DavyZ

Lone, Thanks for the input! I can see that working pretty well, but I was hoping to do this (if at all possible) without welding--I know you weld, but you also keep moving farther and farther away! I keep thinking of a reverse mold or a regular mold. If the reverse mold can be made properly, it would be great to make copies from. The regular mold wouldn't last too long because of the cheap product I would use (plaster paris). I have to keep thinking this through and make a game plan. I am motivated to do this because it is one project for the Z that is not too expensive and will have a high visual presence. If you have any other ideas, by all means please let me know. BTW, if you come back to Sac, we definitely need to get together!!! Davy

Man, I like your dime! I remember having one...man, I miss that car. I have to say that I doubt you'll break the rear end now! Sounds like an awesome setup. Care to share the costs of the components and labor? Even a lump sum would help bring this into perspective for those of us in the forum who are looking for alternatives. Thanks! Davy

Stony, I think the issue would be taking the structural qualities off of the rockers and putting it under the car elsewhere (like a frame) or substituting the rockers for a 'quarter-round' of 6' piping that could be welded in place and leave enough room to mount the side-pipes into them. Does that make sense? In any event, this would require a lot of welding and certainly a ton of intestinal fortitude to cut that portion of the car. My hat is off to anyone that can cut a perfectly good Z that far and still forge ahead. I know I would get cold feet. Davy

Crazy Glue! lol Sorry, I couldn't resist! Thanks for the research! Davy

Man, that is one sweet looking cage! Looks very nicely done; did you do the welding yourself? Hope mine will look as good when it is finished. Davy

Datto, thanks for posting that car! Man, that is awesome! Davy

I2K, Just remember to use the search function extensively and you'll be surprised how many times a question has been answered before. It is like using a library for swap information. Also, check out some of the members' sites. You'll get all the inspiration you'll ever need. Davy

Thanks for the additional pics, Eric. I can always use them!! Davy

Thanks, Grumpy. That's really all I need to know--that sounds like a streetable engine, great hp w/mega torque, and can run on pump gas. I want to build one just like that for my Z. I appreciate the info and the 'recipe' for a great motor. Davy

Grumpy, with those last figures on the cam you just mentioned, what kind of horsepower is you motor putting out? I was thinking of building a long rod 383, but I thought it would be way to expensive. Perhaps I need to think it over again! I guess 'reasonable' compression (for use on pump gas) is obtainable with the larger sized combustion chamber heads that Mike mentioned. With 76cc chambers, what is a streetable compression ratio that is easily ($$$) obtainable? I guess the bottom line is the overall $$$$ of the engine; custom pistons and the like get really pricey, but then again, I don't know if I have to push a 383 to 6000+ rpm and get a Z to move. Davy

That is certainly an option--check the GM wrecking yard in your area for local prices and don't forget to order the JTR book. Davy

Ditto on what LongRod327 just said, but add to that 400 SBC which, amazingly, I have yet to spot in ANY Bay Area wrecking yard. Also, you could add any high performance Z parts on the cars out there. I recently found great MSA sway bars for pennies... Davy

Well, for starters, welcome to the HybridZ forum! The T56 has been purchased from ebay, dealerships, and GM wrecking yards. Plan to spend anywhere from $800-$1700. Aside from the transmission there are other items to consider like the flywheel and clutch, etc, $$$. There are several guys that have websites with documentation of the T56. I'm thinking you should look at LoneInAZ and BLKMGK--look for a post with a hyperlink to their sites (near bottom of their post). I'm not sure you would want a tranny shop to install it, because clearancing (with a hammer) will be necessary to make things fit and I seriously doubt they will do that for you, but I could be wrong. Maybe a shop that specializes in hot rods or custom work would be a better choice--of course, then you are talking $$$$. In addition to the above considerations, you'll need to swap in a pedal assembly from a manual car. Automotive work will run anywhere from $50-$100/hr (around here $85 seems to be the norm). Good luck with your project, but make sure you do plenty of research before you put down the cash. Use the search function on the forum to look up any related topics--and make sure you look in the drivetrain section since that's where most transmission info can be found. Davy

Thanks for the replies so far--I'm getting a good feel for what I need; I certainly don't want to melt anything at the track! Davy

Swaaeeeeeeeet!! Have fun banging gears! Davy

Mike, that really bites. There should be some kind of list with disreputable builders on it that we could access. Are you going to give them a call perhaps??? Davy

Thanks for the reply. What I'm thinking is that there are the different compounds that are represented by "colors" (green, red, etc compounds). Perhaps Kragen is an answer for the street, but I'm wondering about the racetrack! The Z will visit the track when I get the chance... Davy

Dave, The new heads will rock! 72cc or even bigger is the way to with one of those. Are you still shooting for compression ratio in the 9's or lower in the 8's? Just curious. Anyway, post the heads for sale and I'm sure you'll get a buyer right away. Hope the turbo works out for you. Don't forget to take pictures!! lol Davy

I have looked at their ad and remember reading an article in DRIVE! magazine. It is apparently a two-piece bellhowsing that allows you to run the stock clutch, etc. I have not priced it out...yet. Wish they had a website! Davy

Hi All, Since I will be buying a 240Z this year, many cars I have run across have the Toyota brake upgrade (seems to be getting rather common) and I was wondering if any of you know if there are performance pads available for the vented Toyota 4x4 brakes???? Anyone know what compounds are available and what a price range would be? Thanks, guys! Davy

The link worked great--nice to see the MSA kit inside an actual car! lol Thanks for pics, Miles. You guys did a very nice detailed job installing everything. The MSA mount looks to be an improvement over the Scarab mounts from what I can tell in the picture, and that's good. I'd love to see the tranny mount and am thinking strongly of changing the JTR mount (I want to do as little 'clearancing' as possible). Davy

I have headlight buckets that Jason (LONGROD327) gave me--thanks, Jason!---and I want to make some kind headlight modification like the ones shown above on the flamed Z. To anyone that has done this before, my question is this: How do you cut the housing such that the hole has a perfect ellipse like the ones shown? The angle of the cover becomes severe and I'm a bit clueless about making the cut--this is assuming I have molded in a cover like the Z has. Any help would be appreciated. I'm sure Terry Oxandale and some of you body guys may know too. Davy

It looks like a gun! Pretty cool looking, but definitely a lot of 'show' in the design. Might be good on that Porsche(?) but I think I'll stick to my Dynomax. Davy

Yes, I think there still is someone doing this. Try this link here: http://www.kaynor.net/v8-240z/index.html Hope that helps. Davy

Thanks for the post, Mike, but I'm convinced I can make them from a headlight bucket and one of those plastic/fiberglass covers. I'll use tubing that is the correct circumference for each light (may just do one light on each side) but I get a bit stumped when it comes to drilling the holes in the plastic. I suppose a drill-press could be used, but I'll have to talk to an expert about it before I start cutting. You could be right that it is from a mold--that would be easy to produce them then. I'm amazed that if they could not get them legalized, especially in CA. One could use an Acura headlight with no problems. Curious. Davy