Dan Juday

IMHO, a complete f-body LT1/T56 is the best bang for the buck S30 swap. But you must get the whole package. Some yards call it the swapper's special: motor, tranny, driveshaft, ECU & wiring harness, and anything else you need off the donor car. This is the only way to control the nickle($50) and dime($100) syndrome. Buy it while it's still in the Z28 or TA and hear it run, or if you're as lucky as myself even drive it. $2700 three years ago. The LT1 is a powerful and reliable mill with the potenial to build in more power with only bolt-ons. It installs with the cheap and easy JTR kit.

Thanks guys for the kind words. I think Larry's camera angle was little off. My Z's rear is not that high in real life. (I know, all the girls say that) I used to have a Mac and a great program for pics and some web space and motivation but all that is gone now. The 305tpi and WCT5 are still smokin' those big fat Goodyears. Here's a link to John W's site with some pics and some links to the first Kit Car Builder mag article. http://www.reactionresearch.com/280yz/danjuday/danjuday.html Maybe I'll take some new pics after the next round of mods are done.

Full doors, or just the skins?

To get my u-joint angles equal I had to lower the diff nose untill it actually interfered with the crossmember. Since the crossmember no longer takes any direct torque forces from the drivetrain (with the RT mount) I had no concerns about grinding away at the top of it to make clearance for the diff nose. I made myself about 1/2" clearance with the angle grinder and I have no more interference issues. Albeit, if I jump on it in reverse I can bounce the diff nose off the crossmember but no contact under nornal driving.

I have Starion seats in my 240. I love them. Best seat for long distance driving of all the cars I own (6). I've driven six and seven hour stints with no fidgeting or sore spots. Vastly more comfortable than the seats in my wife's new Mazda 3. Great fit in the S30 and easy to fab mounts. No welder needed, just an angle grinder and a drill. The front bolts up and the rear requires only a stick of 3/4"x3/4" square tube. There is a guy here that was in an accident and has back injuries that he blames on the seat. Every time I mention these seats he chimes in with his story. I can only speak to that by saying people often get hurt in auto accidents. You have to decide for yourself if this seat is inherently dangerous.

'06 Touring (?) wagon. Sunroof, 6 disk CD, 17" wheels, 5 speed manual, and airbags all the way around. It has all the goodies except leather and GPS.

Love it! I have to do that to my wife's 3 when she's not looking.

I would replace it with a stock one untill you do your motor swap. I have found that results vary with clutch set-ups. While JTR says to use a 3/4" master on the Camaro T-5 slave I had similar results as Wheelman only I could not get the clutch to fully disengage. Switching to a 15/16" unit solved the problem but the action is heavier than I'd like. Others here have used the T-5 to 3/4" combo with no problems. On the T-56 we used a 3/4" Tilton master with great results. The ultimate would be an adjustable bore master cylinder but I don't see anyone offering such a product.

Most guys here are using electric pumps. The JTR kit with it's set-back plates precludes the use of a mechanical pump.

Or maybe the other end of the drive shaft and mount it on the tailshaft of the tranny. This is actually how Ford did it on my '66 Grumman step van, albeit, with a drum and shoe set-up. On a car you wouldn't even need a cable since it's so close to the driver. You could use a simple cam lock system with a lever coming up through the tunnel on a rubber boot.

When I did Steve Camerons LT1 swap into his 280Z Tomahawk (AC Cobra-ish body kit) The motor had to go in with all the accessories off due to the small hood opening. After the motor was bolted up I tried to set the alternator into the spaces on either side low on the block. There just wasn't any room. The frame rails really incroch on the sides of the block. This is with the JTR kit that sets the engine low and aft in the bay. There may be enough room with a Scarab kit that mounts the engine higher, or maybe the MSA kit, but not with the JTR kit. There is room in front of the block, and I pondered fabing up a reverse alignment alternator mount but the complications are several. I managed to get it in the stock f-body location by triming the right hood hinge (not the stock Z hinge) so I left it there. Tight but no touchy.

I have 305/50/15's under YZ flares with 10" coilovers and there is very little room to spare but no rubbing.

I was going to enter my Z in that show but entry fees were too high.

Not a big movie. Not a great movie. But a must-see, true story, every motor head/speed freak will enjoy.

Aluminum make good fuel line. You be o.k.

John Washington, a.k.a. Reaction Research makes fiberglass 240 bumpers. We're all pretty familar with his quality. He doesn't list them on his site so drop him an e-mail. FYI: He also makes FG headlight buckets.

This seems appropriate to me. It is, after all, an additional memorial. The main one being the head stone. The road into our little town from the west (Hwy 12) is particularly notorious. If a small cross were placed at everyplace a motorist had died along it you could walk the 22 miles from Fairfield to Rio Vista stepping from cross to cross and never have to touch the ground.

No chance of legally registering that car in California.

I know this is off-topic, please forgive me. Do your exhaust pipes go up and forward and then back under and run along side the oil pan?

FYI: Both of the JTR swaps I've done (tpi & LT1) I did with the spacer next to the block and have had no problems with blockhugger header clearance. Close, but no touchy.

In all the years I've been reading this site I've never read about a broken or cracked JTR mount either way they have been installed. Considering all the different motor mounts (the rubber part), the range of horse power and abuse, and the vagaries of installs from do-it-yourselfers, I think it's safe to say the JTR mounts are over-engineered. I have read about broken suspension parts and diff mounts. To bad Mike doesn't design all the parts for our Z's.

Yes, thank you for clearing up the P-Z history. I met Jack when we caravaned to the '05 MSA show with Zonc. We made several stops on the way down from Nor Cal and at one of them he came up to me to compliment my Z. That's when I found out this guy driving a black Z32 Stramen convertable was the creator of the famous Primadonna. I remember asking him about the re-contoured windshield. It was done in either plexiglas or lexon. My memory fades. But I do remember him telling me that the big single wiper arm was non-functional. It was just there to to pass DMV inspection.

Thanks Davy. I had it out yesterday for the first time in a long time. The dang thing has turned into a garge queen. For a fairly stock '91 305 tpi with a WCT5 on 3.54 rear gears turning a pair of 305/50/15's it still gets rubber in the first three gears. Bags of fun! The last two years, '91 & '92, for the 305 in the f-body cars were the most powerful. Nearly as strong as the 350 of that day. And it's such a cool looking motor. Good fun on a budget.

Looks like my car a "few" years ago. SubtleZ front fenders, YZ rear, AND a hole in the rear valance for the exhaust tips. I'm flattered.

If you've eaten a hot dog you shouldn't be afraid of this coffee! Brew me up a cup.