BLKMGK

First of all - I've owned and daily driven a twin turbo V8 Ford 302. In fact I've still got the manifolds and intercooler for it It's the SpearcoDDMI kit from years ago - the Incon uses the same manifolds but with ball bearing turbos. Looks nice huh? Well, take a look at the passenger side manifold closely - what do you mean you can't change one plug?! Yup, it backs right into the turbo manifold when used with GT-40 heads - which is the head Spearco advertized the kit with! Extrude honing is supposed to bump manifold flow way up BTW. Oh yeah - the manifolds weight a ton, something like 40lbs apiece if memory serves. If anyone wants accurate figures or pics lemme' know and I'll accomodate. Intercooler was huge and had th ebest scoop I've seen for a horizintal intercooler - makes the ProCharger scoop look stupid! Trust me, nothing exclusive about turbos and V8 anymore than there is anything stopping you from using a ProCharger on a V8. Done right there's NO lag at all and massive HP A SBC can take the boost with a turbo pretty easily just like with a supercharger or NOS and in fact it should be gentler on the bottom end. That being said - one of my turbo books talks about a motor that blew pretty badly on a dyno at just 3KRPM. Seems the torque was so high it trashed everything inside - too much power! I've forgotten the torque figure but it was insane. My little 302 made more than 450HP and was hitting trap speeds of 118mph with a 3.08 gear. This was with GT-40 stuff and 10lbs of boost. A shame the manifolds wouldn't fit with my 351W and that the turbos would probably have been too small flow-wise. Scottie - I can image, really I can I had to drive that car a block today, man I love those sounds! I'm too far down the V8 path and I wanted simplicity anyway so no GN swap for me - lemme' know if you ever sell it I might get crazy and use a ProCharger or possibly a small turbo later on - we'll see. I've got a loong way to go on this project so this is mostly dreaming right now. I did once look closely at a small block 400 that had a single turbo on it - in a 4 door older Nova! Can you say sleeper? Owner supposedly was scared to death of it! Was up at the Turbo Performance Center in Glenn Burnie Maryland - steer clear of those guys (long story). Gale Banks is a good idea. I'm just kind of kicking this idea around right now to be honest. If I could've easily plugged a T56 onto a 351 or 302 Ford I'd probably have already used my existing manifolds. I'm saving them for a rainy day right now

Pete, just an FYI - the 6cyl Mustang fan is a single speed fan even though it looks pretty much the same as the GT and Cobra fans. It was only the Cobra that received the cooling fix BTW. IF I were doing a Ford swap I'd look closely at the FOX radiators starting with the 87 models and up to the 94-95 years and maybe even the latest cars too. I'd also try to use the later model reverse rotation pump and serpentine belt setup as the later style pump is probably better. If it owuld be helpful to have measurements on a stock FOX bodied radiator lemme' know and I'll measure mine. Even with a blown 351W I figure on using the stock radiator unless it overheats (shrug). There's a big aftermarket for those radiators so you should have plenty of options with both brasscopper and aluminum ones around.

Hrm! Pete, I don't suppose you've researched which of their clutches would live happily with a T56 have you? I've got the stock assembly from the wrecking yard intending to use it but since I now must use a new flywheel I'm wondering if a new disc might be smart while I'm at it. I just don't want to get robbed by Centerforce is all - they're nailing me on the flywheel as it is As light as the Z car is I would think the clutch wouldn't have to be super strong..

LOL, Mike I don't think the Ford swap will be too bad after you've done a Chevy motor and I can try to hook you up with a guy here in the area that has done it when you get that far. He's got a car in his shop now languishing that already has a 302 in it with a T5 using stock style shorty headers. Trouble is getting hold of this guy - he's tough to nail down and I've got skimpy contact info. As for doing a 2+2... I personally don't like the 2+2 bodystyle but last I checked you're not building a car to suit me! If you like the car by all means build it! If nothing it'll be different. As Mike stated above - the driveshaft has to be custom made no matter what, the rest of the swap should be just like doing a 2 seater Z (shrug). It's worth doing if it's what you want, we'll answer your questions regardless of wether or not we care for the bodystyle you choose Oh and I'd use a Chevy motor. I'm a Ford guy but the SBC swap is well documented and IMO the trans choices are better if you with a stick. T56 transmissions for the Ford are more expensive although the cheaper T5 will work with either motor. Go buy the JTR book, read it, read it again, read it again, and then you'll know what's involved be it Ford or Chevy that you put between the fenders! Good Luck!

One thing you might consider - that works for lot's of "dead sites" - is the Google search engine. You can use it's "cache" to bring back dead pages. If you can't get the site to pull up an URL you want while searching pick one at random, view it's cached copy, and then manipulate the URL to try and get the one you want. If Google cached it you may be able to get back some of the information you were interested in with a little work.. www.google.com I like it for it's lack of extra crap and no "portal" nonsense. Good luck!

I did find something the other day to help spot what might be a wide band O2 - count the wires. If it's got 5 it's wideband, 4 or less is supposed to be the normal OEM narrow band. (shrug) Also - the SDS site has a nice but very small AF guage for sale for less than $100. Might be worth looking at?

Okay, has anyone seen SBC turbo manifolds that might fit in a Z's engine compartment? Am just kicking an idea around a little bit about this. After driving the GN around a bit I just can't help but wish I had a turbo motor to play with again Maybe a marine manifold would work? A turbo - either single or twin - would sure be pretty sick. If I'd done a SBF this wouldn't be an issue as I've got manifolds for that but I took the easier way and did a SBC. I've seen the hiPSI site and how they flipped manifolds over so perhaps that's an idea. Anyway, just curious if anyone else had pondered this. IF I ever did it it'll be at least a year or more as I've still got a lot of work to do just to get my car running with the SBC. (sigh) Perhaps something like an ATI blower would be easier but a turbo just makes all the right sounds

Been hunting aorund looking for wheels after reading some of the threads here. On E-Bay I stumbled across a site that seems to have an excellent selection of OEM wheels at what appear to be decent prices - for new wheels that is. I'm sure they're beating the dealer pricing pretty good considering some of th eprices I've seen them ask (cough). Anyway, this site might be a good one for figuring out swaps as they detail the size and width of the wheels - but not the offset I'm afraid. It's a start anyway and I was interested to see that there's a thinner Supra wheel out there Check it out... http://www.aaarims.com/cgi-bin/Web_store/web_store.cgi

Okay, my donor LT1 flywheel isn't fitting the Eagle steel stroker crank out at the machine shop. Block utilizes a one piece rear seal. Much more detail than that I've not got yet but... Any ideas on what I'm going to need to do to fit a darned flywheel for the T56? I don't yet have the part# on the crank and I can't find a WEB site for Eagle - grr! This is as close as I've come -> http://www.planet.net.au/~alexst/eagle/ Is it possible I've outsmarted myself and that the Eagle crank will work with the Centerforce aftermarket flywheel? I was trying to avoid that expense darn it. Right now I'm just a bit panicked because I've got 99.9% of a motor ready to ship but no way to attach my trans to it! And here I'd hoped to avoid Mike's problems by using the stock flywheel.... Any ideas or sources for info I've not found would be appreciated. I'm a bit bummed. Update!: SOLUTION FOUND!!! Okay guys listen up, I just got off the phone with Keith Craft. The machine shop called Eagle after eye-balling the flywheel again - no way would it have fit. It seems Eagle makes their crank ends one way and then machines for one piece or two piece seals - flywheel flange is the same no matter what!! They caled Eagle to be sure of this. Doh! Keith Craft then called Centerforce and found out that yes, their flywheel will fix this. I'm getting the flywheel at their cost and it'll be there end of the week. They were VERY apologetic for not having seen this sooner - seems I did indeed outsmart myself. Smack! So here's the lesson: If you're going to build a 383 stroker and use the good Eagle stuff do NOT bother trying to use a one piece seal motor. Use the nicest strongest old style block you can find, skip the added expense on the oil pan, crank, and whatever. Then buy the Centerforce flywheel and be done with it. the only possible advantage might be that the newer style blocks have provisions for roller camshafts - I think. Older style blocks might take these just fine too I'm not sure. Regardless, just use the older blocks - they're probbaly stronger anyway! Learn from my mistake here... Oh, they did tell me that at the power level I'm looking at it's probably a very wise idea to go with the stronger flywheel anyway to prevent an explosion. I knew that but was trying to be cheap about it - stupid idea. [This message has been edited by BLKMGK (edited October 09, 2000).]

Mike - pay special attention to the fuel pressures mentioned here. With a simple spring change the Holley Blue pump you've been using should be able supply the 18# max pressure - a cost savings. Pumps liek what I've got on my Mustang and on that LT1Procharger car cost upwards of $250+ - doh! Personally - I still like port injection better but I won't rain on anyone trying TBI - it works too! One thing I AM interested in though - who has or where can I get the software for reprogramming a GM PROM for this? I've got software for the Buick GN but never seen anything else. Is it out there readily available?

Sport and Compact Car or one of the other new style import rags had an article on these plugs recently. Because it doesn't burn off as easily or oxidize as much the electrobde can be smaller and in theory more exposed to the airfuel mix. Jason was pretty right on with this - probably read the same mag The increase in power could stem from being more exposed to the airuel mix. Fat electrodes can shroud this apparently and you lose power. I've been told not to use platinum plugs on high boost turbo cars as they apparentlysupposedly outgas at high pressure and suppress spark. This was something Turbo talked about years ago with the Bosch platinums. There's also some issues with one of the newer plugs out there. The ones with the laid back electrodes. I can't recall the name of them but Mustangs have been showing up at my friend's shop with idle problems and high speed miss issues. Removing these new wonder plugs and putting in standard plugs has fixed this in SEVERAL cases - including one I witnessed myself! We're not sure why but apparently laying the electrode back so far is allowing the spark to get "blown out". If you can change the plugs easily and don't have to be a contortionist (ahem - LS1 Camaro!) then I'd use decent standard plugs. If you've got a real bear of a job to swap them then consider the Iridium but try to get someone else to pioneer them for you first I had one plug on my Mustang that required the turbo manifold to be removed in order to replace it. Needless to say that sucker was platinum - "outgassing" issue aside - I wanted that sucker to last!

If a lumpy cam is th eissue look to the Electromotive system. They've got a "blend" thing that causes the system to be less responsive to the MAP sensor at low RPM and then slowly bring it online as vacuum changes. This prevents wild swings in the injector pulse as the ECU chases the MAP sensor Sport and Compact Car just did this to a Subrau and has a NICE article explaining the Electromotive WinTEC software. NOT a cheap system but... Oh yeah - they do TBI too. No reason a cell can't be used with this but I think Mike has his eye on a Fuel Safe cell for top end racing. Me, I'm happy with mine and will use it with a carb until the driveability bugs are gone and then swap to EFI. The TPIS miniRam has my eye as does the GM RamJet and a converted single plane Carb intake. I've not even driven the car with a V8 and I'm already dreaming of turboes and blowers for it! (lol).

Aww geez now I want a welder I'm supposed to be getting upgraded electric in the garage here "soon" along with a benchtop snadblaster and a small 20gal parts washer. Reading all of this makes me think that just maybe I could do a halfway decent bit of welding if I have to It would really make great sense for me to learn (sigh). I've seen aluminum welded more than once by a friend of mine - wow he does good work! I hope I can manage to get a rig to do aluminum one day and be half as good as he is. Talk about a handy tool to have around the house! Thankfully this Z doesn't have the really bad rust issues others have had so perhaps I'll be able to learn on something less valuable to me (hehe). Good stuff guys, keep it coming!

MikeSCCA - can you get these and are they worth it? Do you regain any suspension travel on a lowered car like I believe you would with standard ones? I personally like the underneath install as my rollcage is welded close enough in the rear that I'm not sure it would be possible to put anything in from up top! Had to grind a bit on the rear strut bar as it was. As I recall MikeSCCA can get the "other" camber plates that TopEnd sells for significantly less so... Oh one thing to watch out for but I'm not sure if it applies to the Zs. On the FOX bodied Mustangs you have to be VERY careful with camber plates. Seems they take ALL of the suspension load and on Mustangs there have been "issues" with the strut punching through the plate and into the hood! Seems some of the plates hold the bearing with a small circlip that doesn't have enough depth on a "whoops, I'm sliding sideways through gravel off the track" kind of move. Do the Zs have this issue too?

Ross, do you have a pic of your car with the RX7 wheels? I vaugly recall seeing one but I'm not sure and would like to see it again I'm (still) pretty confused on all this to be honest. I'm going to do the 5lug swap, put on the biggerbetter brakes, do the coilovers, and THEN figure out wheels. I MIGHT even go with 16s like the RX7 or 300ZX n/a. The 300ZX is interesting in that it's got a Nissan logo at least (lol). TSW has some nice wheels, so does Centerline, and heck if I could find a Panasport 16 or 17 in 5lug I might.... For now I'll swap off my 17X7 Mustang wheels, test fit some Rs, and maybe do a set of 98 Cobras to test. I've seen some interesting Camaro type wheels from SLP - any chance they might fit? 16 inch take-offs aren't too expensive either.. What a PITA to decide on and I've not even started the motor part yet!

Funny you should mention this Mike I spotted the AZTEC in a new issue of StreetRodder - niiice! I MIGHT go with that wheel but I want to see how the Cobra Rs fit and get some idea of backspacing needs first. Parts to go coil-over are on the way now and I've got the brakes and whatnot to go 5lug already. Car is currently away but I hope to have it back tomorrow (finger's crossed). Do note that the AZTEC is one of their "new" wheels - I'm not sure of availablity yet. Do you know the weight? Will they do custom backspacing on that wheel or not? It's spin cast I think so custom work may not be possible. You'll want to check on all that to avoid a bad surprise... Hrm - I THOUGHT I saw them on this page but now I don't -> http://www.centerlinewheels.com/w_catalog/features.html They might also be a 2piece wheel, I'm not sure. (sigh) If you find them please link 'em!

Okay Mr. Kelly - Coil-overs are on their way from Mike Car is IN the bodyshop now and I hope to pick it up Monday so I'll let you know when we can wrench. Motor is awaiting backordered damned oil pan AND I found out my LT1 flywheel won't fit the damned crank. DOH! It's a one-piece rear seal but it no workie - they must have duped the 400's rear crank setup too closely on that crank. Dammit! So, I'll be having them fit a $$Centerforce$$ flywheel ASAP. Crap. In the meantime perhaps we can try out the Cobra Rs? I've got the needed pinion flange now and will try to get seals into the diff this week. Lemme' know man and bring da' welding unit! Hope to have some writeup done on the hood when it returns and let's do something on the brakescoiloverswheels when we do mine. Fun and games.

Understand one thing guys - this sucker is using a regular OE type narrow band O2 sensor. It's GREAT for finding the range that cars want for emissions but less great on either side of that. If you REALLY want to do it right use a wide band O2 but they cost BIG bux. The OE sensors also do NOT have super fast response so keep that in mind. Personally, I've never used one of these meters but I think that it's a decent idea for getting ballpark measurements. Just don't bet the motor on their accuracy! As a side note - I'd heard rumors of a less expensive wide band O2 coming down the pile. These rumors were never confirmed though but if anyone knows please speak up. Supposedly some newer OBDII Japanese cars were going to use them. By cheap I mean less than several hundred $$ BTW.

Oh man - a guy in Japan! Someone, get that man a CAMERA!!! Seriously, take some pics and we'll find a place to post them I LOVE the Skyline! If I could get one here, 4WD turbo, just like they have them in Japan I'd buy one price be damned. That's one super nice car! As for the 1000HP - I've seen SEVERAL articles on Skylines in that power range. Pick up an issue of Turbo or two and you'll see them once in awhile. Sport and Compact Car has had them as well. One opf them even toured the States doing drag exhibitions! The bottom end was by no means stock - lot's of work and I think the block may have been sourced from a different motor. 600HP appears to be pretty straightforward though. Imagine that with 4wd - wow! Would love to hear what's going on over there with Zs, styling trends, etc. etc.. If someone makes it over there I'd love to hear about what's in their wrecking yards and on the streets. I just spent a week on SoCal and was actually disappointed in what I saw of the car scene there. I'll post more on that trip later though...

I'm not sure However if you check out Jeg's catalog they've got those racks for sale and may list the width. You'll also see some others - Vega I think - that might also work. Nice thing is that those are new racks and not junkyard repops. You swapping in the whole suspension or just the rack?

Heh, back from vacation... Spotted that motor in a new Street Rodder mag and I'm a bit curious... first - it's not a real "ZZ430" - those are long gone. However some places like SDPC have been "making" them - pretty cool! However the cost is rude and supposedly that camshaft is a bit hairy.. My next big quesiton is this - that intake is the new RamJet thing from GM. It's being used on a pretty tame crate motor making about 350HP. I actually considered that motor for my car except for one big glaring problem - cast pistons (ugh). Now the question - GM made that motor a dead simple swap for street rodders including the ECU, it can't be programmed. How is it that SDPC is getting it to work on a ZZ430 spec motor? The ECU mounts under the intake if memory serves and has no real outputs except a check engine type thing. It's not MAF so an extra 100 or so HP should be WAY out of it's range of learning. Could they be using a different ECU and just the intake? I'd like one of those intakes

Pete - I hope I'm not one of the ones you feel is being critical. heck, I OWN one of those notchy Tremecs and I wouldn't have said anything about it except that I would want to warn anyone who's considering it that it's got shortfalls. It's your car, build it your way like the rest of us do. I've no doubt that some of the decisions I make will be different than someone else (shrug). At least it's not a bellybutton car As for the Wilwoods - price drives me fairly often. You got a deal on a set of parts you know was gonna' work - what's to bitch about? Enjoy the ride man! I actually didn't realize that they didn't have seals -I've seen them on more than a couple of cars too... 17inch wheels? They don't ride harsh IMO. I've got them on the Mustang and my biggest bitch is price. The smaller donuts in 16 and 15 seem to be cheaper - I'm no tire connesuir tho' I do expect I'll be dropping some change on this car's tires as they won't be wearing out too quickly I hope due to minimal mileage. I've actually considered 16s becasue the Nitto drag radials in 17s are 275mm wide - too big I think! Relax man - we're all in this together helping one another and you've been a fount of information to me at th every least. Oh and Mr. Kelly - I'll be sending Mike a note this evening and ordering up the hardware. Going to be a lean next couple of months though - car went to the bodyshop today for th ehood, bumpers, windshield, and rear hatch seal. Can you say bux? Motor balance will be hitting the card too and I want to pay that off ASAP! Whew - but I'm ALMOST there

Run, do not walk, to Hanlon Motorsports! This guy does T5 transmissions for the Mustang guys and also does a great deal of Tremec work. He rebuilt my Tremec in the Mustang and did an excellent job. I took th etrans to him in PA personally and waited while he stripped it down - impressive to watch! He found tons wrong, fixed it quickly, and offered me good condition used parts whenwhere it made sense. He's run T5s in drag competition for a good while and is running a Tremec now - he races what he sells. He's done the modification you've described on both the Tremec and T5. He could probably juggle the gear ratios for you and fit in WC parts where strength might be an issue. Seriously, I respect this guy and he insists on racing with what he sells even when he knows an automatic might make sense. He does this simply to find out what breaks He can be reached at 610-469-2695 and his WEB site is www.hanlonmotorsports.com Bob worked for a bigtime engine builder and did trannies part time last I spoke to him, I think he's now doing it full time. Knows lot's of tricks...

ArizonaZ? Isn't that the guy who "requires" you to order a grand of fiberglass else he won't ship any? Rude as hell on the phone? He could make THE best parts in the world but if that's the guy I'm thinking of he won't get a dime of my money - ever! Me, I'm going with coilovers and once I figure out how the heck I'm going to redo the entire tail end of my car, having never done it before, I'll be ordering a set from Mikescca The price is right and not much more than most aftermarket springs and probably cheaper than some.

Here's what's worked on my turbo manifolds in the past. This was to prevent the brake fluid from boiling and the plastic master from melting... First - air is your BEST insulator. Anything that contacts the hot surface will transfer heat. Get as much airgap as you can - duh. In the case of my brake master a stainless shield was made. This was bolted at a couple of contact points but not touching the master with any large surface area. It had an air gap on both the manifold side and on the master side. It blocked radiant heat VERY well! I've seen others build similiar shields for starters. If you can slip something like a piece of thin stainless sheet between the start and exhaust and not allow it to touch either the pipe or the start you might help the situation. Of course I say that not having had a V8 Z just yet so let me know if it works out (smile).