I want to do some amazing things to my Z but i have so much to consider. I'm thinking of doing a full on race purposed car. I love pro-touring cars but most seem to be bolt-on upgrades and no real innovation. i work as a fabricator and body tech/painter. My question is there anything Z28 fans would like to see outside bolting on a suspension and putting a big motor in a hole? I want ideas from the simple to simply mind blowing. My 86 is a empty canvas just waiting on inspiration.

 

I think you'll be surprised how many unique ideas and designs have already been used in some of these cars. Look up BIG_MODS, Pablo, and NufnuffZ28. Some of Big Mod's and Pablo's stuff can be better found on FRRAX.

Sorry I don't have any suggestions but if you come up with something unique AND cool, please post it, i'd love to see it.

 

Love this, it's like a fresh canvas and not on my dime.
I personally have been looking at all kinds of MODs for my 2nd IROC build up. I went 1/4 style on my 86 and now just acquiring an 87 I want top speed endurance.

Regardless of your direction in build you must (IMO) build up that suspension. You didnt mention price range so I'm just going to throw a bunch out there.
Rubber....get rid of it. Ever rubber bushing you can find replace it with a polyurethane component it. This will build responsiveness. It may not be the most innovative but its necessary, especially at higher speeds. It is a must for any autocross'ing.

Gearing, decide what you your ultimate goal is and gear towards it and get you some limited slip action. If its an 86 I believe you have a 305, with 2.73 gears in the back open rear end.

If you are going to seek 300+ hp on that chassis get subframe connectors welded in. The more torque you run through that body the more beef it needs underneath. Consider an aluminum drive shaft as well. You can find those on ebay for under 200 bucks. If you think you're going to see over 400hp, I recommend getting a beefier torque arm with drive shaft loop, a beefier trans mount and adjustable panhard bar. Maybe some drag bars as well.

Brakes. Another must for these car's once you start passing 300hp. If you want to hit those turns effectively get the all wheel disk brake package, and trash those drums. Especially if you're looking a rally and pro touring. Baer, and Strange make some really good fitting kits. Check your rotar diameters as well as to the fitment of your rim.

Me personally, gas tank expansion is a must! Fuel Safe I believe it is replaces your 15gal tank with a 24gal tank and has built in baffles. at 25mpg that can increase your range from 375 to 600 miles. Get a corvette electric pump and after market regulator for future expansion so you dont have to go digging in there again.

To me those are the important areas. Engine exhaust and transmissions are general knowledge. Bigger motor, beefier trans, better cooling, more air fuel flow do the obvious. However, im not sure what your knowledge level is. Exhaust does not make power it frees up power. if you have a 330hp engine from the factory and have restricte air flow then you may end up with 280hp. Better exhaust does not make 330hp turn into 340hp, it makes the 280hp turn to 300hp. Make cents?

For 3rd gens though suspension and brakes need to be your first target of attack. I had almost 400 hp in my 86 but damn near rear-ended people many time because i couldnt stop do to no brake vacuum because my cam was too lopy.

Thats just my thoughts. As far as new and innovative things, sorry if I knew something new I'd be in business selling it to you.

 

Lets see some pictures and some stats and give us a price range to better help!

 

Racinfreak84 is quite right, theres alot of things you can do with a perfectly good blank canvas. Take my project 82 Camaro, I'm building a twin turbo 327 small block, and aiming to get about 480-500 horsepower as a tribute build to the great stock power of the 69 Camaro SS, and doing my own SS design to match, there's so much you can do, you can very well go with any size Chevy Small Block(including the 5.0L 305, far less desireable, especially on a budget, yet still doable for a decent level of performance) and get the power level you want. if your looking for a V8 to mainly sound great, sound like a true classic, and not murder on gas you can't go wrong with a 350 or a 327 small block, both have an incredible sound and you can even pull both quickly and have a wide array of parts to further on power, and even work to gain a bit of fuel efficiency. on a budget, a 350 is definitly one of the most desirable options, common engine, common parts, and very adaptable to any Chevrolet body. as far as engine set up, if your looking for something more unusual, or looking for something that is more uncommon, you should try a 283 V8, or a 400. even a build on a 305 is uncommon, mainly due to the fact, that while it can still be a nice engine, its not a powerhouse like a 350 or a 327, you can get some nice horse, but if you want anything more than about 320 horse without needing top of the line parts, then its a bad choice, but very nicely done to make a statement on the vehicle. theres so many things you can do, and so many choices. you can even do a large cubic inch V6 and get great power and reliability. Good luck in your build, it would be awesome to see some pics as it gets done and see how it comes! Happy building!