kelltainer Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 ok this may seem a dumb question but I can get a feree rebuilt 350 and turbo 350 transmission from my dad and I jsut bought an auto 81 2+2 s130 with v8 mounts in it. Now what I want to know is an auto v8 Z fun to drive? I am a stick guy and not an auto by any means but.....it is tempting seeing as how i could DD my 83 na zx and then play with this other one but it is a 2+2 so its heavier as well =(...... Im just not sure what to do, build the 350 and go efi + a manual trans(which this will happen over time) or go stock 350 and use an auto. I love to cruise the hill country and would love to have a car I could go to drift or auto cross stuff with and maybe the 1/4 although it is way too hard on a car for only 13 seconds worth of fun imo. any help or suggestions would be great! thanks! (O and the swap wont be a problem cause I have a friend who is going to teach me how to do everything he is a professor at a local college and knows how to do everything). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaparral2f Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Get a manual valve body so you can control the shifts in the tranny. That is what I am running though my trans is a bit more radical. If there is a drawback, it is that the 350 is a direct drive. Granted it is almost bulletproof, but an overdrive would be nice to have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyro Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 a th350 has a 1:1 top gear. this will make the engine rev fairly high going down the freeway. your 81 should have a 3.54 gear (since it has a factory auto trans), so that isn't as bad as a 3.90 gear. but still. lots of revs. installing a 350 trans would be the easiest. but a T5 from a V8 camaro would be better. not a V6 camaro! performance depends on the engine build. a stock smogger 350 can have as little as 150hp. Don't expect too much power out of a stock mid 70's to 80's 350. For example, a stock 73 vette engine only had 190hp which is about what a stock 81 Z had at the crank. However, add a little bigger cam to a 350, a little more compression, better heads, better intake and exhaust, and 350hp can be made even while retaining a fairly smooth idle. A v8 conversion is a tough job. Lots of little projects. it will cost at least twice as much as you think in both time and money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelltainer Posted December 17, 2009 Author Share Posted December 17, 2009 yea thats what I was thinking, i have the mounts in the auto already =D, and the engine is free. plus everything custom done will be semi free(no labor fees) and I work at a shop. i think what i will do is take the 350 and mod it while finding a manual transmission and then eventually drop it into the manual zx I own. So i will jsut be parting out the auto shell. Thanks for the Help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyro Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 well, not just the auto mounts. it is also the clutch set that will be tough. need a new master cylinder, slave cylinder, and new hydro line. plus the cost of the clutch and the labor to put in a clutch pedal assembly. the hard part is to get everything in place and working correctly. modifying the 350 is the easy part. I say, drop in the stock setup then mod the 350 later. just don't expect too much power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelltainer Posted December 22, 2009 Author Share Posted December 22, 2009 yea I have a manual 280zx so I wont need all of that. I also work at a shop so yes I still have to put some money out but my cost is tons cheaper than over the counter . Also with the money I can get from parting out my auto I can have most of the money for the swap I want =D (or paint lol). Also the tuning program will be a GM one; my friend is a professor at a local college with hookups on that software and everything you need for it. He did an LT1 swap in a zx a year ago with a student of his so he is familiar with everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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