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street prepared legal engine lowering

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Old Dec 19, 2010 | 01:38 PM
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Default street prepared legal engine lowering

Has anyone considered lowering the engine in an early model z/g with later model motor and tranny mounts. I read somewhere that the engine was lowered in the later model G--not sure by how much. I've included part diagrams for the early and late model Z mounts. They appear the same as the G minus some additional dampeners. I'm guessing that they can be found in a salvage for a reasonable price.
Attached Thumbnails street prepared legal engine lowering-1.jpg   street prepared legal engine lowering-2.jpg  
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Old Dec 19, 2010 | 01:46 PM
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All I know is on my 03 if I lower the motor an inch that puts my oil pan almost level with my crossmember... My crossmember has smacked the ground a few times, I don't want my oil pan to smack the ground!
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Old Dec 19, 2010 | 01:53 PM
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doing this does what for anything?

serious question
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Old Dec 19, 2010 | 02:01 PM
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I remember reading something about some solid or megan end mounts lowering the motor.

Lower center of gravity.
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Old Dec 19, 2010 | 02:12 PM
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Ah! doh...thanks


is it worth the risk?
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Old Dec 19, 2010 | 03:15 PM
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Risk? These are factory parts, unless the later model cars had modified oil pans to handle a lower engine.
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Old Dec 19, 2010 | 04:58 PM
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I may be wrong, but the 09+ are 3.7 motors. I'm betting the oil pans are different and the motor is lower b/c of the dual intakes.

FWIW I have not seen the 350z and 370z on the same line in BSP so no update backdate.
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Old Dec 19, 2010 | 05:05 PM
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Originally Posted by balaguru
Risk? These are factory parts, unless the later model cars had modified oil pans to handle a lower engine.
Stock oil pan actually sits pretty high, even with an oil pan spacer it sits above the cross member. My Greddy oil pan still sits well above the crossmember and barely clears the GT spec V1 brace.
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Old Dec 20, 2010 | 07:06 AM
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Changing the position of the engine is not allowed in SP. You must use an engine mount style that came with the engine (not the chassis) and it cannot have more metal that what was OEM. Remember, in the SCCA Solo world, if it doesn't say you can, you can't and the argument that the engine position change as a result of legal modification is legal has been tried many times and failed just as often.

Now, if the engine mounts are worn or the mounting holes have been worn into an oval shape, then the resulting engine position change might be legal. But make sure everything is "worn."
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Old Dec 20, 2010 | 09:54 AM
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For the sake of argument....If the 370z were on the same line as the 350z you could update/backdate the whole motor w/mounts and if the 3.7 sat lower in the chassis compared to the 3.5 then it would be legal.
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Old Dec 20, 2010 | 11:02 AM
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But it's not so you can't.
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Old Dec 20, 2010 | 06:07 PM
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Z34 front cross member is completly different to start with (cast aluminum instead of stamped steel) VQ37VHR is a stroked VQ35HR with longer rods and of course the heads
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Old Dec 22, 2010 | 01:47 AM
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I sent a request to the SEB to place the G35 and G37 on the same line. There's no reason they shouldn't since the 93-02 camaro is on the same line which spans the LT1 to LS1 transition.

Originally Posted by ADMAN
But it's not so you can't.
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