Mikelly

Well a poor mans way of measuring stiffness could be this: Any Mods to the chassis could be measured by doing the mod, placing a jack under one corner of the vehicle and measure all other corners in 6inch incriments. One thing I noticed was when I put subframe sin the car, I could jack two wheels up from one corner of the car... When I put the cage in, I could jack up three wheels from one corner of the car... This is a MOST cruid way of check for stiffness, but it atleast shows you just what each mod does, to some extent... This is really backwoods engineering .... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

That is quite possible, because Owen's Pic IDs the unit I modified as the solenoid for the Reverse Lockout. I had been told that that unit was the Skip Shift. However, I'm having no issues with the transmission not working as expected. Thing works flawless. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Good luck. I was pretty good at rebuilding Z 5speeds, but those T56s have many more parts and electricals... Not for the faint of heart! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I think you have covered it all Locutus. Just print my tech page and keep it handy. As for the Speedo, I'm having trouble getting my VDO programmed, but I would go with a programable speedo and sensor mounted at the driveshaft and not worry about the internals of the T56. Also, Owen is correct, we modified two different parts, each of us was led to a different point for the Skip Shift... I have no idea who was right and who wasn't, but I have driven my car with no issues with the trans. It works great, best trans I have ever owned. So if own modified the right part and I didn't, I would say skip that step all together because mine is working great! Feel free to call me if you have problems during install and setup.. Mike 540-891-4420 ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

As for wheel spin with the T56, I'm not having any trouble driving the car daily with a 383 in it. My car is very predictable and almost doscile in traffic. You can get it to do a smokey burn out if you want but launching it from a dead stop is that bad with the 300ZXT rear and LSD.. I also have 265-50-15 Gatorbacks helping put the car down the road.... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Well I plumbed in the new regulator and the thing is holding way to much presure even with it dialed all the way out. I am in the middle of plumbing in the other filter at the back again, so I'm gonna work through that and then pull my plugs and let them dry out, recharge my battery, get the starter solenoid squared awat and then try firing this puppy up again... I hope this works! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Yup, I had sticker shock when I first did my research. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I had rear vibration until I did the JTR fabrication to the mustache bar bushings. Vibration is gone... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I shift mine at 5500-6000, but the motor was supposedly assembled to withstand 7000 RPM revs. I don't buy this because the motor is externaly balanced and that is another thing I would change. If I ever have to go into this motor I will get a forged crank and have the whole assembly internaly balanced. So far it runs great except for the fuel presure and hard start issues which will be addressed this weekend. Also, I use a Hydraulic instead of a solid valve train, but regardless of which you choose, go roller... The thing will spin up so much quicker! BTW, Nice 305! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I called a GM tech guy I met during my trans fiasco and he confirmed that the only diference in the two units is the bleeder screw, the routing of the line and something you overlooked...Volume... the bore size is supposedly different. Check it with a micrometer to doublecheck what he told me... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I went out to the garage this evening and started the car.... And looked at the fuel presure guage....15# of presure... No wonder she wouldn't idle.... I have had it... I've ordered the BG fuel presure regulater that some one else recommended... I'm not impressed with Mallory right now... Couldn't get them to answer my e-mail and their phone number is bogus, as I kept getting the local operator recording stating that the number was incorrect... I hope to get all my parts by Friday....I really need to go romp on some unsuspecting cars! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Matt, My 350 is in my truck and is TB injected, so this may skew things a bit. It does run 9's in the 1/8th though, and thats pushing a 4000# truck, which ain't too shabby for a motor with 178,000 on it. I have a 383 stroker in the Z, and the performance of the package is awesome. However, the big thing you get from stroking the V8 is more torque, depending of course on the build and compression. Here is what the "Build" up of the 383 was: New 4 bolt block was painted, screened, all machine work on the block was standard radiousing of oil journals and deburring of the block. Crank is a Scatt unit, nothing fancy. Rods are LT1 units, brand new. KB Hyper pistons, with C&A Zgap rings all bearings were top quality, all bolts and studs were ARP. High Vol Miloden Oil pump and and T-sump pan with windage tray and trap doors keep the oil happy. The cam is a ISKY Hydraulic Roller unit, with matching rods and 1.5 roller rockers form Harland Sharp. The heads are Dart Conquest. They were mild ported to get rid of casting flash, but nothing serious. Intake, a Victor Jr. was port matched to the heads. Kmotion springs with ti retainers and locks keep the valve train tight. All of this came to me, shipped to my door for $3900 from Bowtie Performance in Bristol, Va. Now, what I would do if I did it again is build up a nice bottom end using everything I listed for my current motor, except using a Forged 350 crank and the appropriate race prepped rods for a 350. I would then spend my money getting a set of nice aluminum heads and a roller valve train assembled. I wouldn't build up a 383 just for the sake of doing one, not that I don't like what I have, but it isn't really necessary and you can rev a 350 a little higher. A good crate alternative would be the ZZ4 crate motor with an upgrade in the valve train department. I'm a big fan of letting the crate engine builders supply the motor. You can do it your self and save about $600, but two things need to be considered... Time, and the fact that a pro has assembled your engine. I could have built mine, but was addressing other areas of the car like the fuel cell, cooling, and wiring, plus rust repair. Getting a crate motor frees up your time to get the car ready for the conversion. Plus, I'm no pro at engine assembly. I have built 8 motors in my life. Seven survived well, the one that didn't cost me the money I had saved on the previous seven.....One little mistake and BANG!!!!!!! That sounded like a rod letting go....OUCH!!!!! Hope this helps... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Bushings are most likely the culprit. Although you might want to give your tie rods and ball joints a look as well. Sway bars next break without an impact of some sort. They are pre-stressed units. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Just ordered the Summit Remote Starter Solenoide for the hard starting issue....$25 is cheap insurance! Have to address the whole regulator issue next... I have a call into Mallory on the regulator... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Bellhousing is the big issue. I'm not aware (And I hope someone else has found them...) of any company making an aftermarket BLOW PROOF bell housing. If they aren't out there, this means you will have to go to GM and buy the bellhousing from them. You shouldn't expect to get one in a salvage yard, because they won't let much go on the T56 units... the like to sell them as a complete setup... Other than that, read my tech article and check the cost for the Pressure plate, flywheel, and hydraulic fluid mods.... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

....I have the Mallory aluminum 3 port unit that comes with the 140 series pump. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to spend the $100 on the BG unit. I have a BG Sportclaw 750 carb that I love, so if this issue doesn't go away, I'm gonna have to order the BG unit. So far the car is starting ok. I got it out of the garage and washed 4 months of dirt off it (Sitting in the garage and having dirty hands on it...) But the real test for starting will come this Friday when I drive it in to work. You guys talk about a bus bar, could you just run 2 guage wire from the S to the B terminal? Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Nevada Silver state challenge. It is another of the many high speed timed events. I ran it a few years back in a rental car. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Ron, Gauge seems to be filled with some type of oil...like the Autometer units. I hope the new unit I ordered today cures it. Which regulator did you finally go with? Also, for the Ford Solenoide what part number or make and model do I get it off of? TIA Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Brake systems are important, no? yes, yes they are. And we gear heads tend to overlook them while buiding our hotrods. I have been asked a bunch of questions over the past year or so about disc conversions, pads, fluid, rotor and caliper size.... yadayadayada... One big thing over-looked in a brake system is the fluid. Fluid gets contaminated over time and therefore should be swapped out every two years, per most manufacturers recommendations. However, if your car is going to do some serious canyon carving, you should think about swapping it before or after a day of hard driving. When going to an instructional day at the race course, doing hot laps, you should also plan to flush the fluid before or after the session is over. As a rotor heats up, it transfers heat to the caliper, which in turn boils the fluid circulating through the caliper. That is one reason brake ducts are so attractive on hi po cars. Next time you plan a brake upgrade, make sure you replace the fluid with a hipo replacement as well. The higher the dry and wet boiling point, the better the fluid will work, the more stable it will be and the better your car will perform! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I took a dremil tool to mine, as I found out the way Owen did.... Motor was already installed. I place a spacer under the mounts and then took the dremil and cut the corners. I also had to unbolt the mount and jack the motor up with out the distributor cap on, to get enough clearance to work down at the mount. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

....After getting to go spank a 5.0 on Friday night, I spent much of the day Saturday looking at a few issues I am encountering. Has anyone come across hard starting after the car has been driven? Heat soak on the starter? Well I switched to 1/0 gauge wire for the starter to battery, and ground, and I now have installed a heat shield, and a "HOT SHOT" amp booster to the starter solenoide. I haven't had the chance to drive it since installing these few items, but I'm hoping things are fixed now. However, any other tips would be appreciated. Problem two: My Fuel pressure is fluxuating big time. Start it up one time and it reads 5.75# pressure, and the next it reads 11#. Now I have a liquid filled Marshall gauge, and I'm running a Mallory Regulator, but something is amiss somewhere. My first thought is the gauge, and I'm gonna swao that out first, but I'm still perplexed.... Not sure whay to check if the gauge isn't the issue and the regulator checks out.... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

What do you plan to do with the car? Coil overs are nice, but not necessary unless you are looking at wheel fitment and setting up the car for different tracks. I'll convert mine shortly to coil overs, but mainly for getting the car lower for top end runs like the Nevada SS Challenge and the Blue Blockers and Gamblers runs. Aerodynamics is critical at high speeds and getting the car lower to the ground with out bottoming out is important. However, if you are planning to drive it on the street, get a good set of progresseive rate springs. They will serve you better than the straight rate springs sold in most kits. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I would suspect you would have to deal with some stiffening issues. I have a 383 in my 74 260 and I'm happy with it, but you need more chassis bracing to compensate for t-tops. OOPS...Don't want anyone to misunderstand what I just typed... I have a 6 point cage bolted and 2x3 sub-frame connectors welded in to my car. I also have other chassis bracing. Personaly, I think this is the only way to go in getting all the power to the ground without damaging the unit body. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk [This message has been edited by Mikelly (edited April 03, 2000).]

I'm running mine up front in front of the radiator. I use a Canton Mecca billet filter unit with braided line running from the block up to the front of the car. Filter sits on an 1/8 inch aluminum plate and then also feeds a Canton Accusump. My car holds 11 quarts of oil, so it can be a pain. But pre-lubing the motor is nice, and having the filter sit in front of the radiator helps as a poor mans oil cooler. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Welcome Aboard Frank! Sounds like a cool build coming on the horizon! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk