Phantom

Anybody run any V-6 Mustangs? I got into it with a guy, real surprise to me, last night. Once again on my way home from visiting my mother. What is it about that road? I had no clue he was going to bolt until he did. We basically ran head-to-head until I was forced to back off due to traffic. Was going to talk with him at next light but he wouldn't even look my way. I'm beginning to like this stock 83ZX more every day.

Wow - what a hassle! My story on 16x7's was just the opposite. I went down to my local Dicount Tire store, ordered a set of 16x7 Center Lines (they make a super light now), and they came in 4 weeks later, exactly as ordered.

Actually - this debate is very similar to the debates that were happening back in the late 30's about Hitler. Look what inaction got Europe and later - us.

Whatever you do don't send this over to a Honda forum. Can you imagine what those guys would do after seeing these pic's?

Best I ever did was 240 in a Mercedes Sedan in Germany back in the mid-80's. Car was still pretty solid on the road but the engine was wound pretty tight. Sustained 220-240 for about an hour.

Gary - Nope, just now starting to actually put it together. You might give John a call and see what he can tell you about the headers. This last set he has are OK on the driver's side and close enough on the passenger side that he said he'd just cut and reweld if it's not just right. Mike - Actually that was too close to the truth. I have a habit of missing 3rd. It's about 1/4" further than my arm reaches without leaning forward. That's why I'm having the shifter moved back a bit on the T56. That grinding sound really grates on me. I'm still figuring I'm going to have to try some runs starting in 2nd. It may screw the 60' a bit but I might make it up by skipping a shift. Anyone tried that?

So are there any estimates for a 2,800 lb car. LS1/T56, 3.7:1 R200 LSD and 225/50-16 Yokohama S306's?

Just for fun tried to tempt a C-4 vette on way home last night. He didn't bite. Every pick-up within 100 yds. did but not the 'vette. What is it with pick-up drivers? Do they all think that a V-8 in a vehicle with no weight on the rear is fast?

My 83ZX, NA L28, 5spd., T-tops, 3/4 tank of gas - 2880lbs,1430 on nose, 1450 on rear - without me in it. Weight taken on a certified truck scale. 77z, NA L28, 5 spd., 1/2 tank of gas - 2800 lbs without me in it - same certified scale. 77Z is getting an LS1/T56 combo. I will reweigh and post new numbers in 3-4 months when it is done. both cars with stock interiors. 77 has MSA Areo II kit on it which weighs about the same as stock bumpers. 83ZX is bone stock.

I don't know what it is but every time I'm on my way home from visiting my mother in the nursing home someone messes with me. First it was the Suzuki Eteem. The next time it was a guy in a PT Cruiser. What a joke - I didn't even bother to downshift. Then it was a guy in an Integra with a fart can. He was smart though - boxed me with traffic in front and then did running fly-by from out of my blind spot. All noise and nothing else on that car though and he probably knew it. I kind of look forward to driving home from visiting mom now. What will I encounter next?

Right - Edmunds lists them as just under 2,800 lbs. which puts their weight in Z-car range. The key too is where does that torque appear. I knew my '83ZX 'felt' stronger than my 77Z but wasn't certain until I looked up performance specs onthe two years. '77Z is 149HP at 5600 & 163 lbft at 4400 RPM while the 83ZX is 145HP at 5500 and 166 lbft at 3000 RPM. The difference in the torque curve says it all. Unless those little 4-bangers are boosted, whcih will definitely lower and broaden their torque curve, the old L28 will definitely give them a run for their money.

Also be careful of all hoses and the tires. Hoses are bound to be rotting out and cracking everywhere and there is a good chance of cord separation in the tires. I went through that with one that had been setting for 3 years.

DANG!!! I just looked up the Susuki Esteem on Edmunds and got quite a shock. That little guy only runs a 1.8 Liter engine at 122 HP but it weighs less than 2,300 lbs. He had a 550 lb weight advantage on me! I needed to be running 151 HP at the flywheel to have the same power-to- weight ratio. With only 117 ft-lbs of torque I obviously had him there but that little competition was no where as close as it should have been, especially since I let him get the jump on me.

Yeah, I messed with a nicely set up Del Sol in my Z about a week ago. He had a vanity plate that said "DEL SLO" so I understood when he passed on letting me embarrass him. He obviously knew the difference between looking fast and proving it.

I was coming home this evening when a guy in a very nicely done Suzuki Esteem started toying with me. Car was super clean, blacked out wheels,a functional, not weird or hokey wing on the back and some obvious exhaust work. No fart can on back but very sweet sound that really picked up when he got on it. We finally pulled up to a light side-by-side and he asked me what I had in my 83ZX. Told him "stock 2.8". He nodded, pursed his mouth a bit, and then nailed it when the light changed. I came off the mark easy in first as I wasn't sure he was really going to go for it and then when he did I nailed it. Got a good solid squawk grabbing second around 5500 and then caught him just before the 2nd to 3rd shift. After that he was all mine. A ways down the road he caught up to me and, when traffic slowed us down, he called out "You got a turbo?". You should have seen his face when I told him "nope". One very humble dude with a new respect for old Z cars. Didn't have the heart to tell him I've got over 200,000 on the car.

Go to the top of this page and use the search function. You will literally find hundreds of posts on the conversion you wish to do, includig the transmission. Pull them up and read them all. Also, as everyone else seems to bring up - get the JTR manual. It will help you a lot.

Just go buy one at the auto parts store. Most of them carry universal fit locking gas caps.

And that is exactly why I love my '77 and refuse to sell it and by a new luxobarge. Welcome to the club - you are rapidly becoming adicted - aint it great?!

Triple D - Do a search of the Chevy V8Z Tech Board using LS-1 as your key word. Several of us are installing the LS-1/T-56 combo into 240 & 280Z's.

Mike, Suspense is killin' me. No posts on garage progress for days. How can I live vicariously through your gargae experience if you go mum on us?

I'll go one up on Denny411 - I'm 6'4" and used to weigh 245. I fit fine in my '77 at that time. What will get you is if you wear a size 48 or larger sport coat. Z is not built for guys with wide shoulders - or if your waist size is over 48 - you'll be into the door handle.

I used to own an '83 Sentra 2-dr. the same color as that one. I did manage to survive without the ground effects "package". I paid $2,200 for it and, by the time it got totalled for the second and final time, I picked up $5,200 worth of insurance claims on it. Drove it 3 years, 57,000 miles and made $3,000. Not bad. I did have to laugh at the claim of the car being quick - even though my son once beat a Diablo in it. The owners manual claimed a rompin', stompin' 69 HP out of the carburated 1.5 I4. RWHP of course was 0 but front wheel probably came in around 57 or 58.

General rule of thumb for stock, original first generation Z's - multiply model number by 10 to get weight. You'll usually be within 100 lbs. Amazingly, a stock NA 280ZX is only about 60 lbs heavier than a 280Z. Lots of guys throw around numbers of really light cars but those cars usually have been put on a diet. I'm a strong believer in the 280 because of it already being fuel injected, having AC, and also having a stronger body structure which is a nice thing to have when V-8 torque is applied. My current '77 is finally starting to make progress on the LS-1/T-56 conversion. I'm hopeful for sometime early this spring. It really all boils down to the intended use for the car. Are you building a serious all-out quarter mile contender or are you building a daily driver? In my case I'm building the daily driver.

Here we go! Let's see if we can turn a $10 model into a $450 RC! You guys just can't not tinker with things, can you?

I know this may sound a bit nuts but why not change your differential gearing? You've got more torque & HP than the car can handle at lower speeds so lower the numbers in the differential and reduce the number of shifts you'll be making. It'll also reduce wear & tear on the engine & tranny at cruise speeds. I know Lone Star 1 is running a 3.36:1 LSD R200 in his 300 RWHP 240Z and he could probably go even a bit lower numerically. I'm half figuring now that I'll be starting in second on my T-56 with the 3.70:1 LSD.