Phantom

Looking at the photo those are some unusual engine mount parts in the background.

Warlord - I don't know what your plans are for the gauges in the car. If it's as nice as RebekahsZ says then you may want to stick with the stock gauges. If that is the case do the research and see if you can get an T56 tailshaft that will give you a mechanical output for the speedometer. It will cost you a bit more but will eliminate the need for a CableX box to "translate" the t56 electronic speed output to a mechanical drive for the stock speedometer. Also, JCI can convert your tach for use with the LS motor if you don't have someone local. Since the 280Z is already an EFI car you can also use the stock fuel lines and tank and just install a larger pump in the same location as the stock unit unless you're planning on beefing up the LS2 to much higher than stock HP. Again, JCI can provide the pump or you can search one out on this site. Lot's of decisions for you to make and you need to know what those decisions are and make them as early on in your build as possible as it will save you a lot of heartache in the future. Probably the first one is are you building a daily driver or a track car? That will influence what you want to do interior wise and how significantly you'll want to modify your brakes and suspension. You can PM me if you have specific questions or just want to chat. Bill

Thanks. I've looked there several times but I have a '98 motor and the covers are different. Really hard to find.

Sorry guys, my barn has 7 bays and one is an RV with a 20' ceiling and two bays are heated. Total square footage is about 3,000 sq.ft. Anyone tried the E3 plugs? I put a set in mine last June. Butt dyno says it's a bit stronger but it may be wishful thinking.

Hmm - I have the JCI A/C compressor working with the other stock '77 280Z components. The vacuum bottle has been removed from my car and I don't miss it a bit. Everything works as advertised. Been that way for 10 years so an issue should have showed up by now if there was one.

Jon, Thanks for the info. My son and I have discussed this frequently and it's nice to know it's been tried with some success.

I'm currently running my Konis at the middle set point. I initially had then on full firm and, man - they were really firm. My kidneys and head would consider that a track only setting.

Interesting discussion. bottom line is that, compared to new cars, the S30's basically have little torsional rigidity. The 240Z has a nickname: "The Flexi Flyer". It got that because of all the body flex that occurred when raced hard. The 280Z is a different animal but it still is no where near as rigid as the newer vehicles. I have a front strut tower brace that triangulates across the strut towers and back to the firewall, a rear strut tower brace that triangulates across the two towers and a 4-point roll bar. All have improved the rigidity of my car but, if I really work it hard, my LS1 can still flex the front windscreen frame which will result in a leaky windshield. I've often thought about welding tabs to the roof and then bolting them to the roll bar to see if that will help. Probably would a little but I think it will take a pretty extensive cage to really firm one of these cars up.

I just count the exposed threads on the old tie rod before I take it off. I then set the new one to the same number and then take the car straight to an alignment shop to ensure it is set perfectly. Tires cost too much to not get it done right.

R200 hold pretty good but I would strongly recommend the CV half-shafts vs the u-joint half shafts. I've broken two of the latter with a stock LS1.

Zman - I figure you already know this but do NOT drill and tap that one location on the LS1 block when attaching the bell housing. It is deliberately not drilled and tapped because you will get into the back water cooling channel.

My conversion is completely JCI - basically because my car was used to prototype all the components. JCI (www.brokenkitty.com) has the most complete offering for the LS1 conversion. They are not inexpensive but they work and I can say that after 10 years I've had no issues with any of the components.

I'm going to reiterate some of what has already been said. It appears you don't have a car yet. If not, spend your money on a good one, no matter whether its.240, 260 or 280. If you can start with a solid driver that has little to no rust you'll bee off to a great start. From that point spend time driving and learning the true characteristics of the stock automobile and thoroughly going through it and fixing any issues that would affect the future integrity of the vehicle. I drove my car completely stock for 5 years before I started modifying it. I spent $3,200 for it in 1992 because it was solid. No rust, everything worked and the body and interior were solid. Since then I've pretty much modified everything to some degree. The thing is to start with a solid car and a plan. If you don't have both you'll never get there.

Mike, Did you have your valve covers powder coated or buy them from someone? If the latter, who.

As the original JCI kit owner - yes it was developed on my car - I have been more than satisfied. Everything John's guys did on my car is still there and working fine after 10 years and 35,000 miles plus trck time at Texas Motorplex, Mustang Ranch, Texas Motor Speedway, and Renegade Raceway plus a large number of spontaneous "competitive events" that fall into the category of "do as I say, not as I do. I have every component at John offers except the transmission mount. He developed that after he did my car because he felt the torque tube set-up he installed on my car was too elaborate. The cross member he offers is lighter, less expensive and easier to install even though the torque tube takes a little stress out of the body. My son, DarthZ, has a 240 with some of his components and they are also performing as advertised in a lighter car with even more HP. John was very professional and easy to work with? The guys in his shop were old school and very experienced in their crafts. They could go toe-to-toe with any of the shops we watch TV episodes on. He'd be more fun to watch though as he owns his own railroad. He has a short track that ties in with the main lines and he periodically takes his private train on a run.

Find someone closer than 300 miles that can weld in the frame rails. Any competent welder should be able to do that.

Sorry guys, I would never put a GPS speedometer into a competition car. There will be lag because that signal is traveling a looonnngg way. Even the CableX translator isn't that great. Nothing beats a straight electrical output to electrical input speedo or a standard mechanical connection all the way. The alternative is to drive off your tach if you encounter the same situation over and over again.

Pull up www.ZClubofHouston.com and get connected with the other enthusiasts in your area. The club has been around since 1974 and they have a lot of accumulated knowledge and resources.

Yup - check all the wiring connections and make sure they are clean and shiny. 40 years of corrosion does bad things to electrical systems. 'Course you could always bite the bullet and put in an aftermarket HID headlight system.

You can also find the seal at www.zcarparts.com. There are others out there too. Just pick on e and shell out the coin. Both of those mentioned so far are good vendors.

Depends on if they supply the engine or not. When I did it they charged me $14K. That included about $2,400 in kit components, including an AC compressor and the CableX box to drive my speedometer. They also provided the LS1 with it's wiring harness and the Z28 radiator fans and a T56 and a reflash of the LS1 ECU to convert it to manual from automatic, eliminate the two rear O2 sensors, and install the 2002 control parameters in place of the '98 ones on the Z28 motor that had only 3,500 miles on it. John figures that a decent "shade tree" mechanic could do the mechanical and electrical in about 80 hours. If you take that 80 hours and then figure what you're providing and what he's providing you should be close. The best way though is to just go talk to him. He probably won't want to do it but if you let him use it as a filler and tell I sent you then things could happen. Have your plan mostly figured out before you go, though. Get on his website (www.brokenkitty.com) and determine the specific components you want from him and what you specifically want him to do and it will go pretty well. HIs men are real old school professionals and they'll do a great job. You just have to be patient and respectful of their time.

If I had it to do over again I'd modify the tailshaft on the T56 to have a mechanical output to continue using my stock speedo. I didn't do that originally. Kept the electronic output on the T56 and have it running to a CableX converter that then drives the mechanical cable to my stock speedo. The CableX box is in the driver's kick panel where the stock 280Z ECM used to be. I've been running the CableX for 10 years and 34,000 miles and it still works fine.

If you have 10K now - be patient and wait for the right car to pop up. My son got a '73 240Z with a built LS1, T56, R230 with cryogenically hardened CV's, 17" wheels, Autometer gauges, etc. for $7k. The little bit of bodywork it needed and some of the previous owners oopsies could have easily been resolved along with a home paint job for another $3k. There are lots of guys out there that get started and then lose interest. You just have to be patient and picky. For those that don't like V8's. I went through the agony of the engine decision tree but finally opted for the LS1 because I wanted rock solid reliability with modern technology and the LS motor delivered it in spades. Don't regret that decision a bit. My only feelings on the whole Z project thing is to do it with a 280 and not a 240. The 240's are starting to be hard to find and actually are becoming collectibles. The 280's are not. The 280 is also a bit heavier which, in this case, means they are a more durable platform for higher performance.

It depends a lot on how skilled you are and how much money you want to spend. The thing you have to remember is that putting in more HP means you have to strengthen the car; then you'll want to upgrade the suspension; then you'll realize you need to upgrade the brakes. I've been tweaking my car for over 20 years now. The first 5 I drove it pretty much stock but then the mods started.. I have about $40k in the car now and it's not worth anywhere near that because I've driven it hard for over 135k miles while doing it all.

If you have specific questions PM me and I'll be glad to help out. You also have a Z club down in the Houston area and they could help.