RPMS

What everyone says above is true, and I especially agree with Ron C's comments on prevention. You can't keep someone from stealing your stuff. If they want it badly enough, they'll get it. Over the past twenty five years and two dozen cars, I've learned the following: 1) Your best defense against theft is to keep them from knowing you have anything worth stealing. A flashy stereo that you play loud in your own neighborhood screams "Oh, PLEASE! Steal me!!!" Keep the volume down except when on the freeway, and you'll increase your chances of not getting it stolen. 2) Tint your windows. Out of the cars I've had, the ones with tinted windows got broken into about a third as often as the ones with clear glass. 3) Hide the stereo. My old Sony in my first Z had a fake A/C grille that fit over the faceplate. From outside the car, you couldn't tell the car had a radio in it. 4) Hide the speakers. Cars with big subwoofers and fancy speakers in the doors also have amps and head units worth stealing (or so thinks the thief.) 5) Install an ignition cutout switch that does more than disable the starter. Hide it somewhere other than in the driver's side footwell. One guy wired his ignition through the cigarette lighter. When it wasn't pushed in, he got no juice. Brilliant. Anyone with half a brain can steal an older Z. The locks are wallered out, and the ignitions are easy to bypass. Your best hope of security is to keep your Z from being a tempting target.

They DO work well! They make your car look just like a Porsche.

yeah, yeah, 20" rims, bling-bling, yadda yadda... Ignoring the parts we don't all appreciate (ie the wheels) I think he's done a terrific job. It might not be all my style, and I'd surely have done some things a little differently, but all in all it's a bitchin' job. If he's shown as much craftsmanship and attention to detail on the interior, he's got a real winner there! And I really like the concept of the front wheel vents. I'd do away with the raised side strakes, but other than that tiny detail it's a great idea. I wish someone would do that in "bolt on" fiberglass. Terry? Where's Terry?

I humbly bow before you! Looks like you did a fantastic job! Now, get ready for all your friends to say, "Gee, if I bought the paint, would you paint mine?"

I've played around with that concept too, and I think it *might* work if the signals are as high up and far apart as possible. As it is, I'm disappointed with what it looks like.

Ya know, John, that's gonna really look different! Can't wait to see it once it's wet sanded and buffed out. One thing's for sure - you won't ever see a clone of yourself sitting at a stoplight! You want to borrow my camera to get some glamour shots once the engine's in?

I'm using the aluminum mirrors from a mid 80's Camaro. The base needed about two minutes of contouring with a grinding wheel, but they look super sharp. I can't claim credit for the idea, though. Hot Rod did it first fifteen years ago. What they didn't do, though, was put LED turn arrows behind the mirror glass. That was MY idea! I'll try to post pictures, if I can find where I put them... Scott

Damn. I just cashed my paycheck and I had at least $2,300,000 left after check-cashing fees and a twelve pack of Coors light, but I left it in the pocket of my carbon fiber pants. One trip through the washing machine, and it was nothing but lint. Oh well, there's always next month. Say, anyone remember Bill Gates and his Porsche 959? I think he finally got his hands on it after it sat in a customs impound lot for about fifteen YEARS. I suspect the same thing would happen to anyone trying to bring this puppy into the states.

Whatever happened to the "delete" button?

Ignore

That's quite a find! I think the 327 is probably one of the better matches to the Z's character, although there are plenty of people on this list who will probably disagree with me. Racy, high-revving engines and Z's just seem to go together for some reason. Did Corvettes really ever come with a single-barrel carburetor, though? That looks REALLY out of place. edit: Sorry, that's obviously a two-barrel carb. My bad.

Exactly. My entire car, including the paint and V8 conversion, has receipts totalling somewhere between $2,200 and $2,400, and I'm hardly a seasoned hot-rodder. I don't have 13" disks on all four corners, fancy bodywork, racing seats, roll cage, LSD, etc. I'm sure some folks think my methodology is slipshod because I don't insist on having THE BEST when something a few grades lower will reliably and safely do the job. I'm not building a dedicated track car or one designed for top speed runs, and it doesn't sound like Shatty's looking for that, either. Just my .02, I could be wrong.

Okay, I just read the assumptions you made in a later post. If you assume that you never choose the empty door first, and that the donkey does not exist, you will indeed have a 66% chance of being correct when switching. My issue lies in the fact that your ORIGINAL post was flawed. I'd have done away with the donkey entirely, if I were you. Either that, or said that you were shown either an empty door or a donkey door at the end of round one. Sorry to be so dense. This was a drain...

I agree. No dash plaque, no scarab on the sail panels, no scarab emblem, and I *think* Scarab stopped doing conversions around 20 years ago, although they did sell parts for a while after they stopped doing turnkey work. Methinks someone is about to get taken for a ride.

Heya, Grumpy. I agree that what you say is true for carbureted Chevy heads, but does it also hold true for the Vortec heads? $500 a pair assembled is a tough price to beat! Would you consider Vortec heads (especially the new ones which mate up to older intake manifolds) to be a decent price/performance compromise? Thanks,

One thing to consider when searching: The "search" button on the introductory page does very little. Once you're into the forums, you can get a more detailed search. "chevy 350 cost" would probably pull up a hundred different results, only about ten percent of which will be useful to you. Oh, the answer to your question is, budget an absolute minimum of $2,000, going up from there. Good luck!

His sigfile says he has a turbo motor, doesn't it? Not the most radical setup, I agree, but a hybrid anyway.

You want an option? How about this: Trade your V8 Z for a stock one. I know, it seems like you're tossing your money down a toilet, but think about it this way: You're selling a car for,oh, let's say $4,000. For that, you can buy a refreshed Z with roundtop SU's that's dead nuts reliable, fun to drive, and moderately economical. You won't be breaking parts the way you have lately, and you already know how to work on them. The best part is, if you ever get a stiffie to do a hybrid again, you've got a good starting point waiting in the garage for you. Am I a genius, or what? I think a stock 1986 Mustang LX 5.0 would be a good ride. Sure, it's nearly 20 years old, and the rubber bits will all be toast, and the interior is likely to be trashed, and the rings will be on their last legs.... wait a minute, we're back where we started, aren't we? Can I talk you into a nice, late '80's BMW 325is? SOLID engineering without a lot of bells and whistles to break, and they wear like iron. It's not uncommon to see them in showroom perfect condition. Easy to fix, too! Don't like emissions? What about a 1970 Boss Mustang? Goes like stink, looks like Satan's Squad Car, and easy to work on. 12mpg? Well, that is a problem, isn't it? OOh! I've got it! Get a 1972 Datsun 510! COOL CAR! Easy to work on, thrifty, fun to drive, and you can even make it cool looking, if you admire the retro look. A BMW 2002 does the same thing (but a little better) for about the same money. Repair parts are going to be fractionally more expensive (not as expensive as you might think, though) but would be more available because BMW Mobile Tradition tries to ensure that all rebuild parts will be available for classic models. I'd steer clear of Supras, for the most part. They're not the easiest cars to fix or keep running, especially the MkIII varients. I'm helping a friend get his back on the road, and EVERYTHING is electronically controlled. It's a real pain in the butt when trying to trace a problem. Good luck -

Nope - you're still looking at two doors, behind one of which is a prize. No matter how you slice it, you have a 50/50. I think what's happening in your simulations is that you're counting the empty door as a possible choice, the way Eric did in page 2 of this thread.

In a way, I agree with Cablesrv. The "wow" factor is pretty much gone. There was something extremely cool about having an underground race, where people slept in shifts, peed in gatorade bottles, and made up for lost time by blasting along deserted roads at 150 mph. Oh, and even though it is theoretically possible to complete the leg by staying within the speed limits, that's much more difficult to do in reality. Pee breaks, stopping for fuel, taking the wrong exit, etc. Timed rallys aren't easy. Yes, this sort of thing is politically incorrect, but I don't care - it's still cool.

This is where your argument goes awry. They only show you the empty door if you DO NOT CHOOSE IT in the first round. If you do choose it, you're out and have no further chance of participation. Look at it this way: Round One: Assume: Door A=empty, Door B=Donkey, Door C=Prize If you pick door A, you lose. If you pick door B, you lose (assuming you don't have need of a donkey) If you pick door C, you win. One in three chance. Round Two: Same assumption, nothing moves. Door A=empty, Door B= Donkey, Door C=Prize. You know A is empty, so you won't choose that one EVER. It's removed from the equation (which is what Ms Savant neglected to do, by the way). You're left with two doors, two possible choices. If you pick door B, you lose. If you pick door C, you win. 2 possible choices, 1 possible win. 50/50 chance. Okay, let's assume you switch, just to see if your odds improve: If you originally picked B and switch to C, you win. If you originally picked C and switched to B, you lose. 2 possible choices, 1 possible win. 50/50 chance. Sorry, guys. You've been duped by bad statistics. In the words of someone who's name I can't recall, "Statistics is like a woman in a short skirt. What is exposed is interesting, but what is concealed is critical."

No, the knockout plates are at the end of the gaskets. The passage in question is at the very back of the block.

That's because they're not Z enthusiasts, and they could not possibly care less about the marque. I noticed the same thing at the last BMW gathering I attended. Young drivers in brand new M3's arrived late, hung around looking bored, then after about an hour they cranked up their stereos and left. Not like anyone missed them - they knew nothing about their cars, and didn't appear to give a rat's ass about any of the excellent older cars there. I made a comment to the event director about it their leaving early, and she said, "Yeah, well, they're off to the next new thing." The vast majority of new Z drivers will sell their cars in two years, and climb into a mustang, then in two years they'll trade in for a new Mini. They want to drive something new and sporty, and they could care less what it is. Only a few will understand the significance of the Z they're driving or why it's special. You usually only see that sort of comprehension in exotic cars or once a car has shaken all the "new car drivers" out of their seats. Only a true enthusiast will keep a car like the 350 once it's not new and cool anymore.

Doh! I'm sorry. I swear I read your post three times, and I would have sworn on a stack of bibles you said 289, but it clearly says 283. Yeah, it's tough to argue with "free". You can always get your car set up the way you want it, and swap out the engine later if you have the urge to do so. Good luck!