preith

Looking for a decent auto transmission flex plate, s30/s130 L6 variety

Thanks guys, I NEVER expected replies this quickly, sent both of you an email.

Looking for a ZX turbo t5 bell housing.

Not sure what you have slated budget-wise, but you can get an OBS (old body style) 7.3L Powerstroke CHEAP by diesel standards, on average about 3k for a 4x2 with 200k miles. They're not without their nuances but the engine block itself will last forever and they'll get up to 19mpg in stock trim unloaded, a reprogrammed ECU will yield 21 or more with other mods. You can tow just about anything with it. The ZF-5speed and differential are better than what Dodge offers with the Cummins. The 7.3 is much better than the newer 6.0 from a longevity standpoint, and no emissions crap to worry about. I've owned my '94.5 (1st year production) for 7 years, it's never left me stranded. I bought it on Ebay from Texas, flew down and drove it home. Sometimes think of upgrading but am unwilling to sell for the going prices. It pulls my 20' enclosed well. The trailer tows like a dream, torsion axles are the way to go. The only thing I have to look out for are semis, the drafts have a tendency to throw me around a bit not an issue with an open trailer. The only drawback if you're daily driving it would be winter, plugging it in at night is pretty much a necessity if you're keeping it outdoors. Glow plug relays notoriously fail but the glow plugs themselves last.

freeze plugs (more)

You may want to try some searches, I do believe this has been discussed in the past. With that said, I've had a Tilton 7.25" dual disc setup on my road racer since day one (5 years now) and LOVE it. It's been absolutely trouble free for the duration and disc life has been much better than expected. In my case I stumbled across this setup (used) as the original owner was upgrading to a 5.5. It uses OEM slave components (not annular) except for a Tilton throwout bearing on the sleeve. Unfortunately it uses a one piece flywheel which as far as I know is NLA, but you might want to check into that. I've heard Tilton has a slight edge on Quarter Master quality-wise but if the flywheel ever fails or the friction surface wears beyond spec I'll probably go with a Quarter Master button clutch setup using the auto trans flex plate as all the parts are readily available. The clutch discs are sintered metallic (copper in appearance). Again, wear has been exceptional; over 30hrs on the current discs and they're still within spec. It's my guess that the 5.5 would not last as long, I've read 15hrs between replacements is the norm. Like you say, starting can be tricky, especially when they're hot, I still stall the car on occasion. I did run one autocross as a trial run after the initial build and found the constant start/stops in line irritating, but doable.

Yes per my previous post it was pending approval but anyway you should be able to see it now. As for the "banging", the engine/trans is solid mounted.

Thanks for the kind words. There's a k&N filter up front with a dedicated airbox, I was going for "mostly clean" air with that design. I just uploaded a compliation pic to my classiczcars gallery. My folder size is unlimited there but unfortunately all pics need admin approval so check back in a day or so to view: http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=31989&ppuser=9538

Yes, I did install them and ran two road races later this year; very happy with them. The kit is top notch, you won't be disappointed. I especially like the heli-coil inserts on the adapter flanges. It also solved the same solid-diff-vibration issues aforementioned by Terry. Straight line speed was noticeably quicker too. In my case, they held up well to approximately 300hp. The only catch, as Todd highly stresses in his instructions, DO NOT over extend, or bend, the CV's past 30 degrees as the ball bearings will fall out and possibly the entire cage assembly. Even knowing this prior I let my guard down for just a moment and it got ugly fast. They were most vulnerable when greasing. Luckily for me it was only 1 or 2 balls and it's not too bad getting them back in, though not too enjoyable after greasing... EDIT: I forgot to mention, Todd does sell an R200 set with one axle 1/2" shorter.

Thanks Jon. I suppose I should have taken a vid for you or something. I saw it with my own two eyes, the higher the torque, the higher the pre-load, there was no arguing it. The results were repeatable too. How does the pre-load change on the stub axles? Granted they're not taper bearings but it has a solid spacer as well. Is your experience different?

Not sure if this is the best spot to post this but I thought I'd share my recent R200 rebuild experience. My diff on my road racer was howling real bad on decels. Jon's previous posts pointing to the small ball bearing up front were probably right, it did need replacing and remaining bearings seemed ok, but I already had those too and decided to take the plunge and swap them all including races. I've read other posts stating if the ring and pinion were reused you'd most likely be ok, but that was NOT the case with the pinion preload as it was definitely too high. I ended up replacing the smaller "fine tuning" washer with a slightly thicker one from an old rusted 3.54 diff (which just happened to be thicker) and the preload was right at the lower end of the FSM specs. I have to wonder if the washers may see a little wear when the pinion bearings get "loose". The increased thickness of the replacement washer was only about .0007" more. I never did check with the dealer to see if these are still available. The races came out quite easily and they went in very easily after sitting in the freezer for a bit. When I was all done the ring and pinion backlash and contact pattern was identical to before the rebuild. Most importantly, even though it's a solid spacer, the pinion nut torque has an adverse affect on the pre-load. I liken it to the stub axle bearings. I would not suggest attempting a rebuild without an accurate inch pound torque wrench. I have one successfully race weekend on the new diff and it's performing flawlessly.

I was there Sat unloading for the W2W race Sunday and Cameron stopped by. I was quite surprised to hear he was still on the stock brakes and told him he was brave! I'm impressed, he matched my best time within a few tenths and this from a standing start. I'm also impressed he drove the 3.5 hours to and from the track and have to agree it's a bigger feat than what I accomplish with my "race car trailer queen". His engine swap was very nicely done too. It was a great weekend for myself too; ended up winning the vintage race on Sunday with a 13 sec lead over 2nd at the finish.

I've tried Gunk engine degreaser as well but have had the best results by far with Eagle One Etching Mag Cleaner. It works terrific on cast finishes with just a little elbow grease giving them an almost new look aside from preexisting any corrosion. It is acidic and does burn the hands a bit without gloves. Do not apply to any polished surfaces as it will dull significantly.