Phantom

Unless you kept the catalytic converters and all four O2 sensors you already need to have the PCM retuned. That was where they started with mine as I only kept the front two O2 sensors and deleted the cats and the rear sensors. The weight, gearing, etc is not a huge issue - especially since a dyno tune won't be sensing the weight of the car - just the result of the gearing. At some point your R180 half shaft universal joints are going to detonate on you - even with the 195 tires. I detonated one of my R200 half shaft u-joints several years ago. It had over 200k miles on it by then though. A full dyno tune will properly map your engine. It will also identify any issues you may be having - like an incorrect signal from your engine temperature sensor. It could be continually sending an "I'm cold" signal which wouldn't necessarily send a fault code but would have you running in a "choke" mode all the time. I've been running on a tune from an ECU tuner for 12 years now and the car is doing pretty well but I've found a really good LS1 tuner over in Vancouver, WA and I'm planning on taking the car over to him to have a full dyno tune on it. I know $500 is rich but, if you're running too rich you'll be washing down your cylinder walls with unburned fuel and the results of that will end up being a lot more than $500.

Oops - sorry - didn't mean to sound like a smart A. I used to drive 17 miles each way to work - mostly interstate with maybe 3 miles of surface roads. I averaged 18-20 doing that. Engine temperature sensor not working right? Plugs should tell the story. Are you geared similar to me?

I'm running a '98 LS1 with totally stock internals. The ECU was reflashed to 2002 parameters. T-56 with .5:1 6th gear and a 3.70:1 R200 LSD. Tires are 225/50-16's. The worst fuel economy I ever got was when I was racing at Texas Motor Speedway where I got 10 MPG. Normal driving which is usually fairly spirited is 14-17 around town and 21-24 on the highway. I calculate my fuel economy with every tankful so I have 12 years of records to back this up. If you're only getting 10 MPG around town you are either going on very short trips where it doesn't really get warmed up, driving it extremely hard, or you need to have someone look at the ECU parameters - or all of these.

Evidently the LS1 doesn't need continual water flow through the heater lines as mine has the stock Z heater control valve that stops flow. I've driven it 38k miles, most of it in hot Texas weather, and have never had an issue.

My concern is space under the fender well. Can the air ride bags be as small in diameter as a coil-over set-up? If not, it will reduce the tire size I'm wanting to run.

So - If you're basically going to build a body on frame car you might want to look at incorporating mounting spots for other suspension component like from the S14. Think ahead on this one and you can end up with a really exciting project.

240HOKE - Really nice looking parts How do you accommodate the steering shaft routing past the headers and the motor mount? That was an issue JCI faced when developing their kit but John solved it pretty neatly. I've been running my full JCI equipped car for 12 years and 38,000 miles now with no issues. Those of you wanting to run AC there is a compact compressor that does the job and does not require notching anything. That is another thing that had to be worked out on the JCI components. If someone needs the make/model # of the compressor let me know and I'll send you the info on mine.

If I understand the original question you're asking whether to use a basic 2-way (open-closed) valve or a 3-way (open-bypass back to source) valve. Either will work but I personally prefer the simper 2-way valve. It stops flow when no heat is required rather than redirecting the flow back the the engine. The stock Z valve is a 2-way valve. That is the valve I'm using with the heating system in my LS1 280Z. Works just like it did with the L28 in the car. Is it possible that you're over thinking the installation?

Back in the day - like 20 years ago - zcar.com used to have a car of the month. There was a lot of interest in it and some really sweet rides were picked and given a nice write-up. Evidently in my years here on HybridZ getting my modification plans together and executing a lot of them that feature on zcar.com went away. About a year ago I lurked on the site a few times and noticed that so I asked the administrators what had happened to it. Evidently a few others asked about it too so now they have come up with a ROTM (ride of the month). On a lark I pulled up some photos of my car and submitted them last month only to have it win. Not a big contest since I was up against one other car. Interestingly it was an all original 280ZX with only 22,000 miles on it. Really nice looking car. I'm surprised it didn't get the nod. What's kind of cool though is this is the 3rd time my car was selected - Feb of 1999, Aug of 2003 and now Sept of 2015 - and all with the same $2,500 paint job. Only way it wins though is because the really beautiful cars, for some reason, don't get submitted. I don't get it but I'm not complaining.

Also - you can get an electronic version of the Factory Service Manual over at Ratsun.net. Get one and trace the electrical circuits that those lights are on so that you know everything that is in each circuit.

If you go over to Ratsun.net they have FSM's on line that you can download. A Factory Service Manual can answer many of your questions. FWIW - you should be able to disconnect your tach from behind and pull it out through the front of the dash if you don't have a dash cover. Once that is done you can go to an instrument rebuilder and get it repaired. I believe there is one not too far from you. I sent mine to Wisconsin. I've always wondered about the hot start problem. When my '77 was totally stock I think that happened to me maybe twice and I lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. As stated above, they finally addressed the issue on the 280ZX with a fan that cooled the injection rail after shutting the car down. If you wait a few seconds (key turned to the accessories position) Prior to turning the key all the way to "start" the fuel pump will pressurize the rail even if the check valve has gone bad. I do that as a habit even with my LS1. First thing I'd do is ensure the heat shield is in place between the exhaust manifold and intake manifold. If it's there then proceed to other things.

The Ultralight 32 vanes I think would have lasted longer than 27k miles if I would have gone with a softer pad like the Wilwood BP-20s. In that 27k there were only 2 auto rose days and one hill climb. I used to be a bit rough on brakes but "I'm better now". For street only driving with the right pads the Ultralight rotors probably would have lasted closer to 50k miles. Then, again, other than cost, the ultralights are supposed to reduce unsparing weight for racing applications. For a track only car they would probably only last 7-10k miles. But, that's quite a few miles on a track.

Not sure what you mean about a pressure valve in the back of the car. My 280 came with a stock pressure proportion inch valve on the firewall. I have an adjustable pro portioning valve to allow setting the correct pressure to the rear brakes to keep them from locking up. I also have SS brake lines on all 4 corners. I think the 12.2" rotors with the 4 piston calipers are just a lot stronger than the 240SX/300ZX setup.

Here are some night time shots of the Dapper Lighting HID headlights. The low beams have a nice clean cut line and visibility with both the low and high beams is far superior to the OEM headlights. Low Beam: High Beam:

They sound expensive but, after watching their video, they do a really thorough rebuild on the dash. I notice that they can also repair and rebuild gauges and rechrome plastic trim parts. Sounds like they have a lot to offer to the Z community. Googling Just Dashes Reviews indicates they have extremely positive customer feedback.

Nice work. That's the huge advantage of fiberglass over metal is the ease of being able to form it to odd shapes.

How does the 4L80E compare in size to the 6L80E? If I were going to start from scratch and try to cram something in there I'd be looking at the additional gears. If it can run behind the ZL1 Camaro it should be pretty good. You're issue after that, though, will be the differential and rear axles. If you're going big HP you need to go solid axle or start looking at what the high HP 'Vettes are using.

Based on cost and immediacy of need it will probably be 6 and then 1. After that we'll see where the cash flow is.

You may have a vacuum issue, also. Does the car still have its original vacuum accumulator bottle?

Things I'm still considering, not necessarily in this order: 1) T3 rear brake upgrade 2) Complete repaint with ZG flares and Rota RBR wheels 3) T3 lower control arm upgrades. 4) Going to CV's on the rear axles 5) Dyno tune to get engine optimized. 6) Repair oil pressure & voltmeter gauges.

Sorry, I really don't have any good photos of it. There's a lot of stuff going on with it which is why JCI opted to go with a standard transmission cross member. They felt this set-up was too complex for the average guy. All I can tell you is that it has been rock solid since it was done.

Here is a summary of where I am now. This is a continual project so there will be additions as time goes on. 1977 Datsun “California Edition” 280Z28 Daily Driver Drivetrain: a) 1998 Camaro Z-28 Aluminum block LS1 V-8 (390 HP) with K&N intake, custom headers with dual 2 1/2” exhaust through an ‘X’ pipe to a dual inlet/single outlet Dynomax muffler, 1999 T56 6-speed transmission with Hurst billet shifter with custom John’s cars modified torque tube transmission to differential driveshaft and mount with integrated driveshaft loop, c) CableX converter to drive the mechanical speedometer with the electronic T56 output, d) 1988 Nissan 300ZX turbo 3.70:1 R200 LSD differential, e) Centerline Trident II 16x7 aluminum wheels with 225/50-16 Dunlop Direzza tires. Suspension: a) Eibach performance coilovers , 250 front, 300 rear., Koni fully adjustable gas struts, c) Urethane bushings throughout the entire suspension and steering. d) Nissan front and rear sway bars with urethane bushings. e) Racetep multi-point strut tower braces, front and rear. Brakes: a) 1981 280ZX master cylinder, Willwood forged Superlite calipers in front with 12.19” x 1.25” slotted Spec 37 rotors c) 240SX calipers in back with 300ZX 11.38”x .81” solid rotors d) Adjustable proportioning valve. e) Stock 280Z emergency brake Exterior: a) Motorsport Auto Type 2 ground effects kit including front air dame, side skirts , and rear valance, Motorpsort Auto one piece rear, hatch mount, spoiler, c) Motorsport Auto Sentra window frame mount mirror kit d) Chrome front grill. e) 1997 Cadillac Eldorado Pearl Red paint with white racing stripe and pin stripes. f) Tinted windows by D&D Auto Tint. g) Air conditioning: Stock Nissan except for s special high efficiency compact compressor and the use of “Freeze 12” rather than R12 refrigerant. Interior: a) Katzkin leather seats, door panels, headliner, sun visors, ‘A’ pillars, face of rear deck, and rear strut towers, Wavemaker “Chevis Regal” residential carpet throughout edged in Katzkin leather. c) Autopowr 4-point bolt-in roll bar coated in black bed-liner. d) Custom center console pad & cup holders – Motorsport Auto e) Motorsport Auto White-faced gauge conversion with higher wattage dash bulbs and green lenses removed. f) Bed liner coated ash tray with chrome trim. g) Cabin is fully lined in Dynomat for noise and heat reduction. h) Original Dash with no cover. Lighting: a) Dapper Lighting HID headlight conversion. ZLEDslights LED conversions on the front turn signals, side marker lights, and taillights. Front and rear turn signals operate sequentially. Sound System: a) Alpine CDA 9851 CD/MP3/WMA Receiver Alpine CHA-S634 CD/MP3 Changer, c) Alpine SDR-17LS 6 ½” component speakers in custom enclosures on each door with 1” soft dome tweeters custom mounted on each ‘A’ pillar, d) Alpine SPS 130A 5 ¼” side speakers, e) Alpine SWR-1042D subwoofer in a custom, ported, and tuned at 32 Hz enclosure, f) Alpine MRV-F545 500watt amplifier, g) Rockford Fosgate CPC-1003 capacitor. This car is the first professional LS1 installation in the US and was the prototype used by John’s Cars in Dallas, TX to develop the conversion components he now sells worldwide. Throughout the development my guidelines were for the installation to have OEM appearance and daily driver reliability. The nod was always given toward reliability and ease of maintenance vs. extreme performance. The development took 14 months back in 2003/4 and resulted in this car and the kit components. One difference in this car versus the components provided to others is that this car has no transmission mount. Instead, it has a modified “torque tube” set-up similar to a C5 Corvette which hard connects the rear of the T56 transmission to the nose of the R200 limited slip differential. It is unique, totally functional, and has been absolutely reliable over the past 12 years. In the past 22 years the car has been driven over 140,000 miles, about 100,000 of it since it was painted in 1997.

Drivetrain: a) 1998 Camaro Z-28 Aluminum block LS1 V-8 (390 HP) with K&N intake, custom headers with dual 2 1/2” exhaust through an ‘X’ pipe to a dual inlet/single outlet Dynomax muffler, 1999 T56 6-speed transmission with Hurst billet shifter with custom John’s cars modified torque tube transmission to differential driveshaft and mount with integrated driveshaft loop, c) CableX converter to drive the mechanical speedometer with the electronic T56 output, d) 1988 Nissan 300ZX turbo 3.70:1 R200 LSD differential, e) Centerline Trident II 16x7 aluminum wheels with 225/50-16 Dunlop Direzza tires. Suspension: a) Eibach performance coilovers , 250 front, 300 rear., Koni fully adjustable gas struts, c) Urethane bushings throughout the entire suspension and steering. d) Nissan front and rear sway bars with urethane bushings. e) Racetep multi-point strut tower braces, front and rear. Brakes: a) 1981 280ZX master cylinder, Willwood forged Superlite calipers in front with 12.19” x 1.25” slotted Spec 37 GT rotors c) 240SX calipers in back with 300ZX 11.38”x .81” solid rotors d) Adjustable proportioning valve. e) 280Z emergency brake Exterior: a) Motorsport Auto Type 2 ground effects kit including front air dame, side skirts , and rear valance, Motorpsort Auto one piece rear, hatch mount, spoiler, c) Motorsport Auto Sentra window frame mount mirror kit d) Chrome front grill. e) 1997 Cadillac Eldorado Pearl Red paint with white racing stripe and pin stripes. f) Tinted windows by D&D Auto Tint. g) Air conditioning: Stock Nissan except for s special high efficiency compact compressor and the use of “Freeze 12” rather than R12 refrigerant. Interior: a) Katzkin leather seats, door panels, headliner, sun visors, ‘A’ pillars, face of rear deck, and rear strut towers, Wavemaker “Chevis Regal” residential carpet throughout edged in Katzkin leather. c) Autopowr 4-point bolt-in roll bar coated in black bed-liner. d) Custom center console pad & cup holders – Motorsport Auto e) Motorsport Auto White-faced gauge conversion with higher wattage dash bulbs and green lenses removed. f) Bed liner coated ash tray with chrome trim. g) Cabin is fully lined in Dynomat for noise and heat reduction. h) Original Dash with no cover. Lighting: a) Dapper Lighting HID headlight conversion. ZLEDslights LED conversions on the front turn signals, side marker lights, and taillights. Front and rear turn signals operate sequentially. Sound System: a) Alpine CDA 9851 CD/MP3/WMA Receiver Alpine CHA-S634 CD/MP3 Changer, c) Alpine SDR-17LS 6 ½” component speakers in custom enclosures on each door with 1 soft dome tweeters custom mounted on each ‘A’ pillar, d) Alpine SPS 130A 5 ¼” side speakers, e) Alpine SWR-1042D subwoofer in a custom, ported, and tuned at 32 Hz enclosure, f) Alpine MRV-F545 500watt amplifier, g) Rockford Fosgate CPC-1003 capacitor.

So you're running a combination of Arizona Z Car and T3 suspension components? I can understand why you might be having issues combining two aftermarket parts suppliers whose units were designed to replace the stock but work with their own parts, not someone elses. I only have a few things from T3 at this point but have been very impressed with their work.

Tried to look them up. Couldn't find them on Ebay or in Vancouver phone pages. Do you have any more info on them? Thanks.