dreco Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 After seeing your project through, what did you think of car when driving it? Was it more or less what you expected? I honestly havent driven my Z since 2006-2007. In that time, i've had the opportunity to drive some of the worlds greatest sports cars on and off track. i guess part of me is just worried that after experiencing that, plus the time and money invested, my Z will not be fun to drive as my perception was back in 2006 and i'll be left wanting. hard to imagine with 400+hp and 2300 lbs i know, but hopefully you all get the idea. As i'm getting closer to seeing this project through, it just kinda dawned on me.. "i hope after all this work, I like it" haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I think you will dissapointeed. I don't have a V8 z but I had a quick NA L6. I bought a 99 LS1 Trans Am as a donor and wow was it addictive. I'm in the same boat as you are right now, going to V8 or not to V8!? I really enjoyed the V8 torque. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLATA Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 My 2 centavos >>> I was very lucky that I got a well built LS1 on a super clean Cali Z , if there are no short cuts in the modification with high details on the work done, the rewards are like having great sex all the time with a fit , trim , clean and seductive babe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreco Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 My 2 centavos >>> I was very lucky that I got a well built LS1 on a super clean Cali Z , if there are no short cuts in the modification with high details on the work done, the rewards are like having great sex all the time with a fit , trim , clean and seductive babe hahah. well, i'm glad I didnt take the shortcut road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 (edited) Its like more having a young, Spanish wife. ie, high maintenance. Lots of fun, but these old cars are brittle. If you take it to shows and polish it a lot, you will enjoy it without much cost in time. But, if you hit that old chassis with the full capability of the LS motor, you will break stuff. Plan to have a relationship with it. If you treat it like a cheap whore, it will bite back. I love it. Why don't you post some of the other cars you've been driving and I will try to help you with some comparison. Edited February 25, 2014 by RebekahsZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Ummmm broken Spanish chassis treated like a cheap whore!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbrit Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I have owned four 240z, a 260z and 280zx. I currently have a '72 240z and I like the z for it's inline 6. Personally, I would not do it and I would not buy a Z with anything other than an inline 6, not even an RB swap. From a stock L24, you can get 200hp at the wheels and 300hp with an L28. I use to love the V8 muscle cars ...had a '70 GTO but a Z is sweet and much easier to work on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLATA Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I have owned four 240z, a 260z and 280zx. I currently have a '72 240z and I like the z for it's inline 6. Personally, I would not do it and I would not buy a Z with anything other than an inline 6, not even an RB swap. From a stock L24, you can get 200hp at the wheels and 300hp with an L28. I use to love the V8 muscle cars ...had a '70 GTO but a Z is sweet and much easier to work on. The OP is asking for opinions/experiences on V8 swaps . Let me add this to my take on the subject on hand, the positive rewards on these tin can Nippon GT's with V8 mills resides on a solid platform with the proven chassis reinforcements , selection of proven components that are vividly share on this forum . It all come comes down to $ and ingenuity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
78zstyle Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I rode in Dom's stock LS1/4L60e. He punched it while cruising and I don't think I've been more afraid in a car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 tuff z Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 LS1+ Tremec MT 6 speed. I've auto-x'd, dragged & tracked my car as well as 'spirited street driving'. Wouldn't go back to the L6 [mine was a supercharged L28 before the LSx swap]. Basically stock LSx swap into a z will run 12 flat in the quarter, run over 150mph and break loose the tires with a generous application of left pedal in 1st or 2nd gear [which is good for about 60mph]. Gets high 20's mpg on the highway, great low end torque and chevy parts are cheap. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 1 tuff z- are you ambydextrious? Cbrit- go put your smoking jacket, ascot, and cigarette holder down and grab a beer! There's a higher place for you in heaven, but in the meantime, I'm raising hell with my v8. Smoke 'em if you got 'em (tires, that is)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLATA Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 (edited) LS1+ Tremec MT 6 speed. I've auto-x'd, dragged & tracked my car as well as 'spirited street driving'. Wouldn't go back to the L6 [mine was a supercharged L28 before the LSx swap]. Basically stock LSx swap into a z will run 12 flat in the quarter, run over 150mph and break loose the tires with a generous application of left pedal in 1st or 2nd gear [which is good for about 60mph]. Gets high 20's mpg on the highway, great low end torque and chevy parts are cheap. AMEN , those are words that can only be emitted by an LSx/S30 addict Edited February 26, 2014 by PLATA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 I have decidedly mixed feelings. A V8 Z is a temperamental, fragile beast. It requires constant, incessant tuning. The chassis can be made firm (with copious welding), the suspension can be sorted out. But anything high-performance will require unrelenting attention. I'm lazy and careless. I don't want to be bothered to constantly be thinking about monitoring engine parameters, tuning, pulling out the screwdriver and tinkering with things. I want to mash the go-pedal and, well, just go. Oh yeah, and unlike 20 years ago, I want to be reasonably comfortable (not Buick cushy comfortable, but least 1980s midline sedan comfortable), not sitting in a stripped tin-can that's raucous, ferocious, rancid and loud. Short of dire emergency or mental collapse, I'll never sell my V8Z. But neither do I really enjoy it. It's a rolling lesson, a collection of experiences. I'll retain it as a sobering lesson. Was it worth it? Yes and no. It scratched an itch. It fulfilled a need. It answered a question. Would have I preferred to keep my Z stock? No, because stock was boring, and even the stock Z would by now have become tired and brittle and copiously needy of TLC. Where to go from here? I don't want a muscle car, or an exotic, or something too excessively optimized for doing just one thing. Honestly, I don't know what I'd get… maybe a C63 Mercedes, or a C6 Z06 Corvette. I definitely want something with a V8, but with fuel injection, air conditioning, a proper interior, double-digit gas mileage, something that I could drive while wearing a business-suit, without having a screwdriver sticking out my pocket. Maybe that's the price of getting older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLATA Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 (edited) I definitely want something with a V8, but with fuel injection, air conditioning, a proper interior, double-digit gas mileage, something that I could drive while wearing a business-suit, without having a screwdriver sticking out my pocket. That description fits my Z to a T, only driven on fair weather Edited February 27, 2014 by PLATA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miles Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 (edited) 72 240z with carbed 350 SBC crate engine, Camaro T5, Arizona Z springs Tokico struts, poly bushings. Dyno 240 RWHP so it is still a 240Z. This was my second 240Z V8 build. Car was a very clean stock daily driver for eight years prior to build. 200k miles. Two years planning and gathering parts. Assembled all parts before teardown. One year building including disassembly, paint and interior. Outsourced exhaust installation and door panel covers. The car was old-school pupose built as a daily driver with no computers or modern electronics to allow ease of maintenance. Lots of sound/heat insulation with thick carpets inside. Very nice, clean, quiet inside, daily driver. Sounds good with an attention getting lope at idle. Never get tired of driving it, but, like all things, after four years on the road the initial excitement has faded. I took my time planning the build so there were no disappointing problems. Recently the stock stub axles caused some garage time, but new axles from Chequered Flag fixed that. Now I just modify and try new things to fine tune the performance. Last year I experimented with the so called brake upgrades to see first hand how each "upgrade" performed: 240sx rear, Maxima rear, Toyota vented fronts, Toyota solid fronts etc. Did the math for each configuration. They are all unbalanced and suck. For cheap brakes the solid Toyota fronts with stock rear drums was not bad. So I am very satisfied with the outcome of the project with the exception that parts are becoming harder to get. Edited February 27, 2014 by Miles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Dreco - You've seen my car. We were at a meet one night in North Texas not long after I did my LS1 conversion. If I had known at the time you'd be going this way I would have given you a ride. That would have eliminated the indecision. Your results will be as good as the effort you put into it. My drive-train is still rock solid and the car pulls like a freight train. Since then I've upgraded both the brakes and the suspension so it stops and corners better now. Don't remember if I'd done the red/black interior when we met or not but I also did that and put in a nice sound system. Car is not only fun to drive but it's actually downright enjoyable. One thing - The AC system works but don't let the car sit out in the sun all day and then hope it will be cool anytime soon. The old Z's just weren't serious about AC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grayson260z Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 So to sum everything up. If you had a 260z a fairly low budget and a cousin with an aluminum block LS1 would you go with it over a VVT-I 2JZ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Grayson260Z - LS1 will be way cheaper. If you keep the electronic ignition and fuel injection it will be ABSOLUTELY reliable day in and day out and it will put about 325 HP to the rear wheels without any internal work on the motor. All the swap parts are readily available and reasonable in price. Compare the cost of Chevy parts and Toyota and you'll be surprised at the difference. Just plan the swap ahead of time and do it right and you'll be a happy camper. Michael - you obviously have a carburated SBC. I've had the LS1 in my car for 10 years and 35,000 miles. In that time I've changed the oil and filter annually, the air filter once, the plugs once since they were over 10 years old, and cleaned the MAF once. That, in my book is almost no maintenance at all over the 10 years. Oh yeah - I forgot - I had to replace the Datsun oil pressure sender because it was 35 years old and went bad. All my window and door seals were replaced when I did the build plus I dynamited the interior and installed a thick house carpet instead of the thin automotive carpet available. Is the car still fairly loud inside - yup - but I can talk over it easily and the 500 watt sound system drowns it out easily. Besides - with that motor under the hood I WANT to hear it as it runs up in the revs. It is such a sweet sound! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I think you will dissapointeed. I don't have a V8 z but I had a quick NA L6. I bought a 99 LS1 Trans Am as a donor and wow was it addictive. I'm in the same boat as you are right now, going to V8 or not to V8!? I really enjoyed the V8 torque. JSM - If you liked the way the TA went think what it would have been like if it had been 800 pounds lighter. Then you might have an idea of what an LS1 Z is like. If anyone has questions about the LS1 car just PM me. With 10 years and 35,000+ miles under my belt I have a lot of experience with the conversion. Oh yeah - I've also driven the car on the Texas Motor Speedway combination oval and SCCA infield track and on a few different 1/4 mile tracks. I will admit that I was not faster than a Ferrari Testarossa - but -in my last 30 minute session at TMS with a passenger on board I was the only car that he didn't pass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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