Is there a year or model car that is better than another for

[Guest Anonymous]

I'm new to this, as you can tell, and was wondering if one year Z was better for doing the swap, had better suspension or anything like that. How do these cars handle? How do they do as far as braking too? I'd like to know a baseline amount of money it is, if you had one of these cars already, and a 350 to put in it, so how much is the kit and all that other stuff?

I realize its a VERY vague question to have to answer, and I expect the same sort of response, but I'd just like to get the basic idea for doing the swap, without spending too much money on fancy parts.

 

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87 Turbo Regal

 

 

[This message has been edited by Silver T (edited August 27, 2000).]

[Guest Anonymous]

The earlier the car is, the lighter it is.

If you do more than just drive around town, expect to need some work on the brakes, as they are intended for the original 150ish horsepower engine. Any Z can handle almost as good as you want, it just takes time and money.

 

 

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Morgan morgan@z31.com

http://carfiche.com

http://z31.com

[Scottie-GNZ]

SilverT, as the owner of a Turbo Regal, I am surprised you are choosing to do a SBC instead of a turbo Z.

 

Just kidding. Welcome.

 

For a mild V-8 swap I like the '75. It was the 1st 280Z and had the nice features like wider trans tunnel, stiffer chassis and nicer interior. However, if you are going to have some horsies and a cage and frame rail stiffened, then go for the lighter early 240Z.

 

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Scottie

71 240GN-Z

http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

[Guest Anonymous]

LOL Scottie, .

I would only choose that route, because it would be so much cheaper (I already have a complete 350).

Thanks for the welcome.

How much to these conversion kits go for? And what exactly do they include? Anybody got any links for me?

 

I took a quick look on the net and found this car for sale, its about 1/2 hour from me, tell me what you think:

1978 NISSAN 280 Z, 58,000 miles, 2 plus 2, automatic, body very solid, runs great, $3300 or best offer.

Although it sounds kinda pricey, I'm sure I could talk him down on the price.

 

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87 Turbo Regal

[BLKMGK]

First and foremost before buying anything - buy the book from JTR. WWW.JagsThatRun.com shoudl get you there. Buy the book, read the book cover to cover, then consider which car to buy. My first choice would NOT be a 2+2! I'd also suggest that you look until you find a car in GOOD shape with minimal rust and unless bodywork is your thing - great paint.

 

I've got a 72 240Z myself. It's light as a feather with ZERO side impact protection (shiver). A cage will take car of that. consider a 260 tho's or maybe the 280Z like Scottie mentioned. Yeah they're a touch heavier but IMO with as much HP as a 350 has it's NOT a big deal. I took a hard look at Mike Kelly's 260Z not long ago and I honestly liked his interior setup better than mine - a stereo in mine will be a PITA - the 260Z appears to take it much more easily. The sheetmetal for the 240-280Z (not ZX) is pretty much the same except maybe bumpers.

 

Brakes - lot's of EASY brake upgrades out there. The Toyota 4X4 uprade is pretty darned cheap and makes the car really stop. Rear discs aren't really needed but might be nice. I'm switching to 5lugs to get better brakes and a better wheel selection (shrug). The 5lug setup cost me less than $500 if memory serves - that's not bad for 4 wheel disc.

 

Don't rush this. Ask lot's of questions, look for the perfect car, gather parts. Lot's of us were or still are in your shoes. I bought two Zs before I had one I was willing to swap into and now am waiting for the motor to show up...

[Andrew Bayley]

Silver T,

Here’s some information from my past experiences (two ’77 280’s, early ’74 260 and one ’71 240). I hope it helps.

 

First of all, people seem to get more money for the older 240Z’s. Something about being the original, that makes people believe they are worth $1000 more than a comparable 280Z. The 280Z doesn’t appear to have the “classic†name plate attached… yet! Get ‘em cheap, while you still can

 

Secondly, the 240Z is significantly lighter than is younger brother, the 280Z. I believe the 70 and early 71 models were the lightest. I thought the 72’s and up had side impact bars in the door, but I guess I’m wrong. Maybe that was a 260 thing.

 

Third, the 280Z has more physical room to it. In a 240Z, the transmission tunnel needs to be widened to accept an automatic transmission, where the 280Z tunnel is plenty wide already. Also the frame rails are different on a 240. The wider 240Z frame rails stop somewhere past the floor boards while the 280Z frame rails go all the way back to the rear wheel wells. I noticed the wider frame rails when I pulled a perfect fitting radiator out of a ’77 280Z and realized it was too wide for an early ’74 260Z. Hence the hammer marks on my frame rails.

 

Finally, the biggest thing to consider above all is rust. I hate to say this to some one living on the East Coast, but California is the place to find rust free Z’s. I’ve driven to thirteen states looking for the “legendary†rust-free Z and the only place I’ve ever found it was in SoCal. Even the cars in Arizona had signs of rust on them. Yuck! Swapping big motors is a lot more fun than fixing rust holes (for me).

 

Anyway, that’s been my experience(s) hope it helps.

[randy 77zt]

the 75 to 78 z was beefed up because of the 5 mph bumper standard.i live in the central valley in california and somtimes you can get z cars for $200 or $300 bucks with little rust or none except for the battery tray.

[Guest Fast Frog]

Also:

 

On the 240Zs, The mustache bar should be turned around (I believe) and the tach requires more attention to get calibrated for a V8 setup. But BLKMGK is right-get the JTR conversion manual.

 

[This message has been edited by Fast Frog (edited August 28, 2000).]

[BLKMGK]

Honestly, I wish I'd asked some of these questions myself One other thing that should be kept in mind though - emissions. In my case a '72 doesn't need emissions and is exempt. Since it's registered as a classic with "permanent tags" it also doesn't require an inspection - I can "self inspect" it. Make sure you check the laws in your area else you could be in for a rude shock.

 

Given the comments here and barring emissions concerns I'd go for a 280Z myself. Take a look at a couple and remember that you don't have to buy the first one you see, they're out there if you look. I found mine on the WEB only a few hours drive away..

 

Oh yeah FWIW - neither of my 72s have anything but the barest of side impact protection. There's a skinny bar in there made of sheet metal and if you remove the guts from the door it weighs nothing and rings like a bell when struck. It's got the thng bumpers too and I'll be replacing them with fiberglass (shiver). Yeah, it's light and that's nice but I worry about getting hit in it. Nobody plans an accident but I try to plan for it just in case! There are large numbers of fools out there who could kill you for the sake of getting through that stale yellowred light a second before you. I hope that a full cage will be enough to protect me and mine...