jim_chung

iTrader: (2)

Your friendly neighbourhood magazine archivist was cleaning his office and found an issue of December 2008 Grassroots Motorsports magazine with this compelling article:

sa7

iTrader: (13)

Cool article. thanks for posting it.

PK_12A

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for sharing was a great read.

HadaGSL-SE

iTrader: (6)

Hey thats me!

After getting the megasquirt on the RX-7 it would have really wiped the floor with the 240z. Right now it would not since it is sans motor awaiting the LS1/T56 (building to LS6 specs) combo in my garage.

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

Say it ain't so

I hope you respect that Spark yellow. I might have to kick your butt if you swap that one

Missed you at the Mitty this year, did you go?

13x

bump for reading tonight

HadaGSL-SE

iTrader: (6)

I did go the Mitty. Was a pretty good time as usual. Don't worry I will not be doing anything silly to the yellow 79 or RX3.

The GSL-SE has over 200,000 miles, and was pretty modified anyhow. I was able to sell the motor including megasquirt, trans etc. which paid for the LS1. I am another $750 or so in the LS6 heads, cam and intake. I figure another $500 - $1000 for the clutch (the 13B needed one anyhow), driveshaft, exhaust and misc. I will then have 375 + rwhp, tons of tq, better mileage etc. I was bored of the car with the 13B and wasn't truly happy with it. It was either turbo it, swap the motor or sell it. I like unique stuff and didn't really want to sell it so the swap won out.

I already have a Lemons/Chumpcar 83 with a 5.0 V8 and am swapping all that over to a 79 we just finished putting a cage in. That 79 was a $200 rat with no title we pulled from a field. We should be running it at Road Atlanta in December if you or anyone is interested in watching.

HadaGSL-SE

iTrader: (6)

Oh and here is GRMs online article on it.

Grudge Match: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine Articles

82transam

iTrader: (18)

Good article, thanks for posting it. Clearly the FB is much superior though, anyone knows that lol.

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

Good to hear the yellow one is getting some repect.

You should have stopped by for some homebrew. There was a crew of us there on
Saturday. I was there all weekend of course

Kentetsu

You were not only there, but you took a few laps with me in my GS. Too bad I was chasing handling problems at the time (which, ironically, turned out to be nothing but bad tires). Great time though!



.

Kentetsu

Finally got a chance to read through the article, very cool. My first love was the Z car, and I've owned a few over the years with my favorite being the oldest ('73). Unfortunately, frame rot brought that car to it's end after hitting a dip in the road at a tad over 100 mph. Literally broke the car in half. A very sad day for me.

However, as I was (several years and two kids later) searching for a replacement, the local market was stripped bare. I ended up finding my '85GS (total basket case) which I overpaid for at $1000.00 But I knew it had potential, because years back I had talked my Dad into purchasing a '79 which I was left to care for, and was allowed to drive probably more than my Dad did.

After limping my new purchase home with no brakes to speak of, a bad carb, no working lights, and several other issues, I spent the next year getting her up to daily driver status. About a year later, while driving down the highway, I spotted a bunch of sports cars in a big empty lot full of traffic cones, and curiousity got the best of me. After watching my first autocross event, and being highly encouraged to bring the car to the next event, I was hooked. And, well, the rest is history.

I still love the old Z cars, and maybe one day I'll be able to add one to my stable again. They are fun, fast, and very comfortable for somebody 6' tall. The 7 is definitely a bit more cramped, a lot more squirrely at high speeds, but it feels more like you are "wearing" it than just sitting in it. For overall performance, I say a properly stripped 7 (do you have any idea how much the emissions equipment along weighs?) wins the performance category hands down.

Comparing the two, I'd have to say that the Z is fast, while the 7 is quick. If I tried drag racing, I'd surely get my *** handed to me. But for autocross, I wouldn't want anything else. The 7 is as close to a road legal go-cart as you can get.

Who would ever believe that a 1.1 liter engine could take on Corvettes, Porsches, supercharged Miatas, and many others and come out the winner? Sure, I don't have the power that they do, but I've always said that I've never lost a race due to a lack of horsepower. The light weight (once you get the crap out from under the hood), and incredible handling can make up for a lot with a little practice.

I've autocrossed against quite a few Z cars over the years, including a turbo'd '70 model that was well prepped, but I have yet to be beaten by one. For some reason, that makes me just a little bit sad.

On a side note, my '80 280ZX with snow tires was hands down the best winter car that I've ever driven. Memories of blasting down the highway at 80 with a good 6" of snow on the road, kicking up a rooster tail a quater of a mile long, easily controlled power slides, etc. still puts a smile on my face...

DerrickS

I remember that article and also seeing the megasquirt conversion going on in the GRM tent at the Mitty that year.

Hadagsl-se - Are you going to leave the stock steering in place, or are you going to do R&P conversion along with the V8 swap?