Phantom

Jeromio, Thanks for the heads up on the mounts and the u-joint phase. Got it covered. Car is relatively quiet - when the exhaust is attached. Not so quiet today as it's off with the rear end work being done. Cyrus, Probably won't see the dragstrip for at least 3-4 months. Want to make sure it is fully sorted out before I try to break it. Will get it on a chassis dyno and an axle scale fairly quickly though so I'll have some of those numbers. Do you have strut tower braces on the car front and rear? Also - I forget - are you running an LSD or peg leg? Those could affect the side-to-side.

Wheel hop could also be a function of the "squat" which will change the tire contact parameters. Moving the differential mount about 1" higher to see how that affects it. Also checking out the airlift site. Newest "ready" date looks like next week. Will have suspension all back together, AC & gauges working. Engine/clutch/tranny are working great! Thanks guys.

Car is now in development and finishing stage. Running well enough to know that it squats and then develops some wheel hop when under power. Anyone with suggestions on how to stop that? Also, angle of half-shafts don't seem to be quite right but obviously the R200 is mounted where it belongs. Springs are the european spec nissan springs so they are 1/4" shorter than stock but 15-17% stiffer so height is pretty much normal on that end. They are also only about 5 years old. Thoughts? Strut tower braces were ordered last week and should be here this week.

And your point is?

Tires - the widest you can get in the rear without modifying the suspension or flaring the venders will be 245's - and that is if the offset on your wheels is perfect. The widest you can run in the front will be 225's. None of these will handle the torque your engine can put out. Even with an LSD my LS1 overpowers the 225/50-16's I'm running on my '77 280Z without even trying.

The 1977 L28 made 149 HP at 5,500 rpm at the flywheel with 166 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 RPM. By 1983 the ZX L28 was making 145 HP at 5,400 RPM but 163 lb-ft of torque at 3,000 RPM. The improved head design made the later model L28 a lot gutsier. The 170 HP rating for the '77 was a gross hp rating not including accessory losses. Conversely, if I remember right, a bone stock LT1 will make in the neighbor hood of 245 HP at 5,500 rpm and 350 lb-ft of torque at around 3,200 RPM. Remember, torque=accelleration.

Well - just to add insult to disappointment. As it turns out I would have taken first place in my class had I had my car there to enter it in the Chariots of Light Car Show this weekend. Then, on top of that, I would have had an opportunity to run with a pack of Vipers on the TMS track. I am severely depressed now. 10 months into the car conversion and it's still not done.

In my appliction I have forgone trying to add power steering. I drove the car for 10 years without it and the LS1 is not heavier than the L28 so I think I'll be fine with the non-asisted rack & pinion. That being said - My AC compressor is mounted in the location where the power steering pump is on the LS1 - high on the drivers side. The alternator is mounted below it. This particlar arrangement allows using the stock LS1 idlers and tensioners and the original accessory drive belt. No = John has not absolutely confirmed that he will offer his mounts - motor, transmission, AC - but he has asked that I not publish pictures of them so that indicates that he is thinking along those lines. The best way to find out is to ask him. He can be contacted at John@johnscars.com or 214-426=4101. Ask and ye shall receive.

Zack is not going to be ready this weekend. He could have been but it would have been at the expense of a bunch of little things. I decided I'd rather have the car with all systems fully functional rather than having several of them not working yet just to get it ready for this weekend. I'm severely disappointed but it's the right decision.

Got an email this morning from John. "It runs, it moves. Clutch not happy. Will try to bleed after muffler shop." It's this close. I'll be calling him around noon today to ensure I can get it tonight. If not, it will probably be Monday - bummer. This is a real roller-coaster at this point.

The LS1 fired off for the first time about 6:30 tonight. More work tonight. Car goes to muffler shop tomorrow. Unless there is a surprise it should be on the street tomorrow night. Still pins and needles time!

I'm running dual 2 1/2" head pipes to a collector just aft of my T56 and then a single 3" out in the stock Datsun location on my '77. It keeps the exhaust tucked up out of the way and "relatively" stock looking.

Maichor, Do you have one of the little OBD II error code readers? It might help diagnose. It would be a real bummer if the ECM is fried. Somehow don't think that's it though. I can see from your post that you have been moving along on your project. I'll have to stop by in a couple weeks after mine is finally running and we can compare projects.

Lone Star 1's LS1 / 4L60E powered 240Z has dyno'd at 297 RWHP - that's with the stock ECM and stock exhaust manifold. A good set of headers and a "tweaked" ECM could get to the 346 RWHP that Cyrus has in his LS1 / T56 car.

I'm down to the wire. The car is supposed to be running the end of this week but my confidence is weak. If not, it will be next week. I'll probably then run it for 2-4 weeks, identify most of the bugs, and back to the shop it will go. That is when the headers will get ceramic coated, too. Still need to get strut tower braces for front and rear. Probably go to the Top End Racing folks. The rear will work fine and I can get the front modified, if need be, to go with the LS1. I am so close I could cry. Definitely pins & needles time.

Procharger Literature indicates that they have taken the Corvette LS6 - basically a modified LS1 - all the way to 700 HP with excellent performance. Call them and get ready with a check for about $8,000. I'd go the LS1 route every day of the week. There is no replacement for displacement.

So close yet so far away. Fuel system is intact from tank to passenger side head. Fittings necessary to do final hook-up but not installed yet. EGR plumbed into the passenger side header. Wiring harness complete and partly installed. GM master cylinder in and plumbed to clutch but no fluid yet. Transmission in but no oil yet. Headers on and routed down but still need exhaust. Shifter in perfect position but end of handle not threaded for knob yet. Cooling system all sorted out and comletely functional but still needs to be reinstalled. AC compressor on the engine but nothing between it and the firewall. Now where do I mount the windshield washer fluid bottle - GM clutch master cylinder longer and occupies its space. Still have to reinstall the driveshaft and torque tube assembly. Rear sway bar is out being "tweaked" for the third time. Tachometer not back in yet nor is the "converter" hooked up to the speedometer or the throttle wire hooked up. Any bets on whether the car will be running for TMS this weekend?

Go to http://www.taylor-race.com. He can LSD any ratio R-200. I talked with him last weekend at the SCCA races at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, TX. His company specializes in transmissions and differentials. He can convert any ratio R200 to an LSD plus he can provide custom geared transmissions, T-5's, T-56's, you name it. As usual though, he ain't cheap.

I've seen several posts on this forum from folks looking for gearboxes & differentials that will handle boosted V-8's. I talked with Craig Taylor of Taylor Race Engineering last weekend about R200's & T56's. He can build them into nearly whatever you need - or build exactly what you need from scratch. See his website at http://www.taylor-race.com. It only takes money.

Thanks for the additional info. I've already "hardcopied" this and emailed the topic url to the guys at John's Cars. I always figured that the ECM needed to mount somewhere in that area but didn't know if anyone had done it yet. Next visitation with car is this coming Tuesday. If all is well it will only be lacking exhaust system and safety inspection by then. I'm planning on running it on the big oval at Texas Motor Speedway May 10th so the heat is on.

Interesting. My LS1 / T56 converson in my 77Z is going to run around $14,000 and I'm having a shop do it all except for the miscellaneous Z parts. With that I get a 12 month/12,000 mile guarantee. I break it - he fixes it. Becasue I have been there every inch of the way I have a real good feel for the quality and content of both the mechanical and electrical side of the installation. The downside is that it has taken 10 months and I know the next guy will get it in half the time for less money.

Great photo! A little different approach than I had in mind but actually looks better. Keeps the foot area clear. Any downside that you've found? Any interference with access to the heater control valve?

Some recovery from last week. Motor mounts have been fully welded up, painted, and reinstalled in the car. Fuel lines have been removed from the pasenger side rail and rerouted up the firewall. Heater hoses have been cut to length and are ready to go. Wiring harnesses - ugh! The Datsun harness is being cleaned up and no longer necessary items removed. The LS1 harness is having each wire end tagged with its identity, unneeded wires removed and a few new ones added. The ECM - it originally mounted on the passenger side fender well. Where have ya'll mounted yours? Thinking about where the passengers feet go inside the car under the heater control valve. Opinions?

http://www.procharger.com Should be able to get about 500 HP with new injectors and ECM reprogram on an otherwise stock LS1. Cost you about $6,000 in parts and a weekend of your work.

Can't get any pics at this time. Torque tube is out of the car getting the finish welding done.