Brad-ManQ45

I think that I remember only the 406 and 427 engines were cross bolted. All of the blocks were "Y" blocks w the main rails extending below the centerline of the crank for rigidity though.

I think the wheels look good - and you need to reread the rules about double posting...

I'm 56 and have been in and driven/rented quite a few cars as software trainer all over the US. I have 2 Z's, a '96 Lincoln Town Car and a '94 Q45a. A few years ago my wife was hit in the Q by someone and we rented a 4 cylinder Sonata. It had more leg room in the back than the Lincoln! Great mileage, just as if not more quiet perky acceleration. This was the year that C"&D ranked it over the Camry in a shootout. They have gotten nothing but better since then. Good choice!

Don't know about the rise in temp issue - most of it goes out the exhaust anyway, but if I were to get the tops coated, I'd make sure it is a 3 layer coating. A single layer coating, which is what most everyone not in the aviation/racing business uses will flake of fairly soon. It takes 3 layers with different expansion rates to keep the coatings on the piston. Most expansion on the top layer and work your way down the scale closer to the piston. Swain has their Gold coat that I believe is the 3 layer coating - I hope that's what you got...

Did you take the stock Pop Off Valve off the intake manifold and plug the hole? If you didn't then once you build more than ~7 psi you WILL run rich. I believe you would be better off buying a MegaSquirt or other aftermarket ECU and using the settings that others have already set up for their cars (with the same basic setup ie: turbo size and injectors) as a base point.

I've always put Cibie's on my cars and have loved them.

Looks like you don't have the stock fuel rail behind the bracket on the left side looking from the front. You will want to make sure you have a washer that thick if you aren't using the stock fuel rail.

Nigel is right - only the automatic ZXT's had oil coolers - that's because the load the tranny put on the water cooling system was too much along with the turbo to keep oil cool.

Having been backed into 3 times in 2 years, all by women, I am firmly convinced that putting a car in reverse disengages their brains...

Level Ten can do whatever you want...

I'm not a professional welder, but have taken classes and just got done welding in 1/2 of a firewall and 1/2 an inner fender panel and fabricating part of a battery tray and welding it in. I could weld about 2 feet in 10 minutes skipping around to keep the heat down. I haven't had your problem so I will tell you how I did my welding and smoothing in the hope that your process will go faster and with better results. I use Harris Twenty Gauge wire. This has to be used with gas, but has a powdered metal core. This is the easiest wire I have used on sheet metal, but I try to always have a piece of flattened copper behind what I am welding held by a magnet to act as a heat sink - once again to minimize heat buildup and in some cases to actually keep the patch in position - nothing like killing two birds w/one stone! If I didn't have to reposition this piece of copper I could weld faster maybe - but then I also might be more afraid of burn through and maybe not get penetration, but I really don't think lack of penetration is a problem with sheet metal... I really don't like using a grinder on sheet metal - used it plenty when building my rotisserie, so I use cut off wheels and flapper disks as suggested already. No big secrets except for maybe the Harris wire. Hope this helps.

I think if Warren has trouble with another turbo he may be following in your footsteps! Nicely done!

I have anautomatic drain for my compressor - it drains every time it shuts off. Got the kit from HF but had to replace everything but the valve and a t fitting to feel comfortable.

You might also want to provide more room for the two slots on the end to expand w/o touching the studs in them - the manifold will lengthen and jam the inside edge of the slot against the stud = leaks and possible stud breakage. I've already ground out the insides of the slots and smoothed/port matched the manifold and hogged out the passage from the first four cylinders to the plenum on mine. I will use stainless studs when I mount it - it is going to get Jet-Hot coated...

Sorry I can't hep you with the Z31 stuff - I decided that I will skip that lame step w/my '83ZXT and go straight to MegaSquirt...more programmability and better ignition/not stock (which has stranded me numerous times over the years - even after 20 minute waits w/hood up).

I use a simple filter/separator/regulator unit that looks like the Sharp one from HF w/no problems, and I have 1 for each of 3 drops. 2 in the garage and one in the basement workshop.

They are both the same size/style so makes no difference.

Well, comparing those specs to turbo wheels in the Turbonetics catalog, the exhaust is small and the compressor smaller than the ideal. Ought to have good spool.

I have one bought in the late 70's - must be one of the good ones....

Sounds like somebody didn't tune the MS properly w/a wideband O2 sensor. There is simply no way that Weber's day in/day out all year long (where there are seasons) can run as cleanly as FI. I can imagine w/all the knowledge accumulated about them w/Z cars that you could get a real close to ideal tune from the get-go though.

Don't forget that tire diameter is also a part of gearing and unless flared/tubbed we are dealing with shorter tires...

TPTools has a set of directions for sale (to make your own blast cabinet) for ~$7, and sells the parts that you can't make yourself. I modified their directions to make a 4' long cabinet instead of 3'. Depending on what I'm blasting it's either beads or a combination of beads and Aluminum Oxide.

wigenOut-S30 runs 18-20 PSI and is in the 11's w/o race gas... His turbo is a T3/T4 .50 Trim E housing on the compressor and a stage 5 trim in .63 A/R turbine housing.

Gabe just put a .50 trim stage 5 turbo in his after a 60-1 w/stage 5 and another bigger turbo. Makes more power and spools better with the current turbo. It's easy to spend over $1K if you want a BallBearing turbo, but if you do the 3076R is the one to get with a .82 turbine housing (pretty much a flow match for the GT35 .63 housing). The GT35R is a bit big for 2.8....

If you have a place to store the car out of the rain, then coat it with OSPHO or PickleX. It will be ready for primer anytime after a rubdown after that. There was one professional painter on this board that used Zero Rust exclusively on his own cars and any customers who didn't have a hard head about POR15. He claims much cheaper and better results. I have had extensive conversations both in PM's and on the phone with him. He got tired of everyone arguing with him and no longer posts at all but you can look up posts by RacerX. I have used OSPHO PickleX and Zero Rust on my ZXT project and am very happy with it. As far as Zero Rust as primer - as long as you let it dry a good long while then scuff and do a light coat first with Xylene as the thinner (instead of Acetone), no problems with BC/CC or Single stage urethanes.