Pop N Wood

Personnally, I think pulling an entire engine out of a running car is the easiest way to get a V8 in my Z. A 320 HP LT1 in a 240 sounds pretty enjoyable and an excellent platform to build off. And no smog restrictions greatly simplifies the upgrade potential.

Here is the link Phantom was referencing http://www.hybridz.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=001514 Here are a couple of more in case you want fronts too. http://www.hybridz.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=001535 http://www.zhome.com/rnt/FordPower/BrakeUpdate.html http://www.hybridz.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=001298 http://www.zhome.com/ZCMnL/tech/Calipers/toyotaCalipers.html http://www.hybridz.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=001209 These are just the cheaper upgrades. The racing ones (such as Arizona Z cars) you can hunt out yourself. As you can see, lots of opinions on lots of different options.

I guess I have always considered crate motors to be newly manufactured engines from one of the big three. Everything else is just everything else. Keep in mind, complete LT1 motors typically sell for $1500 on ebay whereas a $1500 "crate" motor is typically going to take another $1500 in parts (starter, carb, exhaust, ignition, brackets, alternator, etc. etc. etc.) to make a running product.

Just saw the cover of this month's Road and Track. They had a picture of the 2005 Corvette. Looks the the designers of the Corvette and the 350Z went to the same school.

Looks like the old engineering addage 'faster, better, cheaper: pick any two" applies here. To minimize discussion, if we start with the assumption that a vented front rotor is a "must", then there looks to be a couple of options for low buck vented rotor upgrades. With all set ups it is important to buy decent pads and keep the brake fluid fresh. #1 "Oxandale Junkyard" 280ZX/300ZX 280Z calipers 300ZX vented rotor Needs a few shims to mount the caliper and need to turn the rotor to reduce the overall diameter (easily done at a brake shop) No wheel spacers and no rim clearance issues? True? Excellent write up: http://www.zhome.com/rnt/FordPower/BrakeUpdate.html #2 Toyota 4x4 calipers and vented rotors Essentially Mike's Stage 1 package http://www.fonebooth.com/brakes_zcar.html I guess the disadvantages would be this set up is heavy, requires a wheel spacer and may have clearance issues with some rims? True? Advantages: more massive caliper, possibly more piston area and definitely more pad area. Plus a very nice kit available from Mike above. One variation is to machine some Maxima rotors and avoid the wheel spacers. There are issues with this http://www.hybridz.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=001298 #3 Mike's Stage 2 package with Outlaw brakes Totaly bitchin (but maybe not cheapo?) Any clearance issues or wheel spacers required? #4 Misc Have seen posting saying Jag 4 piston calipers will "bolt right up" http://www.hybridz.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=001298 But this was still a swap in theory. Have seen others saying the 240 spindle is the same as a 62 chevy. Any others? Also what is the issue with wheel spacers? One post said some sanctioning bodies do not allow them. Are there any issues with changing the total wheel offset? Can this cause wheelwell/suspension clearance issues or affect handling?

Here is a long thread on the very same topic. A couple of cops from assorted states chimed in. http://www.hybridz.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=9;t=000709 One option is the Datsun "european" bumpers. One piece chrome units without the ugly rubber strips and overriders. But I have just noticed the newest MSA catalog lists them as unavailable/special order items.

I have been looking at all of the different brake options because that will be one of the first upgrades I need to perform to get my car back on the road. My stock calipers are pretty rusty from sitting. That is why the 4x4 swap is so appealing, it is quick and I need new calipers anyway. The problem is there are too many conflicting opinions. JTR says the ZX brake swap is a waste of time but does detail the 4x4 upgrade. A number of guys on this board I have grown to trust say the 4x4 swap is a waste of time. The biggest problem is sorting out what is opinion and what guys have actually tried. I do like the idea of vented rotors but need to sift through the old posts to figure out what is involved with each swap. Some look so easy but then you will find a post describing the machining that needs to be done to make the rotors fit. I have seen Pete P's car and really like his Arizona Z car set up (except for the $$$). When I get a little more serious about it, I will go through all of the old post and try to summarize all of the options. Maybe someone has already done this? We should have a separate link on the HybridZ page for common brake upgrades with details of each.

I have a 70 240 and for the life of me I don't know it has a neutral safety switch. Guess I have been driving manuals so long that I never try to start it w/o putting in the clutch. Interestingly the MSA catalog doesn't list clutch safety switches, so no help there. Never the less, it should be a simple matter to rig one up. Get a switch off a 73+ OR just get a brake light switch, rig up a bracket next to the clutch pedal, then put the switch in line between the ignition switch and the starter.

Man, I wish we could get a definitive answer on the 4x4 brake set up. Seems like the guys who have them swear by them, and the guys who don't have them but have thought alot about them don't think they will work. I can tell you from personal experience the stock brakes are inadequate, if for no other reason then the stock master cylinder on the very early 240's had insufficient volume. I also have met more than one person who has boiled the brake fluid on the stock brakes when racing with a highly modified engine. So which is it. Do the 4x4 calipers with stock, solid rotors make a difference? Is there anyone out there who tried them but honestly didn't notice a difference? Also this guy says he got a set for $85 http://www.hybridz.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=001209 OK now here I go not-trying-them-but-thinking-alot-about-them, but I can't believe doubling the size of the calipers will not make more than $85 worth of difference.

The guy on the show said they were the first to have unveil this engine. They said even Ford and Chrysler were getting their first look at it. Guess it will take some time to make it into the GM catalogs. I would expect it will be big $$$$$ Looked fairly complete, my guess: $8k -> $9k

Did anyone see the new Chevy BB crate motor on trucks TV today? 570 CI 620 HP 650 FT-LBS torque All forged internals, aluminum heads and Demon carb AND a 10 month warranty

I guess I misunderstood Mike kZ's posting

For subframe connectors there is a company offering a convertible kit that has some interesting connectors for sale: http://www.zparts.com/ads/zspider/zspider_index1.html The connectors should work great for a V8 Z and look like this: I am very interested in their product, so if you look into it more please be sure and post what you find. The whole kit (with a Kevlar rear end) is only $1295, so I would hope just the connectors would be substaintially less. Of course there is always Pete P's HybridZ classic: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/pparaska/structuralmods.htm The book "How to hotrod and race your Datsun" (available from MSA) is good in general, although it is more geared toward 510's than Z's.

This topic has been dicussed numerous times so there is a lot of info in the archives. My suggestion is to set up the radiator like everyone else has then if you still heat up, see what you might be doing different. I think what everyone is telling you is the Camaro radiator should do the job. The larger Griffin's will do even more, but if you aren't getting the cooling out of the camaro, then going to the Griffin is just going to make up for something else that you may not be doing right. There are quite a few other things you need to check. Z's are very sensitive to air flow. You have to make sure the air is flowing through your radiator and not around it. Thus make sure you have a decent fan shroud and that the radiator is tight against the sheetmetal so no air can flow around the sides. The early Z's also experienced a loss of air flow through the rad due to turbulence under the car. The fix was to install a chin pan that goes between the frame rails from the back of the rad to about the steering rack. MSA sells these. The other option I have heard is to help the air get back out of the engine compartment. Your louvers may do this for you. I have heard of others that installed electric fans in the wheel wells blowing out. But in your case you need to make sure everything in the cooling system is in good shape. Make sure your radiator cap is good, or better yet just replace it. Try flushing out the block and cooling system. You never know how many cans of stop leak may be gunking up the works. Make sure your lower radiator hose is in good shape and has the anti collapse spring in place. At highway speeds it is not uncommon for the water pump suction to collapse this hose. Put in a new 180 or 195 degree thermostat. Check to see if it opening ALL of the way using a pot of boiling water and a kitchen thermometor. Make sure your engine timing is correct (too much advance makes an engine run hotter). Try replacing the coolant with a fresh mix. Tighten up any leaks and make sure your radiator overflow tub is working. Also note what Phantom said about glycol mix: never run pure water. The engine needs the antifreeze to keep the water pump lubricated and to keep the aluminum in the engine from corroding. Another idea is to add an oil cooler. The final issue is fans. Most people don't agree with me on this one, but what I have noticed is most cooling problems are on cars with electric fans. Mechanical fans have a bigger drive motor and can move more air. But obviously electrics get the job done. If you run an electric, make sure you get a good one that you know will work. Follow the advice given above.

On my CA edition 240 the gas tank vents go into the intake manifold when the engine is running or vent into the crankcase when the engine is off (there is actually a diverter valve). This is all emissions stuff. I think on the newer cars they use a charcoal canister then connect the canister to the intake when running. What I would like to know is why does my 1970 gas tank need 4 or 5 vents connected in different spots throughout the tank? Or at least it seemed that way when I had to buy all those expensive hoses to get rid of the gas smell.

I don't think the ignition switch is issue. Look at blueovalz's comment. Connect the S terminal on the GM solenoid to the S terminal on the Ford solenoid and it is all good. It is probably the voltage drop across the two big lugs on the GM solenoid. Thus don't use the wiring diagram above. Somehow get the big wire off the ford solenoid to hook straight to the starter lug (or jumper across the two big lugs on the GM unit) and connect the S wire on the GM to the S lug on the Ford. BTW, a DC motor and a DC generator are one and the same thing. Just a difference in prime power direction. Thus what blueovalz says is plausible. However I would have thought the overrunning clutch in the starter gear would have prevented the generator action. Maybe that is why some guys have seen the problem where others haven't, better clutches.

Marry a rich woman.

I am not sure what this fix is trying to do. If you guys tell me it makes the starter work better when hot, then I will take your word for it. But electrically it doesn't make any sense. Especially as wired above. The solenoid does two things. It pushes the starter gear into the flywheel and it connects the battery cable to the starter. The same movement that enages the gears forces a copper disk across the terminals on the back of the solenoid. Thus when cranking the terminal connected to the battery cable is connected directly to the starter lug (the terminal at the bottom of the solenoid) and the I terminal going to the ignition. What I think you guys want to do is connect the S terminal on the GM solenoid to the ignition switch (or the the S terminal on the Ford solenoid as someone pointed out earlier), but then connect the big cable from the ford solenoid directly to the starter lug. Don't connect anything to the GM solenoid's top lug or "I" terminal. This is essentially what Lone said to do by jumpering out the top and bottom lug on the GM solenoid. Even if you do this, all you are bypassing is the switch in the back of the solenoid. I don't see how heat could affect this much. (But then I have been wrong before.) Now I do know from personal experience that the copper disk connecting the solenoid lugs can get very corroded and burnt. When this happens, the solenoid will click as the gears are engaged, but the starter won't crank due to the bad connection. (Disassembling the solenoid and cleaning the contacts with a file will usually fix this. Or alternately shorting out the lugs with a screwdriver.) So maybe connecting the Ford solenoid like Lone or I said may give the starter just enough extra current to overcome the heat soak? But I would think that as long as the solenoid disk and lugs are clean that the voltage drop through the solenoid will be minor.

Corvettes have automatic transaxels? The driveshaft turns at the engine RPM? I did not know this.

The first link I posted talked about OBD III. About how they can hook up a toll booth speed pass system or cell phone to automatically transmit the emissions status and VIN number to big brother whenever the check engine light comes on. One idea was to hook up a GPS receiver so not only will they your car tell them you need emissions work, it will tell them where you are.

This topic overlaps another current topic http://www.hybridz.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=002518

Thanks. Looking forward to it.

This question overlaps this current topic http://www.hybridz.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=002513

Did some research and found some very interesting links. Did you know OBD II cars (everything since 1996) have real time data logging of everything from A/F ratios, coolant temps, MAF and manifold pressures and even G forces? There is a data port next to the driver that, using a $250 tool, connects to a PC or palm pilot for real time displays and data logging. They say you can monitor how your engine performance varies with different grades of gas. This link has some good OBD background: http://hometown.aol.com/carleyware/library/us796obd.htm While this site is OBD specific: http://www.obdii.com/ But this site has quite a number of interesting articles and links http://hometown.aol.com/carleyware/index.html

I also didn't care for platnium plugs with my 240. Got better performance out of the NGK's.