78 280z 5.3 T56

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Hello

Total newbie here. I just came across this site recently and I wanted to start a build thread here. I know my car is not a typical pro touring machine but hopefully I can get it to some what touring status when its done :)
My project is a 1978 280z that will have a 5.3 from a 2002 Suburban and a T56 from a 2002 Camaro. I am currently researching, working on getting the shell ready for paint and also gathering the rest of the parts for the conversion.
Hopefully this doesnt take long!








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Some updates soon :)

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[73z-6sp]

bbuyvv

[rfalker1]

this should be cool! I cant wait to see more

[ryeguy2006a]

Awesome project! Make sure that you don't reuse the stock head bolts as they are a one time use bolt. Either get new GM bolts, or upgrade to ARP headbolts so you can use them as many times as you need.

[andrewb70]

Cool project.

Andrew

[Tig]

Awesome build.
In for the long haul ,subd

[subtlez28]

There is a guy in my area w an LS1 powered, similar year Z car. He routinely sets fast time of day at our track events. You are about to have a rocket ship on your hands my friend!

[srh3trinity]

Love it. I want one of those, just not sure I could fit into one.

[Todd in Vancouver]

Very nice and I would build one in a minute given the opportunity.

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Thanks everyone for the positive feed back !!!! :)

I made some more progress by removing the few bolts and screws that either stripped or broke while I was disassembling the car. I also took out the front suspension to have it ready for powder coating. The old gauges were removed to make room for new aftermarket gauges that will work with the ls engine. And I picked up a big block chevy water pump and some adapters to fit it on the ls :)

enough with the talkin. Heres some pics ;)

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[Aficionado]

Cool car, cool idea! My brother had a '73 when we were in high school that had supposedly been set up for SCCA. Handled like a slot car. I can only imagine how hard this one will pull!

[rustomatic]

The Z is always a cool choice--there's a motorcycle stunt nut in the Bay Area (Darius something) who has one one of the coolest (V8 Zs) around. There are all kinds of videos, but you've probably seen them... Power forward!

[19,69camaro]

Cool car you have there. Looks like you made out with a pretty rust free shell. Is there any reason your going with a iron block? Aluminum 5.3's are going cheap these days

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rustomatic: Thanks man.

19,69camaro: Thank you for noticing. I really did luck out on this one. Thank god because I dont have the tools or experience to do any major rust repair. And who knows how much more expensive the project would have become, had there been severe rust. Ive seen guys end up giving up on projects because they spend thousands and thousands of dollars on bodywork, then either run out of money or lose interest in the project. I know she aint perfect but the body is really nice. The car was always garaged and was owned by one person. The car came with a huge folder with tons of paperwork. So yeh, shouldnt be any hidden surprises anywhere. The reason I ended up using a iron block was because i wasnt looking in the right places. I only recently noticed how cheap the blocks were after I visted ebay. I noticed a lot of people here using ls1 blocks to mock up frames so it prompted me to search for ls1 bare blocks for sale online. Damn they are cheap. Would be cool to have one but at this point Im kinda in too deep with the motor to back out now. Next time tho :)


I finally got my student loans out of the way so now I can really start getting serious with this project.
Right now I want to focus on getting my shortblock put back together. I know that I will be using arp studs for the heads and main caps, everything else like the oil pan and timing cover will be arp as well. I also know that I need to get some new bearings for the cam and crank, just not sure which ones to choose. Should I let the machine shop decide?
The crank and rods are going to remain stock. The car will not see any boost so no need for forged internals. not sure about the heads or pistons tho. I was thinking maybe I could keep the stock heads and pistons but upgrade the valvetrain and cam. Maybe This could give me a reasonable amount of power gains and boost the compression? Would it be wiser to just have the machine shop bore the 5.3 to a 5.7, and use stock ls6 pistons, cam and heads?
Either way Im gonna spend money. So just trying to see if it would be worth saving the 5.3 heads and pistons. Im guessing probably not.

Also have a list of things that I need to have the machine shop do. here they are :


Clean and Magnaflux
Bore and torque plate hone
Deck block
Balance rotating assembly
Install cam bearings

anything else I should have done while its there?
Also, anyone recommend a good machine shop in the phoenix az area?

[andrewb70]

Mr. X (it would be great if you could put your real name in your sig...we encourage that around here...)

It sounds like you want a relatively mild engine combo. I see that you have a pile of parts currently, but if you wouldn't mind, I have a suggestion.

Instead of having a machine shop do all kinds of work to the block, etc...I suggest that you get a complete, low mileage engine. You can pick up even aluminum block 5.3L engines for under $1000 with less than 75K miles. All you would have to do is add a mild cam, maybe a car intake, and you will have a reliable 350hp (or more) engine. With the machine work that you are discussing, I can see your engine bill going over $3K without much gain. Food for thought.

Andrew

[19,69camaro]

Thats some great advice from Andrew. Maybe I'm just cheap and lazy, but I never understood rebuilding an engine when you could get a low mileage replacement for less. Don't take this the wrong way as I'm not trying to bash on you or your build.
If you haven't gone there yet check out LS1 tech. By far the best place to learn about ls1 swaps.