gwheeler

72 240Z with Mustang GT 5.0 HO and Mustang T-5, R200 3.36 diff running 225/50R16 tires. 30 mpg highway 25 mpg mixed Couldn't be happier! That's better mileage than my 2003 Mazda Protege5! Greg

It took some Googling, but I found it elsewhere: http://www.craandesigns.com/videos/m3_gtr_nurburgring.wmv

Your 300Z is a manual, right? I put a 5.0 in my 240Z, so to actuate the clutch I bought a bigger master cylinder, a Datsun pickup slave cylinder, then fabbed a simple bracket to attach the slave to the bellhousing. Voila... simple but it works. A lot of people will tell you to run a hydraulic throwout bearing, but this simple and cheap solution works for me. Pedal is stiff, but it matches the heavy brakes, steering, and gear shift.

While selecting air springs (but not for small automotive applications)' date=' I've had good luck getting detailed specs from Firestone's web site. Here's a link to one of their catalogs/guides with lots of good info for techies: Engineering Guide I also got good support from their engineers over the phone. I suppose if you buy through a reseller (of whatever brand) they wouldn't know any engineering details. Here's the Praxis: http://www.praxissystems.com By the way, that Mercedes system with an external auxiliary volume is a similar concept as I was describing - but more complex. Typically German. After owning an Audi 4000CS quattro for a while, I promised myself I'd never buy a German car again. But dang they make some neat stuff...

The first sentence is spot on. People claiming that air springs make their momma's Mercedes ride like this or their Uncle Bob's truck handle like that are missing the point. They're just springs. You can get them in all kinds of rates' date=' and all kinds of rate [b']curves[/b]. They must be selected very carefully for each vehicle and intended application. There is one change that always applies though: one less mechanical noise transmission path - all other things being equal means less road noise. That brings us to the second sentence. Many luxury/sports cars use air springs that do get stiffer at lower ride height (lower air pressure). They accomplish this by designing specially shaped "pistons" that increase the volume change for a given displacement change at lower pressures. If you search around Firestone's site you may find some cross-section pics of the progressive rate systems showing the funny shaped pistons (kind of a cone). Bridgestone makes an aftermarket system called Praxxis for Subaru WRX and BMW 3-series that uses this concept. You put it in track mode and the car drops AND firms up significantly. In my opinion this is quite a cool invention since it is contrary to common sense. I hope someone does figure out a HybridZ installation.

Duh. I read that when I did the swap. That's what I mean about my memory. I'm not even 30. What's it going to be like when I'm 50 or 60?

I have the worst memory in the world, but I thought when I swapped my R180 (240Z) for an R200 (280Z), the halfshafts were different lengths because one of the diffs (don't remember which!) was not symmetric...

Interesting comment. Not to hijack the thread, but this is a fascinating helmet article: http://motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/hatz/

Hmm, I don't have any hard evidence, but my '91 5.0 runs just fine without EGR. It also gets 25 mpg in the city, and 30 on the highway. I'd be pretty darn impressed if it ran stronger and got better mileage with EGR!

Why would you expect it to be much different than a Mustang? I get 30 highway/25 city in my EFI 5.0 240Z. The engine is pretty much stock.

Dave, I didn't know there was another HybridZ around these parts. My 500Z (Mustang 5.0, 240Z) gets 30MPG highway, 25 city. Better than my 2003 Protege5.

You and Cary are correct of course. I was only thinking about the initial bit of roll. Sorry! :-/

John, I respectfully disagree. I believe the end link bushings do indeed add to the roll stiffness (even statically). The bushings act like springs in series with the ARB. And springs in series always reduce the overall rate. Picture the car rolling (right wheel up, left wheel down). The right end link bushing under the ARB will be compressed, the left bushing above the ARB will be compressed. The amount of bushing deflection will depend on the spring rate of the bushings. Urethane bushings having a higher spring rate, they would deflect less, transferring more motion to the ARB, which would increase understeer, even during steady-state cornering. To take the illustration to the extreme, imagine what would happen if you did not install end link bushings, so the studs are free to move relative to the ARB arms. In effect your end link "bushings" have zero stiffness. Now the overall roll stiffness from the ARB system is zero. On the other hand, if you were to install rod ends instead of bushings, the overall roll stiffness would be due to the ARB only.

I put an '89 Mustang 5.0 HO EFI in my 240Z. It's now a 500Z. The EFI intake clears the hood (although I did drop the front crossmember 1"). I'd go that route at least to start. Drive it for a while, and if you need more power, you can always add on.

I really doubt this was a hoax, it's probably just how most of our projects go (at least mine!). You get all enthusiastic, start working, get dirty, and go, "wow, this is more work than I thought." It takes a while to get everything right. If you'd like to see my 5.0 HO EFI with T-5 in my 240, go to http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/g_wheeler2001/album?.dir=5a6a&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/g_wheeler2001/my_photos I ended up as far back and as low as I could go. Didn't cut the steering shaft, but did have to shave the passenger side shorty Mustang header to clear the frame rail. I also lowered the stock cross-member an inch to clear the oil pan and pulley.

As an update, I just had a speedometer cable made for $40 at Nevada Speedometer. They used the Datsun speedo upper end, and a Ford T-5 lower. With a 21 tooth driven gear, I timed the speedo as reading 5% low. I'll change out the driven gear for a 20 tooth, and it should be right on!

I wouldn't be concerned about parts availability or prices. There are millions of Zs out there.

Brad, When I took the Z engine out, I labeled the coolant temp and oil pressure sender wires. I just hooked them up to the Ford senders. No, I haven't checked against any other gauges yet. This Saturday I did the 260Z tachometer swap. I picked the tach up for free on the side of the road next to a junkyard! Installing it was a pain in the *** though. You have to pull the entire dash.

So my 500Z is running swell. I just took it to an autocross on Saturday. Besides the old fuel pickup problem in left hand corners, it was a blast! But I was a little nervous running without oil pressure or coolant temp gauges. So Sunday I decided to hook up the 5.0 senders to the Datsun gauges, and voila! Oil pressure reads about 60 psi, and the temp gauge came up to just under half way when the upper radiator hose got hot (meaning the thermostat opened). I'd say I'm good to go.