Kevin Shasteen

quote: Originally posted by TempestasZ: haha i said "bear minimum" lol Ok, I'll Bite....I'll atttempt to give you an approximate cost for the conversion; I've included alluminum parts for posterity's sake. 1) Cost of Car................$200 to $3500 a) depending on condition 2) Alluminum Cylinder Heads...$1000 3) Alluminum Intake...........$105 4) Valve Covers...............$100 5) Roller Rocker,Lifters,Cam..$775 a)regular hyd.valvetrain....($250) 6) H/O Harmonic Balancer......$200 7) True Roller Timing Chain...$60 8) HEI Distributor............$200 a) or Rebuild your own......($60) 9)Fan Clutch, Alternator, A/C Comp if applicable, Pulleys, Oil Pan, Head Bolts, Timing Cover Bolts, Intake/Exhaust Manifold Bolts, H/O Spark Plug Wires/Spark Plugs..., And to think we havent even considered the Machine work needed to prep your block or cylinder heads if you're going to be using your own heads. Nor have we considered the JTR Kit $300 which doesnt include one of the few starters that will fit...$200, nor a Radiator $200 Oh Yea; we should include Suspension, Steering & Brakes.....Safety First ya know: 5-Way Adjustible Illumina Struts all the way around $500, Poly Bushing Set from Nissan $250, Brake Mods to handle the extra power $350 to $1000 depending on your set up & last not but least Wheels/Tires $xxxx.xx; & the fun but frustrating wiring shorts of the Z can be most educating at times. Have we sanded the car down to its metal, gotten rid of all the cancer eating rust & then repainted the car....$3500 later. 10 years later & you finally get to give the grand kids a ride; oh but wait-They want to go to College now; have to sell the car in order to pay for tuition. You only want to give me $4000 for my car?@#%^&*! As you can see; the list is never a quick fix nor a short list. The point is to have fun while your doing it. I have not done my conversion yet & even after running the #'s I'm still not discouraged & still plan on making my swap. Even if it kills me. I keep imagining how cool it would be to have a V8 in a light weight Car (like the Z) & to imagine the neck breaking power as it puts you back in the seat! Like the JTR Manual says; just make the swap a simple swap & improve on it as you go. If you keep costs to a minimum you should be able to make the conversion @ $3500. This doesnt include repainting of the car nor H/O machine work. If you want balanced & blueprinting (matching the ports) you can easily spend $3500 on the engine w/out ever considering any alluminum add on's. When I bought my car I kept looking for @ a year & a half the whole time-saving my money. I wanted a car where everything worked & I wanted to but from an original owner w/records. I wanted a car that didnt have a lot of rust problems nor electrical problems. I found it. Didnt pay that much, $2200 & the owner had all the records from the Buyers Order even down to Belts & Plugs. Now I dont have to bother w/anything other than budgeting in the swap! Something to think about (know what your want & be prepared to get it when you see it) Hope that helps. [This message has been edited by Kevin Shasteen (edited January 29, 2001).]

oops, [This message has been edited by Kevin Shasteen (edited January 23, 2001).]

Myron, MiKelly & RickB, I bought a new calculator w/cube root & cubed funtion (#'s to the 3rd power) on it: and, I've had a few rainy days here to play w/the formulas. Here's my new set of #'s. Myron: You've indicated 450+ HP yet your ET's indicate 350Hp. This tells me either you're getting more wheel spin than you're aware or you need larger tires & steeper rear gears to take advantage of all that HP(talk to me) Your #'s indicate: 350HP, 5807rpm's @ 1/4 mile traps, and an ET=11.65 w/an overall gear ratio of 3.555(this includes your tires, rear gears & trans @ 1.1ratio. An 11.65 ET is nothing to sneeze at, however, if you have 450+ HP you should be clicking off high 10's in the 1/4 (Theoretically speaking of course). MiKelly: Your #'s included the 275/60/15's factored into my equations. The #'s came out to this: 469HP, 429 lbs.ft., 5729rpm's @ 1/4mile traps w/an ET=10.56 and your overall gear ratio comes to 3.657 (Thoretically speaking) RickB: Your #'s amounted to 325hp, 295lbs.ft. torque running 5781 rpm's @ 1/4 mile traps yielding an overall gear ratio of 3.5: also when I factored your theoretical HP & Torque #'s to come up w/ET...it was exactly 12.08!! Ellobo-still waiting for your 1/4 mile times in order to determine your HP/Torque; let us know ASAP. Any other #'s from anyone else. I dont have a V8 in my Z yet....so I can only dream/and play w/#'s. Its not the same but it occupies my time!

It is Volume 9 of what appears to have been 10 Volumes in all. Not all Volumes are on SBC. This was a mistake! Sorry guys...there were more than just 10 Volumes as I also have purcheased Volume 11-which is entitled, "High Perf.Camshafts". FYI: Just wanted everyone to know there were more than 10 volumes. PS: Volume 11 is worth it as it explains everything @ cams: from past to present & has dyno printouts to boot!)

Very completely thought out & organized site; seems to have done all the leg work. Now, how many moonlighting pizza jobs do I need to pay for that kind of an engine: preferable in this lifetime?

The best advise I can give you is to not limit yourself to just one manual. I've got 4 manuals on the Z. Anytime I come upon another manual I dont already have I'll buy it. I've seen some informative pictures & diagrams in cheaper manuals that were not in the more expensive manuals & vic-versa. Certainly you'll want to obtain a Nissan Factory Service Manual for your year: go to a swap meat-there are people that specialize in collecting & selling service/shop manuals of all makes/models Also you should obtain specialy books on How to restore your Datsun Z, Haynes & Chiltons: they all have something to add....it just depends on what your budget is & how much info your needing.

Hey Mike; were those drag tires 50's or 60's. Your 1/4 times & speed indicate they were 60's. Assuming your car weights @ 27001bs your engine is producing @ 450hp!!!! SuperDan-thanks for the site...I'll try it. Rick: I'ld look forward to meeting another V8z fanatic & enjoy seeing what a V8z can do in person. Just say when! I'll give you a call once I've completed my Illumina struts/poly bushings instal: just putting the finishing touches on it/no garage & the rain keeps delaying me. Rick: after crunching the #'s your gave I came up with this (this includes your N.O.S.) 22.88 tire diameter, 3.545 rear gears, 2700lbs & running the 1/4 @ 111mph shifting @ 5200rpm's. Drum Roll Please....., 1)Your engine puts out @ 285.55 HP 2)If you ran the tires Mike ran his ET's with "275/60-15's you'ld finish the 1/4 @ 135mph...theoretically!

Kevin, My cam is a solid roller Crower with .554 lift on intake and .567 on exhaust with 1.65 rockers on the intake that bring the lift up to close to .590 Myron: What is the duration of your cam? That should be enough for now. I never even considered the rpm/power coming into play after 3k....thanks for the comment! So much to consider-I lose myself sometimes: if any of you see me before I do, please remind me that I'm looking for myself/thanks

Since we're wishing: My post X-mas list goes like this. 1) Hood w/Ram Air scoop like the late 90's Camaro SS, I think this would look perfect on a Z as the factory hood lines form that buldge in the hood anyway-just needs the cut out & ridges to form the Ram Air-also perfect for a FI V8(?) or run a custom intake from the carb to this Ram Air opening. 2) definately dash cover 3) Trim panels would sell like hotcakes especitally if you could match it to a conventional style center console! Pamela Anderson might look pretty good in carbon fiber....naa; she's a tart, forget I said that.

Thanks for the 1/4 mile times Mike/Myron: tells me my math is not to far off from reality. Mike do you switch rear tires when running at the track? If you use the same tires & trip the 1/4 @ 129....your around 6300rpm's. Ellobo-w/your stock 350 & mods your've indicateed, w/AOD you should be 1:1 in 3rd. With 3.9 rear gears & 23.86 tire diameter: that should yield you the 1/4: 1) If you finish 1/4 @90mph = 4942 rpm's 2) If you finish 1/4 @95mph = 5217 rpm's 3) If you finish 1/4 @100mph= 5492 rpm's The trick of course would be to stay high on your rpm's. I'ld also like to know what the quality of your engine idle is: what rmp do your engines idle at? Myron: You asked where Ravenna is. You've heard of the "Boonies" well go past the boonies then get lost a few times then you'll be smack dab in the middle of Ravenna. Ravenna is near Sherman/Denison. I'm about 65 miles NE of Dallas. If I had a calculater that could do a Cube/Root of a number I could give approx 1/4 mile times; oh well-I'll snag one on my next trip to the big city of Bonham Tx. Keep the eng #'s, rear gear, tire size & track times coming.

SCCA, Just reading some older topics in the forum & read yours regarding the taser club. I have one for my 70 Rallaye 350. I Like it & its pretty cool at night. It has a shock sensor-all you have to do is barely rock the car & it goes off-electrons everywhere. The only caution needed is to carefully practive positioning it on the steering wheel as if your steering wheel is not locked you could accidently brake your windshield moving it upwards or crack your console while angling it downwards while positioning the taser to its proper angle. Further, if you have a hi/fi stereo w/lots of electrical gadgets-you need to make sure you dont set the taser/club angled to close to the stereo as the taser when triggered could short your stereo. As in any car-there's always someone who has the smarts to bypass any alarm; however I think the taser/club will keep street punks honest; if someone wants your car bad enough they will get it. I've recently seen info-mercials where a new club has been manufactured that locks the brake pedal in a manner it cant be moved & is made of high steel-I like it; forget the name of it but they had professional rehabilitaed car thieves try to brake it & were unable to; they all said if it took them more than a few minutes to steel your car they would simply move on to the next car. This brake club was designed by an ex-Marshall whoses specialty was craking down on auto-fraud Nationwide. Hope this helps as we are all paranoid about becoming possible victims of auto theft; especially after putting blood, sweat & tears into our rides.

Thanks Mike; that's also what I'm looking for. Some real #;s to play with. Myron: you have T350 yielding 1:1 in 3rd, tire diameter of 24.07 w/minimal tire spin that'll to the 1/4 @ 117. Mike: You have T56 yielding 1:1 in 4th w/3.7 rear gear, tire diameter of 25.43 & shift at 6000rpm. If you can reach 6k in 4th in the 1/4 that should turn 122 mpr. Not to shabby. Keep it coming; anyone & everyone-these are the #'s I was looking for; thanks!

My guru-ness is rather limited; you'll have to wait for someone else to answer your rear gear questions. However, I know a nice ride when I see one; only one thing to say....Saaaaaweet!

It can be multiple factors. Have you personally jacked up the front & made a visual inspection. Look for cracks in the rubber components of your suspension parts. Or it could be as simple as a front end alignment. When new tires are installed do you feel a hard pull, or a light pull for that matter, to the right/left? I had a Coralla that had a "Thru-bolt' hole for the lower control arm wollered out; when new tires were installed, even after new steering and suspension parts, it would still wear tires badly. It was my beater & I wasnt about to remove the crossmember for replacement nor did I ever try to weld a bead of metal on it to remove the tolerances; I just put up w/rpl of tires every 30k miles(michelins). I said all that to make this point: Front end repairs arent always straight forward. The first step is to make a visual inspection & go from there.

Is that good or bad? That depends on if you pulling something or not

For any interested in a 454SBC, "The Best of Hotrod Magazine:Volume#9" has an article on that exact setup. It used an iron Bowtie Block#366287, 4 1/8 stroked Sonny Bryant B.R.E. counterweighted 4330M alloy crank w/heacy metal inserts in the counterweights for balancing w/a cylinder bore of 4.185. JE dished Pistons/10.5:1 Compression. 6" Carrillo rods, Alluminum 356 T6Phase Heads which were ported. Crane roller rockers/lifters. Stainless steel Intake Valves 2.100/1.600 exhust. EFI Intake Base Manifold provided by Edelbrock while Lingenfelter provided the TPI Box plenum which included a N.O.S. system. Two other test were made w/Holley 4barrel & a Arizona Speed&Marine Semi-Siamesed Runners. Their choice of camshaft= Crane Roller 256/266-degrees/duration @ .050 while advertised duration was 306/296 that yielded a .596 net valve lift on the intake/.582lift exhuast. The dyno results are: 1.)Holley 4 Barrel Peak HP:553 @5800 & 584 ft.lbs @ 4500 2.) Arizona Speed&Marine set up Peak HP:502 @5000 & 582 ft.lbs @ 4200 3.) Lingenfelter Box Plenum Peak HP:525 @4900 & 589 ft.lbs @ 4500 Source: Paul Pfaff Racing Engines Huntington Beach, Ca Ph#714/894-7573

Thanks Myron....that's exactly what I was looking for. Nice Ride-what are you trying to do-get noticed. I like your interior-looks like an airplane cockpit: did I notice some anti-radar jamming devise between the sun visors? What camshaft did you choose? I just had a thought-that explains the smoke coming from my ears....that hurts; I'll try not to do that again. Anyway, any of the admin reading this thread with the wherewithawl to create a new forum should do so where the members who have modified their powerplants could fill in the blanks which would create, on 'Hybridz' record, a profile something similiar to Myron's previous entry. No dialogue, just fill in the blanks; aka: Cylinder Heads, Intake, Carb/FI, Crank, Rods, Pistons, Cam, Trans, Rear Gears, Weight of car, type of rear end, 1/4 mile times/speed, balanced/blueprinted, ect. This would allow all the readers who are about to go forth w/their projects some food for thought(?) & we newcomers wouldn't have to ask questions most of you have probably already answered multiple times...whatdya think? [This message has been edited by Kevin Shasteen (edited January 10, 2001).]

I definately want my Z to be streetable & wont be going beyond 300 to 350hp range. I like the t56 & will definately be using it when the time comes. My 78 has 3.545 rear. I know what theory shift points look like on paper & how to stay on top of the cam when shifting. Mainly I was curious what everyone running the v8 can get away with prior to actual wheel spin in each gear. I'm not looking for extreme detailed comments; I can crunch the #'s in theory all day lont, however, I wanted to go beyond theory w/actual figures from anyone here who has already gone that route. A simple/quick response from ya'll like: 1) HP = 350 2) Torque = xxx 3) Auto/Standard Trans 4) Rear Gears 5) Tire size I guess what I'm looking for, since I'm still running my tired/trued inline 6 are some real #'s to play around with. I have desktop dyno's but dont really like it; what would you suggest?? [This message has been edited by Kevin Shasteen (edited January 10, 2001).]

I thought about making a new fashion statement where I would design a hat that I could zip my removeable steering wheel in so no one would be the wiser that I had my steering wheel on my head....., Dont think society is ready for that loud of a statement!!