RPMS

That depends on whether you're talking about using the Z emblem, or the "350Z" badge. Using the Z emblem would not be rice, since you are indeed driving a Z. The 350Z badge would be rice, since unless things have changed recently, your engine displaces 383 cubic inches. A 350cid car could wear it, though. Rice is all about bragging about things you don't really own, but want people to think you do. It's bluff, done poorly. Now the curious part is, Reverse Rice is COOL! If you put a Z32 twin turbo engine into your Maxima, then slap on Diesel emblems, that's very, very chill, dontcha think? (I guess on that basis, you COULD justify using the 350Z badge, huh?) Oh, and to answer the original question, early Z's are NOT rice, because they were (are) authentic. Making a car try to be something it ain't is rice. Stock Honda = Japanese. Stock Honda with wings, spoilers, and stickers = Rice. This post = my opinion.

You're right - that's a tremendously cool engine! As far as that particular specimen goes, there's no way in hell I'd ever touch it. Just reading the seller's description had my BS meter pinging like mad. If it was removed from a salvage car, why did they have to disassemble it, especially if they're going to charge an additional $3,000 to put it back together again! Sounds like they want to sell someone a basket full of parts that may or may not be from the same car. Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!

You know, I've gotta admit that I'm surprised that so many folks are advocating the 280. I'd have thought that most folks would rather use the earlier models. That's what I get for thinking, huh?

Well heck, Steve, you're right! My bad. I need to stand outside my car more.

Yeah, a dremel will work. But a better way to do it is to invest $30 in a cheap pawn shop die grinder. When the cutoff wheel begins to wear down, take it off and save it for tight cuts. Doing stuff like that with a Dremel isn't easy, since the disks shatter so easy. Of course, I guess you could use a reinforced fiberglass disk instead of the cheap oxide disks. It would cost more, but last a LOT longer. In any case, be careful. I've got a few friends who swear that Dremels bite them more than any other tool they own. Maybe they just pack too much power in too small a package to control easily, I dunno.

Aaw, come on Nion, tell us what you REALLY think! I too like the cosmetics and light weight of the early cars, but I like the mechanics and solidity of the later cars better. With a late 280 you get the R200 differential, doors that are easier to get to close solidly, a bit less cabin noise, better retractable seatbelts, a better but less easily accessible fusebox (IMHO) and an more well integrated A/C system. Yeah the bumpers are clunky, but MSA's aero II kit pretty much eliminates that. In short, if you're going to make a daily driver and you value a bit more comfort over a bit more performance, I'd suggest the 280. If you're going to make a full out race car, go with the light weight of a 240. Or do what I did and get an early 260. Nobody looks at you funny if you say you're going to slice up a 260. "what's the difference between an onion and a 260? Nobody cries when you cut up a 260."

This may sound crazy, but check your distributor to make sure the mechanical and vacuum advances and everything else in there is working. I had very similar problems in my car, acting like it had a rev limiter put on it at 2,500 rpm. It didn't clear up until I replaced the distributor with one from another car. Probably not the issue, but worth checking.

I'm VERY impressed that you got it so clean! You must have looked like a tar baby when it was all over and done with. Out of curiosity, at the bottom of the second picture I see a dark line running left to right along the box section of the door sill, touching the seatbelt pocket. Is that absent metal?

There are some DOT regs that I balk at, but I think having the ability to signal your lane-changing intention to the drivers nearby you is important. Personally, I think it's a smart idea to retain them. Besides, I've seen them filled in, and I think the front end loses some of its visual interest. But then, the car I remember them on had the door handles, locks, and drip rails shaved, and had the fender seams and vent holes filled in too. Made the car look like a featureless bar of soap. Not my cup of tea, but if you like it, then full steam ahead.

The M3 motor and its associated electronic systems is a magnificent piece of machinery. I would never begin to tell you that the expense and trouble of what you suggest is not worth the effort, but I will say that these motors are highly integrated into the car body, relying on mulitple computers and inputs to operate properly. Removing one from it's host and implanting it into a donor car would be a gold plated BITCH to say the least. But should you achieve it, you'd no doubt have the slickest 240 on the planet! The only logical reason you should do it, however, is for the "cool" factor. You could get more reliable horsepower from a V8 (or even a Nissan turbo) for 1/3 the money, but then it still wouldn't have the liquid smoothness or the panache of the BMW transplant, would it? If anyone ever does manage to build a Z with a BMW engine, I want to drive it!!!!!

Excuse my ignorance, but why is that a problem? If you live south of the equator, just turn your monitor upside down. Seriously, I thought that the only difference in RHD cars would be that some of the interior parts are mirror images, like the dashboard, A/C evaporator box, steering rack, etc. The driveline stays basically the same, doesn't it? Or does the engine get offset a few inches to the left instead of the right? We've got other members in Europe and Japan as well as others in Australia, so don't feel like you're the only RHD chap here. Welcome to the group!

Thanks for the info. Do you know if there's any difference between the stock 305 and 350 intakes? Anyone? Anyone?

After seeing a couple of them on the road now, I have to admit that they have a few good angles. The only one that I don't think I'll eventually come to grips with is the rear end. The rear window seems too high up and too small to counterbalance that visual wasteland of featureless metal and plastic. I'd imagine that they'll put styling cues on the rear bumper in the next year or two to improve things.

Glad to be of help! I suspect that someone, somewhere makes clear marker lights for Excels, if you still want to go that route. Good luck, and have fun!

Winter is coming, and those of you who are trapped indoors after snow flies will appreciate this generous gift. I could spend HOURS looking through the Tuning Zubehor catalog. I think it's been mentioned in these august pages before, but it bears mentioning yet again. The catalog has 545 pages, chock full of the most perplexing mixture of high quality aftermarket speed bits and gut-wrenching crap I've ever seen. Spax, Schrick, Momo, and Recaro sit side by side with styling spray, adhesive deck pins, and imitation hood blisters. You want to rice up your Honda for under a hundred bucks? Look no further. Looking for a clear plastic window for your hood, to better show off your engine? It's on page 174. All this bounty sandwiched between some truly funky German photography. And who doesn't look sexier in green Playtex gloves?

ROFLOL! The engine sounds were used previously in a Shockwave file that's one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Look at How to Cook Rice and turn up the sound.

Sounds like it's time for the short but sweet answer. Just look them in the eye and say, with a hint of a grin, "Because I want a FAST car." Folks down here are pitifully ignorant of what the car is in the first place. The usual sort of reaction I get is "Man, I love those early Porsches!" 15 years ago when I got my first Z, folks actually remembered what it was. Memory has faded, I guess. either that, or they just don't recognize a Z that isn't rusted and dented like it's been on a two week trip through hell.

I always just buy the largest universal plastic filter I can fit to the application, and I've never had a problem. Usually fuel injected filters are bigger than their carbureted bretheren, and they seem to have no trouble handling the low pressure loads that any of my engines put on them. I'm assuming that the larger filters have more filtering media in them, but that may be invalid. I don't have much basis for comparison. Autozone would probably frown on me cutting open a bunch of their filters before making my decision.

The lens hole itself measures 3 1/4" wide by 1 7/16 high. Note that there's a 3/8" cutout on each side to fit the retaining clip, and this cutout might stick out farther than the weatherstripping on the new lens. I think the clear lenses look good, especially on a dark colored car, but you might give the cops one less reason to pull you over if you choose DOT approved lenses. I pulled mine off a mid eighties Hyundai Excel. They're much less clunky than the original lenses, they fit in the original hole (requiring only one additional hole to be drilled, as seen above) and because they came out of a junkyard, they were DIRT CHEAP! They also have stainless steel screws, as an added bonus. Might not be your cup of tea, I just thought I'd suggest them on a lark.

Yep. The rod that goes from the brake booster to the master cylinder is adjustable. Pull off the MC, grab hold of the piston rod and gently pull it out JUST enough to get a grip on the inside shaft, underneath the hex head adjuster. I think in 8mm wrench adjusts the tip in or out. Sounds like yours needs to be adjusted in (clockwise). Or I could be a maroon baboon...

I've got a request for the dyno gurus out there. I would like to know what the performance increase would be from removing the stock 305 Camaro aluminum intake manifold, and replacing it with an aftermarket one. Let's say, an Edelbrock Performer. The engine is bone stock and very mild, with no mods except for a slightly stronger RV camshaft. Last night I had a discussion with a friend who said that the stock GM intake was as good as anything available on the market up to 5,500 RPM or so. I looked all over the web for dyno charts to prove/disprove this, but I came up empty. Most folks seem to replace a bunch of parts between dyno runs, so it's tough to pin down how much horsepower each mod is good for. Thanks,

Super Dan ROCKS!

Looks good to me! That's the beauty of welding in floors, as opposed to welding body panels or something like that. When you're done, you'll slap some undercoating on one side, and carpet the other. Nobody will ever see your mistakes!

ROFLOL! A smilie that does a burnout. How appropriate! Hey, admins - can we adopt this little guy?

Like you, I intensely dislike seeing someone get flamed for expressing their opinions. It is MY opinion that all viewpoints have a right to be expressed, as long as that can be done in a gentlemanly and respectful manner. There's absolutely no need for name calling. I have to observe, however, that the HybridZ board is BY FAR the most pleasant board I've ever been on. I think that much of this is due to aggressive action by the moderators, who tolerate no foul play in the sandbox. Go to any other board on the net and you'll see that many posts degenerate into petty little flame wars, and there seem to be many members that carry grudges for each other. Those individuals who don't fit in here quickly move over to another Z board where their childish tantrums will be allowed. On the HybridZ board, I can't think of ANYONE on here that I wouldn't gladly invite over for beer and pretzels. Even if I don't agree with everyone's opinions, all of our regularly posting members seem to be gentlemen worthy of my respect.