TheNeedForZ Posted September 18, 2004 Share Posted September 18, 2004 Hello, all I just registered and have a few questions. I can get in touch with a guy that is selling his 240Z. The car has a Chevy 383 stroker in it. What's the general consensus about the engine? Where can I find out more about this engine? He said the engine only has 4000k(I guess he means "kilometer", our Canadian thing), and the car is 53000miles. The car needs some bodywork and a new paint. He and I live on different sides of Canada, with him in Ontario, me in British Columbia. How do I move the car across the continent? How much am I expected to pay for shipping? With a 6000$CDN price tag + shipping across the continent. Is this deal worth the money? I am currently taking my first Datsun 280Z(very rusty) apart, I wanted to restore it, but college is going to make me busier and busier in years to come. So I am considering spending my budget on an already build car instead of my original plan of working from ground up. Thanks in advance Keng-Pei Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted September 18, 2004 Share Posted September 18, 2004 The 383 stroker is a lower reving, high torque producing motor, and works rather well in the Z, but be prepared to upgrade the differential, axles, and brakes... You'll need it! The one thing you need to find out is the condition of the chassis... Is the unitbody solid? How are the floorpans, batterybox area, rear hatch, frame rails, and wipermotor area? Find out the real condition of the car... It sounds like a decent price, so long as the motor is holding good compression numbers in the cylinders and the car is solid. However, Unless you plan to fly out and visually inspect it yourself, I'd think twice... Buying a car with these mods sight unseen is risky. As for shipping, I was quoted anywhere from $600-1000 for shipping a car from Salt Lake City Utah to Richmond Virginia when I was shopping for a corvette. Do the conversion on the funds and that would give you a ballpark for that kind of distance, about 2000 miles. Hope this helps... BTW, the Chevy 383 stroker is a small block chevy configuration that has one of two stoke configurations... Either using a 5.7 inch rod, or a 6 inch rod in the shortblock... But the block is a standard 350 block with some material removed for rod clearance, depending on the rod used. Mike 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNeedForZ Posted September 18, 2004 Author Share Posted September 18, 2004 Mike , thanks for the reply. I've emailed him/asked about rust problems, and what kind of diff., axle, brakes are on that car. I am waiting for his reply. I emailed him earlier for some questions of my own, here's what I gathered. He didin't do the conversion himself but bought from a guy. He had several Z cars, sold all of them(including an anniversary edition 300ZX) except this V8 Z which he intended to keep. His company is going to relocate him(likely to Asia because he can speak Chinese better, just like I do). That's why he's selling his V8-Z. He is coming to Vancouver next month, so we will have a chance to meet F2F. I asked for photos, and photo of damaged areas. He sent some, the car seems fine with collision damage to the front right fender. I'll try to upload the photos later. BTW what kind of horsepower/torque does the Chevy 383 stroker put out? Acceleration time when married to a 240Z? Keng-Pei Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted September 18, 2004 Share Posted September 18, 2004 It all depends on the parts... some guys have built low HP 383s by matching the wrong parts. Others have built strong motors... My 260Z turned 10.98s in the 1/4 during the first build and it wasn't the best build... I expect even better performance out of my new motor, but again, tuning, break-in and assembly will dictate that. We are estimating over 500 Crank HP in my current motor. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNeedForZ Posted September 18, 2004 Author Share Posted September 18, 2004 Here are the photo shots, Looks like the engine is not parallel to the centerline, is this normal? Let me know what you think about the car? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silicone boy Posted September 19, 2004 Share Posted September 19, 2004 Compared to what you would spend restoring a rustbucket, I would say go for it. That's a real clean car. The engine location is as it should be for a JTR conversion. I've had some reservations about the wisdom of a stroker in car that weighs less than a modern Honduh Civic, but it's nice to have that dilemma. Sure I would like to be able to rev quicker (I have a 383 receiving a couple of turbos), but you can't argue with the numbers that Mike Kelly has put up in the past-that's a monster. Also, nothing revs quicker than my FD RX7, but I get my butt kicked by torquier cars like the Z06 Vette (darn, Mike has one of those too-talk about a man with too many toys). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted September 19, 2004 Share Posted September 19, 2004 I don't think that is a JTR conversion... Look at the Distributor location and the factory hood latch... Although I'd agree with Syliconboy... The car looks clean other than the fender and you could make the JTR conversion failry easily... I'm getting ready to convert a REAL SCARAB into a JTR car for a member here next weekend and I'll be taking lots of pics... I'd buy it for what he is asking... Clean car! Just be aware that suspension and brake upgrades will be required if he doesn't have them done already! $6000 Canadian, Sooooo That's what , about $56.32? Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumo Posted September 19, 2004 Share Posted September 19, 2004 Keng Pei $4,600 U.S. dollars give or take a hundred for a car already set up and has a V8 in it is pretty decent. Most of the hard work is done already and all you need to do is buy the JTR kit and set the motor back and maybe do some suspension work. I'm with Mikelly it doesnt look like a JTR conversion, just make sure of the rust situation and overall car condition. But it looks pretty clean, it's a good start for the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNeedForZ Posted September 21, 2004 Author Share Posted September 21, 2004 Hmmm...sounds like a great deal, it's very likely I'll get the car. Got some more questions for you gents though : What does it feel like to drive such a car(Chevy 383 stroker in 240Z)? Would it be hard to control as if the car would dart forward as soon as some pressure is put on the pedals? Is a car like that used only on race tracks or can I use it as a daily driver? Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 If the motor wasn't built with a peeky cam and poor vacuum, then you should be fine... I drove mine in Washington DC Beach weekend gettaway traffic with NO issues... Was it loud when I hit the go pedal? Sure! Was it fast? YOU BET... But it was VERY controllable. If he has built it properly, you should be fine! Mike 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted September 23, 2004 Share Posted September 23, 2004 ...What does it feel like to drive such a car(Chevy 383 stroker in 240Z)? Would it be hard to control as if the car would dart forward as soon as some pressure is put on the pedals?...Is a car like that used only on race tracks or can I use it as a daily driver? "Mind blowing speed and acceleration" is the answer. You get used to the speed. The cars always feel faster when someone else is the driver (I think it is the 'I'm-not-in-control-here' factor). The car should at least thrill you when you step on the gas, otherwise what is the point? I drove dmanzo's high ten second 383 powered car and it is really a fun car, even though the speed is quite deceptive. The more refined the conversion, the slower it feels!! The car you posted looks good, even with the damage. Check it over extremely well for rust issues and you should be ok. Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_hunt Posted September 24, 2004 Share Posted September 24, 2004 The 383 stroker motor is usually built with 5.565 400 rods and a ground down 400 crank. The 400 and 350 share the same compression height in pistons. More popular are 5.7 rods and 6.0 rods, which is usually done as an upgrade in rods, but also leaning towards all the hype about piston dwell at tdc and rod to stroke ratio and more top end power. The short rods work well for high compression street motors due to the lack of piston dwell at tdc which helps prevent detonation. 383's only work well if they have good heads on them, actually any engine works better with good flowing heads, but as you go up in cubic inches, you need more flow to extract the true potential of your new and larger combination. 350's will make just about as much power and torque given the same head, as a 383. You can't feel the difference in the drivers seat due to a 20 lb-ft of torque increase in a sbc, maybe you could in a Yugo or geo metro, but not a v8 chevy, ford or mopar. 383's will produce more low end and mid range torque, which makes them more fun to drive, because torque is what you "feel". Something to Ponder: Why build a 383 when you can build a 400 for the same money? Besides if you use good heads the 400 will outperform the 383 hands down due to larger bore size and more cubes, so if bigger is better, get bigger or biggest. Don't rev as quick? really, I doubt if anybody has really measured how quickly an engine will rev compared to another engine of a different configuration but same HP, it is so minute of a detail it isn't worth mentioning. Even more importantly can you really tell the difference? Higher horsepower engines will rev more quickly than a stocker, that is a fact. Actually, it is more dependent on the weight of the vehicle given the same HP engine, not stroke of the engine. 383's are great, more torque is better period. Nothing wrong with the 383, but it would be great if it was built right to extract all the potential of the larger stroke and subsequent cubic inches! I rode in a 350 V8 scarab conversion back in the 70's, I might of been in diapers or maybe I should have been in diapers cause it scared the #C@& out of me. It was without a doubt the fastest thing I ever rode in when I was a teenager and there wasn't much very fast then. It had a 350, flat top cast pistons, 350hp/350 chevy hydraulic cam, stock 882 heads, edelbrock performer, qjet, HEI, Headers, th350 with a B&M 2500 stall converter. Actually I rode in another v8 scarab conversion with a 327 and a 4 speed, it was truly awesome, rubber in all 4 gears. I think any z with a v8 is truly a blast to drive or ride in. How about going hog wild with a 700HP sbc, and be truly scared &^%$less. It doesn't take much engine to make a z fast due to the light weight of the car. A mild 300 to 350HP sbc in a z is very streetable and will almost jump out of it's own paint leaving the stoplight with minimal if any tirespin if it's an automatic car with a low stall converter. Of course I should qualify streetable, daily driver is what I call streetable, my cars are streetable, but it's hard on bronze distributor gears and valve springs, not to mention you couldn't afford the alcohol fuel to drive it anywhere other than Sonic on Saturday night. Buy it and enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNeedForZ Posted September 25, 2004 Author Share Posted September 25, 2004 Thank you guys for the input I just sent the seller a deposit today. I'll probably get it sometime in November, I'll let you guys know when I have the car. AND THEN I'll hit you with a train load of new Z owner questions!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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