80LS1T Posted April 22, 2003 Share Posted April 22, 2003 Just how old are you and what experience do you have for autocrossing? Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZROSSA Posted April 22, 2003 Share Posted April 22, 2003 tt350, This project sound like it could be a lot of fun, or a nightmare. You should try to find Rod millan. He is in cal. might not be close but i am sure it would be a worth will trip. He is the man who made the pikes peak celica's and trucks. His brother, Steve raced 300zx's with imsa gtp engines in them. If i were in your boat the first thing i would do is find a trans set up that will work with the power you want. If you are going to want to do 4 wheel drive now is the time to plan for it. If you dont then when the time comes you will have to re build the whole front end of your car. The problem with most of the 4 x 4 set ups is that they put the engine forward and high. You dont want this. You need the front diff and drive shafts to be in front of the engine, not under it. The only cars i can think of that had this set up are the for escort cosworth (europe only, hughly expensive trans set up) Millans pikes peak car/truck, and a couple of the old style DTM cars. The Opel calabra come to mind. This had a interesting set up where the centre diff was behind the engine and it ran two drive shafts forward on the side of the engine block. One for each wheel. I was reading a car mag about a 4 x 4 holden thats coming out this year. It is said that it is using a set up that was designed for a new caddy model ( yet to be released) that sounds like the calibra set up. I know its designed for the LS1 to bolt up to it . It might pay to wait 4-6 months and find out whats what. Even if have to buy a whole brand new car its cheeper than the race units. Anyway, Have a look around at different 4 x 4 set ups. There is a lot to learn. Cheers Douglas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tt350 Posted April 23, 2003 Share Posted April 23, 2003 Ya, I have decided to drop the AWD (YAY!) I have done this after a whole night of research yesterday, and there is too much money involved, and with enough meat in the back, I think it will be fine. Thanks ZROSSA for that post. I am 19, and I autoX'd a coupla of times. I have however owned a BMW m3 and road raced it. Alot. To the point of destruction. lol. (Didnt crash, blew the engine and decided to sell it). By the way, GT3 is for ricers man, dont diss me alright? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZROSSA Posted April 23, 2003 Share Posted April 23, 2003 Glad I could help. Anything can be done if your pockets are deep enough. There are lots of ways around the chassis issues as well. You dont have to build great big tube frames. Try to do some research on some of the older race cars like the early lotus' (6 - 28 i think) and other cars from that era. They all run space frame chassis with a metel skin as a structural member. You could kind of reverse enginer this in to the z chassis using the original chassis as the structural skin. Its said that the z is week behind the firewall and behind the seats so it wants to bend like a banana. So you want bracing that will stop this from happening and to tie in the suspension mounts to it. I am thinking about using the trans tunnel to stop the flexing. I will make a mini space fram that attaches to the firewall, trans tunnel, diff mounts, and the top of the rear struts. It will also need to go through the fire wall and pick up the front struts. This is called a backbone chassis. We talked about it in previous posts so you might want to do a search. This type of structural inprovement will not help you if you crash but its bloody light. You could add to it by running more tube along the sills and then bringing it up to join the strut tops in front of and behind the doors. You can make this even stronger buy riviting ali. pannels to the space frame so you really end up with a double skin. This is not the way to the strongest z in the world but it will solve the problems and be easy to make. ( i hate making roll cages) Its could also be almost invisable. A bit of carfull carpeting and not many would tell the difference. Thats the bit I like. A roll cage is a bit of a give away. Cheers Douglas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peej410 Posted April 23, 2003 Share Posted April 23, 2003 Ya' date=' I have decided to drop the AWD (YAY!) I have done this after a whole night of research yesterday, and there is too much money involved, and with enough meat in the back, I think it will be fine. Thanks ZROSSA for that post. I am 19, and I autoX'd a coupla of times. I have however owned a BMW m3 and road raced it. Alot. To the point of destruction. lol. (Didnt crash, blew the engine and decided to sell it). By the way, GT3 is for ricers man, dont diss me alright?[/quote'] im 21 and im building my own car completely self taught in everything even welding, ive had no help from my family or anything so i know what its like have lots of ideas but no means. GT3 is for anyone that likes to play playstation not for ricers, i appologize if you took it as an insult, but it sounded as if this was all hot air, if you need anything fabricated and your local give me a hollar - pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tt350 Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 I do need a lot of fabrication, but im not local, lol. Thanks anyway Pete. Say, whatya got goin for your Z? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peej410 Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 i crashed it bent the frame and alot of sheet metal , so i bought a mig taught myself to weld, made a new frame up front, made subframe connectors and bent up new floors, for now its getting a stock chevy 350, upgraded brakes and stock suspension, i want to out it together without all the bells and whistles so that ill still have things to upgrade later on, so as not to lose interest in it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allisontech Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 My last z was a back half car,unless you are going to do some serious racing,you will be amazed at how much power the stock front of a Z can take with some bars from the roll cage to the strut towers. With a small block 434 chevy my 280 went 8.98 in the quarter at 152mph. It was on the ragged edge of being safe, so this is why I am building my current full tube chassis 240 Z. This car will have a blown 496. I would not recommend a kit form set up,have the chassis custom built and your leg room will be much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_hunt Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 Post some more detailed pictures of your project would you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allisontech Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Any certain items you would like pics of? Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_hunt Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Anything you have actually. I think it would be valuable to have so that myself and others can see what you've done. I would appreciate it. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Same here. BTW way to raise the dead ;> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allisontech Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 I'm real new to the thread deal do you want me to post them here? Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 I'd start your own thread in the chassis section with lots of pics. you can host pics on photobucket.com or here on hybridz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allisontech Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 I will post in chassis section. I hope this link works for photo bucket. Thanks for the help. Bill http://s289.photobucket.com/albums/ll202/ALLISONTECH/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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