DavyZ

Kevin, I'm sure that bare minimum figure would be just keeping everything on the car bone stock...of course who can resist just some slight modifications...it's not too much more expensive for this one more mod, just one more mod, just one more...BOOM, there goes another $100, $200, $500...

It's not the name!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have you had the opportunity to grab a good Italian made steering wheel? I'm in the car business and I get to drive lots and lots of cars--stock, modified, etc. Guys at work here have the sig series Grant wheels in their pick ups and Dusters, etc. Having been around both, and having owned the Italian one, I'll pay a bit extra to go with the euro-made wheels; they feel better and look better to me. I'm done.

Kevin, you scare me.... Mike Kelly said he estimates a possibility of doing a conversion for as little as $2500. But can I, for example, just keep things simple? NO! I had to mess with the motor I bought; new cam & lifters, new intake, new carb, etc...Soon I was building a motor when I should have been building a car. To answer your question, you must ask yourself "what do I want to accomplish?" If you keep everything as stock as possible here are some estimates: 1) Car--could be good buy, could be a heap. Get one with a bad motor and for $500-$1000 your good to go. If it comes along... 2) Engine--stock Chevy V8 from 1970s maybe $500-$700 3) Tranny--T5 or 700R4 maybe $500-$1000 4) JTR kit $300, radiator from yard $75, hoses from yard (yes used) $50, etc etc. 5) Fabbed exhaust $300-$500; driveshaft $100 6) Now you could be in the whole thing for $2000 to $4000 pretty quickly without taking into account all of those little odds and ends that just start to add up. Apply the basic rule that you will spend double what the given estimate is an you're there... Go to Dave Booths website and see what his costs are... I'm doing things on a very moderate budget and I look for deals. I'm cheap because I have to be, yet I will still build this car. This site gives me constant motivation and I'm glad for all the great guys and 1 gal that participate. Just pursue the dream, but do it with a plan! David

I'm not dumping on the Grant steering wheels! Like I said, they have come a long way--and you are right, the signature series is beautiful, but when compared to some of the Momo wheels(with price taken out of the picture), I just can't help but choose the Momos. David

Please DON'T use the Grant wheel (no offence to those that have them), but I think they are much better suited to domestic product, not foreign cars. To be fair, Grant has come a long way, but the connotation of lesser quality still lingers in my mind--maybe yours too. My nicest steering wheel was an all black Personal wheel on my Datsun 510. Perfect size, shape, looks, etc. The Momo wheels look good, especially the Momo "Race" steering wheel. The "Monte Carlo" is one of the cheapest Momos and looks OK, but their other wheels look better. You could also try looking at Italvolante steering wheels. The riceboy magazines like Sport Compact Car and the like are great places for these things. Nopi sells the stuff at good prices too. David PS Pete, I'm sure you know that the steering wheel in your car is the centerpiece of the interior. I was always happy with my expensive Personal steering wheel and never had any lack of compliments.

Cool! That is a good price for that engine and will be plenty powerful for your ZX. I paid more for less engine (Camaro V8). You did well.

Owen, are your Hayashi's for sale? If so, how much? and does the size fit in the stock wheel wells--I would think this is a flared fender type of wheel only. Thanks, David

Thanks, Morgan, for looking that up--bummer! I thought that maybe they would have something for such a swap. David

Hey Evan, Kennedy Engineering (the guys that do the Porsche V8 adapters) has adapters for nearly every engine/tranny combo you could think of. I'm not sure of their url, but they are the ones to look for. Hope this info helps. David

Ask him why does nearly every racing team run with weld in cages??? I suppose if the heat was way too high it could weaken the metal, but a good MIG weld should never do that. David

Aviatorx: Cool your jets...read our posts again and ask yourself, "perhaps they were being friendly and only expressing an opinion in a forum that allows that type of thing?" Food for thought, Dude.

Choice parts for a very choice Z!

Aviatorx: As Lone said, we were only offering our opinions in a very friendly manner--I keep reading your post and ours over and over again and can't find anything flaming about them. This forum is for the expressed purpose to exchange opinions and information in a polite and friendly manner which we have done, period. Sorry if you took anything the wrong way. You surely are entitled to your own opinion (Go LS1, more power to ya!) as we are ours. Enuf said. Jamie T: WELCOME!! You will find this a great forum and cool to exchange ideas on. Your Vortec V8 swap sounds intense. Go for it! David

Aviatorx: Voicing an opinion about Z cars politely, which is what this forum is for, is different than soaking you in verbal gasoline and lighting a match. We were trying to offer ideas for cost effective alternatives--you are completely entitled to your opinion (more power to you, GO LS1!) but, my friend, so are we--especially when expressing it in a polite manner! Sorry if you thought otherwise. Jamie T: WELCOME! Your Vortec V8 sounds totally cool in a V8 install. As you probably have read, there is plenty of info for the Chevy swap (LS1 excepted) by JTR and most of the swaps have this kind of set up. Regarding drag racing Olds: they are fast and furious--I would live to do a 455 Olds swap into a Skylark or Cutlass. It would fit the wife and kids; the Z doesn't! David

Ditto to what Lone said. I would rather spend the money for those other trick parts mentioned on a non-LS1. JMHO David

Good question, Morgan. Even though the tranny is the "same T5" we have come to know and love, to the best of my knowledge the Chevrolet T5 calls for ATF, not gear oil. I'm sure that the company that modified Fast Frog's tranny had that in mind. I don't have a Chevrolet Factory Manual in front of me, but perhaps someone else can lend further insight to this. Any Ford guys listening in know what the Ford Factory Manual says about tranny fluid? David

OK, I just reread your post, Owen, and I see that the gap is between the two covers. AAARRRG! That is NOT what you want. Sorry, Man, but I don't know of any easy fix for that--it might be junk now. Bummer David

Owen, I almost bought one of these myself and now I'm glad I didn't! Is this the aluminum cover or the cheapie steel one made in a third world country perhaps? When you talk about the gap (small hole), I'm picturing it over a part of the cover that is NOT against a gasket. Correct? If so, Babe, you got problems. A cheapie solution would be to take the cover off again and plug the offending hole with JB Weld or something like it. If the hole is as small as you say it is you most likely won't have to trash it (unless you are Pete Peraska [it's a joke Pete!]) Bummer Dude! Try a good epoxy putty on the inside unless you feel that it is not worth the risk. Anyone else out there have different advice? David

Yeah, a red urethane mount would look cool! I took JTR's advice and purchased the stock units, but even with a dealer to dealer "discount" those biscuits were expensive. I think if I did it all over again, I would buy the urethane mount--a little bit-o-custom look never hurt anything. And as far as the possibility of increased vibration to the cabin, who cares! My cam will shake the car anyway... David

Welcome to the HybridZ forum!! Tony, first you do not have to purchase a kit per se, but you should at the very least purchase a Z V8 swap manual by Jaguars That Run (JTR). Read the book several times to get acquainted with all aspects of the swap and make an informed decision. Installing a Chevy 350 with Camaro T5 is a good swap and is the same build-up that I'm doing. Get the manual first, though, and look here:

As I suspected, the tranny was modified in some way and the guys that did it took everything into account. Fast Frog: How much did the mods cost you and what all did they do? What is the torque rating of your tranny now? Inquiring minds want to know! David

Although I have never chopped the top on a Z, I have seen one up close: it looked so good, it makes one believe the car came that way. The guy who owned the car said that he and a friend chopped the top--it was obvious they were either REALLY good and/or used a kit. VR ENGINEERING/REACTION RESEARCH has a kit for this. Some of the kits I have read about in the past use an MG top which is proven (I'm not sure if that's good or bad?). Hope this helps. David

In CA, cars that are 1973 and older are smog exempt. Oddly enough, if you read up on the legal discussions etc., you will find that the government is assuming that you are still leaving the emissions equipment in place. "Of course that's the sound of the original 6 banger, officer, I just have special mufflers!..." Seriously, though, no performance minded person in CA won't take advantage of enhancing or modifying 1973 and earlier cars simply because one can. My 260Z is an early 1974 car and still must pass smog even though it is nearly 27 years old!!!! David

Ah yes, nothing like a big V8 in a little car! Hey, Nion, you know that a JTR kit is pretty cheap (about $350) depending on what you purchase from them. I'm doing it piece-meal, which is not ideal, but doing it the best I can. I'm tired of the 6, but again, I'm doing the best I can with all bargain deals, a little horse trading and such. We'll all get there someday... David

There are at least 2 members that have shaved door handles--doors are actuated from the alarm remote or selenoid underneath the car. As for looks, it's awesome! Just depends on the amount of work you want to do. Many hot rodding shops and mail order places sell the kits to accomplish this. David