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what engine to use?


cameraobsess

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Originally posted by cameraobsess:

chevy 350 or 400 (like the ones in the old caprices basicly 350s bored outto 400) anyways im not sure what way im going to go but my main idea right now is to start with a 302 and eventually add twin turbos to it rockon.gifhail.gif let me know what you think about these ideas.

The 400s were a block, a truck block with a different crank/bore. You can however bore/stroke a 350, most I have ever heard of for a street car 350 is 422 cubes. LS1s are up to 432 now, but super strokers are pretty costly (lots of block clearancing work, reworking the sleeves). 383/396 is a cheaper Chevy, or again the 400 block, if you choose to look hard enough to find one.

 

A Ford 302 is tempting though, I just haven't found info on how people are sticking them in though, and I am not a Ford guy so I am at square 1.

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yea i have just been learning about the 400 block. like i said earlyer in this subject i was told wrong about them. when i started this post all i knew about them was that my friends 1972 chevy caprice has oneand my god that engine has power i love that car. the low end torque is the best part of it on his engine. i think that would be a fun engine to put in a z car but once again i think i am going to be trying to make this thing nice and light and try to give it good balance and for that the 302 is just better.

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The Fords also sound awesome (even though it still hurts a little to say that smile.gif ).

 

I wonder if they are small enough to put off the shelf shorty headers in there, if so that would be yet another big +. Otherwise I had plans to take block huggers and try to stretch them out.

 

With the T5 and 302 being under 600 pounds, yet another plus! Yet another item on the agenda is find out how to program the damn things, I do know a Mustang dyno shop in San Jose (or was it Santa Clara) in case you need to get some dyno time, I imagine that most of the Ford stuff is EPROM (removeable chip, not re-flashable).

 

Donor 5.0 cars can be had for around a grand if your lucky smile.gif

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yea the weight is a big plus. i still dont know what im going to do with for headers, i know that because atleast with the ford blocks there are problems with getting them to fit. i will have to think of something there. as for all the fuel injection stuff i think for now im going to go carburated so i wont have a chip. im mainly doing this because of money. as it is im not sure when im going to start the project and even when i do start it its going to be in stages. anyways im actually kind of the same way with fords im more a chevy guy when it comes to other cars but with zcars the fords just my choice.

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The cadillac 500 in a 280z is almost done. A person calling himself racingator on http://www.500cid.com/frames.html

has just posted that the engine is in but the drivers side exhaust has to be in the front. Another problem is that it needs a 3.08 rearend to run a full 1/4 mile but his local dragstrip is only 1/8 mile.

 

Here is the post

 

have been twisting, prying and pushing my 76 500 into a 77 Datsun 280Z. It's still a long way from the street, but the motor is in the car, with homemade(but good-looking) aluminum elephant-ear type mounts. The pass. side exhaust manifold wouldn't work, so I had to run 2 driver's side manifolds. The one on the pass side had to be turned around backward with the opening facing the front of the car. I have a good friend that works at an exhaust shop and he looked at the set-up and said he wouldn't have any problems with it. He's going to come off the Pass side manifold, run the pipe right behind the crossmember and join both pipes with a 2 into 1 pipe (no room for duals) There's enough room there that he's confident he can do a quality job on it. I had to use an Eldo pan. I've done two Mustangs and they were so easy that I thought about selling the Z and doing one for me. At one time I was e-mailing Dan and he basically told me not to get discouraged and to 'press on" Well I'm not there yet, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel:>) Looking at the car now, I can see that there's room for Sanderson block-hugger headers. Would they be a lot better than the manifolds? The motor isn't anything special, a stock 500 with 425 heads and an Edelbrock intake. I'll limit my nitrous to 125 hp. The car weighs between 2800 and 2900 with driver, so it should be a fun little ride until I have to start buying IRSs Thanks for all your help guys, I'm sure I have more questions coming:>)

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Guest Anonymous

What about the 289? do you still have you problems with the oil filter and such with that one? I dont know much about these engines but I just thought id ask.

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Originally posted by Jeotep:

What about the 289? do you still have you problems with the oil filter and such with that one? I dont know much about these engines but I just thought id ask.

Yup. Externally, it's hard to tell a 289 from a 302. Oil filter is still in the same place. Remote oil filter kits are inexpensive and a nice solution to this problem. That way you can put the filter wherever you want it.

 

Gene

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