Modern Motorsports Ltd

"The wheel/tire combo wheighs in at a hefty 58lbs. Seems a bit heavy I also weighed a OEM 300ZX ('85) with a 225-50-15 tire and it came in at 43lbs" Thanks for the favour Paul , that weight's not bad at all for a strong aftermarket affordable wheel in that size Anything lighter just costs lots more . I love 17's too but haven't found the $ for the 17" rubber in my annual budget yet , that's all that's holding me back from 'em. A bud just bought a set of 17" chromed trophies, 2nd Z bud in as many months...I'm getting stale with my 16x8 245 combo at 44 lbs As I need new treads I'm on the lookout for a deal myself

Paul, great stuff as usual Did you by chance get any weights on the rims alone or rim/tire combos? (or packing slips for the pairs...). Curious what their weight/each is. And for others, 70-89 front wheel bearings are the same. Seals do differ, get the right one for the hub you are using. Synthetic grease is a good choice as well, and a cheap insurance policy at that.

"SO even if i rarely had to hit 6th aside from highway miles, the 3.36 could save me alot of money in the long run." I don't see how a 3.36 is going to save you money when built to the power levels you mention? No offense. I wanted to reply earlier this week but I've been super busy. Why build to your power level with a .5 6th gear and then put a 3.36 in? vs. a 3.7 you just gave up 9% torque in simple gearing and IMO that cam won't be that efficient at lower rpm levels anyhow so you'll likely be better off with a 3.7 or similar on the highway. OR build a slightly smaller cam which would have broader torque and somewhat less and then run 3.36's. To build that power and then just zap it with the 3.36's doesn't seem quite right to me. That gear will hit you most in upper gears IMO. You mention the lower gear losses d/2 3.36's won't be missed but it's higher up it'll be more prevalent IMO. Road racers don't swap up gears for their lower speeds (at least my buds haven't), it's their higher speeds/corner exits etc where it's been most beneficial......most all of us have lots of torque at lower speeds. Perhaps if I understood how your power goals/plans fit your cars use/functions it might be more clear to me. "Mainly i am just concerned about making a vehicle with as much of the best of both worlds as possible." That's what I was looking at as well, a proper balance. "Hell, modern corvets can pull 27 mpg on the highway. I just want to be able to compete with those numbers." YOu want the 1320 times/mpg and....or...? mpg is easily accomplished with similar motor in your lighter car......LT1 setups, even mildly modified in a Z can fetch that. But running a larger less efficient cam (less efficient at lower rmp's where it's overlap is most noticeable is what I mean) and then lower gears won't help hit the mark IMHO. Just my .02c and worth what you paid for it PS and I have 3.36's and 3.15's on the shelf so I must believe what I wrote

"Don't know what I'll do with my left foot once the 700 is installed. " Brake!! That's THE best thing your left can do...reduces lag time with one foot per pedal:) Seriously, I love left foot braking and either is second nature to me now. On a few other notes...trannies DO take lots of driveline stress.....if when a trans is unbolted one can shift the rear of their trans a few inches either left or right their's obviously play left for it to take stress. Motor's torque force is not centred on motor mounts and thus the reactions are not solely met by the motor mounts. 4th gen fbod's snap OEM 4L60E mounts relatively easily and a very common upgrade is to bolt in the LS1 mount which is quite a bit stronger and STILL smooth unlike the aftermarket ones many tried. Tranny torque is same reason a few fine cars have created torque tubes in their driveline (they're not just due to diff reactions). All powertrain mounting points must be strongly mounted and paid attention to. As others noted, t56's and other sticks can take some fine force.......not just built auto's (and your 700 should be built up..).

Z Gad, can you do us all a favour and dissassemble those to see that they were properly rebuilt? They may very well be fine but sounds almost too good to be true..........I hope it is true but I have to be skeptical first!

Jeff, if it's lower miles at all that's a great deal. One option is to buy it, sell the complete topend (it'll bolt on most any chevy), you'll then have the bottom end for pennies and you'll have kept the roller cam (for trade/regrind/or resale) and roller lifters ($300CD value new). Then you can put any standard sbc intake/carb in it. Roller cams don't have to be that pricey, Lt1 and HOT cams are available used if you're patient and look around and most of them are as new in condition.........that's exactly what I did to get into a late model crank bolt pattern (ie. T56 will bolt up if I want) in a full roller 350 with a ZZ4 cam and edelbrock topend (my cam was new and $50US, I had my choice from Lt1's up to HOT lift, some new and some used). Look around and you can find deals on fine roller rockers as well. I got into my chromolies still in wrappers for $100US (full set, 7/16's) and crane golds for similar cost. Just some initial options.....vortec bottom end is same and takes most any standard chevy parts from short water pump to usual heads/intakes etc....(once vortec heads are removed). Their heads are good value but depending on your final plans they might be better value to you once sold and money's in hand Good luck!

"I'll post up dates and pics here as it goes" Dave, the new conversion is SOOO good you'll have lots of dates but only post pics of the cute ones OK PSsst, I won't tell your sweetie you're swinging both ways Whew, cheeks still smarting from all that LMFAO

Yes, I can make them for any supplied specifications. Specifically within same number of wheel studs (ie. 4 to 4 or 5 to 5 etc, not 4 to 5 or 5 to 6 etc). Their are poor wheel adaptors out their giving them a bad name so buyer beware. Tolerances and materials are just two factors to take into consideration. They've been discussed on this board a few times now. Mine have allowed Z owners to fit up 16x7.5 wheels in +36 on an OEM susp. Z car with no rubbing . They're hubcentric to fit your front hubs snugly and have tapered seats for the lug nuts to contribute to an extra centering mechanism. All hardware is Grade 10.9. Goto www.tirerack.com and look up wheels for a 95 Civic just to give you an idea of how many choices their can be. Other sizes etc can be fitted, those are just examples. Here's a pic of one recent install:

Terry, those are 240 tubes. I just checked 240Z Illumina's here and OD is same and strut body length was 14-3/4" overall from top to include the narrowed base at base of strut(removing the spacer they stick on the bottom). HTH.

I'll let others reply on the shaft install (as they've done it more recently) but as for fluid volume, I've always put about 1-1/4 litres or so in mine (one US quart is 0.95 litres). On a similar note just in case...to date 2 - 240Z owners found some interference with their stubnut and CV shaft end cap which one resolved by sectioning/shortening his end cap by ~1/4" and shortening his inner CV spring slightly to match. Neither Scottie nor I know what combo led to that interference as he's not heard of it from anyone else and neither have I till just recently. Just a possibility that has arisen but first you'd need to have your CV endcap into the adaptor to discover that.

Tyler, drop me a line at mailto:rossc@shaw.ca I'm busy at work at present but can reply in any detail you wish later via email, lots of ride spec's on this site. You'll want minimum 150/175 spring rates and more likely a 175/200 or 175/225 for best 'medium' which really isn't any sacrifice for your uses, notch up would be 200/225 or 200/250 but that is substantially stiffer. You didn't pass on any info on your car's power/brakes/tread plans or expected speeds....these can affect choices to further reduce nose dive or rear squat if you have an expected excessive force on either end and treads to help you realize it That info will reduce above choices to a decision. I can have all those parts on your doorstep for less than MSA and with superior service, just an option.

Yes, ZR8ED, I have the adaptors already mated (machinists concentric work) to the companion flanges wrapped up ready to go, with or without the complete fastener kit (new 280ZXT OEM stub pinch style nuts/preferred type and all high grade other related fasteners, 28 items in all). You can send your companion flanges to follow by mail when convenient as Anthony mentioned if you wish. Drop me a line personally for specific order info.

Sounds like you have the problem solved. Ditto! I run 180 T-stat, at 185-190 my fan comes one and temps stay below 220 typically (monitored with my proflo controller at Tstat housing...so likely hotter). My L6 liked a higher Tstat as well, I've thought of putting a 195 in... When coolant tank overflow top blows then I check things out

Dorman is a fine brand in high grade that is widely available stateside, and the price should be right.

#1406 Edelbrock 600cfm electric choke hands down is my choice...unless you have a manual choke cable and then their manual model would be my choice. Get the tuning kit as well, it's easily tuned with independent circuits and a great simple/laymans guide on tuning NOONE can screw up if they follow it. Best bang/buck I'd spent on my setup over the years. Some have had issues with dialing in 750 edelbrock's on the strip that seemed to disappear with the 600's. 600cfm edelbrocks have fed dynoproven 450hp+ motors so it won't limit your setup & the front hung floats don't hurt for roadracing

Ideally coilovers and Illumina's. On a budget, Boges and TRW's. The TRW rear springs are a great value and 2nd only to coilovers IMO. I loved mine.

"wondering what size spacers i would have to get to fit 17" on my car." dacheefa, drop me a line at rossc@shaw.ca , I have custom spacers regularly made. Your intended rim offset/width and tire sizes will affect the adaptor you need. Some pics on my site of the Z to Honda adaptors.

Yes, one full set (4 corners) is typically twice that so I can set you up with one pair (ie. rears) for the above $. Some grinding of your rear spring perch is required for maximum adjustment but it's easily done, no welding required. All top-notch components, billet aluminum pieces and the usual powder coated springs chosen to suit your ride and expectations. Drop me an email personally to discuss further details (URL below) Nothing different needed for the swap in comparision to OEM parts except you don't need a spring compressor to install the coilover springs.

"spacers in the coil springs" Coil spacers of the typical cheap variety are not the safest of items and I don't reccomend them as they only increase stress on the unspaced portion of the spring which we know is weak already (in your case with weak/sagging springs)...if your assembly bottoms then stress is sent to other items not intended to take this stress (like your old/likely cracked and dried out bumpstops). Sounds like eventually you'll need the stiffer springs available for coilover setups but don't have the cash right now. Your struts are more than likely shot as well. Do you realize you can just do your rear coilovers for about $210 I'll have them on your doorstep by week's end? (& then fronts anytime later) If it'll be a ways off until you want to spend the dough on coilovers, I'd reccomend any decently new cheap struts with the best set of rear 2+2 springs (ie. low miles used car or whatever deal you can come across) to get you by. But as you see it doesn't take long for 'short-term' money to add up and for one to perhaps prefer it were spent against long term solutions. You may find a local coil spring manufacturer as they're quite common, perhaps one will offer to make a set of stiffer springs for you. One option if you can fit them is the TRW rear springs for $55US/pair intended for a 280ZX and substantially stiffer in a friendly progressive rate than stock. I recall a JTR mod is 280ZX springs as Scottie used to run. Try and do struts at same time or springs will fatigue quickly. The struts I'd rec'd to suit your purpose are Tokico's at $75@ if you scare up some extra coin. Good Luck.

Jwelch, have you altered or refreshed your brake system at all? You should have enough rear brake pressure/friction to hold your brakes/rear tires at an idle with motor still in drive. If you've altered your brake setup, you need more rear line pressure. Lowering your idle and backing off on timing will reduce your torque at idle greatly.......when I first setup my 280ZXV8 a number of years ago, it would literally 'squeal' the treads as it torqued them into the concrete when I put in drive on a cold idle in a parkade with very smooth pavement to leave each morning........barking at idle is cool but looses it's novelty after a bit...

Matt, as long as you were able to screw the piston back in without extraordinary effort, and the new pads and rotor fit then you're fine On the rears, I've found the piston typically sticks up/protrudes slightly above the outer dust seal FWIW.

"I have put a rather large C clamp on it with no movement whatsoever, it will not go any farther in." Matt, are you aware that rear ZX caliper pistons need to be 'screwed' back in? They have to be rotated back in.......you can use large pliers carefully placed (fencing are great), a robertson screwdriver in one of the notches for leverage, or buy a proper caliper tool to turn them back in as I have.....I've done all methods and for only one pair large pliers or the Robertson (#2 AIR) works fine. But I'm turning in all my pistons for my rear brake sales to save customers that hassle. It's nice to just install calipers and pads and skip the whole piston reset.

Is aluminum fuel line ok for fuel injection? Just take care in mounting it properly knowing it's weakness is in fatigue & wear points for such use. So isolate it well with rubber mounting points. It's easy to use but if I had the option between either alum. or steel installed (ie. no work on my part), I'd choose the steel.

Have you run any engine cleaner with the oil thru it? Scotties 'lifter' comment might be spot on....it's happend on VG30's as well. Going down to Shasta the 'knock' hit my freinds VG30. Screwdriver/ear seemed to pinpoint it to the intake but it was quite prominent all over and not crystal clear by any means. Good luck.

Sean, do you have the power R&P or non power R&P? With my non power R&P it's the steering shaft from the firewall that interferes with header solutions. I bent my current drivers side outward to pass outside that shaft. I've been planning for months to get some new custom 1-3/4's shorties...hopefully I'll get on it soon as spring fever is striking! I can send you pics of my clearances if that would help.