Phantom

It's the way to go. That engine works so unbelievably well with the Z. It's like it was made for it.

Almost bought a 635 once. Really nice looking car. Then I realized no one would be able to sit behind me and that the 3.5 in a car that heavy just didn't cut it. You betcha - at least an LS1

Obviously she should have upgraded to the one with the chin guard section. At least then she would have had to put it on right.

T56 is a great transmission. I'm running one in my car now along with a 3.70:1 R200 LSD. It will handle the torque/hp you are considering no problem. Allows you to have trememdous accelleration - more than the tires can handle plus will allow really low rpms (think fuel economy and low noise level) at highway speeds. My car can be very stealthy cruising until I downshift from 6th to 3rd and light them up at 60.

Michael Don't forget - you owe me a ride once you get it streetable!

I'm running Center Line 16x7's on my Z. they come in 17"

Matt - how thick of a spacer are you running with those wheels? It ends up giving you what offset? 10mm?

Pic in my album, link below.

Thanks - wife laid down the law. Car must be reliable, fast, and of show car quality. I still have a long way to go but it's getting there.

Briguy - Good to see onother LS1 powered Z on the road. Nice looking install. Warning about the LS1 - you think it and you're there. My early warning device is my windshield wipers - they start to flutter when I pass through 110. The problem is dropping out of warp once you get there. I'm doing an upgrade on my brakes next.

Measure carefully first -I think it's a 25% restocking charge on returns.

I don't know about fitting a carbed engine. It definitely won't go over the carb. It may go around it? Depends on size of carb, air cleaner, and engine location. Lot easier with FI.

LT1 with Procharger boosted to about 16 psi. Good for around 800 HP.

I know exactly how you feel. My second run was a 13.2/108 on street tires. I finally got the car back this past Friday and a group of us are headed to the track on Oct. 24th. Goal is to break into the 12's. I'll still be running on street tires but I think I can improve my launch a lot, reduce my 60' times and shave .3 off my time. We'll see. It only took two runs down the track to get me started. Already spent a bundle on my own helmet. DR's and custom lightweight steel wheels next. Congratulations on some excellent runs!!

As an adder to the previous post - I have now installed the rear 3-point strut tower brace from Top-end Racing: http://www.racetep.com. It took one hour from start to putting away the vacuum cleaner after vacuuming up the metal shavings. Socket set, box end set, screw driver, hammer, electric drill, silicone adhesive/sealant, and floor jack. Had to jack the car at the differential to unload the suspension to allow passenger side strut to get loose enough to force brace over the studs. (gentle persuasion with muffled hammer) It is a really snug fit probably as the result of slight sagging of my unibody over 27 years. Photo of install is in my album. Direct link below my signature.

Jason, I made an entry error on the link. It's corrected now and works. I should learn to check those each time I enter them.

Jason - Make sure you read the link I posted above on chassis integrity for the Gen 1 Z cars. It shows why I was pushing the 280 over the 240. either one, however, can benefit from some careful reinforcing. Also, I guess Chad was a pretty happy camper Saturday. Did he rub in in much?

OK - OK - Just for you Jeromio - it barfed some coolant this morning. The LS1 has a peculiarity where it doesn't fill completely when installed. I usually end up adding 1/2 to 1 gallon of coolant over a period of about a week after it is installed / reinstalled. Not a huge problem but does bear watching. During the fill process it will occaisionally barf out through the overflow bottle. Once it settles in, everything is OK.

The bars were made by Top-end Racing, http://www.racetep.com, specifically for the Zcar. They were very leary when they heard I wanted to install it with an LS1 under it as they had designed it around the L28. No worries. It clears the LS1 by nearly 2". The big problem with non-adjustability will be that I won't be able to install adjustable camber plates to set up for crooked track competition. Again - since the car is planned as a daily driver, that is not a problem for me. You are correct in that they are non-adjustable but they are a VERY snug fit and quite rigid. Since my goal is chassis survivability as much as handling I figured that this brace was an excellent start. The rear brace is a 3-point unit too. Once I get it installed I'll get a picture up in my album. There is an excellent article on Z car chassis design at: http://zccw.org/Tech/Body/08-97AnalysisEarlyZChassis.html After reading it I am very glad I have a 280 and not a 240 or early model 260.

Go to http://www.procharger.com and get some of their information. They can provide you enough literature on their conversion that it will help with any conversion. You can boost a PROPERLY modified LT1 upwards of 20 psi.

The 280Z28 is home again! I've posted another picture in my album of the front strut tower brace from Top End Racing. It looks like it was made for the LS1 rather than the L28. If you look closely at the top of the picture you can see a bit of yellow in the center of the passengers side brace gusset. That is the dipstick - it centered up on the 1" diameter hole of the gusset and works beautifully. The engine sits just forward enough that the cross member of the brace is just aft of the oil filler spout (Jeromio). Love it. Had a young gent new to our board stop by yesterday to look at the car. He had never been in a Z before so I showed him the '83Zx and then opened up the garage and rolled out the 280Z28. When we got back from the "orientation ride" he was showing the goose bumps on his arm to his cousin. I think we have a new enthusiast. Anyway - turns out the 27 year old, 205,000 mile half-shaft universals had started to brinnel so the Spicer Brute Force units were just in time. John installed yet another set of motor mounts too. He's such a perfectionist. Tweaked them just a bit so that they are even better. Also had a drive-shaft loop installed. I guess y'all know what that means. Ennis on Oct. 24th!

LS1/t56 with .5:1 6th and 3.70:1 R200 LSD. 1st gear is a real stump puller and does a great job of burning up the stock street tires. 6th gear is 1500 at 60 mph and cruised there - and down to 50 mph ok. Gets excellent mpg - about 25 on th ehighway when in 6th. all I need is more tire to hook up the 1st.

Thanks. I guess I'll develop something locally that will work externally with the strut tower braces I have and the sub-frames.

For some reason I am unable to get the search function to work for me. Is there anyone out there that makes a sub-frame reinforcing kit that I could buy for a '77 280Z. No apparent problems presently but thinking I want the option to strengthen the car before it goes south from the torque of the LS1.

Once again - do we put ground affects on our cars, do we tint windows, do we put tail wings on our cars, do we lower them and put custom wheels / suspensions on them, do we use nitrous, do we use turbochargers, do we install custom seats, gauges & other interior items like huge stereo systems. The only diffenernce is preference. What many of us thinks is in poor taste may be wonderful to someone else. another old saying - One mans trash is another mans treasure. My point is that they may have a different way of doing it but they are doing it for the same reasons that we are. It might be a tough decision for me between a fully tricked out Honda and a well done street rod. It would boil down to the individual car but I would probably opt for the Honda. the deciding factor for ME would be the ability to drive it daily to work. For someone else the criteria will be different. Don't judge lest you be judged. I'm guilty, but I'm changing my ways.