Pharaohabq

Okay, I didn't have the exact weights in front of me during my initial post, but the Vq35DE weighs in ~330Lbs according to Nico. From here on Hybridz the L28 weighs ~523Lbs. So yes my statement is true, "a bit more than half" what the L28 Weighs. Now both engines could be made to weigh more/less depending on what accessories/mounts you're using. I never said the VQ was "Weightless" just that it was lighter. I wouldn't have said it if I didn't know it was, I have one sitting in my garage afterall. Phar

Sears has 24,36 & 48 mo Free replacement, w/ 100 month prorated warranty. so yeah, maybe not 10 years, but close enough. Way better than the optima 1 year crap...

Red Top, Yellow top, they're both good, But Yellow is deep Cycle, meaning if you crank your engine a lot or run a lot of electorics that drain the battery often, then the battery can take it and still charge back up well. Red top is like a normal battery, just optima's usually have higher Cold cranking amps, which can help provide a better spark, (depending on your system)or better starting. Downside to Optimas is that they ONLY have a ONE YEAR warranty. So if you kill it after the year is up, you're SOL. You might be better off buying a Duralast (autozone) or better a high amp Sears battery with a 10 year warranty. I used Optimas in my rock crawler and the winch would regularly kill the batteries. Got burned on that warranty, now I just use normal batteries. Phar

The Z has also got skinny tires on the back, and really looks like it's modded, sounds like a V8, but who knows. If it wasn't crazy wet out, I really doubt the Z would slide so well. It's still cool to see it done, but Zero's also right about the safty issues.

Hey FPRCraig, Your site looks good, How about In Carbon Fiber rather than fiberglass? If you made panels like that, I would certainly be interrested. It's not to know alternates are available.

How far behind the seats should the hoop be? I drive w/ the seat all the way back (6'5" guy)

oooh! Really exciting time Mark You're getting so close!

Hey Please read the VQ 35 build threads. you'll find that the VQ35 will run on a hacked harness, but the main thing is to have the same computer and BCU/Key from the donor car. It doesn't matter if they're from a different car than the harness, but it's best to have them all from one donor. The 350Z ECU is paired with the BCU much like a Bluetooth type connection, but in software. If you try to use a different BCU then the computer will go into Limp mode and you'll have to use a Dealer ConsultIII to reset the pair. The Ignition et al really isn't that hard. The Key for the Donor car/ECU is read through the Nats ant. any nats ant will work. From there it's compared to what's in the BCU and ECU to say it's valid, then it'll allow the engine to start. If you have the stock parts, I'd definitely recommend sticking with the Stock setup. Sure the harness hacks and ECU hacks will fix the need to have a BCU, but your car will be much harder to steal if you have NATS enabled. That's the main reason I'm leaving mine in. I hope you'll put up a build thread on your Car. I'd love to see more VQ love on here. Stock 350Z gauges will require a Diff change at the min to run the Speedo. Have you Dl'd the 350Z manuals yet? Phar

I know the VQ doesn't get that much love yet, But I really gotta mention it. It like the VG fits behind the steering crossmember, but requires a little modification to install. It's almost 300 HP stock and weight a bit more than 1/2 what the L28 does, doe to the alluminum alloys. It's a nice engine. I don't know what the 6sp tranny weighs though. Unfortunately neither EYH or AHoke are on here much anymore to get the weight dist from their swapped VQ S30's. Mines still disassembled pending paint so I can't tell you. But it would certainly be something to investigate.

Really the weight difference once you take off the bumpers isn't that much between the S30 versions. Yes the 280 has a little heavier components, but that's done to improve performance. If you're going to be upgrading things adding coilovers and a 5x speed then You're not going to be much different in weight either. The R200 in the 280 is heavier sure, but it can take all the abuse you can throw at it as compared to the R180 in the 240. There were a heck of a lot more 280z's made than the 240's so you'll likely be able to pick one up in decent shape w/o too much worry. and if that one you found already is setup and reliable, then I'd say go for it. it's your car.. Besides, why not be like me, and have both... My 280Z is my Project swap vehicle, and my 240' is my project restore 70' 240Z. both are fun, and neither is running/finished Phar

I'm in Albuquerque, if you need one checked out around here, let me know in a PM. The great SW is awesome for low/no rust cars. Sun baked is a different story. Phar

Those Seats are Sweet! nice job. As for paint, Stick to the darker colors since you're already dark, that way any scratches will be less visable.

You might check all your grounds, since that can cause intermittent issues like that. Also your fuel filter might be clogged, choking off fuel. A bad afm can also cause that.

I'm looking for the same solution. I've been told custom is the only way to do it.

Not sure, but I don't think your vvt would work with that. The stock electrics run the engine just fine, so I'd stick with that.

Me too , I say keep it, you would always regret selling it especially since you've done so much already. I have a baby on the way, but I'm going to keep my project and just take my time finishing it. You've seen my vq hr thread. You're so close to done. Besides, what's your kid going to drive in HS? Hehe...

Nifty Flat black... Hope you're not going to leave it at that, But hey I guess it's better than multi color rusting out. a nice paint job is pricy anyway. I guess it's your call on that one. at least you did it evenly. Hmm now that wire, It could be to the condenser. I'm not sure, but I certainly don't trust the "insulation" on it, it looks like fish tank tubing. An easy way to see if it's needed at all is to see if it's live, or a ground wire. Use a meter and check continuity between it and ground, If it's ground, it lends creedance to the condensor idea. if it's live, then you should look harder into what it fell off from, (perhaps the AC, or Alt field wire) Check the S30 FSM's there's a wiring diagram. Phar

One comment here... If they're not concerned with the actual engine serial # (Which isn't usually a concern in any S30) then it would likely be cheaper for Rebello to source you an engine locally and ship it to you. That would likely be cheaper than shipping yours from Switz to the US. I'm sure Rebello does things like swapping out the dist to the ZX dist to elim points and such. Aside from that the internals aren't obvious, but too loud a cam might tip the state off that there's something changed. You mentioned a 5 sp. the original 240's didn't have 5 speeds availible. that may be an issue, if anything swap a 4 speed shifter ball to it. The ZX 5 speeds were stronger. You likely won't have any issue breaking things, even at 2.7L.

looks like someone bought it, the craigslist ad has been removed. Hope it was you.

Well I don't know if it's been tried swapping a LHD rack in flipped over for RHD. I don't think that's the main problem here though. It's the weight that the rack is pushing not only from the engine, but from the width of the wide tires. (Awesome swap btw) If I were you I'd try one of the Subi forrester racks since the forester is a lot heavier than the Z, and the swap is well documented. Though I don't know if you're going with power steering or not. One idea is possibly to look at some truck sreering racks, like mid size or small trucks, or possibly a Jeep rack. I don't know how well they'd fit, but they should be heavy enough to handle the added weight. I think my jeep has frame rails that are almost the same width as my Z. I'll have to measure that. Then finding tie rods would be a PITA. I guess the first thing is to just find one that could fit, then begin to mods to make it fit. With a viper engine, I'm sure you're no stranger to mods.

Hey Pooky, Thats the thing about a Hybrid Z. You can mix whatever you want into one. Parts from ofther cars are obviously not made for the S30, but the whole aim and idea of this site is to make things work with the S30. I've said this many times, it's YOUR car, you make what you want out of it. If you like seats from a VW bug, then put them in(I want 09-11 eclipse seats - Very similar in style to the original S30, but so nice and comfy) If you can't find visors for your car, then get some from any car in the junkyard and swap out the brackets. It's not that things won't fit, bolt on etc, it's making them fit by re-engineering. That what this site is really good with. Helping YOU figure out what YOU want to do. It's not just making a list of possible bolt on changes. It's figuring out what you need to do to make the parts that YOU like fit, and fit nicely. Yes that involves work, but that's how people on here have done some really amazing swaps. They take their time and share what they're working on to get feedback and to see how things have been done. These cars are really like Legos, you can build them 1000's of ways with lots of parts, so there is no specific things you should do to your car (aside from killing rust) So, no we're not going to tell you what you can do to your car, we're here to help you figure out how to do what YOU WANT to do to your car. So search around and see what's been done, then look around and see what you like. Then come back and ask us, okay how do I fit Lotus suspension in my S30. We'll look at it and give suggestions. The the plan and the work is all you. So if you don't think you can handle that and just want to bolt stuff on, then keep lurking and glean what knowlege you can from here and whatever other sites. but if you want to do something custom and fantastic that will make YOU happy, then post the ideas up and show us pictures and we'll try our best to help you out. Phar

depends on where you are. If you were here in the southern states I'd vote for a dark tint, but where you are in OK, I'd suggest a light tint. just something to cut the glare. it'll be cheapest if you remove the old tent yourself. soapy water and a razor knife. it's not hard, but get a lifetime warranty pro job.

example, check this one out here local to me: http://albuquerque.craigslist.org/cto/2685435213.html yeah it's $2k, but it's a ZZZap yellow 280Z, ready for an engine swap. Non running I but he'd come down a bit on it. look around, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, there's tons of decent cars. many cheaper than this.

Oh hehe silly me I didn't catch the google image search part the first time. I know I've seen weight numbers around here somewhere, but really the weight isn't going to make so much difference till you know what you're doing with the car. There's a lot of places you can save weight, like going with AZCAR aluminum suspension parts. But you're going to add weight when you add in your roll cage. Swapping the engine out is going to make a difference too, the stock L28 weighs like 800 lbs. The SR20 is a lot closer to half that. (my VQ is just under 600Lbs) I don't know the #'s exactly, but my point is that when you're modding the car, making it what you want, you're going to be adding and subtracting weight. We all know it's possible to drop a lot of weight, but unless you're doing very competitive track courses, +/- 100 lbs isn't going me make as much difference as well tuned suspension and nice tires will. If you're going to drive it to meets and weekends, you'll want to keep some of the accoutriments that make it practical, like headlights and a passenger seat. As I said before, get a good plan. Don't worry too much on what other people have done. Learn from it sure, but this will be your car and yours to customize and make your own. Also, Viewing that Craigslist ad, I'd say keep looking. It's too evxpensive for $1000 bucks, it's wreaked and has issues. more importantly, it's a 2+2, not that that's bad, it's just why do you ned a back seat if you're going to be tracking the car? If you're concerned so much with weight, then this certainly is not a good starting platform. example: My 280Z, I paid 400 bucks for here locally through craigslist. Non-running, I didn't care, I'm swapping the engine. Looked for rust, very little (i'm in NM ) yeah i've got to still strip it down for paint and all that, but it's a good base to build from, cheap. Cars are availible. If you found one out here for even $1000 bucks, in decent shape, you could have them send you picts (of all the common rust areas), and you could pay $500 to ship it to phili, that'd still be cheaper than what you'd spend trying to repair that 2+2 in your craigslist ad. So keep looking around, You'll find a good car and the right one for you. You should probably read the S30 Wiki, to familiarize yourself with what models there were, and what came with what. There's a lot of infor on that on here too, just gotta find it. Phar

I gotta tell you, that CF really looks awesome. I can't wait to see how the car turns out with it. Internal body parts made from CF, how awesome will that look. So jealous right now, but not jealous of the cost. You're definitely not cutting any corners. Save your moulds. I might be really interrested in buying some CF reproduction parts from you. In the Fenders a few bubbles is fine, those can even be drilled and filled with resin. I don't know how well CF sands though, or how hard it is to get back to a glossy sheen once it's been worked. It looks awesome though. I guess I need to learn a lot more about CF before I do too much. What do you think a CF center console might run? Your Powder coated frame looks really good now that it's all one color. Very pretty, you're getting a lot closer to getting it put together. I'm still very impressed, even if it has been a while since you started.