The Chiropractor

Steve, you're probably right on your numbers. I am converting from Scarab conversion to JTR to upgrade to T5 trans, and I think I have logged in about $3k so far. I still need to buy heater components, new air conditioning components, driveline, exhaust, and relays for the electric fan setup. That also includes some Endurashine products from Edelbrock like a new intake, H20 pump, and a lot of other things that could have been forgone, but I am going for a "hybrid/hybrid." (read: a show quality daily driver) I bought the entire car for $6300, with 43k original documented miles, 20k on motor, with some suspension mods. I've been driving it this way for 5 years pretty much trouble free. I think you'll find a lot of them out there. My California B.A.R. sticker is dated 1987, when you could convert with smog requirements of the power plant, not the car. I have a '65 327 chevy, so it has a charcoal canister and pcv valve. That's it. Obviously, doing a conversion from square one right now will require a lot of consideration and likely add some complexity and uncertainty when it comes time for the referee station. A car that is already built and legally on the road will surely save you thousands, and rest assured, you will probably find plenty to do with it to make it your own. Just a thought...

Quik240Z, you may not have as much trouble mounting the seats into your 240 compared to the '77. I have a '77 also, and have noticed less room in the floor area due to larger trans tunnel compared to some of the 240 swap pictures I have seen. Good luck and let's see the pictures...

I love seeing these threads come back to life. Seems that when deciding which kit to use, the engine position is always a bone of contention among members. On another "old" thread I read recently, there was discussion about whether or not to modify an original Scarab-built car. (NOT just a kit) As the arguments ensued, Mike Knell (of JTR notoriety) was kind enough to remind everyone that the main reason for his design choice mounting the engine in the rearward position was mainly so that he could use the T5 or T56 transmission with proper placement of the shifter through the stock location. It seems that all of the different kits have their own merits. Mike says in his own book that if you had a Scarab style conversion you could pare down the weight of the V8 with aluminum heads and such, move the battery to the rear of the vehicle, etc. to acheive the desired weight distribution. The JTR kit happens to have its own benefits in the area of better engine cooling, better transmission fitment possibilities, and of course, the better engine placement. I know that there are many out there using the JCI and MSA kits who are quite happy with them. Personally, I am switching from Scarab conversion to JTR in order to switch from 4spd to 5spd. I gotta admit, I hated cutting off that hood latch though....

Don't worry, Love-my-V8! Just wait until one of those Camaros or Vettes tries to flex and go around you on a freeway onramp and you launch past them. You will experience the wonder and joy of what happens when tears roll down a surprised face. When you let them get back next to you, notice that most of them will not look at you. Smile and wave anyway. Just make sure to keep it around the speed limit, right?

Did you check out CygnusX1's thread about the bumper swap? Just type "bumper swap" in the search window. The coolest one I've seen so far...

I have a pair of Prelude seats EXACTLY like Poundz9oh9's that seemed not to work well with my '77 280. (Too high for me.) Perhaps the trans tunnel is wider on the driver's side than the 240? I would love to sell them. VGC, let me know.

I must agree with the "Loud pipes save lives" concept. I used to get cut off in traffic at least once per day when I rode a sportbike. (Yamaha FZR1000) Since owning a Harley with aftermarket pipes, everyone sees you, drivers wince, and flocks of birds vacate trees as you ride by. Certainly someone must make a fart can for these cars by now... something with about a 6-inch diameter exhaust tip? Cool.

That looks like a fine addition to the shop! Anybody on this thread know where to seek instruction or recommend a course on how to build skills with a welder?

I agree with Mrfancypants regarding the non-running vehicle price guideline of $1k. I don't recall you saying if the struts and springs are aftermarket performance units or stock replacements. Same with the bushings. If this guy works at a dealership, let him get it running, then it's much more worth looking at. Most of the members on this site with experience will agree that if there is one rust bubble on a car, there's more where that came from. If you're goal is to have a super clean car, you'll end up doing a complete repaint of the car with untold repairs required. I would bet that you can find one for $5500 that is pretty straight in the paint department, as well as everywhere else!

I want to keep looking for a big hinge or seam on the top of the car... Maybe the entire tail section (with rear quarter windows and back window) flips open to access the backseat and trunk of the car?

I can remember seeing my first z-car in 1970 when I was about 5 years old, and thinking "man, that car is BOSS!!!" I have always loved the look and styling of the cars and in the back of my mind, a Z was placed on the "list of things to own." When I was in chiropractic school in the mid '90's, I found myself making my way through school doing car repair work. Mostly tune-ups and brake jobs. I was driving a very sweet '85 Mazda Rx7 GSLSE (nicest model of early body style). Loved it. I often bought fixers and flipped them for money, and found this 1976 280 for $300. It had a super cheap repaint that had turned baby-poop brownish green, poor repair work done to the head (manifold leak), the usual torn seats and cracked dash, rotten window seals and stock suspension, engine and steel wheels. Did I mention it had some rear quarter body damage? Anyway, the crazy thing is that I found myself driving this car ALL the time. It was just way more fun than the Rx7 (to me). I soon realized that the 280 was beyond restoration for me at that time. So I sold the Rx7, found another 1976 280 in much better shape and scavenged the few good parts that were on the first 280 and swapped them onto the "new" car. Sold the first one. I then started looking at mods and joined the Zcar club and began reading. Did a lot of mods to the suspension of that car, spent countless hours on it, and really enjoyed it. It was my DD through the rest of school. After graduation, I drove it from Stockton California to McMinnville Oregon to visit a friend, on my way to Seattle to take the state board there. I stayed the night at my buddy's place and awoke in the morning to find the car stolen! The police got there and stood around the empty parking space scratching their heads with blank looks. I asked them "why are you standing there like that?" and they said it was the first car stolen in McMinnville that year.... it was July. Following this, I rented a car and drove home and bought a Civic sedan. Didn't grab me. Sold it and bought another '76 280 with similar suspension mods to the last one and went further with it to get it to my liking. I eventually bought a '75 911, and sold the Z to my nephew. The 911 eventually developed an engine problem that no one (numerous Porsche specialists) could seem to identify. ['74-'77 911s look cool but should be avoided unless equipped with 3.0 or better motor.] Sold the Porsche... I then found my current car, '77 280 SBC conversion with 43k original miles and haven't looked back. The nicest one I've owned... I bought a '78 afterwards for a project and never really got started with it, so I traded it for a cool massage chair. Regardless of whatever else I drive, I will always hang on to this Z. I love it!!!

I'm thinking that the trunk has been converted to a wicked air-tight sub enclosure and that those tail light bulbs can be changed by screwing off the lenses like mayonaise jar lids....

Bought my entire car for $6300 as seen (+ about $600 in upgrades) in pics that has super T10 4spd w/327 SBC (supposedly w/365hp) and Scarab style conversion. Am doing T5 upgrade with JTR conversion changeover with lots of goodies and have about an additional $3000 in it so far. Not really counting on purpose! www.cardomain.com/ride/2886421/1

Sunroof is a deal breaker for me, but if you're looking to part it out or scavenge some items off of it, you may be doing ok to get it for $500 if it runs. BTW, does it? also looks pretty rusty. Crazy thing is, I bought my first 280 for $300, it looked like hell, had some rear crash damage, engine problems, and I thought I'd fix 'er up. At the time I had a very nice Rx7 GSLSE. I found myself driving the 280 more often because it was so much fun to drive. I soon ditched the "project" and bought one that was in much better shape in the $3000 range. You can bypass a lot of headache by passing on this car...(unless parts is all you want)

Derek and Jim both make good points. The way I see it, those who are spending $50 on paint may not have the additional resources to put into the project. The paint job on my car was done no less than 20 years ago. www.cardomain.com/ride/2886421/1 Not exactly sure what they used, but DuPont Imron is my best guess. I can tell you that there was a lot of prep work that went into it, from flares to frenched antenna, and it looks as good up close as at a distance. No doubt, good prep work will take you a long way, and that is true whether you're painting a house, a car, or anything. I have to say I have been impressed with the stuff I have seen on this thread. I agree somewhat with Big Jim about what to use if you're only planning on limited time of ownership, but I would have to say that when it comes to one of these cars, maybe use of better materials will keep more of these around (in good shape) for a longer time...

Someone clue me in as to why you'd want RHD in the USA??? Really, I don't know, I'm asking...

I'd love a copy as well if you don't mind. I'm running a 1965 327ci in this 1977 but I don't think this will be my last conversion... www.cardomain.com/ride/2886421/1

My three year old would go nuts driving one of those!!!

That's just plain cruel isn't it...

I have a 1999 Harley Dyna Lowrider and a 2001 Honda CR500. (Can someone tell me where to find the instructions on how to post pictures?)

I can certainly appreciate the fact that you work hard for the cash you bring home, but I have to agree with the rest of the responses. Cough up the 40 smackers and support one of the people who really has put a lot into the development of making these special and unique cars even more exciting. Besides, certainly you could save some cash on some other area of your project, right??? (I saved over a hundred bucks on a set of block hugger headers still in box.) Additionally, if you have the copy of the JTR book on hand, it will make a lot more sense of the "ocean" of information that is in this forum.... www.jagsthatrun.com

I encountered the same thing with my S30 that I changed over to the MSA poly bushings a number of years ago. With the control arm side bolted on enough for leverage, I put the setup together with both poly bushings, inner sleeves and washers without putting it through the mounting point on the body of the car. Then I tightened the thing down a bunch to compress the bushings. The bushings are rather slow to rebound, so I was able to take it back apart and make the final assembly with no problem due to the fact that the bushings were still a little compressed, yet slid easily over the inner sleeves. It had enough room to get the threads started easily. BTW, I used poly bushings on both sides. Before reading this thread I had never heard of using rubber on one side and poly on the other...

I am diggin' the stabilizer bar setup!!! Would've liked to see the body color in the engine bay though. I'm sure I will get over it too... This is really one of the coolest Z's I've seen!

That is a beautiful dash!!! (not to mention equally gorgeous interior) I just coughed up the 12 benjamins for a new (stock) one. I imagine the work to cover yours was close to that expense??? Another question/concern is, can you get the smaller stock fuel/temp guages and clock installed from the rear with that setup, or do you have to purchase new ones that load in from the front?