Dan Juday

Yes, this has been done before, kinda. I have seen it. Rory Bateman, the designer/builder of the Tomahawk is now in the process of making a four piece top for a Tomahawk that is based on a 280Z. He has made a custom rear section (1). A modified center t-top section from a 280ZX (2). and the t-tops from the same 280ZX (3)&(4). He is a professional car designer and it has taken him many weeks. But this shows it can be done. I'll post a pic if I can.

Mine is a '91. Only three years,'90 through '92 GM used speed density. Simpler intake routing with no MAF. But hey, no big deal. There are other advantages to the mass air flow systems. Go for it Len. I'm close enough to lend some help if you get stuck with the wiring. Get everything off the bird. Don't forget the VATS. I had to go back to the yard and dig it out of the dash. You would not believe where they hid that thing.

You guys talking about nitrous and turbos on a tpi have got my wallet wimpering. Ok, where does it bolt up?

Zfan, Use a good shroud and you won't need to worry about those holes. Many people discount the importance of the shroud. It is as vital a part of your cooling system as the radiator and fan are.

Twin Mill! I had one as a kid. Mine was a little smaller.

Welcome Tanner, DJ's advice is all good. You have to ask yourself what you want to do with the car. You also need to know your limitations mechanically, financially, and motivationally. Swapping a V8 into a 1st gen. Z is not brain surgery, but it will require a minimum of wrenching prowess. The older the car, the more potential problems it may have to begin with. But the older cars are simpler. Later cars may be in better shape, but the electrical side of the conversion gets more complicated. Smog requirements are also a big issue. Either way the rule of thumb applies to all swaps, "It will take twice as much money and time as you think it will". If you allow "scope creep" to enter in you will need to multiply that factor. Some guys here with good mechanical skills and lots of knowledge have found solid, good-working donor cars cheep. They installed good used motors and have done all the work themselves. If you can do that, and stay committed to just the conversion, you could conceivably have a V8Z for <$3000. These guys also get their cars on the road sooner and enjoy them more, IMHO. The longer the project takes the greater the risk of disillusionment. Pete here is our hero. The marathon man. We all say to ourselves, "If Pete can go 11 years, I can go one more". I have talked to guys that have done FI swaps in a few weeks, but they are rare. Well, this was longer than I planned. Buy the jtr book and read. Good luck, we are here to help.

Are you guys telling me there is SUPOST TO be oil in the strut tube? When I pulled my cartridges out I just thought they leaked!

This is all good. The safety bolts are a great plan. Anyone want to cut up a tranny mount to see if it is interlocking? Maybe someone digging through a jy this weekend can grab one and check it out? Pete, yes, I was planning on keeping the vertical brace piece in the "bent" design. If I weld it on the back of the "U" instead of where it is on yours, will it interfere with anything? I wasn't aware that the e-brake mechanism trouble was over the tranny mount stud/nut area. It looks like from the picture that the problem area is to right. I haven't crawled under to take a closer look at that area yet. I was just going by your pic. If that's the case than lowering that side makes no sense. Straiten me out on this Pete.

Hey Len, your adventures with crossmembers has taken on a sub-culture of it's own. I want to say someday, "Ya, I shreaded my crossmember just like Len, 4 ugly pieces". What a bragg that would be! Dude, bring the wreckage to Rio for pics and grins. We all gotta see it.

Pete, thanks for the new link. It worked! I printed out the drawing before anything else happened. I'm going to make this piece before I do my diff swap (180 to 200). I've been thinking of doing the "U" in one bent piece rather than 5 welded ones though. When I do I will modify it to make more room for the e-brake cable assembly. Seems like you could drop that area down a bit since the diff nose is offset to the passenger side. What do you think?

Thanks Pete, and Ron! Can't get Ron's site to come up from your link. I really want those drawings. Got another way in?

I sold mine on ebay for $130. When I bought the car it was not running and it would not crank. An electrical problem I did not want to waste time figuring out since the motor was coming out anyway. I heard back from the guy about 4 months latter. It fired over on the first try and runs like a champ. I'm glad the guy got a good deal.

I used all the parts in my jtr kit. Some guys don't use the front crossmember spacers, but you will use everything else. Personally, I would have liked if the steel parts came painted and all the nuts & bolts provided as well. That car sounds like a good candidate. Have you got a motor yet?

Pete this is beautiful. By far the best idea yet for this problem. Thank you very much for sharing with us. Yes, I'll buy one too. Or, can you provide drawings so I can make my own? I mean, why not? You already work your butt off providing us with invaluable info for FREE! jk

Hard to say Greg. I didn't spend a lot of time in the old seats. Not that I've spent a lot of time in these either. I'm sure they sit a little higher, but not much more, than the stock seats. As far as my height, that's confidential. Lets just say I'd be about 6" if it weren't for my stubby legs. Birth defects in my feet left my legs a little short. I just checked and I have about 1 1/2" clearance from top of head to headliner. So, sorry, no room for your cowboy hat, Tex!

I've heard that some came with power seats. These are all manual, thank you very much. I realy didn't want the headache of wiring. The fit is great, with no extra room to spare. Install was easy. Ground off the Mitsu mounting brackets and drilled a few holes in piece of 3/4" square tube and bolted them up. Well, not quite that easy. Getting to the rear bolts with a wrench was a tight contortion act. Very comfortable. Adjustable lumbar and side bolsters. I think they look good for a square-ish design. They're different at least.

Eric takes such nice shots that I thought I'd share.

Hey Nick, I know lots of guys here have done it, myself included. Most of us end up breaking off the screws due to rust. I do know someone that that has done it hundreds of times and knows how NOT to break things when they are removed. E-mail Eric at ZParts . He knows all the tricks. He may even be interrested in your rose windows.

This is what I've always loved about Hybrid. One unfortunate mis-keystroke and we all turn it into a party BTW, can't wait for the updates and..... PICS!!!!

You could e-mail the seller with your questions. Or, you learn more about it on ZParts Eric did a write-up on it with some info from the owner. If you take the link above, scroll down. You will see a picture of it on the left. Personally it makes me That's just my point of view. I say "let trucks be trucks and Z's are not". But the guy did do nice job of it fabricating and engineering wise.

The number of rows alone is not an indicator of efficiency. It is a factor of how well the heat in the water can transfer to the air going through the radiator. Therefore, how much, and how well, the air flows through the fins is just as important as how much, and how well the water flows through it. And speaking of the fins, their design is vital. If you have bent or dirty fins you are losing efficiency. This is how a well designed and properly shrouded single row radiator with a strong fan can out perform a pricey 4-row job. JTR recommends OEM parts for a reason. It is to their advantage (GM & Ford) to spend their money (and they have more of it than others do) on design. I'm not an expert on radiators, but I do know something about heat transfer. Just something to keep in mind when someone is trying to sell you an expensive radiator.

Naw, don't listen to those guys. $300 is a terrable deal. But I'm your friend and I'll help you out. Go ahead and buy it and ship it to me and I'll send you $350 for it just 'cause I'm your friend! Don't listen to those little yellow guys, really I'm your friend and I just want to help.

You'll be happy working with John over at VR. Top notch guy. Before you start welding in reinforcements check with him. He sells a reinforcement kit, (maybe it's included in the VR kit?) and he knows where things need to strengthened. Happy trails and keep us posted with pics!

Ross Corrigan modern-motorsports John Wasington reaction research

Scotty, coming out to California anytime soon? I'll give you a few bucks for it.