silicone boy

That's gotta hurt, but if I got into an accident like that, at least I would want to back up traffic for miles around.

It was The Carburetor Shop in Englewood. They do awesome work and their shop is a toyshop-lots of nice projects in there (429 Cobra, supercharged big block Camaros, 1000HP BMW, etc) They are the local dealer for Electromotive so despite the name, they have a lot of expertise with fuel injection. Great bunch of guys with a lot of enthusiasm for these projects. I don't think I'll even come close to the best horsepower numbers they've produced. I went over to the shop today, and they really do a professional job. It's coming along.

280Z28, Those are exactly my thoughts. You can still use the Corvette manifolds-I really like them-and direct the exhaust to a giant turbo. It's much easier to pull off and you can make a ton of power. Just make sure your eyeballs don't get squished to the back of your head.

Thanks for the support guys. I've had my moments of doubt because I had a perfectly reliable V8 Z before I decided to tear into it again. As far as a single Buick turbo for a V8, I agree it wouldn't be enough. If I were to do it again, I would get a big T60 or something like that. It would be easier to plumb. It's not a cheap turbo, but when you consider that I had to modify the Buick turbos I had and then had to have them rebuilt, well it would have been cheaper to go with a new big turbo. The plumbing is the result of trial and error. I tried different versions of manifolds, even welding up several custom jobs before settling on Corvette LT1 manifolds flipped upside down, with the original flanges chopped off and T3 flanges welded on in their place. On the exhaust side, the pipes actually come off towards the front before going down and back. The downpipes are ceramic coated. On the compressor side, I used stainless, leading to a huge intercooler I found on Ebay. It wedges right into the space in front of the radiator-perfect fit except I had to get the inlet and outlet side redone. It all leads to a turbo hat I got on Ebay. As for how I'm going to get it to hook up, I have an R200 with a Quaife diff and 280zxt cv conversion. I think the Quaife will be up to the task, but I'm not sure about the axle shafts. If those blow up, I may have to get custom ones built-expensive, but I'm over budget anyway. If this still doesn't work, I'll have to go with the live axle, but I'll try not to, since I really don't plan on drag racing a whole lot (I may do a little import racer but kickin when the police aren't looking though) Yes, I'm kinda sad that I had to let someone else finish up, but it saves my hands and arms from being scratched up and dirty all the time. My female patients didn't like it when I would use my rough mechanic's hands to touch their boobs. My hands are much softer now and the patients appreciate it. I just said that last part to make you all insanely jealous. HeHe

Yeah, I've gotten too busy looking at boobs and I had to get this project done. I had been really dogmatic about turning every nut and bolt on the car by myself, but it just came to the realization that a shop could do more in a few weeks than I could do in years. It bothered me at first, but it was conceptually my doing (I did most of the problem solving), so I'm OK with it now. Besides, the techs are really impressed and enthusiastic. Can't wait for the dyno numbers.

I farmed out the completion of my car to a local shop recently because I really don't have the time. It's been about 3 years since I started it and it has gone one too long. I was so close yet so far away. It's a really professional shop that does some really neat projects. The car in the bay next to me was a 1980's vintage M5 with a T60 turbo that dynoed at 1000 hp at a mile high altitude! Anyway, I was called today and they told me that they had just started the car up. I was really proud because it was a motor that I had built. On the other hand, I felt like a dad that wasn't there for the birth of his child. Here is a picture of the mockup stage. It's a smallblock 383 with a little more compression than I would like at 9:1, 2 Buick GN turbos and a huge intercooler. The exhaust and turbo plumbing has to be finished but we are getting close to going to the dyno--it should be a lot of fun to see the results. I'll keep you all posted.

I'm becoming more intriqued with the LS1 FD swap. I takes away all the weaknesses of an otherwise perfectly excecuted vehicle. It's hard to get more that 320 hp out of the rotary and keep it streetable, and it would be no sweat with the LS1. Can you use the stock differential/axleshafts? Also, since you are using the T56, I assume you have to modify the tranny mount. Do you have to modify the trans tunnel for the tranny to fit/shifter to work? Thanks in advance.

Just when I though it was safe to come back to hybrid z!!! I just happen to have a 93 rx7 that just hit the 90,000 mile mark. I know the motor's gonna blow at any moment and it's gonna need an LS1 conversion. They have an LS1 RX7 in the current edition of Sport Compact Car (I rarely read ricer mags, but I was bored and had to kill some time while the wife was shopping) and the thing still handled great. If only it didn't cost a fortune to convert.

I was gonna say no to the the question, but sometimes it would fit if you think outside the box, or in this case, the engine bay.

Great Mike.....just when I thought I had everything all headed in the right direction, you had to put doubt in my head. I love those LS1's. Too bad I already took the plunge. Like I said, a 2800 pound RX-7 with an LS1 would rock, and I'd get about DOUBLE the gas mileage! Those rotaries are thirsty.

That's some nice floor metal work. It's worth $260 for sure, but it's not hard to make your own rails and use sheet metal--it just takes time, doesn't cost a whole lot in materials (very little, in fact, if you beg, borrow, or better yet, steal). It's also a lot more solid than sheet metal.

Yeah, it's a lot of work but not huge in the overall scheme of things. Besides, the comfort of knowing you have a solid chassis is priceless. I'd do it again in a heartbeat even though I didn't have as much rust as most people.

Awesome!!! I love Scottie's car.

I've been away from this forum for a year and a half, and during this time, it seems that a lot of people are going with the LS1. Nice motor, but it doesn't seem to be as easy a swap as a Gen I motor, and it's much cheaper to build a stroker with the older block. You'll get more a lot more performance (potentially) for your dollar. That being said, when my motor blows up in my 93 RX-7, I'm considering an LS1 transplant because it's torquey compared to the rotary and it weighs almost the same. That, combined with the fact that I would get considerably better gas mileage is incredible.

Actually, the dual engine stand thing works quite well as a rotisserie, but I just wasn't sure how safe it would be with the engine already in the car. I hate welding upsided down with hot slag falling on you (ouch)

"Does anybody know why AUX pictures never work for me? I can usually see everybody else's pictures. Is there something I have to do to see them?" It's for your own protection. I've wasted so much time looking at AUX's pictures cause they really are entertaining.

Do you think I could get those wheels real cheap? Would they fit my Z without mods or would I have to roll out the fender lips a bit?

My my subframe welding looked like that in places, mainly because I didn't have the car on a rotisserie and I had to weld in an awkward position (with a Lincoln 135 mig) I debated whether to grind the welds clean, but a welder friend of mine told me to leave it alone-it would be stronger with more metal glopped on. What do you guys think? It's not pretty, but it sure is solid and I've even welded on extra steel reinforcing plates as a backup.

That story sends goosebumps up my spine. I can't wait to get mine running again, but I blew through my original budget a long time ago.

375 hp at the wheels and 27+ mpg is frickin unbelievable. Gotta love new engine technology!

1976 280z with mods listed below. Live in Colorado. Everything that can be done mechanically has been done. Interior has been gutted, so I would be looking for seats, interior stuff.

Looks like a great candidate for the Darwin awards.

A race would be a good idea. Otherwise, we may never finish!

By the way, I'm using a gigantic intercooler and water/alcohol injection and I still plan on running single digit boost.