DomN8R

Hi guys
I'm a retired airline pilot and dedicated Ford builder...and now, somehow, a Z car owner.
A buddy of mine recently gave me a really clean 260Z, and I decided to make a toy out of it. I build Fords, as I said, so it's probably destined for a turbo 5 liter/T5 combo, eventually.
However, my buddy just rebuilt the L26, all stock, except he got his hands on the pre-emission carbs,(240Z?) which is, I suppose, a good thing. (I'm learning Z-speak, so feel free to point out any of my errors or misconceptions)
Since this motor has zero time on it, I put my efforts into appearance and handling. The thing is about ready to spray, then some interior work and she'll be ready to roll. I kept esthetics simple, shaved the bumpers so they actually fit the car, installed energy suspensions bushings, and replaced the rear taillights (and the entire rear panel) with Corvette lights. Looks good, I think...anyway, it's going 'vette yellow with twin SS style stripes in black. I'll post pics when it's got color on it.

So much for back story- here's my question.
I want to run this motor for awhile, since it's fresh, but I want to upgrade a bit-anyone know the max cam lift/duration I can go on a stocker while maintaining valve clearance?
Also, does anyone know what the max boost pressure you can get away with on a stock L26 with (I assume) cast pistons? I have a few turbos laying around, and enough of a fabrication shop to make the manifolds.

Basically, I'm leaning towards playing around with a larger cam and turbo with a nice exhaust, obviously...then I'll do the "drive it like you hate it" thing until the motor is scrap, then we'll tackle the V8 swap.

Any opinions are welcome- simpler or more effective power adder ideas, for sure. I don't want to tear this motor down, not the lower end, anyway, and while I'll port the head, I'm not interested in upgrading to a different head- this is a disposable motor.

One more question- I haven't decided which direction I want to go with wheels and tires, but for now, are there any common wheels out there that will allow you to get more rubber on the road? I've built a few imports over the years, and after dropping good money on aftermarket wheels and tires, had someone tell me "Oh, the wheels off of a (insert model) fit right on there and you can pick them up for a song" so I figured I'd ask.

Thanks, guys.

theramz

Welcome to ZDriver! The L26 is a stout engine and you should be able to run 5-10 lbs. (cast pistons). You can get a L28T engine from a ZX and use the head or the whole engine and run higher boost. There is a great article on Zhome.com about the Ford swap. The iron Ford is actually lighter than the L26. There are lots of options for wheels depending on how wide and how big your budget.

DomN8R

Thanks for the reply!
I plan on going nuts with wheels and tires once the V8 swap happens, but for now I was curious if anything off of an existing car (junkyard wheels) would fit, that was a bit wider. I'd like to get more rubber on the road and some low profile tires under it, but I don't want to go too crazy with the limited horsepower of the L26. It looks like the offset is about 4", do you happen to know what (if any) other makes use the same lug pattern?


Thanks!

PurePontiacKid

280ZX Turbo wheels (swastika's as they're called) are 15x7" and have a pretty decent amount of lip.

if I were you, I'd just go with some XXR's. in 15" their dirt cheap (like $360 for the set) and are 8" wide with a nice 0 offset.

theramz

The Z wheels are a zero offset. So when you are buying wheels keep in mind that if the offset is + then the wheel is that much closer to the springs. If they are wider then you have to do some carefull measuring. Example, I have 17" with + 25 offset. I had to make 25 mm wide adaptors. They miss the springs by 1/4" and are just inside the fender lip. Sellers will provide the dimention from the back edge of the wheel to the mounting face. The '79- '84 280zx wheels will fit. Personally I wouldn't waste time with old wheels and tires. If you got the cash get them now.

DomN8R

Thanks guys...man, I'm realizing how lazy I've gotten sticking almost entirely to Ford for the last 25 years or so. Knowing every nut and bolt and crossover part certainly eases the build process. Guess I'm going to have to do some actual research and work this time, lol. Good thing forums like this exist!

I think I'll look into the 280zx wheels for now...I'm looking at keeping friction down to squeeze as much as possible out of the L26, so I don't want to fit the fatties quite yet. I'm trying to balance that with getting the thing to hook up, at least a bit.

Plus, I don't know what look I like yet, wheel-wise. I need to finish the car and stare at it for awhile, I think. Honestly, I'm thinking an old-school centerline look, but I always lean towards the stuff that was popular when I was a teenager, and sometimes that's not the way to go. Although I was only a few years from my teens when this car was new, so...

zero

putting a v8 will throw the handling in the garbage. one group engineered a z that retained its handling ability with a v8. The engineering feat cost 65 thousand dollars. Z is made for cornering. Thats why you could watch a 240z beat a 427 cobra at lime rock roadcourse in the 70s. Handling. Basicly to do a bubba v8, it will handle And Perform like a microbus with a v8.

zero

Ask yourself if you would drop a 383 v8 in a ferarri? Porsche?. What would change? If you really think it wouldnt matter, go right ahead. As for turbo, it would be cheaper to sell the 260 and buy a turbo zx than it would be to turbo the na 260. My 2 cents for what its worth. Enjoy the car, good luck.

skittle

WOW zero your a looser on this site as well huh?

A V-8 will not turn the handling to garbage, perhaps on a stock suspension. He said he was going to upgrade that as well so it should be no issue. If the V8 is installed correctly you will have a better 50/50 ratio with more power.

There is nothing wrong with the swap, the ford swap is a little better than the SBC swap since you have the dizzy in the front of the engine and not at the rear against the firewall. (unless you go with an LT1 or LSX with COP's)

As for the Cam I would call up Isky and talk to them, they can regrind your cam to what you want.

I prefer the 81 turbo rims over the 82/83 I'm not a real fan of the swasticas. Ian I still want your back wheels!!!!

zero

you dont even know what ratio you are parroting. A geo with a 500 hp has awesome power to weight ratio. How well do you think it will corner even with beefy suspension? As for the weight distribution the z has close to 50 50 stock, Perfect for cornering, Not so much for drag. But you didnt understand on the other site so you spread the misconception. You dont know jack about it besides something you read one day. Stick to your duplicolor paint jobs and efi gimmics. And once youre so braindead youre putting a 351 in a ferrari. Meet me at lime rock road course and ill stomp you with a straight 6 in a 240. And if any engine is disposable its the low reving american garbage. I bet you dont see ford and chevy engines from 30 years ago in daily drivers already past 300k on the odometers like one of my 280zx. but who cares about facts. As long as bubbah can go fast and stay straight for 800 feet on some tiny strip. Now thats driving!

hoov100

Have you actually owned or driven a sbc z? Let alone actually took the time to research the conversion? A complete sbc weighs less then a complete L28 and would put all of that weight behind the front cross member. The conversion kit with EVERYTHING you need costs less then $1000. (I have no idea where you came up with $65k from)

**** yeah I would drop an sbc in a ferrari and porsche!

Do you even know what you're talking about? balance doesn't mean jack **** when it comes to handling until you are really trying to push every tenth of a second off your track time, even then there are so many other things to look at, like roll centers, COG, stagger, strut tower twist, spring frequencies, spring rates, spring preload, shock valving and bypass settings...etc Also considering my sbc 240z with stock suspension handles better then any stock s30 I've owned or driven.

I have no idea where you think an american v8 is low revving, I have a mild sbc that will rev to 7500 all day long, we have a mild sbc in my autox car that revs to 8500 all day long. Not to mention the LSX motors stock are good to 7400.

I really don't think you know what you're talking about, let alone have experience with them enough to be claiming some of the worst disinformation about sbc z cars I have ever heard. Tell you what, when you actually know something about chassis dynamics and car handling, let alone about v8 z cars, you PM me and I'll happy to discuss the finer details with you.

skittle

Thanks Hoov for helping me make the point.

Zero If you want to be straight Nissan go to classiczcars.com for your "elitism"