Guest Anonymous Posted May 3, 2001 Share Posted May 3, 2001 I just started driving a 1981 280zx and am interested in dropping a V8 in it for more power. I have no clue what I would need to do or where to start. So far by looking at this forum a 350 with a T56 sounds good. Please help and let me know what you would do. I have no experience with V8 conversions so all info or opinions you can give me would be of great help! The car is in good condition and is a standard, I would like to keep it standard and if possible put a 6 speed in it, that would be cool. Also price does matter, I would like to keep the conversion costing within reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Shasteen Posted May 4, 2001 Share Posted May 4, 2001 [DarkEternal]...whose your daddy-Darth Vader(?) just kidding & welcome to the club. As far as where to start-Get the JTR manual if you havent already. If I hadnt looked at my copy & attempted to understand what everyone was talking about I could've half way understood but to fully understand all the issues involved you need to have the manual in front of you & memorize it. Even tho the manual concentrates on the 240/260/280 the process is the same. There are a few on this board running around who have done the ZX swap & can assist in filling in the grey areas. Then once you've gone over the manual a few dozen times you main concern-besides which components to use will be "What Purpose Your Car Will Serve". Once you decide your cars purpose you can then build your plans on components that allow your power to peak in the appropriate speeds. Your questions should be: 1) Weight of the Car 2) Basic RPM a)grocery getter b)mild street c)H/O street/mild strip d) H/O Strip e)Heavily Modified Strip 3) Transmission of choice 4) Rear Gears/Tire Size Basic RPM used to be considered 60mph; with the increas to Hwy speeds up to 65/70...it would be your decision which speed you prefer to call "Basic RPM". The other speed concer will be 1/4mile times-this is what a performance set up is gauged against; how well it performs in the 1/4mile. Unless you want a high rev'g rally car. Buy a Summit magazine from the newstands-look/scour/dream thru their pages-after awhile you will begin understanding how the components work together...and read the archives of HybridZ. Hope that gets your stated/now you've been bit-there's no turning back! Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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