Scottie-GNZ

Nick, one of your mates has a really sweet V-8 swap. I cannot remember his name so do a search. If I recall, he appeared to have a healthy investment in that setup so judge your decision accordingly. The V-6 turbo was available in the US in the Turbo Regal, Grand National(X) and Turbo Trans Am. I do not know if it was offered in any Aussie-based GM vehicles. It was only available only with the TH200R4 4-speed automatic tranny. The Buick folks stick with the auto because the manual requires work/expense to fit and supposedly loses performance. This though is from a drag racing perspective. The V-6 turbo is a low-revving, high-torque monster. It will make A LOT more HP than the V-8, 300+ with just higher octane and more boost and 400+ with just a turbo upgrade, better I/C and fueling. BTW, that is RWHP. It would take a lot of $$$ to make the V-8 match that and then probably not very streetable, but it all depends on what you are after. If you are into road racing, it is the V-8/5-spd hands-down. If you are into drag racing, you can have a unique Jekyll-Hyde 260Z. Docile street car with good mileage than can run a 10-sec 1/4-mile. [ June 11, 2001: Message edited by: Scottie-GNZ ]

The best turbo exhaust is no exhaust. Having said that, at the HP levels most of us are running, 2.5" is not going to hurt you. Remember the 1000hp Stage II Buick I posted a while ago is running a 3" DP, so what is a 3" DP doing for a 350hp engine over a 2.5"? As DRAX said, if you have have the room or have to make bends, go 3".

Rained out again, so I wil try Friday night.

Phil, welcome and glad to see you finally made it. This is a HybridZ site but we love hybrids in general and folks with ingenuity. We even have a 66 Mustang with a Aussie L6.

Jack, all of my mandrel bending was done by a shop in N. Ft Lauderdale which I believe is the only mandrel bender in FL. I have a friend here who does great welding and can make anything you want but it will be in sections using pre-bent mandrel pipes. I will be taking my car to the track tonight if weather permits, so drop by if you are free. I know where you are located and we are close.

Get in line

I currently have a welded rear and although I would not recommend it to everyone, it will do in a pinch if you are a drag racer. I recently snapped a CV but I cannot say I would attribute it to the welded rear but probably more to a used part under the stress of 510+ lb/ft of torque being lauched with sticky tires on a transbrake. I think that is asking too much of a 20-year CV designed to support an engine with 200 lb/ft torque. I also would not say you cannot make turns over 15mph. What I have experienced is the inside tire dragging on VERY SLOW sharp turns and difficulty pushing the car if the wheel is not perfectly straight. Under normal driving conditions, I do not notice anything unusual. This is not to disagree with N_R_383, but my experience is with the Nissan IRS and CVs and is probably different from what he experienced with a solid axle. I would be willing to bet that John Coffey had the same experiences I do. Having said all of that, not recommended for a daily driver but if you are a frequent drag racer with a peg-leg, it serves the purposes if you understand and accept the negatives.

DO not rule out the 4-cyl turbo as a swap option for the Z-car although I would not do it in anything but a lightweight 240Z. One of my buddies here in Orlando (also a friend of Stony) has an early RHD Silvia with the 1.8L turbo, T04E and SDS and he ran a 12.0 @ 119. Let me repeat that, 119mph and yes it should have been quicker but he had massive wheelspin. He went to 255 Advans and tried a 7000 RPM launch and broke the tranny. Surprise . His car weighed in at about 2600lbs with driver and that computes to 340RWHP that purrs like a kitten around town.

Thanks, All. I can live with the gauge reading backwards. Without a gauge I live on the edge because I intentionally keep my tank low unless I am taking a long trip. I try to have less than 5.5 gals in the tank to make it less painful to drain the pump gas when it is time to go to the track. So, for me the gauge does not have to be dead accurate, I just need an indicator of when I hit 1/4, err, 3/4-tank. Whatever, you know what I mean

Jack, we have to get together so I can see this hybrid of yours. I have "fiddled" with SDS in the past and the prime US distibutor is a personal friend. I am in the Oviedo area.

240Z Turbo is in the process of building an L6 TT setup.

Engine is stock, $1500 http://www.turbobuicks.com/ubb/Forum11/HTML/000418.html Trans has a 2800 stall converter and shift kit, $500 http://www.turbobuicks.com/ubb/Forum11/HTML/000419.html Also has the complete engine harness, $200. Sounds like a nice $2K package to me. [ June 05, 2001: Message edited by: Scottie-GNZ ]

Now Mike, imagine that 6-banger not in your Blazer but in something weighing 1500lbs less and with forced-induction to boot .

I just asked a related question in another section but will ask it here also. My fuel cell has a GM-type sender (MikeK, please confirm if you can) and need to know if it can be made to work with the stock fuel gauge.

OK folks, rather than giving myself another headache trying to figure this out, I will simply ask the question. Has anyone used the standard fuel-level sender on fuel cells with the stock fuel gauge? I believe the sender on the unit I got is a GM and maybe MikeK can confirm that. Is everyone with a fuel cell using an aftermarket fuel gauge?

Hey Mike, got rained out last night so will try again next Wed if the weather holds up.

Evan, I will return your letter unopened. The DP for the T-5 was made and the guy was in town and picked it up but I have not heard back from him to see if it fits. If you are doing an external wastegate, none of my measurements matter anymore. However, I am not sure exactly what you are doing. This last ordeal with the DPs was too damn painful and I am not sure I want to bother with them. Drop me an email and let me know what you are doing exactly and how I can help.

http://www.bakerprecision.com/silicone.htm http://www.hosetechniques.com/ Apply for a loan Jack, a couple of us will be at Orlando Speedworld tonight (6p). Try and stop by or lets make arrangements to get together sometime. [ June 01, 2001: Message edited by: Scottie-GNZ ] [ June 01, 2001: Message edited by: Scottie-GNZ ]

I am willing to bet there are 280ZXs that still have the original O2 sensor from the factory . You guys are correct about O2 sensors being sensitive to certain chemicals. I would advise anyone who is going to rely on the O2 sensor for tuning/performance, etc, to budget 2 extra sensors a year and more if you use leaded gas. I can tell when mine is going bad and I probably use 4/yr. I am close to understanding the optimum EGT temp and soon will stop using the O2 sensor because I am running open loop. I consider the extra sensors a necessity have had good luck with the Bosch units and I buy them (1-wire) from Auto Zone for $29.

BLKMGK, you hit the nail on the head with these systems. Water spray is most effective when it is applied as a fine mist that evaporates immediately. The problem with racing with that setup is the concern about it not misting and instead streaming water which drips right in front of the rear tires . A more efective method of decreasing detonation is to inject alcohol in the up pipe just before the TB. It is still, however, a poor and more complex substitute for doing it the correct way which is properly sized injectors, an efficient I/C and octane.

Respected but not necessarily used. The Buick crowd is very conscious of shops that recognize the differences between the run of the mill 200R4 and the one used with the turbo. When they find someone that has proven themselves they stick with that person/shop.

Mike, a very conservative guideline says those injs can support 480RWHP at 80% duty cycle. They can certainly support 600 but you would obviously have to run beyond 80% DC and maybe even a little more FP. Nothing wrong with that but just thought I would throw that out because I saw you make mention of turning down the FP.

For those trying to make a transmission decision, I found this as a result of a 700R4 vs 200R4 question. http://www.drwtransmission.com/4L60E.htm

http://www.turbobuicks.com/ubb/Forum11/HTML/000378.html You snooze, you lose.

Curtis, still do not know what type of combo you have. Hopefully it is not a turbo. You made the following statement: quote If this is a turbo, higher compression, lots of ign advance and poorer quality fuel is the exact opposite of what you want and in fact is a fine recipe for a major explosion . [ May 25, 2001: Message edited by: Scottie-GNZ ]