Jump to content
HybridZ

Will a Z with an LS Engine turn?


Guest speedmon

Recommended Posts

Should be able to do an LSx swap and strip the interior add some fiberglass and end up around 2100 lbs with an early 240 also (one of our members has a 6 cylinder set up for autox at 1900 lbs), with a weight distribution of about 47/53 front to rear. That should be a KICK ASS track car. It will be mine... oh yes, it will be mine! :wink:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know. Got probably 5 years or more to sort that out. Maybe TKO? I need to blow up or wear out my L6 which only has 1500 miles on it, and in order to do that I have to get it on the road, which is probably still a year off. It's going to happen, just don't hold your breath.

 

I hope someone beats me to it. I've been hoping to see a really lightweight LS Z for a while now. Closest I think I've seen so far is the red one that has all the chassis bracing. It's Kipperman's car, the one that tube80z is always posting pics of. That one is 2500. That's not bad, but it should be pretty easy to get the thing way under the stock weight the way I figure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine weighed 2550 before I did the brake and diff upgrade and added A/C. I bet it is around 2650-2700 now. I will get it weighed soon.

 

I would think if I had wanted to strip it down for the track, I could have shaved 200-250 pounds or so.

 

Mike Kelly is building a track car and he is considering an LSx motor. Maybe he can get it down to 2200-2300#

 

What do you think Mike?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 10 months later...

The answer is definitely "YES". Since Dave has shown he can get this to work in an autocross and take top times out of 150+ cars, it can work. If you can make it work well for quick, tight stuff like autocrossing, stuff like track days, hillclimbs, etc is a piece of cake.

 

Example: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=122599

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...
Yes, a V8 powerd 240Z can be made to turn but I have yet to see one on a track keep up with a SCCA ITS prepared 200 hp 240Z. That has nothing to do with the potential of a V8 240Z and everything to do with the desired goals of folks doing V8 swaps. It takes a lot of money and time to properly prepare, setup, and tune a dedicated track car and very few people want to build a single purpose car.

 

It's an old thread but ... had a big track weekend. Fastest ITS/ITA/SM were running 1:24's flying laps and I ran a 1:22.8 FROM A STANDING START (high speed AutoX) and in the 1:20's flying laps. So yes an LS Z can keep up. I'm also only an average driver so a good driver could easily take two seconds off my time and this is a street car I drove 200 miles to get there. These times were on F/A Hoosier slicks but also ran 1:22's flying laps on my RE01 Potenza's. This was at Blackhawk Farms which is an old 1.95 mile track in far northern Illinois.

 

Cameron

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

Off topic, but it's been almost exactly 5 years since JMortensen's statement that it would take "5 years to sort out" his car. Any updates?

 

And speaking of 5 years ago, back then the "traditional" small block vs. LS-series was still somewhat of a serious debate. Today that hardly seems to be the case. Where has all the time gone?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've got almost enough parts to put it together, but have been tied down with the diff business for an extended period of time, and now I'm changing the software I use for my other business (www.thepetdoorstore.com), so I figure next year, IF I can actually get out to the shop and work on the thing. At this point that is a big if. I haven't given up though. Aiming at 2250 lbs now, since that is the min weight for XP.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Yes, a V8 powerd 240Z can be made to turn but I have yet to see one on a track keep up with a SCCA ITS prepared 200 hp 240Z. That has nothing to do with the potential of a V8 240Z and everything to do with the desired goals of folks doing V8 swaps. It takes a lot of money and time to properly prepare, setup, and tune a dedicated track car and very few people want to build a single purpose car.

 

 

I think it is sometimes funny when I read old posts about "will an LS setup in a 240 turn or cant keep up with a 200 hp SCCA ITS prepped car"

 

Well, just for the record.................My car turns like a 600 hp go cart and runs in an unlimited division based on lap times with pretty good results. 6 wins in 6 races this year. Not bad for a 45 year old Vintage banger.

 

No disrespect. Just thought it was funny.

 

Matt

post-13190-016126200 1347511103_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Matt, It's simply you posting results. Simple as that. My car, hampered by significant mechanical gremlins ran only two laps and ran as fast as Greg Ira's customer's car at Summit Main and that car was in a vintage class above ITS. Had my car not been hampered with eleectrical/oil issues, I would have dropped at minimum another 5-7 seconds. But when you have no RPM above 4800, you can't very well run SCCA T1 times (ITS times aren't a concern or measuring stick in my mind).

 

Mike

Edited by Mikelly
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Matt, It's simply you posting results. Simple as that. My car, hampered by significant mechanical gremlins ran only two laps and ran as fast as Greg Ira's customer's car at Summit Main and that car was in a vintage class above ITS. Had my car not been hampered with eleectrical/oil issues, I would have dropped at minimum another 5-7 seconds. But when you have no RPM above 4800, you can't very well run SCCA T1 times (ITS times aren't a concern or measuring stick in my mind).

 

Mike

 

BTW: I found your YouTube stuff and subscribed. One question, The Mark you are following at VIR, is that the Mark in N. Carolina? I want to know because his rear suspension and flares look fantastic. It looks very planted in the corners. Something I've been fighting. Want to verify what his set up is exactly.

 

 

Matt

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is Mark indeed... Those clips were shot when I was still new to the Porsche and still learning my way, and Mark was sorting his car. My advantage in HP was no match for his slicks and weight advantage, or his lack of fear. Mark is a hot shoe driver. Don't let him fool you... He and John Tedder both (JT1 here)!

 

Mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 6 months later...
  • 2 years later...

Pity this thread died, there was some interesting talk going on, particularly about circuit racing. I'm a furriner and for what it's worth I think that the LS is the best engine ever, seriously. Built and currently race a LS3 engined 280ZX and have started a more serious race Project Z31 which will also be LS powered with a four speed auto. People will argue over the choice of an auto but with the LS torque spread who needs a six speed lump like the T56 when a lighter five speed like the Tremec 6060 can contribute to faster lap times if you prefer a manual, the LS simply does not need a six speed. Unless it's over cammed to the extent that it loses what makes it great, a brilliant torque spread.

Edited by 260DET
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 years later...

Resurrecting this thread, for the following reasons and inquiries:

 

1. Did the original poster, now a "guest", make any progress?

 

2. Did Jmortensen, five years after 5 years after 5 years, reach his goals?

 

3. 10 years after my own posting in this thread, did I make any progress (answer: not yet, but "finally" I'm getting serious).

 

4. Why is the newest thread in this subforum, 5 years old?  Aren't there any Datsun-related motorsports events worth mentioning?  Or is this the wrong environment for such discussions?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine ended up at 2352. And it turns.

 

I got sick last year (pretty much all year), finally had surgery in April for "smoldering diverticulitis", recovered for a few months, then bought a GTI to race in the rainy winters here. So I have been racing once this year, and it was in the GTI, which understeers like a mofo and is getting camber plates and a racy alignment in a couple weeks. 

I wish I had my fastest run from this day which was good enough for 2nd overall and less than a second behind a stripped, supercharged S2000 on slicks, but I'm terrible about starting the camera.
 

 

Edited by JMortensen
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...