Phantom

http://www.fastenal.com If it is used to fasten things - they have it.

I've been saying all along - bone stock LS1 with procharger = 540 HP at flywheel. With new fuel pump, injectors, head work and edited ECM = 700 HP. It's not that hard and has been done many times - without blowing the engine.

I give up in the rain. I'm running those Yoko S306's with plenty of tread and walk sideways in the rain even with a feathered 4th gear start. Light car+wide tires+rain=continual excitement.

Got the car in the air today. Several bits of good news. First the shop guys were amazed at how good of condition my undercarraige/subframe connectors were in. There was no evidence of rust/deterioration. One of the "problems" in the front suspension turned out to be "normal" and we also identified a couple bushings that still need to be replaced that are pretty deteriorated but still functional. Once they are replaced I will be solid in the front. The unknown noise in the right rear I had been worrying about turned out to be real - but minor. The long bolt that attaches the lower a-frame to the body was loose and backing out. I was hearing it rub against my sway bar. Tightened it up and everything is ok again. All the other bolts back there got checked along with the half-shafts and their u-joints too so I have peace of mind again. It's really nice to have several guys gather under an old Z to be amazed at how clean and rust-free it is. Best part was that they did it for free just to get a look at the car.

Follow-up. I pulled each front wheel and ensured the wheel bearing torques was correct and torqued the lug nuts to 70 lb.-ft. with the wheels off the ground. The front-end vibration diminished a bit which indicated to me that the tires had probably not been balnced per my specs. Took the car back to Discount and they "balanced them the way they do a BMW". Turns out BMW's are a bit sensitive so they used that procedure. I told them to use weights on outside of rims if necessary to get balance right. They had only used them on the inside. One wheel took 3.5 oz of wieght, another took 4 oz of weight to balance. In each case - half on the outside. Car is MUCH smoother now but still has very slight vibration starting around 80 MPH. I'm putting it in the air to thoroughly check suspension/steering components tomorrow to see if a worn or loose part may be contributing.

I weighed my '77 280Z prior to conversion and it had a 50/50 weight distribution with 3/4 tank of gas - 1,400 on the nose and 1,400 on the tail. After the conversion it was still 1,400 on the nose but 1,430 on the tail. Since then I have added strut tower braces and roll bar so it is now more rear biased wight-wise but I don't have scale figures to confirm the exact amount. I also weighed my totally stock '83 280ZX, 5-spd., T-tops, & Pwr steering & windows. It weighed 1,430 on the nose and 1,450 on the tail - again with 3/4 tank of gas. I guess somehow I have mangaed to get cars that are tail heavy as they both about 49.5/50.5 front/rear.

I'm currently running an LS1/T56 combination in my 280Z. Car gained 30 lbs in the swap - all in the rear. The engine is lighter than the L28 and sits lower and farther back. The T56 is the primary weight contributor. I control under/oversteer with throttle. Suspension is essentially stock Nissan with the european spec springs, original sway bars, urethane bushings throughout, and KYB gas struts. It does have a significatly increased capability of swapping ends due to excessive throttle that it didn't originally have. 365 HP at the flywheel does that.

Phyte - Cool!! I'm still in my original quandry though. Was talking with some guys at a local shop earlier this week. One of them was pretty knowledgable about my S306's "Good 55,000 mile tires but a bit short on traction" but I never really got a solid recomendation on another tire other than they thought I could probably get sufficient traction with my same size (225/50-16's) if I get the right composition. At this point, in SECOND gear at 15 MPH I can light the tires up by just pressing down on the gas - not first gear, not dumping the clutch - just pressing the gas down in second. As I said before - the Yoko's suck. I know I can do better but I really don't want to spend a zillion bucks experimenting. I'm fine with a street version of a racing tire that's only good for 20-25,000 miles if I can get the traction and 150+ speed rating.

Yeah - can't even make the poll good enough for me to vote the appropriate category.

I've also heard some strong endorsements for the Nitto 555's. I'm in the same quandry. Want to replace my 225/50-16 Yokohama S306's but with what? All I know for sure is that I need a whole lot more traction than I currently have.

Couldn't believe it. On the way to work this morning I had a guy in a black gen 1 Z car revving his motor and running it out - just before he turned off. Barely had enough time to give him a "friendly" rev in return. Doubt if he heard it though - he had a pretty aggressive sounding exhaust. Hope I see him again.

This has been done by individuals on the forum but I don't believe an actual kit exists. do a search and contact the members who have done it. They can probably share the list of parts they used and how they installed them.

Guys When you talk with him be sure to get the engine, tranny, wiring harness, ECM, and fans & shroud. Probably ought to pick up the 02 sensors (at least 2). Get the AC components if you're inclined that way. The fans & shroud are almost a perfect fit for the stock Z radiator (have it converted to a 4-row locally) and will plug right into the LS1 engine management harness.

So does an LS1 count as an SBC? LS1/T56; 3.70:1 R200 LSD in '77 280Z. 225/50-16 street radials, car weighed 3,085 with me in it. 12.95@110mph; 2.05 60' & 8.86 1/8th. CAr chassis dyno'd at 311 RWHP & 326 RWTQ. At least it's a comparison with a manual vs. automatic and heavier 280Z vs. 240Z.

Be advised that tracks nationwide are adopting sound ordinances and that your exhaust will be limited to a maximum of 95 dBa. That is actually close to the maximum allowed on the street by most municipalities. Bottom line - invest your money in a really good muffler that has very low back-pressure and keeps the noise down. Not a lot to be gained from exhaust dumps now like there used to be back in grandpa's day.

Goldraven: With a properly set-up torque converter you can come off the line with an automatic at the proper engine speed consistently which results in more consistent launches. Also, there is no way a properly set up automatic will not shift a lot faster than a manual. We're talking shift times measured in milli-seconds. It also is programmed to always shift at exactly the right upper end rpm for the motor. This allows the driver to concentrate on keeping the car straight and any necessary throttle control. THe new automatics aren't your daddy's automatic. Computer control allows wonderful things when it comes to straight line racing. Even the supercar folks are going that way now for F1 style racing. The only real reason to have a manual now is generally cost and that some folks (me included) just like to shift. Others: The LS1 for sure and probably the aluminum head SBC's pretty much eliminate the absolute necessity for any suspension upgrades. They just don't add enough weight to require modifications. That also means that for NORMAL driving there would also be no need for suspension upgrades. However, because of the significantly higher torque generated versus the NA L28, a certain degree of chassis reinforcement is required to avoid excessive flexing. The amount of reinforcement required is dependent on the car model and the particular drivetrain installed. For example: A 280 will need a bit less reinforcing that a 240 because it has stronger subframe components. A supercharged LS1 making 420/420 HP/TQ would require more than a 250/250 SBC. Any Z, however, will benefit from strut tower braces. Reinforcing the subframe connectors is a good recommendation for the 240 and not a bad idea for the 280. A roll bar is common sense if you are going to compete at all or have a weakness for street racing. Bottom line - do a bunch of searches, read a ton of posts and other sources of information, talk with your knowledgable friends, and then do what YOU think is right for your application. And now, having said all that, I duck.

namz7791 Welcome to the forum. I have a 77 280Z Coupe with an LS1 and the T56 6-spd. The automatic brings three positives to the table. It is definitely faster if you are building a 1/4 mile racer and it is a lot easier on the leg in city stop-n-go traffic. It is also a simpler install. That being said - I wouldn't trade my T56 for a 4L60E for anything short of an amputation. I enjoy shifting and I like the gear selection control/shift timing that the standard gives me. I also prefer the coupe over the 2+2. I think the early year coupe has a bit better lines plus it is marginally lighter which allows you to add more structural stiffness with less penalty. These are definitely personal preferences and totally subjective.

72°F in the Dallas-Fort Worth area yesterday. Cold wave today - down to about 65°F.

The non-California 280Z's came with no air pump or catalytic converters. The California edition cars came with the catalytic converter but still no air pump. There is really not a lot of emissins control items on the 280Z. My '77 was a California model. I would suggest that you spring now for a Factory Service Manual - either hard copy or on CD. It will list the specific emissions equipment for your car in the California version and show how it is plumbed. I'd also start roaming some wrecking yards and picking those parts off the 280Z's that you can find. Not too many folks will be looking for emission control items so, if the engine is there, the emissions items should be too. They last a long time. I only replaced one of the original parts on my '77 in 25 years.

Brad-man Q45 If you need any better photos of the John's Cars installation location / accessories let me know. The digital is laying on the kitchen counter.

Which T56? Do yo have the .50 overdrive 6th or the .62? I'm assuming it's the .50? The .62 would be better then you could go with 3.54 or 3.36 gears and still have a functional 6th. I have the .50 6th in my LS1/T56 3.70:1 R200 280Z. Observations: In 6th 60mph=1,500 rpm, cruises great, pulls ok, 5th is just a flick of the wrist away but 4th is even better. 1st is only really needed if you are drag racing. I made a pont with a guy today and started the car, going UP a slight incline in 4th. The LS1 has gobs of torque and the 280Z weighs about 3,300 lbs WITH 2 passengers. If you're drag racing you'll need some seriously sticky tires or they will be overwhelmed. You can do it with width (275 or better) or with soft compound. My 225/50-16 Yokohama S306's are pathetic. Best I can mange so far is a 2.0 60'.

Phyte - one more question on the brakes. Did you install a new MC when you put the Toyota calipers on? If so the MC has to be very carefully charged with fluid before you install to get all the air out of it. If you are running the original MC it is probable you just need to bleed some more. I have the Toyota brakes on my car with the 280 MC (not the 280ZX MC) and they engage fairly quickly. My brakes also pulled left when I first got them. The pucks on that side were sticking. Comnpare the brake dust build-up on the wheels. Check the pad wear after about 2 months. I had to replace mine after about 6 months because the left side was gone. Work OK now. Finall "unstuck" I guess.

Mike - Thanks for the info on the AFR heads. Once I get everything else sorted out I'll look into them. FWIW - My alternator is mounted low on the drivers side and is the original LS1 Alternator. AC compressor is a compact Japanese unit mounted high on the drivers side, where the PS pump was. Set-up uses original pulleys and original serpentine belt.

LS1/LT1 decision is strictly personal. The LT1 is cheaper and, with the iron block, can be boosted to really high HP. The LS1 is all aluminum and lighter. It has the newest engine control technology including coil-on-plug. It makes more HP right out of the box than the LT1. I opted for the LS1 because I wanted the reduced weight, the technology, and over 300 RWHP & TQ without having to do anything to the motor.

Contact Al at http://www.ChipsByAl.com. He did the edit on my LS1 conversion. What did you do to miss the steering gear? Have you tried to fit headers yet?