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i need a mentor in socal!


Guest ihatejoo

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Guest ihatejoo

hello all you z fans out there! i'm posting to see if any of you guys in the los angeles area want to help with a z swap, not quiet sure on what i'm swaping yet... maybe the ls1 or rb engine? maybe someone can convice me, but right now i'm looking for any people with the skills and knowledge because i lack both. maybe there is a shop you can recommed me? if anyone deciedes to help out, i can promise free beers and steaks! i get very excited looking at all your cars and cant wait till i can show off my baby too.

 

thanks again!

kenny

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Where in LA are you...what is your budget, what do you want out of the car (be very truthful with yourself....you will be driving the car,and if it isn't what you want, you won't be happy)

What skills/tools/experience do you have?

 

Tim

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Guest ihatejoo

i live in los angeles, close to dodger stadium and close to alhambra area. i'm leaning toward a sbc or a ls1 swap? something with lots of power. i dont think i would want to rebuild the old z motor. which swap would be best suited for normal everyday street use? something that gets 20 mpg but can still kick ***? my budget would probably be around 8000? my biggest problem is i dont know where to begin with the swap, i'll probably need lots of help! so anybody wanna help me out? i'll try to reimburst you for you time and besides dont you wanna help a fellow z out? :-D

 

thanks again for looking!

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i live in los angeles' date=' close to dodger stadium and close to alhambra area. i'm leaning toward a sbc or a ls1 swap? something with lots of power. i dont think i would want to rebuild the old z motor. which swap would be best suited for normal everyday street use? something that gets 20 mpg but can still kick ***? my budget would probably be around 8000? my biggest problem is i dont know where to begin with the swap, i'll probably need lots of help! so anybody wanna help me out? i'll try to reimburst you for you time and besides dont you wanna help a fellow z out? :-D

 

thanks again for looking![/quote']

 

A word of caution! If your Z is of the 30+ years old category, there are likely other items that should be adressed before you consider stuffing in a ton-O-horsepower into your Z. To help you learn about this stuff (the other items), spend some time reading the multitude of information located right here on this site. At 19 years old you have plenty of time. If you are lacking in the basic fundimentals about cars (especially modified car with big HP) do yourself a favor and learn the basics so you will have a good foundation to work from. Like they say....You have to learn to walk before you can run. One important thing...don't get discouraged! If you do, take a break and come back to it when your feeling excited about it again. Good luck and welcome!

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I jumped right in....previous experience was bolting on k&n air filters on Hondas, wheels, mufflers etc. If you're a quick learner and a good thinker, anyone can do it.

 

I'm in Huntington Beach, about an hour from you. I would suggest a 383 SBC with a T56 along with programmable fuel injection...hey, that's exactly my setup and what I'm trying to sell! :-)

 

Again, it all depends on how and where you want to drive the car. Decide that first and then look at what others have done.

Owen

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Guest ihatejoo

right now i'm taking some auto classes at my local junior college, but i doubt i'll gain enough knowledge from that. i know a couple people who know a little about imports but nothing as serious as a swap like this. i told all my friends and now their jelous and wanna get one too! so did all of you guys do your swap in your garage or did you go to a auto shop? is anyone here sick of their car and wants to sell it? i promise i'll take good care of it! :wink:

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Jealousy is sometimes a good thing. It is good that all your friends want or are interested in this concept. I am approaching 40 years old and I have no friends that are interested in converting a Z into a V8. I have been trying to do the conversion all by myself for the last four or five years. That is unless you count the many online friends here at Hybrid Z that has been beneficial to me.

 

I believe in my heart that if I had someone, a friend, doing this same thing and going through the swap along with me, that my Z would have been up and running with the V-8 years ago. Sadly though as of yet none of them have bit on the invitation to join in on the fun, chaos and scraped knuckles that I have experienced along the way.

 

Hey but wait a second. That means that when I finally do get the Z8 up and running I will definitely be in the minority among my friends. That’s a good thing also.

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Georgia Flash 75V8,

 

I am on the same page you are on !!! I am turning 42 this year and this is my second Z ( my first with a V8 swap). Meeting some of the Georgia HybridZ guys last year just fueled the desire to take my car to the next level. For me, if my father or brother lived in Georgia my car would be half way completed. My dad drag race at Carlsbad in the late 60's and early 70's, and my brother is a Datsun 510 guru. However, I do live in a neighborhood with several car enthusiasts from a neighbor restoring 914-6 Porsche to my buddy across street who has restored his MGB and is now working on his 68 mustang (I help him, and he helps me with the Z).

 

ihatejoo,

 

It is cliche' "but reading is fundamental" I have and extensive Datsun Z library from "How to restore your Datsun" to the first two years of the old Z car magazine, Haynes manual, and "How to Hotrod and race Datsuns" and various Datsun and particular Z magazines. Websites, particularly HYBRIDZ !!! (turn your printer on and create you a folder and keep it organized. Also, read other car stuff like Hotrodding or Chevy Hi-performance. If you decide to do the swap yourself, the best advice I received from my father and his buddies-Make sure you follow the instructions and have the right tools for the job or task at hand !!!! In some cases you can rent tools, in other areas of the car you need a specific tool, so budget for you car parts as well as tools. Recognize what you can and can not do and seek out expertise and knowledge in that area of need. You will be surprised what you can accomplish, but again you have to read and research.

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Georgia Flash 75 V8,

 

How far is Silver Creek from Hiram ???? I can assist with scraping knuckles on Saturday ??? This goes out to any of the Georgia Hybrid Zs. The wife and children let me have Saturdays for me !!!!! I am in the money saving stage for drivetrain of my swap so I have quite a few weekends free.

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right now i'm taking some auto classes at my local junior college, but i doubt i'll gain enough knowledge from that. i know a couple people who know a little about imports but nothing as serious as a swap like this. i told all my friends and now their jelous and wanna get one too! so did all of you guys do your swap in your garage or did you go to a auto shop? is anyone here sick of their car and wants to sell it? i promise i'll take good care of it! :wink:

 

Autoshop classes suck, the pace is way too slow...I had one teacher who would keep returning to the subject of

why American cars produce more horsepower than Japanese ones, etc etc.

OK, WE HEARD THIS LAST WEEK...AND THE WEEK BEFORE!

 

Like I'm saying, buy my setup. If you have a Z, the JTR stuff will come with it, and it'll be all bolt-in from there. Well, you might need to

hammer the tunnel, etc. Finding a beater Z is easy, if you buy my setup, maybe I can convince one of my friends to sell you their Z shells.

 

 

Want me to get a Z and swap it over for you? How much would you pay me???

 

Owen

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Yes, shop classes do suck if youve done anything more than change oil beforehand. What I hate even more is being around people whose sole background in mechanics is from a shop class before theyve ever touched a bolt, and not from getting dirty from going hands on, either out of neccessity or the desire to do something non oem.

 

I knew a smog tech once who got his license from a now defunct jiffy lube program, and his sole backround in mechanics consisted of draining and filling fluids, now hes blessed with a smog license. He once said my car would explode one day because I wasnt running an EGR. Five Years in the automotive industry and the sucker cant hold a job for more than a year ( ANything other than a smog test and he will be baffled, and in a shop that will get you canned quick), hes never done a clutch and the other day I was diagnosing a car and figured out the car had a blown head gasket from a cr test.

This is when I knew it was all over for the poor guy:

 

He said "Oh, the head is connected to the engine right?"

 

Maybe instead of jumping to the motorswap you should get in tune with the basics of maintenance and read the good books, get some hands on experience with a solid car and then get on the advanced stuff. It wont be as fun or rewarding otherwise.

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Guest ihatejoo

does anyone wanna get together to do the z swap? you help me and i help you? yeah auto shop will definately be useless for this z swap. and i dont know anyone familar with this swap! thats why i'm turning to all you hybrid z's out there who have done it.will anyone in the los angeles area be willing to let me check out your car in person? an maybe pick your brain?

 

owen- depends how much you want for the engine and installation, depends how long you will take to have everything installed and running. also i would like it to be done right, i've heard there can be lots of dangers if the swap is not done properly

 

thanks again!

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