BLKMGK

Tis is truly cool - we need the Ford swap better documented. IF more documentation had been available and the Ford T56 not cost so much I'd have done a Ford swap myself. I wish Ford would get off their butt and put a T56 in the new Cobras - with the 4series gears everyone is going to in order to take advantage of the HUGE powerband it just makes sense. Oh, and to get away from the exploding T45 transmission too Now, if someone could make up a set of readily available Ford swap motor mounts we'd be really rolling!

If you poke around the LT1 Edit site you'll find FREE software to monitor th eengine, check codes, and I thinkt o even clear the codes. However only the pay version will actually data log for you and you WILL need an ADL cable. I've said it before but I'll say it again - darned tempting to just hookup a GM ECU to an EFI setup and use some of this software to program it foregoing an "aftermarket" ECU! It's powerful enough and MASS AIR - that's a big advantage IMO as it no longer has to infer volume of air. I'm just not sure how difficult it would be to program for say a converted carb intake Thoughts?

With the trans you've got you're already doing well A 327 motor shoudl run fine but beware the T5 as they can be fragile. Take care of it and it'll take car of you. Switching to a synthetic fluid in that puppy would be my first move! As for "the plan" not bad but you might want to consider a few things more. Gauges, cooling, suspension, and BRAKES. You will need those brakes there are lot's of ways to upgrade the brakes discussed elsewhere but you should certainly pay attention to that item. Oh, and try to find a candidate that lacks rust or needs paint

YES, Synchromesh! That stuff is supposed to be the hot ticket for T5 Mustang transmission too if I recall. If you talk to a T5 specialty shop they will probably yell you Synchromesh or Redline Auto Trans oil I believe that the Synchro stuff was for the GM T5s which also took Dexron so you should be fine running it in the T56. I don't know what the capacity is...

The 7th edition JTR book actually has pics of that trans in a Z. They tell you all about the silly thing, tell you not to use it, and then give you the bare minimum on the silly T56 - which they recommend! (argh!) I suppose the short answer is that they made it fit! You might also find some info on this trans in their TPITBI swap book. If you've not got this one handy give me a shout and I'll dig mine up to see if there's anything in it of interest concerning this trans - not sure where it's at right now!

Why not simply sand the car smooth and leave some of the paint below on? Seems like it doesn't have to be all or nothing - sand it down to get rid of any waves or dings but don't take it all the way to bare metal if the paint underneath is still mostly sound.

Okay - looks like the first upgrade option is to use Toyota 4WD calipers from a 1979-1984 truck. I'm not yet sure if this is the 4cyl version or the 6cyl and I think these parts use the solid rotor. This from -> http://www.zhome.com/ZCMnL/tech/Calipers/toyotaCalipers.html Here's more info too -> http://www.geocities.com/dave240z/fbrake_1.htm Hrm, I've not upgraded my master cyl yet... And some more that mention the vented front rotors. However I think there's a STOCK rotor that will work for this if you keep 4lug. -> http://www.sonic.net/~kyle/maxima.html Ah, and a GOOD hit on Zcar.com "The first using the 83-84 toyota 4x4 pickup brakes calipers that still use our stock rotors, and the 88-90 toyota 4Runner 4x4 3.0l v6 conversion that uses the larger vented rotors from a 84 300zx" from -> http://www.zcar.com/forums/read.php?f=1&i=137767&t=137764 that confirms that there's a stock rotor out there

Heh, ask relay man - i mean Pete Seriously, I'd use a relay on the fan and on the fuel pump. Anything else that's switched and draws a heavy load I'd consider using relays for too - stereo amps for instance but not th ehead unit. Do the headlights while you're at it - the difference in intensity will surprise you I promise and really take a load off the harness.

I'm not sure that they didn't change until 94. If you look in the SVO catalog Ford does have a conversion kit to upgrade to the nicer starter though so either way it's no biggie. Don't pick a motor based on the starter

A 400 is an excellent choice for these cars. If you're still deciding then before you so much as turn a wrench head over to www.jagsthatrun.com and pick up one of their books. Read it cover to cover a couple of times and absorb what it will take to put that motor in. Once you've done that you'll be much better equipped to decide what to do. Lastly, I'll echo what everyone else has said - get an OD trans. I prefer a manual myself but that's up to you.

Okay, here are pics of the mods - they're now up on my WEB site too. and Those welds are VERY nice, very clean, and I can only dream of ever doing that well. It took them only a few minutes to do this job and they stopped their other work in order to accomdate me. Thank you Dan and Dave!

I did have to pound just a little. It was real close though. I ended up bolting it to the trans and jacking it up. Where it contacted I smacked the mount and pumped the jack handle to press it into place. The mount is so thick that bending it would be a real feat with only about 4 inches to swing a hammer in Overall I think the trans is in but I need to get those wiring pigtails to finish it up and fiure out which set of wires in the trans tunnel is the reverse lights - I've gotten them confused! There Is one little pointy spot on the T56 up towards the reverse lights that I think should be chopped off by anyone doing this swap. It pokes out pretty good and I can see no good reason for keeping it - I think it's to sort of shield the reverse switch from impacts but I'm not sure. Pointy little sucker too! I've cleaned, primed, and painted the mount now - pics on my site. Tomorrow if time allows I'll bolt it on to the trans and drill holes to mount it. I'm using an Energy Suspension urethane mount too BTW. About time I started thinking about mounting the rear pumpkin

Okay, I've got to point this out. There's what 10mm difference between a 245 and a 255 tire? It sounds like Pete really had to work hard to get that puppy squeezed in there! Pete, if you had to do it again would you sacrifice the 10mm of width and be satisfied with a 245 series tire? BTW - I took a look at the tires off a friends 97 Cobra - solid rear axle. 315 series tire! I've seen them on the car - they fit fine. No rolled lip either - I swear the wheel well doesn't look wider than ours! I'm going to measure that puppy next time I get over there. Also, the Cobra rear vented rotor looks like it's hat is close to the same height as the rotor I've got for my rear conversion and I know the bolt pattern is the same. Might be worth looking into. The rear calipers on the Cobras are a joke - teeny tiny one piston jobs but I guess they work fine...

Before you get too excited balancing, blueprinting, and generally going nuts with that motor... Price out what all of that will cost. Then consider adding on at least half more. there, now price out a decent V8 conversion since you might want to do that in the future. How close are the numbers? And how much more power is the V8 making? I can see a turbo L6 maybe but a NA L6 is oging to be tough to build in order to keep up with a V8 - power or price wise I thnk. I seem to recall at least one member here has a tricked out L6 for sale, if you're not interested in buying it try asking him what it cost to build. The costs might surprise you compared to doing a V8 - I'm betting they're closer than you might think. Food for thought anyway. Enjoy the car, it's a nice one!

I don't agree with the "non-issue". I've picked up both iron and aluminum Ford heads - there'a BIG difference between them! IF you can afford the lighter aluminum ones I'd go for it. Aluminum heads can be repaired, weight less, generally flow pretty well, and can allow you to run a higher compression ratio without fear of knock. What's not to like? Yes, it seems a Ford motor weighs less than the SBC but you're also giving up 50 cubes over a 350 unless you go high dollar and stroke the 302. For that matter - why not look at a 351W? Many of the parts are the same and it's just a little wider. The blocks are stronger too but they don't like to RPM like a 302 - main bearings are bigger and the bearing speed gets too high (shrug).

Heh, I couldn't wait I ran it over to a friend's place who does chassis work. He had to use a chop saw to cut the darned thing and it's now slightly less than 12 inches hump to hump but I believe it'll fit perfect now. He beveled the cuts, fired up the welder, and laid some absolutly purty welds down. I only wish I had the skil and experience that he does - this puppy is solid! I'll take some pics to post tonight and see how it fits under there. Even if it ends up too wide again it'll still be much less pounding that needs to be done. I don't mind a litle pounding but my car is in pretty darned good shape and the bashing required to fit the mount in it's previous form was just too much for me to stomache!

Okay, I got aorund to puling the JTR trans mount out of the box and measuring it with the T56 in place. Yup, as Lone and others have stated - good luck! I measure the trans tunnel at 12 inches wide where the trans mount is on the tranny - the JTR mount is nearly 14inches across! One "hump" is 3.5 inches, the other about 2.5 inches. I figure I need about 1inch removed from each "hump" to get this puppy to fit without major bashing. I've got the car in the air but not real high so bashing anything under there is a real bear! I THINK I've got the tunnel clearanced okay once the trans comes down on this mount so cutting and welding this puppy seems to make the most sense to me - yes? Opinions please. I won't cut this sucker yet and I've got to have someone else weld it so I'd liek to get this right the first time. Wider hump goes on driver's side - correct? That's the side with the bigger spacer so that's what I'd expect... TIA!

Consider using a low pressure oil pressure gauge if th erange will work for you. I bought one of the early "high pressure" fuel gauges from JBA way back in about '89. Yup, it was the SAME as a VDO oil pressure including sender but it had been relabeled! I paid WAY too much for that puppy and was most PO'ed at JBA.

Good tips guys! Here's one I picked up for making 'glass parts that I've yet to try. Make the part out of cardboard - like say a glove compartment. Then when it's looking like what you want punch many holes in it. Place some glass matting on it (optional) and then slather resin on it. The holes will allow the goo to reach both sides for strength. When dry it should be strong enough for use Mind you I've NOT tried this but for something like a glove compartment it ought to work. This tip from a street rod magazine. Hrm, now I wonder how hard a center panel would be to make in carbon fiber? I could use the stock type vent maybe but allow myself room for a custom A/C panel and a better radio mount. Maybe even gut one of the panels in the grage to make it... someone already did this didn't they? I saw a pic somewhere and it looked darned nice!

Cool, thanks! I actually wondered if those nice colored 4X4 boots might fit the rack too Guess I'll have to do a bit of measuring huh?

Grab it! Do try to make sure it's not a 93 but at that price I'd be tempted to grab a 93 too!

Ooh ooh - I hope this is in regards to the rear brackets you're working on Or is the 383 car you're working on getting brakes too?

Ooookay... we were all new once so... Firstly going to a larger diameter rim does NOT effect ride height. When you go from say a 14inch wheel to a 15inch wheel it's called a "+1" upgrade. What you do is change the tire sidewall height such that the total height of the wheel is the same or nearly so. The same goes for changing from 14 to say 17 - that would be +3 or 3 sizes larger. I think the TireRack WEB site also explains this very well. If you look here -> http://www.eng.fsu.edu/~jthagard/otherzs/walker/heatedpassion.html you'll see a Z with 18inch wheels! That style is what I want So, why doesn't everyone run say 20inch wheels? The answer is that as tire sidewall gets smaller ride gets rougher. You end up with a wheel that has what looks like a rubber band around it - potholes begin to take a major toll on your wheel too as there's not enough cushion between the wheel and the road and you bend wheel lips. Another thing to consider is brakes. IF you put BIG brakes on a car, like you've apparently done, and then try to run a 14inch wheel you'll find that the room inside the wheel isn't great enough to fit the rotor and caliper package. Mustangs run into this when they put 13inch Cobra brakes onto the older FOX bodies. Most 16inch and all 15inch wheels will no longer fit - they MUST run 17s in most cases. For you this is no biggie since you're moving UP to 17s. So, what tire size do you now have? If you give us that then someone can dig up what tire size you'll need with the new rims or you can hunt over at Discounttire.com or Tirerack.com to find the answers yourself. Howzzat?

What we still need: 1) What year 4 piston calipers work for the Toyota upgrade for both vented and solid front calipers. 2) What rotor works up front for the vented Toy upgrade. 3) What (max) width rim will work with stock suspension and with 10inch coilovers. 8 inch coilovers too if it's different (I think it is). I believe that an 8inch wheel width is the max for a stock fendered 240Z in the back with 10inch springs. I know that Pete is at 9 inches but I think he's either got some funky rear end work or has 8inch springs to fit his 9's. 4) What backspace is needed for a car with standard fenders to fit say a 245 tire. Need this info for front and back. Will need this for the various brake packages if they change the offset. 5) Some sort of agreement on spring rates for stock type suspension, 10inch springs, and 8inch springs. I'll be running 10inch and have got 225200 springs. 6) For bonus points we could add alignment reccomendations, some sort of guidline on when to section a strut, and what struts work best for th evarious shortened struts. Yes, some of this has been answered here. P.S. The Toyota upgrade info is at Zcar.com but my damned browser crashes when I try to go over there right now. Doh! And yes, I didn't stick to just brakes but I think all of these questions have been burning with all of us for awhile.

Oh and the Gremlin... I knew a guy that had one with a 400SBC in it Had mini tubs, looked like crap, and he sprayed that puppy ike mad at the track. I don't recall what it weighed but it must have been one wild ride! IF you can find one in good shape - go for it. Unfortunatly they're hard to find these days as are decent condition Pintos and Vegas (sob). Chevette's on th eother hand can be found in junkyards pretty easily as of a few years ago. Emissions regs migh tstill apply to some of them though.