RPMS

Cool! Using their method for mapping pressure would be much faster if you hot glued the end of the hose onto a broomstick. Then a helper could hang out the sunroof and move the end of the hose around while you drive at various speeds. I guess the local gendarmes would probably frown at that, huh?

I've gotta agree with David. I can't count the number of times I've bent over, pinched the remote in my pocket, and locked/unlocked my car by accident, and it would be just as easy to accidentally start a car. It's a cool concept, but it's too easy to hurt someone with it if something goes wrong.

Nion, did you find what the problem was? I heard a quip the other day that might be appropriate: "I don't know what the solution is, but I admire your problem."

Excellent reference, Mike! I've dealt with these folks before (both over the phone and via e-mail) and the lady in charge patiently answered all my questions. It's tough to find good used leathers in my size (powerlifter build) but they went the extra mile to help me. Also I must agree on the MSF course. Probably some of the best money you could possibly spend. The problem around here is getting into a class! As soon as they form, they're filled up.

Eastwood isn't a plating company, they sell refinishing supplies so you can do it yourself at home.

Looks like you hooked another one, Sumo!

This kind of stuff happens a lot on the BMW lists I'm on. Some track junkie dumps $30,000 into his M3 and wants the insurance company to give him $70,000 for it when some dingbat T-bones him in an intersection. Tricky Dick's Insurance Agency offers him $25k, and the fighting begins. I'm not saying you're not justified in your anger, because you are! Someone has stolen your vehicle from you, and you have every right to be angry. BUT. The best thing to do in this circumstance is usually to use part of your settlement to buy your car back from the insurance company, then pull your expensive parts off and put them on another car. Yes, it will probably cost you extra time and money, but far less than battling the insurance companies will. Think of the time missed from work, the lawyer costs, the Tagamet prescriptions, the endless phone calls, the stress at home. Just ain't worth it, in my book. Good luck buddy - keep your chin up!

Verrry interesting... It might be time for me to break out the welder!

Terry, you NEED one of these! Don't be a wuss - dig deep and buy one! I'd love to see what sort of surface pressures your car generates.

At 50 percent off, even if you weren't happy with it, you could probably sell it for more than you paid. For your money, you'll probably get a mild rebuild with around 240 horsepower and 250 ft/lbs of torque. That seems to be pretty standard for standard rebuilds around here. That's not a bad starting point for a little Z car. This sounds like you could get a good deal, especially if they offer something other than "grocery getter" rebuilds. Just for grins, ask your friend if he can get you a high performance 302 at half off!

Depending on your maturity level, getting a motorcycle could be the most rewarding thing you've ever done, or it could be your ticket to the emergency room. If you still think wheelies are cool and can't wait to do a few of your own, consider buying a Nighthawk 250 and learning on that. If you think popping wheelies on the freeway is about the dumbest thing since the mullet, you might consider a 450cc machine or larger. A 650cc Nighthawk will get you down the road smartly and is virtually maintenence free (as well as being cheap and available) yet the insurance won't eat you alive. One site to look at might be http://www.motorcycle.com/ When you've exhausted that, go to http://motorcycles.about.com/ and spend a couple of days in there. Oh, I think I should mention that you might end up feeling like a complete idiot until you learn enough about bikes to know the difference between an FZR, a YZF, a CBR, and a GSX. Bike manufacturers like to use a lot of letters in their names, and they're tough to keep straight at first. Keeping a cheat sheet might help you keep your brands straight. We're heading into the best season to buy a bike. Few folks ride in the winter, so for the next few months, prices will be cheaper. (Don't forget to buy the BEST helmet you can possibly afford. You're brain's worth it.) Good luck and have FUN!

Good job on your engine swap, James! Give yourself a pat on the back! I had a bit of that feeling myself this past weekend, driving almost 1000 trouble-free miles to and from Amarillo in the BMW. For the first 100 miles, I couldn't make myself relax. I was positive it wouldn't make the trip in one piece, and that the replacement engine would grenade at any moment. Did I remember to tighten all the hose clamps? Did I get the fuel line on tight? I did top off the antifreeze, didn't i? I felt like a little old lady who feels compelled to turn the car around in the middle of a trip because she's afraid she left the iron on. As the miles rolled by, trust began to build, and by the end of the journey I was loving my car again. Feels great, doesn't it?

ROFLOL!! Great story! Your parents are far more understanding than mine were. They would have done something like sell tickets to the neighbors, so all could revel in my shame. What was on the tape, anyway? I can think of PLENTY of things worse than getting it on with a girl. Like, getting it on with YOURSELF. Or with an understanding and compliant farm animal... C'mon, tell us! We won't laugh, will we guys?

I wish I could help you out, David, but my rear valence was so beat up that I just elected to purchase an Aero II rear bumper from MSA, and cover it up with that. Yeah, it's the slacker's way out, but it'll work for me!

Whoever blindly belives a manufacturer's claims about their products without seeing independent verification is pretty naive. Not everyone who tries to sell you something is going to lie to you, but many of them will. If they don't cite the results of an impartial independent third party testing facility in their ads, they're probably lying. Trust companies (and people) that are open and honest, and don't act like they're hiding something. One more thing: If any of these additives really increased mileage, why wouldn't car makers put them in their cars to help them both achieve their CAFE requirements and sell more cars? That would be the cheapest way to increase market share, wouldn't it? If it's too good to be true...

Hey Cody! You're in Arlington, I'm in Cedar Hill. Go wait outside with a pair of jumper cables. I'll be there in a minute. Seriously, if you need anything like that, just give me a holler. I'll be happy to help any way I can.

I'm running Redline MTL in my BMW, and it made a world of difference over stock. Much smoother and quieter. It's also more readily available in my region than Amsoil products. I'd switch my Z over to it, except for the fact that I'm going to be losing the tranny in a few months when I drop the V8 in there.

I'd wait to see what the final bid is before declaring it "a deal". But then, a bad deal is a deal nontheless, no?

Sure it is. Just fill in the rear quarter windows, put lots of fiberglass on it, paint the trim body color, give it a new nose, hatch, and tail, and you've got a Kinevelmobile. Look at the hood, the roofline, and the front glass for your visual cues. No matter what else they change, most folks leave the roofline alone.

Yes, there IS something you can't buy on e-Bay. A Personality. That car just kind of stutters along, doesn't it?

Okay, kiddies, let's set the wayback machine to 1970..... Man, the new 240Z sucks! The new Challenger will beat the pants off it in a drag race, and so will the 289 Mustang and the V8 Camaro, too! What an anemic car! Only 150 hp? Totally laughable in that price range. The Camaro has much more interior room, functional air conditioning, and larger wheels. And I feel much safer driving a car that isn't built out of metal that's thinner than a tin can. More ground hugging weight, baby! The Z doesn't even have a rear deck to put 6 x 9 speakers in! They expect you to listen to the Rolling Stones out of a crappy little 5 1/4" speaker? Sheesh! And the styling? Completely derivative. They threw together parts from a bunch of foreign cars then went to lunch. Typical Jap Crap. . . . And WHICH car are we driving now? Just because it's faster does not mean it's better. Time will tell, but it's my belief that in 20 years, it's the better balanced car that will be remembered most fondly.

Looks like I win the "cheap bastard" award again. I used my dad's pipe cutting tool to chew through the top two inches of the gearshift (No, pop, I have no idea why your new pipe cutter couldn't cut a stick of warm butter...) then drilled out the knob, wrapped the top of the stick with electrical tape, and jammed that puppy on, applying downward pressure while screwing the knob back and forth. The darned thing stayed on there for three years! (And I *think* you can cut more off a Z's shift lever than you can a ZX's without having problems. Mine was about 3" shorter than stock. Looked great, and worked fine!)

Thanks, 240Hybrid, that's useful information! I haven't gotten my current MSA catalog yet, but it sounds like they'll have my business as soon as it arrives. I don't think I'd have a non-compliant mount for a differential unless I was going to use the car exclusively for racing. If your diff was making ANY whiney noises, it would probably be deafening inside the car. With a quiet differential it might not make that much difference, though. (I've gotta say, I'm simply amazed that your screen name wasn't already taken by one of the 3,100 members who preceeded you. You lucked out!)

Using regular spade-type connectors to attach your wiring harness to your injectors sounds like a spectacularly bad idea. You'll forever be wondering if your engine is running rough because there's moisture or corrosion on your connections. My suggestion (take it for what it's worth) is to grab some good sockets from a junkyard motor and splice them in with waterproof connectors. Just my .02...

Yeah, strip the fiberglass crap off, paint it black, and you'd have a killer looking little car. I'd have to keep the doors, though. They do look cool!