Guest Anonymous Posted April 17, 2000 Share Posted April 17, 2000 I have a '82 280ZX with turbo, runs fine, fairly quick. Have only drove it once though, been in storage in Maine, will be moving back in a few weeks though and am thinking about what I'm going to do with it. Do I want to swap in a sbs? I like V8's, swapped a SBC into my jeep wrangler little while back. But I was wondering how my 280ZX would do stock at the 1/8th mile? What kind of times are your sbc Z's getting? What kind of mod's can I do with the turbo, can I get the boost up to 15psi or so? Suggestions? Thanks! ------------------ Big Ed '82 280ZX Trubo, stock I think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 17, 2000 Share Posted April 17, 2000 Big Ed...where in Maine?? This is my home state and I'm in the Bangor area. SpencZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MYRON Posted April 17, 2000 Share Posted April 17, 2000 Big Ed, I cant tell you what a stock turbo Z would do in the 8th. I would guess somewhere around 12sec. I havent run mine in the 8th yet, but I hang out with a bunch of racers and we are quessing mid 7 sec. and low 11's in the 1/4.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie-GNZ Posted April 17, 2000 Share Posted April 17, 2000 Big Ed, funny you should ask this question. One of the kids I am coaching ran his 83 for the 1st time yesterday and after getting over the butterflies, he ran a 1/4-mile of 15.4 @ 91 with an 1/8-mile of 9.82 at 71.5. He tweaked the boost to 10psi which accounts for the almost 20mph gain in the 2nd 1/8-mile. His car is heavy with t-tops and boom box and with a little more practice it could run 15.1. BTW, a fairly accurate way to convert 1/8-mile to projected 1/4-mile ET is multiply the 1/8-mile ET by 1.57. You can do a lot with the ZXT engine but it depends on how fast you want to go and how much you want to spend. I previously ran a ZXT engine in my 240Z and wanted to see how far I could go with the stock engine and turbo and was able to get 13.02 @ 110.97 with 17psi. That equates to about 280hp at the wheels. That is not normal for the stock engine and I had FMIC, K&N, 3" exhaust, 300ZX TB (55mm), Ford SVO injectors and the key upgrade, an SDS programmable system. 400+hp can be squeezed from this engine but then it gets expensive. I have since swapped that setup to a Buick GN, but having previously had 2 V-8 Z-cars, I feel I give an opinion from experience. I still do not have my GN swap fully sorted, but it is hands-down the sweetest of the 3 setups. Not everyone wants to be that different, so if you have an oppurtunity to do a V-8 Z-car, go for it. However, if you are going to do one, do it right or you will regret it. If you decide to do it, also budget for suspension and brake upgrade to really take advantage of the new found power. First piece of advice is to buy the JTR manual, study it and query this forum on any questions that come up. Next, get someone with a well setup V-8 Z-car to let you drive it and if possible, dont drive a 500hp SBC if that is not what you plan. Good Luck, Scottie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted April 18, 2000 Share Posted April 18, 2000 Scottie makes several good points... Make sure you get a chance to drive a properly done Z with the JTR motor setback and proper suspension and brakes done. I think I could build a nice budget Z or ZX for under 10K total, but that includes suspension and brake upgrades, and a 350HP 350#ft. torque power plant.. ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 18, 2000 Share Posted April 18, 2000 I won't be quite that far north, bangor is up there. Will be living in the Portland area, haven't found a house yet. Relocation is complements of Fairchild Semiconductor, heard of them? Thanks for the input on the Z! I wouldn't mind keeping the original turbo and trying to get down to low 9's or high 8's in the 1/8th. Plenty fast enough for me. Susp / brake mods will definitely be on the want list though. Does anybody know what kind of auto tranny is in an 82 280ZX? ------------------ Big Ed '82 280ZX Trubo, stock I think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 18, 2000 Share Posted April 18, 2000 Big_Ed...I've got a bunch of buddies who work or are going to be working soon at Fairchild. I have heard there is a problem with finding houses in the portland area...mainly because it is experiencing overpopulation. Good luck! SpencZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 19, 2000 Share Posted April 19, 2000 The originator of the Z-car list, John De Armond, had a 280zx Turbo. He ran water injection on it with 28 psi (!) of boost. Well out of the efficieny range of the turbo, but it worked. Then the water injection nozzle clogged and the motor died very quickly! Re - Fairchild - I'm an ex-NSCer. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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