Guest Anonymous Posted June 10, 2002 Share Posted June 10, 2002 Hey guys- I very recently became aware of the ease of swapping a V8 into a Z car, and I have to say it's VERY enticing. I spent the better part of yesterday morning looking at everyone's cars, etc. Terry Oxandale, your car is sweet! Anyway... I just got my Mechanical Engineering degree, and after I settle into a new job, I want to start a project car. A pre-'74 Z seems like the perfect car. Here's my question: I want to make a car that is VERY streetable, reasonably quiet inside (so weekend trips with my fiance would be enjoyable for both of us), with a reasonably smooth ride. Given the low weight of the Z, I don't know if this is possible, given decent handling. (Oh yeah, I also want to autocross it.) Has anyone done extensive sound deadening in their Z? How did it work out? Also, is there anyone in the Sacramento area that would be interested in taking me for a quick ride in their V8 Z? I'll buy you a burger or something... I've never driven or ridden in a Z before, and I want to see if I even like the car. Thanks for any pointers, etc... Yes, I have read all about JTR, the R200 diff, the T56, the front and rear brake conversion, etc... -Rodney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utvolman99 Posted June 10, 2002 Share Posted June 10, 2002 Its good to see a fellow ME on the board! I think you will find that it you will use your education more on the car than you will on your job. Most engineering jobs could be done by a bright highschool kid! One thing you will learn really quick is that all that crap your profs fed you about how "school is the easy part" and "just wait till your out in the real world" is a load of crap! The hard part is over so crack one open! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 10, 2002 Share Posted June 10, 2002 Yeah, I'm finally done with school. I did the suspension and frame design on our Formula SAE car, and I was thinking about doing something suspension-wise with the Z that I'm going to build. Before I knew it was a strut suspension, I was going to widen the track and revise the suspension geometry, but that's a little tricky with a strut. Either you move the strut tower, or you get increased kingpin inclination, which subtracts from camber. So, I'll probably leave the suspension geometry alone. But I would like to build suspension arms simlar to the ones made by Arizona Z, and I would like to put in more caster. My plan is to eventually get into the aftermarket car parts business, and who knows, maybe I'll so some Z parts someday. I definitely plan on starting in the sport compact market though, because that's where the money is. Plus, that's where most of my knowledge base is. I've read many of the posts in these forums, and I really like this group of people. Since the knowledge base of the people on this website seems so extensive, it seems to me that I'll be able to jump into a Z project head first without any fear of getting lost. -Rodney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted June 10, 2002 Share Posted June 10, 2002 Rodney, are you sure you're not related to Mike Kelly (admin here)? He sells on-the-car adjustable A-arms front and rear, and is talking about getting into the Sport Compact market since that's where the money is! BTW, with your experience I vote for you to convert at least the front of the Z to double wishbone suspension, and offer us a kit! Welcome, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted June 10, 2002 Share Posted June 10, 2002 Hey Rodney, I assume you are the same Rodney on the FSAE mailing list? We missed you in Detroit this year! If you are looking for a street car to capture some of the magic of the FSAE car, then a V8 Z will put you close! (at least in terms of power to weight, you can get close... brakes and handling are another matter all together) There seem to be a lot of mechie's around here these days, I guess we know whats good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 10, 2002 Share Posted June 10, 2002 Pete- The thought of building a double a-arm suspension did cross my mind. The main thing I'm concerned about is that from what I can see in the pictures I've found so far, there is no solid place to attach upper a-arm suspension points, which means a tubular subframe would have to be made. Also, a front suspension upright would have to be snagged from some other car, and new lower arms with shock mounts would have to be made. As for the rear, Corvette or Supra parts sound attractive. Actually, to tell the truth, I don't think that a front double a-arm suspension is all that critical, because you can increase the caster and get more negative camber change through steering. Also, a beneficial effect of caster is the fact that the inside wheel will get POSITIVE camber, which negates the effect of roll, unlike the effect of unequal length a-arms. I would think that a double a-arm suspension in the rear would be much more helpful, since the effects of caster are non-existent. I haven't done much research yet on strut suspensions, but I will now. -Rodney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 11, 2002 Share Posted June 11, 2002 Drax240z- Yeah, we didn't make it to Detroit this year. I and three other people worked our butts off, almost failing our classes as a result, but the rest of the team didn't do the time or put forth enough effort to make the car happen. What really bugs me is that the suspension design I did was REALLY good, and I wanted to see it in action. Also, I built a very nice frame, which I also didn't get to see finished. Oh well... that's what happens when you rely on volunteers with other priorities. What school are you from? How did you do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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