RebekahsZ Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 That's the thing. No matter what kit you buy, or if you make your own, there will be little things that need a little (or a lot) of tweaking. All this aftermarket stuff is imperfect. No two aftermarket headers turn out exactly the same coming off the jig. There is often 1/4" here or there that will require grinding, bending, dimpling, or actual cutting and re-aligning. I doubt you can find a set of those "group buy" long tubes unless somebody bought a set and just has them lying around collecting dust; that was a very limited production run. Some, but not all, of those headers had to have the collectors cut off and re-aligned to be able to fit a 240z. Before starting a swap like this, you should either know how to weld or have a good buddy who does. Go buy an electric cut off wheel, a grinder and a 3# sledge. Then dive in. Be patient. The quality of the finish will depend on how much patience you have. I bet I installed and pulled my motor 10 times before it was good enough for me and there are STILL things I wish I had done better/differently. I recently paid somebody $13,000 parts and LABOR to do the same swap on my truck. I wish I had done that myself. The swap on my Z turned out much better. But, at the same time, there is more room in a Z engine bay and I have zero accessories on the Z. And I plan to keep it that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackzpeed Posted February 15, 2015 Author Share Posted February 15, 2015 Point taken and thanks. Still hoping we can compile as list of what has and has not worked with various kits knowing full well that everything will need some measure of tweaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
str8pipez Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 A quote from str8pipes in the closed hawks thread.... "Got my engine mounts from Hawk's. Much beefier in person. I mocked them up on the engine as shown in the pics. JTR headers clear by a mile, FYI. Hopefully the steering / JTR header combo makes it ok. Parts are really nice overall." To bad we never got the outcomes of this install. I was wrong. The JTR driver side header cleared, the passenger side did not. I went back to the JCI mounts considering I already had the JTR headers and that combo works. Swap is nearly complete, tried to start it last night but had a bad injector leak so waiting to get some new o-rings and trying again hopefully tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackzpeed Posted February 15, 2015 Author Share Posted February 15, 2015 I was wrong. The JTR driver side header cleared, the passenger side did not. I went back to the JCI mounts considering I already had the JTR headers and that combo works. Swap is nearly complete, tried to start it last night but had a bad injector leak so waiting to get some new o-rings and trying again hopefully tonight. Thanks for the input. Good luck with the build.. Happy with the jci product overall? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Merrill Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 (edited) My CX Racing kit should be here in a few days. No one has used the kit yet so I though I would be the test pilot. There slightly I spent some time on the phone before ordering. The car in the video is a 240z. There trans mount seems to fit that tunnel just fine. I asked and they so it fits the 240z. There kit allows adjustment of the engine forward and backwards in 1/2" increments which is a bonus. Trans mount seems to be a solid design. I didn't order there headers for the kit because there anemic. There only 1 1/2" primaries on there what I would call mid length. I have a local guy who will fab up 1 3/4 Long tubes for 1000 plus material. It was -19 F today inside my garage and the 240V heater can't keep up. It needs to be warmer for me to work on it. I will report my findings. I will be installing a L33 in my 71 240z CX racings video of there kit in a 240z Edited February 15, 2015 by Ryan Merrill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Looks like the trans hangs down below the frame rails. Might not be that big a deal if you plan on a taller ride height. If you want it really low it might be an issue. Tough to judge by the angle of the camera, but that's what it looked like to me anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 I wonder how you get exhaust around that tranny mount? Looks good but takes up lotsa space in the tunnel. Go for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackzpeed Posted February 16, 2015 Author Share Posted February 16, 2015 My CX Racing kit should be here in a few days. No one has used the kit yet so I though I would be the test pilot. There slightly I spent some time on the phone before ordering. The car in the video is a 240z. There trans mount seems to fit that tunnel just fine. I asked and they so it fits the 240z. There kit allows adjustment of the engine forward and backwards in 1/2" increments which is a bonus. Trans mount seems to be a solid design. I didn't order there headers for the kit because there anemic. There only 1 1/2" primaries on there what I would call mid length. I have a local guy who will fab up 1 3/4 Long tubes for 1000 plus material. It was -19 F today inside my garage and the 240V heater can't keep up. It needs to be warmer for me to work on it. I will report my findings. I will be installing a L33 in my 71 240z CX racings video of there kit in a 240z Nice this will help confirm and/or deny suspicions about the kit. Thanks. Keep us posted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Merrill Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 If its junk, I will sure voice my opinions to everyone here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackzpeed Posted February 17, 2015 Author Share Posted February 17, 2015 Hey Ryan. You mentioned cx has headers for their kit but I haven't seen them on their site...... Where did you find that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackzpeed Posted February 17, 2015 Author Share Posted February 17, 2015 Never mind. I found it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Merrill Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Those header are 1.5". Im going to stick with the 1 3/4 sanderson ones. I would like LT's but I'm on a tight budget due to the costs of finding a T-56. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackzpeed Posted February 17, 2015 Author Share Posted February 17, 2015 Those header are 1.5". Im going to stick with the 1 3/4 sanderson ones. I would like LT's but I'm on a tight budget due to the costs of finding a T-56. There complete kit looks quite impressive with the full exhaust.... I believe it can be done cheaper but they appear to have a nice tight little product. I pick my complete 98 ls1 T56 Z28 up on Wednesday. My goal is to scavenge every part possible needed and sell off what's left. Waiting to see what I can recoup before I decide on which kit and what stage. I'm too late to the game to swap now as my local autoX season will start soon and I want to defend my current str class championship but when the season is over I hope to have all parts collected for a short swap time. I will watch your build closely. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 (edited) FACT - I have the dirty Dingos on my car and DID NOT touch the steering rack. I did take the pinch nut off the steering ROD, ground smooth and welded that shaft to the spline. I had to do this to get my drysump and other parts to work properly with the headers from the group purchase. They work well, but you have to be careful when welding the mount pedestals to the frame rails because the rails of the Datsun are so thin. You can check my build thread for pics. Mike Edited February 17, 2015 by Mikelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Oben Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 I have a really nice 240 (09070) that is all stock and too nice to cut up. But I got bored, so I bought another series one car (04798). I have had some time so been doing a bunch of research here and elsewhere. That being said, this is only opinion not fact. My plan is the JCI motor mounts, JTR headers (street car only) and cold air kit, CX trans mount as it stays in the tunnel which should help on clearance for exhaust. Bad dog rails and Zed floors. The car was a super cheap shell so long project coming. Had an LS1 in another project and loved it. JMHO, Richard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackzpeed Posted February 17, 2015 Author Share Posted February 17, 2015 Thanks Mike great information. Are dingo mounts both weld and bolt in??? I was under the impression that they were primarily bolt in from their web site. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Merrill Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 CX Racing kit arrived. Welds are very nice. Pieces look good. Only issue I see is that the transmission flangs is welded slightly off resulting in a 1/16 difference in mount being perfectly square. It may be designed that way. Not sure. Sending an email to CXRacing ro question them Trans mount Motor Mount Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Merrill Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 This is the piece that is slight welded off. I dont think it will be a big issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackzpeed Posted February 17, 2015 Author Share Posted February 17, 2015 Cool Richard.... Are you the same Richard Oben from Factory five cars....? I had a MKI FFR roadster with a 347 stroker that was a blast but like all good gear heads I sold it to pay down some bills and start another project.... My current Z, longing for the LS1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 The only design they have for the Zcar is a universal hotrod setup that requires the pedistal portion to be welded to the frame. check my build thread for some pics of the install. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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