Gollum

From my first hand experience fitting these rims, even the ZG are a tight fit unless you do it perfectly. Ideally you'll be lowering the car an inch, allowing you to raise the flare up a bit, pushing it outward giving it more clearance. If you mount the ZG flare too low, then you're still gonna rub. Nothing an almighty hammer can't fix though. With the 9" in the back everything changes though. 9" is much easier to fit, and although wouldn't fit under the stock wheel well, it might fit with just some serious hammering. I'd assuming with the subtle Z flares most of your fitment work will be in the front.

Or how about the diesel twin turbo jag V8? ...I think I just swooned.

I'll vote for any turbo diesel 4 banger, especially since you're in the UK. If you do decide to go "petrol" based, I'd still go with a turbo engine. HP for HP turbo engines almost always use less fuel in street driving since it's a variable pressure system. Note how the non-turbo WRX is rated at the same highway MPG as the turbo WRX, because they're inherently the same engine when the turbo is off boost. If you're only looking for 200hp or so, you could go as little as a 1 liter engine and still be fine.

Love that intake manifold... /drool

I haven't seen anyone mention this, so I might as well. The 5.4 liter mod motors have a taller heck height, which helps maintain good rod/stroke ratios with the stroke increase. This might make fitting a 5.4 liter considerably more difficult than a 4.6.

It's usually better to bring up old dead threads, asking simple questions, rather than starting new threads asking questions that have been asked time and time again. You obviously did some searching by finding this thread, and for that I commend you. I can't speak for the original poster, but I can definitely mention that the VQ prices have changed dramatically in recent years, so it's consideration over other swaps is in an unstable state. I think eventually (maybe not long from now) the VQ will be a cheaper swap than the L28ET, and other swaps using engines that have long since ended production runs. Though this post isn't incredibly old, the OP might just not be aware of current VQ prices.

When I was thinking about this topic (when that picture was first posted in that other thread) I liked the idea of adding flaps to a street car. Though I'm still pretty stuck on the idea of mounting it to the suspension, probably where the TC Rod connects. By connecting it to the suspension you can mount it closer to the wheel and closer to the ground. When the flap is part of the body it needs to have clearance for bump travel, but mounting it to the suspension allows the flap to move with bump travel, which should make it hard to scrape. It should also help with things like trailer loading. It wouldn't be much different than how cars like that caterham and ariel atom mount their wheel, covers. Example:

Diesel reputation be damned, that's sick!!! It's so truly unfortunate that diesel engines are so well known in the states for their smell, noise, and lack of power. VW seems to be trying hard to change that reputation in the states, and I hope they succeed. Anyone know how much that benz diesel weighs? (for real, that is)

Wow, that S130's color bears a remarkable resemblance to my 4th S130 (current). I know it was never a factory color (to my knowledge) and I have plenty of evidence that my car origonally came in the gold color that was fairly common. So I must ask... is that original paint, or has it been painted? And did you have it painted that color or was it already? Here's mine Mine is obviously pre 82' unlike yours.

1) 64 Years after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki the radioactive effects linger in New York as Snowmen with crackly skin emerge whenever head garments are left out for the day. The true scientific cause for the skin condition is unknown. 2) They're onto us! SUBMERGE! SUBMERGE! SUBMERGE! 3) Stealth Snowmen are not to be taken lightly. They've tripped the best of us.

Ok, so how many of you actual own a L28ET powered car? (I do) Though the L28ET is cost effective, you should realize the limits. Here's the main drawbacks that come to mind: PITA to work on for most things Intake manifold is largely inadequate and aftermarket is pointless Stock EFI is worthless once you've gained 33% more power than stock, and is barely good enough for stock driving in race conditions IMO. The L28ET seems very cost effective if you completely forget about the EFI. Realistically megasquirt is your most affordable option, which can still end up setting you back $500 for just the box shipped to you assembled. Then you still need to get a wideband, which you need for any motor really, but adds considerable cost to any build. (i'm considering a whole EFI transplant for my car) Once you reach 300hp any improvements to the head will show good gains, showing a bottleneck, but headwork isn't cheap. Once you reach 400hp a custom intake manifold will show good gains, but isn't cheap to have built, and very time consuming to make yourself. And somewhere in the middle there you'll blow up your pistons if you accidentaly let the engine detonate a wee bit. The L28ET is a great 300hp budget engine. Beyond that they're not budget. Now, the lima from all that I've seen can make the same HP on stock internals that the L28ET can. So forget crank/block tricks to add cubes. Spend your money on EFI tuning and more boost. They're almost worthless blocks and when one blows up because you tuned it too lean you just go pick up another one. Just pray you don't loose your turbo with it.

It's probably safe to say the L28ET dry would be around 390-400 dry, which would be as much as 430 wet. The iron exhaust manifold + turbo is a good 20 pounds easy. The upside is that the nissan tranny is super light for how much power it can hold, but we all know it's Russian roulette past 350hp.

The VQ and VG are good engines, but different strokes for different folks. The allure of the ford lima is that you can get pretty high on the performance scale before it starts costing a lot of money. Sure you can get a 280hp VQ with transmission for under $1500, but performance upgrades that will truly net any serious gains are expensive. Turbo motors are almost always cheaper HP. That being said I'd love a VQ or VG in my Z.

I would beg to see proof of this. Not because I believe it's impossible, but because definitive weights are near impossible to find on the internet. We have pretty high standards around here when it comes to throwing weights around. We like to know what EXACTLY we're talking about (long block, w/alternator, flywheel, clutch, starter, etc) I honestly do though, have a hard time seeing ANY iron 4 cylinder under 3 liters weighing more, if at all, than an all aluminum V8 over 4 liters. This has been well discussed and documented, that the weight is about a LOT more than the block material and/or the style of cylinder head. Unfortunately the internet is littered with people that make assumptions and tout them as fact. Example - the 2.4 liter KA24E weighs in very close to the SR20DET. The SR can't muster the same displacement, but it's also got a turbo adding to the weight, plus it's a DOHC. The KA is a large iron block motor, and doesn't really see THAT much of a weight penalty from it. I could also go on talking about how a 5.0 with aluminum cylinder heads and intake can weight less than a 4.6 mod motor, but that'd just be killing a dead horse now wouldn't it? So, does the lima really weight in at 600+ pounds? I'd like to see that scale figure.

Some honda rod info I'd copied a while back: Piston/Rod Measurements: B16A PR3: ROD LENGTH: 5.290” STROKE: 3.031” BORE SIZE: 3.189 “(81MM) COMPRESSION HEIGHTS: 1.180” DOME HEIGHT: .098” WEIGHT: 299 GRAMS B17A1 P61: ROD LENGTH: 5.208” STROKE: 3.205” BORE SIZE: 3.189” (81MM) COMPRESSION HEIGHTS: 1.181" DOME HEIGHT: CAN’T FIND YET WEIGHT: CAN’T FIND YET B18A1 PR4: ROD LENGTH: 5.394” STROKE: 3.504” BORE SIZE: 3.189“ (81MM) COMPRESSION HEIGHTS: 1.180” DOME HEIGHT: -.055” WEIGHT: 280 GRAMS B18C1 P72 ROD LENGTH: 5.429” STROKE: 3.433” BORE SIZE: 3.189” (81MM) COMPRESSION HEIGHTS: 1.183” DOME HEIGHT: .000” WEIGHT: 305 GRAMS B18C5 P73-A0 ROD LENGTH: 5.429” STROKE: 3.433” BORE SIZE: 3.189” (81MM) COMPRESSION HEIGHTS: 1.190” DOME HEIGHT: .070” WEIGHT: 310 GRAMS B20B ROD LENGTH: NA STROKE: NA BORE SIZE: 3.307” (84MM) COMPRESSION HEIGHTS: 1.165” DOME HEIGHT: -.035” WEIGHT: 312 GRAMS H22A ROD LENGTH: 5.63” STROKE: 3.571” BORE SIZE: 3.425” (87MM) COMPRESSION HEIGHTS:1.222" DOME HEIGHT: NA WEIGHT: NA H23A1 ROD LENGTH: 5.571" STROKE: 3.740" BORE SIZE: 3.425" (87MM) COMPRESSION HEIGHTS: 1.203" DOME HEIGHT:NA WEIGHT: NA D15B1/ 2/ 7/ 8 ROD LENGTH: 5.275” STROKE: 3.326” BORE SIZE: 2.933” (74.5MM) COMPRESSION HEIGHTS: 1.208” DOME HEIGHT: .000” WEIGHT: D16Z6 ROD LENGTH: 5.393” STROKE: 3.543” BORE SIZE: 2.952” (75MM) COMPRESSION HEIGHTS: 1.181” DOME HEIGHT: -.118” WEIGHT:NA D15Z1 ROD LENGTH: 5.393” STROKE: 3.326 BORE SIZE: 2.952” (75MM) COMPRESSION HEIGHTS: 1.092” DOME HEIGHT: -.277” WEIGHT:NA D16Y7 ROD LENGTH: 5.393” STROKE: 3.543” BORE SIZE: 2.952” (75MM) COMPRESSION HEIGHTS: 1.181” DOME HEIGHT: -.130” WEIGHT:NA D16Y5 ROD LENGTH: 5.393” STROKE: 3.543” BORE SIZE: 2.952” (75MM) COMPRESSION HEIGHTS: 1.161” DOME HEIGHT: -.106” WEIGHT:NA D16Y8 ROD LENGTH: 5.393” STROKE: 3.543” BORE SIZE: 2.952” (75MM) COMPRESSION HEIGHTS: 1.161” DOME HEIGHT: -.083” WEIGHT:NA D17A1 ROD LENGTH: 5.511” STROKE: NA BORE SIZE: 2.952” (75MM) COMPRESSION HEIGHTS: 1.062” DOME HEIGHT: -.106” WEIGHT:NA D17A2 ROD LENGTH: 5.511” STROKE: NA BORE SIZE: 2.952” (75MM) COMPRESSION HEIGHTS: 1.062” DOME HEIGHT: -.104” WEIGHT:NA ROD/STROKE RATIO AND ROD LENGTH: B16A: 1.74/ 134MM B17A1: 1.62/131.87MM B18A1: 1.54/ 137MM B18B: 1.54/137MM B18C1: 1.58/137.9MM B18C5: 1.58/137.9MM B20A3/53RD GEN LUDE) 1.50/142.75MM B21A1: 1.492/141.7MM B20B: 1.539/137MM H22A: 1.577/143MM H23A1: 1.49/141.5MM F20C: 1.821/153MM D17A1: /140MM D17A2: /140MM D16Y8: 1.52/137MM D16Y7: 1.52/137MM D16Z6: 1.52/137MM D16A1: 1.52/137MM D16A6: 1.52/137MM D15B1: 1.59/134MM D15B2: 1.59/134MM D15B7: 1.59/134MM D15B8: 1.59/134MM ZC: 1.52/137MM I haven't had a ton of time lately, I'll see what I can dig up tomorrow as well.

I agree with you to an extent. But should everyone out there learn the in's and out's of the Datsun L6 before putting in a SBC? The L6 has seen 300na hp on a regular basis from race builds, and over 500hp regularly from turbo builds. These figures are much more than the average SBC in a Z, but does that make the swap less sensible? People do the swap because it's cheap, easy HP. Somewhat reliable too since it uses displacement for power. And if it breaks, you can practically find parts at walmart. My point is that people can do what every they want. The RX cars have decent chassis that are light, making it prone to swaps. Many of these people won't know a lick about rotary engines, so what. Rotary engines are great, but they're certainly NOT for everyone, just like any other engine.

The vibration is somewhat related to rod/stroke ratio. I'm sure paul will give you an essay explaining it all.

Did you want help on that list? I've got some links on one of my computers lying around with some rod specs for hondas and fords.

Miracles DO happen. My prediction is that it won't be THAT buzzy if long rods are used, and more importantly, good engine mounts are used. I'm also betting that it would be extremely hard to make any less than 350 hp. I'm betting BRAAP will be putting that to the ground. Just my guess though. I mean com'on, how many performance built 5.3+ liter engines do you see making less than 400 hp? Especially if we're talking about a 7k redline, which I think is well within reason for this build. From what I've heard, 2nd order harmonic won't break your bottom end unless it's extreme. I'd bet with the valvetrain for it, you could redline the engine at 8k. 3.24 isn't THAT high of a stroke. Compare it to the Honda F22C, which has 3.57 inches of stroke and redlines at 8k reliably, and has more displacement per cylinder than braap's engine would have at 3.24" and 4". Shoot, the 3.3" stroke F20C redlined at 9k! The main difference I see is that the F block has a taller deck, allowing for longer rods, but it also has substantially more stroke than 3.24. Just some food for thought. Good luck BRAAP!!!

A guy that I grew up around ran a Ferrari repair shop on his own for years upon years. After hearing all his stories of working on Ferrari's I would NEVER want one of those engines in my car. Sure, the engine might only be $3,600, but you'll never be able to maintain it for an affordable cost. To rebuilt that engine, just the cost of the piston rings and every little gasket would probably cost as much as the purchase price of the engine. I see your points Speedmade, but you should also realize that most of us here in this thread already realize this. I believe BRAAP (who's REALLY going to do this) is going to make the crankshaft himself. A piece of solid billet to make a crank out of isn't very expensive, but the labor of doing it by hand will be. And another reality that makes this viable, is that the LS heads make as much power per liter as many DOHC engines. They're no slouch for a 2V design. I'm betting BRAAPS's engine will end up with around 500NA HP, and I'm betting his projected cost is less than 10k, and in my eyes WILL be a race ready engine. 10k sounds like a lot, but consider the cost of getting a motor built by someone else. Any of the 500hp crate engines are pretty spendy. This $12k example is only 440hp: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EDL-46211/ As to why we don't see this done more often, I think much of it has to do with the fact that most people building a true race car are restricted to race classes. And those who aren't building a race car choose their engines for their characteristics. People who by a pushrod V8 desire that loppy V8 gargle that sounds like it wants to die anything bellow 900 rpm. A guy generally doesn't buy a LS1 and think "if only this sounded like a ferrari". The other part of why we don't see it done is that people what to spend their hard earned money on something that makes them power, first and foremost. Look at ALL those people out there that put way too radical of camshafts in their street driven car just have squeeze out an extra 5-20 peak HP that they're never actually going to use. People are number hogs. And as such a flate plane crank just isn't realistic. A FPC is done for sound characteristics and for a certain air of "I did it". Why would someone make an inline 6 DOHC cylinder head out of a 2 4 cylinder heads? Because it was a worth while project. Sure it would have been easier and maybe cheaper to just get a DOHC inline 6 to begin with, but where's the engineering in that? People around here do those types of things, and because of that desire of man to accomplish something, flate plane crank V8's will be made.

Go to the design page, there's several pictures of a finished prototype. Sure there's no recent news updates, but who knows, there might be hope still.

Yea, usually when you see it next to a S30... (I mean this all in good fun obviously) As others have said, stay away from aftermarket body panels. You'd be amazed at how similar the 2+2's and 2 seaters are though. They share probably at least 90% of their parts. Basically EVERYTHING from the firewall forward is identical. Everything from behind the door is identical other than a few select parts like corner windows. They basically just stretched it a bit and changed as little as possible to accommodate. Good luck with the project though! These can be fun cars. They just need a good EFI system and some weight reduction really. Oh, good tires and maybe some stiffer springs go a long way.

I think that no matter how you setup a dual plane crankshaft for a V8 it's going to fire it's banks unevenly. I believe the only way you can have a bank-even firing order is with a single plane. Does anyone think they could make two VFR cranks drop into any V8? Lemme look for the bore spacing.

Talk about a beautiful HP plot. I don't think it gets a whole lot better than that imo. Nearly full power by 6k and a redline of 8k, yeeoww!

Yea, I thought that already. I couldn't make it work in my head when I was visualizing timings over a hear ago when all this talk started around here... But the question comes into play when discussing multiple engines acting as one, in which case terms go out the window. If you have two 4 cylinders you have 2 flat plane cranks, but in order to get a LRLRLRLR firing pattern they need to be out of sync, making it a dual plane, I think... So what would you call that other than freakin' odd? I guess it doesn't really matter at that point, because it's an engine "system", not just an engine. The beauty of the VFR800 engine is that they can be coupled together to make a LITERAL V8, not just a theoretical V8, using all stock parts internally. And the firing pattern would match a flat plane crank V8.