Scottie-GNZ

Went into the garage the other day and she looked at me with big, sad, lonely eyes and said "whatsamatta, you dont love me anymore? You have'nt touched me with the grinder or torch in weeks". Then it hit me, I have been so busy with work, houseguests and vacation, I have not done anything in about a month. Not wanting to join the ranks of the long-term projects, I got the grinder out and hacked, err, precisely "trimmed" away at the lower portion of the inner fenderwell to build the mount points for the suspension links. After I got done, I stood there staring at those 2 gaping, err, precisely cuts holes in the car and had to remind myself why I was doing this. After seeing what some of you guys have done to your floors, I realize I just "nicked" mine. I will snap some pics later today. cardboard mockups are at the machine shop and the toughest part of the project should be done this weekend. Oh yeah, the never-ending quest

Not sure what I will finally do for wheels/tires until I upgrade the front brakes to match the rear (11.5") and get 5x4.75" bolt pattern. For starters I will go for an inexpensive pair of late Firebird or Camaro wheels (16x8) to mount up a pair of 255/50-16 DRs that I have. I am partial to these wheels. In the long run I see 16x7 or 8s in the front with 225/50-16s, 26x10.5-16 ET Streets for the track on the rear with 255 DRs for the street. For sure the car will have mismatched wheels initially and I dare anyone at the track to laugh at me Here are some pics of what I did recently on the IRS. This 1st pic shows the pass side link installed on the hub and the mod I had to make for the mount point. Also note the shiny, almost flat surface at 11:00 behind the rotor and the fact that it is directly under the shock tower. I decided to forego the leaf spring and mount a pair of 16.5" adjustable coilovers on top of the hub and bolt the top up to the original mount point in the tower. So now I will be able to adjust spring height, shock rebound/compression, camber and toe. This next pic shows the mod from the inside. I will build a rigid frame that the link will be bolted up to. Here I need some advice. Part of the mount frame, a 4"x6" piece of .25" flat will be welded to the front of the storage box next to the link. I expect it to get HOT in that box when welding but I do not feel like moving the stuff I have mounted in it. How can I protect it while welding? Just throw a damp towel over it?

Hey, Z-Ferrari.....SHOWOFF!!! Pete, that pic is a bit old as you might note the Z has the L28T. I was trim, harumph, trimmer than I am today which means the gain from the vette IRS will probably be negated. 3 weeks with houseguests eating out every night and a slow metabolism makes for a porker.

I have had the distinct pleasure of personally meeting several of you Zers. BLKMGK, Craig Borden, 74_5.0L_Z, Z-Gad, Jeff and several locals who for some reason either lurk or do not participate. My apologies to anyone I missed. But I am always wondering who the heck is behind those names and personalities. BadKarmaCreepin? I am running if I see this guy coming cause I know something is going to happen to me. Is The Crowned One really bald? What does someone with Pete's patience look like? Does Kevin carry a pocket protector and slide rule in each pocket? I am either insulting some of you or you are laughing your asses off, getting ready to run out and post a pic of yourselves. Well, you get the idea. Since we will probably never have a big get-together to meet each other, lets identify ourselves so we can have visions (Oh, thats scary) next time we read a post. Since I started this, here I am at the track getting ready to answer a bunch of "What is this?" questions Scottie [ October 18, 2001: Message edited by: Scottie-GNZ ]

Kimi, glad to see you finally made it. Welcome aboard and I am sure Z-GAD will be happy to see participation from Finland.

Amazing. We know the Roadster is a small car and the Buick V-6 just gets swallowed up Good luck on that swap and I am anxious to see you get it running. [ October 17, 2001: Message edited by: Scottie-GNZ ]

Do not hold your breath waiting for NHRA to allow imports in Pro Stock. They do not even allow EFI for Christ's sake. One of the import racing sanctioning bodies is putting together a class similar to Pro Stock or they can try to run in the NSCA Pro Street class where anything goes. Yesterday they ran at Orlando and I watched a choppped down Plymouth station wagon with a blown Hemi go 6.68 @ 216!!!! Here they allow any body style and there were station wagons, 57 Chevys, early and late Vettes, a Saturn on up to a really sleek Viper. I stood in the pits for minutes staring in amazement at a couple of single turbo Mustangs with 6" DPs!!!! How much air do you have to be moving to need a 6" DP? Well Adam Sarawutari said he was expecting 2000hp and based on the weight I saw posted on the station wagon it is putting out about 2200hp. Hmmmmm.

Pro-Stockers are now in the 6.80s @ 200+.

Here is what I came up with. The measurements I can vouch for since I did them myself. The weights are from info in response to a post on the Buick forum. Engine Height - 28.25. This is from the bottom of the pan to the top of the TB Width - 24.5. This from the outside edges of the headers Length - 23.25. This is from the back of the block to the front of the pulley. I did not use the published V-6 dimensions because I though those of a fully dressed turbo engine was more useful. The published weight of a Buick V-6 is 375#. Add another 50# for turbo, alt, etc and the weight is about the same as a L6. The tranny weighs 135# and the stock 12" converter is about 40#. BTW, aluminum heads cut 60# and a 9" converter cuts 15# HTH.

Moving the turbo forward on the manifold has been done by Greg kring. http://home.flash.net/~joeao/greg/exhaust.html

Uh-Oh, does this mean I get all the blame if it does not work out? "Autos are better for a turbo" is too generic a statement. IMO, autos are better for a high-HP turbo in a drag racing application. If you enjoy rowing your own, then you definitely want to stick with a manual. If you do go with a manual and also drag race, you will just have to work a little harder to develop a clean, quick launch technique. ZR8ED is going through that now and Scotty-Miz can also testify to that. Yes, you can turbo an NA but I think you want to at least have the turbo head. You are going to need the injs, fuel pump, exhaust manifold, turbo, J-pipe, downpipe, AFM , ECM, harness, various sensors and more that I am forgetting. Your best bet is finding a donor car that will provide you all the pieces and also an R-200, CVs for the future, and if it is an 82-83, upgraded front brakes (with 84 vented rotors) and rear disc brakes. A lot of folks looking to make the same swap go looking for a turbo engine and could have as much luck looking for a complete donor car, especially one that has simply rusted away. If you are really on the cheap, then make sure the engine is in good condition and just swap everything and have an exhaust made up. If your budget can allow it and you have minor engine assembly skills, then you could freshen up the engine with a valve job, new rings and bearing and save some $$$ by doing the final assembly. The next step up, a la Scotty, would be to get an I/C and an adjustable FPR or bigger injs for more fuel to support more boost. Now you are at the point where you start saying "damn, 12s isn't fast enough" Trust me, you will. There are so many folks who have successfully done this swap so there is no need for concern about technical support. Check out DRAX's and other websites for some great information. [ October 11, 2001: Message edited by: Scottie-GNZ ]

Ron, sorry to hear about your misfortune and I am sorry I cannot help you with the wiring problem. Clint is correct in that you can find GM V-6 coilpacks for cheap but you will still be faced with figuring how to wire it up to the SDS harness. GM wiring diagram are easily available but you need to call SDS and have them assist with the wiring diagram for their unit. Ross and Barry are great guys and I feel will lend all the assistance they can.

I am on my way out the door but I can take engine measurements for you tomorrow. I will contact the Buick forums and get weights.

Ron, did you get my email?

Ron, how much is the car liste for and with what equipment? Please email me with the details.

Your best bet is finding a running donor car that will provide you not only the drivetrain and electronics, but an R-200, rear disc brakes and as in my case, the front calipers to be combined with 84 300ZX vented rotors. For starters you can save $$$ by going w/o an I/C, leaving everything stock and limiting the boost to about 8psi. Since you will probably need to do the exhaust up front, I say spend the $$ and go to 3" from the start. In a 72, that can provide "snappy" performance matching modded NA.

Justin, not necessarily trying to talk you nto a turbo, but if you think $650 is a lot, have you actually priced out your NA mods yet? You might be in for a shock.

Click on the link below for more details. Drivetrain: 87 Buick V-6 Turbo, .020 Fed Mogul Hyper pistons, ARP rod bolts and head studs, Upgraded turbo (23psi boost on race gas), Stock TH200R4 trans with transbrake, Pro-Ratchet shifter Exhaust: 3" mandrel SS DP and exhaust with single straight-thru muffler Suspension/Brakes: Front - hi-po springs, Tokico Illuminas, 82-3 calipers/84 vented rotors Rear - Currently upgrading to C-4 Corvette IRS, 3.07 LSD, 11.5" brakes, coilovers Wheels/Tires: Front - Wheels TBD, 225/55-15 Michelin Pilots Rear - Wheels (16") TBD, 255/50-16 BFG DRs Performance to Date: From datalogger - 0-60 2.83, 0-100 7.11, 1/4-mile - 11.10 @ 121.50, Looking for 10s, Top Speed - I DONT WANNA KNOW!!

The question was not asked for me. I run a Pierburg. I have had several queries about what pump to recommend and several turbo cars need an upgrade but do not necessarily need a pump rated at a gazillion GPH and costing $250+

Justin, I hope I do not rain on your dream so take this as my opinion and I am sure there are others out there will disagree with me. I am guessing your 79 will weigh in at about 2850lbs with driver and so you will need about 225RWHP, tight gearing and good traction. I am sure with the mods you have planned you can accomplish the goal. BUT, looking at the estimated cost of what you have planned, I believe you can make the L28T swap for the same or less. With the right components the L28T will go low-13s very little effort and beyond that the sky (and your wallet) is the limit. It might not sound as sweet as a hi-compression, cammed NA, but......WHOOSH!!!!

I'm back. MadMaxx, check below for the post "Lingering Questions" and it should answer most of your questions. Once you get the swap done, you will take the car to the strip to "test" it and I dare you to not keep going back.

With that launch technique an R-200 should hold up just fine.

The 3.36 R-200 was only available in the 79 280ZX 2+2 4-spd.

I am not advocating the JTR spring perch mod, but I must say it works. Remember, you are not using a cutdown stock 1st-gen, but a 280ZX 2+2 which is a very tall spring. I found the ride to be just right and with Illuminas I could adjust the shocks as needed. If you are starting from scratch and have to spend $$$ for used 20ZX 2+2 springs and welding, I would suggest looking at coilovers with a not too stiff spring rate with adjustable Illuminas. However, no one should knock this mod because it does not sound exotic. It flat works.

$65 and it looks like it would be about $45 to ship it to you. Just want to get back the cost of the welding and stop stubbing my toes on it .