80LS1T

Hi, my name is Guy. I am doing a 350 swap in my 1980 280ZX. I am using a 93' LT1 and T56 out of a Camraro Z28. So far from what I can see the T56 fits very good in the tunnel. I do have to take out the old tranny mounts inside the tunnel but that isn't too hard. You can get motor mounts and a 700R-4 mount from MSA(http://www.zcarparts.com) for like $225.00 or you can make your own. I bought mine. They seem to be good quality to me. The Jaguars That Run (JTR) book that they are refering to does not cover the ZX's but it does have lots of useful information that pertains to swaping a V8 in a Z. If you go with a LT1 there is more wiring but it fits a lot easy under the hood because there isn't a bulky air cleaner lid in the way. Some guys even swap LS1's but that requires much more fabrication skills. Correct me if I am wrong but aren't the motor mounts in a different spot on those motors??? Anyways, I say go for the ZX if that's what you got. It will make a very nice daily driver and you will still be able to WHOOP every Honda P.O.S. that you see on the road!!!( I really hate those rice burning POS's!!! ) Hope I have been helpful! Guy Rock on ZX's

I emailed the guy and he said that they are 20lbs per rim. Is that light weight enough? Guy

I emailed the guy and he said that they are 20lbs per rim. It that light weight enough? Guy

Hey Mudge, what cam would you recommed that is a little bit "hotter"/"bigger"? I want about 450-475HP and the crank. But still be able to idle good. Thanks, Guy

I have a 93' LT1 here are the specs... Stage 2 Port and Polish of heads Match Intake runners to heads Holley 58mm Throttle Body 42lbs Injectors (Equals 34.5lbs injectors with only 37psi instead of 45psi) 11:1 Compression Ratio Bored .030 over LT4 Hotcam (218/228, 525/525) (GM Part # 24502586) MSD Ignition Coil 1.6 Ratio Roller Rockers Thanks, Guy

I have a 93' LT1 here are the specs... Stage 2 Port and Polish of heads Match Intake runners to heads Holley 58mm Throttle Body 42lbs Injectors (Equals 34.5lbs injectors with only 37psi instead of 45psi) 11:1 Compression Ratio Bored .030 over LT4 Hotcam (218/228, 525/525) (GM Part # 24502586) MSD Ignition Coil

Oh yeah and I was also wondering how wide can I go on my 80' 280ZX without coilovers or flares? and how wide could I go with coilovers? I am looking at sum 17X7's...are these too tall?

I was just wondering if anybody knows anything about these rims? Are they strong enough to hold 450HP? or are they cheap crappy rims? Thanks, Guy

No my unit is out of an 82 ZXT non LSD. Guy

Well he said that he has a Z31 LSD R200 flange that he is going to send me. That one is bigger that the other 2. That flange will work right? Thanks, Guy

Well I went back out in the garage last night and tried to finish up on the pedal mounting but it just wasnt happening for me. When I mounted the master cylinder(I think thats what it is?) on the out side of the firewall, inside the wheelwell it wasnt quite lined up with the pedal assembly in the car so the rod didnt line up with the pedal. Therefor, it would push straight in!!!! So now I have to try something new to get the pedal straight with that rod! Does anybody know how much the pedal should go in for the clutch to disengage? Cause the pedal only goes about 2" of total travel before it hits a stopper. Let me know how you guys did this if you did? Thanks Guy

Well I thought most guys got there drive shafts cut anyway so would you just put the datsun end on the differential end? So then you would have the splind end in the transmission and the datsun end for the differential??? You know what I mean? Thanks, Guy

I am buying a R200 from a guy in TX and he wants to know which flange for the driveshaft I want... the turbo or standard flange??? I have no idea which one I should ask for. I am using a LT1 and T56 in my car if that helps. Thanks, Guy

Well I am going to hold off on the wiring for now. I havent got my new harness for the LT1 yet. So now I started to put my clutch pedal assembley in my car. It used to be a 3 speed auto. All I can say is WHAT A B*TCH!!!!! Next time I do a conversion like this I am using an manual transmission car to begin with! The most frustrating part was getting a hole in the fire wall for that cylinder that connects to the pedal and sends pressure to the master cylinder(can't think of the name for it). It took 3 grinding stones to get a hole in the fire wall after about 3 hours of swearing up and down! But I finally got the hole in it and now all I have to do is get some bigger bolts to hold the clutch pedal assembely down and a return spring of some sort for the pedal. Has anybody else had this wonderful experience? Guy

Thanks a lot! Thank link helped a lot! Guy

See what I am thinking is there might be a few more wires that need to go to the battery or to ground but things like the fuel pump are already wired all I have to do is hook it up to the igintion circuit. Am I way off on this or what? Thanks Greimann for all the help by the way! Guy

Ok, I have the basic wires figured out. Like the gauge wires(water, volt, tach, oil sending unit) but what are the other wires that I need for the LT1 to work? Thanks guys! Guy

Well when I had my L28 in my 80' ZX I had a 6 into 2 header with 2" to the cat then 3" to the back where I split it in to 2 pipes(for looks). It sounded like a V8 at idle but if you dont insulate your car for sound it gets kind of noisy at 30mph+ and I doubt that its even close the the legal limit for noise. I ran that for about 1.5 years with no problems.

So is this all the wires that I will need for the gauges and the engine?

Ok I have figured out the water temp sensor wires, starter wires, and mayeb the oil sending unit wires I think so anyway. I am not sure of which wires are the alternator output though. I think it's a white wire and the blue wire that is attached in same connector??? Can anyone confirm this? Also which wire is for the tach??? Thanks!

I was looking at the summit catalog just now for new power sterring hoses. Now I was wondering about the AN hoses and fittings... How do you attach a fitting on the hose. Cause I see the hose that I want to use(Aeroquio AQP Racing Hose)but it doesnt show ends on it... Also is the -4 AN bigger than the -6 AN? And what size of hose should I use for my P/S? Can someone explain how these work? Thanks!

Hey Greimann, you would happen to have written down what wires go where? Some of my wires are very discolored and I'm not sure if some are white or yellow!? The JTR manual has color coding for 70-78 but I think that the 80 is different isn't it? I would really appreciate any help with wiring that anybody can give me!

Does the engine have high milage on it? If so, then I would agree with Greimann on this one. The rings are probably shot and its leaking past them when its cold. That's my $.02

Well I just took the motor and tranny out. Now I am going to get all the wires together that I will need. Speaking of wires, what ones do I need? I have the JTR manual and I will be following what it says for wiring. But is there anything that it doesn't cover about the ZX's that I need to know? Also are there any sensors off the L28 that I need to take off and transfer to the LT1? Thanks ! Guy

Yeah I found one a Checker Auto tonight for $48.00 . I am going to pull the motor and tranny tonight! I will try to keep you guys updated! Guy