RPMS

This didn't fit in any other category, really, so I'm hoping most folks will see it here. I'm about to pull a perfectly good inline six engine out of my car, and I'm sort of at a loss as to what to do with it. Although it would make an interesting conversation piece mounted on a stand in the living room, I don't quite think that will fly long-term. Should I keep it as a spare, use it to fix up a Z whose engine has died, then sell it, try to sell it outright (it's a 260 engine, so I'd probably have few takers, even with the roundtop carbs on it), or what? Garage space is at a premium, but it can be stored if necessary. What did y'all decide to do, and how well did that work out for you?

You would benefit by not having to wrench the steering wheel back and forth at parking lot speeds. Not everyone on this board is dying to drive an autocross racer as a daily driver. And some of us who have lifted large amounts of iron in our lives have blown out our rotator cuffs in our shoulders, and appreciate a little low-speed assistance. If it didn't interfere with road feel too much, *I* would appreciate it. Just a little perspective.

My suggestion is a combo approach: Use Febreeze extensively inside the car wherever there's insulation, carpet, or padding. Spray the heck out of it. Then leave the car parked in the sun all day long on a hot day with the windows cracked about 1". The moisture in the febreeze will take the smells away with it as it evaporates. Then go through the entire car with a damp washrag and clean ALL the vinyl. Dust holds onto smells, and just wiping down every surface in the car will do a surprising amount of good. There's lots of dust in the ductwork behind the dashboard and behind the plastic panels in the rear of the car. If you can remove them and wash them with mild detergent and water, that will help, too. Also, be sure to take your seats out and spray the underpadding with febreeze, too. Good luck!

Aaw, man! Wouldn't it have been great if you'd been in the LS1-Z when you saw him? You could have given him a friendly grin and a big thumbs up, then ate him for breakfast!!!!!

I think it may be just the reverse, Dan. I think bright, primary colors make things look smaller. Think of how a red or fly yellow Z looks next to a dark brown one. The brighter it is, the more "toy-like" it seems. Of course, when you're talking about just parts of a car instead of the whole vehicle, maybe you should fall back to old standards. If you want to make it look wider, paint it in horizontal stripes.

Agreed! There must be great satisfaction in making folks assume you're nothing but a street punk, then slamming them with Shakespeare, or something. Me, I'm probably too clean cut to have them assume I'm anything but white bread.

"Who's to say?" Society. No, it shouldn't be that way, but Yes, it is. If you want respect, dress respectably. If you choose to dress like a street urchin, expect to be treated like a street urchin. It might not be fair, but that's just the way the human mind works. If that overwhelms you, remember that your dog will love you no matter HOW you dress. Dogs are truly non-judgemental, which probably accounts for their popularity. Scott

Okay, I've gotta admit, her behavior certainly sounds like she was typecasting you. That little comment she made at the end of your visit sure sounds to me like she thought you were scum without knowing you. Knowing that, my advice shifts just a wee bit. Write a strongly worded letter to the manager and the owner, telling them about the incident and that you're pulling your business from them. I think they deserve to know who they have working for them. By the way - when you write that letter, be sure to refer to her as "prejudiced". Your statement will make more of an impact if it's grammatically correct. I'm not saying that to be an ass, I just want them to take you seriously. Although nobody deserves to be prejudged, keep in mind that we all do it, and in a large portion of cases it's correct. It kinda pisses me off that 70 year old lily-white grandmas are getting strip-searched at the airport while jittery foreign Arabs walk through unaccosted because the guards are so afraid of stereotyping or profiling. If 85% of all the deadly terrorist acts on airlines committed in the past decade were perpetrated by Arab muslims, why DON'T we preferentially search them? If an innocent man has the bad fortune to be Arabic, I'm sorry. Getting you luggage searched in major US airports is just something you'll have to put up with. They don't let me donate blood because I'm gay. Does it bother me? Yeah, but if they didn't have a reason, they wouldn't do it. Gay men who couldn't keep their dicks in their pants made things a little bit worse for me. Latinos who steal made things a little worse for you. Arabs who blow up planes make things a little worse for all Arab men. We are all occasional victims of the stereotypes held regarding our particular class. Now, go write that letter and get her racist butt removed from that position.

Of COURSE they're 70's, Jim! When did you think the Z was created, anyway? That's what makes them such great period pieces. Like an Offenhouser intake on a 1966 Mustang, or Purple Hornies on a hemi 'Cuda.

Aaaaaauuugh! My eyes! My EYES!!!!!!! *mommy, make it stop!*

Um... Because they're one of the most eggregious pretender car out there? You see a LOT of them out there with tons of rice on them, and they originally sold as an ECONOMY car with no sporting pretensions whatsoever. That later changed with the introduction of the Z24. "better"? In what way? If you consider durability, resale value, fuel economy, smooth operation (N-V-H issues), build quality and interior comfort to be important, then a Honda will probably spank any of the Cavaliers. You are, of course, entitled to your opinion, and if you like Cavaliers that's okay by me. But you might want to drive both of them back to back and see which of them is smoother, quieter, better assembled, and more thrifty. (These are, after all, economical transportation appliances we're talking about here.) I thought the Cavalier was domestic? Won't just about any Honda run a 14 with a 65 shot of Nitrous? I'm not sure - I don't hang with the Honda crowd. Mike, believe it or not I ain't ragging on you. I just can't resist poking you in the belly when your shirt's up!

I wasn't there and I don't know ALL the circumstances, but I'll give you a few thoughts: Not letting folks walk around a store with their backpacks is S.O.P around here. I remember my time in college at A&M, when backpacks on guys were like purses with girls. They went EVERYWHERE with you, and nobody looked twice. Times have changed, and theft losses are forcing merchants to hold onto backpacks, large purses, and day-bags while customers shop. It's not "fair", but it is realistic. Taking your backpack was a wise precaution, for both their protection and yours. If your bag beeped on the way in, it's a good bet that it would have beeped on the way out. And if there was something in there that you purchased elsewhere that activated the sensor, how would you PROVE you hadn't shoplifted it? What she did removed all possible blame from you, and worked in your favor. As far as walking you to the door with your bag, it may have been nothing more than her thinking that the sensor would go off again, and she would have to reset the warning alarm as you passed through it. She may have also been trying to keep somone (not you, specifically) from working a scam on the store. Don't get mad at her for doing her job. As far as any racism or bigotry, I have to ask how you were dressed and acting? I don't know you and don't make any assumptions about how you typically dress yourself. I'm sure you're cleancut and the following rant will NOT apply to you. It really chaps my ass when I see some black guy dressed up in baggy oversized pants and sports jersey with his visor on upside down and sideways, wearing $5,000 in flashy gold rings and chains, shuffling around like a wasted crack junkie, complaining about how he's stereotyped. Jeez, you dress like a junkie, you look like a junkie, you talk like a junkie, you walk like a junkie, and you're shocked when someone THINKS YOU'RE A JUNKIE??? How stupid can you possibly be? Act like you wish to be perceived, folks. Now, if you were cleanly dressed and acting civilized, and she saw that you were hispanic and handed you a weedeater, THAT might be racism. I encourage you to attempt to see the best motivation in people when you are unaware of their motives. Sure, you'll be wrong a lot, but the world will appear to be a better, more pleasant place to live, and you'll be much less stressed out. Whenever possible, assume the best. Just some thoughts.

Geez, I'm gonna hate myself in the morning, but I just gotta chime in on this. Once again we seem to be hung up on what boils down to the definition of "Rice". The problem is that you, my esteemed colleagues, don't seem to realize that defining "Rice" is like nailing Jello to the wall. You can't make one sweeping generalization about what "Rice" is, except perhaps to say that it's excessive Show without the Go. Any ONE element of a Ricer doesn't necessarily constitute "Rice". Japanese symbols, carbon fiber hoods, and underhood lighting were cool - the FIRST time they were done. After they became mass market items at the local Autozone, they became passe and were dragged down into the pits of teenage mediocrity. Louvers are not rice on the right vehicle (and the Z is the right vehicle). Wide, large diameter wheels are not "rice" if they are mounted on a car that can make use of them. Cold air intakes are not "rice" as long as you don't claim a 50 Hp gain. The instant you do something stupid like that, *BAM!* They become instant rice. Heck, a wing on the hood is pretty kick ass, if you're driving a Lamborghini Countach. So why is it cool on a Countach but Ricey on a Ford Focus? Because, kiddoes, "Rice" is about wretched excess, and writing checks with your appearance that your performance can't cash. Best to define what "Rice" is by example rather than by definition. I think the members of this board will probably agree that the following things are almost certainly "Rice". * Spending $2,000 on fiberglass aerodynamics for a daily driver that can't go over 85 MPH. * Getting beaten in a fair race, then putting on your blinkers and flipping the winner off after you pass them. * Tammy Faye Baker's makeup. * Pretending that the Scuba tank in the rear seat of your car that you painted with blue Krylon is really a Nitrous setup. * Putting a 12 inch lift kit on a truck that never been dirty. * Driving a Pro-Stock-looking Camaro with an inline six engine. * Michael Jackson grabbing his crotch. * Dimestore cowboys who starch their jeans, but don't know how to get on a horse. I think it's pointless to argue over what "Rice" is, when it's essentially undefinable. Like the man said above, it's a matter of taste. Some things are so horrible that we'll mostly agree they're rice. Others are subtle things that we may disagree on. Is it good? Is it bad? There's no telling for sure. "Rice" is like art - I might not know what it is, but I know it when I see it! To answer Silicone Boy's question: The riciest Z I've ever seen was a Z32 that someone took a saw and cut out ragged square holes in the nose to look like a body kit. The dash and console was painted with yellow paint, and they had poorly made white gauge faces to match the 5" monster tach that hung from the A pillar. A scratched compact disk and a pine tree air freshener hung from the rearview mirror. The finishing touch was a Honda "Type R" sticker on the rear deck. I don't know what look they were going for, but they obviously missed. And on the subject of "The Fast and the Furious", it had some interesting things going on in it, but it was NOT a "Good" movie any more than a dozen Twinkies makes a "Good" meal.

Bill, I think you might want to get a second opinion on the necessity of putting cats on your ride. Two things seem fishy to me: I have never heard of the "reconstructed" aspect of an engine swap. ALL I have ever heard is that you need to maintain the emissions requirements that were in place when the car rolled off the assembly line. Secondly, my understanding of the law (fractured though it may be) is that they don't require cats on vehicles not designed for them specifically because of the very real safety issues that this can cause. You're a pretty well thought out guy, and you may have already done this. I just thought I'd put it out for you to consider. Scott Hey, one more thing. WHEN DO I GET MY RIDE???? I've been waiting for a year for this!!!

Looks great! I agree - the gas cap is da bomb! What color are you painting it?

The image in the mirror will appear larger if you move the mirror closer to you, say... on the door?

Plain old clay kitty litter is the best thing out there for soaking up spills inexpensively. If you shoot some sort of solvent (not gasoline, please) onto the spill and scrub it around a bit before applying the litter, it reduces the black spot even further. Usually I leave the litter in place overnight or longer before trying to sweep it up. Good luck! My dad just about went ballistic when he saw the concrete in the garage after I beat out a pair of U-joints on it. Parents can be SO sensitive!

That is the ONLY headlight modification that I've ever seen on a Z that I'd consider duplicating, and the fenders are sublime (look it up If a kit ever came up that duplicated those fenders, I'd seriously consider selling body parts to buy it.

Ya know buddy, I'll probably get egged for this, but I think I like the original version better. With those absolutely minimalist bumpers of yours and the conservative color, I think your car looks best when cutting a very, very simple line. The original slot wheels are very simple in design, so they complement the car. The wheels in your 'shopped images are nice, but they're pushed so far out that the become visually "in your face". I think the riveted-on flares spoil an otherwise sanitary looking car. I have to wonder what a relatively simple rim would look like on your car? Centerlines, maybe? I think silver would look best next to your blue paint. I hope you don't hate me for thinking this - I just LOVE the look of your car, and I'd hate to see it get inadvertently pimped out.

Heya, Dan! Thanks for the scoop. it sounds like just the ticket for a compact, sanitary installation. I'd be very interested in seeing how you wired the second relay for the Taurus fan, since that's the setup I've got. Thanks!

The differences between the dash of the 280 and 240 extend far beyond just the dashboard itself. If you look closely at pictures in the gallery, you'll notice that the center panel (which mates to the indentions in the dashboard) is wider in the 280 to accomodate bigger climate control mechanism that was necessitated by factory air conditioning. Also, the center console (which mates to the center panel) is different. If you replace one, you probably will want to exchange all three pieces. I do not know if a 240 heater panel will work with the 280's air handling system, so you might have to replace all of that, too. In short it sounds like a cosmic pain in the ass. Not that it doesn't sound like a cool idea - if it were easier, I would be tempted to do so. Like you, I VASTLY prefer the look of the 240 dash. I have, however, become accustomed to the look of the 280 dash over time. I don't like it, but I no longer loathe it either. (hardly stunning praise, is it?)

David, I like the pictures! I think you can leave the badge on the rear sail panel, but I think you were right on the money to get rid of the rear brake ducts. I disagree with you though, on the Mercedes. I think it looks to chunky to be a Z. The high nose and blocked off rear light panel makes it look more like a German version of a fox-bodied Mustang than a Z car. It's a very nice car, it's just not a Z.

Yeah, he also slept with half the senator's wives, I understand! He was quite the ladies man in his time.