josephg

I get about 4 mpg but I like to have fun

There is a lot info on this do a search and check the stickies and FAQ section I think the outside diameter of 280z is 2 inches 240 a little smaller so 55.1 sounds like it would be about right... but check the FAQs and other posts. IMO this setup great is for adjustable ride hight but not as great for performance. If you go with a kit like ground control or make your own just buying threaded collars, springs and struts you will have a much more dynamic suspension system that you can build to your preferences and driving style/usage. From what I here those Chinese coil overs that you see on ebay/pictured above from fly by night manufacturers often dont come with different spring rates front and back and in most cases you would be luck just to get 4 that match. some report different valving in the struts as well. Best go with some nice GC and Taciko or bilstines unless all you care about is right height adjustability. But again IMO for the money you are gonna spend and the work you will do best just get high quality parts from reputable manufactures (preferably with knowledgeable customer service). Good luck

John does this only occur in "early z's" because in later years the diff was moved back to correct the angle of the half shafts? P/S my suspension techniques rear mount arb came with no mounts (it did come with the square bushings which I think would be used in the forward style rear arb) and the included documentation states that the sway bar should be mounted in the "stock position". I have not fit it up yet but it looks to me like it needs to go around the rear of the diff?! and I dont think my 77 came with a rear arb from the factory. I just ordered some 7/8" sway bar mounts from sumit cuz I am just about positive I am gonna need them. If anybody that can confirm what I have come up with I would appreciate it

I want to see some documentation on this! Are you planing to use the stock brake booster? Lots of in stall pics please! I was thinking of doing something like this.

Hay man I found my self in the exact same situation about 8 months ago, after remounting the engine, replacing the engine, fuel system, all the wiring and nearly everything in the car I am almost done and kinda feeling like I should have just started from scratch. But it has been a blast along the way. I would really like to see how the engine is mounted in your car as well as the slave cylinder for the clutch. those are the two thing I put the most effort into and I am always curious to see what other people have come up with. (good or bad). Good luck on your build and keep posting. PS. My trash can looked exactly the same within 10 min of owning my 280, its amazing what you acquire with a z

Those are all valid points... however as I mentioned this is not technically a fuel cell it is a fuel tank the difference being the lack of a metal cage. Many new car use plastic fuel tanks that are exposed in the same way. As far as bottoming out. the rear differential sits lower than the bottom of the tank. I will not be using the stock filler neck however, when I install the breather I will use a roll-over valve. A few other people have done this the same way, I simply condensed the information. I personally think its plenty safe. I respect your opinion but for my application (not racing) I am satisfied with what I have If anyone wanted to add the safety features discussed above my first suggestion would be to buy an actual fuel cell it cost a little more however if you are going to be racing its a must. Adding the 1" cage is fairly self explanatory. Its a little more work but if your racing or just want the extra piece of mind it might be worth it to you

There is a lot scattered info about this install so I thought I would do a write up and make it easy for anybody who wants do this. Here is the stock truck floor in my 77 280 I started with a sawzaw and cut out the spare tire well You need to use a long blade to get through the supports around the front and sides of the tire well Then I used an angle grinder with a cutting blade for the detail work Cut about 1/4-1/2" away from the frame rails in the front and the sides and about 2 inches from the rear this will make it easier to fabricate the sheet metal later be sure to leave 2' from the rear of the car as there is sealant back there that is difficult to remove and can make it difficult to weld next get some steel I used 16 gauge 1 1/4" square tube here is a tip when you buy steel never ask the supplier to cut it to length, I git 12' for $12 but it would have cost twice that if I asked them to cut it even once depending on what fuel cell you use the detentions will be different, I opted for the cheepo summit 16 gal plastic fuel cell (not scca approved but I dont plan on racing my Z) These cells are more of a replacement tank than a true fuel cell but it works for my application To match the curved portion of the frame rails I determined were I wanted the support and then measured that space at the point were my support would be widest then used a file to match the radius I welded in the front support first and base all the other dimensions off its position be sure everything is square because it will look terrible if its not I wanted the ports on the bottom of the cell to stick out just barely Next I made a template out of cardboard I used some card stock from staples that had 1" graph lines printed on it which was nice I used an angle grinder with a cutting wheel to cut the 18 gauge steel, The trick with this is try not to cut it in one pass just graze the surface and go through on the second or third pass it fit really well on the first try... I would rather be lucky than good any day when welding the seams only weld about an inch at a time and move around a lot to prevent head distortion, This was a lot of welding thought I would never finish Be sure to use plenty of silicone on the seams to prevent rust and use a good quality primer on everything else I will add plumbing the cell when I get to that point

too true... I have heard of a quick swap go bad at the drag track.... FOX body mustang + Cleveland = 1 car rolling on three wheels like a teter-toter

Well scratch that idea... I talk to Brian today he is having the cradle made in quantity by a local shop... they should be available for sale (at or close to cost) in about a month or so.

Well this is a dead topic sine i pulled the motor and fixed the problem but just for everybody's knowledge and for future searches. Fidanza's flywheel dowel pins must be pressed in because because there is nothing else to hold them in place. I probably would have been fine just hitting them in but I am nervous like that and it was easy to do with a vice. Ford's flywheel dowel pins are wider were the go into the flywheel and smaller were they match up to the pressure plate... so when the pressure plate gets bolted to the flywheel the clutch will hold the pins in place. so if the dowel pins in far enough to install the clutch they are not going anywhere. you can see here on the right is a stock Ford dowel pin (the fat end goes into the flywheel) On the left is a pice of wood that serves as a good analogue for the fidanza dowel pin I don't have available for a picture (it look almost exactly the same just a bit smaller and made from steel)

If you are serious about this swap be prepared to chart some new territory. Not many people use the the ford C blocks as they are not as readily available as the windsor blocks. nor do many people swap american v8 into z32's. You seem to know you stuff when it comes to fords so I wont discourage you. If you pull this off I really want to see some picks. Good luck man!

I have not asked Brain's permission yet but having spoken with him in the past I am pretty sure he will be ok with this. Would any one be interested in purchasing one these engine cradles? There "kits" available for the SBC conversion but the SBF conversions are a little more daunting mainly because of the lack of engine mounting options. (I.E. either build it yourself or don't). I am just trying to figure out who might be interested and how much the would pay for such an item. I have the equipment and I built one for myself already, I could make them fairly easily as apposed to someone who has never worked with metal before or someone who doesn't have the equipment. The raw materials are about $75 and its about 8 hours of labor. let me know. MotorCradle.pdf

sweet ride man, I dig the rattle can paint job. Here is a good link for floor pans, just in case you didnt find it already http://www.showcars-bodyparts.com/240z.html. (they are toward the bottom). You could just fab something but its nice to have options. Happy cutting!