getZ

10.99 for an ET. I don't think that would even be competitive in a heads up class except a true street class, but that is my eventual goal, to run a ten second pass. NHRA rules don't allow an IRS for a rear end. Usualy when you start running that fast it becomes mandatory to run a solid diff and I'm not going to back half this car. Either that or run a bracket class.

Do you know of a web site that has the rules? Will they let you run an independent rear suspension past 10.99?

I have dart pro1 straight plug heads, moroso blue max wires and patriot block huggers. I also used the accel shorty plugs. The clearance I gained was on the end cylinders (1,2,7 abd 8). All the inner cylinders 3,4,5 and 6 had to have dimples on the headers. It's kind of a pain to dimple those headers because it is at an angle and kind of far inside.

sorry, I meant pinch off, not crimp off. Vise grips do a nice job.

I don't know if you ran it or not, but the bypass routes air around the throttle valve during cold startups. As the car warms up the valve closes. A lot of guys opt to not even run the bypass valve. The default setting of the valve is open so it allows air around the throttle valve all the time. In the bypass housing is a bimetal wire that uses both electricity and warm engine water to close. If you're not going to hook it up I would plug off the end coming from the intake, but it runs lousy while it is cold. A quick test is to simply crimp off the air line and check how it idles with the line crimped on and off. By the way, that is a tip directly from the manufacturers manual to test the bypass valve.

this link should help with the injected engine: http://www.yadamnfool.com/turbo_z_conversion/s130_zxt_to_s30_z.htm It's for a 280zx turbo engine but the wiring harness is similar.

Just an FYI, for your car to be street legal (DMV registered in Phoenix) the donor engine has to be from the year of your car or newer including the emissions equipment from that year engine.

I assume you are running a small block chevy. If you are using JTR mounts you cannot fit a mechanical pump. My 72 came with an after market sway bar and I landed up using the passenger side sway bar mount, which hangs below the fuel tank. It is also a fairly rigid mount to the body. I can get a picture if you need one. My gas tank is also sumped drag racing style with the pickup running from the front instead of the out the back. Carbs also can have a fuel starvation problem if you are cornering hard for a long time or have thirsty car and accelerate long enough. My friends son has a carbed v-8 240 and it starves under hard acceleration. The only reason he hasn't fixed it is because he thinks it keeps his kid from going out and killing himself. The engine sputters if you are on it too long!

some other things to check: throttle position switch functionality measure AFM with meter, check the reisistance change across the position clamp off the throttle bypass when it is warmed up

A transistor (ignitor) typicaly have three wires. A base, emitter and collector. The 280z has two wire connection (base and collector) but actualy grounds the emitter through the clamp body. So it is possible.

Bad ignitors don't usualy let the car run at all. The ignitor is simply a transistor designed to use as a switch. I would check timing and the temperature sensor. Is it spitting a dark cloud of smoke out the back when it is sputtering?

Think of your mistakes as paying for credit hours at a college, thats not always cheap either. The big mistakes are just expensive credit hours. The first stroker motor I built had a nice hole put in the oil pan rail to clearance the crank after the machine work was already done........so sad

this isn't a foolproof test, but I used a little 12v battery at base (computer input yellow/white wire) of the tranistor and measured resistance accross the neg coil end (blue wire) and ground. Everytime the 12 volts is applied the meter should read close to a short, at a minimum the resistance should change from like 2kohms to 2-3ohms.

A fellow Aussie posted a while back about an engine displacement to weight ratio rule. I remember reading about it, but I don't know if it was true or not.

thanks guys, that's good info.

Anybody ever use standard off the shelf paint on valve covers or intake manifolds? Just wondering because getting the valve cover paint to match the exterior paint is a pain.

I thinks that's a mistake on the cam specs. The biggest problem buying an engine like that is knowing if it is legit or not. How are you going to tell if the engine was balanced and has forged pistons without tearing it down yourself. Was it recently rebuilt? Can you see it run? Is it a GM 1038 forged, after market cast steel or aftermarket forged? The only way I would take a chance on something like that is by talking to the guy and getting a feel for what he is like and what he knows about building engines. If you don't know enough about engines or don't have a buddy you can bring along I wouldn't take the chance. It may not be as good a deal as it seems. That's just my opinion.

I tried just replacing the transistor a while back and kind of gave up. I thinks it was an NPN. To replace just the transistor was easy, but mine for whatever reason didn't work. There was no part number so I just took a guess on the power rating. I may have gotten one that was to big, now that I think about it or it may have needed a resistor across the base or the driver signal from the computer may not have been enough to push it. If you find one that works let me know. The price for a transistor is usually under 10 bucks. The whole ignitor unit is about 100 bucks. You would be a Hybrid hero if you found one that worked.

Somebody had asked the same question before, but I haven't heard their progress. It sounded relatively easy to do. Maybe not using the original strut towers but welding a cross beam across the rear frame rails and attaching the shock mounts directly to that beam and the dif. You can even buy the whole setup from summit or jegs. Check out summit QA1 coil over conversion. Of course if you plan to run ladder bars, a four link, centering link etc. You have to plan accordingly

Welcome to Hybrid James. It always nice to hear another who wants to make the journey. There is a lot of good info, pics and links on this site. There's really too much to cover in one response, but the search engine is works great. It's on the blue bar above. Maybe I can help with some of your questions. As far as prices on z cars, it ranges like everythings else. I picked up a bone stock 72 240z that was pretty complete with a decent "driver" paint job for $2500 out of Tuscon. Orange wasn't my favorite color, but then again the selection of original colors that the z came out with wasn't that great either. I have some mild rust in the wheel wells and frame, but overall it was pretty clean. There are still a few deals around the southwest if you take the time to look and can move at a moments notice. Then again, I've seen some nice ones in southern California as well, but they seem to want more for them there. Looking at LS engine prices, I've seen some of the best deals on ebay. Stick to a reputable seller and you should be okay. Just be sure to get the complete engine: harness, computer and accessories. I used to like going to car shows to get ideas on how to do things, but now you can get it all from home surfing and watching football at the same time.

I would back up a step first. Can you manualy trigger the MSD? Disconnect the white wire from the MSD and ground it. Every time you ground it, you should get a spark. It's pretty loud so it's hard to miss. Sounds like a star wars blaster effect.

I don't think the digital 6 is the same. I thought it all encased.

This is from "Bowtie Overdrives" website: High Performance Street - $1050.00 Our Level Two Transmissions have all the wonderful features of our Level One Transmission, but their built to handle more horsepower and feature firmer and quicker shifts. These units are still quite street able, however, they should be installed into performance oriented cars and trucks. They will handle a steady diet of around 450/500 hp and 400/450 ft/lbs. of torque. This Level Transmission is definitely a huge step up from what the popular brand name companies offer (according to their descriptions) and they still charge more! We have sold thousands of this Level Transmission over the last seven years with tremendous success. They have proven to be very reliable and tough in serious street performance vehicles. Our Level Two Transmissions feature all the components and modifications built into our Level One Transmission plus the following upgrades: ? New overrun and low/reverse sprag clutches. ? Our own custom machined billet servo with 11% larger surface area than Grand National servos. ? New hardened steel stator shaft. ? Upgrade to a ten vane pump rotor with new rotor, vanes, slider, "O" ring, seal and rubber spring and rotor guide. Thirteen vane pump is optional at no extra charge. ? Hardened steel pump guide rings to prevent breakage in severe high rpm operating situations. ? Main boost valve is upgraded to a .500" main boost valve and our oversized low/reverse boost valve produce higher operating pressures for firmer, quicker shifts and better clamping pressures in all gears. ? Reprogrammed for more aggressive shift timing and feel. http://www.bowtieoverdrives.com/catalog/catalog_inc/viewitem.php?ITEMID=12

It's from bowtie transmissions. I'd have to check what they put in intermediate trannys.