DavyZ

Bummer, man. We'll keep you in mind and refer anyone interested. Sorry to hear about it! Davy

Oh well, if that is the total bill and your tranny ills are cured, I guess it's a small price to pay. After all, you'll be driving/racing this car for years. Davy

Lookin' Wicked! No one will see them though since they are spinning too quickly as you leave them in a cloud of tire smoke. Davy

Actually, there is a lot you can do with the diesel engines. From what I have been told (I used to own a Volvo 760 TD), the injectors are the biggest thing you can swap to improve the performance on a diesel. Obviously, more boost can help and so can a bigger turbo. If you really want to have fun with the car, check out the web and search for diesel performance--you'll be surprised at what you find. Davy

I would say don't use oven cleaner--I really don't think it would help. A great product I've used is called "Peeler" made by Kleen Strip, and it takes off all the paint quickly with no messy residue. It bubbles the paint and then you blast it off with air. Very easy to do. You can use it even for car bodies and it'll take the paint to the primer, but no more; leaving the primer intact to paint again! Hope this helps. Davy

Like Lone said, use the search function to get the info--there is a special fender rolling device you can rent from the Tire Rack (I believe) that will do an awesome job without guesswork. At least read the past discussions on this topic. It's a good one. Davy

That's right, Datto, you have them for sale too--I forgot! Sorry Davy

Kevin, I have that book--it was the first engine building guide I ever read cover to cover. Very good for the first-time builder. Very easy to understand and put into practice. Davy

If you have access to some motors, great! Make sure the one you pick has a 4 barrel carb originally. Then you can get a mild performance cam and maybe and aluminum intake manifold, some block huggers, and you are there man. You'll have a fun, reliable motor with some good bolt-ons for your ride. Good to plan. Make sure you get the JTR book while you dream--it points you in the right direction. Have fun, Davy

AWESOME MOTOR!!!! Those are specs I can live with, man!! I bet the dyno on that baby will be what, in the 500hp range???? HooBoy! You'll need bigger tires for sure! Take lotsa pics! Davy

A World Class T5 is not really that expensive--about $650-$750. But it really depends on how you drive the car (will you abuse the tranny? How much HP will your engine make?). The T65 is the ultimate, in terms of everything IMO, but it is too pricey for my blood--maybe $1700 with everything said and done, but you'll never break it. If you are building a "mild" V8 with 350 cubes or less, you can probably use a T5 with no problems. Follow the recommendations in the JTR manual and you'll be OK. Have fun and don't jump on a sale just because it's the next thing you see. Davy

I'd say your car will look "Dangerous" when you've laid those flairs on! Sounds like a wicked plan to me--you've taken some great looking pieces and you are making your own Frankenstein. Only it will be beautiful to behold! I really want to see pictures, Dan!!!! I'm happy the parts arrived for you so you can do this before the "rainy" season sets in. How long do you think the bodywork and paint will take you? Hope the glassing goes smoothly (pun) for you Davy

Yeah, that was "Belly Pans for Increased Aerodynamics" or something of that nature. Only 68 posts long, it should only take 1/2 hour to read it! Hehe. Lone brought up some good valid points and it pains me to know that the Z is almost a barn door when it comes to aerodynamics. The shape is so alluring I frankly don't care too much about the AD since I won't be doing over 140mph anyway. The idea of flight in a car scares me! Anyway, good luck with your venture and keep the air from getting under the car! Davy

Pete brings up some valid points. After thinking about it, he is right that a 225 cam would be small for a 383. But, I must counter, very very streetable. Torque in abundance and the engine would not have to rev to kingdom come. However, my mind set is on my budget! You are buying good forged parts and you'll be able to rev higher than my thinking. I also forgot about the Xtreme Energy Cams they have out now--I must be tired, because those are totally hot! You might just want to look into them. Whatever way you go, please let us know. Maybe I'll learn a few things. Davy [ July 21, 2001: Message edited by: DavyZ ]

Oooo, something new to add to the (never ending) project! Davy

In a straight line you should not have any problems really; there will be little difference if any. Many guys on the forum run or ran open diffs at the track. The LSD makes the biggest difference around turns. Get the open diff now and get your car together--then upgrade down the road when the right diff at the right price comes along. Davy

Price should be listed in the HybridZ store--just look there.

Chris Borden also sells the vinyl ones on his website too. He is a member of this forum. http://www.ideal-z.com/ I have a problem using "paper" for guage faces. I prefer vinyl because it will last longer, especially with good quality paint. Davy

Welcome to the forum! Keep asking questions and someday, you'll have the answer... I hate to see a post go unanswered, but you narrowed down your question to those guys that have done the '94 and later LT1 swap. I have not, but I don't see how there could be interference using the block huggers--are you referring to interference of the flange with the block or with the frame? A good company to chat with would be Sanderson--pricey, but good quality. Anyone else? Davy

Your father gave you the right call IMO. You'll be happier with a rust free Z. You can always do the swap yourself and make it the way you want it. Happy hunting for the right Z first. Avoid Z's with the older automatic trannys. They spin too high on the freeway. If you buy one that is already converted make sure the tranny is an overdrive unit like a 700R4. Davy

You can always find more info from the F-body forums out there. They can guide you a bit better with respect to that--take your time to do the research. You could potentially move a steering shaft with some universal steering joints from Flaming River or Borgeson, etc. Don't let the small stuff spoil the swap--do some ample research on getting around or changing a few things if you have to before dumping the project. Believe me, "Where there is a will, there is a way." Davy

Since you are going to a forged bottom end, my personal preference would be a roller camshaft assembly by Comp Cams. I could give you my own suggestions, but I don't think you will have to go too radical of a cam put you into the HP range you want. The 383 is just going to be a torque monster anyway at low rpms, and giving it a high lift cam won't help your traction anymore at all! Since you are spending a lot of $$$$ on this engine, I would use the camshaft company's help/tech line for their suggestions based on your application. You don't want to overcam a 383, because you frankly don't need to. If this were my motor and I chose a flat tappet cam, I would go with a relatively mild performance cam with specs like this: intake 225 degrees at .050", exhaust 230 degrees at .050" with advertised duration of 275/285 and lift of around .5 inches. Roller cams can give you much steeper, better ramps and not adversely affect your motor's driveability. That's where their tech/help line comes in handy; get their recommendations on your application. Now again, that's for me, not you. You have to decide what you want to do with this car. If you want to race it, even that cam would be good, but you can always get much more radical. I like a streetable cam, even if the car gets raced, because I'll take it on trips with my Hunny. Just my $.02--hope discussing this stuff helps you. By golly, it's certainly theraputic for me! Davy

Wait for BLKMGK to answer--he knows about this stuff...

Terry, I have read that using solid mounts in general is not too good for the street due to the vibrations which can cause harm to the car and to the motor. I wanted to get your opinion on this because you have been using this setup for a long time, correct? Davy

On ZCarsOnLine.com / 1UpAutomotive.com did a swap an had pictures--not sure if they are still up anymore. Pretty good pics of the mounts and stuff--they were using a Cobra motor and dubbed it the "Cobra Z." What else? Davy