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Introducing myself and my Z


Guest 240zoom

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Guest 240zoom

Hi Everyone,

 

I was given hybridz.org's info from another forum member at zcar.com and thought I'd head over here and say hi.

 

I'm currently working on a V12 swap for my '72 240z. It's a BMW M70 5.0 litre aluminum engine that puts out 300 hp/340 lb-ft in stock form:

 

engine.jpg

 

I'll be starting a build diary soon and will be sure to post the link here.

 

240zoom

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Guest 240zoom

Wow! What a great welcome, thanks everyone!

 

Mat73GNZ:

 

Yes, the oilpan is right where the crossmember is. In fact this is the first trial fit of the engine in the compartment, and the engine is sitting over the crossmember (which has been disconnected and lowered for the fitting). I will be building a new crossmember that will wrap around the oilpan and allow for the stock mounting points of the lower control arms. I'll be installing a rear-mounting steering rack and putting in power steering at the same time.

 

80LT1:

 

the dimensions of the motor are: 26" long, 26" wide and 24" high. It's extremely compact for a V12, and only weighs 520 lbs. IIRC, the Jag V12 is 36" long and weighs at least 100lbs more.

 

EvilRufusKay:

 

I've been planning the swap for about 6 months, and purchased the 240 about 3 weeks ago. This was my first test fitting of the engine in the engine bay to see what kind of room that I'd have to work with. Happily, there's at least 3" of clearance between the heads and the macphereson towers, and lots of room from the water pump pully to where the radiator is going to be. Hoping to not piss off too many purists, I plan to reskin this car with the Reaction Research's Velo Rossa kit, but it still remains unmistakably 240z. After this one is complete, I plan on doing another V12 conversion in a stock 240z that will remain a 240z, but will also have a couple of turbos up its sleeve.

 

240zoom

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Guest 240zoom
Sweet conversion!!! What management system are you using? OEM computer or aftermarket?

 

Keep us updated!

 

Thanks! I'm using my own homebrew EFI system based on the MegaSquirt project and spark control will be MegaJolt Light Junior-based. I've had great success with these before on previous projects.

 

More info:

megasquirt

megajolt light junior

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240Zoom, welcome here too, glad you came over, I told you there would be some interest. I too am looking forward to your documented progress.

 

I just noticed you were planning on a Velo Rossa conversion too. I might have a Velo kit I would consider selling as I have one too many projects right now. Where are you located?

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Awsome conversion! I kicked around the idea of doing a twin turbo Jag V12 swap a few months back, but after much deliberation decided against it. Motor was too big/heavy, very little room for turbos, too expensive to repair for an engine with some reliability issues, etc. In the end, I ended up joining the herd (cue cattle sounds) and going the SBC route. Glad to see someone else is running with the V12 idea though, don't let the man get you down!

 

Mike

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Guest 240zoom

wigenout-s30:

 

what type of tranny are you going to use with this motor??

Initially I'm going to go with a T-5 tranny due to the relative strength and size of the tranny, plus they're cheap and plentiful. I'll later upgrade to a T-56 after all the devel work is done.

 

Forrest:

Hey, you know you can run Megasquirt fuel and spark on one piece of hardware with MegasquirtNSpark code, right?

 

Not to mention that Megasquirt2 is coming out right now!

I'm waiting for the new MS2 to come out - it's going to do everything I need (well, 2 of them will: I'll be running the engine as if it were 2 I6s sharing a common crankshaft).

 

zguy95135:

 

wow....looks amazing Shocked How much does one of those motors go for? BTW have you thought of using a dry sump? (I think thats what its called, where you dont have an oilpan and have a remote reservoir)

These engines are relatively common and can be had as low as $1000 USD depending on the miles. EBay seems to be pretty expensive but if you hit car-parts.com (where I found mine) you can find lots of them. Look for BMW 750 and 850s. Post 1992 engines are more desirable. High miles on these engines don't matter as much as standard cast-iron due to the oiling system (see below). My engine's got almost 160k miles on it and compression's 190 in all cyls with zero oil burning. The downside is rebuild cost. You're not going into Petboys and buying an M70 rebuild kit :wink:.

 

Be prepared for a bit of a frustrating learning curve though: BMW does not give out technical informaiton to DIYers, so you need to buy the Bentley service manuals (> $100 USD) or get your hands on the BMW ETK software for more information.

 

I've considered the dry-sump system, and haven't totally discounted the idea yet. It depends on what's going to be more work/cost: redesigning the front suspension to accomodate the BMW oilpan or setting up a dry-sump. The BMW oil management system is amazing as it stands: dual oil pickups and pumps, massive filter system and temperature-activated external oil cooler, so it's got some definite plusses going for it.

 

280Zone:

 

PM pending...

 

 

Again, thanks everyone for the warm welcome.

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