baddriver

Meee TOOO! Congratulations to anyone who is still reading this far into the post. I was a control systems engineer for about a year (engine control units for diesels), now I am an environmental specialist. I have a bachelors in Physics, and I'm studying for a second bachelors in Computer Sci, after which I'll probably be a software engineer.

It is most likely that you have an older 350 engine. The way to tell is to look at the water pump. If it is driven by a belt, it's the older 350. If it is gear-driven, it will be the LT1. There is a carbureted manifold available for the LT1, and the LT1 can also use a standard distributor, so it’s possible that this is an LT1, but these parts are quite expensive, and I doubt that someone would have changed an LT1 over to carbs for a street engine swap. Either way, welcome to the forum and we look forward to hearing more about your car! Jeff E.

I've seen this on a lot of auctions. It keeps your price listed low, but the actual price is 'hidden' in the details. I was looking for Miata seats, and found a pair listed for $50. But the buyer wanted $85 shipping and handling. I'm no expert, but I had four HEAVY rims sent to my house from the east coast for less than $50. Other auctions list shipping as low as $36 for two seats. So always establish the shipping before you bid! And if you can pick something up, always ask the buyer if they'll drop the shipping charges.

I have the 1984 toyota 4-runner 4wd v6 truck calipers, and they fit fine on the stock 260z rotors. Stock cross-drilled rotors are available from Motorsport Auto for around $79 each. No spacers or special brackets are needed with this setup. Only thing I had to change was cutting away the duxt cover a little, and moving the hose mount. I mean dust cover.

The best solution is to learn to brake properly and smoothly. A well-educated braking foot can maintain control of the car while also bringing it to a stop in the minimum possilble time. Proper braking by someone with a feel for the pedal will result in shorter, quicker stops than is possible even with anti-lock brakes. Anti-lock really only improves 'panic' braking and braking under adverse conditions. That good for most drivers, but not ideal for driving on the edge.

Wow, it's bid up to $150! I once bought an aluminum intake and a holley carb from my neighbor for $50. Guess I got a deal! Wish I'd had E-bay then to sell it off to.

I have about $4000 in the car, including the purchase price, and it is basically stock, inline 260z. That was for purchasing the car, restoring the interior, paint job, and getting all the mechanicals working. I'm budgeting another 4000 to do the conversion.

I have 2 6x9's in boxes, held down with the factory luggage straps, but... The setup I currently think is the best move for the Z is to replace the original seats with the Miata seats with speakers in the headrest. If you're serious about your sound, upgrade the miata speakers while you're at it. I'm planning on doing this, while keeping my 6x9s. I was also planning on putting the 6x9's into a panel like the one above from Motorsport auto, but I think I can build one myself for less. I was also planning on getting a compact spare from a hyundai excell to replace the full-size spare, and I think this will make getting to the spare a bit simpler. These are just my ideas, let us know what you come up with.

There are a few things you can do. I wouldn't start with the auto store, measure the diameter and head down to the local hardware store. Most good hardware stores have flexible ducting in various sizes. It will be available by the foot. Look in the bathroom fixtures area, as the appropriate size is often used for bathroom vents. If you don't have any luck there, the auto parts stores usually have heat-riser tubing that is about the correct diameter. It's foil, so it tears easy but it will work fine. Some clamps or even some wire ties can be used to hold it in place. Don't worry that the replacement is a different material, it's just a short duct, after all. Oh yeah, even with the vent working, I can barely feel the air coming from that side. There are a number of fixes you can use for that. The previous owner of my car covered about 60% of the center vent with cardboard, but I think that was hurting more than helping. Ideally, you would increase the size of the blower fan. A 1988 Honda civic fan is supposed to bolt right in (wire ends must be changed, simple) and provide an improvement. A better improvement is a Ford LTD fan (some drilling is required for the ford fan) or virtually any fan that will physically fit. This fan doesn't bolt in, though, a little extra work is required, including drilling and cutting. and either way you have to get these parts from the scrap yard, since the 'squirl-cage' doesn't come with the replacement fan at the parts store

The only way you'll ever see that kind of speed in a z is if you drive it out the cargo hold of an airbus at 20,000 feet. O.K, so maybe I'me exagerating. 6,000 feet should be high enough. Let me know when you are making the drop. Edit: Damn, someone already made this joke. I'm not saying you shouldn't try, but after dumping years of effort and thousands of dollars into this project, you might feel like driving it out of an airplane. Don't say I didn't warn you.

I have a 260 and I really like it. It's a little more refined than a 240, if you've ever owned a car without retractable seat belts, you'll know that they are a pain. The 260 has seatbelt retractors, factory air, and a little stiffer body. It doesn't have the heavy 280 bumpers, or the door reinforcment that adds some weight to the 280. I also like the dash layout of the 260 better, and since I planned a V8 from the start, I am not disapointed in the performance. (It already has the preferred earlier carbs) However, if I was starting over, I would have gone with a 280. They are already setup for fuel injection, come with the R200 rear, and are a little stronger. I think a 280 would make the best doner for an inexpensive v8 swap. I don't like the 280 bumpers as much, though, so I might have spent more changing the bumpers than I will putting in fuel injection and an R200. As has been stated before, the number one criteria is the condition of the body. A little visible rust means a lot of hidden rust. And rust does more than ruin the looks, it also makes a car very difficult to work on, as part freeze and break much more frequently. (voice of experience) So get the nicest Z you can afford. Or go out and buy one with the swap done, that really the best way to buy a z, if you have the patience to wait until you have the money.

got to give the guy some respect for putting that kind of time and effort into it. I remember when I put together models, I could't stand to wait for the paint to dry. Always ended up with glue all over the windshield, too. Very nice job.

Yes, the variable size pulley and belt system is a common CVT. I had one on my moped, and as mentioned snomobiles used them. I thought that the newer ones were hydraulic, using a torque-converter like setup, but with one disk having variable veins. I don't know how they would do it without tranny fluid, must be some other system. A lawnmower I used as a kid also had a CVT. The drive was a disk, and the driven part was a wheel that rode on the disk. You changed the ratio by moving the wheel in and out on the disk radius. It was a very strange setup, I've never seen anything else like it. It was a weird lawn mower all around, thre wheeled and you could push down on the handle to pick up the front of the mower to get over obstacles. It's probably in the junk yard now. When I worked at John Deere, I heard they were developing one, I think the new lawn tractors have it. But seeing it in a production car is kind of new. If anyone knows how the Prius tranny works, I am dying to know more!

Like Phyte said, the aluminum heads were only available on the vettes. If you are buying a complete engine, the LT1 would still be the way to go, they are easy to find, and the prices are good compared to TPI, plus they are newer engines. Just my 2....hey, anyone notice there's no cent sign?

Yeah, I've always been impressed with how quickly they can send me the wrong part.

"Your soul is worth £7059. For your peace of mind, 88% of people have a purer soul than you" That's all? Hell, I could get that much for the neighbor kids kidneys. Guys, Save me a seat in that handbasket!

The temperatures you are reading do not seem excesive to me. If it lost some coolant when it was hot, I would look closely at the water pump weep hole. A lot of times these things leak a little when the cooling system is under pressure, but don't leak at any other times. Even if the cooling system is working fine, the engine will heat up after you shut it off, and this can cause pressure in the cooling system, resulting in coolant loss. Does it have an overflow tank? cooling capacity is a combination of the surface area of the radiator and the rate that air flows through it. Single cores often let a lot more air through, and can cool just as well as a thicker radiator. I wouldn't be too quick to blame the radiator, unless you find that it's plugged. Have fun, and watch out for the state troopers when you go tearing down I35.

If your Z already has air, you can use the chevy compressor and just replace the hoses to hook up to the Datsun system. However, if the car didn't come with air, it's a very big project to add it, and you would have to find a Z with air to be a doner. You might be better off with the Vintage air unit.

I don't think that the TPI is going to limit the RPM to 4500 on a 302. The problem with the TPI on the 350 is that it just doesn't flow a lot of air. Basically you are limited to a small CFM per cylinder going through the ports. For a 350, that's not a lot of air. But a 302 will need less to rev since it is a smaller motor. By my calculations, a 302 will rev to 5200 RPM before it requires the same airflow as a 350 at 4500. That might still be too low, but can be delt with by increasing runner size. Grumpy has a post somewhere that compares the stealthram to the TPI, and it's clear that he preferrs the Stealth. The difference is $$$$.

Buying them is only the beginning. Initial Cost ~$250 Actual cost: years of your life Good Luck!

Can anyone expain to me how this thing gets compression? I'm tempted to write it off as technical nonsense, but I am willing to try to learn how it works if anyone has an idea. Thanks Jeff

"By the way, if we were talking about pure Horsepower Per Dollar, its almost impossible to match a SBC. Why do you think so many people put v8's in Zs?" That really sums it up, in my opinion. Go to the junkyard and tell them you need a 250 hp engine for $400. You'll get a chevy, or at least a V8. Yes, you can get more HP with less weight. But more with less money? I haven't seen it.

Whoa, you guys missed a bunch of suggestions, come on, are we hard-core racers or not? Fill the tires up with helium! Run the radiator 2 qts low! run a quart low on oil-should drop 2 lbs Drill holes through the heads of all the non-critical bolts! Cut up the fenders, throw out the splash guards! take the doors off the rear storage areas, Only use three lug nuts weld the doors shut and take off the handles! Lexan windows? You don't need windows! passenger seat headlights strip the paint drill out the remaining floor pans and scrap the windshield wipers! There you go. Now you can really lose some weight.

It pays homage to the beauty of physics and the symmetry of nature to note that good absorbers are also good radiators. Thus, you want to paint your engine whatever color would make it heat up the most in the sun. Black, my friend, is the answer. I would also like to note that the best radio antenna is one that is identical in form to the tranmitter, for the same reason. Later, Jeff

Hey guys, thanks for the answers. It sounds like it's a pretty easy install. TomoHawk: The speakers are an option, so not all the seats will have them, but E-bay seems to always have a few listed. I think all years had this option. Oh, there are right and left speakers in each seat, I think they just have a 3 pin connector coming out the back, left, right, ground. I'm going to try to locate the seats locally though, to save the shipping. With over 1 million Miatas produced, it shouldn't be hard to find some!