tonycharger72 Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Hello, first post and i was wondering if i could get some info of you guys, Ive got a 1974 260z and im interested in putting in a 350chevy motor, just not 100% certain about how i would go about it, Have a few questions, I live in Australia so i drive a right-hand Z, would the kits flogged of by Jags-That-Run be suitable for Right-Hand-Drive cars? The 350chev has been made for about 40years which one exactly would i be using with the JTR kit? ie.....has sump position changed, is the block different externally now than it was in older versions of the 350? Because its a heavier motor does this cause weight distributions problems (even after you set it a quarter-inch of the firewall, use gear reduction starter, alloy heads ect?) Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Phil1934 Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 There are spacer plates with the setback plates so I would think you just swap them side for side. The Jags that Run book covers the rest. Adds 125# and shifts the COG slightly rearward. I was happy with the ride height but cut the springs after the swap as the nose sat way up. Also heavier springs are required due to added power, not weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 There are spacer plates with the setback plates so I would think you just swap them side for side. The Jags that Run book covers the rest. Adds 125# and shifts the COG slightly rearward. I was happy with the ride height but cut the springs after the swap as the nose sat way up. Also heavier springs are required due to added power, not weight. I agree---the spacers cuold be swapped from side to side and fit a right hand drive car with no problems. With aluminum parts such as an intake, waterpump, and even heads, the weight increase is nonexistant. The 350chev has been made for about 40years which one exactly would i be using with the JTR kit? ie.....has sump position changed' date=' is the block different externally now than it was in older versions of the 350? Because its a heavier motor does this cause weight distributions problems (even after you set it a quarter-inch of the firewall, use gear reduction starter, alloy heads ect?) [/quote'] Any 350 Chevy should work. They all have the same external dimensions. You have to decide if you want carburation or fuel injection. Perhaps a late model Holden powerpant would be suitable. If you prefer carburation, any 350 would work. You should do some research on camshafts and the like to properly tune the motor for maximum pleasure. Again, weight increase is really not an issue with some aluminum parts. Good aluminum aftermarket heads increase power and reduce weight, but performance cast iron heads will do fine too. You can always start with stock heads and add the less pricey intake, waterpump, and camshaft first. Experiment with that and then add heads later. Remember: the swap itself is what is important, don't get caught up in building a motor that takes all your time and money and never gets installed in the Z. The JTR book is worth the money and you should buy it for your swap. Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Remember: the swap itself is what is important' date=' don't get caught up in building a motor that takes all your time and money and never gets installed in the Z. Davy[/quote'] This man speaks from personal experiance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 This man speaks from personal experiance! Unfortunately, YES I DO! Nice motor though....thinking about putting it into the living room as a coffee table... Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maichor Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Please be aware that the late model Holden is probably an LS1, and mounting will be different if you choose that motor. Right? Anybody know for sure? I'm no expert on Aussie cars, but any SBC before '98 will work with JTR mounts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonycharger72 Posted February 21, 2005 Author Share Posted February 21, 2005 Thats for the help guys, Holdens i think the sell Gen111 5.7 all alloy 350chev now, but i think we are just about to see gen4 6.0l chevy's, Before that im pretty sure holden made their own V8's, the 253 & 308.........not 100% sure, But because everyone owns a holden there are lots and lots of places who sell 350chevs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted February 22, 2005 Share Posted February 22, 2005 Thats for the help guys' date=' Holdens i think the sell Gen111 5.7 all alloy 350chev now, but i think we are just about to see gen4 6.0l chevy's, Before that im pretty sure holden made their own V8's, the 253 & 308.........not 100% sure, But because everyone owns a holden there are lots and lots of places who sell 350chevs[/quote'] If the center exhaust ports are siamesed, that's a 350 you can work with. I think many of the Holdens up to the past two years had 5.7L/350 Chevy engines and those will work fine. If you want to save yourself a lot of guesswork, do purchase the JTR manual and read it well. After you are finished, you can always sell it as well. Remember, they provide the schematics for your own fabrication of setback plates and spacers--invaluable stuff. Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonycharger72 Posted February 22, 2005 Author Share Posted February 22, 2005 I think i will buy the book, the folks at JTR said they dont have any knowledge of how i would swap a 350chev into a right-handed Z, but im sure i can still learn alot from the information contained in the manual, So, You can swap the spacers around, left-to-right and vise-versa, to mount the engine in, Stuff like tailshaft, radiator and exhaust is no big drama as can be fabricated all fairly easily, Wiring will be straight forward if i go carby, lots of fun if i go EFI, Someone told me i would have to for REGO install larger front rotors - but this seems like a good idea anyway Pretty much any 350chevy will fit, more a question of whether to go carby or EFI, If i go carby, Go alloy intake, gear reduction starter, alloy radiator, headers.....etc....etc and ill find that there isnt a huge different in weight from the L-series Get stronger springs for the front What about the gearbox crossmember that JTR sell? would this still be suitable for me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted February 22, 2005 Share Posted February 22, 2005 It sounds like you are aware of the different generations of Chevy "350's". Just want to make 100 % certain you realize the JTR manual is only directly applicable to the pre LS series of engines (pre 1998?) The newer engines have a different mounting scheme so the JTR mounting plates will not work. Also you won't need new front springs. The added weight of the V8 will not require that. You may want to add stiffer springs to improve handling. But even then the added weight is not an issue. It would seem to me the transmission cross member should work directly. You set the final mounting points once the engine is in and the drive line angles are set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted February 22, 2005 Share Posted February 22, 2005 ...the folks at JTR said they dont have any knowledge of how i would swap a 350chev into a right-handed Z... Sounds like Mike is covering himself, smart guy. I don't know of anyone who has used the JTR kit in a right hand drive S30. The setback plates and spacers can be bolted up to either side (or even backwards like many have by misstake). It makes sense that all you would have to do is swap them side to side, but that could be a naive assumption. It assumes that Nissan placed the steering shaft in the exact mirror position as a LHD car. Then there is the fact that on the sbc the right cylinder bank is about 1/2" farther back than the left side. This places the right side header farther back too. You might actually have a better fit with the MSA kit that doesn't set the motor as far back, give you more clearance exhaust to steering shaft. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted February 22, 2005 Share Posted February 22, 2005 Are the L engines offset to the left in the RHD cars like they are offset to the right in the LHD cars? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 Are the L engines offset to the left in the RHD cars like they are offset to the right in the LHD cars? That is a question that only our friends from across the pond can answer. I would think this would be the case, although it may be as easy as finding a RHD Z at the next MSA show or Eric Neyerlin's up here in NOCA and do some simple measuring. Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonycharger72 Posted February 25, 2005 Author Share Posted February 25, 2005 I'll measure it tomorrow and see, I've spoken to a few local folks and i've found out that i can get a locally kit to fit a 350chevy or a 308 Holden V8 motor (holden being a subsiduary of GMH), For about $250AUS, BUT - i need to find a chevy 350 with a rear mounted sump right? than i shouldnt have to make any sump mounts??? (is this right?) They said they mount the engine about a 1" of the firewall, so this seems to be pretty far back in the engine bay - but i asked them if they had never heard of JTR, and they hadnt, so i assume they just figured out what fitted best themselves, Can check em out at www.castlemainerodshop.com.au, One little problem i have come across is price though, Lots of people sell different versions of the 350chevy smallblock, but what im after is an LT1, so i can go fuel injection cheaply and easily, But so far ive found nothing under $5000 AUS, and was quoted $8000AUS for a LT1 with 200miles, T-56, wiring harness and ECU, 350's seem a tad expensive over in Australia though, at the moment $1US = $.78AUS, dont know if this is what you guys in the US are playing??? Just expecting pretty much a front cut for the $3000-$3500 mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 I'll measure it tomorrow and see' date=' I've spoken to a few local folks and i've found out that i can get a locally kit to fit a 350chevy or a 308 Holden V8 motor (holden being a subsiduary of GMH), For about $250AUS, BUT - i need to find a chevy 350 with a rear mounted sump right? than i shouldnt have to make any sump mounts??? (is this right?) They said they mount the engine about a 1" of the firewall, so this seems to be pretty far back in the engine bay - but i asked them if they had never heard of JTR, and they hadnt, so i assume they just figured out what fitted best themselves, Can check em out at www.castlemainerodshop.com.au, One little problem i have come across is price though, Lots of people sell different versions of the 350chevy smallblock, but what im after is an LT1, so i can go fuel injection cheaply and easily, But so far ive found nothing under $5000 AUS, and was quoted $8000AUS for a LT1 with 200miles, T-56, wiring harness and ECU, 350's seem a tad expensive over in Australia though, at the moment $1US = $.78AUS, dont know if this is what you guys in the US are playing??? Just expecting pretty much a front cut for the $3000-$3500 mark That price is WAY out of line. We're paying less then what you do for sure!! The 308 is nothing I know about--stick to the 350 if possible. Your link is working for me. Find out what works best for you pricewise and go with that. I would, however, purchase the JTR book first before doing anything and then after reading it, make my decisions. Good luck. Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonycharger72 Posted March 3, 2005 Author Share Posted March 3, 2005 Just to clarify on the 350chevy, Pretty much all 350's made from about 1967 untill about 1996 were pretty much the same, ie.......externally they were identical? Like sump is right at the back of the block and engine mounts are pretty close to the front? And this is the SBC that JTR use for their conversions? I want to go EFI and there is different versions of the 350......... TBI, Vortec, LT1??? LT1 were early to mid 90's SBC's that had sequential multi-point fuel injection, rear mounted sumps and the correct engine mount positions on the block - so this SBC would be ideal if i wanted to go EFI and use a JTR type of kit, or a kit designed for the early 350chevy? Just stay away from LS1's as they are different externally from the early 350chevy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonycharger72 Posted March 3, 2005 Author Share Posted March 3, 2005 Tim240z, The L-26 in my Zed is offest towards the left if you are looking at it from the front of the car, ie..........towards the drivers-side, which would be the passenger side on US Zeds, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted March 3, 2005 Share Posted March 3, 2005 Just to clarify on the 350chevy' date=' Pretty much all 350's made from about 1967 untill about 1996 were pretty much the same, ie.......externally they were identical? Like sump is right at the back of the block and engine mounts are pretty close to the front? And this is the SBC that JTR use for their conversions? I want to go EFI and there is different versions of the 350......... TBI, Vortec, LT1??? LT1 were early to mid 90's SBC's that had sequential multi-point fuel injection, rear mounted sumps and the correct engine mount positions on the block - so this SBC would be ideal if i wanted to go EFI and use a JTR type of kit, or a kit designed for the early 350chevy? Just stay away from LS1's as they are different externally from the early 350chevy?[/quote'] Yes, yes, and yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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