Chewievette

Look at it again, after he hit the curb he hit the trash can and shoved it into the tree. You can see it move. I think he got the car stuck between the tree and the trash can.

Acctually on aircraft they are usually arranged in pairs with the point of the V foreward. check out this link it shows this clearly. Also if you read through, instead of them "providing the control surfaces with more power" they allow the rear mounted spoiler to create more downforce. Think of an airplane's aileron in the up position, same idea. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vortex_generator

doesnt much matter, its the angle that the air hits them that is the key to creating the vortex. In the pic provided the leading edge is to the left.

Aircraft use very small pieces of what look like "L" channel arranged in a "V" pattern on the leading edge of their wings, I'll try to find a pic right quick. Go to the hardware store and pickup some aluminum 1/2" "L" channel, cut it into 1" sections and attach to the roof, seems pretty easy to me.

Needs more Stickers!

If your getting a second spoiler I'd go with the first one. I like clean lines. Just got an idea for you, I'll try to photochop it Yeah I cant do that... anyways, paint the lower part of the airdam black I can see a line where the angle changes, that would be a good break line for the paint. It will give a little body color under the bumper but retain the flow of the black through the car.

If you were to attach a piece of "L" channel to the top just ahead of the hatch perpendicular to the air flow it would act as a mini spoiler and separate the flow from the hatch. Simple, effective, and not too visually revolting. I think you can go two ways with this, attach a small spoiler like I just said and separate the air before the hatch or use vortex generators to stick the flow to the hatch then use a BRE spoiler to create downforce at the tail end. Personally I would go with the latter but I'm no aerodynamicist. You will need something to create downforce on the back end so either go with a spoiler or a wing. Check out the Lamborghini Jota it uses a wing on the roof and a small integral spoiler on the back. I have never seen complaints of lift on those, of course I've never seen one on the track.

Good point, I knew there was a reason I didn't like pressed pins.

I thought that only applied to rings. Since the used pistons will be in a fresh bore with fresh rings I dont see where the problem is. It will basically be like reusing pistons in a full rebuild. If I can get a deal on new ones I'll just do that since it will save me the trouble of pulling the pistons out.

I recently stumbled upon two fully intact 240sx's at the local junkyard with of course KA24s under the hoods. Do I need to be looking for a specific car to get the stroker pistons from or will any ka24 pistons work. Obviously they need to match each other but if I pull all eight pistons and chose the best six should I be alright to use them? All of the parts I'm getting are going to be cleaned, inspected, and balanced before going into my engine but I need to know if it will be worth it to spend time pulling the pistons out of those engines and using them or should I keep saving and buy new ones. Also since I now have a 2.4L that is in my 240z, I can use the connecting rods out of that correct? Mine is a '72 so I dont know which rods it has but is there a serious problem with using the older rods in a stroker?

I see where you guys are coming from and while all very valid points I must point out that this most likely wont happen for two reasons, one when was the last time you saw someone give away two engines? I cant buy them so free is the only other option. Second, I like to make waves in a much more subtle way so I think I might just stick with my twin turbo L28. Thanks for all the ideas guys, I really do appreciate it. I think I'm back on the rocker again ...mostly.

Ever picked one up? They aint light either! Aircraft engines aren't usually rated in torque so I really dont know how much torque it produces

How many other people are running around in overboosted engines or huge power big blocks that really should stick to the strip? I wont be the only one, trust me. Sure these engines can let go in a very bad kinda way but have you seen what some car engines can do? I'm not trying to say that its not an issue but what are the acctual odds that this engine will come apart? I'm not an idiot, I realize there are issues, all of which have answers. I dont even know if this will become a reality or not, I just wanted to get your opinions and I did so, thank you. In the mean time I'll keep planning my other engine swap and leave you to resume flaming.

Drool.... I think I've got Turbo-envy! Who else wants to go Play?

I was acctually going to part it out this week and sell off the good parts on ebay but I have to swap the engine in my daily driver because it spun a rod bearing. I think that 280zx wants to survive or something! I have had plans to part it out for months now and every time something comes up which prevents it.

A pair of shoes with stuff behind them.

If I stick with air cooling (most likely) then I will install duct work to channel the formerly radiator inlet to the top side of the engine then use the stock baffles to channel the air to the bottom side where it will flow out under the car. Its really not that difficult. Even with cooling fans I will still probably have to shut it down in traffic, but if I run a spray bar system with the cooling fans then I should be able to get through most stop and go traffic situations.

I'd fit the engine, then pull it and rebuild it or whatever and at the same time do the body work/rust repair. Its the whole idea of building the car twice. If you can only do one thing at a time I'd start with rust repair you Have to have a solid base to start modding from and you cant do that with rust holes everywhere!

Lycoming GSO-480

Just trying to survive, lost my job a while back and I've been trying to keep things together ever since. Things are starting to pick back up though. As can be seen in the sig I went and got me another Z to play with, once I get it back together.

If the lycoming engine doesn't go in there then I'm sticking with the L6, simple as that. Yes the trans can hold it, L28et's are putting out more than this motor can and I dont hear many gripes from them. I'm definately NOT putting a subaru engine in there, I have no interest in them so why would I put one in there? If you read all the way through my first post you will see that since this engine was designed to be geared the engine acctually spins much faster than the prop (5300rpm vs 3400rpm). Aircraft engines are not known for their responsiveness to rapid throttle changes, but this is not going in a race car, I just want a fun car to drive around in during the summer. For that matter, why cant this engine rev as fast as any other piston engine? It's only a bit larger than the average big block v8.

Obviously this is not the best aircraft engine for installation in a car. but when you hear the words, free, engines, and 300+hp in the same sentence, you tend to take notice. Even if I choked the thing down to 350hp and ran with a blow off valve permanently dumping X amount of boost overboard would it still shed cylinders? I'm not building a race car here I just want something fun and unique to cruise around in. I dont even care what hp numbers I get, I like this motor because its very unique and when it comes apart since its not in high demand, I'll have plenty spare parts around to fix it or replace it. Would it help to run something like blower straps to hold the cyl jugs on?

Alright, I've REALLY fallen off my rocker this time. I found out that one of my instuctors has 14 Lycoming GSO-480-B1B6 engines in storage. That's a Geared, Supercharged, Horizontally Opposed, 480cid (7.8L), six cylinder, aircraft engine for those that aren't airplane people. I am in the process of prying one or two of them away from him. If I succeed one of them will be going into my 240z. I am starting this thread to help solve some of the issues that I might encounter with this swap. The engines come from a Military Beechcraft U-8D (civil D-50 Twin Bonanza). It is rated at 340hp stock but aviation is very strict about reliability, hard to pull over in an airplane, so I can get that up to 400hp without braking a sweat, or the bank. Now 400hp and weighing 500lbs (all aluminum) should be perfect for the Z. The gearing will have to be removed from the engine, since with it the output redlines at 3,400rpm, without redline is around 5,300rpm. Without the gearbox it will be much easier to adapt the engine. I am planning to use the 5 speed transmission from my '79 280zx with a custom adapter engineered in house. Since the engine uses a pressure carburetor I would like to switch to fuel injection so it is easier to operate. Just need to get a 900cfm throttle body. I can use a stand alone system for both fuel and ignition. The stock ignition is dual magnetos but I found a stand alone distributorless setup that can operate a dual spark six cylinder, perfect for this engine. Now for the problems; First things first, these engines are known for their cooling problems so I would like to convert to liquid cooling by fabricating a stainless steel shrould to cover both cylinder banks, does anyone see an issue with this type of setup? The exisiting cooling fins should help the cooling process and will keep the engine cool at any speed. My only concern is the added weight of the coolant and trying to seal the shroud. The other option is to employ spray bars around the cylinders to keep the temps down. I'm not a huge fan of this method since I would still have to carry a coolant reservoir that needs to be filled periodically and dumping coolant on the road might be frowned upon by the police. The only other option is to use multiple radiator fans to keep air blowing over the cylinders at all times. Problem is that if these engine had issues while doing 200mph+ in the air how much help will a few little fans be? If aircooled I will make ductwork to channel the formerly radiator air to the topside of the engine and then out the bottom of the car. These engines use what is known as pressure cooling, pressure is built up above the engine and then channeled between the cylinders to the bottom side and overboard. I would have to use a very similar setup to have any chance of keeping it cool. Next issue, steering. This is a very long and wide engine, while I have yet to measure I am fairly certain that the steering will have to either tuck under the cylinders or go foreward then over the top of the engine I am sure I can swap the steering rack and emply a gear system to get it up and over but if you have any ideas, my ears are open. Congrats, you made it through! I have been pondering this swap since friday so its no where near fully thought out. I am open to all comments, and ideas. I know I'm not the only one to think of putting an air cooled engine into a Z so let me hear your ideas! Here's some food for thought:

Not Subaru's, guess again ...think bigger, like 480 cubic inches bigger! I'm getting some stuff together for my own thread, should be up soon. The Thread: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?p=617806#post617806

Well I'm from Michigan, aka redneck country. Tubular is something you put on the front of your truck!