kamikaZeS30

I did it without removing the dash, but it requires a bit of coercion, and you have to remove the blower unit and all of the vent ducting first.

Bj: that looks sick. Is the oil cooler for the trans or the engine?

No problem, sorry it didn't work out. Any particular reason you were looking for that mount? You could make one just like it, with the proper dimensions and angles, probably wouldn't be that much more difficult than the JTR one.

The angles of the plates were wrong(they didn't spread far enough to touch the walls) and the cross-bar was about 1/2" to 5/8" too narrow to bridge the gap. That mount is designed to fit very snugly against the walls of the transmission tunnel-- and there's no way that was happening in mine. I took some measurements at key points along the frame and used a laser-level to see if there was something up with my uni-body, nothing seemed terribly out of tolerance (which is amazing for a 40-year-old Z). It may have been just poor manufacturing precision (i.e. there was little QA or the jigs are just worn/tired/old) or a fluke, but I think the JTR mount set-up, or something similar is probably the best solution. I like the set-up PParaska did, where he used the transmission cross-member to tie the extended frame-rails together. IIRC, it's very similar to the JTR solution but with extra length to extend to the rails on either side.

I used the Pro-Comp billet distributor (I got the whole PC kit on Ebay for like $170 brand-new, comes with coil, distributor and CDI multi-spark box), I am using the Scarab mounts and a Camaro bellhousing T-5 transmission. I am also using professional products' Typhoon intake manifold (don't think that makes much of a difference). The problem for me was: I slammed the engine as far back to the firewall as I could before I started getting clearance issues with the transmission lubricant fill-tube, and clutch slave cylinder/fork, the distributor still has quite a bit of clearance. I'll have to actually measure it, but the distributor looks like it can't be more than 4" or 4 1/4" in diameter, and the vacuum advance thing sticks out a little, but with no issues. And I'd say the back of the block is no more than maybe (at the most) 2" from the firewall, if that (like I said, it's slammed, the water-pump does not protrude beyond the plane of the "K-bar" or front susp. cross-member). You should be "golden" if you go with any of the non-HEI distributors. I, personally, don't like HEI, but that's me.

Word of warning: I tried fitting that cross-member in my series one S30 this last Monday (two days ago) and it didn't work. I'm going to have to order or make something similar to the JTR cross-member.

Dealing with OHCs, a lot, and now starting to get into the push-rod stuff, the valve trains in the hydraulic push rod set-ups seem much quieter. I like hearing the engine, i.e. the exhaust tone, I don't like hearing the valve clack all the time. That's where my preference is for the V8s. Although, some of the Japanese (Nissan) V8s have pretty quiet OHC systems, but they're hydraulic IIRC. I can't imagine how incredible it would be to have something like a Chevy small block, with 4 valves per cylinder and variable lift/timing. Whether it is worth spending 4 times what I spent on the entire motor, to buy a set of heads to do it, is entirely another story.

Is it like a triangular looking piece? Where there are two plates that come down the trans-tunnel walls, then there's a bar across the middle that the transmission rests on? I think I have the mount you're talking about, in that case. I think it's part of the Hooker Scarab kit.

I would like to reiterate what letitsnow (et al.) have said. The 280ZX and 300ZX turbo used a "World Class" T-5, stock. I would avoid those, unless you plan on spending a lot of money to get different internals for it, I believe they were offered by Tremec (Borg Warner at the time) to satisfy homologation into certain international motor sports classes (not sure?). Not that the Nissan 5 speeds are particularly "weak" by any means, it's just that the Torque "curve" (if you can call it that, it's more like a very gradual hump or a slightly angled line) of a V8 is going to be radically different from an L6, so they wouldn't have engineered the Z five-speed to handle it. You can find Camaro T-5s or Mustang T-5s (be aware of what year mustang, they switched over to the WC T-5, at somepoint during the late 80s, I think), for really cheap at parts yards or even refurbished (I'd be surprised if you had to shell out more than $700, even rebuilt). They also have a wide-range of available "OEM" gear-sets/ratios, and a large aftermarket. I got a Camaro T-5 for my 383 project, got some aftermarket hardened internals, $900 out-the-door. The T-5s really aren't that bulky or heavy compared to the FS5W71, anyway, so it's not like you'll be saving weight by keeping the stock transmission, anyway.

I would think that at the 500+ mark you start sacrificing some driveability. Also, I would imagine it requires A LOT of head-work (if not completely custom made DOHC set-ups), completely reworking the bottom end and so forth.

I could've sworn that Nissan did offer cloth/vinyl seats at one point. It would make sense, because those vinyl seats suck anywhere that it gets warm. They were like black/gray/charcoal color cloth on the contact areas of the seat and then had vinyl on the back and sides (kinda like NA chassis Miata stock seats).

I know this is slightly off-topic, but since he has a big garage with lots of space and wants a German motor: Would it be theoretically possible to fit a Porsche flat-6 in a Z? MR Turbo Z... I don't know how much fabrication that would require, definitely beyond my skill level.

Ignore the dirty carburetor, it's only there for mock-up. When it's finished it will have a dual-cone cold air intake, mounted through the rad support.

They looks kind of like HREs. HRE Comp93s, I believe.

Everything I've seen of his is high quality. I wish I had the kind of money to invest in his parts, and the other guys on this board that make Z parts. They're one of the reasons this hobby is what it is today. I have like a wish list of Techno Toy and MM parts I want, as well as Z force productions. Oh well, one step at a time. It's a wonder that most people on this board aren't bankrupt, lol. Either that or they just have really good sources of income. I want in, lol. Drug and Gun running has slowed down in this economic recession. Heh.

I'm not even done with my swap, yet and I'm jealous of some of y'alls' projects. :/ It never ends, does it? The Motor. The Car.

There's a guy on SDRev that lives in North County somewhere that has a Z that looks similar to Shika805's, not the same but similar. I think his username is CamH.

Ah, yeah, should be the same, I recognize those holes.

It doesn't make a bit of difference guys... Dendei's gone, remember? The Balls are inert...

I'll see what I can do, I don't even have any good pictures of my car right for lack of a digital camera. The best way to explain it is that it's one long bar like a spine and then it's got two bars welded to it which are arranged perpendicularly. These bars appear to be used for mounting, the long, "spinal" bar looks like it is inclined so as to stick up, but clear the rear bumper. And it looks like I'm supposed to just screw in a two-inch ball at the end of that bar. It's a super simple design, I'm still perplexed as to WHERE it mounts, exactly, but I won't even have my 240 back for another month to find out, anyway.

I found someone with a 260z they were parting out on Craigslist, it had the factory (dealer?) option hitch and he was giving it away. SCORE!! It looks like it just bolts on. Good call on the diff cooler, didn't think about that, either. I didn't mean red-neck as an insult. It's just not the social norm around here. Now, if I could just figure out a way to haul my long-board to the beach without scratching the paint on the roof, I'll be set...

What someone needs to do is figure out how to squeeze 180 degree headers on a SBC or SBF in a Z. Then, I'd pay really good money for something like that. It takes all the red-neckness out of the V8 and makes it sound like a Le Mans car.

Unless I missed something, aren't the gear ratios between the FS5W71 that came with the L-series almost identical to the S13/S14 ratios? Unless you're looking for the 6spd. Which I heave heard, but have no personal experience with, have relatively weak internals. I know you can find the 6spds on eBay for around ~500, because people buy the S15 SR20s and ditch the 6spds. I know you can find the FS5R30A which is damn near bullet proof for relatively cheap and it can be adapted to the L-series motors. They came in the 88-89 Z31s, most of the Nissan trucks (hard-body, frontier, pathfinder, etc.). Don't know if that helps any. If you're going to swap for LS1, I'd save any money you're going to spend on another transmission and put it towards a TKO6 or something sweet like that.

So what you're saying is that it's good to use HIDs because it only makes people "hurt" (or react or cringe or whatever) more when they're flashed, not because it actually blinds them any more? Sound logic. So, we should therefore lighten penalties for people who commit murder with nerve agents, poisons or guns, rather than knives or vats of acid. You know, because it's less physically damaging to the remains. Edit: How the hell did I end up double posting?

So what you're saying is that it's good to use HIDs because it only makes people "hurt" (or react or cringe or whatever) more when they're flashed, not because it actually blinds them any more? Sound logic.