Phantom

Yeah, I almost put a 4l60E in mine but I like rowing too much. If I had been building the car for 1/4 mile use I would have definitely done the auto. It's just too much fun downshifting for stops and corners doing the throttle blip rpm matching and then selecting the right gear to power through the corners. . When I do all that I'm driving the car by feel and sound. don't look at the gauges all that much. Just enough to keep from getting arrested or into the rev limiter when in a really big hurry.

Yup. Son was looking at a 2+2 for doors for his 240 but they measured a good 4" longer than the coupe doors.

Tony - been there. That's why I have the 400 HP and the improved suspension. I found out a long time ago that I'm more likely to get in extremis using my brakes than using power and the inherent maneuverability of the Z. That said I also have a 4 pt roll bar and, if I was going to be racing regularly, I'd have a full cage. My car is built to be a "spirited" daily driver, not a full time track car.

Going to back the shock settings off from full firm and adjust the front height a bit to give the car a slight rake. Never did like the "down at the tail" look of the S30's. We'll see how that works out. I know my kidneys will breathe a bit easier.

Socorob - Since my car was the development mule for the JCI components I obviously have his fuel pump. It was installed using the stock Z supply and return lines and is located where the original Z fuel pump was located. I have over 34,000 miles on the set-up now and have not had a single issue. Running the stock tank also which means the stock fuel level sender and stock gauge in the stock dash. Kind of like it that way. My original dash was totally crack free until a couple months ago when a couple hairline dracks showed up. Oh well, I guess it was bound to happen after 36 years.

"So what would it be like to drive the car with the current rear end, and the 5 speed out of a 77-78? Would it be worth it to swap or should I put it on the back burner until I get a matching rear? The rear is making knocking sounds going over bumps and when you shift (suspension clunk) so eventually I have to dig into that anyway. It has all new bushings and such except the mustache bar bushing so I think thats where the problem lies." The current rear end will work fine with a 5-spd out of a '77-78. It will work better if you use an 82-83 set-up. The "clunk" you are getting out of the rear end on shifting is the front differential mount. It is a typical problem in older Z's. The stock mount has a rubber isolator that rots out and allows the nose of the diff to rise up and smack the underside of the car during shifts. You can get a new one from Motorsport Auto or any of several other aftermarket Z places.

Already have the LSD. Looking into lowering the seats but it won't be easy. JATO would be cool but nitrous would be a bit more subtle. Not sure the half shafts would take it though. Maybe the JATO is a better idea after all.

My son was out one day in our high performance 1983 Sentra. Even though it's carburated 1500cc motor was only rated at 69 HP it was a 2-dr with a 5-spd so it was really quick(?). Anyway - he found himself next to a Lamborghini Diablo at a stop light. Wishing to flex the muscle of his performance machine my son revved up all 69 of the squirrels and stared into the eyes of the driver of the Italian Stallion. When the light changed he popped the clutch and rocketed across the street and almost went into shock as he realized he was clearly ahead of the Lambo who's driver had stalled it on the launch. Seconds later he did a slow 360 as the Lambo went by at just sub-light speed. Not surprisingly the Lambo driver had his sunglasses in place and would not look at my son when he caught him at the next light. Booya - it's not always the car - it's the driver!

Could someone post on the lockedLS1 Install Docomentation thread tot PM DarthZ with requests for the information?

Is it less expensive than the others? What is the incentive to go with it?

I like the split gauges in the stock dash. If I go Autometer or some other aftermarket I have to find a spot to put two additional gauges, my turn signal indicators, etc. Original gauges are fine for my use. I'm also very happy with the basically stock look of the inside of the car. It messes with peoples minds when they finally notice the hurst shifter with the 6-spd pattern on it.

Took the car on a run in the local area. $ consecutive 6,000 RPM shifts quickly had me at 130+ and the car felt solidly planted. Slowed back down to legal on the 4-lane and then jumped across the bridge and came down the edge of the river. Road was crooked, rolly and lumpy. Really worked the suspension and managed to smack my head a few times on the roof on some particularly rough areas. Wouldn't have been bad but I was running about twice the posted speed and that tends to accentuate the road imperfections. Bottom line -well pleased with the suspension. Car is firmly planted and very controllable. LS1 is singing a beautiful song and I have a grin form ear to ear.

Yeah - might do that since I have to go down to the DMV to start the title application on the one I have anyway.

Your '76 should have a 3.54:1 R200 to go with the original 4-spd. The 5-spd sold with the '77 & '78 models have the same basic gearing as your 4-pd except for the 5th gear overdrive. In an ideal world you'd get the 5-spd and 3.90:1 R200 out of an '82 or '83 S130. The gear ratio combinations of the transmission and the differential will give you better initial acceleration and lower RPM's at highway spd. I did that with my '77 that came as a 4-spd car and was very satisfied.

OK - I've owned either an S30 or S130 since 1986. I daily drove the cars in the Dallas-Ft Worth area traffic which, although not as crazy as the Boston area, is still a challenge because of it being a melting pot of drivers from all over the country and world. In that time - and over 150,000 miles in the Z's I did not have a single accident. I should have but I didn't because I DROVE the car, I didn't just steer it down my lane. My Navy pilot training taught me to continually scan my surroundings and my instrumentation. That's how I jumped the car out of the way of two different guys that were about to rear-end me at speed or when I got out of the way of the girl putting on her eye make-up and talking on her cell phone while driving with her knees and following me in the high speed lane. The crazies are out there but good "defensive" driving will keep you safe. As far as safety equipment goes the Z has seat belts and the 5 mph crash bumpers but it's most important safety device is the attentive driver behind the wheel. Eyes on the road & mirrors and not the fiancee. Turn the cell phone off and you'll be fine.

I've been driving my '77 280Z since 1992 and have put 137,000 miles on it in that time. I drove it bone stock for 5 years and then started making some changes. In 2003, though, the big one was the LS1/T56 combo that i worked with Johns Cars in Dallas to do and develop the conversion components that are now sold world-wide. The car was a beast right after the conversion but has slowly slid downhill since then out of benign neglect. This year that changed. I finally threw some more cash at it, got a Techno Toys suspension and fixed several minor things that had slowly gone wrong over the past several years. Doubled the area of my air filter and installed some E3 plugs in place of the ones that came with the '98 motor. Anyway - just took the car out for a bit of a shakedown ride and I'm still shaking a bit myself. Started the ride with four consecutive shifts at 6,000 rpm and finally decided to back off when I was well into triple digits. The car was so solid at speed that it felt like it used to at around 80. I then got it into a twisty curvy that was a bit rough in spots and seriously thrashed the new suspension. Cracked my head on the roof of the car a few times (I am 6'4") but the car cornered beautifully and stayed solidly planted even when I felt I was being launched. The beast is back! Now what else can I do?

So - oil pressure is back where it's supposed to be with the new sending unit. E-brake is reinstalled after tearing it up on the strip 5 years ago. Now have a new Techno Toys coil-over suspension that feels really good. Also replaced the right rear caliper that sprung a leak a while back. Engine is running really well. Really lit it up next to some golfers putting out on the 8th hole by my house. I'm sure that thrilled them. Next things to get on are the new HID headlights, upgraded dash lights, and the white faced gauge conversion. 'Course I still have to spend some time getting the series 1 240Z running. Decisions, decisions.

First thing you have to do to consistently win at bracket racing is put an automatic in the car. There is now way a manual tranny car can be as consistent as an auto. Doesn't matter how fast the car is - it's consistency that counts and that is really hard to come by with a stick.

Dude - if I find a clean 2-door 510 in this neck of the woods it will be going into my stable! Always wanted to build a dime and terrorize the local Honda drivers. Seriously, though, I've started asking around to see what I can find. This area is really dry and mostly Detroit iron owners. If there are any old Z's or dimes around I'll let folks know about them. I know you east and gulf coast folks let all yours rust out about 20 years ago so I'll see if I can help out.

Daily drove my '77 280Z in totally stock form for 5 years before I started modifying it. The car already had AC so that definitely helped in Texas. It's still nice here in central Washington. The dynamat is a good start to help with the tire rumble and drive-train noise. Forget the aftermarket carpet kits available and have someone install a good grade house carpet. They are definitely pricier but also help with noise and heat. I then put a seven speaker 500 Watt Alpine sound system in. Don't notice any road/wind noise when that is cranked up. Get some good struts under it and take a look at your tires. If you're running lower than a 50 series profile then you're kidneys are going to suffer. I'm running the new Techno Toys coil overs with Koni struts on 225/50-16 Dunlop Direzza tires. Car is handling sweetly and the struts are tunable if I want to take it to a track. Also - pull the covers off your seats and beef up the bolsters with some with new foam. Made a world of difference in mine. I get excellent support - both vertical and lateral with the rebolstered stock seats. All that made it more comfortable but what really made it enjoyable was sticking in the LS1 and T56. Once I had those I really haven't noticed much of anything else.

Suspension is done. Finally got the car back on the road today. Lots of good things. Found a bad rear brake caliper - leaking - so got that replaced. The e-brake is functional again - 4 hours worth of skinned knuckles and four letter (crap!, darn!, Ooww!!) words getting it wound in above the torque tube setup. Oil pressure sender is replaced and LS1 oil pressure is now showing correctly. Interestingly I have a late model '77 but the oil pressure sender is the one for the '75-early 77 model. Car feels really taut and well planted. I'm going to shake it down over the next week and see if anything shows up. At this point I'm definitely happy with the feel of the Techno Toys set-up with the Koni's and the 200/250 springs.

Interestingly I'm aware of another '70 240Z - #5796 - that has been sitting in a storage lot for at least 15 years. This one is brown on brown, in much better shape, and also has AC. The owner won't allow the storage lot manager to give out his name as he refuses to sell the car. I hate it when someone does that.

I've kept track of the weight of my '77 280Z. In stock form with the L28, 5-spd, R200, MSA type 1 ground effects kit, and 3/4 tank of gas it weighed 2,800 lbs - evenly split front and rear. Same set-up after the LS1/T56 conversion it weighed 2830 lbs - 1,400 on the nose and 1,430 on the tail. After doing the full interior - dynamite, leather, house carpet, front and rear sway bars, 4-pt roll bar and a 7 speaker 500 watt sound system the car porked up to an even 3,000 lbs - 1,440 on the nose and 1,560 on the tail. These weights were all taken on the same certified truck scale. During the conversion I had corner weights taken and they totalled up to the same front and rear as the truck scale.

I have a long haul ahead of me to get this car titled. It's a simple process but will require time as time is at a premium for me now. First step will be to go back to the previous owner and get a notarized bill of sale. Then I have to get it in good enough running condition to pass a Washington state mechanical safety inspection. That is where the real time comes in. I'll need to pull the tank and either replace it or clean it up and seal the inside and then flush the entire system. After that it will require a new battery. Hopefully that covers the major mechanical. Then I have to pull all the stuff out of the inside of the car and clean it up so i wont get the "creeps" when I get in it. With my schedule I expect that will take months. Arnulf, I hope you're patient. I'll keep track of what I invest in the car and then we can discuss sending it your way. Bill

OK, Here is the scoop on the car. It has no title - the owner lost it. It can be retitled here in WA if the car is running and can pass a state mechanical safety inspection. That will add cost to the car if I have to do it. I'll add several pictures but here are some bullets: VIN HLS30-01779 Mfg 2/70 Color code 901 - metallic silver Black interior 4-spd Dealer installed AC No radio Dash is cracked but not decimated. Could be "preserved" and look ok. It has a complete center console in decent shape All gauges but don't know if they work or not Battery is dead Mechanical fuel pump has been bypassed and the car has an electric fuel pump Gas tank is fouled so fuel filter plugs almost instantly Front fenders and hood are original and undamaged with only ome light supervicial rust in some areas. Front bumper is straight and shiny Rear bumper is straight but "carbon monoxide oxidized" All glass is in grate shape Gas cap has the chrome locking lever Frame rails, floor pans, spare tire well have light surface rust but not rusted through. Bad nes stuff - someone put a sunroof on the car, both rear fenders have rust through spots on them and the lower sill of the hatch opening has rust.