Pop N Wood
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Posts posted by Pop N Wood
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So does fiberglass qualify under the "replacement" catagory????
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Get off the Chevy board and into the "Drivetrain" or "Brakes Wheels and Suspension" boards. Not to mention "Exhaust" or even "Paint and Body" boards.
The need for further upgrades are well known and well talked about.
To further prevent sickness, look at the "Non-Tech" board or the "I'm telling ya" board.
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So am I to take it cops are like sharks waiting to bite you in the ...
Good info. Something I need to know since I am trying to figure out if I should license (and safety inspect) my Z before or after a V8 swap.
My biggest problem is finding definitive information. I talked to a local mechanic (who would probably be the one doing the safety inspection) about required smog equipment following an engine swap. He told me things I know were incorrect.
I also will go with the MSA fiberglass bumpers. But I have one advantage in that the fiberglass ones are probably as strong as the stock ones on my 70 Z.
Still I would like to know what the laws are.Until then I will rely on what my father in law (retired LAPD, pre-Rodney King vintage) called "passing the attitude test". Lots of "yes sir"'s, "no sir"'s and "get the f* out of here no one told me that i'll get it fixed right away" sirs.
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I am a converted disciple of Grumpyvette
I follow his advice like Pee Wee Herman searching for his remote.
But 1fastZ is giving some good advice too.
I am coming to the same conclusion. That is why my initial V8 conversion will either be carbureted or a near stock FI motor. The ultimate engine will have an aftermarket FI that is professionally tuned.if someone is on a budget you simply can NOT beat a carb for performance per dollar invested.zoncr is probably right too:
BUT that was not 1fastZ's contention. The question is "per dollar invested" and the ability of the average (or beginner) backyard mechanic to tune it. Seems like good advicethe TPIS mini-ram will out perform any carb.BAR NONE!!Also the comments concerning smog legal and visual inspections are probably true, especially if you live in a state like California where aftermarket parts need a CARB number.
This is why I value this site, lots of good information.
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Here is a realated thread that touched upon a lot of this
http://www.hybridz.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=000699
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I have a book on the history of the Z, and they said the original designers wanted "the styling of a Jaguar with the size of a Porsche 911.."
Had pictures of both and you can really see where they took styling cues from both. Plus the turn signals from Peterbuilt
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Can anyone post a link describing the proper steps/tutorial to set up a rear end?
Just how hard is this to do? Most of the books/car mags make is sound like something a DIY would not want to attempt. Does it require special tools or is this just something that is better learned from someone with experience?
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Little worried about "long extension cord" comment.
This is on the power cord plugged into the wall? Generally not a good (or safe) thing to do.
Keep a fire extinguisher handy. -
Man, I saw that one coming
Actually a nice high tech, 32 valve V8 would make for a pretty eye opening ride. The two things that would make me think twice are the high entry cost (expensive engine) and the lack of detailed information on the swap.
Looks like you have the first one covered (although you didn't mention whether you had a transmission).
The second one could be more of a can of worms. I'll look into my JTR manaual again tonight to see if it was an infiniti or lexus engine. Either way you may want to email the JTR guy and see if he will forward a message to whoever owned the car in his book. Even a few pointers might save you a ton of trial and error. Doesn't look like too many Q45 swap guys are on this site.
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Doesn't the latest edition of the JTR manual show a picture of a Z with an Infiniti 32 valve V8? Or was it a Toyota 32 valve V8.
The JTR book said it was a very pretty installation, but very expensive, time consuming and produced a slower car than a Chevy swap.
I guess if you have the bucks for an infiniti motor than you can probably afford to experiment a little. If you do it post lots of pictures so we can all follow.
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Totally off the point, but the WWII fighter P47 Thunderbolt used a 2800 CI Prat and Whitney 18 cylinder radial engine with a turbo and blower. The war emergency power rating of 2535 HP was acheived with the water methonol injection and Nitrous on.
I have contacted JTR to see if he has a conversion manual for this.
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Angelo
I don't personally know of any for sale, but Pete Paraska listed one on his web site.
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/pparaska/kenz4sale.htm
Don't know if the car is still for sale.
The link has been there for awhile.
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You get another 2 cents worth.
When I bought my Z I noticed a clunking from the front end during the test drive. Figured it was a ball joint or wheel bearing and decided to fix it once I owned it. The front end checked out OK, so just lived with the mild clunk.
In subsequent upgrades I decided to install gas struts and new springs. It was then that I noticed the nut on the top of the strut must have been loose allowing the strut to flop around a bit. Worse yet, the movement had rounded out the normally D shaped hole and had worn over half way through the strut rod itself!
So yeah, a clunking could be caused by a loose strut nut. So try retorqueing the struts and if you get ANY significant movement out of the nut OR if this fixes the clunk, then DISASSEMBLE ALL 4 STRUT TOWERS TO MAKE SURE NOTHING IS ABOUT TO BREAK IN TWO!!! My problem was with the top of the strut, but obviously any problems with the bottom (rubber gone, strut pin, or the big nut holding the catridge in the tube) will cause the same problem.
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Seems like you're really forging new ground here.
And you're doing this on a car that runs 9's?
Guess I would urge caution. I'll also second what Jeff said. Seems like a lot of force to be applying to such a thin piece of aluminum. Might be better off machining a whole new hub ($$$).
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Keep in mind there is a chance that everything in your suspension is fine and you have a resonance problem.
Ever see the videos of the Tacoma Narrow Bridge? If a mechanical system is stimulated with vibration of the correct frequency, it can resonate just like a guitar string.
I would assume your front end has been modified to stiffen everything and to remove all of rubber pieces with derlin or aluminum. Datsun added all that rubber for a reason.
Thus if I were you I would check the wheel balance like everyone suggests. I would also make certain none of your tires are out of round. Know this one from personal experience. I would also think a bad alignment could contribute to the problem.
Once you are sure you have no front end problems, then you may need to do things to try and dampen the vibration or change it's frequency. I am not sure how you would go about this. Anything you do, like switching to a different type of tires or shocks, could affect the problem.
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If you are talking about buying new springs to cut down anyway, why not just buy a stiffer set of springs that are already at the correct ride height? MSA claims their springs will lower the ride 1 1/2 inches. Any lower than consider coilovers.
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Hey, Soulfly454. Dig your homepage!!!
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Thanks for all of the input guys, some ideas to chew on.
Having such an early 240 I don't see how it is possible to string together 3 mufflers and still have ground clearance. Guess it can (and is) be done. The JTR manual was kinda down on the need for dual exhaust. Maybe I will go single pipe with the a near stock motor transplant, then go fuel cell/duals if and when it goes high HP. From these posts I get the idea there is a little more room for the stock fill pipe than I imagined.
I like the idea of the custom muffler in front of the diff. Would like to see pictures if anyone has that available.
Also really like VRJoe's and Big Phil's approaches. Looking forward to any pictures!
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The ACME comment wins! Hands down!
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I have a related question. I have a 240 that has been repainted once (a very high quality job). If I do the same as JamesL and run it in primer, what will I need to do prior to the final coat? How many layers of paint and primer are acceptable before problems occur?
I have read from past posts that using chemical strippers leaves a rough surface that takes some time to smooth back out. Thus is it feasible to try and sand 2 layers of paint and a top layer of primer down to the factory primer before the final paint?
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You've got us all interested now!
If you had the stock unvented rotor then I would add that it is entirely possible to overheat and warp the rotors with one "spirited" driving session. Since you have the 300 ZX rotors (which I assume are vented), then I would hope that is is much harder to do. At least that is the whole point of going to that set up, better heat dissipation.
Still think you need to check the rotor run out before you do anything else. And since you didn't specifically mention it, make certain the rest of your front end parts are solid (tie rod ends, bushings, TC rods, steering rack mounts).
The spacer being off center would imply a wheel balance problem like you mention. A vibration during braking might be caused if the spacer was not perfectly flat (thus the wheel is not truely perpendicular to the spindle axis), but since I assume this problem was not present from day 1 it is probably something else.
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I had an Aunt who painted her car with a brush. The things you will do when you are poor.
Actually I would like to second what Mike Z said. Spray cans will look pretty bad. A Maaco job is an option but some of the Maaco jobs I have seen were so bad that you would probably want to completely remove them prior to a final job.
My suggestion is to buy or borrow a cheap spray gun and paint it with a sandable primer. I think that is the kind that can stand weather. Then you will have joined the elite group of individuals who have painted their cars the internationally respected Hot Rod color: primer grey
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Same thing happened to my Z. The steering wheel would vibrate back and forth when I would brake from speed. Got worse the faster I went and the harder I braked.
In my case it was warped/worn rotors. Check the rotor run out. Any good shop manual will tell you how. If the run out is excessive you might be able to get them turned. At the time new rotors from MSA were only $35 each, so that is the route I went.
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Alright, collecting opinions on exhaust and fuel cell layout.
For a V8 swap in an early 240 it looks like a dual exhaust with 2 full sized turbo mufflers will give me a quiet ride with good performance. Target HP range: probably 300 HP but don’t want to rule out an eventual build up to 400+ HP. To accomplish this I have just about decided I can live without a spare. The question now becomes what is the best way to accomplish this?
My problem is I do NOT want the fuel filler inside the car. I have enough trouble with spilled coffee.
From spending half my working hours perusing this site (
) I have come up with several options that appeal to me:1 Keep stock fuel tank, hammer down or remove the spare tire well and put both mufflers on the left rear corner.
2 Lose the spare tire well and stock tank, put a fuel cell in the middle and mufflers on the left and right corners.
3 Put both pipes straight down the middle with a small tank in the right rear corner. (Someone on this site has this combo.)
4 Sidepipes.
The car will be a summers only street machine that will hopefully see some club racing.
I really like the look of dual pipes anchoring each corner of the rear end! This would allow some flexibility adjusting the exit location to avoid possible exhaust fumes in the car. (Saw this topic in a very old HybridZ post.) Problem with this (I assume) is I cannot reuse the stock fill location since it would have to cross over a muffler. This leads to a custom made tank and/or fuel cell mounted in the center. But then what are the options for a fuel inlet? Has anyone tried building a flip down license plate with a fuel filler behind it? Could I find a fuel cell that would support this or do most fuel cells have the fill location TDC?
What would be involved in making a tank from scratch? Does anyone have any convenient links illustrating how to build a tank (with tips on baffles, internal coatings, flexible fill tubes, etc.)? Should I be worried about the Pinto syndrome? Or is it best to modify a junk yard tank from some other vehicle?
Finally, has anyone discovered or made an oversized muffler with dual 2 ½ inch inlets and a single outlet? Something like this might fit in the stock muffler location and allow me to keep the spare tire well in tact.
Opinions?
Alternate suggestions?
Still I would like to know what the laws are.
This is on the power cord plugged into the wall? 
Keep a fire extinguisher handy. 
) I have come up with several options that appeal to me:
welding
in Miscellaneous Tech
Posted
Only real problem with owning a welder is when all of your buddies find out. The MIG's are really good at welding new input flanges on rusted out catalytic converters. You end up spending half your weekends fixes other people's rusted out hunks!