ZR8ED

Ok this might sound like a rant, and maybe it is. After a lot more reading here and other sites, as well as many conversations here at work/car club etc etc. The topic of weight and safety, and the search for the all mighty power to weight ratios. Over the years I have seen well built cars, poorly built. super tough and rigid, wicked fast cars with more flex than their owners care to openly admit, and lots of variations in between. I like to drive my z hard. Always have. I have a very strong safety work ethic. It has been driven into me by the company I work for, and I have come to understand and actually practice this mindset. My long time mechanic and friend is a long time racer who understands the importance of safety on and off the track. When I first started playing with Z's I just wanted to make the car go faster, and safety was not much of a factor "its a sports car, the brakes must be good" or so i thought. After my first few mods, my mechanic started to talk about safety (I was also a young driver at that time) He really stressed about making sure the car was safe BEFORE taking it to the track..heck before making any high performance mods. We worked on making my car (13 years old by then) mechanically sound. we worked on handling and suspension. We worked on minor upgrades to the brakes (ss lines, better pads, remove dust shield etc) We upgraded the tires and rims to aid in handling and braking. THEN we built a kick ass 8000rpm redline killer N/A engine. This was over a period of 6 years at least. Yes we upgraded the engine slightly during this time, but not extreme. We shaved the head, put in a hotter cam, headers, and other minor mods. Over the years, we had taken lots of what I thought were unneccessary weight out of the car. I had it down to 2780 with me in it. After that, the car started to get real quick, and the thoughts started to turn to "what if i crash this thing at 140+mph?" and i knew the answer. and I didn't like it. I added 4 point harnesses, i added a 12 point cage, I added 5 strut braces, I added other triangulating braces where reasonable on a mainly street car. I added even larger brakes and rotors. Even larger rims and sticky tires. More ground effects and aero mods for some level of safety margin. Well since then, the weight has crept back up, and it sits at 2900 with out me in it. I've also made the car quieter and more comfortable at the same time so that has also added weight. but I degress. My point I'm trying to get accross here is a high power to weight ratio is great, but does nothing if you twist up the car, or worse DIE when this 30year old car folds up around you. The crash testing done back then is not even remotely comparible to what is done these days where they build crumple zones etc to save the occupants of the car. etc etc. I am every bit as guilty for doing this as well. I've learned, and all I want to do is pass this info on so someone else might learn. I have had friends have their 2 ton early 70's Chevelle stripped down and have 500hp and stock brakes fold it up and be lucky to be alive after a normal speed car crash. Our little z's came with 135-150hp depending on year. Many of us are easily doubling these numbers, and many more tripling or even more the stock #'s. getting past the stock 120mph top speed is a piece of cake with minimal investment in mods. I have personally talked with Z owners who run much faster 1/4 mile times than me confide to me they would not want to try and follow my Z around a road course for fear of falling off the road, not being able to brake properly, and possibly twisting the car all to hell in high G turns. To make it clear, their cars are wicked fast, but other wise stock in other areas, and if they crash, many have removed bumpers, side door crash beams, sway bars, as well as all the other kinds of things we can remove from our cars to make them lighter. I am not saying what they are doing is wrong for them. Knowing your cars limitations is very important in keeping you out of situations your car can't get you out of. What I am saying is that (me, you, and people in general) should consider safety when building a high power exotic from a 30yr old sports car. Doing 160mph is no fun when the car is getting floaty and practially air borne, and you have no bumpers, stock brakes etc.. Sorry if this sounds preachy. I just thought I should put this out there for all the new guys that come here with money to burn on their car, or who have wild aspirations for their car. Putting on high performance brakes on your car is not just for bling bling. They are there to stop that rolling steel NOW!! when you need it most. Bragging rights for brakes is cool and everything, but it has a very practical use as well. Consider this when you are trying to keep your car light. Buy light weight parts if you like.. go on a diet. Dropping 30lbs from you may be much easier than dropping 30 lbs from your car. Don't sacrifice safety to increase your power to weight ratio. And if your really building up an engine (300rwhp)++++ don't worry so much about weight... worry about safety first.. do what I do now...turn up the boost to compensate for the added weight of my safety equipment. hehehe Peace. I'd hate to hear about one of you guys getting seriously hurt or killed in your Z after making it your dream car only to have it fold up around you.

Danger, Danger Will Robinson! first.. your fuel pump will not last long doing that...it is putting out 30+ psi and your carbs need 3. that is too much difference... you will kill that pump. Holly blue 7psi pump will work, and fit in the stock holder on your 280. You still need a regulator (my holly blue came with one) second. Don't worry about rejetting the carbs, just set them and have fun. They will flow enough and be able to supply enough fuel for you, unless your motor is super modded. the stock jets are plenty good...

Hold on Hold on.. what 2+2 springs are we talkin about? 280zx 2+2 springs are HUGE in diameter and only a few coils. aren't they? they have the same rear control arm design as the z31 right? A 260 or 280z 2+2 springs look almost the same as our springs but have a slightly thicker coil because of the extra weight of the 4 seaters. I think those would work very well. Measure them up beside your stock ones to be sure... I wish I had my manual with me that lists the spec on the springs....oh well...

Ok I'm no Mikuni expert, but I know webers and they are very similar, so I'll take a stab at whats going on here... before I even start, I should mention that with triple carbs of any kind, accuracy counts. I've said this a million times. 1mm difference, or 1/4 turn differences in linkages, or settings is a BIG deal for normal driving conditions. 1st: fuel seen in the venturis (infront of the throttle plates) is VERY BAD... FIRE HAZARD. Ok I stated the obvious, and I'll give you a solution. check your fuel pressure after the fuel pressure regulator (if installed...if not, it NEEDS ONE) you should see MAX 3.5 psi... be accurate. 2 nd find the model # for your carbs and find a setting for your floats.. they should have a "closed" and an "open" setting measurement usually in millimeters. If you can't find settings, have a look at all your floats and ensure they all have the same amount of travel... you may want to lower the floats closed setting...ie so the float level sits lower in the fuel bowls. I know i'm a bit vague, but I haven't seen mikunis up close for a long time and don't recall how to set the floats...Webers I can tell ya settings from my head. 3rd. make sure your mechanical linkages are operating all three bellcranks at the same time and the same amount. 1mm difference makes a big difference at idle and off idle.. make sure WOT opens the butterfly valves all the way, and that your pedal has no extra play in it, and/or that it opens the butterflys all the way. Mechanical linkage accuracy is very important and takes time...spend the time to ensure they all are exactly the same. Try that for a start. then post back on your progress and we'll take it from there..

I had an 88 300zxt 2+2 automatic. I turned the boost up from 6 to about 9.8 (no i/c) And I ran mid 14's all day long.. and it only had a t25 on the 88+ years. You can safely run 10psi on stock engine on 94 octane fuel...you will have to be more careful in the hot summer though to be safe.... an i/c will add some level of security to that..

I found that statement at "how stuff works" it looks more like forensic stuff for crime scene.

Definition of Track Width Measurements This measurement may be recorded by placing the tape measure in a number of postions across the tracks. The selection of tape placement will depend upon the quality of the track as it appears at the scene. Chose the tape placement that would result in the most accurate recording of the track width. Look for the most well defined edges of the tracks, and measure across these points. Each of the following tape measure placements will produce the track width: Center rib on one track to center rib of the other track. Outside of one track to inside of other track. Inside of one track to outside of the other track. Inside of one track to inside of the other track plus the width of one track. Outside of one track to outside of the other track minus the width of one track

If you get them exactly the way you want them, and you trust the design...ie Wheel mfg have lots of experience on what works and doesn't work for wheels... Then the price for a custom designed "one off" rim is good.. My 17x8 with my specs for offset cost me about 900.00 per wheel Canadian. The Rears were more If I recall correctly (17x11) In a 16" rim.. a 245/45/16 is about as wide as you can go in a low profile tire.. I ran a semi track tire that was 265/45/16, and i have seen nothing wider in all my searches.. For that size rim, you have lots of options and custom may not be worth it.. Custom rims are great if you want to be different, and realy want to stick with the 4 bolt, or want to go slightly wider than most people put on their z's. I personally feel its more of a "looks" "bling bling" reason, as our cars don't really need that large of tire to be fast.. So you can see where that puts me hehe

I saw some of the last XJ220's. A restoration company on the west side of Toronto bought the last 8 of them I think...They were all in one place...all were sold and waiting delivery..One was Nicolas Cage's there is a ttv6 in them. this place was awsome.. I can't recall the name of the place. our car club got a chance to tour the place as a favour to one of our members.. Its a place where you take your car for a 100K$ resto. they can restore even one off cars. they are the extreme of resto shops.. they can even build cranks, pistons, blocks, anything they need IN HOUSE!! Quite a place indeed. There were some very wicked super rare ferrari's etc there..

Scott vs Parts counter clerk. Me" Ya I need some spark plugs for a 78 datsun 280z" him (checking computer system) uh nope.. Me" how about a 77?" nope me "a 79?" nope me "a 80?" nope. Sir what year do you have? Me" a 78 but it doesn't really matter to me what year, they are pretty much the same, how about an 81, 82, 83? yup I have some for an 83.. is an auto or stick... me "stick..." nope don't have any for those. Me "ok then make it an automatic" uh does it have turbo or not? me " pick one I don't care man..just find me some plugs from one of these cars..." ( I needed a plug bad..one was totally dead...I just needed it so I could get to work) Hilarious when i look back now, but not at that time...I was like"just get me some plugs for a datsun something!!! ahhhh"

Thanks for the ideas! You are correct the floors overlap the old steel where they are welded.. the welds are very messy, and obviously spot welded (some long seam welds, some are spots) I can't see any obvious holes, but I know that it will rust between the joints when it gets moisture in there... The floors are overkill, but look sloppy....

Well you asked for it! Buy another Z! At least you know lots about them!..know about parts and heck, you have this site to help ya! Well....what kind of answer would you expect from me? hehe j/k

Its all ZEN Glenn. Dwell on the positive...keep your face to the sunshine and you will never see the shadows. Losing is just a signal for new mods... I do recall blurred images of tailights infront of me more than a few times...hence all my mods....hehehe

You'd be shocked no know how much it DOES move/flex.. My L28 crank was rediculously polished, shot peened and balanced for 8000rpm redline. Talk about flex....I was dragging the car, and was winding out 3rd and grabbed 4th and ended in 2nd! I floored the gas and nailed the clutch (when I realized what was happening) so as not to blow the engine... It was ok... later on when we opened it up for other repairs, we noticed that I think #3 rod had "walked" forward and rubbed the block journal (not sure on my teminalogy here) anyways my crank had flexed in the middle and allowed one of the rods to move forward on the crank and rub the block....It was ok, but still... all that prep work, and that rod moved quite a bit...... Amazing....bullet proof engine that was...well except for the piece of hardend spring steel that got sucked into #5 and spat out the exhaust along with some piston....but that is another story....

I'm pretty certain I can obstain from modding a new (to me) Z. My 280 demands a fair amount of attention, and I can't imagine building anything up that could take IT on. The 70 fell in my lap and I couldn't let it go...I will not mod that car either..I picked up a fuel filter and some brake fluid for it today. This past weekend I went out and started it... its been sitting all winter..battery hooked up and everything...I had to try it 2 times...the third time, it fired instantly!!! 8) It stalled above 3k...then found that the filter was pluged and was idleing on 0 psi of fuel pressure (checked with proper guage) It doesn't need mods anyways..it looks and sounds mean as hell. I'm not sure what to do with it in the long run... its needs a ground up on it...For now it can get some use as a daily driver, then it can be a cruiser...no track time for this car...It has a pretty hot engine in it...even has chevy pistons...It has a 5 spd I think and a 3.36 rear. Brakes are stock, so I wouldn't want to exceed the braking capability. It has been more than 12 years since it was driven, and I'm almost 100% positive I was the last to drive it back then.. I drove my 280 for 1 winter when I was in college, and I had zero probs with it, so I figure if I throw on some good winter tires, it will be even better. So I'll hunt down a clean stock 280z through the summer. I still have a ton of stock parts for the Z's and a HUGE access locally to all that I can use, so maintaining it shouldn't be too hard...and hell, after working on the 240, I'm much more re aquainted with working on z's again... I'm going to try and get the 240 working during the next month or so.. my 280 comse out of storage in mid April. I'll start driving the 240 while I still have the Altima, and that should smooth out the transition into ensuring the reliablilty of the 240. I'm not too keen on driving the 240 to work, but it is much safer than driving my 280...I'll never bring that bad boy to work..not a chance... At least the 240 is not as valuable...and looks a little rough around the edges... its a 20/20 car..hehehe I hope it will be ok... Im starting to get excited about spring again..It feels great!

Ok ok I know that is a swear word for a Z, but..... My 70 has new floors that were not welded very neatly, and I expect to find lots of little gaps etc as well as bad seams etc.. Ok I'm not going to restore this car anytime soon..maybe the next owner...I'll let him to a ground up on it.. (it really needs this type of rebuild.) SOOOoooo what can I undercoat the new floor to seal it from water, exhaust, noise etc etc...????? I'd like to keep the car for at least a few years and don't want it to rust out on me, but if it keeps getting wet inside...I'll be just as bad off.. Is there a good spray? is there anything that would seal up nicely on the inside of the car..ie rear hatch area? I plan on recarpeting the car at some point, but for now I just want it clean looking inside...well that and no little pin holes to suck in fumes from... Any ideas or recommendations? I've looked at the usual tars and rubberized rocker guards stuff, but am not convinced it is practical to seal out water etc..... Spring is around the corner and I'd like to get this car on the road...getting the z itch.... Thanks,

uhhh some of us are still hibernating like the majestic Canadian Beaver or a black bear...no no no a MOOSE! yea thats it a big moose...uh wait do "meese" (plural) hibernate? Cabin fever... And those with a heated garage are working on their cars as we speak.. hehehe

84-86 300zx's did not have an lsd...even the turbo cars.

L29 N/A triple webers etc.. Dozens of 80's mustangs Camaros and firebirds Honda preludes all the way to current modles Monte Carlos multi years fwd and rwd Caveliers and sunbirds (even turbos) 300zx's multi years/gens Ford Probes Pontiac GTP's Maximas Supras turbo and n/a Tibouran 450cc honda motor bike draw with a GN rolling start BMW 3's, 5's, 7's and made an 850 chicken out 308 GT Ferrari took him 7 times..all the way to 7400rpm in 5th...he still lost.... So much rice its not funny... Since the VG30ET: tt supras draw with a 3.8l supercharged modded Fiero GT More mustangs Firebird firehawk (new) heavily modded mustangs Eclipse turbo 4wd Audi sedans 4 and 6cyl Old school BB camaros/firebirds Crowd is getting thin.. the loud BOV scares all but the most serious away...well that and 12.5" wide rear tires and huge flares....

Well as you are all probably in the same boat as I. Tax time... end of the year accounting time.... etc.. Well I've gone over all my $ and all my Z and car related expenses for the year, and even though I went through a tough year after killing my brand new engine, I was still more than shocked ...made me want to cry.. Absolutely ridiculous what I spent on all my transportation (minus fuel costs...that is bad on its own..) Something has GOT to give and I have thus drawn a line in the sand. I have talked recently here about projects and budgets... With all my years experience with cars, things can still spiral out of control...add some costly breakdowns with stubborness to give up really adds $$$$ quickly...and if you need it fixed NOW?.. even more $$$$$$$. I did some calcs and some serious thinking. I WILL NOT sell my 280 nor will I stop spending $$$$ on it every year.. PERIOD... ok ok ok so something has to go.. = ALtima gone... Yup the Altima is sucking up valuable resources that I no longer want to spend on cars. Payments and ins is pushing just over $700.00/mo Do some math and ya get 8400.00 and I haven't even had one repair. I still need a reliable car to get to work etc, but I currently live less than 2 miles from work, and for the odd time I have to travel I figure I can rent a car when my job takes me out of town (2-3 times per year) Come spring, I'm going to sell the Altima and put my 70 240 on the road. I don't trust the car at all yet but I figure the only way to do it is to drive it and work out the bugs.. I can always walk or bike to work if I'm really stuck..or my GF can easily give me a ride... I will purchase a good Z later on this summer to use as daily transport in the winter. I figure I can maintain an old z for a lot less than anything I could possibly buy...as long as its stock...I'll just have to buy some stock in an oil undercoating company to keep it from rusting, but other than that I can't see too many probs.. I used to drive them all winter for years..with very few troubles. Its back to basics for me...to drive what I know and what I can fix, and what makes me feel good driving. I'd rather drive a beater Z than a slightly better plain jane car. When my daily driver starts interfering with the enjoyment of my Z.. I HAVE A PROBLEM!!!! Long live the Z!! 8) Think I'm crazy?mabye...but I'm a Z guy, and I have to be true to who I am and nothing more..

Someone posted a link here in the nontech board to some crazy engines stuffed into small cars... I recall seeing a Austin healy bug eye sprite with a hemi bored to 477ci under a stock looking body (no flares) anything can be done for $$

Supras are pretty cool, but I still love my Z! I don't think anyone ever asked a Supra owner " is that a ferrari?" or "is that a Porsche?" Sport compact mag gave the supras a big thumbs down.. all bolt ons...nothing exciting..wild peaky power curves and "realitively" low shift points that come way too fast. BTW the 350z won the ultimate street car challenge... and it had the least amount of hp of all 10 cars....

Its ok for them to ask questions about swaps...but I still find it hilarious when newbies want to do the rare swaps on the cheap because they have access to some cheap donor or wreck.. If it was easy "even when the engine is free", then I think there would be a lot more 7mgte, vg30et, rotories, etc... lots of those in the Junkyards...but there aren't too manyof those swaps driving around..heck even with the internet as a resource, there aren't that many to find... I'm glad people are using the net to research and get info before starting, its a great idea...I wish I had it when I started playing with Z's...I had been actively searching on the web for years for any/all kinds of Z info. It was the web that opened my eyes to the possiblilities of engine swaps that didn't require the reinvention of the wheel to be successful.. In my case it was my access to parts, cars, info, knowledgeable Z mechanics, my own experience, love of Z cars, time, money, and understanding the magnitude and unknown variables that would drastically increase the difficulty and cost of a swap that has been done very rarely and with no known documentation to help that allowed me to take on the challenge of my swap. (I recieve emails regarding my swap "how to's" and "difficulty and advice" every month since I posted about my swap.) I originally posted this topic to point out what I've been seeing.. Maybe we should have some of this learned info, budgeting, experience, ideas etc in a sticky called..."so you wanna swap an engine into your Z" and have some helpful tips...regardless of it being a common swap or a rare swap...anyone who has not turned a wrench would likely be surprised at the difficulty of "bolting" on a simple upgrade in a car.

I don't want to really sound like i'm going off on some tyrant flame throwing binge, but since I'm solidly putting exponential amounts of time here at this site inversly proportionate to the time spent on my Z.. (hey its winter..I'm hibernating like the mighty Canadian beaver! hehehe JK) Anyways this is just observations on my part, as I have been reading almost every post here over the last few weeks... What is it with newbies to Z's...heck even newbies to cars, that just brought home a 30yr old Z that want their first mod to be an engine swap? It rolls off the tongue easy enough to swap out a small block for a big block in a nova, but taking one type of engine (straight 6) and dropping in a motor with a totally different configuration, different mfg with different specs, with and engine with different goals, with different chassis' etc etc.... and just come on this site and ask how to do it? and does it cost much? BWAHAHAHAHA! Man if you have to ask, you don't have enough money to do it right in the first place.... Even the most basic of upgrades on a L6 can spiral out of control (money wise) when working on a 30 year old car with 30year old bolts.. I have yet to see a hybridz...(in running condition) that has not taken 2-3 times the original budget to get it that way... its usually the story of "i did it under budget....its done..all i have to do is put in some interior, tires, clean up some wires, put in a new battery, and get it painted! hehehe Those that even remotely look like show cars when done have cubic time and probably cubic $$$ into them...$40,000 doesn't go far if you have to buy stuff and pay someone to design and install stuff... BEEN There DONE it, got the bills to prove it... and EVEN if you DO complete it in a reasonable amount of time under budget...you better have some budget for all the other parts that can and will brake when you increase the performance of your Z by 100% +++++let alone the tuning of said engine....better get it right or BOOM..you need a new head gasket, seals...etc.. or worse.... Custom fabrication is practically an artform and requires serious car knowledge..some engineering capabilities..or even just plain common sense.. The steel involved in motor mounts is easy..the time designing it, making sure it fits and is strong enough to take lots of abuse, keeping all geometries in check takes TIME.. if you can't do it.. you are gonna pay someone big time to mfg from scratch... Hybridz began has a low cost method of using readily avail parts to keep your car running and increase performance... Some of the swaps going on here are stunning or will be stunning when complete. Its incredible the effort people will put into these types of uncommon or rare swaps. It is also incredible the cubic money that gets thrown at these projects... oh yea the guy may do all his own work, but has 20K tied up in tools to help him...nothing wrong with that..just something to consider when starting a large project. I also hear that people can do simple rebuilds for super cheap, but come back here trying to figure out why the engine is not building all kinds of hp....there is a reason that Junkyard engines and junkyard rebuilds last a short time, and a top notch mechanic rebuilding that same engine will be 10 even 20 times the cost... ya get what you pay for I say...Swapping out your burned out 6cyl in your pickup to a 350 v8 may be realatively simple, but a whole different ball game trying to make a high performance exotic from a 30yr old sports car. Now don't get all bent out of shape if you think im targeting someone...I'm not...I've been seeing this stuff going on here..my car club, local car scene etc.. for years and years...and it makes me laugh sometimes... Even more when they cut up what I have accomplished with my car when they haven't even started theirs.... I would think 70% or better don't even finish, or hastily finish up their projects and cut corners, or have cars that sit and rust away all together... Even funnier when they mention some obscure realitive or friend who has a car that can beat mine, did his swap in less time with 1/4 of the cost... Anyone else care to add to comment on this trend? I see it more and more, from younger and younger people....oh wait...i'm getting older....maybe that has something to do with it...

Hi Dave long time no see.. I have run several different configurations when I ran the triples. 1= yes 2= use fuel return line (do 240's have one stock?..my 280 does) 2a=practical way to plumb the system is to mount the regulator on the firewall (passenger side) have the main line come up from under the regulator and have it exit the regulator towards the drivers side. Run the fuel line (steel or steel braided) and have it make a nice easy curve (90 degrees) to line up with the first rearmost carb. You need 'T" style banjo fittings and simply run each section of fuel line to each carb in line... the last carb (front carb) should have a "T" banjo joint as well and run more fuel line infront of the valve cover (I prefer ss braided lines) and run the line past the valve cover and over to the frame rail. (280's have the return line here) and simply attach to stock return line and clean up, use steel lines, or ss braided to make it as clean looking as you like. 3= stock mech pump will work, but I believe it is not ideal... 4=feed carbs inline.. The return line is good for keeping the fuel moving and to reduce chance of fuel perculating in the lines as much as possible. (fuel bowls are still at risk) Your fuel pump is noisy A= holly reds are noisy ( Iknow..I had one as well) It surges because your system is dead headed and only needs fuel as the needle valves open with the floats as fuel is burned. I have run dead headed and inline with a return at the front, as well as return at the back when I had a fuel pump mounted in the engine bay as well... (long story) It ran fine deadheaded, but started nicer in the summer with the return line... BTW you want your guage on the other side of the fuel reg.. you want to measure pressure after the reg..not before.. 3.5 psi and a good quality fuel filter... I actually liked the FI filters.. because they were much larger... BTW my holly blue and holly red i had mounted in the stock 280z location... and it was still noisy. Scott