DavyZ

Yeah, Baby! Davy

$6.50???? Ouch! You can buy Splitfire platinum plugs for less! Sheesh. How do you like them? Do you notice any real performance or mileage difference with them? I just think that $52 + tax for a set of eight is waaaaay to pricey, even for my champaign taste on a beer budget. DavyZ

OK, now they are viewable! Ahhh, sweeet looking rims, and they go so nicely with the flares. I do like flares such as the ones on your car--very cool looking indeed. You have a Z car to be proud of Davy

Thanks, Oltmann, for bringing up that old thread--yes, it's the final say in sound deadening info! Davy

Ditto on what the consensus is for the R200: they are plenty strong and the half shafts are the first thing to go if anything. You can use a good product like Redline Shockproof oil for the diff. I'm surprised that you fragged the diff A lot of guys on the forum drag race with an open R200 and have no problems. Hmmm. Some guys like Owen and Mark are going to an R230 from a Q45. Owen is still working on his and Mark's has been up and running. Figure on some engineering to make everything fir. The R200 is a no-brainer and is good to go. Go for it. Davy [ August 15, 2001: Message edited by: DavyZ ]

You know, that is very interesting. I have had people tell me their 185 lb springs were too stiff, and others say their 250 lb springs feel pretty good on the road...I'm not sure what to believe! I guess the only way to find out what is "right" for me is to sample a ride in quite a few different Zs. Ah well, there is still time. Davy

Paul, I have to thank you for sharing, but for some reason, I cannot pull up the pics! I hate that...is it a IE thing or what? Anyone with Netscrape see the pics? Paul, the measurements seem inspiring to me, are you running flares or what? 10 inches wide--hooo boy! This is something I'd like to see. Davy

Welcome to the forum! You will find this a friendly place with good advice and information. Yes, the Lexus swap has been done before, quite successfully. It looks like a clean swap and there is a picture of such a swap in the JTR manual. Whatever swap you decide is right for you, buy the JTR manual and you will have a much easier time planning the different stages of the swap and knowing what to expect. Also, please don't use all capital letters in a post unless you want to convey shouting. Thanks! Davy

Eibach sells their progressive rate springs that lower a stock Z about 1". That gives the Z about 3" of travel before crashing the bumpstops, yes? I suppose you could lower the car 2" with the coilovers and have only 2" left--the progressive end of things is what 1/2" or so? Which leaves only 1.5" of travel left...it does get close to my uncomfortable zone too. Davy

quote: Originally posted by Badzx: The 4sp auto. in 90-96 300tt is the same as Q45. Ok, that I did not know. If that is in fact the case, logic (not engineering unfortunately) would dictate that you could use the 5 speed. That would be a very potent combo and "street lethal" as they say. Keep us posted, because this could be a very viable swap in the near future. Davy

Would it be at all possible to use the Syclone/Typhoon set up? Summit racing built that one roadster with that setup a number of years ago and it does not look too heavy. Is there any merit to the idea? Davy

Just stay away from the ones with lots of rust. That is the biggest issue. A motor that was not meant for the car on a rusty chassis is courting disaster. Get a rust-free car (or close to it) and you'll be miles ahead of the game. Nothing wrong with a 302 if that is in fact what it has. Mosre likely it is a 305 or even a 307 (ouch). A 327 or a 350 give a bit more punch. Good luck in your search. Davy

And you still have one of the best, most informative websites there is... Davy

John Coffey (spelling? Sorry, John) could give you the info you need. I think he was the one who had one of these for sale recently, or something. You could try contacting him. Davy

You could also take it to a tranny shop and have them tell you what you need, or even a good GM dealer. I don't think you are buried in the tranny--it's at the very least worth what you have in it and probably much more. Don't sweat it. Davy

Frank Rich: those are gold cad plated rotors we were discussing!!! Not the calipers! And for the record, I think bright colored calipers are really kewl looking! I want mine in bright yellow or red. Porshe has been doing it for years, and if it's good enough for them, by golly it's good enough for my baby. Pete: thanks, I'll take your prayers anytime! My neighborhood is full of them--but it's kinda funny, because you'll find all kinds in my neck of the woods. Right across the street from the riceyest of the ricers there is a guy building a blown BBC '39 Chevy coupe. He had to sell his 500 hp BBC Chevelle to fund the new project. Funny, I know his name and not the ricers across the street from him...I wonder which car would be faster: the 500 hp Chevelle or the riced out N/A talon with the big wings and ultra-sparkle paint? (I kid you not) Davy

Like Pete, I'll have to bow out of this one. I have nealy all the parts, but I sold the car to get a better one! Hence, the time keeps tick tick ticking away... I think I could pull it off in a couple of months putting in at least four hours a night. But I have to tell you, it's the little things like changing all your suspension bushings and such--the "while I'm doing this I might as well do...."---that end up sucking all your time & money. These are not new cars and they need work, and parts, and love, and...er, well, you get the picture. Get the car (#1) and all the parts together, and have at it! Oh, to answer question #2 on your poll, I would classify this as more budget than anything else, but very nicely done (does that make sense?) Davy [ August 14, 2001: Message edited by: DavyZ ]

Ross, FWIW--I don't think gold cad is "ricey" by any means Just thought you should know--I'm in the heart of rice country and the gold cad is not something I'd associate with the ricers. Davy

Thanks for the info, Terry! Davy

Lone, it's good to hear the Howe unit is as good (even better!) than I had hoped it would be. I was going to get a Griffin at some point in the future, but I may end up getting a Howe instead. For now, I'll stick with the Camaro unit I have. BTW, "Happy 1700 posts!" Davy

Hmmm, this sounds very sweet. What tranny are you using? If you are able to post some pictures, that would be great. I'm sure everyone would love to see this--it sure is my first time! Davy

Mac, you may end up having to run a couple of additional mufflers underneath (or something) if the noise issue keeps getting you pulled over regardless if you are barely within the legal limits or not. Under the Z there is precious little room for additional mufflers, but perhaps you could have Spin-tech make you a skinny free-flowing muffler that both pipes dump into under the car, then you would still have the mufflers in the rear as well. Is your Z lowered quite a bit or are you near stock ride height? Just some thoughts. Good luck. Davy

I think the gold cad color looks a little more trick, although it it more conspicuous--which is what I like! The SX calipers look better IMO than the ZX ones! Again, IMHO. Davy

This has actually been done, but with a turbo motor, and that makes a nice swap, Baby. It looks very sano and the guy that did it lives here in California. He used to post on this board too. The swap is very doable, but there is not kit for it. You will have to make your own brackets & mounts to fit the motor & tranny, but that should not be too hard. Adapting the electrical stuff will probably take the longest, but it should be worth it in the end. Do you have a JTR manual? If not, get one! It at least will guide you through the basic steps of a conversion. Here is one thing to consider, though. You will be spending a lot of time (and possibly money) to make a very unique car. My question is this: will it have enough power for you when you are done and have gone through all of that trouble? A turbo motor will give enough power for most people's taste, so will a V8. A ZXT swap is much easier and will net more power than a N/A V6. Please consider that BEFORE you make a final decision! Otherwise you may end up regretting doing all that work after a month of driving the car. Davy

I'm not an expert on automatics, but could it be that it has to do with a clogged valve body, or would this just merely keep the tranny from shifting? I dunno what it would be that could almost stop the car! What about the third gear itself? Very weird. Hopefully someone else with appropriate knowledge pipes in. I want to learn about this too. Hope it's an easy fix. Davy