jhm

Dan- Thx for your quick reply, and sorry for not providing sufficient info. The headers are generic SBC block huggers from KMJ: http://www.kmjent.com/cart/product.php?productid=563&cat=4210382&page=1 $164 (with free shipping) for ceramic-coated headers is hard to beat. I really don't think that the headers are the problem. I think my problem stems from the unconventional mounting position chosen by the previous owner that did the conversion -- the motor is actually an inch or two forward of a standard Scarab-type mount. You can see what I'm talking about from the attached pix. The pic that illustrates the clearance issue was taken from the floor looking up, from the rear looking forward. The passenger-side header fits fine. And I think the driver's-side header will also fit fine, provided I'm able to tweak it about 1/2" inboard closer to the block. Again, thx for your reply. jhm

For starters, you can check out "Creation Z" in Sterling. I've heard really good things about them from several guys. Don't know if V8 conversions are a "specialty" of theirs, but they do know Z cars inside and out. Good luck with your project!

Folks- Just bought some block huggers for my SBC 260Z, and I'm having clearance issues with the driver's side header -- there's insufficient clearance between the collector flange and the steering shaft. And yes, I've searched the forums, but could not find a discussion that answered my specific questions. It appears that I could solve my problem by making the header "hug" the block a little tighter. Does anyone have any tips or techniques for tweaking the headers inward (i.e. closer to the block)? Can I just heat 'em up and bend them inward with a big rod, or do I risk breaking the welds at the main flange? I should mention that they're ceramic-coated. I see two potential issues with this: 1) will the coating prevent me from heating them sufficiently to bend the headers tubes? 2) will I damage the ceramic coating if I slightly bend the tubes? Thx in advance for any assistance y'all can offer, and happy motoring. jhm

Even if your bumpers have been replaced, you should be able to determine which bumpers were there originally. The thin (early) bumpers had indentations in the front and rear corners to accommodate bumper mounting; the thick (late) bumpers had no such indentations.

janaka- The transition occured Aug/Sep 1974. Anything earlier is an "early" '74 and anything later is a "late" '74. I believe that the chassis number also indicates "early '74" vs "late '74". Anything up and including chassis # RLS30-060000 is an early 74; anything later is a late 74. Both pieces of information can be found on the metal body ID tag riveted to the inside of the driver's side door jamb. As rturbo pointed out, the turn signals are a dead giveaway for early vs late. The bumpers are another easily identifiable distinction. A good deal of Z-car historical and reference data can be found at the following website: http://www2.zhome.com:81/. Enjoy.... jhm

lovemstr- Happy to help. I recently did the tach mod myself, and still have some resistors leftover. PM me your mailing address and I'll send you a couple. jhm

DavyZ- Thx very much for your reply. I do not, in fact, have JTR mounts. The motor had already been installed when I bought the car -- one of the previous owners had done the conversion and it appears that he used some "el cheapo" homebuilt or other vendor's motor mounts. You are correct that they actually put the motor a couple inches further forward than the Scarab position. Not great for weight distribution, but sure makes it easy to work on the motor! Maybe someday when I'm feeling bored and masochistic, I'll relocate the motor. Thx again. jhm

Allen- If I understand your question correctly, you're asking if the right and left rear signals are wired independently.....correct? If so, yes, they are but they share a common ground wire. I can also send you the body electrical section from the service manual if you'd like -- will need your e-mail because the file's too large to post on this thread. jhm

cachanilla86- Check your PMs -- I'm going to e-mail you the "Body Electrical" chapter from a 280Z factory service manual. It's a great reference for tracking down electrical problems. Page 6 has sketches of the engine compartment relay block. Good luck and happy motoring. jhm

JDTIPPIT- I'm inclined to agree with jt1 that the high-mounts you're considering will not fit under a stock hood (but might fit under a scooped or cowl-induction hood). Have you checked Alan Grove brackets? They make a great selection of high, low, and mid-mount brackets for many applications. I'm using their low-mount alternator bracket (P.N. 206L-ALT, $65) on my Scarab-mount 1st gen SBC. It's a super clean setup that keeps the alternator down low and out of the way on the driver's side. See attached pic. WRT pulleys, I went same route as bjhines. Summit has good selection of decent aluminum pulleys at low prices. Good luck and happy motoring. jhm

hoov100- I couldn't use the Taurus fan because of interference between the fan motor assemby and the water pump pulley. I trimmed the fan's shroud as much as possible, but just couldn't get it to work with my setup. Went to the Spal fan and it fit fine. You can see from the pic that I have very little room between the radiator and the pump pulley (and that's with a short water pump). r/jhm

WTB: BRE front spoiler in decent condition, any color. Pls send pix and asking price to "john.meyer12@us.army.mil". Thx, and happy motoring. r/jhm

Gents- For what it's worth, I'd like to chime in on the new Post Count rule as well. I'll admit up front that I've only been a HybridZ member for a few months, but 40 posts does seem excessive. It's a shame that the new rules became a necessity. Obviously, I'll abide by the rules whatever they are. HybridZ is a great forum with a loyal following, and our Admins and Mods all do a great job on a seemingly impossible set of tasks. r/jhm

4A15- In case you're interested, I finally replaced my round carb-top air cleaner with a cold air system. No problems with hood clearance using the low profile air plenum. I plumbed it with 4" ducting and used a 9" cone filter mounted in front of the core support. Just another option for your consideration... JHM

This may help: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=132577

77Z- Here's my setup. 16" low profile Spal puller fan on a JTR aluminum radiator with custom fabricated aluminum fan shroud. My engine's mounted in the Scarab position and I don't have much room between the water pump and radiator, so the Spal low profile fan works really well -- I tried the Taurus fan and just couldn't get it to fit. Spal has a great selection of high-flow and low profile fans. My car runs at 190 deg F all day long, no matter what kind of traffic I'm in. I think most people will tell you that a puller fan is the preferred setup, although I've seen some guys install a pusher fan on the front of their radiator in addition to the puller -- this is usually only necessary on a really hot running motor (or in really hot environments, such as yours). Good luck and happy motoring! JHM

Check out DB Electrics -- they make a good selection of well-built starter motors at GREAT prices. I've been using this unit in my car for 8 months without a problem; I like the fact that it's a mini (only 7.5 lbs) and high torque. I REALLY like the fact that it only cost $55. http://www.db-starter-alternator.com/Items/Item.aspx?SKU=sdr0031%20/%20pm300%20-%206562&caSKU=sdr0031%20/%20pm300%20-%206562&caTitle=NEW%20Chevy%20305%20350%20454%20Mini%20Racing%20PMGR%20Starter%20HT%20PM300%20SDR0031 Good luck to you.

Here's mine. Mid-90's (92-96) Prelude seats in my late-74 260. I cut off the Honda rails, fabricated cross bars from steel flat bar, and bolted onto the stock Z rails. Very comfortable and supportive.

Here's some useful info for anyone with a Spal FAN-PWM-V3 fan controller that's frequently throwing error codes 2 and/or 4. I was having this exact problem with mine, so I returned it to Spal for bench-testing and troubleshooting. Turns out the controller's diagnostics are quite sensitive, and in my case, too sensitive for the current fluctuations from my battery being mounted in the hatch. The voltage/current fluctuations were causing my controller to continuously throw error codes 2 and 4 after only a short drive. The Spal technician was familiar with this particular issue, particularly in vehicles with trunk-mounted batteries, and knew the exact fix for it. If you're having similar problems, send it to Todd Holcomb in Spal Technical Assistance and he'll hook you up. Kudos to Spal and Todd Holcomb for superior customer service!

Similar to Scarab155, I use a 14" air cleaner w/ a drop base on my Scarab setup. Sits on top of a Holley 4150 and Edelbrock Performer intake w/ a large GM HEI distributor. I'm able to use a 3" filter w/ no interference with the hood. Attached is pic of my setup for your reference. Also, you may want to consider cold air options. I'll soon be fabricating a cold air setup using a Spectre low-profile intake plenum (P/N 98499). Finally, there's a neat technique for checking clearance using tin foil. Just tape a ball of partially-crumpled tin foil on areas of questionable clearance....if any part of the foil gets crushed completely,you've got a clearance issue. If not, you're good to go!

Great website, folks! It's provided a wealth of data on a variety of topics, but I haven't been able to find a definitive answer to this particular question. I understand that, in general, it's recommended to use the Hooker 2147 long-tube headers with a Scarab mount; but I'd really prefer to go with block huggers or shorties if possible. If anyone's using them with their Scarab mount, pls let me know what header you're using (manufacturer and model). Pictures would be greatly appreciated as well, so that I could compare with my particular setup. I've attached a couple pix of my current setup w/ iron manifolds -- obviously, I need to be careful with clearance between the header, engine mounts, and steering shaft. Thx in advance to anyone that can help!

Looking for reasonably clean V8 conversion in mid-Atlantic region. Must be street-friendly. Price range $3K-$6K. E-mail me at john.meyer12@us.army.mil. Thx.