pparaska

Mike, as usual, I had a great time. Thanks for everything, to include the people, beer, Jack Daniels, food, cigar. Hey, wait, I thought it was YOUR birthday! I owe ya! Oh, remember, everyone else said sell it, I said turn the tags into the DMV, stop the insurance and make it a track-only bike. Oh well, I guess you would have ended up being tempted into a street adventure with it anyway. I know if I had one of those things, I'd be out getting in trouble with it or killed. The traffic is just too heavy and poorly driven around these parts. Now, with one less hobby (motorcyling), you can maybe get that Z on the road?

Whatever. So you'd try to take an engine design that was never meant to hold even half of 650hp' date=' make it out of weaker and less stiff aluminum. By the time you got the internal block structure stiff and strong enough for 650hp, there wouldn't be room for a strong enough crankshaft, and it'd weigh as much as the iron block. "so so original" - That's really funny! Nope - not after the aluminum version was stiffened/strengthened to take 650hp for more than just a few minutes.... A shorter AL V6 would be much better for drifting - the idea is to get the polar moment of inertia down, and an L6 layout isn't going to help that. But a V6 wouldn't be so, so original, so I guess that's not a valid option. The Supra block/crank/rods are WAY over engineered, unlike the L6 and 99.9% of the rest of the automotive engines built. The Mitsubishi 4G63 being another like the Supra engine.

Jack. back many moons ago when I was in high school, I had a 70-1/2 Camaro that I rebuilt a 327/300 for. It had the 462 camel humps with 1.94/1.50 valves. Since this was around 1978, those old heads were old, but there wasn't much else out there that was affordable (Bowtie heads, etc.) So they went back on the engine, along with the stock pistons (engine just needed a hone). I also went for the 151 (327/350) cam. Hydraulic like you say. 306 adv duration, 222 @.050, .447 lift. This was on the advice of a speedshop owner that should have known better, even back then. The car had a stock T400 converter and 3.08:1 gears. To say it was a dog at low speed was an understatement. As it got to 30mph in 1st, it would all the sudden come on the cam. Holding it in 1st with that trans meant the safety upshift came banging in at around 5700 rpm. Blew quite a few u-joints that way. Talk about a horrible match of cam, converter, gears! Young and ignorant I was. But yes, a new designed cam from that era (late 70s) was installed after 3 or 4000 miles (it was drinking gas I couldn't afford). The cam was a Comp RV cam of some sort. Mild, but MUCH more low end, and it didn't really run out of breathe until 5500-6000. That old 151 cam was a big mistake, even if I had the "right" converter and gears. An old design that should have been shelved, but Manley was still making and selling it. I learned the lesson. Even back in 1978, the camel hump heads were not that great, but for someone on a budget, the only choice. Now, it makes no sense unless you are entirely into nostalgia or doing a resto. Yeah, old habits die hard. Even 14 years ago when I first built the 327 that's in my Z, I went with the camel hump heads. At that point, a guy in another speedshop (who tested and touched up my Canfields) was telling me to go aftermarket Aluminum. But back then that seemed expensive. I guess my stubbornness may pay off when I unload the camel humps on Ebay to some nostalgia freak. dladow: -My complete shortblock for the 406 cost me $1650! Starting with the builder's standard bore 509 casting 400 engine block, a new Scat 9000 crank, new 6" I-beam rods w/ ARP bolts, Probe SRS forged pistons, standard rings (oversized and gapped), ARP main studs, King bearings, it was zero decked, blueprinted (with all build tolerances recorded and provided), balanced to within 1 gram, resulting in a 20-25 ft-lb turning torque for the assembly. -Canfield 215cc heads fully assembled by Canfield were $1250. -Cam Motion low-lash solid roller cam, Isky Red Zone lifters, matched springs, cups and retainers, Cloyes timing set, $1070 shipped. -I have a collection of intakes (Holley dual plane, Vic Jr., Offy CrossRam, Hilborn stack injector that needs to be converted), probably start off with the Vic Jr. I'll use the Fluidampr and flywheel off the 327 (since the 406 is was put together with light pistons and crank to get an internal balanced setup). So add those up if you had to buy them and your looking at maybe another $700. Add gaskets, oilpan, oil pump, carb (or TBI), etc, another $500 maybe. (I'll steal that off the 327). Hmm. That's about $5000. Not cheap, but not insane either. I could have saved money by buying the heads with the springs, etc. I needed for the roller, but when I bought them, I was planning on the Crane 114681 cam. And Desktop Dyno is actually predicting more than 500/500 hp/lb-ft. I was just being conservative. All from a 50+ year old "designed" pushrod piece of boat anchor. Note that I spent the large portion of the money on the HEADS and VALVETRAIN. That's where the really difference are.

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but WHY even THINK of milling a custom L6 block? Sure, you'd probably be able to expand it to 3.5 or 4.0 Liters, etc., but the cost would be in the $1,00,000 US dollar region for the engineering exercise of getting a result that was workable - especially if your joe-wrench and not involved in the automotive manufacturing world. I think I have the answer to my question - it has to do with words like purism, Nissan-only design, etc. Please tell me I'm wrong. That line of thinking is so foreign to me and the reason for this site. If you want it Nissan, do an RB or better yet a modded VQ35 that you can actually source parts for. Oh, I seriously doubt any stock-block-and-crank L engine will hold to 650hp for very long.

Art, I would imagine that they might collect some money from those who are restoring vettes and older muscle/pony cars. The Vortec will out flow them. They are old news and don't flow as well or have the better chamber design of any of the newer heads. Take their money and put it towards some Canfields, TFS, or ARPs!!!

My 9.7:1 327, with ported camel hump 2.02 461 casting heads, Comp Xtreme solid flat tappet XS-274S-10 cam, block huggers, Holley 300-36 dual plane, Holley Projection 700cfm TBI, Tremec 5spd, 3.7 LSD, Toyo RA-1 255/40-17 tires pulling 1.90 0-60 foot (spinning) put down a 12.78@110 near sea level. Driver was me, so the 60 foot was not great. But the 110 mph in the car that was 3000 lbs with me in it shows about 375 hp at the crank. Which is on par with the old advertised numbers of 327/365 327/375, etc. I'm just saying a 327 CAN put out 375hp while still being somewhat streetable. But I'm (someday) going to complete assembly of my 406 that should be a 500hp 500ft-lb engine, with very streetable manners. It's just easier to do with more cubes! Just my opinion, but go for cubes. There's absolutely nothing special about an old Corvette 327, besides nostalgia and the ability to rev higher, if you believe that's needed. A larger displacement SBC with the same weight will give more torque down low, and depend less on bottom end and valvetrain robustness to make the same power as the smaller displacement engine. A crate 383 or 406 is what I'd be looking at for 350+ hp for low $$$.

Pretty interesting. Any flow numbers or dyno comparisons with other heads yet?

DO IT!!! (Just my opinion ) Back in 1971, a guy with a 240Z had the same thought. L6 was quick, but he wanted to SMASH the vettes, not keep up with them. In went the SBC V8 (327?) GM 4 spd, and Vette pumpkin in the rear. I have the article somewhere. It was in Popular Hotrodding back in 71. In other words, you're repeating history from over 30 years ago! And since it' not forgotten, and at least some people think it's still a good idea, then I guess it's not one of those things that SHOULDN'T be repeated. LS1 or LS6 crate engine would be my choice. I believe in Maryland, you'd have to have at least an engine/emissions system as new as the car. That's why the LS motor makes sense to me in the first place. BTW, I do believe the LS-1 is as light or lighter than the Ford 302. Due to emissions alone, I'd do the LS series swap. Along with other reasons. Don't worry about what the purists say - it's not their car, it's a production item not a rare piece of art, so there is no rational reason not to do whatever you want to it. Personally, I'd prefer to do it to a G35 Coupe, which I think is much better looking, plus has a fake back seat for insurance reasons. JMO. Anybody know what an outfitted 350Z engine and trans weigh? I'm thinking you may not be that much heavier with the LS engine.

Michael, I have one of the Cam Motion cams. It's their low-lash solid roller series. It's 244/250 @ .050", 274/280 @ .020", .57/.57 lift with my 1.52:1 rockers. That's the same .050" duration as the Crane flat solid 114681 (244/252), more lift (.57/.57 vs .52/.54), and 6-8 degrees less duration at .020" (274/280 vs 280/288?). That should mean better throttle response, better low end, and more top end. Yeah, they are not cheap (~$350 for a billet cam with pressed on cast iron distributor gear), and roller lifters are way more expensive ($450+ for good ones like the Isky RedZone ones I have).

Thanks for that lesson, Grumpyvette! Also, note that VE% is 2+% better over a wide rpm range with the 750. That means if it were run under the same conditions and tune as the 600, there'd be around 2% more power too. Well, I believe that's true... The air going in is also higher (A1 and BSAC) with the 750, meaning that the 600 is choking the engine under WOT. But like you said, it'd be more streetable at part throttle with the 600. Wow, 9-10:1 A/F with the 750 - that's pig rich!. The differences in oil and water temps are really significant.

Beautiful looking underhood area!

Congrats Brian!! Nice looking install! - Relays - very addicting for me . Then again, I'm a geek - Fusible links - If I were doing it over, I'd use big fuses or circuit breakers. About the hood clearance - I have 1/2" from my moroso 14" air cleaner front edge to the hood, where the bump meets the rest of the hood. It's never touched, and I'm using the GM mounts JTR recommends, and a rubber Ford tranny mount.

Scott, the first one I posted IS a 2+2. I agree with you guys - it's not as nice looking as an S30. The second one posted looks like it was built with a Scarab kit, and might have had Scarab do some of the work. The paint looks good in those close ups.

Yeah, that drives me nuts too. How about the idiots that either crawl down the entrance ramp (no matter how straight) at 1/2 the speed limit of the road they're entering, possibly stop at the end, and as soon as they make it out onto the road, they're scrambling for the left lane like no tomorrow - only to crawl down it at UNDER the speed limit. Hopefully, there's a special little place in hell for these a$$holes. Here's another place where probably some education is needed as to the purpose of the left lane. The problem is, the quick-and-dirty driver's education places probably don't bother with rules of the road that aren't law. At least that seems like what's happened in this country over the last 20 years or so.

Believe me, I've had fantasies while driving of having a LAWS launcher or photon canon mounted to the front of my car to be able to disintegrate or vaporize the left lane bandits!!! Imagine, you're behind the jerk going 55 in the left lane, and vaporize him instantly, then drive through the cloud :flamedevil:

Another plug for a good cause that's related: http://keeprightpassleft.net/ I'm not sure the stickers will help, but I bought some and put one on my daily driver. Maybe when I finally get around a left lane bandit and pull around them they'll see the sticker and check it out on the web. OR maybe they'll get the message and pull over to the right. It's the only sticker I've ever put on a car.

Well, that's the problem. In heavy traffic areas (like the Baltimore-DC area where I drive), you CAN'T usually go around. A line of cars will get 20 deep behind these idiots, and they will not move up and over. Instead, they sit there, sometimes staying right next to a car in the lane to their right, blocking things for many miles. Talk about infuriating! jmortenson said people do that to him when he's in his pickup truck. I can tell you that all the vehicles I own are sportscars/sportycars/sedans, and if I get behind a pickup truck, van, SUV, I will definitely try to get around them, especially if they aren't going as fast as I want to, or I'm in a stop and go backup behind them. The reason is that I don't want to depend on their version of what's going on ahead of them - I want to be able to see what's ahead of them in order to be prepared. If I'm following a vehicle that I can see through or around, no biggie. But a Van/SUV/pickup-with-cap, no thanks, I try to get around them if things are tight on the road. That's not being competitive, its just that I want more information about what's ahead than staying behind their rolling visual blocker will allow.

I hope no one thinks this is inappropriate, if they do, please email me and I'll take it down. Since we hopefully drive these Zs or something else, I think this pertains to everyone here. In my opinion, THE largest driver behavior problem is left lane hogging. Yeah, people on cell phones (yelling at the kids, having an in-depth conversation with a passenger, etc.) that aren't paying enough attention to what they're doing are a hazard and frustrating thing, I think by far, left lane hogging causes the most tempers to flare (inciting agressive driving, or even road rage), and clogging traffic. I know it's by far my biggest driving pet peeve! The National Motorists Association has designated June as Lane Courtesy Month, with the slogan "Do the RIGHT Thing". BTW, I have been a faithful dues paying member of the NMA for years. They send me alerts on State and Federal laws being proposed so I can contact my representatives, and they continue to lobby against federal bills that go against motorists rights. If it weren't for the NMA's lobbying years ago, we may still have a 55 mph federal speed limit. Please visit their site (National Motorists Association) and consider becoming a member. Yes, I'm shilling for the NMA. That's the controversial part of this post. But I bet most of you understand why - they are FOR driver's rights!

If Nissan didn't show your car having that done, I doubt the injectors were touched - they usually don't go bad (other than these particular ones leaking!). You should have seen my 85 Maxima - beat up piece of junk - but the dealer fixed it free with this campaign anyway. You're welcome!

Look at my above post for some info on that campaign. Pete

Call Nissan customer relations, or whatever. That campaign is never ending. I believe with your VIN they can tell you if it was ever fixed under the campaign. If not tell them what happened and that you need to have the injector campaign applied to the car. I'm betting they pick up the entire bill! (update) Here's the info I found on this campaign from the Z31.com site: http://www.z31.com/rt/recall.84.shtml "NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 95I006000 Make: NISSAN Model: 300ZX Year: 1984 Causing Fault : FLOODS,LEAKS Resulting Fault : FIRE, FLUID,ELECTRICAL,GAS(LPG),GASOLINE,OTHER Component: FUEL:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM Manufacturer: NISSAN MOTORS CORPORATION Year of Recall: 1995 Type of Report: Vehicle Improvement Potential Number of Units Affected: 1 Summary: NISSAN DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL INJECTORS AND RELATED HOSES OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES. SYSTEM: FUEL; FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM.VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES.DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM: THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RECALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH FEDERALREGULATION 573. HOWEVER, IT IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN BY THEAGENCY. THE CAMPAIGN WILL REPLACE THE FUEL INJECTORS AND RELATED HOSES OFAFFECTED VEHICLES WHICH COULD LEAK.CONSEQUENCE OF PROBLEM: FUEL LEAKS IN THE ENGINE COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.NOTE: NISSAN HAS DECIDED TO CONDUCT A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT SERVICE CAMPAIGN TOREPLACE THE FUEL INJECTORS AND RELATED HOSES WITHOUT CHARGE. OWNERS CAN CONTACTNISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261." Other info (different phone number given: http://tms.ecol.net/newcars/auto0918.htm "Meantime, at Nissan, fuel injectors and hoses are being replaced without charge on about 700,000 cars. Cars affected by the voluntary callback campaign are 1984-89 300ZX sports cars and Maxima sedans made from 1985 to 1988. For information about the Nissan recall, call 1-800-867-7669." Just google for it, it's out there . Pete

Man, that stinks! BTW, wasn't your car one of the ones that Nissan had the injector/injector harness campaign on? I had an 85 Maxima that had that done at a dealer. The issue was really the injectors though - not the wiring. Did you have it done and they screwed it up? Sorry to hear about that, Pete

Let me ask HybridZ'rs this question: Would you like it if we at HybridZ deleted a thread because it was controversial, but on topic and had FACTS presented in it? FACTS that might be referred to later? There really wasn't any flaming going on in that thread on Zcar.com. It got a bit heated, but not bad. I personally think it's a ridiculous policy to just delete threads because they are long or a bit controversial (but on topic). Boo to Zcar.com admins on this one - Two (both of mine) thumbs down.

She's an idiot. She'll say all kinds of stupid stuff, irrational, emotional carp. If you corner her, she tries to act like you didn't. Thankfully we don't have idiots like that on HybridZ. If she joins and stirs the pot, I'll show her the door. "Datsun Saves" May azzz! How about "Awesome" That was the advertising campaign for the Z! Art, where is that article about Mr. K and his V8 Z! I'd LOVE to rub people like her's nose in THAT! The problem with Zcar.com - is that it caters to everyone with a Z or that wants one. No matter how unreasonable or illogical they are. HybridZ tends to not attract the lowest common denominator like Zcar.com does.

I knew Bifurcation from some structural mechanics stuff I studied doing my M.S. thesis. Different meaning though. She's just trying to sound smart to hold up her silly emotional views. I posted my last response on that thread. Again, the experience at Zcar.com shows me that emotion vs fact is what rules there. And the people that post from emotion have no qaulms about it.