ZR8ED

Well time for my front rad support experience. When doing the VG swap, we placed the driveline in and out of the car for mocking up mounts etc. It was put in and out 16 times. It was decided, to make it all easier the TOP mount was cut out. With the cars weight on its wheels, the top crossmember would not fit back in. With the car on the hoist, the cross member had 1/4" + space. (more than the space created by using a sawzall blade to cut through it on each end. We were quite surprised with the amount of flex in the front end. Considering there was no driveline installed, and I have a 12 point cage installed. The braces in the engine bay were obviously removed during this swap. After the swap, we reinstalled the same rad support, with extra gussets, and a top and bottom horizontal bracing 1x1 which we used to mount the intercooler to. Then followed up with an X brace from the shock towers to the rad support gussets. Those rad supports do have a major impact on the front end rigidity which I believe is absolutely critical if you have no other chassis bracing in the front end. Once you get into triangular braces, strut bars, then the front rad supports becomes less critical. Oh btw. Consider some of the aero info we have available..maybe consider belly pan mounting, and future ducting of the front end and rad. Ya know "while your at it" hehe good luck. Scott.

I'm just trying to rent a movie. I go up to the cash desk, and while waiting to get checked out, I see an older guy with blood running down his face 20ft away right in front of the store. Then I watch him try to get into his SUV, and get dragged out of the seat by a younger salty looking dude. They struggle, shove and hit eachother, and then young guy opens his jacket like he's flashing a gun in his coat. The older guy runs around the other side of the truck and tries to get in, but again doesn't make it. I yelled to everyone in the store to look out, and tell the clerk to call 911. This struggle happens back and forth for a good couple of minutes. They take turns trying to get in the car, and pulling each other out, and slamming the door on eachother to keep them from getting in. Finnally the older guy makes it into the car and locks the doors. The younger guys is pounding on the windows and yelling. The driver then starts to drive away with the young guy dragging along holding the door handle. He eventually falls off after 50+ft of dragging! Other people in the parking lot are stunned, and I see some grabbing cell phones and likely calling the cops. The driver almost hits two cars on the way out, and the guy who finally gets flung off, gets up and starts running after the truck! We got a good description of both the guys and the truck. We then see the running guy coming back through the parking lot. I tell the clerk to lock the door. It didn't take long for the cops to get there, but the truck was gone. I think they got the guy on foot behind the mall. I didn't hang around to find out. I was not too nervous till I saw the guy flash his jacket and made it look like he was indicating that he was packing...Then I was not leaving that store till I saw cops. People in the store were screaming when the fight got ugly, and the guy got dragged. Broad daylight, 4:00pm crowded mall parking lot 150ft from a daycare in the same mall lot, kids walking around on their way home from school etc etc. It could have quickly got much worse. Not the kind of adrenaline rush I was looking for, I just wanted to watch a movie. Take it easy. Scott.

Yup. The larger wheels will raise the car, and depending on tire width, rubbing will become and issue. My 17's didn't rub at all on the fenders, though they did when I put 350 ft/lbs to the wheels! I had to raise/ and stiffen my suspension to keep my wheels from rubbing under hard acceleration. My car was much lower once...with the same suspension and smaller 16" wheels. BTW you can't get much lower in the front (see my sig pic) any more than that, and I'd rub my 17's under hard cornering I have less than1/4" clearance (can't get my finger between the tire and body with the wheels turned at a certain angle. Nice 15x7's with 225/50/15's and lowering springs/shocks make the car pretty low, without major handling sacrafices. Scott.

Not much more than the R200 can be easily used. The engine/tranny is a major undertaking. Even more so if it is a turbo (didn't look at the ad) Major mods to get it in and running. Not sure about the brake system... I can say, if it is/has been done, it would be pretty uncommon, and you can take that from my 19 years of z ownership, and a z31 turbo driveline in my 280. Maybe someone with more brake experience will chime in? Scott.

Lots of different good ideas here. The main questions is how do you want to drive your car? what is the capability of the car? suspension mods? engine mods? As for some seat of the pants experience... I have had the s12w calipers and 300zx vented rotors up front and stocko drums out back and SS fles lines for about 14 years give or take. At the initial install of the brakes the car was a mid 14 second 1/4 mile with a modified suspension. (springs/shocks/swaybars, and bushings.) 16" wheels with good yokohama tires. 225/50/16, and 245/45/16's I was able to go from 5 hot laps at my local roadcourse to 24+ laps (the plus is that my track time session expired.) NO brake fade, and I pounded the car very hard. The track was a pretty tight as well. I still have the same setup, except for an extra 150 ft/lbs of torque, and 17's with 315's out back (see sig.) I have just this week purchased the MM rear disk conversion, with the 11.4" rotors. I will locally source the 240sx calipers. So other than the calipers, I bought the package deal to reduce hassles. BTW with the 315's, I can't lock my back wheels. No problem locking the fronts. I even have a proportioning valve set at 50/50 currently. I think I have some unused extra braking capability in the rear. So I think you can see my suggestion to you. I have thought and researched this for several years on and off, and have been looking for an improved system, that is reliable/proven, and the swap seems to be as hassle free as it can be for a brake swap. My car is mainly a street car with some strip and road course events, so a major brake up grade (MM's ultimate setup) is more overkill and bling as oposed to useful/needed. Good luck with your project. Scott.

I'd like to add that a diagonal brace attached from the top shelf to the ceiling be used if possible. Even more so if your shelves are taller than 6ft..even if they are a lighter duty. Its not so much for tipping while its just sitting still, but for when you are pulling objects off the shelf. In many home garages, the ceiling is low enough to make this quite easy and practical. I am especially careful since my parts (no engine blocks or trannies) are stored on a mezzanine where I installed LOW shelves, because my mezzanine holds the shelves, spare parts, and most importantly ME! Don't forget a good solid ladder. A 6ft light duty ladder typically has a weight rating of 200lbs..remember that when you climb on one with YOU and your car part. Be Safe ya'll

Found this pic. A convoy of 13 Z's from Ontario Z Car had to make an emergency pit stop because the lead car ran out of coffee on our trek to a car show....Managed to clog the parking lot, and almost created a caffine riot! hehehe

Found this in a local buy and sell paper a while back and never got around to posting it, but I thought of Aux and decided to post it anyways. hehehe

Yup they are different. The rails do extend much further on the 280. The 240 stopped about halfway back. There may even been slight differences in the width, as if I recall correctly, the 280 transmission tunnel is slightly larger. Pass on the 240 floors for your 280. Scott.

I did some research on this subject a quite a few years ago (when I lived close to work approx 30km's each way) (mid 90's) I found a site where a guy bought a late 80's mazda 626. Sold the motor to make some cash for the electrics. He ran simply 12 car batteries, and mated an electric motor to the stock 5 spd. He gutted the car as much as possible, and managed the full conversion for 8K including the purchase of the car. (a late 80's mazda in the mid 90's..I think the car was 2-3K) It ran on plug in power, but only had a range of 40miles. I don't know if the site still exists, but I printed off the entire site with all of his diagrams parts lists etc. It still seems viable, and although prices may have increased, but the technology has grown quite a bit since the 90's. If I lived closer to work (currently 100km's each way) I would seriously consider it again..I'm already considering bellypans, and gutting the car of weight as it is (02 civic) to save some money. If gas gets much more $, I may actually do it. But hey. I still have my monster Z for when I want some fun driving. peace.

Haha just got an email telling me that my second photo (Me at the tiller, and my brother inlaw sitting on the life line/rail) looks like a vodka or (insert popular liquor) magazine ad. hehehe That's funny. Or maybe a Ck fragrance ad.. Bwahahaha! Thanks!

Mono Hulls are heavy.. My G26 weighs in approx 7000lbs fully outfitted. 4000lbs of it is the keel. Draws 4ft of water too. Too big to effectively travel/tow. Comfortable for cruising though!

Phil. Your engine. My Wheels. = WOT Cool vid! You need a paddle shifter so you can hold on with both hands!

Alright. I don't have many pics scanned. (no internet when I did most of my racing in the 1980's no digi cameras! hehe) My Hobie 18. I'm showing off the name of the boat. I designed and painted the lettering myself. Having some fun in heavy winds on the G26

There are lots of boat plans out there. No need to reinvent the wheel so to speak. Especially when learning. Hobie trimarans? I have never known anyone that had one. I've seen video, and of course seen them at the boat show. Prindles and Nacras.. I crewed last minute on a Nacra 5.2, and really got some great multihull racing experience with a friend with a prindle 18. Wow the memories that come to mind thinking of my catamaran days! I'll try to dig up some pics.

Been sailing my whole life. I have my CYA level 5 sailing Optimus's CL14's Albacores, Code 40's, Lasers and Hobiecats. I was a sailing instructor for 1 summer as well. I have owned and raced Lasers and Hobiecat 18's, and even took my Hobie to the North American Championships. I Currently have a monohull cruising sailboat. Grampian 26. Sleeps 5 6ft head room, fin keel, very agile and still competitive to this day. Great in light winds, over sailed in heavy (full mast head rig) I sail on Lake Ontario. Man. I miss my Hobie.. Nothing like flying a hull, and hear the rigging hum when it is perfectly balanced. Though wave jumping and flipping them is not new to me Scott.

Ahhh Phil you stole my thunder! hehehe Anyways, I just posted these up last night. Just playing around with my video editor. Hope this link works. If not search my name. Enjoy!

I hear ya Jerry! I shoveled last night and cleaned the cars off, and woke up this morning to another 4 inches on the car! The snow piles are almost as tall as me and it is getting harder to heave that snow up on top. Snow tires just make driving to work frustrating when the dude in front doesn't. But I'm at work, with a large 2milk/1sugar Timmy's warm and alive, so life is good. Scott.

Well I drove my Z From Toronto Ont, to Quaker PA for a car show. 2000km's round trip. Did it on a 3 day weekend. With my FP turned down for the cruise (did not have my standalone installed, and was using FP to tune the car only) I managed high 20'smpg (with the fp turned up, some in town driving and a fun hill climb event, I avg'd much much less) Have some basic service done to the car, give it a good check over yourself (if you are very familiar with your z) change the fluids, bring some tools, and some basic parts for emergency repairs, and you should be just fine. Some extra wire with aligator clips on it can do wonders in an emergency. (duct tape and extra clamps etc. are a help too)

I drive an 02 Civic 4dr loaded with an automatic. It is great for my 100km each way commute. I don't think I have ever measured less than 43mpg, and I routinely get 46+. ( I drive it easy ya know...at $1.06 per litre it adds up)

I told my wives to be (ya I've gone and got married again) That I will not stop playing with cars, and I do not want to ever sell my Z. I agreed to a yearly budget, and except for major life changes/disasters etc I do not want to hear any complaints. I also told them that I intend on attending several events per season and attend my monthly club meetings. We will work planned events around these as much as possible, as long as it does not seriously interupt major events in our life. Ie I will give up going to a Z event if it gets in the way of our summer vacation trips. I made these arrangements very clear BEFORE getting serious, and it has worked perfectly, and has not been the cause for any arguements. I include my wife in Z events, and she helps me work on them from time to time, even helps me strip down junkers! A good woman in coveralls with a sawzall! Yeah! The budget has been the biggest help, as it keeps me from going crazy with the car, and with only a few projects on the go per year, I have no trouble finding time to spend time with my wife/family and friends. And I can speak to going crazy after I was divorced and single again....I went way overboard, spending tens of thousands of dollars, practically living at my local Z shop, and going to Z events all over the place some even thousands of km's away! It was good therapy, kept me sane, gave me focus and something to look forward to, it was great fun, made some mistakes, learned alot, and I made tremendous progress in a very short time. BUT It is not sustainable to focus 24/7 on Z cars. I have toned down the last few years, due to the "been there, did that before, have the scars and the trophy's to prove it". I don't want to get bored with my Z. If you do everything at a young age, what do you have to lookforward to. It seems that in the past, the average "Car nut" only completed a few major car projects in a lifetime, now it seems that a lot of people want to complete several major projects at once, or every few years. After a while, you start to think, "what's the point" Ok I'm stopping now, before I get too distracted and off topic, as this is a very complex and involved issue with hundreds of variables and solutions. Peace Scott.

I used a simple vinyl upholstery paint from the local Canadian Tire store. i removed the panels from the car. Cleaned them EXTREMELY well, then painted. I even painted the soft padded doors (78 280) I changed them from off white to black...That was more than 10 years ago. Still look great! less than 8 bucks a can, and 2 cans did the entire interior. Good luck

Evildky I used the stock crossover pipe, and my turbo is in the stock location. I had the frame and steering rerouted and redesigned. My alternator is on a custom bracket as well. I'll take a look and dig up some pics, but essentially, frame and steering mods were the most serious part of my install. As for the suspension of that other car, I'm not sure what he had done to it. I can tell you, major changes in the front suspension are neccessary because of the weight distribution changes. My car was set up quite neutral before the swap, and after a couple of drives, it was very noticeable how much the car understeered after the swap. I had to redo my springs, and swaybars to get the handling back. BTW it now handles much better that it ever did. Scott

My block off plates can be categorized into 6 main parts. 1. I have a belly pan that is attached at the lower edge of the air dam and is level, and goes back to the cross member, and is as wide as possible. It has a curved cutout for each wheel to move and turn fully. 2. There is a small block off plate that goes from the top of the airdam (mouth of the car for the rad) It goes back to the Rad. 3. The top plate which sits atop the grill, and goes back to the upper rad support (attaches to the underside of the rad support) 4. and 5. Vertical blockoff plates that touch the underside of the top plate (#3) and travel down inside of the frame rails, where the bumper mounts attach to (same bumper mounting part as the 280 with the large bumpers) 6. Rad support on the inside, has a large aluminum plate that covers the entire rad support, and has a cutout for the rad and i/c pipes only. In the summer, I do not require the use of my electric fan (it is manually switched) unless i'm in traffic or sitting at lights. My hood used to flutter slightly when on the highway. (it fluttered worse when I removed the torsion springs). It no longer flutters at all with the block off plates. Lastly, I built it all to be relatively easy to remove with simple tools, on the side of the road if needed. I have no plans to do anymore work to it other than maybe redo some to make it look nicer...no I did not say ricer!! The belly pan is one that could use some rework. I have had it on the car for almost 10 years with no issues, but is getting a bit scraped up over the years. I may experiment first and block off more of the bottom of the engine bay, by extending the pan on either side of the oil pan, possibly back to the firewall, but thats about it. I choose not to modify the car for ONLY function. I will blend what works, as best as I can with what I like the looks of. I'm not going to cut off the huge fat a$$ off the car for better aero if you catch my meaning. Scott.

The purpose of moving the engine back is partially for weight distribution, but also to make it easier for the engine/pan to clear the front cross member. Not too sure about the alternator placement for the n/a engine, but the vg30et layout had the alternator that conflicted with the frame rail. This is also due to the fact that I have my engine set back and low as possible. I left my crossover pipe alone, because I found that it was the intake manifold that gave the clearance issue with the firewall first. (this is the stock US 300zx vg30et intake manifold. Other manifolds may offer more clearance) If you wanted the shifter to line up correctly with the stock shifter position, it was possible, though the engine sat much further forward, and higher as well. I spoke to a guy who had done the swap before me, and commented that the car was sluggish to steer, because he mounted the engine so he would not have to modify the shifter or make clearance for the turbo. His motor sat much higher and further forward than mine. He regretted the swap and sold the car. You either need to reposition the turbo or modify the frame rail, there is no other practical way around it. As for the l28 t5 tranny, I'm not sure if it fits a vg30et. Scott.