HS1370

Yatsen, Katech builds 4.3 performance motors. I don't have any contact info, but you should be able to find them by doing a web search. Be prepared to spend big $ though. Any competent engine builder should be able to build a 4.3 for you. As I mentioned above, many of the speed parts that fit a small block chevy will fit this engine. This engine was used years ago in the Nascar Busch series. Some parts are a bit harder to come by. Aluminum heads, manifolds, bow tie blocks etc are available from Chevy performance, Brodix also has a head and intake manifold for this motor. MSD has a distributor, electromotive a crank fire ignition system. Sanderson makes headers. Edelbrock has a manifold. Cams are available from the usual sources. If you are willing to buy used you can pick up many of the high dollar speed parts for a lot less than new retail. I picked up a complete motor with High Port aluminum heads 2.1/1.65 stainless valves, the chevy performance manifold, roller rockers, melling pump......for $1,000. I also have a set of the 18 degree heads and a Brodix manifold sitting on the shelf in case I want to get real serious. David, Hot Rod magazine a year or so ago put a Vortech Blower on a 4.3 that was slightly built. 501 HP was the result. The felt they could have made more but they blew a head gasket. A good copper head gasket would fix that. This with with stock chevy 4.3 heads. The 4.3 has good potential at a lighter weight than a SBC. However, the same horsepower with a SBC is cheaper to achieve than with a 4.3. If you want to go a slightly different route than the crowd and put a 4.3 into a Z like I do then it is a good option.

190 HP out of the box, although the Mercury Marine version is rated at 205. Many of the parts that are used on a SBC fit the 4.3 except the obvious things such as crank, exhaust, cam etc. as well as connecting rods. Pistons, flexplate or flywheel, timing chain, front cover, pulleys, oil and fuel pump, rockers, harmonic damper, +++ are interchangeable.

Tomo My understanding of the C rating is that it is the amount of non conducting extinguishing agent. As you mentioned probably not a problem for automotive electrical fires.

Halon not Halogen, unless you want to see in the dark and not put out a fire. The A rating means the extinguisher puts out fire such as paper. The B is for flammable liquids The C is for electrical fires. Most car fires are going to be either flammable liquids (type or electrical (type c). You want an extinguisher with a high number before the B C rating. Halon is good so is CO2, less mess to clean up. Dry Chem works well but it makes a hell of a mess and is very abrasive. As someone above said bigger is better. Don't worry about how it looks, worry about having enough extinguisher to put out the fire. If you have a serious gasoline fire the little 5 pounders may not have enough umpf to put out the fire. Then you get to watch your car burn to the ground before the fire dept get there to put it out. Whatever extinguisher you choose make sure you know how to use it. If you use a Halon or CO2 extinguisher keep hosing down the fire area even after it looks as if the fire is out. Whatever you do make sure you have a bracket that secures the fire extinguisher properly. The plastic one that come with the cheap extinguishers are no good for vehicles. In an accident the extinguisher could come loose and bounce around the inside of the car. Having something that weighs as much as a bowling ball bouncing around loose is not my idea of fun. And don't mount the extinguiser on the roll bar behind your head. Hit another car at 60 and that extinguisher may be hitting you in the back of the head at 60.

I'm interested in either a CF or glass dash. Count me as one.

ON3GO Try a book called "Competition Car Composites" by Simon McBeath. It will get you started. Scott

DrewZ You might try a book called "Competition Car Composites" I think the author is Simon McBeath. If that not right I'll repost after I look at the book tonight. Covers everything from mould making, different material from CSM to pre-preg carbon fiber, techniques etc. It's written for the DIY'er not the professional. It helped me a lot. Scott

Carlo raised a good point. I ran into a bridge abutment on the freeway, right side of car. Everything on the right side of the engine was pushed back to the firewall. In my crash, with some of the bracing above, I bet the brace would have been forced into the passenger compartment if it wasn't braced from behind. Tbuck, Carlo was right, great looking engine compartment. Scott

Terry, I didn't get your message, just noticed I haven't rec'd an email at home in 7 days. Try me at my work email, scott@weststarfinancial.org. Thanks, Scott

TBroZ When were you looking to replace the dash. I have a one out of a 70 240z that is not cracked, at least it wasn't 5 years ago when I took it out and put it into storage. I haven't decided whether or not to use that dash, build a new one, or use another that I have that is cracked and put a dash cap on it. From memory the only thing that was wrong with the one I had was that the glove box door had a hole cut in it for some reasons. A glove box door would be easy to replace. Also, don't know what shipping would be to you from Seattle for such a bulky item. I had an engine shipped from Tucson for 224.00, but they charged a minimum of 500 lbs. If you are interested you may force me to make up my mind one way or another. Scott

I would think that a small lip, perpindicular to the airflow, right above the hatch should disrupt the airflow enough to reduce the lift. It usually doesn't take much to trip the boundry layer, maybe 1/2 to 1 inch at most. It would be pretty easy to test with some angle aluminum and string taped to the rear hatch glass. Similar to the fences that run parallel to the airflow on NASCAR cars. When the car gets sidewase on the track, those fences disrupt the airflow over the top of the car, helping to keep it from taking flight. Scott

I'm shooting for <2200 for my 240z. That will be with a Chevy 4.3 v-6, aluminum heads and manifold which I already have and a t-5 which I don't have. I'll try to shave weight where I can. Some possibilities are fiberglass hatch, hood and bumpers, speedglass instead of real glass for the hatch, and side windows. Although I'll add weight back in with a roll cage. I think 2200 is possible but we'll see.

A good place to start would be to get the conversion manual from JTR. You can order it online at www.jagsthatrun.com. Even if you go with the MSA mounts and with it being a ZX and not a Z there is lots of good info in the JTR manual to get you started. Scott

I'm no engineer but it seems to me that that is potentially a high stress area of the unibody. The front frame rails, firewall, front suspension tower all adding to stress in that area. I would think that a properly welded patch would be the best solution. Also, you should check the firewall and frame for rust damage. Scott

Correction to above post. The book is called "Competition Car Composites" by Simon McBeath

Ferd, There is a book called "Race Car Composites" which is oriented to the DIY composite builder. Goes into detail about mold construction, the variety of composites including aramid and carbon, epoxy and poleyester resins, vacume bagging etc. The book is written in plain english. If you use wax as a release compound make sure it does not contain silicone. If you want flat smooth panels, how about using plate glass to lay it up on. Scott

Jeff, There are two on ebay right now. Both appear to be fine spline t-5's which would make the from a camaro, not a s-10. One is currently at about $250.00, the other guy is too high with a starting bid of 350.00. Neither one says if it is a world class t-5, though you could email the seller they may know. Although not a plentiful as the mustang t-5's, there is a fairly steady stream listed on ebay. Scott

Alex, I'm interested in the brodix pics, I'll email you. Also, do you know if you can notch the top of the cylinder bores to clear the big valves in the 18 degree heads, obviously staying above the piston rings. Or is the only way to run these heads to use a bowtie block bored to 4.125. Also what is the max bore for the stock production block. Is it 4.040 or can you go to 4.060. Thanks S

Mr. L Weight savings wouldn't be the reason to go to a 4.3. The total savings would probably be in the neighborhood of 75-100lbs. The block is 25 lbs lighter that the sbc, add into that a shorter crank, shorter heads, manifold, etc and two fewer connecting rods and pistons. As John Scott mentioned above, his weight dist was 49/51 with the 4.3, a sbc would be very easy to get to a 50/50 weight distribution. Either way handling would be great for both cars. 300 to 350 hp out of a small block is easier and cheaper to come by than with a 4.3. Not that it would be all that difficult with a 4.3, but performance parts are much more plentiful and cheaper for the sbc. If you are patient you can get good used performance parts, such as heads and intake manifolds for the 4.3. New stuff is really expensive and stock 4.3 heads don't have a lot of porting potential. It will be easier to do the v-8 conversion over the v-6. If you go the JTR route the parts are available, or if you want to make your own the design work has been done. If you go the 6 route you will need to design and fab your own motor mounts. I decided to go the 4.3 route just to be a little different. Since I'm not in a big hurry I've been able to accumulate performance parts for the 4.3 at a reasonable price. It just depends on what you are after.

John, It would have been interesting to have put my heads on your motor. I wonder what kind of HP that combo would have made.

If you run a search in here you will find a lot of topic re the 4.3 in a Z. John Scott, who posts here has put a 4.3 with a turbo in his Z. The JTR set back plates won't work with the 4.3, the motor would be to far forward which would move the shift lever forward approx 4.5". The t-56 out of a IROC or Trans-am would work since the 4.3 uses the same flywheel as a SBC and the bellhousing will bolt right up. Although the 4.3 shares the same layout as the sbc and can use many of the same parts, there are one significant differences. The stock 4.3 uses a split pin crank with larger journals than a SBC. SBC rods won't work unless you can find a odd fire crank. This requires a different distributor (MSD makes one) and a different cam. If you get the chevy performance book they go into all of this. There are a lot of parts out there for these motors. Chevy performance has new performance heads although they are big $. Lots of used stuff available as well. I just picked up a complete motor with chevy high port aluminum heads 2.1 intake 1.65 exhaust, chevy performance manifold, MSD, Moroso waterpump, holley carb for 1k. I also have a set of the 18 degree heads and brodix manifold for when I get the $ together for a killer motor. Stay away from the post 92 hipo 4.3 with the balance shaft, alot of the aftermarket stuff won't work with it. As soon as I pick up a t-5 I'm going to start on my 4.3 in a 240z project.

I have thought about using plates for the 4.3 that I will be putting into my Z. My thought had been to use urethane bushings to isolate the plate/chassis. It wouldn't be as stiff as solid mounting but it should isolate the vibrations.

So you want something unique for you hybrid Aurora v8 on ebay

Jeronimo, Thanks I figured it was to good to be true. S

Yesterday on Ebay I saw a new 2000 LS 1 block, never used, listed at $550.00 if you wanted to "buy it now". Seemed like a good price for a new aluminum block. My question is... can you use any SBC parts, such as crank, heads, intake etc with the LS 1 block or do you have to use LS 1 parts? Online I found a Chevy dealer that sells the 2001 LS 1/6 block for about 1,200, much less that the other performance aluminum blocks. If it works with standard SBC parts if seems like a reasonable price for an aluminum block.