kamikaZeS30

Yeah, I had asked the guy who built the motor why he didn't just use the original manifolds. At this point, I have the rest of the exhaust tailored to block huggers, unless the collectors/flanges are analogous on the stock manifolds? I am ordering a set of KMJ headers this weekend (gotta wait for some extra cash), still haven't decided whether or not to spend $250 on getting them coated (That's what swain said it would cost + shipping) or just wrap them. The "titanium" vulcan wrap is cheap and is advertised to like 2000 degrees direct heat. I like the sound that headers produce, even though I have my exhaust muffled and baffled so much you can't tell there's a v8 in it (it sounds like a VW bug, lol). I am also looking at spark plug boots, starter shield and some heat reflective tubing for the fuel lines. This might be overkill once the headers are wrapped, but I like being able to take the car on long road trips. I've never had heat issues before in a car like this, even with some of the crazy turbo applications I've built. Does anyone know if someone sells 1/4" phenolic carburetor-to-intake manifold gaskets? All I can seem to find is 1" or larger.

Yeah, I am looking for a somewhat permanent solution, but if I have to redo the wrap every so often, that wouldn't be terrible as long as it doesn't damage the headers. I don't really care what it looks like as long as it works. The black headers I have now are probably next to worthless as far as sealing to the heads, they have a flimsy looking flange and it looks like it is already warped/warping. They are also nothing that fantastic to look at, they're flat black and kind of don't fit my orange/brushed aluminum/chrome theme, anyway. I'll look into Swain coatings. I'd prefer something that doesn't cost like $500, but if I can order it and get it ready to bolt on, that would be ideal. Just looking to lower the temps in my engine bay to avoid potential failures in the future. I plan on getting some heat shielding for my battery and starter, as it is.

So stainless headers are not affected by heat-wrapping? Good to know. And, at only $130 a set, it fits in my budget. Thanks.

What is Jet-Coating? Where would I take it to have it done? I need more information than "just do this." And, at $100 per header, I might as well get different headers while I'm at it.

It's referred to as a "Uni-Syn" you can usually get them for about $30 or less. Basic theory of operation is that you want the carbs to float the little ball in the glass as high as possible but evenly between each barrel.

Maybe I live in some sort of extra-dimensional plane from the rest of HybridZ, but all of the incarnations of this Z I've had have been carburetted. Have had few issues (other than dialing in the Webers, those were kind of a pain, but worth it) and $300 for a brand-new carburetor is cheaper than $700 for a used wire harness and ECU (If you can even source one for your application). Fuel-economy, maybe, but if you have the right resources for tuning your carb (jets, needles, springs, wide-band AFR gauge, maybe an IR thermometer and common sense) the difference begins to narrow greatly and doesn't make financial sense. Even if you find a REALLY good 240Z, the electrical system will need work before it can support an ECU, injectors, high pressure fuel pump, electric fan and all of the accessories. For me, it was much cheaper to build a pre-86 small block than to even attempt to go LSx.

One thing I like about the AFR cylinder heads is that they're CARB approved. They also come nicely finished. So, if you do, by chance get pulled over the cops will say, "Whoa, now that's sweet." and then they'll see the E.O. # etched into the side of the head and then instead of getting a ref ticket, you'll get to shoot the breeze for a minute and be on your way. The extra grand is peace of mind, IMHO. That is really only applicable to California, at this point, though.

Okay, so I'm new to the world of small-block V8s, so I had someone build and install the motor for me. Now that I have it running and I'm doing the break-in, I notice that the headers I have radiate lots of heat (no duh, right?). I am using a some steel block-hugger shorties that have the black header paint on them, it finally stopped "curing" about a week ago. That smell is awful. The problem with the heat is that I'd rather not boil my fuel on its way to the carburetor (which I think I've alleviated that issue by rerouting the fuel lines) or melt wires that run near the headers/engine block (ignition stuff, starter relay circuit, etc.). There are a lot of guys on this board running these types of headers, so I'm wondering if I could get some input. I realize regular steel is bottom of the barrel material, but to go stainless looks like it's way out of my price range, does stainless cut down on heat? I know SS is generally more conductive and would conduct heat away from the head faster, but I'd also think it'd radiate more in that case? Are there any other options, ceramic coatings, etc? I have a buddy that has been helping me work through some of the issues on my swap, but we seem to butt heads when it comes to certain things. I am of the opinion that header-wrap might be in order, but he swears up and down that it will disintegrate my headers after like a few weeks of driving (like 500 miles or so), I have never had cause to wrap my headers before, is this really an issue? If I can't wrap them, does anyone make good heat shields that might fit? Any other suggestions? I'm kind of at my wit's end with this car, should've just stuck with the L6, looking back, lol. It is ridiculously fast, though.

What I ultimately ended up doing is similar to what bj was saying. However, I still need to find a distribution block that fits my needs. Right now everything is running off of BATT+, but I divorced the electrical system from the alternator and it and the battery are connected directly. Running off BATT+ as a temporary "I need to drive the car" solution. So far nothing seems fishy, in fact, my lights are brighter, stereo seems to be getting the juice it needs and the voltmeter indicates that I have very little voltage loss (14~15 when alternator is on, 12~13 when disengaged-- it's "seeing" the voltage towards the end of the harness, away from source).

There is a stock "cup" (which consists of two plates of steel that conform to the shapes of the cross-member and the bottom of the diff, the plates are joined by rubber between them) which attached to the underside of the nose of the diff and then to the cross-member (the piece that holds the front of the A-arm bushings). This was used in conjunction with a "strap" that went over the top of the nose, originally (the strap is the piece that the RT mount replaces). As far as modifications to the mount: On the mount there is another plate of metal that joins at 90* angles to the sides and top of the mount (I believe it's there for stiffening). I had to basically "notch" that plate (in the shape of the top 1/4" or so of the GM poly mount) so that I could move the poly mount's location 3/8" to the rear to line it up with the bolts on the nose of the differential. I think this is due to the fact that I am using the '73 and newer mustache bar to eliminate the forward angles in the axles, if you are using the original 70-71 mustache bar I don't think it'll be an issue for you. I also had to trim some material from the forward side of the mount to get it to fit in the series one drive-tunnel, as there are flanged pieces of sheet steel there (that I assume are not there on the later cars) that would keep one from installing the mount without a little trimming. It's basically trimming one of the three bolt holes off and then continuing that cut about 2.5~3" up. I basically pulled off the plates the original "strap" went to and used them as templates. It's okay, because you'll only have two bolts on either side of the mount, so it's not like trimming a hole out of the mount makes a difference. I think they're there to make the design more universal so the end user can trim as needed.

Not to make light of your injuries, but they've been doing a lot of research in the last 20 years for bionic replacement limbs. They're learning so much more about the nervous system and have come a long way in developing nerve feedback control systems for synthetic limbs. I would think that this would be a fascinating thing for someone who loves to wrench. I don't know how much these procedures cost or what the requirements are for them, but I know fusions can cause pain and discomfort, even when they work. I'm hoping by the time I'm old enough that my family has to start thinking about putting me in a home, that they'll have full-borg humanoid chassis available, so I can just drop my brain in there and live forever. In all seriousness, I wish the best of luck to you and hope you don't make any emotional decisions too quickly. I've read lots of posts about your car and experiences, it has been an inspiration for my project (I went 383 SBC, as well, and eventually want to throw the 6 speed in).

I went with the V8 to get away from the triple Weber set-up I had on my L6. I got tired of messing with the tune. But, hey, more power to you!

rsicard: I JUST installed the Techno Versions mount last week, I have an SBC swap with R200 on a series one (no tool box, rear hatch vents 1/1971). I had to do some modifications to the mount itself to fit the GM poly bushing on the diff, just re-drilled the mounting hole further back and then relieved some material from the back stiffening rib to allow room for the bushing. I ended up not having to notch the bushing. I ended up using it in conjunction with the stock rubber mount and xmember. My diff doesn't move at all, anymore. I love it, makes the car feel so much more solid on the road. Well worth the $100 I spent and the couple hours disassembling, measuring and cutting/drilling.

You must have money coming out of your ears, bro. I do like the LSx, but you look at how much more work and money it costs... I know someone with a no B.S. NAPS Z (79 280zx) with an LSx swap and he keeps saying he wishes he'd gone carb'd SBC.

I wasn't talking about the power-plant, I was saying he should think about what he'll need to support the power plant. The 383, at a minimum is going to require 3/8" feed for the fuel, you're shooting for roughly 200 lbs./hour for a mild 383. Having completed the 383 SBC swap, myself, about 4 weeks ago, I'm now in the "oh ****, this just broke/is inadequate, etc." phase. Of course, I foresaw a lot of things happening months ago, mentioned it to the shop I hired to do the swap, they ignored me and gave me something I feel is incomplete. And, the small things aren't small. That's the point I was trying to make, they're the things that keep you off the road and suck all your money and time like a dehydrated vampire. I'm going through this right now. I just broke my starter because the one they gave me was inadequate for my application. Also, don't use cork gaskets or stamped steel valve covers. Yeah, you CAN get them to seal, but the Fel-Pro permadry gaskets and a good fabbed aluminum valve cover seem to do the trick without using any RTV or wasting any of your time chasing down oil leaks that could've been prevented by using these things in the first place-- worth the extra money, IMO.

Don't forget the "small things" people normally don't think about during engine swaps but it comes to roost when it comes to first-start and initial tuning time. Think about what accessories you're going to need to otherwise replace or upgrade to support the new engine. Fuel: The stock fuel lines in a Z might support a factory stock SBC, but you start doing anything performance wise and you've put yourself way outside that envelope. So, new fuel lines and an appropriate pump/regulator combo are in order. Depending on how much fuel you need and what kind of system you're running, this may mean adding a sump to the stock fuel tank with bigger lines or getting a different tank altogether. Cooling: There's a million different opinions on what to do with the cooling system. Personally, I like a good flowing electric fan, the biggest one you can find to fit whatever radiator you end up with, a good shroud and the right components (like on temp switch and thermostat). Starter: Starters are another thing, do you plan on going above 9.5:1 static CR? You might find that a lot of the available OEM starters don't work so hot in that application, also clearance with block-huggers (a necessity in an S30, unless you want to drop ridiculous cash on custom made headers) becomes an issue. Electrical: Now, you have a nice big cooling fan, high torque starter, electric fuel-pump and don't forget, the ignition is going to require more juice since you've got two extra cylinders and double, even triple the displacement. You're going to need relays for most of these new accessories, so you have to think about how you want to mount them, wire them in, etc. You're also going to need a beefier battery to give you enough starting power (what if it's a warm day, you drove your car somewhere and now the fan is on when you start the engine again? and now you have an electric fuel pump that may draw as much as 7 amps). Also, working over the grounds in the S30 electrical system goes a long way. You can replace all the wiring, but the stock harness was pretty well sealed and insulated, it just starts to lack stable grounds as it ages. Drive-train: The V8 has a lot more rotating mass than the small-displacement L6s. The L6 rods are tiny by comparison to SBC rods. This is what presents the biggest stress to your drive-train. I think it's safe to say you'll be using some permutation or incarnation of an other wise standard GM transmission, but what about the diff? Like I said, 250hp from a built up L6 is different than 250hp from a V8. You're going to hit that torque peak much sooner, you're going to have more of it available off-idle, add to that you've got the rotating mass which is probably equivalent to 2 L6s spinning around driving the thing. My car feels like a motor-cycle, now that I have the v8 in it, in that I can feel the gyro effect from the crank, trans, drive-shaft and everything spinning. Sounds crazy, but I'm sure there are other members that will echo this. If I had to do it all over again, I'd concentrate on all of this stuff and put a stock or refreshed SBC in. Overbuild the support equipment, then down the road when I have the money buy a crate motor or something.

I would, whichever way you go, try to find a complete engine (if it's EFI, make sure you get at least the engine harness and ECU). I had my engine built by a shop, like a crate motor, so that's where most of my expense went in the project. And, now, I have a really sweet engine, but the rest of the car is trying to play catch-up. I would also recommend chassis reinforcements of some kind. I went with the bad-dog frame rails, some good strut-tower bars and the "Ron Tyler" diff mount (used in conjunction with the stock mount). Other lessons learned: measure, measure, measure and double-check your measurements, test fit, measure again!

Which aftermarket gauges are you using? I know with the 70-76(?) S30s, the ammeter was the bridge between the charge loop and the rest of the electrical system. I would look at a wiring diagram. Painless also sells basic universal wiring kits, with up to, I think, 14 circuits. You could delete the existing wiring (keep your switches) and start fresh.

To be honest, and I think JM already touched on it, the Wolf Creek set-up seems expensive at first, but when you get to putting a kit together yourself you start realizing it's actually quite reasonably priced. I ended up spending about $1100 on my conversion and I thought I did pretty well for that much. I got 280Z stub axles/hubs (the 240z stub axles can shear), and a set of modified 280Z companion flanges another member was selling (from modern motorsports, and it came with an extra set of CV axles), new inner/outer wheel bearings and a reman'd set of 300zx turbo CVs. Granted, I'm running on R200 (which is necessary for 300ZXT CVs), just because with a V8 I don't want to chance it-- it's A LOT more rotating mass than the L6. Also, I'm not an expert, but I'd imagine that the Subaru clutch packs in the LSD assembly weren't designed for the low-end torque of an American V8, I know for some this has been an issue with the Nissan CLSDs.

You're in for some fun! I wish I had gone with a LT/LM (maybe vortec) block, even with all the bugs still remaining in my set-up (and a rough tune on the carburetor) the Z with the V8 in it is a pretty effing amazing car to drive.

I run a pair of glass-pack resonators in conjunction with bullet mufflers and it's civil. Haven't had it all the way open, yet, but even under acceleration it's not that loud. What're you running? Just headers and pipes with glass-packs on the end? You could add some resonators.

I am trying to find the "smog" stickers on my vehicle. It's 1/1971 240Z, with the hatch-vents, did those have "non-catalyst" or vacuum routing diagrams stickered somewhere on the car?

Routing the hard lines is easier than it sounds, especially if you haven't done a final install on your motor/drive train. I used some stainless steel tubing I bought at the local metal supply, it was like $20 for 12 ft. of 1/4" and 12 ft. of 3/8". The expense came when I had to get Earl's compression fittings to put it all together (for all the fittings was like $60). I used a cheap $6 tubing bender I bought at autozone ("OEM" brand) and a $9 flare tool (Also, "OEM"). It took about 3 hours total and that's because I had to do it the hard way (had to route differently than stock because my entire drive-train was already assembled). I really want to go back and do away with all of the rubber hoses in my engine compartment, but I'm looking at like $600 worth of AN stuff, at least.

If I had the money I would run a TKO. Right now I have a Camaro T5 with a mustang short-throw (similar to the pro 5.0) modified to fit the GM tail-shaft mounting. Could you guys post pics of your set-ups? Also, what are the differences in mounting, do the casings not utilize the standard GM mounting?

Well, one reason I would think you'd want a longer return line is to help cool it off a little before it heads back to the tank. Especially if your pump is having to work hard, the fuel will absorb some heat as it gets pushed through the pump.