BLKMGK

Just picked up a 3rd Gen RX7 myself - strangly enough I also just finally got my Z out of paint shop jail The RX7 is just plain nasty, even with a wounded turbo on the primary side that won't go past 6lbs of boost. When the second one kicks in at a full 10lbs it feels liek a truck just hit me and the motor makes all sorts of neato' whirring sounds! Make no mistake - these puppies haul the groceries. I expect the V8 Z to be faster in the end but I don't think it'll take the RX7 top end. At 80mph the RX is just starting to feel good in 5th and it feels like you're only going 55mph. Step into the gas and it takes off at 80mph and pulls hard till you let off. I've not done any real high speed runs but have chatted with folks who have seen close to 180 in modded RX7s - that's scary fast IMO. My Z will weight a bit less than the RX I hope but the RXs only weigh about 2800lbs supposedly and making 350+HP isn't too hard or beyond th erealm of bolt-ons. I hope to hit that number myself and 425+ with the Z. We'll see!

I'm not sure where they're breaking but even STOCK Cobras on sticky tires are breaking them on the launch pad. Ford's got a problem here to say the least! Some of them are hopping I've heard and overall folks are just not happy with the IRS that drag race. If I can I'll try to ask about where it's breaking etc. Would pics of an IRS Cobra rear help anyone? I believe there's a portion where the axle necks down that might be breaking - stress riser maybe? I've heard there are aftermarket axles on the way - we'll see if it helps...

I'm with Scott - RUN AWAY! Yeah, I know them from th eMustang world too but th elessons learned there apply here. Their top unit makes what, 6lbs of boost? What's that measured on - a 302? If so consider that a 350 or bigger motor will need MORE CFM to create the same backpressureboost. In other words on a 350+ motor you'll get LESS than 6lbs of boost! Hardly worth the effort IMO and they DO shred belts, even the newer ones without the silly idler inside. Don't liek the noise? Look to Paxton and ATI for "quieter" blowers. Vortech may have one too - I'm not positive. They are NOT quite as strong as straight cut geared blowers but the ATI is good for over 500HP (or is it 800?) so the "strength" is strictly a relative term I HAVE heard the more quiet ATI blowers and while they are a tad quieter don't expect to sneak up on anyone with them (lol). My P1200 is so loud that it even overwhelms the huge Paxton fuel pump so I guess thay've made some progress at least. Skip the Powerdyne, you won't regret it I promise.

Hey, likewise there's no magic in stroking a SBC either. You'll pick up SOME HP and most of all SOME torque but it's not th ebe all end all. Th eonly reason why I chose to do it was because the cost was nearly the same for a good 350 build up. Unfortunatly the 3.1L L6 isn't quite that simple. 175HP does sound low, surely there's some room for improvement. Perhaps his compression is low? Timing curve? Poorly ported head? Could be any number of things. Mike and I both know someone that's got a BIG motor that didn't make the power it should have - it's all in the combo and getting it right. For that matter my 351W hasn't moved recently either (sigh).

Detonation - one thing you didn't mention Mike and that's preignition. Sometimes the compression is so high that the mixture detonates before the spark pluf fires it. This can also occur due to a hotspot in the chamber - carbon or overheated plug electrode for instance. When this occures the piston will often try to compress a mixture that's already expanding. This uncontrolled explosion sounds like popcorn under the hood and can flatten bearings as easily as it can break pistons! Diesel motors use this sort of preignition to run - no spark plugs. Their compression ratios are quite high for just this reason. On the gas available at the pump you want to be careful you don't run too high a compression ratio. Note: higher octane gas actually ignites LESS easily! It is LESS explosive and if you run "race gas" in a low compression motor it will actually lose power. You only need enough octane in the gas to prevent preignition - more is not always better. My .02

Hey now - I LIKE turbos I've had a pair on a Ford 302, now have a blower on that same car, and just bought a twin turbo RX7! (talk about fun!) Friends of mine drive GNs that fly - lot's of parts out there for them too. Heck, I even considered a turbo kit for my Miata but have decided to sell it and bought the RX. So, why didn't I decide to do a turbo L6 or GN? I wanted something straightforward and documented. Yeah, I can blow money to have stuff done but I'm hoping to actually get my hands dirty on this project. For me, the V8 made sense and I'll have some help from Mike Kelly if I get stuck. For ME an auto just wouldn't cut it this time around - to each his own. A GN motor would flat out be awesome in a Z and if that's the path someone takes thenm more power to them. It's much easier top make big power numbers with a force fed engine and I'll be very surprised if in 2 years my Z isn't force fed in some manner but baby steps come first.... P.S. Had I driven a turbo L6 earlier I might have considered that swap more seriously too. I know V8s though and the T56 is something I really wanted. Silly huh?

And here's the mural shot-> [url=http://www.2xtreme.net/fredkatz/images/415.jpg">

It'll depend. ABS is a big plus as is larger rotors up front. An E-brake would be nice as would parts that don't require custom machining come replacement time. Cost will be the big question though.

Depending upon how "stock" you want things to look th eJTR book is a must have. It details what to do wiring wise for things like the tach etc. It has some good comments on modifying the suspension for wider tires and better handling too. Seriously, it's worth the $30 IMO - I must have read mine a dozen times or more. It's fairly well organized if a bit "down home" but doesn't talk nearly enough about the T56 trans - you have to get the TPI book for that and even then it's not nearly enough information. I purchased both books together - the Z book I feel is a must, the TPI book less so (shrug).

Stay away from the late model Cobra rears. Those folks are breaking the halfshafts on the launch pad anytime they add sticky tires! Supposedly there are stronger axles on the way but I'm not holding my breath. Big bux to replace too....

If it's on an airplane Aircraft Spruce and Supply shoudl have it. They sell some purty carbon fiber too - their FREE catalog is HUGE!!

Turbo huh? Hrm, if you went EFI I happen to know where there's a set of turbo manifolds with T-25 turbos mounted on them that came from a twin turbo V8 Mustang Have a nice big Spearco intercooler too that was mounted horizontally under the radiator with a scoop like many of the ATI cars are. for the correct amount of cash I'd ship these parts your way or anyone else's way that wanted them. Kit cost over $3500 new...

Sorry I haven't responded sooner guys. My Z is STILL in paintshop jail and has been for something like 7 weeks for 1 weeks worth of work. It's a sore subject at this point. In the meantime I picked up a 93 RX7 in awesome condition. It's making low boost on the primary turbo, to be fixed next week, but it flat out flies. So, I've been researching RX7s and having fun away from the computer Anyway, I've seen MANY of the new ProCharger units. Despite the claims they ARE still noisy - but not as bad as my P1200. Not poking holes inthe oil pan is nice BUT you have to change the fluid every X miles and you MUST use their lubricant - it's got tattle-tale dye in it too so don't skip it. All in all it's a NICE blower! As for 600HP - wow that's alot. For that much power I'd run a blower and I'd run forged pistons. Sure, you can do it without a blower but the motor will have to be MUCH hairier and that's no fun to drive. Talk to an experienced BLOWER shop and see what they reccomend. For that matter call up ATI and talk to them - they'll know what works. As for th eZZ430 - forget it. Hard as heck to find and th eshops making them from parts want too much. IF you go with a crate motor go with the 385horse motor that GM is now selling. It's got the ZZ4 shortblock and the nicer heads - only difference I'm aware of between this and the ZZ430 is the nasty cam. It has hyper pistons though so beware. Some quick infor on pistns as I understand it and have observed. Cast - frail but can be made to work. Hyper - strong, doesn't expand much which is why the OEMs are using them, but is brittle. Get detonation and you can break the ring lands apart! Even just too much power can trash them but detonation is the real enemy. Hypers have more silicon in the forging and this can actually come to the piston surface as bubbles under extreme conditions - happened to Turbo Magazine, poor piston had acne! Forged - tough as nails, can stand some detonation but it's never a good idea, expands more than Hypers. Cost is higher for GOOD ones - watch the weight! Hope that helps some. Honestly I'm not sure you'll really need 600hp but with say a 9:1 compression and a blower making say 10lbs of intercooled boost you'd be pretty close IMO

I think if you search further you'll also find a post where someone found the light covers to be worth something like 2mph on a straightaway at some track. They've got to be doing something to give an extra 2mph. A shame the Z is so poor in the aero dept...

Let's see... Rear quarters got big squares and some spray stuff, rear floor covered as much as a I could with the fuel cell cover in there, some big squares on the rear towers, some squares on the underside of the cargo lids, some big squares behind and under the seats, a bunch on the tunnel, and th esuper stuff in the floorboards up front. I also put down some aluminum covered bubble wrap up front and on the tunnel. This all made a BIG difference in sound!

MK8 will have more iron in it - I think the block is iron. The cobra is the one that has th eall aluminum engine. The 95 motor is probably not what you want Mike, it;s a regualr V8. The other motor, if it's in a GT, is a SOHC V8. These run okay but are not as nice as th eCobra. Figure the Cobra motor to be about as wide as a Ford 460. BIG! If you really have to have a width measurement let me know - I can get one over at my friend's shop and any other meaurements you might want. There's also a T56 that bolts to these BTW

Hrm, okay food for thought. Gawd I hate this mechanical stuff though I'm so much more comfortable when there's a computer doing it all for me! We'll see - car is still in paint jail and my flywheel has only just show up out at Kieth Craft. So close!

Whew - build the bottom end STRONG. If you want serious power the ZZ4 won't cut it. This thing will make torque like you wouldn't believe. Pick up a book on turbos, there's at least one out there that talks about a turbo V8 that self destructed at only like 3K RPM. It made so much torque it trashed everything. If you're really serious, give Duttweiler a call. Ken has built many motors like this and knows th epitfalls - he's also a great guy if you get hold of him. Honestly, I don't think your $12K budget will make it. I've thought some about turbos on my motor down the road. I've already run a twin turbo Ford 302 in another car and done right there NO lag. However it's complex and expensive. Look the marine arena to see if they've got things like turbo manifolds that might work. When it's all priced out you may be shocked at the cost. After you've gotten over the shock think about this - what do you want to do with the car? 800HP or so is a bear to drive on anything but the track. The Datsun Z is a short wheelbase car and that much power will be a hand full on the track. You're going to have to literally build the car around a powerplant making that kind of power - it'll rip a regular Z apart I'd think. The motor will be just the first step in the drivetrain - the rest will be big bux too. I'd consider scaling back some - save some money too. A ZZ4 does have 10:1 compression but if you built an intercooled supercharger system, like what ATI sells, you COULD run boost on a ZZ4. The big worry would be the pistons. With all that you mentioned replacing before you'd probably be better off with a scratch built motor anyway. Build a nice 9:1 350 or 383 and toss a blower on it. My 383 cost about $4700, a blower would be a bit over $3K, then the EFI. Oops, there's your $12K. SuperChevy recently supercharged a 383 EFI motor - something like 600HP was the result. This motor on premium gas could probably be driven anywhere and went into a street car. There's at least one blown 383 running around here in a stock late model Camaro - he's apparently cleaning house on everything that pulls up next to him! Unless you're out to build a strict race car I think you'd be happier scaling back some. Just my .02!

Also consider the new GM PM rods. These are supposed ot be even stronger than the Pink rods, are better balanced, and pretty cheap too! If the Pink will work these should too... Heh, I went with Eagle stuff for mine - it wasn't too bad as part of a kit.

Whoa! victoria sources their aftermarket seals from another company and jacks the price through the roof! How do I know? I bought a set and then found the manufacturer's WEB site onthe 'net afterwards. Don't squeal like I did! I BELEIVE th ecomapny was Precision Replcaement Parts -> http://www.prp.com/ http://www.zcar.com/forums/read.php?f=1&i=134948&t=134948 talks about it... I've heard SOME complaints about non-stock weatherstrip - especially on the doors. So far I've only done my hatch and it did take some fiddling. My windshield and rear glass seals are supposed to be getting done while my car is in the shop - I'll report back if there's a problem. Good luck!

I've zapped tint off too. I peeled as much as I could off of th eglass and then used carb cleaner and a razor to remove the glue. Once the carb cleaner hits the tint it turns to goo real fast in my experience - and yeah this stuff had turned purple. Worth a shot but good luck not trashing the defrog lines...

I did some of the same research you did awhile back. The biggest hurdle that I saw other than just bolting the silly thing to the car was the halfshaftsCVs. The person I spoke to who had done the Q45 swap wasn't real specific but I got th edistinct impression that it wasn't a cakewalk. Likewise the VLSD R200 swap I read about on Zcar required a bit of customizing and shafts that may or may not turn out to be reliable under the sorts of torque we'll be putting them through! IF someone can sort this out and a set of reliable heavy duty shafts is found there will be LOT'S of happy Hybrid folks I'm betting. I might even try to get hold of a VLSD for the future as I honestly think it's a smarter way to go if we could just get it past the point of having to custom hack it together. Oh - the 240SXs to look for are the ones with alloy wheels I believe. Those are the ones with some sort of LSD in them I believe. I found some of this info on Zcar.com some months ago when I searched for alternatives. Kripes I wish I didn't face such a steep learning curve on this - this is NOt a Mustang (sigh).

Euro - glad to see you're coming around! the last turbo car I owned was a V8 with two turbos - can you say zero lag from 2K up? That was an example of a properly sized turbo install I recently drove a slightly modified Buick GN. Holy smoke! Yeah, a little lag but wowza when it kicked in we were hauling butt. The biggest thing other than poor sizing that will kill turbo response is a restrictive exhaust system. My turbo car had some pretty free flowing mufflers and catalytic converters. Now that the car is supercharged and I've nto got the turbos the car is MUCH noiser. The tip here is that when you swap this motor in you should attempt to get the freest flowing exhaust that you can. The turbo will eat a great deal of the noise and the lack of backpressure will allow it to spool much more quickly. Is your friend's automatic ZX running a stock exhaust? Stock boost level? Just the automatic alone is probably killing that car (sigh). How much boost does his turbo make right now? If it's stock then this too explains much. Heh, we could help him out lot's I'll bet Work on making the intake and exhaust tracts as free flowing as possible and you'll reduce th elag. If you hook a vacuum guage to the intake and see anything but ambient pressure before the throttle body then you've got a restriction that will yield benefit if it's removed. The turbo ZX I drove had a nice K&N filter in front of the radiator where it could get cool air and the boost bumped - that's it. Once I got to about 2K it was making boost and starting to boogie - that's really not much off of idle is it? The exhaust on that car is mostly stock too but it did see about 12lbs of boost Geez, now my juices are flowing on this. Where are some good tubo ZX sites? This friend of mine doesn't want to mod his car any further but I'm wondering just how far it could go. In the meantime I'm researching a 3rd Gen RX7 to replace my Miata. Think it'll stay stock? (lol)

DOH! Thanks for the tip on the DynaMat, wish I'd seen it earlier! I used a trunk kit to do my entire car but did NOT cover everything - you actually don't have to. Raod noise is indeed reduced quite a bit - I love it!

Suggest you peruse Sanderson Headers. Those guys make lot's of interesting combinations and should be able to help you out. Here's an example that MIGHT work -> http://www.sandersonheaders.com/pagesbypartnum/cc50.htm http://www.sandersonheaders.com/pagesbypartnum/cc10.htm http://www.sandersonheaders.com/pagesbypartnum/cs10.htm