Guest BigWhyteDude Posted March 15, 2003 Share Posted March 15, 2003 i was just wondering what kind of mechanical training or education the average hybridz user has in working with cars. I am a highschool senior this year and have taken our automotive suvice tech. class for the past 3 years. I really love the class and i think its something i want to do when i graduate. Anyway, how many years of experiance do all of you people have with cars? I want to do a datsun sbc conversion but i feal that my skills are lacking in some very important areas. MY teacher is probly one of the best mechaics that ever lived. He has been doing it for thirty some odd years. He even build dirt track and assfalt track race cars. I really wish i had another year or 2 to spend with him in the class but i cant. I want to know what skills are required to do an sbc swap. Sorry guys if it seams like i am rambling on but i have been up putting an amp and sub-woffer in a car a good part of the night. Which we found out the amp was blow. grrrr. Ok thats it ill say no more for now. l8er and thanks for the info in advance. "theres no if, ands, or buts about it, Fords sucks" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BigWhyteDude Posted March 15, 2003 Share Posted March 15, 2003 dang i cant spell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dp351zcar Posted March 15, 2003 Share Posted March 15, 2003 I was going to give you some advise to help you until I read the last line, "ford sucks". Now I will just say, open your mind up because there are many ways to get a job done. I won't build a chevy because everyone and their brother has done one by the time the 70's had gone by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jwink25 Posted March 15, 2003 Share Posted March 15, 2003 A small block Ford has a better weight ratio. The 5.0 engine has tons of cheap power adders out there. Don't be so qucik to dis Ford. The 5.0 can be a very fun engine. If you want to do the Chevy swap there are places that sell conversion kits. So, if you have basic automotive skills, I would think that you would be able to do it. Give JRT a call, they sell the swap kits and have a manuel on how to do it. Good luck. I was going to do the small block Ford swap but am going turbo for now. Once I get my 240Z running I will look for another Z car to do the small block Ford swap. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 15, 2003 Share Posted March 15, 2003 Car buffs persue a hobby that is a lifetime interest. All street skills come at the expense of "TIME" invested in each current interest as it becomes necessary. Planning, design, fabrication, fitting, welding, painting etc., all come with time. Just get in there and whale away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 15, 2003 Share Posted March 15, 2003 DP351; Give us a break and share your general comments here. You have a chance now to build character by deflating ego.....LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BigWhyteDude Posted March 15, 2003 Share Posted March 15, 2003 im not saying that ford absolutly suck they dont. They are a mother to work on though this is what i was refering to. I BigWhyteDude, being of sound mind and body, do hearby retract my former statement about Ford Motor corperation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BigWhyteDude Posted March 15, 2003 Share Posted March 15, 2003 i really want to know how much you people Chevy,FORD,and mopar guys know. This was my original intent with the post. I did not intend to offend anyone i was just asking a question. and am still asking that question. l8er. A slightly P.C. BigWhyteDude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randy 77zt Posted March 16, 2003 Share Posted March 16, 2003 ford sucks?i am a tech at a ford dealer for a living.if you want to know about my credentials i have been wrenching full time for 18 years.i have a california smog license,a 2 year college degree in electronics,ase certified master auto technician.difference between ford 4 chevy-both are 4" bore.its where the distributor is at.5.0 ford is a 3" stroke.350 chevy is a 3.5" stroke.experience in the auto trade is gained only by hard work .you are paid on a flat rate time system.if you screw up you are woking for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mr. Big Business Posted March 16, 2003 Share Posted March 16, 2003 To answer your original question, I have zero formal training in auto mechanics. I'm just a harry homowner with a lot of tools and not enough time. Before I started this project, I had never really worked on a domestic engine. I had, however, been a jeep guy, and installed my own lift kit, bumpers, brakes, etc. The great thing about these old Z's and the 350 SBC is that as long as you pay a reasonable amount of attention to how you took something apart, you can put it back together again. It's the stupid little questions that kill me, like, "How the hell do you mount the alternator using this crazy looking bracket from Jegs?" "Which way does the carb go?" and the grand prize insanity-inducing question for me is, "What size bolt goes in this hole, and is it metric or SAE?" Get the Jags That Run manual, and you should be fine. Henry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted March 16, 2003 Share Posted March 16, 2003 33 years as a mechanical engineer (my job) well over 140 engines personally built , (my full time hobby)mostly for other hotrodders(lost track years ago!) several race cars, both road racing and drag racing best door slammer (personally owned car)ET 10.25 seconds @135mph several other people have run faster with engines Ive built highest speed, 187mph (2 mile run in corvette road racer) but keep in mind I built engines for a part time job for several years to suppliment my income. and most of the engines built were and are for hotrodders/corvette nuts like myself basic corvette nut yeah Im still learning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BigWhyteDude Posted March 16, 2003 Share Posted March 16, 2003 thanks guys, this really makes me think about what i want to do. Like i said i really love working with cars but i dont have the tools to do any real work on a car. I mean i could build a motor if i had the tools money and parts but right now i dont. i really have no i dea where im going after high school but i want it to be somewhere in the automotive field. Do you guys have any suggestions? I do know that i want a 280z8 and i want to do alot of the work my self. man i wish i knew more about cars than i do. while im typing this out do any of you know what web site i can find any kind of motor mounts for an sbc in a 280z and a manule for the swap. Tanks guys im starting to feal at home already. l8er, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 16, 2003 Share Posted March 16, 2003 Big White; I been doing the street rod scene since 1951 when I was 19. I still can't do decent body work and my math never was so hot either. All the rest I can understand and perform well. The first good lesson I learned was to just go ahead and buy either new or rebuilt parts instead of flaking around with junk. The second was that if you want to be among the six front runners (Street or Track), make good friends with the fastest and learn from them (They will throw you a bone from time to time).....LOL. Third; Be ready with the cash and don't buy cheap unless you know the deal is clean and exactly what you want (Not cracked, warped when heated, not stolen etc.). Fourth: Beware of warped engine blocks. Always lay a known good "Straight Edge" in the Mains channel and accept no clearances for if it shows any gap already and you bore it and subject it to racing stresses, it will continue to warp until one day you will go somewhere for a short stop and when you try to start it, it will be locked up tighter than Dick's hat band!.....I could go on..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 16, 2003 Share Posted March 16, 2003 I'm betting that 90% of the people on here that are doing swaps are using the JTR (Jags that Run) setup. They've made a nice manual describing the swap using SBCs. They also sell the setback plates you are looking for, as well as transmission mount, and several other things. First thing I would do if I were you is fork over the $34 for the Datsun V8 Conversion Manual, read it once or twice, and then come back with more questions. Don't buy a bunch of parts from JTR until you know what you want to do. The only parts you ABSOLUTELY need from them are the setback plates for the motor mounts. Beyond that, it depends on what you want to do. Go to their site to order: http://www.jagsthatrun.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BigWhyteDude Posted March 16, 2003 Share Posted March 16, 2003 does anyone make a kit for th 79-83 280z's? and how much of a pain would it be to move the seats back about 3-5 inches im a somewhat big guy (6-4 300 pounds) i want to make sure that i can fit in the car befor i buy one. THere is a 78 280 z for sale here in town but the ppl that have it want 4500 for it firm is this a good price? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Thurem Posted March 16, 2003 Share Posted March 16, 2003 THere is a 78 280 z for sale here in town but the ppl that have it want 4500 for it firm is this a good price? I paid 300 for my first running 240Z, and I paid 250 for my present 260Z. For 4500 it had better look like it did in 78, before the first owner took possesion of it. Thure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72zcar Posted March 16, 2003 Share Posted March 16, 2003 If it a 78 z it may be worth 4500 bucks...anything is possible. if its a zx i don't think so best years are 70-73..after that its all downhill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 16, 2003 Share Posted March 16, 2003 For the kit do a websearch. For the fit: I wonder. Headroom might be a problem. If you look at the seat mounts you should see black plastic spacers about an inch high. These can be removed to lower the seat that much more. Leg room might be ok but shoulder room might feel too close. Moving the seat back (Relocating) is of course possible. Your shoulders might be a squeeze also. My Z makes me feel like I'm in a Jet fighter cockpit on the left hand side and I am 5'11, 150lbs with narrow ahoulders. If you can get your elbow out the window comfortably then that would help a lot but, I definitely cannot. Price; Way too much unless it is in pristine condition. Check all over for cosmetic flaws and under the hood which for that price should be squeaky clean and no older hoses etc. visible. While under there closely scan the inner fender fronts, brace across the radiator etc. for wrinkles or welding seams that are out of place and indicate repaired damage from a front end collision. Better than that, You and the owner go to the nearest garage and have a mechanic do a cursury inspection for a report. For a car that's all there and just not used anymore but apparrently kept up (probably half worn out), $1000.00 is a good deal if it runs out ok. Same car driven every day, $1500.00 max. is a good deal. Above all, look for rusted thru spots everywhere (paint bubbles also indicate rust coming). East coast cars have run salted roads in winter and are sent out here to die in the hands uf the unsuspecting public! Remember the seller tried to trade this in but they wouldn't give anything for it and told them to sell it privately and so..... Amenities: You need to consider these seperate and according to your desired tastes. If such is nothing to you then discount them, if you like then allow for them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 16, 2003 Share Posted March 16, 2003 Ya, in 20 minutes I can be standing beside a black '78 with rear window louveurs and no dents with the asking price of $500.00. I would have bought it "As is" but as noted in here..... Except for the late '69 and '70-'73's (Lighter weight and smog free), the bottom is out of older Z' values. Seems crazy but true. Just shop til' you drop boy or you be sorry! By the way, that black '78 been setting there for months! I paid $700.00 for a '70 240Z with no rust and all there but not running. However, it was exactly what I wanted and '70's intact are not so easy to find in stock condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BigWhyteDude Posted March 16, 2003 Share Posted March 16, 2003 the 78 has good paint but it might be orange pealed a bit i cant member the interior looks realy clean and in good shape it a 5 speed with alloy wheels its z and i am going to go look at it this week so ill get back to yall. i trust price quotes here more than nada or kbb so i shal return. l8er guys thanks a bunch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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