Michael

Grass is always greener on the other side! Yes, Northern European drivers are more polite and more obedient… especially in Germany. In England the speed limit is 70 mph, and radar cameras are everywhere, especially around London. Driving in Paris is abysmally confusing and the drivers are marginally polite at most. Belgium is OK, Netherlands are well-organized but traffic is heavy. Norway has ridiculously low speed limits, even in the boondocks – and as with everything in Norway, prices for speeding tickets are outrageous. Rural northern France is pleasant, but 130 kph limit. On the bright side, the highway toll both attendants are often absolutely gorgeous girls! Then there’s Asia. Indonesia is a mess. India – oh my god, utterly incomprehensible porridge of madness! The “tiger†countries (Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and so forth) are well-organized and law-obedient, but again, speed limits are low and traffic cameras are predatory. American drivers are not highly skilled and are often distracted. But are roads are wide, easy to navigate, well-marked and generally in good repair. And at least when you get a speeding ticket, you get “personal service†from a cop… not a camera owned by Lockheed Martin!

The starting salary in aerospace engineering has some dependency on the prestige of the school, but an even greater dependency on your grades and overall resume. A 3.8 from a minor state school is more attractive to employers than a 2.8 from MIT or Caltech. After the first 3-5 years of employment (or graduate school), your undergraduate record is almost irrelevant. College does have a responsibility to adequately train the next generation of professionals, and that includes, in part, weeding out those who are clearly unwilling or unable to perform. But this is not eugenics or the Olympic trials. School is not easy, but it should not be torture. The professors are not concentration camp guards, signing thumbs up or thumbs down on who lives or dies. Look, the whole point of civilization is that we come together to specialize, to assist one another, to train the next generation and to nurture the transfer of ideas. It is not a tournament ladder, where “losers†are systematically culled for the improvement of the breed. It is just utterly asinine to suggest that college ought to be some sort of Darwinian machine for extirpation of the unfit. There are still public high schools in America that offer a rigorous education and thorough preparation for college. I was not in the highest elite of my high school graduating class, yet I found no difficulty in college and was fortunate in using AP credit to jump into the upper-level classes. I found no palpable gaps in my knowledge, relative to that of my peers. Of course, that was just the book-knowledge. Street-smart knowledge, human relations, that sort of thing – oh boy, that was a tawdry disaster. The “real world†is actually in many regards more relaxed and more tolerant than college. It is difficult to fake one’s way through demanding courses, but in the “real worldâ€, presentation (good writing skill, good interpersonal skills) are at least as important as fundamental knowledge, technical acumen or math aptitude. Generalists suffer in engineering school, but thrive in the workplace. The American work culture rewards “big picture†planning and “visionâ€, while comparatively denigrating the slide-rule and punch-card set. Engineers rise in the hierarchy not because they’re great engineers, but because they are deft communicators and resourceful planners. To be sure, they can not be outright incompetent – but the stands for that are quite modest. Engineering is a little weird because it is both undergraduate education and professional training. Medical doctors, lawyers and the like are required to have postgraduate training, while engineers can and generally do practice as professionals with only a BSE. So from the academic viewpoint, there is a tension in what to teach: “how†to think, or “what†to think? My view is that engineering school has the primary objective of teaching students how to absorb information, how to study on their own from textbooks and the available literature, and most importantly, how to use intuition rather than calculation to arrive at reasonable estimates about physical problems. So there it is, in the proverbial nutshell: you go to engineering school to hone your engineering intuition. Where I think that much of the present controversy stems, is from the demographic self-selection of the readership of HybridZ. Who modifies old cars? Folks with hands-on skills and the mechanic’s acumen – and not necessarily “book smartsâ€. We can’t be experts in all things. And normally the folks who are expert with the welder and the drill press are not expert with the calculus book. There are of course some brilliant exceptions, but you see my overall point… there is the sliderule engineering and then there is the lathe and anvil engineering. HybridZ, to a large point, caters to the latter. Now when people reach a level of hands-on mechanical skill where they are genuine innovators and not merely wrench-turners, this leads them to the theory side of engineering. And sometimes that turn of events is not entirely favorable. Unfortunately, engineering education begins with the theory as a point of departure, and only later circles back to the hands-on stuff. Graduate school in engineering can be very hands-on… almost like shop-lab. But to get there, you have to slog through the math. So I say again, if you have the genuine motivation for engineering, suffer through the “weeding†period and emerge on the sunnier side. But if engineering was a passing fad, drop it to stop the suffering. As for what I do… perhaps it is better not to delve into personal details on the internet, but in sum, I work in a research lab in the public sector. My field is the aerodynamics of small unmanned air vehicles, with focus on the physics of lift and drag. I run a facility called a water tunnel (like a wind tunnel, but uses water) equipped with various force measurement and speed measurement devices. Experiments include “forced oscillationsâ€, where models (such as wings) are moved through prescribed trajectories while the flowfield and resulting forces are measured, and then compared with theoretical and computational models. That’s the in-house research part of my job. I mentor several junior engineers who do various calculations and operate some of the lab equipment. Another part of my job is writing proposals, reviewing other people’s proposals, advising decision makers on what to fund and what to plan in future research budgets. I write papers in the professional literature (principally in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, or AIAA). I collaborate with professors from several universities and with colleagues from other public-sector labs. I am also involved in occasional flight test and wind tunnel test projects, but more as a planner and evaluator than as the test operator. In all, most of my work involves reading, writing, speaking and generating conceptual ideas – rather than doing math or physics. But, I rely on the intuition build in college and grad school, without which it would have been impossible to make the planning decisions or engineering estimates. Essentially, I get paid for exercising that intuition and for conveying my ideas in what’s hopefully a cogent and persuasive manner. Oh, and then there’s the paperwork!

A few points. By way of background, I was an aerospace engineering undergrad in 1990-1993, then did the graduate school thing, and have since been in aerospace research. I do not teach, but occasionally give lectures, advise grad students, and collaborate with aerospace professors on various research projects. 1. There are “weed-out†classes, but 90% failure rate is unconscionable. 50% occasionally happens, but 90% is obscene. If this genuinely happens, complain to the department chairman, or the dean. Faculty who fail 90% of their students will have trouble from their superiors. The occasional big man on campus can rock the boat if he brings in lots of grant money, but for most professors it’s just plain idiotic to treat their students so roughly. Something just does not make sense here. 2. Upper-level engineering classes are conceptually more complex than the lower-level, of course, but the raw level of problem solving skills is actually less acute. What I mean by that is, you will be using more sophisticated machinery, but the stressing of your problem-solving skill is in some regards actually less. What does that mean? It means that if you struggle through the first two years, then the final two years are actually less stressful. 3. You said that you’ve taken calculus in high school. Did you take the AP exam? What was your score? If you scored “3†or higher, there is no reason not to be getting at least a B. Again, something is just plain wrong here. 4. If you genuinely like engineering, stick with it. Almost certainly things will get better. If engineering was just a passing fancy or a toss-up between several viable alternatives, switch now. If you feel that you conceptually understand the material, but your grades do not reflect your knowledge, stick with it. If however you feel that you’re not learning in class – just going through the motions – this could be a sign that your approach is wrong. 5. The “rate my professor†service is not to be taken seriously. It is entirely possible that high-rated professors do not deserve their rating, and vice versa. Often the most committed teachers only receive mediocre reviews. The most common complaints is that “professor XYZ is too theoreticalâ€, or “he assumes too sophisticated of a backgroundâ€. But an intense instructor is not the same as a teapot despot, an ******* or a “researcher†who finds teaching to be merely a perfunctory chore. Sometimes freshmen can’t tell the difference… and the more irate ones bother to post on ratemyprofessor, skewing the results. 6. In a big state school with a research bent, the freshman classes are the lowest priority of any function on campus. Expect to be treated like dirt – it’s unfair, but unavoidable. 7. The ideas of calculus are quite important in engineering practice, but the calculations themselves are rare, and are generally automated. You need to understand limits, derivatives, series, integration, special-functions, matrices, and the like (I’m mixing 1st and 2nd year math here), but you will almost never write out calculations on a sheet of paper. It’s all computerized. 8. Indeed a good plan is to take calc/chem/physics at a community college and transfer those credits. Community colleges are notorious for being “easy†(lax standards), but teaching freshman is their bread and butter, and classes are smaller. If you are having trouble on their placement exam, most likely your school didn’t prepare you sufficiently and you should consider taking a step back. This brings me to my main point: 9. Dis-enroll (do NOT drop out!) from UTA and spend a year at the community college. Take pre-calc, basic physics and general chemistry. Then take their calc sequence. Either that gets transferred to UTA, or you would have an advantage if you are forced to retake those classes. By the way, in product-design engineering (industry) – whatever that means – perhaps the engineering job differs markedly from school. But in research – government and academia – engineering work is very much like engineering school, except that the problems are broader, more amorphous and harder to pin down, while the available tools are more sophisticated.

The easiest approach is to compose one’s posts within word-processing software. This not only tracks spelling and grammar (or if you prefer, “grammerâ€), but is also useful as a diary of one’s posts. Mine may hardly be worth saving, but I have files with most of my posts, going back to February 2000.

In both directions – whether from new members’ questions or veteran members’ responses – the key is basic civility. Even an ignorant question, if phrased politely and succinctly, deserves a considerate response. True, this is an “advanced†site, but it is not boot camp or a fraternity. We have no business hazing new pledges or attempting to mould the next generation of combat troops. And it is irrelevant if you have been using the internet since 1964 and your first project was a Model T – surliness is still sophomoric.

Whenever I see one of these, I'm invariably impressed with how much room there remains under the hood. You should have gone big-block! Congrats!

A few semi-random thoughts: - As others have said, a “world class†T5 is a great option for a manual transmission, but there is nothing degrading about going the 700R4 route. You will likely save around $1K in the bellhousing, flywheel, clutch kit and hydraulics. - Consider delaying your swap until you have driven the stocker for several months, and have performed rudimentary upgrades (suspension, for example) yourself. Why? Because even if you lack the time/tools/space/skills to do the swap yourself, any increase in experience as owner/mechanic will increase your savvy as an educated customer. And for a reputable shop, that is all to the better. - Crate engine vs. self-built engine vs. engine pulled from a donor car…. That is a huge debate and there is no one correct solution. A crate engine is a “black boxâ€, but sometimes is backed by a warranty. A donor-car or Craigslist finding could be a screaming deal, or a nightmare – buyer beware. Consider the GM Performance Parts crate engines – but something more aggressive than what you specified earlier, such as something with aluminum heads, reaching the <350 hp level. - It is wise to address issues of rust and overall bodywork, before doing the swap. - Your posted photographs are very large and result in slow download. It would be more convenient if you could please reduce their size (say by a factor of 10) in future posts.

This is a profound topic which merits detailed discussion. The great trouble in our automotive hobby (and really any hobby that requires skills, parts and talent) is the lack of steady, reliable interaction with fellow-hobbyists. In the small towns this is difficult because there isn’t a critical mass of enthusiasts, especially those who would tolerate our oddball cars. In the bigger cities the problem is the increasingly non-mechanical nature of most residence, and a pace of life that precludes the “traditional†pastimes such as backyard auto mechanics. It also seems that there’s an “age bucketâ€. There are many fellows on this site in their teens and early 20’s, and also many heading towards retirement. But what about in between? It seems that a guy would become interested in cars in his early teens, haggle with dad to get that first car, drive/enjoy it through high school and maybe pursue the hobby through college, despite dearth of funds and time. As college winds down, one gets to thinking that upon joining the “real worldâ€, with a real paycheck, there will a garage, good tools, and time in the evenings and weekends. Except instead “life happensâ€, and by 25 so may of us drop out from the car scene. Then guys reappear again in their 50’s. This seems to be true not only for cars, but for R/C model airplanes, competitive chess, you name it – any craft/hobby/sport that requires skills and commitment. Whether it is raising a family or further one’s career or some other avocation, it seem to me that in prior generations, there was more continuity from teen years to retirement years; there wasn’t such a bucket between 25 and 55. And it’s because of that bucket, I think, that we find ourselves isolated and frustrated by a lack of like-minded comrades. What definitely needs to happen is a finding of common ground among all vehicular hobbyists… whether you like Harley’s, Datsuns, boats, muscle cars, “riceâ€, mud trucks, Lotus 7’s – no matter, they all operate under basically identical mechanical principals, all are held together with bolts, and all require wrenches. It’s a shame that the car magazines and other automotive venues tend towards brand parochialism (evidently this increases advertising revenue?). As mechanical skill in the general populated deteriorates, our best strategy for maintaining the collective memory of how to turn wrenches is to broaden our interests.

And what happens if the rod big-end is not resized? I just had the crank reground (2nd time) and am on the 4th rebuild. The engine has run a total of 43 miles in 11 years of ownership. So far, with the various rebuilds, my "investment" in this engine is around $7K. I would rather have a spectacular explosion than a further lingering of the project.

On the nth rebuild of my big block Chevy (Mark IV, 454 + .030â€), I got distracted and torqued several rod bolts to 65 ft-lbs instead of the correct 50 ft-lbs. These are 3/8ths bolts, ARP PN 135-6002, on stock (resized) rods, originally from a 1978 Suburban. I noticed my mistake about 20 minutes later, backed off the nuts, and retorqued to 50 ft-lbs. My machinist is convinced that the bolts have been over-stretched and need to be replaced, but I’m reluctant to do that… not for the cost (new bolts are only $60), but for the labor of removing the rods/pistons and driving out the old bolts. How safe is it to reuse the current bolts? The application is naturally-aspirated with around 6000 rpm red line.

Wow, one of the immortal threads! To all of the engineering freshman of 2008: how do things feel now, two years into the process? Are you glad to have completed the preliminary/weed-out classes? Any preliminary thoughts about the specialized upper-level classes? Yes, engineering does seem to be seeing a resurgence, now that finance/business suffered such a setback with the financial crisis. But my impression is that we have too many engineers – NOT too few. There is not enough technical activity remaining to justify the employment of so many engineers. Then again, an engineering education is an excellent foundation for careers potentially unrelated to engineering. So get that BSME, even if your eventual job will be primarily Powerpoint! Now here’s this for a question: how many of you engineering undergrads are seriously considering… graduate school and eventually becoming professors yourselves? Now that’s a competitive field....

It’s always a mixed feeling to pull the machine back in the garage: disappointment that many years of work must be again followed by work, before driving can resume; but self-satisfaction that lingering ills can now be rectified. I have to wonder, though… frame repair, replacement of all bushings, engine rebuild. It’s already September, and you’re planning on finishing all of this before the end of the calendar year? Now that’s dedication!

The visa requirement situation ranges from quirky to outright ridiculous. U.S. – India always seem to be trying to work out a reciprocal visa waiver program, but that’s not reached fruition yet. In the mean time, India’s visa application is quite extensive, and intrusive. For many countries, the reason to require a visa is simple retaliation for the U.S. requiring a visa for their country’s nationals. Even the fee structure is a mirror image. An example is Russia. Others, such as Turkey, just treat visas as a sort of entry fee. The passport stamp-collection hunt is a great hobby. There’s a particular pride to be enjoyed, from seeing one’s passport completely filled with stamps, before it reaches its 10-year expiration date. Every trip to a European country used to generate an entry and exit stamp, but with the broadening of the EU, many places don’t even bother stamping passports on entry. That’s what has been happening to me lately in Frankfurt. Heathrow and DeGaulle still stamp pretty regularly, however.

The longer-term solution is a full-frame (FX format in Nikon-speak) digital SLR. In the DX-world (similar to the APS format), used Nikon D80's sell for around $500, while a D70/D70s can be found for $250. Get one of those, and get a 18-200 VR (the recently obsoleted model, which goes for around $550 used). Late 1990’s Nikon flashes can be found for $100. So that’s $900 for a complete setup. Then wait 3-4 years for FX-format cameras to come down in price, and sell your 18-200 for the same price as what you originally paid for it. “The†camera right now is the D700, but that’s $2300+. The D90 has many attractive features, but is it worth paying $1000 for a DX-format camera?

I’m one of those deadbeat owners who never mows the grass, hasn’t yet gotten around to repairing 2008 hurricane damage, and has all sorts of varieties of leafy plants climbing the exterior walls up to the roof. I have various vehicles in various stages of inoperability scattered about my driveway, and the driveway is splattered in puddles of various fluids. The asphalt is cracked and weeds are growing through the cracks. But most of this is invisible because the house is 300’ back from the road, and the grass is reaching 3’ high this time of year. These are the benefits of living in a rural area. We have no homeowner associations, no neighborhood watch, no irate notes placed in recalcitrant owners’ mailboxes. So why not maintain my house? Because I realized long ago that it won’t appreciate in value, and my time is better spent furthering my career than trimming the bushes. I intend to let it rot, and sell the property when I retire for the market price of unimproved land. For all of the many disadvantages of rural life – and indeed there are many! – one can take solace that in these environs private property is genuinely private property, undiluted by communal sensibilities of what’s considered to be appropriate homeowner behavior.

So, bottom line: should I contact this seller and arrange for an appointment this weekend, or not? Personally I'm not in the market for another Z car, and am too obtuse to have proper respect for the vaunted value of a stock original, but I am curious, and would be happy to give a report of my finding.

As of this writing (5:46 pm EST), that car is up to $2225. I'm about 30 miles south-west of Springfield, and could take a look at it if necessary.

82-85 Celica is indeed a good option, if you're amenable to a 25+ year old car, and if you can find one without the "classic car" premium. I had one in the early 1990's - good mileage, good reliability, decent performance (especially the low-end torque). But like most cars of that vintage, Celicas are vulnerable to rust. It may be difficult to find one in decent condition, without the "classic car" premium. Recently I saw a beat-up example at a local used car dealership, for around $2K.

Very interesting project - and I wish this fellow the best of luck/skill in bringing it to favorable conclusion. Before the inevitable questions of "Oh my god, how will the extra weight be possibly accommodated", we should actually consider the two engines' respective weights. I would not be surprised if the difference is at around 100 lbs, or possibly even less. But I would like to see aluminum heads on that engine... big blocks deserve modern aluminum heads and mechanical roller camshafts!

Pete got to this thread very quickly! Yup, I bought a 1996 M3 coupe (the 2-door 4-seater with a trunk, not the 2-seater with a hatchback; I would have loved the latter, but the price premium is 2X!) over the weekend, in the Washington DC area (there is nothing worthwhile for sale in Dayton, Ohio!). It has 170K miles and a few blemishes, but also some interesting mods, and the price was right. If it's not considered uncouth to air these things in public, I'll post the price. Most M3's sell for FAR above blue-book, but this one was approximately in the KBB range. Others that I drove recently either were beaten to shreds (dangling molding pieces, body panels drilled for riceboy aerodynamic "enhancements", dashboard lit-up with shining idiot lights, milky chocolate residue under the oil filler cap), or overpriced ($8K for a 1995 with 140K miles, rattling exhaust and droopy headliner). Only trouble so far is with the differential. It's supposedly some pricey aftermarket piece, with a (maybe) 3.7 ratio. I heard that that was the stock ratio for some E30's, but I don't have the knowledge to distinguish the E30 and E36 cases by inspection. This one is supposed to have "70% lockup" and started whining towards the end of my 500-mile drive back home.

Ah, a philosophical discussion! I can’t resist… Setting aside for a moment ALL isssues of handling and man-machine interface, personally I am quite impressed by the acceleration of the modern 3.5L-3.7L V6 family sedan (Maxima, Accord, Camry, Malibu, Taurus). Figure around 250-280 hp and comparable torque, in a 3500-3700 lb car. That’s a power/weight ratio of around 1/14, which would be around 180 hp in a 240Z – which was quoted above as a typical figure for a stock 350 in good condition. And keep in mind that the V6 modern family sedan has great low-end torque and silky smoothness, so the comparison with a taxi-cab, mildly-cammed 350 is all the more appropriate. Like in most things, there is a “knee in the curve†of performance vs. money. Below the knee, a small increment of additional investment yields a large gain, while above the knee, adding more money just chases a smaller and smaller incremental improvement. For the V8 Z, there are probably two knees in the curve. The first is building a competent but stock-ish 350-based V8, with the driveline and various supporting systems. This is probably at the ~200 hp level. Experienced engine builders would laugh in unbridled derision at a 200 hp SBC, but my belief is that getting appreciably more power would require at least minimal component swaps such as camshaft/lifters/valvesprings. And while that sounds utterly trivial, wiping a flat-tappet cam on an otherwise fresh engine is a perfect way to wound your ego and to kill your enthusiasm, turning a simple project into an interminable nightmare. But assuming that this is isn’t a problem, and you’re not fazed by the typical magazine-type of 350/383/406 build, then the next knee in the curve of a V8 Z is probably around 350 hp. Beyond that you are looking at modern aluminum heads, roller camshafts, and maybe forged rods. The chassis would definitely need reinforcement, and a welding adventure includes ripping out carpet and stripping the rust-coating to access bare sheet metal… and that turns into an unavoidable rust-abatement exercise. Then there are issues of gearbox choices,, and what to do with the clutch. All of these things have been overcome by many people, but successful solutions at the >400hp level tend to be multi-year projects by folks who absorbed automotive mechanics in their teens or early 20’s, and who know their way around wrenches. “If I were doing it again†– is if such things are ever possible! – I would look for a LS-series donor, and would transplant as much as possible of the engine/transmission/electronics in stock form from the donor. The other big question is regarding the condition of your Z, in its present stock form. How much rust? In what condition is the suspension? What about minor things such as weatherstripping and interior paneling? Many swaps become restorations, because it’s easy to overlook minor defects in a stocker, but the owner of a swapped vehicle has higher standards for handling, braking and general “goodness†of the vehicle. So probably the first consideration before deciding on a reasonable future power level is to critically assess the present condition of one’s car. Many Z’s are perfectly serviceable for the occasional casual drive, but just aren’t good V8 swap candidates, at any power level.

Wherever you live, there the drivers are the worst. Except when traveling - there the the drivers are even worse than that!

So after 3 years, this thread is resurrected.... What amazes me is how many unconventional jobs are among those reported. Some folks have highly specialized careers, others not. But very few are traditional cubicle dwellers, or retail clerks, or hold the various typical assignments. Many are self-employed or consultants, and even the institutional employees often have exotic field jobs. I don't REALLY spend all day eating bonbons and playing tetris, but even so, I seem to be in the minority that favors a defined-benefit pension over an international life of mystery.... Now let me ask a related question: how many people relocated far from where they grew up, specifically to take the job which they now occupy? And how many made particular effort to find local employment?

I'm with Kiwi303 - the new version takes considerably longer to load. I am using Internet Explorer 6.0, and access the internet via a Verizon Wireless USB modem. Also, several of my recent attempts to post have resulted in nought; my message simply disappeared into the ether.

I don't have much that's favorable to say about the badges and honeycomb, but the overall front-end treatment is almost EXACTLY the right approach for reducing drag and front-end lift (even better woudl be to close off the headlight sugar scoops). From the viewpoint of aerodynamics, this is far superior to the G-nose.