DavyZ

Sometime soon, Lonehdrider will come over to my place and give everyone a shout. Or maybe we can all meet at Leonard's (Fairlady 327) place without him knowing--that would be fun Davy

Then I guess he'll win his division since it'll be totally new! Does this mean if I wanted to race my Q45, I could not race it as an import vehicle? That would stink! It is made in Japan and that should qualify. Likewise, so should his conversion--it's all Nissan too Davy

quote: Originally posted by Banzai72: the previous owner of the 83 ZXT said that all ZXT in 83 came with a 3.90 R200, but that the diff from an automatic would not work with a manual (?!?). Can this be? John, first off, welcome to the site! You will find that many of the guys here have done this swap and know quite a bit about it--just make sure you hang around long enough to find out! Drax and Randy are two guys that coe immediately to mind that have this swap and they can give you great, accurate information. Second, the differentials and transmissions don't have anything to do with each other, per se. I think he was referring to the gearing vs turbo boost response. Perhaps the turbo cars need a little bit of lower gearing to get into the boost sooner? Either way, if you are going to modify the turbo and/or engine, Drax and the others can give you the info you need. Don't neglect to use the search function to guide you to the threads that have the rear end ratio information. This has been discussed before. Regards, Davy

If you go to Pete's site, there is a link to a Rover V8 conversion. Yes, it is extremely light--the major advantage. But, parts and labor would be more expensive IMO and aftermarket speed parts suffer in availability here in the States. The overall advantage gained in saving weight from a Rover V8 is more than offset by a horsepower advantage from a Chevy V8. This is totally my opinion and I'm not trying to discourage you--I think the Buick 215/Rover V8 is really trick, but I'm looking at it from a practicality standpoint, which may not be your viewpoint at all. Good luck! Davy

Pete, I just had a brainstorm: Gold-plate all the emblems on the car!! Then wear a gold chain around your neck and add some shiny/gaudy gold framed sunglasses to your outfit and you'd be just about there! Davy

I don't know the exact weight (or anything close), but it MUST be less than the Chevy. As Richard just indicated, everything is aluminum and it is physically smaller than the Chevy, although it may be as wide on top--gotta measure that. I have one of the original books on the Q45 given to the owners when the car first came out, and I can tell you from seeing a picture in there of a disassembled motor--that puppy is a work of art! Very sweet motor and gutsy too. I think I'll leave it in the Q45 and stick with the Chevy motor for the Z ($$$ issues). Davy

Hahahahhahah! Lone, too funny!! Davy

Oh yeah, sorry, the caffeine had not set in...it is once a week--my bad Davy

Jamie, here are the specs for the motor--I just went under the hood at work (caught some friendly flak from a neighboring worker): Eng code: VH45DE 32 valve 4 ohc, aluminum block/head V8 4494 cc / 274 cu in 278 hp @ 6000 rpm 292 lb ft @ 4000 rpm These specs are from my '90 Q45. I love the motor and even the tranny too, which are able to move the 4000+ lb car very well, although the car does start out in 2nd gear unless you "manually" shift it. It would be awesome in a Z and I think your idea is cool. I seriously doubt you would hurt the motor or tranny in high performance use, but you are limited to an AT for the most part. I believe that the crank is forged and the motor will EASILY spin to 6000 with no problem. Good luck if you decide to pursue this.

Scott, that was sound advice! No argument from me! I also agree with making sure you have tools to work on the car. To have a mechanic work on it all the time is a mistake, because things will break down over time based on the age of the car. To have tools and a Haynes manual is better, because of the righteous money you will end up saving in the long run. Davy

Pete, it would look great either way, but I lean towards leaving them chrome, especially since you have a dark color. It'll be smashing! Davy

It would mount higher on the quarter panel and look super! Davy

Good tip, Jim! Also, you may want to spray a lot of Liquid Wrench or similar product on those screws--if they are rusted or whatever, give it time to soak in (maybe overnight). Use a phillips that fits perfectly, because anything else will strip the head. I know this from experience. Put as much pressure on the screwdriver as possible to make it happen. Good luck. Davy

Dan, if you can post some pictures or have someone you know do it, it'll make things a lot easier. Hang in there. Your car will get all sorted out and you'll enjoy it even more! Davy

The ignition includes the distributor, coil, spark plugs and wires, etc. Basically everything electrical to make the engine run. If you take the time to read some basic automotive repair books (any auto shop class at a JC uses them) you will have a better understanding of how everything works together to make your car run. Once you have that understanding, all the other books on modifying your engine, etc, will start to make sense. You will be able to diagnose problems yourself and either fix them or competently have a shop do it. I would ask around (on the net & local Camaro/Chevy clubs) for which shops to take it to in your area. You might want to make friends with some Chevy Club members. They will be an invaluable resource for helping you or directing you. Davy

Well, it's a good idea to replace them both. The front mount is the one that always fails first. Replace it and use a plastic coated steel cable like JTR suggests, or fab a fron brace like what is shown on Scottie-GNZ's website. You can buy bushings and such from Motorsport Auto or Victoria British. Get polyurethane if you can, because it will last longer and hold up for your kind of driving. Davy

Ohhh, now we can have our cake AND eat it too! Thanks for posting that--I was always wondering if it was possible to have both, and now I know! Davy

Excellent advice from Lone, BLKMGK, and Mike C. Go for the full tune up like Lone suggested. Also make sure you replace that air AND fuel filter--sometimes a clogged or semi-clogged fuel filter lets the car run up to a certain point and then it starts to lose major power. Check or have someone else check the alternator BEFORE you just replace it. Same thing with the battery too. As for wiring--if yuo find out it is a mess, a Painless system might be the way to go and will relieve all your electrical problems--shoot, if the car looks decent and has little/no rust you STOLE it! Investing $500 to $1000 to solve your problems is chump change. Take your time and buy the JTR manual like BLKMGK suggested. Davy

Pete, excellent job on describing how to start a carbed motor--maybe we should add it to the FAQ Badkarmacreepin, someday (not now) you can add an electric choke to the carb so you never have to use the choke manually again. But for now, just do what Pete has suggested and everything will be fine. The choke is the least of your troubles right now. Davy

Judging from your site, you seem very adept to handling the Ford swap with competence and confidence even though there is not manual for it. I think you are right when you talk about the costs differences between the Ford vs Chevy. I could be wrong, but I think the Ford T5 seems to live longer than the Chevy T5 in their relative cars, but I could be wrong. That said, I think the Ford would be a good way to go. Isn't this car your daily driver?!? It'll be up on blocks for while for sure... Good luck, Jeromio! Davy

http://www.painlesswiring.com/ is the url of the site. Good luck! BTW, I would also go with an aftermarket system like the Painless--it'll be much easier in the long run, and work at least as well. Davy

Sounds like a nice, fast ride. A V8Z is faster with that kind of power. I think you'll do well in making a cool weekend warrior. It's gonna be fun! Davy

Good!

Good, then you know how fun a powerful car can be. We here have our preferences as to what engines we use, etc, but we pride ourselves in not being wed to a particular brand--in fact, many of us would do something totally different the next time around! Nothing wrong with Ford, nothing wrong with Chevy, Crysler, Nissan, etc, etc. A converted Z-car is nothing short of impressive at the typical stoplight confrontation. The 0-60 times and 1/4 mile times are pretty sweet as well. The Z makes a great sleeper, and in being lighter than many powerful cars (like a Camaro for expample), makes for an exeptional handling car as well. There are a slew of aftermarket components available and more are being developed by members of this board (Mike Kelley, Mike Gibson, Ross Corrigan, and many others). Like Scottie says: bring a lunch with you and an open mind and have a lot of fun! BTW, Scottie GNZ, who posted first to your query runs a very mean, very black, very fast turbo Buick powered Z car. He is looking at the 10's this year. Not bad for a VERY streetable Z car... Davy [ August 06, 2001: Message edited by: DavyZ ]

If an engine has a normal compression ratio of 10:1, then supercharging it or even turbo charging it is not a god idea without lowering the compression ratio first by replacing the pistons. Why? Because with forced induction, the compression ratio goes way up beyond 10:1 and you then run into all kinds of problems... Davy