DavyZ

Mandrel bent pipe can be purchased mailorder--check the search function in the forum, this has come up before. You should be able to find links, etc. I currently have a 3" mandrel bent system for the Z that will be installed. I purchsed it from the previous owner who said he was going to a single 3.5" for better performance. To his dismay, he found no appreciable difference in power! He is running over 400 hp as I remember. The single 3" flows extremely well and you will have a much easier time in routing it then duals IMO. The system utilizes a stainless steel Borla (straight thru design) immediately after a good "Y" pipe from the DPs. The system goes back to a Dynomax SuperTurbo (big puppy) in the rear and a sweet chrome tip. Size is a major issue with the SPL-311 and I'm not sure just how much room you have. The turbo muffler my brother used is anemic in comparison to the system my Z will use. If you can get at least a 2.5" single pipe you'll probably be ok. 3" is better, but it depends on hp. The turbo will certainly help to quiet the resulting exhaust note on whatever you do. Good luck. David

Phil, how will you put the exhaust thru that tiny hole in the rear (think it's thru a crossmember if I remember?) of the car. My bro had a nice exhaust that pitifully pinched down to nothing through that hole. Are you going under or what? David

Took me a while to figure out what "MFW" meant. But, I got it now! Lone, I ended up selling the Z before I put the cables and console back--so I can't help you. At least I know what "MFW" means, though! David

Good point Pete! Yes, the next motor I build will have 6 inch rods minimum length. I envision a 355 Chevy with lightened Scat crank, 6 inch rods, aluminum heads, 10:1 compression, etc, etc. Man, I can dream larger than my wallet anytime!!! David

There should be no problems with the swap provided you use the JTR book's instructions. I'm not sure how big the balancer is on the engine--depending on the size you may just have to swap it for a smaller one; no biggie. Go for it! David

quote: FYI... I replace the nut on top of the link bolt with a self-locking Nyloc nut. Hey, good advice! Never thought of that one--got to keep it in mind. Thanks for the tip, John. David

One more thing to add, there seems to be an enlightened group of Roadster guys on the Zdriver forum--there is a Roadster specific forum there that you may find very helpful. Still, this is a good place to hang if you get the chance David

Well Phil, It looks like you know what the heck your doing...absolutley gorgeous fabbing of the rear lights, and in the same style as the originals no less! Beautiful Custom Roadster too! I need more time to go through the pics (I'm at work and can't do it fully) I'm a little confused: I noticed the stereo was horizontally mounted; they must be different for certain years since my bro's stereo was a funky vertical mount. The only stereo he could find that had a vertical reading was a Sanyo, which they no longer make of course. Make sure the cat gets a ride when you're finished with the project! Regards, David

Don't be intimidated by what the others may say! Like you said, you are saving that car from the junk yard. FWIW, there is a guy out here in CA who has a Roadster business (I won't mention names) and he buys them as cheaply as possible, strips them of good parts, and has the hulls crushed. HE DOES NOT CARE! The price availability of the cars goes down, the price goes up, and the average guy can't afford the car anymore. I don't like that... Sounds like you have a very cool project going on! Too bad you are so far away--I'd love to see it. The billet Al tail lights sound trick. I like the style of the original ones, but the cost of them makes me shudder! I'd try anything else. Your Roadster "friends" will stop the talk after you smoke them on anyroad, anywhere. As you know that V6 will make gobs of torque to launch the sucker quickly Did you say the frame was rusty, or the body was rusty? Those frames are pretty solid; I can't imagine the car being intact if the frame was rusted--body would be powder long before the frame would go--but then, they don't salt the roads out here and most cars have only surface rust if any at all. Post some pictures for us if you can. I'm sure most of the guys would love to see what a feat it is to squeez an American V6 into a narrow engine compartment like the Roadsters. You've got guts for doing that; I know it's tight, but if the mounts are right, it will look like the motor was meant to be there--the way yours does, I'm sure. Give us updates as you make progress. David

Good job on mounting that Sanden, Lone! It looks like it "belongs" there. Hopefully, the lines will go as smoothly with no hiccups. David

Yes, the Roadster is a viable candidate for a V6 swap (I have yet to see a Roadster V8 swap, but anything is possible, especially with an 215ci Buick aluminum block V8) and I have seen them on ebay. I believe the one I saw used a 90 degree V6 with a 4 speed and it fit well judging from the pictures. A V6 like a 3.8 would make that little car scream. The Roadster has a full steel frame chassis (not unibody!) and should be able to more than handle the torque. My brother has owned two Roadsters, both were 1600's and one was an SPL-311 I think. Since this is going to be no "purist" car (good for you, man!) I suggest that you use whatever parts make sense and not go genuine NISMO on as many things as you can. Why? Cost and availability. You will be miles ahead if you you can either adapt components or go aftermarket with items like brakes, springs, etc--oh, and don't even mention the vertical mount stereo! Small parts on those cars can nickle and dime you to death in a hurry, so be prudent with that and spend the bulk of your resources on the engine and tranny swap. Since I'm a Z guy, I don't have links to converted Roadsters, but if you look you'll probably find some. I wish you the very best of luck on a guaranteed fun ride! Don't feel like an outcast--this place is strictly non-conformist. We can appreciate just about any hybrid! The ricers won't have us because we're too old school RWD and many of us like V8's. The purists hate us because we "cut" up good cars and bastardize them with American engines. Guys that have V8 RX7s, like Tom Colsher, hang out here once in a while, and we always get some guys with other kinds of swaps. All are welcome as far as I'm concerned. So, kick back, grab a brewski, and fire away! Good Luck! David [ June 06, 2001: Message edited by: DavyZ ]

Nothing like getting an exhaust done and enjoying the benefits of having emissions go out the back instead of in the car! I have two mufflers on my system (it's together but not on the car yet) a straight thru Borla and then a big Dynomax in the rear. There is supposed to be no resonance with this kind of setup. Hopefully, it will be everything it is supposed to be! David

I think most any bar you can put on the side would help. The "side impact protection beams" that cars have nowadays are not as thick or as strong as a roll cage side bar--they do make up for a lot of that in length (a shorter bar is a stronger bar in that it will not bend as easily). If 280Z doors would interchange, I probably would do it. Sometime, pick up a 240Z door and then a 280Z door. BIG difference. My brother was in his 510 and was T-boned by a Ford LTD. Car was totalled and he bumped his head on the side glass giving him a slight concussion, but the Recaro seat was what stopped the Furd (with the pointy front end) from going futher inside the car. Those Recaros have that steel backbone and have tremendous rigidity. Too bad they are sooo expensive for nice ones. Had the Ford been going faster, the next best thing would have been a diagonal from a roll bar on that side. Just food for thought. David

Maybe a Nissan dealer or a glass shop could verify that. I bet they are interchangable.

No, that was someone else--I had the leaky rearend remember? No biggie, but not me.

I really don't recommend chroming--it's easier to take care of (all you do soap up and hose down), but the actual job they do for that price is marginal IMO. A wheel does take a certain amount of abuse, but if I'm buying new wheels, I want them to look perfect. When I had the customer's wheels chromed, they were "ok" but not "perfect" like you would get from a wheel shop that is supplied their chrome wheels from the manufacturer. Polishing looks even better IMO, but I think it has to be similar (or maybe even more) in price due to all the labor involved. Just my opinion. David

Sorry about "sick" humor--but sometimes you just gotta laugh. Lone, I hope it was not at your expense! I swear I had no incling it was for real. Ouch! Sincerely, David

For a Honda, that little car is very impressive. I'm surprised at a price of "only" $6000 for that kind of horsepower out of a small engine like that. I happen to think it'll cost much more... I say this with all due respect: $6000 for 11's with the Honda or $6000 for space travel with a V8. I say that tongue-in-cheek, but a V8 can make gobs of power with that much money. I guess it comes down to how much a person wants to spend and what appeals to them. No offense on the comments--I'm just a V8 kinda guy I guess... David

Len, I have the phone number to a place in So Cal that does chrome plating and charges a very reasonable fee of about $110/per wheel and that's not including shipping. That's cheap! I checked around a bit for a customer who wanted his factory wheels chromed and that's what I came up with. If that's to rich for your blood just have them polished--that's probably cheaper and will never flake off. Call me if you want the phone number for the chroming place. David

Wait, you've done which one? Taking the heater core out, or having nurse Ratchet ram the sigmoidoscope up your anus? Sick inquiring minds want to know! Let's start a new thread! Sorry, Lone, I just couldn't resist David

Duh! Yeah, now I realize that...The 4cyl turbo actually sounds good if it can be made to go to 350hp easily. I like V8's, though. Heavier than the 4 cyl for sure, but lotsa torque and decent hp. I'll have about $1800 in my 350-375 hp V8 (realistically) when I change the heads. It should move a 240Z very easily IMO. David

Hasn't Stony done the swap? His car is a BEAST with that Turbo engine from Japan. Hoover also has a strong 600+ hp turbo engine in one of his many Z's, but I'm not sure which one it is. Jeromio: The cost of many V8 related parts is dirt cheap in comparo to the 6. Many mods I would do to both regardless of which engine I would run: bigger radiator, urethane engine mounts, R200 or R230 rear...Some costs stay the same: A single exhaust for example is fine with a V8--I've already bought one for mine. Not dumping on what you said, but there's so much to consider, I'd be hard pressed to say a V8 conversion is more expensive. As Evan said: "it's whatever your bag is, baby." I like turbos, but I'm impatient to learn all that stuff and I can figure out n/a V8s very easily; I'm so comfortable with them. Jeromio, you've done a heck of a job on your car and have a great website; you'll do fine in whatever upgrade you choose--I'm sure David

Scott, I agree with you on the manuals that say "oh, just do this," and then tell you to do the reverse to button it up. Details are lacking sometimes. The Precision is cheaper than Nismo, but some guys in the forum have a difficult time closing their doors. As far as the window weatherstrip--that should be ok from what I have gathered. I wish you well and hope others will chime in. I've never replaced glass, but the pros make it look so easy, I'm almost willing to give it a shot. David

Scott, are you going to put in new glass or just use the old glass? If you replace weatherstrip, many members of this forum will tell you that geniuine Nismo parts are the way to go. Although everyone is open to new and cheaper sources! [ June 04, 2001: Message edited by: DavyZ ]

No, the Datsun guages are relatively accurate. What bugs the heck out of us is the wiring in Datsuns is no less than Tom Foolery. For example, a Z will not start if the tach is not hooked up--what kind of logic went in to that? This may sound strange, but I'm probably going to use the stock guages with a white face plate from Ideal-Z. David