Guest Graffix Posted April 27, 2004 Share Posted April 27, 2004 all right here is the deal. I own a 76' 280Z 2+2 My plan is im going to rebuild a 283 that im getting for free but i have to get a tranny my old man says the to use the turbo 350 im thinking more about the 700R4 any sugestions? on that note i read thru the forums and saw somethings about it. and i know its a beginer question but from what i understand i have the r200 rearend in the 76' and that should be able to handle the power and torque? any help you guys give me would be great i plan on starting the rebuild on the moter this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPMS Posted April 28, 2004 Share Posted April 28, 2004 From what other people have said in the past, I don't think you'd be happy with the TH350 tranny because of the high final drive ratio. They make the engine spin too fast on the freeway for most people. The 700R4 has lower overdrive, and is much better for highway use. The first few years of 700R4 have a reputation as being weak, so get a later (I think 1986 or later?) one if possible. Do some research to find out what year they strengthened them. The R200 rear end will stand up to whatever you want to throw at it, as long as you don't try to slam 700 ft/lbs of torque throught it on a dragstrip. Just a thought on the engine itself - from what I can tell, the 289 has extremely limited performance potential, and I can't imagine that parts for it would be common. Is the fact that it's free your only reason for rebuilding it? I wonder how much it might cost to invest in a tired 350 instead. I'd think that parts for the 350 would be cheaper, but I might be wrong. In the long run, it might be just as cheap to sell/trade the engine you have, and install a 350 instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Graffix Posted April 29, 2004 Share Posted April 29, 2004 im not going with the ford 289 they make weak engines im going with the chevy 283 which i belive you can bore it out and make it a 302. i dont think it is to hard to find parts for that 283 either atleast not from what i have seen looking around. Right at this moment i dont want to throw a whole lot of money at this project my funds are kinda limited seeing how im getting married here in July. So that price of free is a pretty good price as for the 700r4 a junkyard nearby said they would pull one for me and it would cost 375$ a rebuild kit is around 100$ for that and i priced a rebuild kit for the 283 at 300$ depending on what the inside of this engine looks like when i take it apart this weekend is when im gonna decide to bore it or not. as for motor mounts and stuff im a machinist ill make them myself. I know this is prob gonna cost me alot more then i think but hey i think it will be well worth it in the long run. haveing a carb rather the EFI and duals out the back to make a nice rumble i cant wait [/img] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aaron Posted April 29, 2004 Share Posted April 29, 2004 I think a free 283 would be a great engine for a low cost hybrid. As long as you don't go nuts with the cam it would be a fun car to drive. As a bonus, once the engine is in the car and running, you can start collecting parts for a more powerful SBC and drop it in later since the 283 is the same dimensionally as the other SBC's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPMS Posted April 29, 2004 Share Posted April 29, 2004 im not going with the ford 289 they make weak engines im going with the chevy 283 which i belive you can bore it out and make it a 302. Doh! I'm sorry. I swear I read your post three times, and I would have sworn on a stack of bibles you said 289, but it clearly says 283. Yeah, it's tough to argue with "free". You can always get your car set up the way you want it, and swap out the engine later if you have the urge to do so. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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