Scottie-GNZ

Curtis, the stub axles and halfshafts are the main problem. What I am about to say is my opinion only and I am sure some folks will refute it. As stated in several articles, you want to use the 280Z stub axle and companion flange. All the stubs axles have the same dimensions except the splined area, the weak point. You can fit a 280Z companion flange over the 240Z stub axle splines without the parts touching. If the 280Z stub axle is magnafluxed and certified OK, it can take a lot of abuse. The standard halfshaft is also a very strong unit (I use the 280ZX units) and just about every one I have seen broken has been the result of the u-joint letting go and destroying the u-joint holders. I made my own CV adaptor and have the CVs ready to go but I am currently running the halfshafts with solid u-joints. I plan on seeing how far these can take me. They may break tomorrow but I fully expect to get into the low-11s or even hi-10s with them. Having said all of that, if you are starting from scratch and have the scratch , then follow Pete's advice and get the 280Z stub axle set, the 280ZXT CVs and some sort of adaptor. Unless you are running a monster SBC with slicks, I just do not think you need anything bigger than the R-200. Derek Grubb has proved that. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

Andrew, with that solid mount in place it will be difficult to determine what noises you are hearing as every noise is being transmitted through the chassis. What I might suggest is replacing the solid mount with a standard rubber mount just to help you determine what the problem is. As for the diff itself, it just seems like you have bad luck. The diff itself is a very strong unit and as I have stated several times, the 10-sec GNZ has over 200 passes on his and 700hp 300ZXT had problems with the stub axles but never the diff. It is very likely that when we pick up a 20+yr diff, the damn thing could have the original lube in it. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

Any high-powered Z-car will eventually rip the diff off the stock mounts. Solid mounts is one fix and using a chain or plastic-covered steel rope is another. Both have their drawbacks. I recently swapped out my diff and finally got around to taking some pics of my solution that I pretty much took for granted because it is working so well. I think the pics are self-explanatory but I can answer any questions if there are any. I use a strip of 1/8" steel and it required 4 holes to be drilled and some minor welding which my welder refused to charge me for. Dont know about all the diff x-members but the bolts that hold the strap to my x-member were screwed into pre-drilled and tapped holes. What is nice about this solution is that the stock mount is still in place, cannot be ripped, the strap does not generate any harmonics and it has held up to rigorous strip duty. Hope someone finds this useful. Scottie

Pete, I do not know exactly how effective the louvers are but I can tell you that when the engine is hot enough to kick the fan on, you can feel heat being forced out. I imagine air flowing over the louvers must have a positive effect. I am considering buying an MR2 for my son and as I was closely inspecting the car I noticed an electric fan about 6-8" in diameter that pulled hot air from the engine compartment. That triggered my memory on an article from the GA Z club on a member who placed 2 4" fans on the lower rear of the inner fenderwells and proved to be effective. After all, we know that the overheating problems most V-8 Z face are inadequate airflow and heat being trapped underhood. i am sure thye NACA ducts, appropiately placed, will look and be effective, but I just thought I would throw that alternative out. Scottie

Zlm, personally I do not think there is any problem with an R-200 handling your setup. There are 3 problems I think you will you will run into. Using a 12-25 yr old diff that was not properly serviced, weak stub axles and weak halfshafts and/or CV shafts. I have seen the extremes. I snapped a u-joint when I had the L6 turbo running only 8psi yet Derek Grubb is running GN power with standard halfshafts and solid joints and cutting 1.49 60' times (10.59@130) with 7" slicks. The torque from his GN probably equals or exceeds your 383 and he has over 200 runs on that setup. Locally there is a 86 300ZX turbo that runs 10.0@140 and he used to run the stock 300ZX setup. His problem was snapping the stub axles because he was running a 5-spd and 11" ET Streets. With the light weight of the Z and using tires that spin (not smoke ) and reduces the shock I think you would be fine. The key is using components that are in good condition. Scottie

Congratulations and enjoy with pride that wonderful feeling of accomplishment. Please drop me an email so we can get together. I am at the track quite often and currently live in Wedgefield, 2 miles from the track off SR520. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

Whoa guys, no need to make this a debate and d-l why do you think you need to say sorry or that I am offended? I go back to my statement and it says "when you get done with the conversion, I guarantee you will spend 20 TIMES that amount". No doubt you can do a nice 4.3L buildup, but d-l does not have the proper flywheel, clutch, transmission, driveshaft, radiator, coolers, and everything necessary to make the swap, one which has probably never been done before. Unless d-l can fabricate and weld, he will have that car in a fabricator's shop for trial fitting, fabrication and welding. It only takes 20 hours at $50/per to rack up $1000 in fabrication costs. I have done more engine swaps than I can remember and altough I am quite capable of the trial fiiting and mocking up the mounts, I shy away from swaps that require serious fabrication. Believe, it is not the cost of the engine that drives the cost up. BTW, d-l, it just occured to me that you never said how fast you want to go. Now, if I had that car , wanted to go fast and had a tight budget, here is what I would do. I would get the complete drivetrain out of a 84-89 300ZX turbo with the EFI harness, and since the 200SX also came with the non-turbo engine, voila, in no time you are up and running. Nissan should be embarassed for how they choked up that engine. Over time, an I/C and a 3" exhaust gets you 250+hp and an upgrade to t3/t04 hybrid turbo will get you over 300hp with a good pump and a set of injectors. With that I have a car capable of approaching 12.0 Sorry guys, I will get off my turbo kick, I just cannot help it with all that free HP asking to uncorked. Scottie

datsunlover, please do not take my post as trying to talk you out of your ideas. What I am trying to do is educate you and give you a dose of reality. You are a Datsun lover but seem totally unaware of some of the best engines Nissan has ever produced. The 4-cylinder engines I and Psyence referred to are pure turbo engines from the factory and will make 300hp if you look at them hard enough. These engines are not as expensive as most believe and there are several companies selling complete drivetrains. I do not know the price but I doubt you would spend more than $2500. BTW, my friend's car IS a Silvia. Now for the dose of reality. Getting a 4.3 for $250 means squat. If you want 300hp, when you get done with the conversion, I guarantee you will spend 20 TIMES that amount. If there is anyone out there that disputes that, I would love to hear how it can be done because the only way I know is to find a Sy/Ty drivetrain CHEAP. Before we get dl off on a tangent dreaming of 300hp 4.3L with Pro-chargers, T56, etc, he ought to know what he is getting into $$$-wise. Scottie

datsulover, HELLO! As you sit there pondering what V-6 or V-8 to cram in that engine bay, you are totally overlooking the, as you put it, 4-banger. Psyence dropped you hint but it seemed to have gone right by you and everyone else. Properly set up, the little 4-banger will get you 350-400hp and granny can drive it to the market. Why the obsession with cubic inches? Scottie

Take a look at my L6 Turbo site, as it might help answer a lot of your questions. http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/scotties240zt.htm Not sure exactly what you have in mind for the GN parts so send me an email. I did the L6 Turbo swap with an SDS system and now that I have done a GN swap into the 240Z, I really believe the L6 Turbo swap could be done using the GN EFI, coilpacks and ECM with a custom fuel rail. Hmmmmm. Scottie

John, documentation says a 79 280ZX GL should have a 3.70 R-200. 280ZX 79 MT,4 Spd,2 Seater (3.364) (R180) 280ZX 79 MT,5 Spd,2 Seater (3.364) (R180) 280ZX 79 All With Automatic(3.545) (R180) 280ZX 79 MT,4 Spd,4 Seater (3.364) (R200) 280ZX 79 MT,5 Spd,4 Seater (3.7) (R200) 280ZX-GL 79 (3.7) (R200) Scottie

Hey Datsunlover, let me give you an alternative. One of my buddies here in Orlando has a 85 RHD Silvia (Japanese 240SX) with the 1.8L turbo and it has gone 12.0 @ 119 spinning the street tires all the way past the 1-2 shift. It was a daily driver that dynoed at 400+hp. The engine has been removed from the Silvia and is being upgraded for another 100hp and will be put in a 86 200SX. It will be strictly a drag racing car and we expect it to go 10.0 and be driven to/from any racetrack it competes on. Scottie

-8 feed and -6 return will be fine. Thats what I am using now and MOF, I am using the original carb feed line as my return. Either line is fine. If you use the hard line, check it out carefully and clean it out good. Sometimes oil get coked up in it. Scottie

Evan, welcome. No problem with getting your 350hp. BTW, Carlos did not tell I was standing next to him when you called him the other day. -04 = 7/32 -06 = 11/32 -08 = 7/16 -10 = 9/16 -12 = 11/16 Scottie

Enjoy and lets all dream on that we hit the Lotto soon. Spence, it does not get any sweeter that this. On 2nd thought, yes it does. When a Vette wants to go really fast, it drops 2 cyls. John Scott, here is a pic of the A-W I/C with the water plumbing going to the trunk.

I just installed the Griffin a couple of weeks ago. The one you need is the 24x19, $188 to my door. Quality piece and all your cooling problems will be solved. However, keep this in mind. It does not accomodate a trans cooler, does not have a petcock and requires a mod to fit brackets. I had 4 pieces of aluminum angle welded to the sides in a position that allows you to drill holes and use the original mounting holes in the radiator support. Scottie

Here ya go. Give them a call and you will get the honor of speaking techno-babble with the legendary Corky Bell. Scottie http://www.cartech.net/

Here is a URL all Z owners should bookmark. Scottie http://zhome.com/ZCMnL/tech/GearRatios.html

Hope you do not mind a long-winded response with my opinions. I am working with a tight budget so the NPR provides me the best bang for the buck. That aside, if I had the bucks and was looking for the ultimate I/C package, I would go with an air-to-water unit and build an ice-box for the track. A properly configured A-to-A I/C will run about $600-700 and although I have not really priced it, I believe an A-to-W I/C would run another $400+. $400 sounds like a lot but I really believe you could not buy the HP difference for $400. With an inexpensive ice-box keeping the water at 45-degrees, the A-to-W I/C has an efficiency up in the mid-hi 90% range and a pressure drop of LESS THAN .2psi (note the decimal point :cool Imagine a boosted engine with the intake charge temp in the intake being cooler than ambient. The A-to-W unit provides another BIG advantage. Because the V-6 leaves so much room and heat soak is not a big issue, it can be located between the radiator AND the engine and leave all the room you want forward of the radiator. That also makes up for the $400+ with less elaborate I/C plumbing and less concerns about plumbing big oil and trans coolers up front. The big problem with I/Cs in the Z cars is getting the 2 I/C pipes and the air filter plumbed in front of the radiator. I found it impossible to get all 3 routed on one side. Even if you opened up the hole as big as it can get, the front of the inner fenderwell will need to be massaged pretty well. In any case, at a minimum you need to get one I/C pipe and the air filter pipe through there. If you are looking at serious HP then thats a 2.5" I/C and probably a 4" air filter pipe. If you want to stick with a A-to-A I/C, my suggestion would be to carefully design the shape and plumbing, then contact Spearco and Corky Bell at Cartech and have them select the right core and tanks for a custom I/C. Taking that route, you can come up with any crazy size/shape I/C you want and they will build it, but you still have to get those pipes pass the radiator. Remember an A-to-W I/C can be more compact because of how the water flows through it and it not needing to be in the airflow. As for the ice-box, the biggest concern is building one that does not allow the condensation to fall on the track. I have rambled enough....Scottie

Great thread, folks!!!! Spence, before you run out and buy a lower final drive ratio, carefully reasearch what you need for a force-induction engine. Unlike a NA engine, a boosted engine will perform better when it spends its time building boost not rushing to the redline. Scottie

SpenceZ, the 60-degree 3.4L TT sounds intriguiging but I believe you are underestimating the cost. I do not think you could come close for $3K. For the turbos, I believe a pair of T-25s would fit your needs. The stock GN turbos are readily available but might be overkill. I see you needing to beef up the engine, a new injection system, ECM, two turbos, custom made turbo headers, downpipes and very exotic turbo plumbing. Makes me wonder why you would go that route when the 3.8L turbo already has everything you need? Just seems like you would be reinventing the wheel unless you just have to have a 5-spd. You might reconsider that with a 450hp TT engine. FYI, the GN boys already have a TT kit using the stock turbos. However, when they think TT, they are thinking 600-700hp.

Hey Z-D, sometimes I seem to come across as pushing the V-6 turbo, but I just want folks to know there is an alternative to the SBC. Glad to see others taking notice. The GN project is interesting, taking the hi-compression low-boost route, but with the alcohol and that awesome air-water I/C, it has the potential for 800-1000hp. Conley's is one of the most respected names in the GN world. Derek Grubb and I exchange emails and his car is an inspiration to me. He is running 10.59 @ 130 with just a turbo upgrade and a massive I/C from a 747 (the 747). With a 9" 3500 stall and 7" motorcycle tires he cuts a 1.49 60'. Talk about low-budget, he is still running the IRS with a 3.36 R-200, halfshafts and 280ZXT Swastika wheels. Scottie

I believe I got this from someone on this forum and sorry I do not remember who gets credit. If there is any interest in the 60 degree V-6, check this out. Even if you have no interest, it is still to be appreciated. http://www.bryanf.com/mycars/510V6.htm Scottie

Spence, you make an excellent point and why I have become an advocate of smaller discplacement turbo/supercharged engines. Everyone knows that cubic inch is everything, but....is it? Sometimes we get caught up in the "size" of the engine and forget that size indicates cylinder volume and you make power by first having the capability of efficiently filling that volume to the max. That is where the forced induction has the advantage. For those unaware, a turbo or s-charged engine at 14psi doubles the volume of the intake charge. In other words, a 3.8L turbo at 14psi boost can ingest a volume equivalent to a 462ci engine. When I get mine better tuned, I will be running at least 21psi boost which will have my engine ingesting the equivalent of a 577ci engine. Sounds nuts, but that is why I expect close to 400hp AT THE WHEELS and torque beyond that of a hot SBC. The beauty of this all is that with no boost, it is a low-compression, fuel-efficient 231ci engine. Bigger, more efficient turbos make that even more unbelievable. The trick is having the fuel system match the demand and doing everything to eliminate detonation. Scottie

Dont know why that did not work. Cut and paste the URL between the quotes. Scottie