Phantom Posted October 12, 2003 Share Posted October 12, 2003 The 280Z28 is home again! I've posted another picture in my album of the front strut tower brace from Top End Racing. It looks like it was made for the LS1 rather than the L28. If you look closely at the top of the picture you can see a bit of yellow in the center of the passengers side brace gusset. That is the dipstick - it centered up on the 1" diameter hole of the gusset and works beautifully. The engine sits just forward enough that the cross member of the brace is just aft of the oil filler spout (Jeromio). Love it. Had a young gent new to our board stop by yesterday to look at the car. He had never been in a Z before so I showed him the '83Zx and then opened up the garage and rolled out the 280Z28. When we got back from the "orientation ride" he was showing the goose bumps on his arm to his cousin. I think we have a new enthusiast. Anyway - turns out the 27 year old, 205,000 mile half-shaft universals had started to brinnel so the Spicer Brute Force units were just in time. John installed yet another set of motor mounts too. He's such a perfectionist. Tweaked them just a bit so that they are even better. Also had a drive-shaft loop installed. I guess y'all know what that means. Ennis on Oct. 24th! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zfan Posted October 12, 2003 Share Posted October 12, 2003 ALL RIGHT! Good to hear your back in the saddle again Bill! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumo Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 Woo Hoo!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 The strut brace looks nice! I basically have the same design for my 280ZX but I dont have those plates at the corners. When I made mine everyone asked me if they thought mine would even work because I couldnt adjust mine to put tension on them. I can see from yours that yours are also non-adjustable...what do the guys that made them think? Are they going to function like a strut brace that is adjustable or will they be less sturdy? I figure they're better than nothing! And since they are custom fitted to our own vehicle they should be a pretty tight fit anyways, right?! Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted October 13, 2003 Author Share Posted October 13, 2003 The bars were made by Top-end Racing, http://www.racetep.com, specifically for the Zcar. They were very leary when they heard I wanted to install it with an LS1 under it as they had designed it around the L28. No worries. It clears the LS1 by nearly 2". The big problem with non-adjustability will be that I won't be able to install adjustable camber plates to set up for crooked track competition. Again - since the car is planned as a daily driver, that is not a problem for me. You are correct in that they are non-adjustable but they are a VERY snug fit and quite rigid. Since my goal is chassis survivability as much as handling I figured that this brace was an excellent start. The rear brace is a 3-point unit too. Once I get it installed I'll get a picture up in my album. There is an excellent article on Z car chassis design at: http://zccw.org/Tech/Body/08-97AnalysisEarlyZChassis.html After reading it I am very glad I have a 280 and not a 240 or early model 260. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeromio Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 Your engine compartment is just too shiny. You need to spill some brake fluid on there or something. That STB looks pretty nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted October 13, 2003 Author Share Posted October 13, 2003 OK - OK - Just for you Jeromio - it barfed some coolant this morning. The LS1 has a peculiarity where it doesn't fill completely when installed. I usually end up adding 1/2 to 1 gallon of coolant over a period of about a week after it is installed / reinstalled. Not a huge problem but does bear watching. During the fill process it will occaisionally barf out through the overflow bottle. Once it settles in, everything is OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phyte Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 Your damn right I had goose bumps! That was a fun ride. Fastest I've ever been was my old 69 firebird at 12.2. Bill's Z pulled much harder up top thanks to the LS1. If you can get that thing to hook, and get through the gears clean I think you have a high 11 second car there. Phyte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted October 13, 2003 Author Share Posted October 13, 2003 Jason - Make sure you read the link I posted above on chassis integrity for the Gen 1 Z cars. It shows why I was pushing the 280 over the 240. either one, however, can benefit from some careful reinforcing. Also, I guess Chad was a pretty happy camper Saturday. Did he rub in in much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phyte Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 Bill, the link you posted above is dead. I knew I'd have to go with the 200 rearend, and the F.I. fuel tank, and you convinced me on saturday to go with the 280z for my application. Ya, TX got whooped. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted October 13, 2003 Author Share Posted October 13, 2003 Jason, I made an entry error on the link. It's corrected now and works. I should learn to check those each time I enter them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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