Guest chip Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 help.... I currently have a 240z with a 350 and a t-5 transmission. I am in the process of restoring the body and reinforcing it. Its about to go on the rotissorie... anyway, I originally planned to add a body kit, repaint, add wheels and put back in the same motor(about 275hp) with some shinny chrome and call it done. Well, Ive kinda been bitten by the HP bug. New plan, or at least its a thought. Buy a crate engine rated around 500 hp and drop it in. So my questions, what transmission would be the best to go with. What about the rear end? Price will be a consideration but for a wish list lets dont let it be a consideration right now. My mechanical skills are limited but a good friend is helping who has a lot of restoration experience as well as building fast motors so I'm in good hands. thanks, Chip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike C Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 A CV halfshaft equipped r200 clutch LSD should handle the power. IF you stay away from clutch dumps and drag tires. If your trans is a WC T5, you can have G-Force build you one capable of 600+ hp. See post in this section on G-Force. Either of the Tremec 5 speeds should be sufficient with the same caveats. Plan on spending at least $5000 to get 500 hp in a "crate" motor. I would look at the GM "fast burn" 385 which is not 500hp, but more than sufficient IMO. Most likely your T5 could hang with this combo as well if you just don't do clutch dumps and speed shifts. In other words, drive it like you own it. A more cost efficient swap is a complete low mileage LT1/T56 combo where you can get 300 wheel hp AND a transmission for about $3000. Less if you really shop and work it or consider a complete wrecked car and offset some of your expenses by parting out the wreck. 500hp is not a point where one should start me thinks, but work up to it mechanically and driving experience wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chip Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 thanks for the info. Your point is well taken about starting with a high HP car. However my other car has 441 at the wheels N A, plus maybe 75 more on the bottle, never had it on the dyno since adding the nitrous. So i'm kinda used to it I guess. Originally I bought the 240 to relive old memories, I guess. I had a 77 280z in 86 and really loved it, always wanted a 240. I bought the car more for show than go but you know how that is.... After finding this website and seeing some of the things that have been done with these cars I guess I cant be satisfied with just a good looking car. Also, I'm looking forward to doing the work myself (with the help of a friend). Will be fun to learn. thanks, Chip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudge Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 Its not just horsepower, its horsepower in a dinky little car that doesn't weigh enough to keep the tires planted. You'd also have to build the chassis up a good bit, considering these cars never made over 200 HP in thier lifetime in stock form, going around 4x what it was made to stand up to will just twist the car up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chip Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 I understand. I am planning on doing the subframe reinforcement like Pete Paraska details on his website. Also, I have ordered the S&W 8 pt roll bar as a starting point for strengthing the unibody. The rear struts will be tied together with the roll bar. Not sure about the fronts, possibly the PDK fabrications strut bar or something like it. Also I read in the chassis forum a post by Mikelly about taking the bars through the fire wall to the front struts, probably will do something similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 Look at the pictures of this Z on the ebay ad: http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=20058 People are dissing the car but I think the guy did a top notch job on the cage. If you look at the picture of the inside showing the door panel, you will see the cage bar coming down past the dash with a horizontal tube going forward from that. Then look at the picture of the engine bay and you will see two red tubes extending from the fire wall along either side of the engine that bend down to the frame rails. My guess is the tube under the dash connect to these tubes in the engine compartment. Combine that with the subframe connectors he made along the floor pans and he should have a pretty stiff chassis....for drag racing anyway. For road racing I would like to see somthing that triangulates the tops of the strut towers to each other and the cage in the firewall. The problem (as I see it) with just using a strut bar to connect the struts to the firewall near the hood latch is the weakness off the firewall. The firewall is just sheet metal at that point. Running a transverse bar inside the dash and making a V from that to the strut tops back would be vastly stronger. Also look how this guy intgegrated the subframe channels entirely inside the car rathar than underneath. Trick. Would be interesting to hear what Katman thinks about this cage. I know one thing he would complain about is the lack of a bar transversing the cage from footwell to footwell. There looks to be one on the underside of the dash, but it is probably too high for Katman's liking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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