Hey all, I've been on this forum for a couple of years and don't post a whole lot, just mainly read and research and read some more. I currently own two Z's. A 240 and a 260. Both cars are being built for performance, mostly Autocross/road course. My 240 is a rust free car I got from Arizona, and I already have most of my parts lined up to start building this car. (hopefully it will be done by 2016.) What I am looking for advice from you guys is the 260z. I bought this car from an old man here in Iowa who has had his car in storage for several years. The body on this car is damn near flawless for its age, only problem is.. The barn it was stored in had a squirrel infestation problem. That being said, although the exterior of the car is in great, rust free shape, the squirrels had packed acorns and nuts inside of this car and over the years it began to take it's toll. The floor of this Z is completely gone. Floors, frame rails under the floors, the whole passenger side firewall, and most of the passenger side frame rail in the engine compartment is GONE.!.
The man's son had started trying to restore the car and gutted it. No interior/ no engine...it's just a bare shell with the suspension under it. Now I know a lot of guys on this forum are purists and don't like people just throwing V8's in the Z's...but I have personal reasons for why I want to LS swap this car. Due to these personal reasons, this car needs to be an animal on the track. (mainly Autocross.) A lot of people have seen the floors of this car and are telling me to just find another rust free Z to start this project, but the more I think about it, I think I have the perfect starting point for what I am thinking about doing. The body on this car is wayyyy too good to just throw away... so what about building a custom tube frame, a full rolling caged setup, and then just dropping the Z body down over the tube chassis?
I know this includes a ton of work and a ton of research to get the geometry right. But I know my way around a car, I have been racing for several years now so I know a lot of the basics in setting up a car, and I weld for a living so building a frame that will hold up and be safe should not be a problem.
Are there any unexpected problems that I am going to come across by attempting to do what I have just explained? I have seen a couple of tube frame builds but not enough to really give me a good idea of what I am getting into. The geometry and engineering part is what I am most worried about. I have a friend who is a Civil Engineer, who said he can draw up some dimensions for me in CAD....problem with that is that he isn't a mechanical engineer...and doesn't have the suspension knowledge to help as much as I would like....
I'm sure there are going to be a lot of flamers on here....and there is no need for that. Any advice that can be given will be greatly appreciated, and I don't mind constructive criticism.
Thanks, Sean.