Project sbc 280z drift car

[Sworddylan]

Hey guys, I've had this 76 280z for a while now, just sitting in my back yard, and I finally decided what I want to do with it. I'm going to build a cheap drift car. I originally picked it up for only 300 bucks, it's a 67000 mile car, but it has rust in the roof and hasn't run on 13+ years.

 

My plan so far is to find a cheap 350, and run a stock bottom end, with some vortec heads. Along with a t5 gm trans. Weld the rear end, cut the stock springs, or get some lowering springs. Maybe swap bars, go thru the brakes and fix the roof.

 

What does everyone think of this, good plan? What should I change? Also, I've read there's a few different gm t5s. What vehicle do I need one out of so the shifter will line up?

[SleeperZ]

What about the shallow steering angle of the Z?  Modding the front suspension for greater angles is probably the biggest challenge.

[NCchris]

What about the shallow steering angle of the Z?  Modding the front suspension for greater angles is probably the biggest challenge.

Didn't this question just come up? Last week? Including all the answers? We need to do a better job searching!

chris

Edited November 1, 2013 by NCchris

[ARiskyCvt]

Cheap +s31 = crap. Plan sounds weak. Are you already planning on putting a lot of decals on? It'll make more smoke when drifting on a welded rearend. Change the front to drum brakes as well for better handling. Maybe put a Ferrari engine to the rear hatch to correct the steering angle and wieght distribution. As far as the shifter hole, cut a 2 feet by 2 feet in the transmission tunnel to make itit perfectly right. Hope this helps on saving your money.

[RebekahsZ]

You asked what we think of this plan, so here goes:

The early Z is not a good DRIFT car.  The front end setup is all wrong for the high steering angles that you need to really hang the tail out-wide tires rub on the T-C rod.  A 240sx is better for that.  If the lower part of the body is not rusty, you should probably try to sell the Z to buy a different car that has better drift potential, otherwise you will spend a lot of money and basically waste both your money and a chassis that somebody else could use.  On the other hand, the Z does make a fun drag racing car.  It is light and has a large engine bay for engine swaps.  The rear axles are the weak link in the drivetrain, but if you run an automatic even the stock rear driveline will hold up pretty well until you start making some serious horsepower.  The girls at the drag strip are usually fatter and they are usually non-Asian and dental care is optional, but the beer is cheaper and you can drive drunk, so long as you stay in your lane.  Even with the drunks, wrecks are much more rare than in drifting (which is really just glorified smash-up derby), so your car can last for decades, so it is cheaper.  Hope this helps. I would make a drag car out of it if it were mine.