RPMS

Howdy, Feeble. (May I call you Feeble?) Okay, we've got some divergent information here. Looking at http://www.traderonline.com/localoffices.html?texas it seems that nowhere in Texas does the "Trader" group of companies sell anything (at least, not in Texas) called a Parts Trader magazine. If you want to go by in person and ask, their office is located at the northeast corner of 360 and Mayfield road, which is the first exit north of the 360/I20 interchange. Their number is (972) 988-0044 or 1-800-871-7355. Call them for the official poop. I'd be interested to find out if they do indeed make such an animal for this region. [ June 25, 2001: Message edited by: RPMS ]

I know how you feel. On Monday night I was stripping off old body filler in preparation for repainting my 260, and I made the unhappy discovery that about half of the rear passenger wheel arch is reconstructed from Bondo. I think the question of "how much damage is too much" is entirely relative. If you're looking to do a concours quality restoration and you won't be satisfied with less than 100%, then ditch your "rustbucket" and find a rust-free example (if such an animal even exists...). If you just want a daily driver and you're the kind of guy who isn't going to let a few door dings get in the way of a good time, then stick with what you've got, unless the frame rails are falling out and you can do a passable Fred Flintstone impersonation through what's left of the floorboards. (You DID checked under the tar of the floorboards for rust, didn't you?) A lot of your decision should be based on practicality. There are just too many solid cars out there to spend the money/effort/time welding new metal into a car that has bad frame rails, no floor, and lots of body rust. It will NEVER be worth the effort you put into it. If, however, your car is structurally sound but has a moderate amount of rust in areas that are cosmetic, it's well worth your while to fix it. In spite of the body-rot problems, I've become a bit attached to my car, so I'm keeping it in spite of the fact that it's not 100% steel any more. Maybe someday I'll find a parts car with a perfectly straight body and I'll transfer my running gear over to it. Until that time, I'll make it as nice as I can and I'll enjoy it for years, in spite of the fact that it's not "perfect". Where wiring is concerned, my goal is to eventually strip out most of the factory wiring and re-do it for simplicity's sake. Some of my harness looks like yours, and I'd gain quite a bit of comfort knowing that the wires to my headlights weren't held together by spit and baling wire. I'm not scared of doing something like that, but most people shy away from it, especially if they have a computer-controlled engine! Anyway, good luck with your car! I hope you get it back in solid shape before too long so you can enjoy driving it again. I had a '76 once, and had a blast with it!

Wow, that looks great! I'm planning on putting a set of urethane bumper covers like you have. You got them from MSA, right? How do they attach to the body - are they bolted to the stock bumper trim locations, or are they epoxied in place? If they don't need the original lower valence to stay in place for some reason, I'm going to cut mine off. It was mangled somehow, and is a bit far gone for a hammer and dolley to put right. I'm also itching to see a picture of those Cherokee seats!

As far as costs run, I've seen both the BMW club and the Z-club get special group rates on the Dynojet at a Dallas shop. I think it was around $80 each, and you got two or three runs. Cheap, cheap, CHEAP! And with that many club members participating, usually there was some experienced person there who could tell you how to make a few more ponies show themselves. I don't think they were doing much more than measuring RWHP, though. Not a lot of fancy sensors to hook up. But for that price, I think that would be good enough to satisfy my curiosity.

I was thinking about doing that, just to make sure I didn't miss any spots. I'm doing a color change from silver to black, so if I manage to overlook a spot deep in some recess, it'll stand out like a sore thumb. Speaking of removing fenders, when I was poking around in the junkyard last weekend, I noticed that 280's had plastic fender guards inside the fenders. Are those transferrable to my 260?

Oh, well... Anyone here need a 650 lb boat anchor???

So do you think that this motor would be too heavy for a unibody car like a Z to comfortably handle? It did look pretty darned big in the crate...

Hey, race fans! Yesterday I bought a freshly rebuilt Chevy 350, still in the protective wrapping, from a warehouse that siezed it for unpaid freight charges from a rebuilder that recently went out of business. I offered them $450 for it, and judging by the speed with which they snapped up my offer, they would have taken even less. While I was poking around their warehouse, I noticed that they also had a rebuilt Ford 390, still in the crate. I'm fairly sure that you could get it for the same price (or less) than I paid for my 350. If you're in the D/FW area and you're interested, e-mail me and I'll give you all the pertinent information. Shoot, at this price, you could probably ship it anywhere in the country and still be ahead...

If front glass is that cheap, I think I might just get a new windshield and settle for used on the sides and back. So does anyone know if the back glass in the coupe and 2+2 is the same?

I've got to go with the Precision kit for weatherstripping. I've heard that they have modified the door seals so they close better, and I have yet to hear any complaints about their window glass rubber. I'll put up with a lot to save so much over the cost of Nissan rubber, but I may end up buying NISMO door rubber sometime in the future, if the Precision parts give me fits. ...and was the "wear gloves" comment about not leaving oily fingerprints on the primer, or protecting your skin???? Scott

SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS?!? Holy cow! I think if that was my only alternative, I'd duct-tape trash bags over my window openings! But a little over a hundred isn't bad at all for brand new front glass. I don't think I've ever owned a car with perfect glass up front. It's likely to be a revelation when it finally occurs!

Just wanted to share the joy a bit with my web-friends! This weekend, I really got busy with my bodywork. I spent most of Saturday going over the entire car with a borrowed D/A sander, smoothing out any deep scratches, chips, or cracks in the paint in preparation for priming it next weekend. After I went over it the first time, I stood back and re-evaluated my work and decided that it was stupid to go through all that work and not remove the window glass before painting. So I pulled out the windshield and back hatch glass, exposing a bit of rust along the top edge and bottom corners of the windscreen, but nothing too traumatic. Let me tell ya - nothing in my work so far has been as fulfilling as this. Nothing has given me the sense that I'm making progress like punching out the glass. It LOOKS like a project car now! Even welding up the floorpans wasn't quite this exciting. There are four colors of paint/primer showing on the body, the chrome trim is all but gone, lights are dangling from their wires (someone hard-spliced the front marker lights ) and there's very little left to do before painting. I'm pleased beyond all reason, to tell you the truth! And I'm a little afraid that I've forgotten something, but I don't know what... Hopefully, that's my natural insecurity talking. Anyway, if anyone has any helpful hints for me at this stage, bring 'em on! What did YOU forget to do right before you painted? [ June 04, 2001: Message edited by: RPMS ]

The previous owner of my car stored it next to a caustic chemical tank, and as a result, all the glass is etched. It looks like there are water spots all over it, and they can't be removed with any kind of cleaner, solvent, or abrasive technique I've tried. Since junkyard glass is so cheap, I thought I'd try that route before investing in brand new glass. So... What interchanges? Are all Z windshields the same? Obviously, the side glass of 2+2 models is different, but I can't tell about the rear hatch glass. And I'm going to get the Precision weatherstripping kit, which allegedly has all the window seals in it. Has anyone put in their own glass? How difficult a task is that? The service manual makes it sound very easy, but it's difficult to trust a book that starts off some jobs with "Step one: Remove engine. Step two..." Oh sure, no problem...

Y'all give some great information here! Lone, this engine won't be replacing a 305, in the strictest sense. When I saw how much smoke the 5-liter engine was belching, I didn't even bother putting it in the Z. Right now the 305's sitting in a pile of pieces in a corner of my garage, and my Z still has the inline 6. So even if the engine puts out a paltry 200 hp, it should be quite an improvement over what I have now! NR383, for a while I had the same thoughts about making some changes to the engine before installing it. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that I still want a destroked 400. I can do the V8 conversion using this mild motor, and build up my 400 while I'm shaking out any bugs int he suspension, driveline, etc. Next season I can pull out the 350, sell it, and plug in the 400. So y'all think I should be able to waller out the center bolt holes in the intake and it will work?

Hmmm... The intake is from a 1984 Camaro. Do you think this won't work with the 350 I'm looking at? I'm hoping that maybe with a slightly more aggressive cam this engine might put out 250 hp. Do you think that's reasonable, given the parts listed? I figure that as light as a Z is, even 250 hp will motivate it nicely.

Well, John, taking a look at it, you may be right. The compression readings DO seem a bit screwball. Anyone know why they'd read so high? And the information you printed out indicates a fuel injection head. Will there be any problem running a Quadrajet carb with these heads? I understand that this place has already sold two of the unclaimed engines. Besides "mine", the other two that they still have are a big block Ford (a 390, I think?) and a Chevy 3.8 liter V6. The 350 has no intake, valve covers or oil pan, which is no big deal, since it's a good excuse to go out and buy some tasty aluminum bits! Can I safely assume that all of the brackets and accessories (and the GM aluminum intake) from my mosquito-fogger 305 will bolt onto the 350? I'm starting to get really excited about this!

Well, some days it pays to get out of bed! A friend of a friend works at a freight company. One of their clients racked up a huge freight bill then went out of business, leaving them holding a few rebuilt engines in lieu of payment. One of them is a Chevy SBC, block casting #14093638, head casting #14102191. Mortec.com lists these parts as a 350 block with late heads, but doesn't go into any great detail. The engine build sheet lists the following information: Rebuild date 4/1/01 Piston: Badger PS67, .04 over Rings: Hastings E251X Con Rods: Production Crankshaft: Production Main Bearings: King MS-909 20 Rod Bearings: King CR-663 20 Cam: Clevite 274 There's a second sheet in the package, showing compression test results. 1: 185 2: 195 3: 200 4: 200 5: 210 6: 205 7: 180 8: 185 Obviously, since the remanufacturer is out of business, that means that this engine comes with no warranty. Looking at the specs listed above, what do you think would be a fair price for it? Before I saw the engine (still sealed in its plastic bag) I told the guy on the phone that I might pay $450 or $500, but my offer depends on a close examination. I don't know much about the above components, except that they seem to be fairly middle-of-the-road. Not fantastic, but not horrible, either. Can I get some feedback on this, please? I'd really appreciate hearing as many thoughts as possible before I make my decision next week. Thanks,

The way I see it, there are three main reasons not to go with a big block if you're either going to track race or street your Z... 1) Weight. The weight of a small block can be compensated for. Unless you're going to cut into the firewall to move a big block even further back towards the centerline of the car, you're going to be front heavy. If you don't choose to cut into your firewall, you'll adversely affect handling. 2) Expense. One look in the Jeg's catalog should tell you that, as LHDR says, BB parts ain't cheap. 3) Traction problems. Since traction is the limiting factor in most SBC Z conversions I've seen, I don't think plugging a BBC in there will help matters any, unless you're going to put in wheel tubs and drag slicks. in order to put all that torque to the pavement. With tubs and slicks, driving it on the street is somewhat silly, IHMO. Of course, if you're going DRAG racing, then all bets are off. Buy the big block, install tubs and drag slicks, and embarass a few Camaro-driving rednecks at the strip! I guess my position can be summed up thusly... Having a big block is like having a 15" wanker. It's fun to brag about, but when the rubber meets the road, what are you going to do with it???

NICE ride! I've always been partial to black on early Z's, and yours looks particularly nice. I do like the wheels - Are they sixteens? It's tough for me to tell... Anyway, I'd suggest, as others have, enjoying the inline six for a few months while you get everything ready for your conversion. The L24 motor is really a gem, even if it is comparatively underpowered! Good luck - you're off to a great start!

quote: Originally posted by scarp: Bah get this and stuff it in there. Nyah. I put that engine in my Z last week and didn't like it. All the polished aluminum and chrome conflicted with my clever "primer and bondo" paint scheme, so I sent it back in favor of an oil-burning 305. And anyone who believes that...

Hey, Zfan! http://www.strokermotors.com doesn't appear to be a valid address, and a websearch didn't turn up much. Could you please research this and get back to us? Thanks. Scott Ferguson Too many hobbies, too little money.

VERY nice ride! I don't generally like the 2+2's, but yours is so clean, it might just make me change my mind! The side views make me wonder whether a 2+2 wouldn't make a more savory convertible than a coupe would? The extra length might make it seem a bit slinkier, like the Jag E-type was. Just a thought... Scott Ferguson Big dreams, small money, and an ever-growing pile of V8 parts cluttering the garage...

I watched one of my friends use a Sata gun to paint a fender this weekend. It sprayed an excellent pattern, even when upside down. He said that with that gun and PPG Concept catalyzed paints, it was nearly impossible to screw up unless you actively tried to do so. Sata guns are priced reasonably, for better equipment. Around $350, on this one website. http://www.autobodysupply.net/Sata/Satasprayequipment.htm I liked it much better than my older DeVilbiss or Binks suction guns. Scott Ferguson [ May 08, 2001: Message edited by: RPMS ]

If just one seat was worn, what are the chances that some yahoo put in a heavy duty replacement spring on that one valve sometime in the past? Scott Ferguson 1974 260Z - 305 engine coming apart AGAIN this weekend

Okay, I'm a cynical bastard at heart. Tell me there's a free lunch, and I'll ask "What's the catch?" every time. So Pete came out with this link to a buildup article detailing a 400+ hp 350 engine using a 400 block w/ F*rd rods and a 327 crank. http://www.airflowresearch.com/Articles/A3-P1.htm This just seems too good to be true. If this is up to snuff, why haven't more folks on this list gone this route? I'm seriously considering going the 400/327 route, and I'd like some opinions please? Also, Lingenfelter says that Aluminum heads are good for an additional compression ratio mark over cast iron. If I used 58cc iron smog heads and a thick gasket instead of 56cc aluminum, would the compression ratio drop to a low-octane-friendly 10:1? I'm guessing power output would drop by 10-15% by going from 11:1 to 10:1. A valid guess? Any and all comments are appreciated! Scott Ferguson 1974 260Z - Awaiting heart transplant