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HybridZ

ByStickel

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    West Mass
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    Cycling, fabrication, bicycle design and fabrication.

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  1. Thanks, Duffy! I'm just down the road in Missoula. Might see you one day, I hope.
  2. Bumping an old thread. Early (mid-'71 and older) 240s had a slightly longer 4-speed. After that, the shifter was mounted a little bit farther forward. I know this because my early car has a later 4-speed, and nit's causing problems with the center console. Does the 5 speed's shifter line up with the early shifter location, or the later one? Is there any difference in the length of the driveshaft or shape of the trans x-member? Thanks!
  3. Thanks, folks. I can always to a little test on the back side of one before trying to remove any paint. Wish me luck (;
  4. I'm stripping 4 coats of paint off of my '71 (most complete with primer, sealer, color and clear!) and want to strip the fender extensions, too. I hear people say that they're fiberglass, but they sure seem like plastic to me, and I don't want to damage the material. Is it safe to use Aircraft Remover? Are there better ways? Thanks!
  5. Thanks again, Cary. I like the idea for the rear T/C mounts. I'd love a Z, but have to wait until one falls into my lap. They're getting pricey. I had thoughts of doing the 215/Rover swap into a Z, and maybe that's what will become of this engine if I don't end up happy with the 510. I appreciate the link and your time and input!
  6. Thanks, guys. It's going in a 510 to clear the rear-sump Buick 215. I do have the early 240 rack. If I use the S30 X-member, I lose critical space for the exhaust to run between the x-member and starter on the passenger side. There is X-member structure behind the arm on the S30, whereas the 510 has the arm behind the member, in single shear. Also, I'd need to recess the sheetmetal and move or duplicate the formed doubler plate that's on the outside of the chassis, since the 510 needs an extra pair of holes to put the S30 piece in the right spot. The doubler plates provide extra space for the X-member bolt heads. I keep thinking that I'm going to end up wanting to convert this car back to stock sheetmetal when I'm too old to work and it's the only thing of value I have left, so the fewer sheetmetal mods the better. The whole thing is a mess and I wouldn't go this route if I had it to do over again, but here I am, with a valuable engine that should do what I'm hoping for (torquey, with linear throttle response). Cary, guess I'm most curious about relocating the LCA inner pivots out and up (how much?) This should act similarly to bumpsteer spacers, but I wonder if those original locations are always off, compared to rack width, or if it's only a problem on lowered cars. I'll be using 280zx struts which do not share the S30's strut angle (510/ZX are more vertical), so what works for Z will probably not work for my set-up, but the info on LCA location should help me. Thanks.
  7. An 18-year-long story short: '72 510 with bored and stroked 4.4L Buick 215 project started by an ignorant 20-something me, back in the mid-'90s. Lots of bad advice from a SoCal-based race shop (RIP). The front-steer 240 rack that was added to the 510 x-member is horrible, done with little knowledge of bump steer or Ackermann. The car has never been functional and I just got it back after 15 years away. The goal is a canyon-carver and autocross/track day car. The front end needs revision, and going back to the original steering box doesn't work with the exhaust and oil pan. I need an S30-like X-member. I spent a few hours searching archives, so if I just missed the info and you can direct me to it, please do. I try to bother others only when I can't find the info I seek. I TIG weld. I fab bicycle frames for a living. I have basic engineering knowledge. I'm going to make a custom front X-member that utilizes the basics from the S30, but everyone modifies the set-up in one way or another to improve it. What I'm hoping to learn is the best possible way to modify the design, since I'm not constricted by stock, existing parts. Are higher, more outboard LCA points superior to bump-steer spacers? Is the stock rack mounting height optimal? Are the knuckles the right shape and length? (I'll probaby be making custom or modifying stock S30 since I have to mate to ZX struts) Is there some reason why another rack should be chosen, before all this time and effort is undertaken? Anything and everything else I'm not thinking of? I know that I'll need to relocate the T/C rods/fab creative T/Cs that work in the stock location/ develop A-arms to work with the new, custom X-member. Any and all help you can offer will be greatly appreciated. I'll get some pics up if people are interested. Thanks!
  8. Thanks, Chris. I didn't know about the entire Z member fitting until a day ago. My car's exhaust is already close to the lateral arm's bolt, so if I go that route, I'll be forced to make custom headers sooner, rather than later... and make a custom crossover... with custom sound baffling... leading to custom mufflers that fit under the passenger seat bump up... snowball. Thanks to all. I'll post up some pictures in the 'other' section, soon.
  9. Thanks. Looks like I need to seriously consider the S30 subframe... The T/C issue can be solved by having the tie rods 'split' the T/Cs, involving some custom fab.
  10. Thanks, folks. Any input on the quality of the steering, feel, on-center dead spots? I'm probably stuck with some rack in this project, so I could go with whatever rack is known to be great, so I'm trying to find out if the Z racks are well regarded. The way the car sits now, the oil pan and exhaust occupy nearly all the space aft of the crossmember. The crossmember has been notched for the steering shaft, and the rack is mounted in front. It has Z steering knuckles reversed, extending forward. The main problem is that the rack is too far forward, and the Ackerman was lost. I wish I could go back to the steering box, but putting a hole through the oil pan and getting the exhaust to clear seems like a lot more trouble than making a new crossmember with a more rearward rack location. John, Could you explain that procedure a little more or show us a pic. I'm not quite following what you're describing.
  11. I'm looking for general feedback from folks who have sorted S30s, regarding the steering quality, quickness, feedback, and kick-back with the Z rack and pinion set-ups. I haven't driven a z since my bone-stock, worn-out 260, back in the 1980s, and I don't recall much about it. I do understand that the 240 racks were quicker than the later units. I have a project 215V8 510 and it looks like I'll be using the S30 rack to clear everything. I'd just like to know if the unit gives good steering feel or if I should look to another unit, instead. I really appreciate any info you folks can lend.
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