Best Mods?
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Re: Best Mods?
What do you intend to do with the car?
Drag race?
Autocross?
Track?
Fast street car?
How much money can you spend?
$1,000?
$5,000?
$10,000?
What kind of condition is your car in?
Rust?
Suspension bushings?
Drivetrain?
Interior?
Body?
John Coffey
johnc@betamotorsports.com
Drag race?
Autocross?
Track?
Fast street car?
How much money can you spend?
$1,000?
$5,000?
$10,000?
What kind of condition is your car in?
Rust?
Suspension bushings?
Drivetrain?
Interior?
Body?
John Coffey
johnc@betamotorsports.com
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Best Mods?
John brings up very important points to focs you in the right direction. I'm a V8 guy, but that is for ME not necessarily for everyone else. With a rusted Z, no way; for autocrossing, maybe not; for drag racing, road racing, and street brawling, HECK YES!!! But then, that's ME.
Post your answers to John's questions and you'll get good information...
David
Post your answers to John's questions and you'll get good information...
David
Guest
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Re: Best Mods?
I can probably spend 1-2 grand I would like a V8 - but I think that is out of the question. I don't want to do any racing (except maybe for the occasional track day or drag with a friend), i just want a quick car. Mods that I can do myself would be best. Thanks for the replies!
Guest
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Re: Best Mods?
Well, if you don't want to do much but get more power this is what I would suggest...
ONE thing is to change out your Camshaft, I'll say it over and over again, that DECIDES your power! good cam = great power, bad cam = no power, i dont care if you have a supercharger on a chevy 502 you won't get crap without the right cam....
MY plans for MY 240Z is to put a V8 in it... but as of now I have a L28 with SUs.... stock cam, higher compression due to head milling...
my plans to the Z engine are to put another cam on with stiffer springs so i can pull 7,500 RPM or so.... and nitrous... I should be getting about 9.6:1 compression which allows me easily to run on pump gas.
I am confident I will get 200 hp (flywheel) with the cam alone due to the compression...
then theres whatever HP shot of nitrous I decide to run with... most likely a 75 hp shot...
my $.02
-Steve
ONE thing is to change out your Camshaft, I'll say it over and over again, that DECIDES your power! good cam = great power, bad cam = no power, i dont care if you have a supercharger on a chevy 502 you won't get crap without the right cam....
MY plans for MY 240Z is to put a V8 in it... but as of now I have a L28 with SUs.... stock cam, higher compression due to head milling...
my plans to the Z engine are to put another cam on with stiffer springs so i can pull 7,500 RPM or so.... and nitrous... I should be getting about 9.6:1 compression which allows me easily to run on pump gas.
I am confident I will get 200 hp (flywheel) with the cam alone due to the compression...
then theres whatever HP shot of nitrous I decide to run with... most likely a 75 hp shot...
my $.02
-Steve
The Evil Twin
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 9,296
From: Seattle, WA
Re: Best Mods = gears!
Its all in the gears. Tune up your engine, and then stick in the right transmission and rear end. That's what I've found out works good for very little money and very straight forward work. All you do is undo bolts, and put new ones in.
Get a 1975-78 280Z 5-speed. (fairly low gears for 1st-3rd) and put in a 3.9:1 or 4.11 geared differential. It feels great and drives good. It gets you to those high rpms a little faster too and compliments a good cam VERY well.
Also, you may put in a T-5 Borg Warner 5-speed
(1982-83 280zx turbo)
but that will just require a shortened driveshaft. It has much lower gears in it. The 280Z five-speed is an easier install.
Get a 1975-78 280Z 5-speed. (fairly low gears for 1st-3rd) and put in a 3.9:1 or 4.11 geared differential. It feels great and drives good. It gets you to those high rpms a little faster too and compliments a good cam VERY well.
Also, you may put in a T-5 Borg Warner 5-speed
(1982-83 280zx turbo)
but that will just require a shortened driveshaft. It has much lower gears in it. The 280Z five-speed is an easier install.
Guest
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Re: Best Mods?
Got a nice 71? Don't ruin it with a V8 (here we go again). You can get great performance with the correct differential (see other response) a decent cam, and of course free flow exhaust and header. All of the above items will not brake your bank, and you will have retained the originality of your '71. Nitrous burns up motors. What you might decide first is if you want a nice handling sports car that will be worth more when that day comes that you decide to sell it, or a muscle car that if not prepared very carefully won't be worth as much.
Guest
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Re: Best Mods?
AlansZ, take the good advice the guys are giving you: for the money you can't go wrong. I totally disagree about "cutting the car up" by installing a V8, I'm doing that now, but it is way over budget for you and more like $3000-$4000 to do it decently. If the 240Z is really clean, I would keep it totally stock. If it's marginal, do the above mentioned things like rear gears, maybe a 5 speed, cam, exhaust, etc. You'll be about $1000 if you buy used parts and do the work yourself. Don't be afraid of used parts except for the cam...
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Best Mods = gears!
The only problem with the Borg-Warner is that the bell housing is a very different shape than the other Z's, I'd stay away from that one unless you want to fabricate a whole new bell housing... even if it does have the lowest ratio (like the one in my car) =)
But like they said... go with a low ratio tranny and diff (the higher the # the lower the ratio) and you'll be laughing, there's a ton of sites that lay out all the different years and ratios...
Good luck!
But like they said... go with a low ratio tranny and diff (the higher the # the lower the ratio) and you'll be laughing, there's a ton of sites that lay out all the different years and ratios...
Good luck!
Guest
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Re: Best Mods = gears!
In Australia we don't get the 280z, Is there an equivelent gearbox in the 260z or 280zx? Are there any other non-nissan gearboxes that work well? What year is the 4.11 diff off? Does this ruin fuel economy, or is the fifth gear good enough to do 110km/h (about 70mp/h) and get decent fuel economy? Thanks.
The Evil Twin
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 9,296
From: Seattle, WA
Re: Best Mods = gears!
Actualy, the 1983 280ZX turbo with a borg warner T-5 has the same bolt pattern and will bolt up to any L28. I have one in my garage! But it is the longer style of tranny like all 280zx's. If you're putting a 280zx tranny (including the T-5) into a 70-78 Z, then you will have to have the driveline shortened. That's why I suggest using a 280Z 5-speed for ease of installation.
The R200 4.11 was on the 1985-86 200SX Turbo only. They do not burn up the fuel economy. For all the torque it adds, you're only about 250 rpm higher at 70mph. As long as you have a 5-speed, don't worry about using a 4.11 rear. I had one on a daily driven 280zx and it was great! When you're driving on the highway, the L-6 engine is pretty efficent at 3000 rpm.
The R200 4.11 was on the 1985-86 200SX Turbo only. They do not burn up the fuel economy. For all the torque it adds, you're only about 250 rpm higher at 70mph. As long as you have a 5-speed, don't worry about using a 4.11 rear. I had one on a daily driven 280zx and it was great! When you're driving on the highway, the L-6 engine is pretty efficent at 3000 rpm.
The Evil Twin
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 9,296
From: Seattle, WA
Re: Driveshaft
Take it to a shop that works on driveshafts. Usually, you can find a shop specializing in driveshafts and transmissions. A driveshaft needs to be welded very strong and then balanced, so just about everyone has that done for them. Its just one of those things that you don't do yourself, like shaving an engine head.
Guest
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Re: Best Mods?
I agree with the opinion of ripping a nice '71 up and putting in a V8 being a BAD idea. This is exactly the reason that in my post, I said "MY plans for MY '71 is..." not for everyone.
My Z was going to the junkyard, and I saved it. The previous owner bought it as a parts car, and took everything off.
"Ruining" my Z I see almost impossible! This is what I love, the freedom to do anything I want to it without worrying about ruining it!! I could cut off the top and make a crude convertable and take off the fenders and drive it as a shell and still have it better off then when I bought it.
THIS is EXACTLY the kind of car that a V8 swap is appropriate.
I (me) would never take a nice, stock Z and put in a V8. but that's just me
)
-Steve
see before pics of my project/experiment car!
http://www.geocities.com/stev240z<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by stev240z on 05/20/01 12:51 AM.</EM></FONT></P>
My Z was going to the junkyard, and I saved it. The previous owner bought it as a parts car, and took everything off.
"Ruining" my Z I see almost impossible! This is what I love, the freedom to do anything I want to it without worrying about ruining it!! I could cut off the top and make a crude convertable and take off the fenders and drive it as a shell and still have it better off then when I bought it.
THIS is EXACTLY the kind of car that a V8 swap is appropriate.
I (me) would never take a nice, stock Z and put in a V8. but that's just me
)-Steve
see before pics of my project/experiment car!
http://www.geocities.com/stev240z<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by stev240z on 05/20/01 12:51 AM.</EM></FONT></P>
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