Phantom

Can't help out a lot there buddy. I stuck with stock tank, sender & gauge and just added a new external pump & regulator that mounted in the stock position. Remember, though, the 280Z was fuel injected and had a bypass regulator and vapor return system. As much as you've done with the car at this point though, I think I'd go with the fuel cell. there are folks that can help you out with the sender unit and it's compatability with the Camaro gauge.

Tom, Welcome to the forum! I'm retired Navy myself, born in LaGrande, Oregon and living in Texas. My first new car was a '70 340 'Cuda and I know what you mean about the secondaries. It is a sweet sound. I gave them up with my first Z and then I began to realize how reliable and efficient fuel injection is. Always in tune and mixture, timing, etc. much more precise. My current ride is an LS1/T56 '77 280Z. Interestingly enough the LS1 came out of a '99 Z28. Times for V-8 Z cars are all over, depending on how they are set up they can be from in the 9's to in the high 13's. I have not run my car yet but another LS1 driver, Cyrus, has posted a 12.0 with essentially a stock LS1. Again, welcome to the forum.

I'm sticking with the air pocket theory. Yesterday the overflow reservoir pulled down only an inch after setting all morning at work. Then when I drove it home that night and checked as soon as I shut down it was back up the inch. It appears to have stabilized - up an inch when hot, down the inch when cold. I'm all happy again now.

Try: http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/album_personal.php?user_id=1924 The link you saw on my post was to the zcar.com site where I was the zcar of the mont in Feb. '99 - back when the car was running the L28.

I'm a Post raisin bran with a bananna type guy.

Maybe the numbers were on the literature they sent me where they featured a Corvette that was running a full 700RWHP. Anyway, two things stuck with me very solidly: 1) Wow - that's a lot of HP from an aluminum block 5.7 liter. 2) Absolutely no way am I doing that to my car.

Go to http://www.procharger.com and look at shat they have been doing -specifically with the Corvette using the LS1/LS6.

Good point David - I'm thinking about the Generation 1 bodies like my 280Z. The ZX does have better aerodynamics - still is going to have the HP transfer problem. Coil-overs and tubbing or flaring the rear wheel wells will probably be required as well as possibly a solid axle to get the tires big enough in the rear. Mike - what are you planning on using this car for?

That's Texan for "I didn't make enough noise to attract undue attention from the half-dozen cop cars that were hanging out in the area hoping to pick someone off."

Good idea - but new heater core and control valve and dry floors. Already thought about that. Also, absolutely no smell of coolant anywhere that would indicate a leak. I'm thinking maybe the engine had some air pockets in the coolant passages when it was first filled and they are working out of it and leaving room for coolant to be sucked in during cool down? Just don't want to overlook anything. No engine warning light and engine temp gauge still rock solid on 180°F once it warms up.

Mike, We need to hook up. I'm in SW Arlington. Have you heard about the Cowtown Z Club? There are a few of us Hybridz types in there. Send me an email direct. Sure hope you're planning a big investment in ground effects, and suspension for that car. I can tell you now that my LS1 totally overwhelms my tires in first and that, unless you have some good ground effects, you'll never get past about 130 in a stock bodied Z without literally flying off the road. The stock body starts getting unstable around 105 and the Texas crosswinds will blow you all over the place. YOu might also want to think about a procharger set-up on the V-8 rather than a turbocharger. It is driven off your acessory belt and is on the front of the engine which is one of the few places in a V-8 conversion where there actually is room. Depending on how much money you want to spend you can get up to 700 HP out of an LS1 with that set-up.

Saturday night I was on my way home with my wife after a church colege & career group function and saw a bunch of cars & guys hanging out in a furniture store parking lot in Fort Worth. What the heck - I pulled in, revved the engine a couple times, popped the hood, and had an instant crowd around the car. Wife wanted to shrink down in her seat at first -old fart like me in with a bunch of kids. Figured I'd get laughed out of the parking lot. LS1 took care of that. The questions started and in the middle I got invited out to the street races. Had to decline but thought it was right neighborly of them. Anyway - group was well behaved and well mannered and we had a good time. As I was leaving a guy with a T/A came up 'cause he had heard about my LS1 and was telling me about his car. I replied that mine had a very similar set-up and then he said his car weighed about 3,600 lbs. My reply there was: "Yeah, mine only weighs about 2,800 Lbs - Whoops - there goes about eight tenths." and with that I left - gently. May have to round up some of the old-school boys I know and show up down there some night for some good car talk.

New LS1 install. Runs great. No overheating problems at all - runs a solid 180°F on the temp gauge continually. BUT - the coolant in the overflow bottle keeps disappearing. I've filled the bottle to the operating level three times now. The fluid disappears in about 20 minutes of operating time. No obvious leaks. No wet spots on or under the engine. No spraying hoses, no drippy bottle, no puddle under the car. ????????????????? I drove to work this morning and checked the level when I first got here and it looks like the level stayed constant while I was driving in. I'll check it at lunch and see if it disappears during cool-down.

Supra weighs 3500 lbs, Firebird T/A weighs 3600 lbs, New Mustang Cobra weighs 3780 lbs. 3100 lbs in a sedan sounds pretty light to me.

Watch out for the Dodge Spirit R/T's. They came factory with a 224 HP turbocharged 4-banger. A bit more boost and they get really serious. THose cars are also built like tin cans so they are pretty light.

Yeah, I know. I've been up close and personal with Lone Star 1's car. It has the 4L60E in it and I think he's got his ECM problems worked out now too. Car is really sweet. His is blue with white stripe - mine is red with white stripe. Us Texas boys are patriotic - and fast!

I was at the Cowtown Z Club meeting this evening. Finally got a chance to show off the car. Head got swelled pretty good from lots of good words. Spotfitz, one of this forums senior members, was there so I took him for a ride. Basically just a quick 1st, 2nd, 3rd and then a u-turn back to the lot and the rest of the gang. He has also ridden in Lone Star 1's LS1 powered 240 so he can give his impressions and compare the two cars a bit.

Just goes to show that it's all in the driver. The LS1 doesn't pull very well in 2nd gear at 10 MPH. If we had been at 30 or I had been in first he would have been just a distant memory. As it was he now has a false sense of power.

Results from second tank of gas are more impressive. Still not using 6th much but only using thelead foot when I had a good reason and fuel economy went up to 19.7 MPG. Just another confirmation that fuel economy and the foot are directly proportional - when one goes down so does the other.

What I do know it did change was the angle of the half-shafts so that they are more level when the car squats under accelleration. This maintains a larger and more consisant tire contact patch and thus has reduced my wheel hop. You may be correct about a small loss of total Hp deliverd to the rear wheels but I already have more that the tires can handle so the improved traction results in a significant improvement in launch characteristics. Also, my transmission and differential are locked together with a modified torque tube so the driveshaft angle reamained constant for my installation.

Some, but with a full conversion it has had no negative effects.

One of the features in the LS1 install on my car is a modified mustache bar that changed the location of the R200. The result has been hugely reduced wheel hop when the car is under heavy accelleration in first & second gear. Doesn't appear to have any negative affects on handling but I am early in the proving stage on the car. I was talking to John at John's Cars last night and he is planning on offering it on an exchange basis to anyone who wants it. Might call him at (214) 426-4101 if interested.

Dave, By works well do you mean it blows as much air as the stock Datsun blower - or a lot more? Is it a 4-spd blower too?

Mike, Actually it had a couple gallons more fuel the second time but no spare tire so I counted them as a wash. This car is fully equipped. It has AC and the entire original interior plus one of those MSA speaker panels back by the hatch and the console adder that has the cupholders - After all - Can't have a car without cup holders. I still have strut tower braces to add but they will only be about another 15 lbs.

Repeat after me: "LS1 - LS1 - LS1 - LS1"