Guest Anonymous Posted September 6, 2003 Share Posted September 6, 2003 (new member) like the layout here.... anyway got a '81 zx... wanting to know the easiest block and tranny combo to use.. where i can get the kits?... what kind of suspension work is needed?... and how much is this gonna run me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nic-Rebel450CA Posted September 6, 2003 Share Posted September 6, 2003 up at the top of your window you should see a little row of buttons below where it says HybridZ.org in black bold letters. There is a "Search" button in the middle there. That's a good place to start. So is http://www.jagsthatrun.com/Pages/Datsun_Z_V-8.html/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 240Zduz10s Posted September 6, 2003 Share Posted September 6, 2003 "how much is this gonna run me?" this question can be answered with a definate.. "depends" depends on your skills , your tools, your money, your time, your knowledge on cars, your scrounging abilities, what motor you decide on etc... by far the most common is the carb 350with a turbo 350 trans but i would use the 200-4r or the 700-r4 over drives with the gearing available in the rear end. As far as cost goes also depends, prices range from 3000 to 30,000.. do a search!! there are thousands of pages of info here.. when you make a decision on your setup it will help us with answering your questions.. good luck and welcome aboard.. -Justin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 240Zduz10s Posted September 6, 2003 Share Posted September 6, 2003 jeez.. rebel beat me to it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greimann Posted September 6, 2003 Share Posted September 6, 2003 (new member) like the layout here.... anyway got a '81 zx... wanting to know the easiest block and tranny combo to use.. where i can get the kits?... what kind of suspension work is needed?... and how much is this gonna run me The easiest engine configuration is the LT1 style motor. Carbureted versions can fit too, but careful attention needs to be paid to hood clearance. The JTR system DOES NOT fit the 280ZX. MSA offers ZX kits, but if you are handy, save your money and do this basic fabricaton yourself. The kits don't really cover some of the more complex aspects of a conversion such as wiring, plumbing or power steering, so don't expect a turnkey system. Stiffer springs and shocks are advised to help control the extra power, but not necessary because of the motor itself. Expect to spend a minimun of $3000 if you are good at scrounging salvage parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted September 6, 2003 Share Posted September 6, 2003 $10, 000 and counting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustAFantaZ Posted September 6, 2003 Share Posted September 6, 2003 (long post) Yeah, $3000 sounds about right for a minimum stock V-8 swap. But stocker V-8 didn't cut it for me, no matter how good they make it look at JTR. I spent about $2,000 for the motor alone that had a Competition cam, and some decent iron heads. After burning it up, my friend mas28O hooked me up with City Motor Supply in Dallas to get some sturdy 4-bolt blocks for about $250 w/ core. Went through about 3 motors for various reasons, and I needed that connection. BEFORE I did the swap, I had already spent $1700 for body work and paint, about $1,000 for wheels and tires, and countless mega-bucks trying to get the inline-six to go fast which was mostly a waste. The best I ever got the six to go was probably low-15's, right about even with some stock 5.0's on the road at the time. Now having a mid to high 13-second Z wasn't enough for me. I wound up spending a lot more money on high performance parts like a Weiand Team G intake manifold, a Magnum 280 cam from Competition, a set of beautiful aluminum heads, Brodix Track I, Holly 750 carb, a performance HEI distributor from a local hotrod shop, gear reduction mini-starter. The heads alone, non-ported were $1400. The swap kit was a scarab kit and headers from Hooker Headers. I liked those headers, but if I had known about Mike Knell at the time, of course I would have chosen his kit. My first choice for a tranny was the 700R4, but those things never lasted in my car. Finally went over to the TH-350, burned out about 2 or 3 of them, until my friend got me his bullet-proof TH-350 with a nice shift kit. The stuff I probably saved money on was getting radiators and shrouds from the junk yard, using Pep Boys or Autozone starters, alternators, brackets, transmission coolers, electirc fans, K&N air filters, etc.. When I broke the half-shafts, going to the salvage yards for R-200's and shafts saved some dough I'm sure. My original Z was a 4-speed standard, upgraded to a 5-speed standard, so when I got the automatic, I used a Datsun automatic shifter from the junk yard. You need to get a custom cut Chevy drive shaft with flange to match the R-200( I hear they're using R-230's now out of Infinity's and ZX's? ). I also got an aluminum differential mount to stiffen it up a little bit. I got some Tokico 5-way adjustable struts for the rear, which was nice. Lowering springs didn't work out. Gas costs. At about 10.5:1 compression, I used 93-octane super unleaded, but it could have run on just unleaded I'm sure. On race nights, I would go to this one gas station which sold 100-octane VP racing fuel at the pump! About $2/gallon there, about double the cost back then. Later on, I added a 150-shot of NO2 ($400?), but that was only after everything else was working right. That bottle put me in 750cc sport motorcycle territory! On the motor, I easily beat Vipers, Corvettes, NOS and supercharged 5.0's, and any other four-wheeled car I came across except for those big-block hot-rods on the spray that had to be trailered out. Even then, I would give them a good run. And if I sprayed? Forget about it...C'ya!! Just taking a guess, I'd say I spent at least $7,000 directly related to the V8 swap. But that is SOOO much better than paying $80,000 or so for a Corvette or Dodge Viper, being in debt for 4 years, and then getting your doors blown off by a 25-yr old $1900 Japanese import with $7,000 in mods, right? And in front of your wife/girlfriend of the day? hehe Oh, and don't forget tickets! I had to get a lawyer to handle my numerous citations in court over the years. There's just something about a 400HP pocket rocket that can accelerate from 0-100 in the blink of an eye that attracts the attention of the cops and earns a reputation with them. I probably averaged about 2 to 4 tickets per year while I had the V8. BTW, is the 280ZX your only car? Do you have an MN-12 T-Bird by any chance? Just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 240Zduz10s Posted September 6, 2003 Share Posted September 6, 2003 JustAFantaZ.. what rear end gears are you running with the turbo 350 ? i got a powerglide (same final gear as th350) and a 3.90 rear in my 88 rx7 and i am at 5000 rpm in school zones.. Just curious Justin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustAFantaZ Posted September 6, 2003 Share Posted September 6, 2003 JustAFantaZ.. what rear end gears are you running with the turbo 350 ? I always stuck with the original ratio 3.55:1 (or was it 3.54?)' date=' but several times, I considered the 3.90 (3.91?). If the 700R4 had worked out, I might have gotten the 3.9#:1. Ideally, a fixed up 200-4R would be the best route with that gear in a Z. 1st gear in the 700R4 is probably too high(or is that low? hehe).i got a powerglide (same final gear as th350) and a 3.90 rear in my 88 rx7 and i am at 5000 rpm in school zones.. Wow! Edit: My friend once got a 280Z 2+2 which we affectionately called "Ugly" that came with 3:90 diff. I'm not sure if it was an R180 or an R200 though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted September 17, 2003 Share Posted September 17, 2003 Can I use an manual tranny instead of an automatic if I use a LT1 or a LS1? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKDGabe Posted September 17, 2003 Share Posted September 17, 2003 Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted September 18, 2003 Share Posted September 18, 2003 Can I use an manual tranny instead of an automatic if I use a LT1 or a LS1? Have a look on my site. I put a 1993 LT1 in my 1980 280ZX with a T56 six speed tranny. http://www.datsun-280zx-lt1.com Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted September 18, 2003 Share Posted September 18, 2003 Or click below for LS1/T56 280Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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