually. It's all in how you drive it and where you park it.

Are you absolutely sure the problem is the oil pump and not the oil pressure sending unit? It would be a real pain to change the pump and still have the problem. Those spur gear pumps just don't wear out.

Heck Fire boys! - I just converted my stock Datsun radiator to a four row, bolted up the Camaro fans & shroud and let 'er go. Works fine in Texas with AC on. No problems. Also no concern about the wieght, PMOI, etc. It's a daily driver, not a track car.

Room for a little debate here? I'm running an LS1 with 3.70:1 R200 LSD and stock half-shafts with Spicer "Brute-Force" universals. The car makes 326 rwtq and, depending on the road surface, can develop a pretty violent wheel hop without a little judicious throttle control. I have about 6 months on it now and, as of last week, everything underneath looks great. I don't spend every weekend at the track but it does get "exercised" weekly. IMO - unless you are going to be hammering it all the time the stock drive train - in new condition - should handle up to around 400 rwtq. If racing regularly or with higher torque all bets are off though.

Anubis, I don't but Jerry at All Z Car Specialist in Fort Worth knows the guy and may be able to put you in touch with him. It was probably 4 years ago now that I saw the car and I know it has since been sold. Not sure where it ended up.

If you can't find one in OKC talk to Jerry at All Z Car Specialist in Fort Worth (817) 483-0383. He can pull one off a car in his yard - or you can come down and go on a "shopping spree" for parts in his yard.

I know a guy who painted a '76 280Z with the MSA Aero II kit a color extremely close to that. We nick-named it "warple". It was a very sharp looking car.

With 12 years under my belt on my current 280z, 11 with the L28 and about 6 months with the LS1/T56 I'll be glad take a stand on behalf of the V-8 conversion. I considered three options for five years before going the V-8 route. The three options were: a built NA version of the L28, a boosted L28, or a V-8. The V-8 won.

Just go to a wrecking yard and get one for about $20. Change it out there to ensure it works. I've done that twice in the past 12 years with my 280Z. With $40 total invested and about two hours of time I figure I'm still way ahead of a new switch.

There are actually three different 5-spds for the 280Z/ZX. The 1976-1979 has the same first four as the 4-spd. and a fifth of about .86:1. The '80 is the oddball with different 1st & 2nd plus a .777:1 5th. The '81-83ZX has the same 1st & nd as the '80, the same 3rd & 4th as the 76-79 and a .745:1 5th. Combined with the 3.90:1 differential it has the best overall performance. That being said - If you are going to put in a five speed for general use and good cruising - use a combination 5-spd and differential out of an '81-83ZX. If you don't care a lot about cruising but want accelleration and OK cruising get the early model 5-spd and still use the 3.90 R200.

Thanks Grumpy! Finally found a source for a 2 1/2" to 3 1/2" Y pipe.

Phyte - I thought you were going the LT1 route? Change of plans? Definitely a nice score any way you look at it though.

Last year it was fastest under 20K - wait a couple years and they can sell it for 23-24K. Neon platform is due for a refreshing. Maybe DC has something up their sleeve?

Mike - remind me not to put my car on your dyno. You absolutely kick my but and mine dyno'd at 311 rwhp & 326 rwtq. on the Alamo Autosport dyno. Does give me hope though.

It was an STI I ran against. Maybe he just hadn't learned how to drive it yet. Lot's of that going on that night - me included. Haven't run a new EVO yet but definitely looking forward to it. Need the hot weather back so the tires will stick better so they don't get advantage from the 4WD. Either that or I need to borrow someone's DR's. I feel a lot better about the solidity of my rear end now that I've gotten it up in the air and looked at all the components - thoroughly - and they all look great.

Yeah - I ran a WRX at the track several months ago. He bogged a bit off the line but that just evened us a bit as I started in second gear rather than first. We were pretty even first 100' or so and then I got above 3,500 and just disappeared on him. Worst run of the night at 13.6 & 109.5 but good enough to win that one. Went back to starting in first and my last run against a modified twin-turbo Z32 was a 12.9@110 which was good enough to take him. If we'd run another 50 yards he would have probably blown my doors off as his turbo was finally spooled up near the end and he was coming on strong. Take your car to a local track and have some real fun. No worries about the law and plenty of variety in opponents.

I just saw one on there. Use "280z" for your search. Current bid is $161. I don't think it's the type with the clutch pack though.

It's not their policy to do so but my son works at one in the DFW area and has acccess to their "broken cae" area. PM me a list of exactly what you need and I'll see if he can work you some kind of deal.