Scottie-GNZ

Jeff, having used both carbs, I would recommend the Edelbrock, which looks suspiciously like the old Carter AFBs. As for 1/4-mile projections, let me take a stab at that with a lot of guesswork. The projection is 408hp at the flywheel and an actual of 13.7 @ 105 in a 80 Camaro. If we speculate the Camaro with slicks would run 13.2 @ 106 and weigh 3500 (w/driver), my formula spits out 327 RWHP and 409hp at the flywheel using an 80% factor. I am guessing that your 280ZXT weighs 3000lbs w/driver, so with 327 RWHP, I project 12.40 @ 110-111MPH. Now, put that puppy in a 2600lb 240Z and you are in the 11.80s Is'nt bench racing fun? ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

Mike, did you post this on zcar.com? Might pick up 1 or 2 to help reach your goal. Scottie

You certainly have the option of disconnecting it and putting it in the glovebox until needed. I just wonder why I hear so many negatives about a 4"x4" box that is offering up some valuable real-time data, especially for turbos. I used to find it valuable to glance at it and see the following: - Intake Air Temp. We talk about reducing heat on turbo motors and this is where it counts the most. If you place the sensor on the intake (right behind the TB) you are seeing the temp of the intake charge as it enters the cylinders - Total Timing. The total timing including whatever retard was programmed in - Injector Duty Cycle ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

Craig, dont know anything about the Wolf system, but I am curious as to what awful SDS box you are referring to. If you mean the monitor, how does it differ from the "nifty hand controller" that the Wolf uses? Scottie

jeff, I located the pinout in the ECM for TCC lockup, tapped into it and ran it into a switch and out of the switch to ground. So, at the line I activate the switch which grounds out the TCC lead. After the 1-2 upshift, the converter locks up since it does not lock in 1st gear. This obviously is for the Buick ECM, so you would have to do some research to see if and how you would do it for the 700R4. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

RickB, yes, it is weird shifting into 2nd to get the car going but it is just as well because the 1-2 upshift happens so fast. MOF, I lock the converter at the line, shift to 2nd to release the t-brake and in one motion, shift to 3rd, then manually shift to 4th at 5200. BTW, 11.2 @ 123 in a GN is a lot of HP. 540 by my estimate. With that MPH it should be in the hi-10s. I could go hi-9s with that engine ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

RickB, are you using the Mallender StageRight unit? ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

Tim and Clint, you both make excellent points. SDS is not the "equal" of TEC-II and the SDS folks tell you that on their web page. Specifically, there are features, like datalogging, that SDS does not have. On the other hand, folks try to compare the programmability of both and probably conclude the SDS is not as good because it is "Simple". That absolutely was the premise of their design. The "Simple" is in the user interface, not the quality or complexity of the system. Tim, IMO, you are making the classic tech-head mistake. I have several computer engineers that report to me and I have to constantly remind them, berate in some cases, that the average computer user is computer illiterate and should not be expected to understand and use a computer like they (we) do. I believe you are an engineer and the TEC-II internals and knowledge of fuel and ignition systems are second nature to you. On the other hand, how long has James been putzing with his TEC-II and I still do not think he has it down and he is working on his doctorate Ironically, probably half the folks who have a programmable system, do not have a clue of what to do with it and would be better of with a "set it and forget it" system like JWT. Thats the primary target market for SDS, but again, not to be confused with its capabilities. Bottom line is, most folks need nothing more than a JWT and which programmable system someone chooses should depend on their needs, funds and honest assessment of their ability to understand and take advantage of these systems. These systems are as good as the owner's understanding of fuel and ignition management and ability to tune programatically. I useually do not try to tell folks which system they should choose. What I do say, though, is that as a fromer SDS user who had success, it is a quality system that works. Do your homework and make your decision. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

Dr G, I would imagine the simplest solution, if you keep the existing setup, is a boost-controlled alcohol injection system after the carb but in a location to ensure even distribution. On the ignition side, you need to ability to dial in retard based on manifold pressure. I would recommend MSD and it could be as simple as a $200 box strictly for sensing boost and retading the ignition or a complete MSD ignition setup. Having gone the L28T with EFI, SDS and I/C route, I highly recommend it. It just flat works! As for the existing header, here is a suggestion. If it is a really good one with a good DP, I would have a machine shop CNC machine a flange to fit with the stock intake and have it welded on the headers. Might cost you $200-250, but if you go to a stock exhaust manifold, you will have to redo the DP and exhaust connection at the same cost. Of course if you go the stock route and use the stock wastegate, you can use one of my DPs ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

Frank, IMO, this is not one I would recommend the amateur welder take on. My advice is to spring for about $50 and take it to a driveline[/b shop, not just any welder or machine shop. That is their specialty and you can be assured that the spots to be welded will be properly prepped, all the spots that need to welded will be and a thorough cleanup done. It is more than just a couple of spot welds. What I will tell folks thinking about doing this is that there are pros and cons. It should not be considered a cheap LSD alternative for an everyday street car!!. The obvious pros are that it is low cost, guarantees equal load when launching and if properly done, probably will not break. A primary reason why I did it was because of the gear ratio. I had an LSD that went bad and I am sure I could find another. My problem is that 3.70:1 is a little too stiff for my car and so is the 3.54;1 for that matter. Hitting over 120mph in traps, I have to shift into o/d which is .67:1 and drops the engine to 3900 RPMs . What I actually need is a 3.36:1 R-200. One of the pros, equal load to the wheels, is also the big con because there is no slippage. What you will notice is that the inside tire drags on slow turns and even squeals when making slow U-turns and the car is harder to push when the front wheels are not perfectly straight. There is also an increase in understeering but I cannot tell you how much is attributed to the welded diff as I also have both swaybars removed. As stated earlier, it is a low-cost alternative for a drag racer and if the car is street driven, understand the negatives and drive accordingly. I use my Z primarily for drag racing and I hope we do not start a thread about the Z being a sports car and not a good drag racing car j/k. However, I do not want anyone to think my car is a stripped out drag racing shell. I recently stated in another post on zcar.com, that in an hour I could have the swaybars back on, shocks readjusted, fluids checked and be ready to drive it from Orlando to L.A. w/o concerns (except my aching body) and probably get 26+mpg. Pete, 170lb springs is a good recommendation. I had my rear suspension out and access to set of 280ZX 2+2 springs and decided to do the JTR mod to raise the spring perch. The cutdown ZX springs are supposed to be about 200lbs but they feel no different than the hi-po 240Z springs I took out and work just fine. I magine the soft shocks settings and extreme weight transfer cancels out the extra stiffness. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

Jeff, I am with Andy. It took me a long time to finally get the right setup for launching my 240Z hard and quick off the line. I now have both swaybars removed and the Tokico Illuminas (F&R) set to the softest setting. I also do not have an LSD so I welded the open R-200. The result? Consistent low-1.60s 60' with 8psi boost on a transbrake and McCreary 8.5" DOT tires. Like Andy said, you have to be cognizant of your car's setup w/o the swaybars and drive accordingly. In my case, the welded diff adds another dimension. In less than 1hr the bars can be reinstalled, shocks adjusted and I am ready for anything. With this setup, the car has incredible squat which a lot of Z folks think is bad. Bottom line is, nothing else worked for me and I cannot argue with the results. I fully expect to launch even quicker with bigger, stickier tires and with the Z squatting so hard, maybe even put a little air under the front tire . ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

One of these days, soon, James Thagard (240Z Turbo) and I will be racing. He has a 71 with a monster 3.1L turbo, NOS, 4200 stall hybrid automagic and VLSD and thinks he can run with me. That event will be "televised" . Hopefully we can have it available on the web for those who are not bandwidth impaired . ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

Al, I know this will end up being taken the wrong way, but what the hell. If you are building a V-8 Z-car and your budget is so tight that you cannot afford to buy the most important component of the swap, then your project is already in trouble . Just a little constructive criticism, but anyway, SHIELDS UP, FLAME AWAY ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

Thanks for the URL. Actually it is for a friend who "found" one in a car at the junkyard. I would not mind having one but so far have not had to need to. Once I get back on the track and start hedging over 23psi boost, I might consider one for better/quicker boost response. Scottie

Even so, I intend to add a little insulation. Tks. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

V8-VPR, I positioned the Griffin up against the radiator support, then made some marks on the tanks where the original mounting holes on the radiator support lined up. I then cut 4 pieces of 1/8 thick aluminum angle, 3" tall and had them welded to the tanks. Drill holes in the aluminum to line up with the holes on the radiator support and bolt it up. HTH ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

JT, Thanks. The bottom picture is my friend's and he bought his from Top$End. The other is mine and I made it myself. Let me clarify that. I bought the blank, made the measurements, had a machine shop drill/tap and I bought and installed the fittings and made the brackets. He paid $250 and my total cost was about $100. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

Any reference I make to HP is always at the wheels based on a formula that uses the ET, MPH and weight of the car. In the case of my L28T, it was 13.02 @ 110.97mph and 2760lbs = 287hp at the wheels. It was more like 295hp because the ET was badly affected by wheelspin. The drag racers out there will recognize that the ET is slow for the MPH, but MPH is the true HP indicator. BTW, the other car in the picture ran a stock N/A block with a P90 head (about 8.5:1 c.r.), t3/t04 hybrid turbo, Spearco I/C, stock DP/2.5" exhaust and a Jim Wolf setup. The car ran 12.32 @ 114.32 with 22psi boost . I definitely do not recommend this. It was done at the track with race gas (there's that octane thing again) and the Spearco was key. The formula spit out 310hp (car is much lighter than mine) and we believe we are now at 350hp with a freshened turbo block (stock pistons), SDS, larger injectors and better DP/exhaust. My main point is that big HP numbers can be achieved with a higher than normal c.r. and relatively stock block. Whats important to understand though is that those numbers are only achievable when at the track with race gas (110+octane), higher fuel pressure and lots of boost. What you get on pump will be less but if you become adept at programming the SDS fuel, ignition and retard curves and additional retarding when knock is sensed, you can do fine on the street. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

At least you got a response. I hope a hatch complete w/Lexan is high on the development list Scottie

Dont know that I could honestly say there is a $350 improvement, but appearance is important to me and it sure cleans up the engine bay. The stock L28T engine bay is not a pretty sight with that AFM, fuel rail, intake and distributor with the wires running over the valve cover. If looks is important to you, then there is something to be said in these pics, mine and my buddy.

Morgan, if you are considering SDS, I assume you have spent some time at their website. If not, tell your other half you will be tied up for some time, snuggle up to the computer and absorb the information they have to offer. There are quite a few L28Ts running SDS but I am not sure if any has documented their experiences. You can check out my experiences with the SDS on a L28T at: http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/scotties240zt.htm I also agree that 8.7:1 is a bit high for pump gas but it depends on your discretion. Bottom line is that you tune that setup to the point of detonation then back it off. You will absolutlely need the flexibility of a programmable system but your limiting factor in making HP will be octane, or lack of it. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

Anyone out there with a Greddy Profec-B? I would greatly appreciate a xeroxed copy of the manual. Would be happy to send some beer money if you like. Scottie

BLKMGK, sorry, did not mean to imply you did not like turbos. On the contrary, anyone who had a twin-turbo V-8 and now a 3rd-gen RX-7 must like to whistle . "....black magic (BLKMGK)" was supposed to be a play on words. Not so clever I guess. Scottie

Zlover, welcome to the Hybrid site. I have done 2 V-8s, a Scarab and a JTR, and my current 71 has the GN. Before you even get into any discussion on which one and how, you need to ask yourself a couple of questions: 1. Do you want a turbo? 2. Do you want an automatic? 3. Do you have mechanical and some fabrication skills? If not, can you afford to pay for help? If you answer No to 1 and/or 2, then the answer is a V-8. No 3 applies to either swap but more so to the GN swap. There is no kit for the GN swap!!! You will have to make a bracket to bolt up the motor mounts to the frame. That is the hard part (see my comment below). The trans crossmember is a simple affair that bolts up to the floor and I am sure you can use the JTR unit. If not, I have the specs for mine that you can duplicate. You will need to muck with the GN harness, more to eliminate 50+% of it or you can buy a custom harness made for swapping the GN drivetrain into other cars. Beyond that, the rest is just normal swap issues like driveshaft, radiator/fan, water/oil senders/guages, shifter, driveshaft and of course I/C. I am working with a local friend to do one and he is going to use the stock GN I/C in the stock location which greatly reduces the complexity of the plumbing. Whatever we come up with for mount brackets, etc, I will properly document it. As for the V-8 swap, I would recommend looking at JTR first and last How difficult that swap is depends on your mechanical skills. Some folks use the JTR specs to make their own brackets, but I personally do not think it is worth the hassle and risk of making mistakes. As for which I prefer? I had the same decision and having already done a V-8, it would have taken an LS1 for me to do another one. Now that I have done the GN, There is no looking back. The initial outlay for the drivetrain COULD be higher, but having seen the cost of some of these crate engines and T-56 trans, I am beginning to think not. If you are into autocrossing, road racing or the twisties, the V-8/5-spd combo will probably suit you better. If you want a smooth, economical daily driver that has 10-sec potential with minimal upgrades, then you want the GN. The hottest crate motor is hard pressed to match the HP/torque of a GN with a turbo upgrade in the hands of someone who knows how to tune it. Based on my ET/MPH/Weight, I am close to 400hp AT THE WHEELS and expect to break into the 10s before the year is out The only major upgrade I have is a $600 turbo (minus selling the old). A lot of folks think turbos is black magic (BLKMGK ) and if you are new to turbos and decide to go the GN route, you have a lot to learn, and some habits to break or you will break something. I am rambling, so in closing, be assured that whatever decision you make, you have a host of folks who have been there and done that ready to help you. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

RickB is dead on the money. This is not unlike tuning a turbo car. It is not the boost or NOS that kills engines, it is detonation. You must feed the engine all the fuel it needs and watch out for timing that is too far advanced in the upper RPM range. A programmable engine management system might seem to have a high initial expense, but the flexibility you have in tuning fuel delivery and building timing curves, like retarding the timing when needed, pays for itself. The time and money spent in trial and error, tuning for maximum HP, will eventually equal or surpass the cost of the programmable system. The Motec does not count ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html