how to build a strong ZF

Guest

Hey everyone
I am going for it this winter, finally!!!!!!Things have turned around a bit and the all mighty disposable income ( what the wife doesnt know)is coming and it will be more than sufficient for the engine and acc. install.
chassis rigity
axle's upgrade
cooling upgrades
But is it time to upgrade the ZF? or is it fine properly shifted, not abused, etc?
I am not an expert but I have alot of fun miles between the GT5 and the 512BBI, the whole ZF trans deal is very straight forward to me. Dont slam gears, duh! squeeze the throttle, dont mash it,Duh!wait until zf oil is warm for the always notorious 2nd gear,etc. so how much horsepower can it handle treated correctly?
Currently it shifts amazing, no issues period.
Easy and smooth, more even than the 512BBI.
Any suggestions to upgrade or leave it alone, of course when I take it out I will make sure the gears are safety wired.
Ideally I would like to make it as bullet proof as possible, that said my budget for the trans alone will be about $7000.00 only if needed. I would rather use that doe ra me for wheels and tires.
Thanks for any input, good or bad on ZF stories of do's and dont's, where to go to-where not to go to, and horsepower that the ZF survives....long term, not a race application. Just very aggressive street.
thanks again

Daniel

6/8/099:57 PM

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huskerMember

Has any work been done to it previously?

6/9/094:23 AM

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lf-tp2511Member

All a stock ZF needs, and this is not up for debate, is to have the ring gear bolts safety wired.

If that is done, plus changing fluid every year, two at most and treating it as you wrote will give you many years of service.

Larry

6/9/096:40 AM

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Daniel #9191 (Guest)

Thanks larry, when I pull the engine I will do just what you advise.
Any personal recomondations on trans fluid? and or addatives?
Thanks again,
Daniel

6/9/099:34 PM

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garth66"When speed is the only thing that counts"

Castrol 80W-90 hypoid for limited-slip applications.

6/9/0911:37 PM

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bosswrenchMember

Your wide-body probably has the late 'Super-ZF' that was used on most late Panteras and probably in the original LeMans racers. The std ZF has been found to be good for at least 700 horses; the Super likely even more with its bigger gears, bearings and shafts. As long as it shifts without grinding and you fill it to spec's with brand-name 80W90 with the LSD-slip agent in it (std nowadays), the thing should outlive both of us with about any horsepower you can stuff in there! One Pantera racer currently runs about 700 bhp thru his with no problems, and a second had his ZF buckled to a 572" Boss-429 that produced over 900 horses. He had a couple of self-induced problems... like getting air over a bump at an estimated 220 mph and not letting off the gas. On landing at full throttle, the input shaft snapped like spaghetti.

6/10/0912:35 AM

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