mom'sZ

mgarcia: I am on the other side of the continent, so I can't come over and help you right now... but there are three things an engine needs to run. Compression, spark, and fuel. Start with the basics. If the engine ran before it was removed, it's very likely it still has compression. But if you check the other two and still no joy, don't overlook compression. Number two is spark. Remove a spark plug. Plug the wire back onto the spark plug. Lay it on a metal part of the engine. Crank the car and see if the plug sparks. You likely will hear it spark as well. Third is fuel. Your 240 most likely has a carb. Check to see if fuel is reaching the carb. After you try to start it remove a plug and look at it. Is it wet with fuel? Smell it, does it smell of fuel? Most important... BE CAREFUL!! your dealing with sparks and highly flannable liquid. Have a fire extinquisher handy. Have a buddy help. Did I mention to be CAREFUL??? If I was guessing I'd say it is likely that because you were working on the wireing, you have somehow dissabled the ignition and have no sparks. If you know all this, sorry, don't be insulted, just trying to help. Welcome to the forum, there are a lot of people here who know everything there is to know about Zcars. Search, read old posts, ask questions and you will learn. You'll be able to fix your own car, and the joy of this accomplishment will bring great satisfaction.

PapaCreech: you are the man! defenders of imagination.... I love it! We are brothers, brothers in arms... the Bimmers, the mazdas.... the hondas!! we must conquer, destroy, decimate... on the drag strips, the autoX tracks, the road courses. The mighty Z shall rise again!!!!

OHhhhhh.... OK... I understand, thanks for explaining

bjhines: very cool project. Could you expand a little on how you intend to attach the housing to the T/C mount. I realize you are going to weld it to the T/C mount. On which side? (front, back, both?) How would the monoball be captured? Maybe I'm not getting this. Would you weld the housing to the front and then the nut on the back captures the monoball? Would the T/C mount be modified to accomidate this? (hole enlarged?) Also, the pictures you posted, the top one, what am I looking at? Is the uninstalled bearing laying on a white painted surface? Or is that a similar bearing installed in a different application. The bottom one I recognize as being a Zcar t/c mount, looks really nice, but how was this done? Sorry for dumb a$$ nub questions. Jon: are you saying you used this type of captured monoball assembly for the rear control arm outer bushings? If so did the control arm have to be modified (other then tack welding in the housing)? I followed that thread with you and terry? that you posted a link to above, and was very excited but then it sort of fell off the radar. I have purchased the DP products front inner ones and they are NICE!!! I haven't installed them yet because I want to purchase a spare set of front lower control arms to put them in. Anybody got a pair 4 sale? (77 280) One thing to note that wasn't really on DP's web site (at least not that I had seen) is that the front lower control arm sphericals are available for either 5/8" size bolts or stock size bolts. I got stock.

you don't mean that when you thread them in they can move around right? You just mean the hole in the tranny bellhousing isn't snug fit right? If so, I don't remember for sure but it seems like the holes were not a super tight fit, the dowels locate the tranny to the block.

pretty good idea olderthenme, and here's some food for thought. Look at most modern cars. You'll notice one of the common features is 'aircraft style' doors. In otherwords the frame around the windows is wider and sort of becomes part of the body. One of the advantages of this type of design (other then superior aerodynamics) is intrusion protection. Because the door is bigger then the hole it covers, it makes it harder for another vehicle to breach the passenger cabin. A lot of newer cars have 4 to 6 inches of overlap all the way around. Think of that as you design your door bar. Run it as far to the front and back as you can, that way it doesn't become a spear!

Mark: fair enough, I suffer from that same affliction, I'm 44. Also, another down fall is they tend to wear out, uphostery wise, a lot quick for sure. Plus, because you're kept firmly in position it makes it harder to crane your neck around and see behind you / around you in traffic. It's worse with deep bolsters or halo. Most race cars have extra mirrors covering the blind spots to make up for that. I've got one of those wink thingies with the multiple angled panes and some fish eye truck mirrors. (inside the cabin, out of the air stream)

Hey maybe yer on to something there my man, like I said, that's how I always go and I've never gotten a response!!!????!!!

tee hee... yeah, I saw superdan's announcement just after posting this thread. umm... where is the embaressed smilie? I haven't seen the other thread about the classifieds though, maybe i should SEARCH Anyhow, we have the best forum... how about trying to have the best classified? *EDIT* aaa...ha! I see it!! And yeah Mike, I swear I've replied to a dozen ads over the past year and never gotten one response. I've never posted an ad. I always contact the seller with the contact button or whatever, I never post a comment. I've got CASH. I want to BUY Z PARTS!!!! sorry.... didn't mean to yell

Jim: my car is a 77. I think you might be able to disconnect the speedo cable without removing the dash, it's tough though. But, removing the dash is easier then you think. You can unbolt the column from the pedal bracket and just let it hang down, still attached at the firewall. Last time I did it, my center console was already out but it took less then an hour.

Is it just me or did someone finally go in and cleanout some of the really old ads in the classified. I have found that there are a few other z car sites that seem to have better classifieds. The best seems to be zcar.com. I think there's auto expires your ad after so long. ClassicZcar's is pretty good too but I think you have to be a member to respond to an ad. I know all you guys must have a ton of stuff you wouldn't mind getting rid of and turning into a few bucks. My local junk yards are totally devoid of any zcars what so ever. Some of the stuff I need can only come from other guys with zcars. The want to buy section seems totally ignored. Everytime I've responded to an ad, I never get a reply. What can we do about this. I'm I just on a rant here? It's a great resource that is free!!! I know a ton of guys must take stock components off there cars in the process of creating these hybrids that other guys would be dying to buy.

Cameron: is the rollbar far enough back that there is never any chance of hitting it with any part of your body? How about the passenger? How about if your seat belt is loose, or not on, or you slip out of it partially? (ask Jon about that one) What about if the seat back breaks loose from the botttom? That's why you must have a one piece seat to race. My point is not that a rollbar is unsafe. My point is that the interior of the car and the safety features of the car, seat belts, seat, dash, everything is engineered as a package deal. Once you start messing with the package, you have to consider what you've done very carefully. I didn't even realize until recently that my 77 has a breakaway rearview mirror. Try it, grab that baby and yank (the one in the center of the windshield inside the car that is) It is held up there with spring steel, it snaps into place. Why? so if you beam it, it will give (so your face doesn't have to). I was a body guy for years, saw a lot of wrecks. There are a lot of very sutle safety features built into every car. Did you know almost every car's hood has a weak spot made into the middle of the inner bracing, so it will bend in a frontal collision, why? So it doesn't come through the windshield and become a gullatine (sp?) Once you start changing things like the seat, the belts, ect. you become the safety engineer. I always have to laugh when I see the ricer guys with the fire extinguisher hanging on the passenger side a-pillar. That way everybody can see it (kinda like the monster tach on the dash) I had a buddy whose sister got brain damage from hitting her head on the a-pillar because there were three people in the front seat and no belts on. Imagine what would happen in a wreck if your passenger hit that extingusher. ouch What about hanging stereos or gauges off the bottom of the dash? I had a friend who had an amp or eg or something hanging off the bottom of the dash and got in a wreck and took a good bit of flesh off the front of his leg with it. When a race car is built, and a cage installed, the builder is taking on the job of safety engineer. The seat mount, the seat, the harness, it's mounts, the roll cage, the padding, it all must be thought out very carefully. not saying a roll bar is dangerous. Sorry for the rant. just saying think.

seth: I had a really similiar problem, mine turned out to be the wrong pressure plate, but your's sounds like it could be wrong throw out bearing sleeve. Anyhow, here's a thread where all those possabilities and more are discused http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=113894&highlight=clutch

get your motor and tranny in yet?

sounds cheap to me, where do I sign up? no really... a stand alone engine managment system, a device to test it, complete wiring and relays to hook it up for under a thousand bucks megasquirt ROCKS thank you B&G

You will you will, it's a great site. 71 nice nice sweetleaf: I run premium all the time, that clear stuff. why? because it's more highly refined so less varnish build up in my injectors and it contains cleaning agents, which keep my injector cleaner. And they're brand new injectors. I may not be a chemist but I know that much about it. Yeah it's more expensive but this is my Z we're talking about, money be damned. That's about all I need to know about gas. Pop... easy... down boy down... kidding

olderthenme: that's what I already got. Mine are 15" x 7" and the max backspacing is 4". Main shortcoming of them... 20 lbs. a piece. That and those goofy 45 degree angle lugs. Still never been able to find any and refuse to change studs. As a result they do shake a little if you aren't careful putting them on. My girl says they make the car look like a hot wheels car. Volk racing TE37 15 x 7" 4 x 114.3 $480 a piece drum roll please..... under 12 pounds yes I think this is love +0,+15, +35, +43 offsets in this size, damn my conversion chart is at work what are those in backspacing ok here's the page with the chart http://www.rsracing.com/tech-wheel.html and here the thread it came from http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=112869&highlight=backspacing+offset lotsa good info on backspacing offset ect. so +0 = 4" backspacing +15 = a little over 4.5" BS +35 = 5 3/8" I think, I need 5" backspacing

Not very logical at all, I just thought it would help you find that thread. You know what... hang on http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=115555&highlight=engine+stand there you go the thread was called 'Anyone know bellhousing bolt sizes?' When I typed in bellhousing bolts it came up third, your's being first. I lurked for a long time to. no offense taken, nor any meant, good luck

olderthenme: I used to have that same exact problem... years ago... many... At six feet tall I wore a 28" waist 34" inseam. Weighted 138 lbs.!! From your name, olderthenme, I'm assuming your z is older then you, well that would make you youngerthenme. All I can say is ENJOY IT!!! like jon says, we all tend to 'fill out' eventually. Personally, they weight the cars in my class with the driver in them. (SCCA IT) I quit smoking about two years ago. Well we all know what happens next, I got up as high as 230, (had NEVER been over 180) got down to 220 for a long time, but now as the car gets closer to being ready I'm pulling out all the stops for an all out racing effort and have gotten down to 190 yeah... and still dieting. Sorry for the thread jack... great info on seats guys, lot to look at!

roger: I always heard that the goverment thought that it would encourage us to speed if the speedo went to high above the national limit. I know everytime I look at my 150 MPH speedo, I get an almost uncontrolable urge to punch the pedal to the floor and hold it there, traffic be damned!!! In fact just thinking about it right now makes me want to speed... SPEED SPEED!!! AUGGGggggggg !!!! (where is that smilie Max has in his signature of the guy running around throwing his hands up and down) anyhow, old story, my girlfriend back then had a Nova, it had a 80 MPH speedo. It was a six cylinder and stock, but it still wasn't hard to go over eighty on the freeway. Well eventually pinning the speedo killed it. New one was 400$ yikes!!! no way I was paying that. But she would say "every time a cop gets behind me I get nervous" (she was a elementary school teacher, and rarely even went the speed limit) well eventually I had to relent and buy the damn thing... damn laws!

joe: thanks for not taking offense, also there is a sticky at the top of this forum by grumpyvette called wheels/tires... lots of info 240hoke: man dude... your car is SEXY!!! ... really nice looking OK, here's the if you can't lick em, join em mentality I need 15" x 7" wheels for racing, would like stock 4 x 4.5 lug pattern, about five inch backspace. (+25 offset) And they gotta be light. Money no object light. I've seen the panasports, konigs ect. and custom made but what else is there 'off the shelf'. whata ya say?

yeah and that would make the map sensor in megasquirt useless meaning you wouldn't be able to do speed density in MS you would have to go Alpha-N. On a radical race engine that might be better anyhow, just not as great a knowledge base. Don't take this post wrong... some very interesting ideas bouncing around here. Paul: COOL... the last time I remember that intake I don't think you had bolted it up yet, were just getting ready to... how's it run??? just curious.. what SCCA class? GT? they have some interesting rules, ya really got to look close, and sometimes learn the history, to see the logic. And sometimes no logic can be found.

joe d. new here? welcome! been discussed many many many times. search SEARCH!!! usa da searcha function or your post could win a trip to the tool shed Please Please don't be offended And finally as Mike Kelly says.... thanks for playing... try again Dog gone sweetleaf... ya beat me

The other thing I remember doing was dumping something down the carb as you revved it. Carb cleaner, or maybe seafoam? I don't recall Automatic tranny fluid? no maybe that was to unstick a sticky lifter. Anyhow, what Pop describes is the issue at hand, maybe premium (which usually contains cleaner agents) or dump a bottle of fuel injector cleaner in the tank and run hard.

olderthanme: I asked a similiar question a long time ago. The thread was call 'road racing stuff' or something like that. (I'll try to find and link) My car is not a street car but being prepared for SCCA ITS. The general consensus semed to be that the Kirkey was a good seat and a good buy. I think Jon and Mike both had direct experience with it. I think in the same thread they also disscussed fit and how big they are. Reason I'm chiming in is that I ordered my cage about two weeks ago (autopower for now) and am ready to buy a seat as well. So I'll be watching this thread. Mark: just curious, and not that I necessarily disagree with you, by why don't you like a race seat for a street car? EDIT here is old thread http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=102401&highlight=road+racing+stuff