DavyZ

Well, the one thing that the 327 has going for it is camel-hump heads. Getting to 375 hp is easier with better heads. But this begs the question of what heads are on the 350, and how do you know it is a genuine 300 hp? As was stated, "all things being equal, the 350 is a better choice because of the additional displacement."

Last year I went to a Z meet that had a V8 powered 510 autocross car. The wicked car had no real firewall to speak of and motor was mounted extremely low too. The logistics of the swap need to be ironed out first with extreme care taken regarding engine placement. I have seen it done, but the amount of weight in the front might be a tad high for some folks taste. As Lone noted, a Buick 215 (Rover V8) swap might be better...of course your tranny choices become limited. Still, it is something to ponder--it would make a neat sleeper and be brutally fast. Davy

If they truly do have the same power (300 hp) go with the 350 because the torque helps with acceleration. The 327 is a sweet motor too, so it really comes down to what you want. Both motors will boil the hides on the Z, no questions asked. The motor is really not your problem, the tranny is. If this is a strip car--no worries with your tranny choices, but if it is a daily freeway driver, you'll be unhappy with the high revs slowly killing your motor on the freeway. 5 or 6 speed mo betta. Davy

BLKMGK, have you replaced the weak one yet? If you have, what are the specs on the new spring? It makes sense to post it so everyone with the same problem can be directed to the "best" spring solution. Just a thought anyway. Davy

Clean out those vents while your at it! Heh, the vents in my 260Z were no less than disgusting inside. Lysol is always good for something! Good job getting everything set up, Lone. I'll have to check it out one of these days. FYI--for those that don't know, Sacramento is only hot until mid-November, and then it resumes the hot weather in, what, March? Uuugg. Davy

I thought my car would go that fast, but now I'm pretty sure. What I'm not sure of is where I would go that fast. I5 maybe?? Davy

Miles, I apologize for putting you throught the work of finding that info... I finally did find it, but it was in the JTR Volvo V8 conversion manual...so sorry! It does not apply to the Z at all--I goofed and ran the information together. You should be fine not doing anything to the mount--it should sit level. Sorry about the confusion; my bad. Davy

Great score on the motor!!! Davy

Pogi, Jeromio's own site is well packed with information as are many of the guy's sites in this forum. Please take the time to do the research (if you have not already done so) by using the search function. Also, www.gmsportssalvage.com has motors and transmissions, etc. They are local, but may be on the high end of the price scale--see if it is any better out of state and then factor in shipping. Good luck with your project. Davy

SWEET! I have been eying the same ones. I really think they are the best. A local speed shop around here says they are worth the "extra" money. I would love to have those on my engine too. Congrats! Davy

Man, what a stunning bit of engineering! It's actually art Davy

Sorry about the email, Miles, I actually forgot you really did have this posted in the forum. Does anyone have an older copy of the JTR manual handy that goes over tweaking the "ears" of the rear T5 mount and would describe it here??? If not, I'll have to post it sometime tonight. Hang in there, Miles! Davy

Sweet amount of beef on those(sigh). Hopefully by next year....yeah, Baby! Davy

Boy, you rock stars have a really busy life! Jon, good luck with the V8 conversion; I know you are addicted to the power too! I just don't have the time & money to do the Ford conversion, although I think it's a perfectly viable alternative to the Chevy. Davy

Miles, the tranny will work fine--in fact, JTR recommends this tranny for the manual swap. I have the same tranny waiting to go in! The mount "ears" get tweaked to fit--get the JTR manual if you don't have it already. Otherwise someone with the manual in front of them (I'm at work, sorry) can read you the main points. Good luck. Davy

Understood. I feel the same way. Glad you like the Autometer.

The Scarab bellhousing is going to be very expensive. You might want to look at other options and compare prices--the most expensive is not always the best way. Davy

I have thought about going to the same brand of mounts for the conversion, but I have new OEM ones I'll use first. Would you say that the vibration would be enough to make more than a few people "uncomfortable" with the amount that it increased? Davy

Mikelly: the format does not allowing us to pull a picture from the website, sorry Jeromio: that is Datto's car and he posts here once in a while. I met him at the MSA Natl's and he's really cool. He said that the Supra spoiler just bolted to the bottom of the Xenon like it was made for it. He does scrape over bumps and stuff though (driveways and the like) because it sits lowww. Havok: nothing wrong with a rice wing on a Z, but it kinda looks out of place not being "period correct" if that makes any sense at all. Like Stony said, a spoiler that comes off the back like in some of those drag cars is pretty cool. What would be really cool would be to hinge it and fab an adjustment mechanism. The problem with the spoiler on that website is that the mounts are so dang high--it's kinda silly and not stable looking IMHO. If the mounts were lower, say 1/4th the size, well then it looks more attractive... Davy

Tom Colsher did a very sano swap on his Gen II RX7--he posted here for a while, and I even bought a Taurus fan from him, but I don't know his member # for a search He has a good website and I have to tell you that the swap is NOT easier---in fact one of his main gripes was that Granny's did not tell him everything...$$$$ Just some food for thought. I have nothing against any performance swap, more power to ya, but be forewarned.... Davy

I almost think a race-car fabrication shop or the like would be able to make and install a custom cage for you. You may have to go that route (I don't know ZX availability, sorry). Davy

Let's see if this makes it easier: http://www.sweetspotproductions.com/psanders/Z.html Hopefully that will work. Dan, the front end of the car is just an airdam sold by MSA (get the catalog) and fiberglass (apparently) front bumper. It looks very clean in silver. Davy [ September 06, 2001: Message edited by: DavyZ ]

The taller sidewall will make for better launching than a narrower sidewall will. He is referring to the change in aspect ratio relative to the rim size--the 16 inch rim has a taller (or wider) sidewall in this case even though the width of the tire remains a 245. Sometimes this is hard to understand, but if you could see the tire and wheel setups side by side, we could measure them and it would all make good sense. Did you tell him you would be doing any drag racing or street racing with it? If not, maybe he assumed you would be. Davy

Pete, Gearhead has a good point--it'll have the free-revving capability that you like in the 327, but it'll kick some serious tail with those extra cubes. A Scat 350 crank might be the hot ticket with this one... Davy

If you keep it, you can drain the fluids from it, and you can spray some stuff into the cylinders to keep the walls from rusting. I think Eastwood sells products for long term engine storage. If you know this turbo is the way you want to go, sell the old engine to help offset the cost of the conversion. You can clean it up really well and if you're good, you can carefully detail it, which may bring you some additional $$$. Davy