CoastGuardZ

Out-frickin'-standing ED!!! I absolutely love the under-carriage. You also solved my dillema... to polish or not to polish is no longer the question! Beautiful engine bay -Polish is THE answer. Can't wait to see it in person... Nate

:surprised words escape me...

Roger That! But, I do have to say that I'm not a Machinery Technician in the CG just because I didn't want to do my hobby as a job, I was afraid that I would lose my passion for it if it became work. So instead I'm an Electronics Tech. Best of luck to ya! What year is that Z anyway? Nate

My '72 doesn't have any weights listed on the door jamb, I wonder if the #'s you've seen there are GVWR, which is the max the car should weigh with luggage, people, etc. In my glove box there is a sticker that say's permissable vehicle load capacity 420 lbs. That would equal ~ 2750 lbs. , a bit closer to the #'s you mentioned. FWIW, Nate

Hey ya'll, I'm going to make it up there as many days as possible, I will be there on Wed. for the car show without a doubt. I'll be wearing a blue shirt with COAST GUARD written on the front in big ol' yellow letters. Stop me and say hello. Nate

I'm definitely in a chair now... I just took over the XO position at one of our little LORAN transmitting sites in Romulus, NY (Read: Middle of Nowhere) mainly a lot of paperwork, but I do get to work on the transmitter and timer a bit. We only put out 800,000 watts from a little 700 feet tall antenna. From your post it sounds like you are about to get out.?. In these days of low retention I'm sure the AF would hate to see you go. BTW, here is a pic of my last little row boat, and what we do for fun... Nate

1972 240Z here with original dealer installed A/C ... 2330 lbs. Nate

26 next month, and I consider the Z my girlfriend (shhh don't tell my wife :tapemouth ) so I guess at 33 that means I'm dating an older woman!

I didn't know Chair Force guys could read, let alone type and spell! J/K Welcome aboard fly boy. The Z is an awesome ride and I'm sure you'll love yours.... Plenty of Up's and Down's though! Nate

A 1988 Chevrolet C1500 Silverado. In SC you can get your restricted license at 15... and so I did. My dad then held to a promise he had made me when he bought the truck new. I was a kid and said that it was the coolest truck I'd ever seen, and he told me that he would give it to me when I got my license. A pretty darn good deal I think. It had 158,000 miles on it when I got it and I put another 30,000 on it and traded it for a '86 Toyota MR2 the flying doorwedge.

Your's looks to be HLS30-46xxx. Is this true? Mine is HLS30-47xxx also produced in 9/71. Mine was/is titled as a '72, but like MikeW said it is quite possible to have overlap in 9/71. I also have the lighter in the dashboard. Do you plan to restore it or make a racecar? Or maybe both? Oh, and Welcome! Nate

The BRE Spook... No doubt about it. With or without the openings.

I FINALLY FOUND THE ANSWER TO OUR DEBATE!!!!!!!!! It was Mr. Teal in the library with the candlestick!!!

Ah yes the Ro-spit. Damn that's an ugly car. I believe that, like this site, they would be torn. As I'm sure you've noticed they've featured a few Z's in the past... and outside of the Challenge cars (which they don't build) they've all been L6 powered that I can recall. But like I said I think they would be torn, because they do like mixed up cars too. I bet they would build one for a sanctioned race class though. my 2 cents

Bill just posted the web site. It is NOT a monthly mag. It is technically a bi-monthly mag but they're up to about 8 or so a year now. You're local Barnes and Noble or Books a Million will stock it and the last issue was August 05 and was released just a couple of weeks ago. It is an outstanding mag and very well written. I love it and have been a subscriber since 2000. They also own Classic Motorsports. www.classicmotorsports.net Nate

Any readers of Grassroots Motorsports here? If not, pick up a copy... you'll be glad you did! Case in point the $2,0## challenge they hold every year. Insert the year for the ## ( i.e. this year, 2005, = the $2005 challenge). Build the best car you can for no more than $2k-ish and compete in a autoX, dragrace and a concours. Best overall wins. This years winner was an 88 RX-7 with a Ford 302... the dudes got less than 2,000 in it and it runs 11.6 in the 1/4. Also a '62 Fiat with a 350 running 11.4. Of course I'd take the 71 240z with the L28ET and it's 13.0 time, come on, it's a series 1... what the heck would I do with a ford powered RX-7 anyway? :cross-eye Anyways - cool mag - plenty of turbo'd Dodges, DSM's and rotory powered thingy's. Nate

My point exactly J. Fair? who cares. MPG? who cares. HP? who cares. Cost? who cares. What is the intention of the original question? Personally I own a L24. It runs, doesn't cost any more on my original investment and it's already installed. On the other hand... I'd have to procure a V8 and tranny and install them. Financially the L24 is the best....... of these two scenarios. But again we have to "assume" the original question is the best bang for the buck. This means I have to steal my father-in-laws 2001 Vette swap his engine and 6 speed with my L24/4spd combo, put it back in the garage and hope he never notices

Very very true! But, EFI vs. Carbs. Apples vs. Oranges. Not very fair. 25 years or so inbetween release date = 25 years of technological advances. How about fuel economy of an 70-72 camaro with a sb and it's power to weight ratio vs a the same #'s on a 70-72 240Z. But then again we get into the fact the original question was not specific enough to state if "the" v8 Z transplant worth "it". hmmm Nate

Hate to burst your bubble on the 4.3 man, but your statement has no factual basis. My mothers 89 S10 blazer with 4.3L Z code engine was sold back in 2000 with 210,000 miles. other than gas, oil, and regular tune-ups the only things done to that engine were 2 starters, 2 alternators and 1 water pump. And this is not an isolated incident, I'm in the vicinity of two other 4.3's daily that both have over 150,000 miles with minimal maintenance. The 4.3L has a great track record, keep in mind... it's essentially a 350 with 2 cylinders cut off. It also got the same or better mpg's that my 3.3L Frontier gets. Not to confuse you, I'm completely PRO Jap car, I just know that the 4.3 was/is a great engine. Side note: My friend back in high school had an HF CRX. Couldn't get out of it's own way, but damn $5 in the tank and he was good for a month! I was lucky if $20 would last me a week in my '88 C1500! And that's when gas was $0.89 cents a gallon... ahh the good old days...

So I've done a little thinking (because that's all the thinking I'm allowed to do ) Comparing a 6 to an 8 is ludacris. Except for the fact that the original question asks - ... is the Z v8 transplant worth it? But keep in mind it is asking for opinions, not fact. Although it does NOT state for what reason. Power, Emmisions, Gas Mileage, Availability or even Aftermarket support. We can only assume that power is the goal. So if you were looking for the most bang for the buck, I believe a SB v8 is the answer. I think I would personally go with a built Ford 302 because "Hey, they sound so damn good". Although puting a 5.0L in a Z would be like wrapping a turd in gold, IMHO. Now lets say it was for the most technology... How about Ferraris variable valve timing system thingy? The lobes are cut 3-D like and The damn cam actual moves laterally in the head. That's some neat crap... yet way off topic. It may be easier and cheaper to get more power out of a american v8 but you could better gas mileage with the 1.6 that was in my 86 Sentra, I used to get 45mpg on the Interstate at 65mph with the factory optional 5spd. :surprised "Most" was a good word to use... Chevrolet, the main v8 manufacturer in debate here, recently ditched their very popular 4.3L v6 for their small pickups for the new Inline 5 cylinder. Overhead cam, less cylinders, less displacement, more HP and an inline engine to boot ... hmmm However, it does generate 25 ft/lbs less torque. And yes I am aware that the old style (S-10) Blazer is still in production and comes with a 4.3, and also that the 4.3 is the non-v8 in the Silverado, but I do have a feeling those will both change in the next few years. Anyway - I'm sticking to L motors because I'm too emotionally involved with Nissan. In fact, on my drive home from work today I was even giving thought to... GASP... fuel injection :eek: . Or even... Double GASP!... Turbo "Someone get a Medic, this guys out of his mind :stupid: " Also, if I was looking for power to weight ratio I would build a turbo charged 300hp VW Beetle... you know with driver you could come in at less than 1500 lbs! Or maybe even a SBC powered rail style dune buggy. Oh and for the record... we all know that MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP is the best Ice Cream :lick: Nate

My sentiments exactly!

That is an outstanding point. Are OHC's more efficient? Therefore making them easier to meet emission standards? Possibly smoother or quieter? There's got to be a reason. Flame on! Nate

You know, I was just thinking that "cam in block" or "push-rod engines" keep getting refered to as OHV. It's not being compared to a Briggs and Straton 5hp lawn mower. So why is this? The valves in a OHC are also placed above the pistons, so isn't it also an OHV? Just a little food for thought, if you're hungry that is. Nate Also If one can't "afford a turbo" so they go with a V8 (which also will require a new tranny) maybe it's time to reevalute your hobby. If I wanted a race car I would have bought a race car. j/k