brucevilanch Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 what's up guys? i've been trolling these boards for a few months so i finally decided to post something. i am the proud owner of a 1992 Z32. I bought it from a co-worker for $800 because it was his parts car for his 92z. the only thing he ever took out of it was some electrical stuff and other mostly minor stuff. The original engine is blow up in it but the 5 speed is still good(which i'll probably just sell back to him) and the interior and body are both straight except for the front right fender. It only has 140,000 miles on it too. So, i lucked up on the perfect car for a 350SBC swap. i started the body work today because i'm going to paint it before start building the motor. i'm an auto-tech and work for a privately owned shop and have access to the shop on the weekends(which will be mainly when the work will be done). anyways, you guys do a great job on here and i'm really looking forward to swapping ideas back and forth with you guys and reading the ridiculously (already) useful information that you guys have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
310z Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Welcome to the site. Enjoy the ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOTHALOSISM Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 What 350 are you going to use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucevilanch Posted May 23, 2011 Author Share Posted May 23, 2011 What 350 are you going to use? i'm going to use a standard "built" carburated 350. i was thinking about making it a stroker but for the money it's not really worth it.i would go LT1 or LS1 but i'm really going for simplicity. i also think that i posted this on the wrong forum. hahha it probably should have been on the gen3 and gen 4 forums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsicard Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 i'm going to use a standard "built" carburated 350. i was thinking about making it a stroker but for the money it's not really worth it.i would go LT1 or LS1 but i'm really going for simplicity. i also think that i posted this on the wrong forum. hahha it probably should have been on the gen3 and gen 4 forums. There is no advantage to the LT-1 or LSx over the Gen I Small Block Chevrolet 350. If the 350 needs to be rebuilt it costs little more to bore and stroke it to a 383 cuin. It is the cylinder heads, camshaft, pushrods, rocker arms and induction system that make the real difference. With the proper combination of upper end parts, displacement for displacement the Gen I matches the LT-1 and LSx engines. It all comes down to the performance of the components. More performance = more money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucevilanch Posted May 23, 2011 Author Share Posted May 23, 2011 There is no advantage to the LT-1 or LSx over the Gen I Small Block Chevrolet 350. If the 350 needs to be rebuilt it costs little more to bore and stroke it to a 383 cuin. It is the cylinder heads, camshaft, pushrods, rocker arms and induction system that make the real difference. With the proper combination of upper end parts, displacement for displacement the Gen I matches the LT-1 and LSx engines. It all comes down to the performance of the components. More performance = more money. yeah, i totally agree. based off my loose estimate so far, i'm looking at spending around 2500-3000 just on the rebuild of the 350 including the machine work and possible a different set of heads.. i'm planning on using a t-5 transmission or a t56(if i'm lucky enough to find one that's reasonably priced) so my biggest questions are, what rear end do people generally use and do people just use the stock rear and have a use a chevrolet drive shaft that's cut to length with a nissan style yoke? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucevilanch Posted May 23, 2011 Author Share Posted May 23, 2011 oh yeah, i'll be posting pics tomorrow of the car. I'v just started work on it so you guys can really see what i'm starting with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucevilanch Posted May 24, 2011 Author Share Posted May 24, 2011 here you go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsicard Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 yeah, i totally agree. based off my loose estimate so far, i'm looking at spending around 2500-3000 just on the rebuild of the 350 including the machine work and possible a different set of heads.. i'm planning on using a t-5 transmission or a t56(if i'm lucky enough to find one that's reasonably priced) so my biggest questions are, what rear end do people generally use and do people just use the stock rear and have a use a chevrolet drive shaft that's cut to length with a nissan style yoke? I went with a R200 from a Turbo 300ZX. It is a Clutch Limited Slip Differential (CLSD) with 3.7 to 1 ratio. Then purchased Turbo 300ZX CV half shafts and beefy stub axles from Modern Motorsports. Shortened all 4 struts and installed adjustable coil overs and Koni adjustable shock inserts. JTR has the parts for assembling the drive shaft to the R200. Need the yoke at the back of the transmission. T56s are expensive. A T5 in good shape may be a better choice and much less expensive than a T56. I have a T56 and in retrospect a T5 would be nearly as good. The right ratios in the differential and T5 are important to the usage of the car. The more involved you get the more expensive it becomes. Cheaper for street use. Expensive for race purposes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamikaZeS30 Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Depending on what ratios are already in the back of that car, you'd probably be just fine with what's already in it. Like rsicard, I also run a stock Nissan R200 behind my built 383, it seems to do the trick. You're working with a shortnose 4 pinion in that car, already, IIRC. So, really it comes down to what rear end ratios you want. I run 3.55s with a '87 Camaro T-5. Excellent pull in 1-4 and a smooth ride at 1750 on the freeway between 65-70mph. The Z32 is considerably heavier than the S30, though, so you'd probably want 3.73 or numerically higher if you're looking for acceleration. The T56 with a 3.73 or 3.90 would be a good match, considering it is a double-overdrive 6th transmission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucevilanch Posted May 24, 2011 Author Share Posted May 24, 2011 yeah, i was going to buy rear end out of a turbo car from Z1 motorsports so it's good to hear that they hold up.i'm still a little lost though on the whole drive shaft thing. Are you guys getting made to custom length at the machine shop or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsicard Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 yeah, i was going to buy rear end out of a turbo car from Z1 motorsports so it's good to hear that they hold up.i'm still a little lost though on the whole drive shaft thing. Are you guys getting made to custom length at the machine shop or what? The custom made drive-shaft is a certainty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucevilanch Posted May 25, 2011 Author Share Posted May 25, 2011 The custom made drive-shaft is a certainty. i've been pondering the thought of trying to mate the original vg 5speed with the 350. have you guys seen an adapter anywhere to do that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malicious Intent Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I am actually going to be doing the exact same thing with my z32. We have 4.10 gears in the rear, so I would personally like the t56 for that extra gear. But they are a pretty penny, so I am also considering just trying to mate the current 5-speed to the 350. But I hear there's actually quite a bit that goes into that, and if anything is off even slightly it could go badly. Now if you are wanting to make a monster machine out of this I would be skeptical about the t5. From what I hear (I have never owned one so this is just what I have heard around) the t5's will buckle under even mild builds. I believe I read somewhere that they are only rated to a MAX of 300 ft/lbs tq. Now if you are just building it to be a quick daily driver, then it should be fine. But I hear the t56 is good up to 400-450 ft/lbs tq, so if you are looking at power then that's what I would go with. I'm not too sure what our 5-speeds are capable of, but I'm sure a little searching around can give you an idea. What are your plans for your 350? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOTHALOSISM Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Find a 88-92 WC T5, they are stronger than the pre 88 t5's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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