First real Z build...and I could use help.

[cdscowboy]

Hey all. Hoping that this is the right part of the forums to post this sorta stuff in.

 

Anyways, I picked up a '73 Z about a month ago at the Portland Swap Meet for a steal. It had some of the parts for a V8 conversion, which is what initially sold me (as that's what I wanted to do eventually anyhow). Come to find out it was missing some key pieces...motor mount setbacks being one of them. Found another kit on craigslist and picked it up. Golden. 

 

The body is in pretty decent condition considering what I've seen when looking at other Z's for sale. Little rust, some hackjob metal work, but nothing I can't repair. I build hot rods for a living, so welding's no big thing. Brakes seem firm, as does steering.

 

I'll cut to the chase. I've searched, read FAQs, and would've ordered by now if Tokico wasn't having issues. I have questions - but first, my plan.

 

Chevy v6 out of a '94 pickup (father-in-law's - free!) with 200r4 trans.

Energy Suspension bushing set

ST sway bars front and rear

I WAS going to get that Tokico HP kit that's everywhere on the internets, but alas.

 

My questions:

Does this seem like a reasonable set up for a 98% street car? I have no plans to race or drag. Just want a driver that's got good, solid handling.

Since Tokico's a ways out, and I want to be on the road ASAP, what's another decent substitute? I don't think I need coilovers, and am a bit nervous about sleeving a brand new set of shocks. I was thinking KYB Gas-a-Just. Any thoughts and opinions are helpful. 

 

It seems like a lot of you guys set your cars up for the track, so it's hard to find info with a swap AND having it be a street car. 

 

Don't worry, I'll keep searching and reading. I've got my flamesuit on anyways.

[4.6StangRage]

Hey all. Hoping that this is the right part of the forums to post this sorta stuff in.

 

Anyways, I picked up a '73 Z about a month ago at the Portland Swap Meet for a steal. It had some of the parts for a V8 conversion, which is what initially sold me (as that's what I wanted to do eventually anyhow). Come to find out it was missing some key pieces...motor mount setbacks being one of them. Found another kit on craigslist and picked it up. Golden. 

 

The body is in pretty decent condition considering what I've seen when looking at other Z's for sale. Little rust, some hackjob metal work, but nothing I can't repair. I build hot rods for a living, so welding's no big thing. Brakes seem firm, as does steering.

 

I'll cut to the chase. I've searched, read FAQs, and would've ordered by now if Tokico wasn't having issues. I have questions - but first, my plan.

 

Chevy v6 out of a '94 pickup (father-in-law's - free!) with 200r4 trans.

Energy Suspension bushing set

ST sway bars front and rear

I WAS going to get that Tokico HP kit that's everywhere on the internets, but alas.

 

My questions:

Does this seem like a reasonable set up for a 98% street car? I have no plans to race or drag. Just want a driver that's got good, solid handling.

Since Tokico's a ways out, and I want to be on the road ASAP, what's another decent substitute? I don't think I need coilovers, and am a bit nervous about sleeving a brand new set of shocks. I was thinking KYB Gas-a-Just. Any thoughts and opinions are helpful. 

 

It seems like a lot of you guys set your cars up for the track, so it's hard to find info with a swap AND having it be a street car. 

 

Don't worry, I'll keep searching and reading. I've got my flamesuit on anyways.

 

I would not go with an automatic, slap a T-5 on there!  I have an automatic mustang and i love the car but i think i would like it better if it was a manual. Automatics are heavier and require more maintenance, they also deliver less power to the wheels. 

Just my .02

[cdscowboy]

While I'd love to have a manual, the auto is what's available to me and I'm all about just driving it. I'm not overly concerned with gobs of power.

[Pharaohabq]

Hey CDSCowboy, Welcome to Hybridz, I'm glad you own a flamesuit, You may need it, but so far you're doing fine.  We can help you with all sorts of information, But, we expect you to educate yourself too.  It's great you've got a plan, of what you want and it sounds like you're capable.   We love seeing pictures, So the more you can post the better, especially good pictures of what you're asking about.  Go download the FSM for the S30, that'll answer a LOT of questions.

 

Now for your suspension issues.  Well it sounds like you're set on the Tokico setup, but that may be some time out there.  Well that's fine. You just want something in the meantime. Well the stock suspension isn't that bad, though the springs may be a little saggy after 40 years.  What you want is the Tokico right? Well don't waste too much money putting something else together. I'd recommend just going to Autozone or someplace and buying the generic Gabriel shocks and struts for the car.  Obviously you can go with any brand, but OEMreplacement is good enough for a daily driver till you get the Tokico setup together.  You could pay to have the springs replaced, but that's more $ that you don't necessarilly need to spend.   I'd say keep your eye on the prize and get something that's "good enough" for now, till you can get what you really want.   You may have already seen some of the other suspension packages out there, like the AZCar coilovers.  There's a few other's that are worth looking at. 

 

As for your Engine swap: Since you know a bit about cars, I'm going to assume you know that a transplant like that is not all happy bolt on parts. You'll need to be familiar with both the Z and the S10 systems to make it work.  I'm not going to go into it, since you've probably got a good idea already what you need, but my advice is to take it one project at a time. Get the car running on the new engine before you spend money on any other parts. Without that, you'd be wasting your time and money.  So ignore all the suspension and such until after you have the new engine in place.  

 

Transmission:  Now I understand that the tranny is free, that's great.  But if your end goal is to have a T5 or better a T56, then you should look at what's going to be required for those. You don't want to cut up your tranny tunnel to fit the Automatic, if you're going to want to replace it later.  An Auto is fine for a DD, sure, but you'll be pulling out pedals and such to fit it. If that's not what you'll want in the end, then why go down that road?  A T-5 shouldn't be that hard to source fairly cheaply. Heck you may be able to make/buy an adapter to put the Stock S30 (upgrade to a ZX 5speed) tranny onto the S10 V6.  I know that's $, but these 40 year old cars will take some $ to keep running. So I'd suggest you look for a compatible manual tranny, and use that.  It'll save you a lot of retrofit costs down the road.  Don't forget to keep the driveshafts for both cars, since you'll need the yokes.

 

the 73' has an R180 Differential. That should be fine for anything the V6 can put out.  but if you want an LSD, then the Subaru Diff swap is a good swap

 

Fuel, The 73'  was carb'd, so you're going to have to  clean and mod the system for EFI pressures. There's a few ways of doing this, which you should be able to locate on this site.

 

Now it's easy to get bit by the "While I'm at it" bug, but try not to buy a lot of spare/replacement parts, such as interior or mirrors etc, till you get your Engine in, and running.  Swapping an engine isn't a minor job, as I'm sure you know. But with good planning you can complete it quickly. You just need to make a plan, and stick to it.

[cdscowboy]

Hey Pharoah thanks for the informative reply. I'm well aware of how newbs are perceived regardless of whether or not they've been on other boards before With that said, different boards organize and use different descriptions of topics, making it difficult to always know the right search terms. But I'll do my best.

 

I'm not necessarily set on the Tokico's, but they seemed like a step up from OEM replacement with a little bit of lowering, which sounds perfect to me. I enjoy a spirited drive as much as the next guy, but I don't need a car that I can't drive on the street comfortably. Plus the whole "all-in-one" kit has its appeal. If there's other setups that would fit this description, I'm all ears (as well as searching myself). I don't mind buying shocks/springs separately as long as I get good results in a reasonable timeframe. 

 

Boy, do I know about things not being happy bolt on, rainbows, butterflies, and reach-arounds. There's always work involved. 

 

I know the new engine runs and drives - it's still in the pickup (CK, not S10). I figure on transferring over all the ecm and associated wiring. Most of the Z wiring I'm assuming will be taken out. The trans was purchased separately, but is in good condition, and will get new fluid and gasket before it goes in. 

 

The only reason to do the suspension and bushings now is that it's easier to get to all the bushings without the motor (and weight) in there.

 

It already had a TH350 in it from the previous previous owner, so I'd assume the smaller-housing 200r4 will fit without too much hassle. As I mentioned in my initial post, I found a deal on another JTR kit, and that included a flange for the differential that makes the driveshaft 100% Chevy, albeit shortened. A coworker is giving me a driveshaft that he was about to throw out since it was taking up space. Hopefully the yoke is the same (should be). Just have to get that measured, shortened, and balanced. 

 

I do remember reading that that Subaru rear diff was a good swap. If I ever decide to get more power out of the v6, I'll give the diff some thought, but I'm not worried about it for now.

 

As far as the fuel system, I know I'll need an electric fuel pump. Are the stock lines sufficient?

 

Thanks for your help and patience. I'll keep on that search button. 

 

Here's a few pics as I purchased it, and the engine bay after a quick refresh in satin black. It ain't the prettiest, but it'll hold the motor just fine.