datsunlover

Heh.. well seeing as I'm trying to do this whole car cheep cheep, and that's about HALF of what I have into it (at this point) I think I'll pass for now.. Cool little tool though.. maybe I can build my own (I do work in a machine shop) and undercut that price... it'd help pay for this project!

Its cool man, I wasn't saying you were saying anything.. to me... or anything.. Just started a thought in my head is all. I didn't wana take over the thread and make it go anti drifting VS drifting, thats all. I'm actually thinking I'll go out next summer (in the V8 RX7 I'm building at the moment) to a drift event, just for kicks and see how much smoke I can make.

Eww.. thats... discustipating!

Does it have the 'Z car steering wheel shake' too? My first car (and first Z) was an 81 280zx. It was a huge pos, but fun. Front end was falling apart (tie-rod ends, ball joints, bushings, ALL shot) and combined with a rusty flexing chasis, it did some strange things sometimes... Beeing my first car, I didn't realize how bad it actually was until I got rid of it and got into a vehicle that was in better shape overall.. Check all the nuts and bolts, as well as bushings and springs.

Mine craped out too.. Just as well, I'm not really into the drifting scene.. At least you had fun though!

I agree on the hood scoop.. ech.. and the guages are nice units, but the install looks kind of hack, and the cracked dash doesn't help the look either.. Body is in good shape though.. guess Tx life will do that for a car.. Stupid salty winters.... I WISH I could find something that nice up here!

Well, I don't know how well it's gona work, but I'm gona try it. I had to 'build' a lower rad hose (really, and extension) for my V8 rx7 and came up with this; I got a piece of exhast pipe with an OD slightly bigger than the ID of my rad hose. (About 3" long) I then took a coat hanger and wraped it tightly around the pipe on either end, about 1/2" from the edge. Once I got it nicely curved around, I welded it (slowly worked around it) to the pipe, and after it cooled a bit, belt sanded it smooth. It is a bit of a tight fit to insert it into the rad hose, but with a clamp on it, I can't pull it off for the life of me.. So I think it'll hold pressure.. but I'm not sure how long it'll last. Anyone have thoughts on this?

Heck man, I bought my rx7 from a guy 20 mins away and it was enough hassle! He said he unpluged evrything in the engine bay; Not even maybe. One main harness has been choped off (about 20 wires) and there are various wires off/gone/disconected. A few interior parts, including the drivers door panel were not in the car (although he said evrything was) and I had to chase him for a week. On top of that, when I finally got the door panel, it was ripped to shreds! I looked at him and said "WTF man?!?" Oh.. yah, well.. I got the car like that. *ahem* (BULL$HITT) His wife told me (the day I looked at the car, before he was home) he had started taking it apart, before getitng wraped up in another project. It was a $250 car, so what could I do.. but all the same, it sucks when people do that crap. Too bad about the rental fee, but at least you're not out as much as you would have been!

I don't think mine qualifies as a 'shop' really... Single car garage with 'stuff and things' piled up on both sides, and my pathetic tool collection stuffed behind the car (in the middle of the garage; The rear section is where the girlfriends father does some wood working) and while it has a concrete floor, there are a few anoying cracks/dips in it. Oh well, you work with what ya got right? I'll see if I can dig up a pic of my dungen.. you know, for comic relief for the thread..

Um.. have you thought this through? My 280 has JUST enough brakes as it is, and evrything is working properly! (Not that it's really that bad, but I go from a 93 king cab to my Z and notice the diffrence really quick) I would not want to drive a Z with no vac booster, and otherwise stock brakes.

To update a little, I've gone with a serpentine belt, and done some 'rigging' with my p/s pump and alternator. Here's what I have; -P/S pump on the drivers side, attached with a stock GM bracket (aluminum piece, used to have alt. on top) which I have hacked the upper pieces off for hood clearance. -Alternator on the passenger side, custom bracket holding it to the head, have to build a brace bar over to the drivers side still. On the other side of the alternator, I have a thick piece of flat bar sticking out, with two 6" shocks attachet to it. (just like the hatch shocks, but smaller) They point down and slightly to the drivers side, and are secured to whats left of a stock gm air pump/ac/idler pully bracket. (thats attached to the engine with the bolts beside the crank pully) I built a 'tool' for pushing the alternator down to change belts, and I'm suprised the force I have to put on it.. should hold the belt tight enough. Serpentine belt goes under the crank, around the ps pump, under the water pump, and over and around the alternator back down to the crank. I'll have to get a picture I think, as I'm sure this sounds confusing..

I thought the early 240 doors were slightly diffrent... apparently they won't bolt on to a 280 properly. (I was told this but do not know for sure)

I agree with trouble.. it seams there is no pleasing all the people all the time.. (go figure.. ) and people WILL get offended/upset no mater how good the moderation. Think about it; we will tolerate differing tastes/opinions when it comes to cars, work, ect.. Thats the reason I come to this place. IMO, Political and religious discusions, and individuals beliefs, are ussually too close to peoples hearts.. Those areas/topics are not to be wanderd into by someone with an opposing view, because there won't be the same amount of tollerance we normaly have... I think it's just human nature.. the things we believe in the most, we will fight to the death to uphold and defend. Hell.. people blow themselves up and fly planes into buildings for these reasons. Says something about how strong a belief system can be, right OR wrong...

I'm sure if you can get the Z spedo cable to mate to the chev tranny, you'll ba able to make the spedo read very close. The gear inside the trans can be swaped out.. I don't know how many there are.. they're all colored though. If someone can point you in the right direction, (there are a few charts out there on the net..) you'll be able to figure it all out. IE; you need to know your rear end gearing, tire size, and then just get the proper gear.

Yes.. buy that book, and spend.. oh.. a few days reading this forum. A search will net you more information that you can imagine.

Yes it's been done, but there is no 'kit' out there as of yet, so the swaps are few and far between. It seams to be a 'figure evrything out for yourself' kind of job. Sounds like you've got things figured out though! You have to keep in mind that the word 'hard' can be very diffrent from person to person.. some folks can have trouble doing a simple motor change (same engine back into original car) and ussually it's expiriance that make things easier.. although some people have the ability to just 'see' how it's going to work, and can pick this kind of stuff up really quick. I'm sure I've seen a few posts here on the 300zx V8 swap, a search may turn up something. Good luck man.

Dood.. just do it! If I came across one of those (I also drool uncontrolably when I see one..) for $1000 I'd snap it up. Even if I had to store it for a few years, I'd jump on it. Example; I was always kicking myself for selling my old rx7 V8 that I built, and said I'd build one again someday. A month ago, I found that 'deal of a lifetime' on one. No motor or tranny (good for V8 swaping ) and a near mint body/interior. Car spent a lot of it's life in Hawaii. $250 could have bought my the rest of the toyota brake upgrade for my Z (have the 300zx rotors in boxes, have new front strut inserts to install at the same time) BUT right now, my stock brakes are doing the job and the Z drives.. Now.. $250 rx7's ar not as rare/pricy as a lotus, but for the condition it's in, I could easily part it out and make a few K IF I had to. LOTUS! LOTUS! LOTUS!!!!!! My .02$ (canadian mind you..)

You are sick.. jebus... that's awefull!

If you do a search, you will find a few posts here about the mods required to install a 240 bumper on a 280z. I have one on my 280, but the rear I did a roll pan so no bumper there. I have a file somewhere on my computer that I wrote a while back on how to do this.. well, the way I did it. There are always a few ways of doing things. If you want, I can email it to you.

Hmm.. well I don't know about puting the p/s pump on the passenger side, as it would make for a mess of lines all over the place (not to mention extending them I would think.) as the lines come off the rack right near the drivers side frame area. I take it you're running a V belt system? You didn't mention a tensioner or idler pully.. Or does a serpentine belt not need a tensioner if you keep things symetrical? (one accesory on the left, one on the right of the water pump?) I think I understand what you are saying though, and I was thinkng about doing some 'deleting' last night as I stared at the GM brackets. Something else I thought of too, the V belt setup would place evrything closer to the block.. IE; leaving more room between the engine and rad for my electric fan. Thanks for the info man.. and btw, I'll be looking to pick your brain sometime soon (was told by a fellow member you know a good deal about the tbi system) as I'm pretty close to wiring this thing up now..

Cool vids! I just dont 'get' the whole drifting thing though... Sure its fun to watch (and do ) I supose, but I'm sick of all the hype about it.. you're going slower around a track, and burning out tires.. My understanding of a proper 'drift' (4 wheel) was always about getting the car going as fast as possible through a corner, and then pushing that last little bit, which almost breaks all the tires loose, but the car is still in control and if the driver is good, the drift 'fades' out and the car exits the corner at full steam. What do I know though..

..and which to use; 'V' belts, or a serpentine(sp) setup. Which is.. uh.. better I guess.. but keeping in mind, this is for my 86 rx7 and there aint a whole lot of room in front anymore.. sbc's do that to little engine bays.. Anyway, I have all serpentine pullys at this point (doner car had it) but the GM brackets have the alternator above the ps pump. I have to run the power steering on the drivers side but there is no room above for the alternator. So I thought no prob, I'll just run it on the passenger side. Problem with that is, there isn't much room left for an idler/tensioner pully and bracket. I'm assuming the serpentine belt has to wrap over at least 1/3 of the pully(s) to work properly, but I don't know for sure. Anyway, here are the options I have, as I see it; 1- Keep serpentine system, use chevy alternator, attempt to work idler/tensioner on there somehow.. 2- Same as above, but swap serpentine pully on to MAZDA alternator (which is a bit smaller) and build custom brackets. Posibly get away with the mazda alternator on top the p/s pump with some customising of the gm bracket, leaving room on the passenger side for the tensioner. 3- Get 'v' belt pullys for the chevy motor, run one belt on the water pump and p/s, one on the alternator. Posibly just an older gm p/s pump and alternator with the v pullys on it (should be cheep at a j/y) and although it would still mean a custom bracket for the alternator to get it low on the passenger side, it would be simpler imo. What do you guys think? I know a lot of you know your sbc stuff really good, and thats why I'm asking here instead of another forum. Thanks for any input.

SIX?!?!? OMFG... ok.. maybe I should be shot for posting this without doing a little reaserch first.. Sorry guys, my bad...

Not saying I believe evrything I hear, but even if it's only 160 horse, that's still gona push that light car pretty good.. and I'm sure the newer chasis of the miata (compared to say.. a Z) helps out quite a bit. My 280z was rated for 170 crank, and it moved alright.. I'm sure if I trimed the weight down to what a Miata weighs, it'd be a lot quicker.