philiow313 Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 ive been intrigued by the thought of swapping in a 350sbc into my 80 280zx for awhile now, but most guys here with the swap or like swaps talk 1/4mile times. im not into drag racing as much as i am autox and road racing. if i were to swap a 350sbc in, what kind of affects would it do to my handling? i would most likely already have a kyb or tokico strut/eibach spring combo on all four corners. would autox and road racing still be feasible with the new engine? or should i stick to my current plan of a built L28ET engine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aaron Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 Too bad the search doesn't work, there was a very loooooonnnnnnnng thread about v8 handling about 2 years ago. Basicly, a v8 with Aluminum heads/intake weighs about the same as a the L motor, and in some cases (Ford) even less. The transmission could weigh more than a Z trans (depending on what you choose). I think the biggest effect on handling that v8 will have is the difference in torque. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 I'm currently running an LS1/T56 combination in my 280Z. Car gained 30 lbs in the swap - all in the rear. The engine is lighter than the L28 and sits lower and farther back. The T56 is the primary weight contributor. I control under/oversteer with throttle. Suspension is essentially stock Nissan with the european spec springs, original sway bars, urethane bushings throughout, and KYB gas struts. It does have a significatly increased capability of swapping ends due to excessive throttle that it didn't originally have. 365 HP at the flywheel does that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modern Motorsports Ltd Posted January 24, 2004 Share Posted January 24, 2004 ive been intrigued by the thought of swapping in a 350sbc into my 80 280zx for awhile now' date=' but most guys here with the swap or like swaps talk 1/4mile times. im not into drag racing as much as i am autox and road racing. if i were to swap a 350sbc in, what kind of affects would it do to my handling? [/quote'] It sure improved my handling! Motivated me to improve the rest of the car I ended up lighter than stock overall with still a full (ie. non stripped) car and a rear weight bias. Pricey to truly reduce as I did with aluminum radiator/battery relocation/aluminum top end/headers but they're all mods I'd have done with any motor regardless. An LSD and built suspension make them so much fun, greatly improves control and decreases that throttle sensitivity in a safe manner I enjoyed mine at all build levels (ie. OEM to fully reworked Z), all were fun but it just got better with more mods. Even without the aluminum $ it's still great, you build your suspensiont to suit your car's characteristic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted January 24, 2004 Share Posted January 24, 2004 ... I control under/oversteer with throttle... Yeah Baby!!!! That's the way it should be, period! Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Drewz Posted January 24, 2004 Share Posted January 24, 2004 I have a SBC in my 260 and have a stock 240 and would not undo the v8 swap. it sits farther back for the better weight dist. and the added cheap to be had horse power can't be beat. If yours is non turbo than I would think it to be a good candidate for a swap if you are leaning towards that indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedRacer Posted January 24, 2004 Share Posted January 24, 2004 philiow313 - Aaron has a good memory and yes, there is a really good thread about this a while back. Hopefully, when SuperDan gets the upgrade done search will be back working again. Basically, if you use light weight parts on the SBC (aluminum heads, intake, water pump, gear drive starter, headers, etc.) the engine will weigh no more than the L6 you removed. Since it is a lot shorter (two cylinders worth) and quite a bit lower (since it's a V configuration) the car will handle better than stock. The weight distribution goes from 52 front/48 rear to almost exactly 50/50. Since the engine is lower it reduces the roll center (center of gravity) and, since it sits almost completely behind the front axle it also reduces the polar moment. Bottom line - yes it will improve the handling to the point that you can actually feel the difference. http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/album_pic.php?pic_id=2514 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted January 24, 2004 Share Posted January 24, 2004 Now any of you guys with the v8s needs to go heads with JohnC already, since the v8 conversion gives you that edge, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 Yeah, JohnC! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 I know this thread started out asking about handling of a ZX with a V8, but I have a question about the weight dist. reported by Nissan on my 240. I've got a 73 240 that I'm putting an LT1 into so I've been interested in what people have to say. I've seen in several places that the front/rear weight dist is 52/48 or something similar, does this only apply to later model 280s and 280ZXs? Here is a shot of the vehicle ID plate on my 240 that clearly shows (at least according to Nissan) that the rear weight was higher than the front. The exact opposite to those stated above 48 front/52 rear. I don't have my swap done yet and won't for quite a while so I can't weigh the car but the 50/50 dist sounds more reasonable if the rearend starts out higher. Any thoughts? Ken W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie-GNZ Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 That has nothing to do with the actual weight of the car or weight distribution. GAWR means Gross Axle Weight Rating and is the total weight each front/rear axle, suspension and tire system is designed to carry. Because the Z is a hatchback and it was expected that people would load their "stuff" back there, the car was designed to handle that type of loading. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 Scottie, Thanks for clearing that up. Ken W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted January 26, 2004 Share Posted January 26, 2004 I weighed my '77 280Z prior to conversion and it had a 50/50 weight distribution with 3/4 tank of gas - 1,400 on the nose and 1,400 on the tail. After the conversion it was still 1,400 on the nose but 1,430 on the tail. Since then I have added strut tower braces and roll bar so it is now more rear biased wight-wise but I don't have scale figures to confirm the exact amount. I also weighed my totally stock '83 280ZX, 5-spd., T-tops, & Pwr steering & windows. It weighed 1,430 on the nose and 1,450 on the tail - again with 3/4 tank of gas. I guess somehow I have mangaed to get cars that are tail heavy as they both about 49.5/50.5 front/rear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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