RPMS

My Eyes!!!! My Eyes!!!!!!!

I think I would have used a Catholic myself, and followed your mold exorcism with a good confession.

As long as this thread has been moved to the top of the heap, I might as well give my long-term perspective. After over three years, I still have to shut my doors firmly. It's sort of like how you have to shut the doors on a well-sealed VW Beetle. You can't just give them a hard push and have them seal, you need to keep pushing on the doors until they're fully shut. If I do that, I don't need to slam. Sealing is still very good, and the weatherstrip is still pliable and soft. The kit gets two thumbs-up from me. When I bought the kit it didn't contain the molded pieces that go on the door underneath the A pillar. I cleaned and reused mine, but they're not in the best shape. Do they now include this piece with the kit?

One of the things I've never been really pleased with is the tin-can nature of the original Z's doors. New weatherstripping helped them shut more solidly, but the sound, the feel of the doors was decidedly cheap feeling. I'd heard that putting Dynamat on the inside of the doorskins helps, but I wasn't willing to spend that kind of money without knowing how much the situation would improve. I'm telling you now - spend the money. If the results are anything like what I just did to my car, it's well worth the cost. Since I wasn't sure, I took some old rubber printing plates from work and cut them to fit. They're pretty soft (around 30 durometer) and about 1/4" thick. I put a 5" wide strip at the bottom of the door, and a 6" strip at the top, above the metal stiffener welded inside the door. They're bonded in place with 3m contact adhesive, and I'll be surprised if they go anywhere. The difference is amazing. The doors now shut with a solid *thunk* instead of ringing like thin sheetmetal. Although the actual weight of the rubber I put inside was probably less than 4 lbs per side, the perception is that they're much heavier than stock. It's like shutting the door on a Mercedes instead of a Toyota Tercel! If you're interested in trying what I did or if you just can't afford the official stuff, you can probably get some ahold of printing plates by contacting a printing die manufacturer in your area. When they screw up a set of dies, they usually just throw them away. I'm sure they'd be happy to donate them to your cause. Get a jar of contact cement from Home Depot and a box knife, and you're all set! Tonight I'm going to do the same thing to the inside of the hatch. It's so easy and has such a great result, I'd feel stupid if I didn't. If anyone else has installed something else to cut down on the noise in their cars, I'd love to hear about it. The things people come up with when they're on a shoestring budget is truly amazing.

In the Jegs catalog, the Pertronix Ignitor conversion kit, which replaces the points with an electronic module, is $74.99. Crane sells a kit for 64.99, too. IMHO, since his distributor is so old, it may well have sticking advance weights or other problems. His best bet IMHO, bang for the buck, is to go for a good used GM HEI unit.

Dang - I was just thinking the same thing, but you beat me to it!

The speedo and tach are close fits - they just required about five turns of electrical tape around the bezels and they squeezed into place. Yeah, it's kind of a chickensh*t way to do it, but it's held up for several years now. Heck, IIRC, the gauge cluster in my Mercedes was a friction fit, too. No screws required. If Mercedes does it that way...

How do you "sun bleach" white paint? If the body is indeed solid and the engine's in decent shape, I'd give him $3,000 - $4,500 for it depending on the condition of the rubber parts - seals, bushings, tires, upholstery, etc.

In Texas, car titles have a two-part detatchable piece on them. One is filled out and taken to the DMV by the new owner. The other piece is filled out by the OLD owner and sent in. This detatches the car from your name,and you're no longer responsible for it once you've sold it, regardless of whether the new buyer ever registers it in his name. Check to see what your state does. If it has something similar, go through the procedure to remove your name from the car, then report it as abandoned. I wouldn't seek to resell it, as that opens up a whole 'nother can of worms. The new owner could try to sue you, and might slander your good reputation on eBay as well. Just a thought...

What I've found in the junkyards I go to is that the junkers usually have ONE major thing wrong with them. They rarely have bad engines AND transmissions. If you can find the obvious reason they're in there - such as having bent wheels, or major body damage, you stand a better chance that the engine and transmission are serviceable. My theory is that cars go to the junkyard when one major component breaks that the owner can't afford to fix, so the car gets abandoned. I bought a BMW engine once, and the only thing wrong with it was a shattered distributor rotor. The owner probably dumped an otherwise fine car when it stopped running, and never thought to (or couldn't afford to) diagnose the problem. I love to go through the cars in the yard and see what I find. Lots of school photos and pieces from little girl's necklaces under the back seat. Pay stubs for minimum-wage jobs and welfare check receipts in the gloveboxes. It makes me sad to see how folks that don't have money have to trash a car because they can't afford to get it fixed anymore, then they have to buy another junker and drive it until it dies, and so on. What a burden it must be to not be able to pay to have your car fixed, and be unable to do the job yourself. It seems like you're always at someone else's mercy.

Yes, you will need to change the transmission and driveshaft. There's no way on God's green earth that the stock Nissan transmission will bolt up to an American V8. Aside from being a very good reference tool, the JTR book is interesting reading, too.

All right! Congrats on getting it all back together. And of course, let us know how the maiden voyage goes.

At around 350,000 miles, my daily driver is just about worn out. I'm sort of stumped as far as what sort of car to get next. The only requirements I have is that it seat four people at a time, and have decent A/C for the Texas summers. I've never really had a car with good AC, and this time I think I'll treat myself. I would like to get something that's decent fun to drive, with a torquey engine and a five (or six) speed transmission if possible. I'd even consider a car with a slushbox if it's a good one. It doesn't have to be the fastest car in the world - I have the Z for that. Some of the cars I'm considering at the moment are: 1) 1993-1995 BMW 540i. Can be had with a 6-speed tranny. Fast, classy, and bank-vault solid. They run $6-8k, and with care, would last me 100k miles with ease. Might also consider the 535i. 2) 1989-1994 Nissan Maxima. Mom had one, and it was a hoot of a car. Cheap, dependable, and pretty fast with a stick. I've seen them $2,500-4,500, but many of them are reaching the end of their productive lives. 3) 1990-1994 Audi S4 Quattro. I love Audi cockpits. Would it be reliable enough for a daily driver, though? Honestly, I'm at a loss here. I've been very happy with my 20 year old car, it's just not very reliable anymore. What do you think the best bang for the buck is in the used automotive world? If it wasn't for the 4-seater requirement, I'd get something mega-fun like an MR-2 turbo or a 300ZXTT.

So let me see if I've got this straight - I should be looking for a world class T5 (which would bolt right up), or an LS1-style T56 (which would require some parts swapping). Wagz, your mention of bell housings generates more questions. Is it cheaper/better to go with an aftermarket flywheel and clutch and the stock housing, or the stock flywheel and clutch and aftermarket housing? And is there any other advantage of either method? I seem to recall reading that modifying the clutch system of the T56 to the Datsun hydraulics involved cobbling stuff together. Which cars came with appropriate 5-speeds? I'm assuming the late 80's Camaro/Firebirds with 305/350's would work? Thanks for the replies - I look forward to hearing more!

Good. Your car needs all the cleaning it can get. Seriously- you've got one heck of a good looking ride going there. Can't wait to see it again at next month's Cowtown Z meeting. Barring disaster, MY car will actually be there! And since we got bitched out last month for letting membership slide, my partner bought a Z33 and we're bringing that, as well. Should be a fun time!

Sorry to ask such a newbie question, but it's such a general subject that doing a search yields an insurmountable number of results. I guess I should know this, but it's my first American engine, and I don't know which transmissions fit what blocks. I've got a vintage 1986 block, if that helps any. I don't see putting any more than 400 hp through whatever tranny I put in there. I like the T56's 1:.5 final drive ratio for freeway cruising, but I could live with something not quite as high, I think. As far as 6-speeds, am I correct in thinking that a T56 will fit with the correct bell housing? If so, can I buy ANY T56 and swap housings, or are some tranny cases different than others? And are there any players other than Richmond and Tremec in this game? About 5-speeds: Will any RWD GM 5-speed work, or do I need to look for something specific? I've seen a few truck transmissions for sale - are they compatible enough to use? I bought the JTR book, but since moving last year, I can't find the damned thing. I know they talked about this stuff, and it's frustrating to have all this information available, but not be able to access it. Thanks, guys. Any information or opinions would be greatly appreciated!

My mistake, guys. The BMW is 20 years old - a 1985 model. Nothing's much wrong with it, since it's been enthusiast-owned for the past 8 years (by me), except that the A/C system needs to be retrofitted to 134a and charged. And it overheats. The stereo rocks, and the car runs like stink, I'm just playing with the idea of buying one of the newer ones. Hell, eight years and 150,000 miles is a long time to keep one car, these days! I'm honestly more concerned with the amount of money the 350z costs. I could care less if I have to drive around an old car, it's just more difficult to maintain my enthusiasm when someone else in the family gets to have something pretty and shiny on a whim, and I have to struggle to keep mine on the road in a bid in the interests of saving money. Scott

Good news! There's a 350 Z convertible in the family now! Bad news! It isn't mine - my daily driver is still a 15 year old BMW with 350,000 miles and no A/C. Good news! I'll be able to drive the new Z on a regular basis! Bad news! We're supposed to be saving for our retirement, not blowing cash on a stupid car. Good news! Now that Darryl's making payments on something new and shiny, he can't bitch when I spend a little money here and there on a 6-speed transmission or a destroked 400! Can you tell I'm conflicted on this? We traded in a full sized Chevy truck (a real poser - 4" lift with big mudder tires, yet 2wd and not a V8) which had horrible gas mileage and was as reliable as a crack whore, so it's not all bad. At least the Z is still under warranty. I'm jealous because it's not mine, I'm disturbed because it's so freaking expensive, and I'm excited because I like the new roadsters. Anyone care to help me sort this one out?

Congrats, man! I'm happy for you. There's nothing like the thrill of "discovering" a new car. You wash it tenderly (and look for water leaks), wax it lovingly (cataloging any blemishes for future repair), balance the carbs (assuming it has them) and look for fuel leaks, air up the tires (and check for rust under the wheelwells)... Each flipped switch results in new joy when it the device connected to it actually works! Remember when you first got in a 240 and just LOVED it? You could fool yourself into thinking it was perfect, because you didn't know all the spots trouble lurks. Now that you know, your eye automatically seeks them out. Still, I love to get a "new" used car. it's so much more interesting than getting something brand new! And when do we get to see pictures of the new baby!?!?!

Man, you must be walking on cloud 9! Congratulations!!!

*Score!* is right! If he finds the title, that is. Jeez, you could stuff the T56 into your car, then part out the rest for $1500 if you wanted to. Sure wish I had a 6-speed.....

Welcome to the group! Good to see another North Texas Z running around here. Will you be joining the Cowtown Z club? Looks like a very nice car. Did you happen to buy it from a former HybridZ member? Scott

Davy, When Lotus stuck their V8 in there, it was a magnificently compact package. IIRC, outside the defined dimensions of the engine itself, there was no unused space of greater than .15 cubic inch. I somehow doubt that it could be done without major structural modification. But since we LIKE to do major structural modification, maybe that isn't a bad thing!

When Hot Rod did a buildup of a supercharged 240 back in the mid '80's they used mufflers out of a '72 Buick Riviera. Grandma had one of those, and it was a pretty quiet car, even with a 454 cid engine.