SpeedRacer

I bought two 90 degree heater hose connectors at the local auto parts store. Then I bought two heater hoses with 90 degree bends molded in. The 90 degree connector is inserted into the firewall. The heater hose is flat against the firewall and was cut to the length that the 90 bend molded into the hose gets it around the valve cover. Absolutely no rubbing! BTW, because of my larger valve covers and extra JTR setback I had very little room. http://www.cardomain.com/member_pages/view_page.pl?page_id=236622

There are lots of interior pieces listed in the MotorSport Auto http://www.zcarparts.com/ They sell both factory and reproduction interior parts. Finding a lot of old Z cars in a junkyard in Hawai'i would be a bit tough. Also, interior parts from an old Z car sitting in a junkyard may not be in very good condition. After all, we are talking about cars that are over 20 years old! However, I had really good luck with the ZBarn http://www.zbarn.com/ and they can usually can get you what you need. BTW, using the vinyl dye and the vinyl parts that are in good condition is a great idea. I changed the interior of my 1965 Corvette from tan to dark blue that way. The dye actually soaks into the vinyl and changes the color. In the seven years that I owned the car it never wore through to the old color.

Absolutely!

I think you would be amazed at how much torque is put into a motor mount. On race cars we have a cable that goes from the frame and/or suspension to the left hand side of the engine that saves a nasty situation when a motor mount fails. Aluminum spacers sure, but set back plates - no way. Even if you use 6061-T6 they will bend. In time they will work harden and crack.

Most people use one that senses oil pressure. The theory is that the engine quits and the drop in oil pressure shuts off the fuel pump. You hit a tree and the engine quits, which shuts down the fuel pump hopefully preventing a fire.

Wow, I have a Haynes shop manual and the print on the wiring diagram for the 260Z is so small it hurts these old eyes. Yes, black from the tank sender to ground and yellow to the gauge. Green is the hot wire in that powers the gauge. So power into the gauge from the green wire through the gauge with the yellow wire going to the variable resistor in the tank sending unit and the black wire out to ground. I would use a voltage gauge if you can since an amp gauge has to have all the juice running through it to work. Just hook it up to the main feed off of the battery which is usually a very large gauge red wire. A voltage meter reads the voltage available in the system and can be tapped into the wiring system anywhere. One side to a hot wire and the other side to ground.

Actually, I think you will find that the check valve is there for two reasons: 1) To prevent damage to the brake booster diaphragm if there is a backfire and, 2) To prevent the loss of vacuum in the brake booster when the engine loses vacuum (i.e. at wide open throttle). First, check to make sure that the check valve is not installed backwards. Next, since the idle surges when you depress the brake pedal, I would guess that the brake booster diaphragm is leaking. This allows additional air to enter the engine and is a bit like opening the throttle valve. To check this, turn the engine off and, after a couple of minutes, step on the brake pedal. You should still have vacuum and it should be easy to depress the pedal two or three times. If it's hard to depress the first time then the vacuum has leaked out and you need to find out where. You didn't say if it was every working correctly right after the conversion. So, it may be caused by the significant travel in the brake pedal. Check the rod between master cylinder and the brake booster. It's possible that it is too short. The spec for the rod length is in the shop manual. Also, the front reservoir (on the later cars) is for the rear brakes so check the brake bias (proportioning) valve and see if it is stuck. Good luck and please let us know what happens.

Proetus over in the UK makes a kit of the Jaguar D type and there are a few in the U.S. A guy in our club doen't have the Jaguar D type but he has an awesome XJ13 (of which there was only one made) http://www.kitcars.com/profiles/?CompaniesID=183

BTW, there is one on eBay with a SBC (small block Chevy) in it right now http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=7251&item=2462011460

Well Kazuya that's a tough one. Almost all the 250 GTO kits are based on the original Eagle designed Alpha 1 GTO kit. Thanks to the Ferrari lawyers, the molds have passed through many hands - some of which improved on them. It's a long story and most of it can be found on the GTO Replica Registry site http://www.reactionresearch.com/gtorr/index.html Right now I would say the Tom Edwards over at Scorpion Z Cars http://www.scorpionzcars.com/ has the best kit. I say this because he added the trunk. Pics of my Alpha 1 GTO kit http://www.cardomain.com/member_pages/view_page.pl?page_id=236622

Don't know about the money but you might want to go to Best Places http://www.bestplaces.net/ plug in Knoxsville (or wherever) and the areas in CA an see how they compare.

Please read Dan's note in the "Announcements" section - Problems with HybridZ.

I use Hagerty as well and they charge me $357 per year. For $25,000 coverage and no deductible (replacement cost - no depreciation). No mileage limitations but, like Mike, I have to have a licensed and insured daily driver. When I am not driving it, the car has to be kept locked up at my primary residence unless they approve another storage facility. http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/album_pic.php?pic_id=2514 As you can see it is slightly modified! Almost everybody in our Kit Car Club http://www.usol.com/~hutch/ uses them. They have been very good at paying claims as well.

ON3GO - Listen to Z-TARD, and I quote: "I'd suggest using a roto zip style cutter, since it would be less likely to leave a rough edge on the carbon fiber after cutting. Lay some masking tape over the area and mark the lines you want to cut on the tape. The tape will protect the rest of your hood from scratches as you drag the roto zip over it, and to some degree will help prevent the carbon fiber from fraying as you cut. Sand the edges of the hole with some 300 grit sandpaper, and then seal the edges with some CA (Super Glue) Sealing the edges will prevent it from delaminating later on. Hope this helps a little." We cut up carbon fiber for our R/C car chassis all the time this way, (including the use of super glue). Do NOT use a saw of any kind because it will rip up and fray the fibers and you will have a real mess on your hands.

Nope - it won't fit. The dash in my 1971 240Z based 250 Ferrari GTO kit is fiberglass and is designed to use the sheet metal "skeleton" from the original dash. The dash is designed to fit a 260 through 280Z. I had to retro fit the sheet metal skeleton to fit in my car and it was a lot of work. The steering column is in a different location and lower. The whole HVAC area in the center of the dash is different and I had to make many of the pieces to get it to work right. It could not be done without making a mess of the stock dash cover. Sorry! http://www.cardomain.com/member_pages/view_page.pl?page_id=236622

I used the Precision kit on my car except for the doors. I found the kit to be excellent and all the pieces fit very well. It has a huge amount of rubber seals in the kit and I would bet the bag they come in weighs 30-35 pounds. Just about every seal is in there except for a few of the stranger smaller pieces. I tried the door seals but they were too thick and a bit harder. I ended up using the factory seals which cost more than the whole Precision kit! However, they do work well. jmortenson is right on the 240 vs. 280 door weatherstrip. The 280 has the welt already installed. This makes installation MUCH easier and provides for a better fit. http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/album_pic.php?pic_id=2514

A diode is a one way switch. It will allow current to pass through it in one direction but not in the opposite direction. In the alternator they are used to change the alternating current (AC) to direct (DC) current. In an automotive alternator there are usually six of them - three positive and three negative.

I also have a set of Eibachs with Tokico shocks and love them. The roads here in Michigan are terrible so I really appreciate the improved ride from the progressive springs. I have a 1971 Datsun 240Z based 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO kit with a 327 SBC in it. http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/album_pic.php?pic_id=2514 BTW, lots of production cars come with progressive rate springs in them these days. However, the computer usually matches them up and the spring rate is different for each of the four corners of the car.

An SBC based swap is the cheapest, easiest and most straight forward. Most Ford V8 engines have the distributor in the front but look underneath! The oil sump is in the front too and this interferes with the front cross member (which is why you see so many '32 Ford street rods with a small block Chevy in them)! There is a "double hump" oil pan available but it only partially solves the problem. Also, if you are going to run a manual trans, Ford has never made a hydraulic clutch setup so you will have to use one of those hydraulic throw-out bearings. Chevrolet offers you the choice of Corvette (which I think is better) or Camaro hydraulic clutch systems.

I think you will find that Lucite is way to brittle to use for headlight covers. Lexan is a much better choice and is used by all the race cars that have covered headlights. BTW, Lexan is used by banks because, when it's thick enough, it is bullet proof.

philiow313 - Aaron has a good memory and yes, there is a really good thread about this a while back. Hopefully, when SuperDan gets the upgrade done search will be back working again. Basically, if you use light weight parts on the SBC (aluminum heads, intake, water pump, gear drive starter, headers, etc.) the engine will weigh no more than the L6 you removed. Since it is a lot shorter (two cylinders worth) and quite a bit lower (since it's a V configuration) the car will handle better than stock. The weight distribution goes from 52 front/48 rear to almost exactly 50/50. Since the engine is lower it reduces the roll center (center of gravity) and, since it sits almost completely behind the front axle it also reduces the polar moment. Bottom line - yes it will improve the handling to the point that you can actually feel the difference. http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/album_pic.php?pic_id=2514

A Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) valve is a good thing to have. One of the reasons that the oil change mileage has been extended out over the years is due to the PCV. A lot of nasty stuff (moisture, acid, etc.) gets past the rings and is picked up by the oil. The PCV valve helps to insure that it gets routed out of the engine. It should be set up so that the incoming air is filtered and then circulated through the entire engine. On a V8 that the recommended method would be having the air enter through the valve cover on one side and exit out through the opposite valve cover and into the intake manifold. Unless the engine is burning oil, very little of anything should be deposited in the intake manifold. BTW, I have seen (Summit maybe) valve cover rubber grommets that have a baffle built in them. Now the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) is a whole different story - bad, bad, bad!

Why?

I guess I have to disagree with Grape Ape Racing. First of all, you can not pressurize water because it's hydraulic and can't be compressed. You can pressurize the air that's in the system and that's done with the radiator cap. As we all know, caps come with different pressure settings depending on what the system was designed to handle. Pressure raises the boiling point just like in a pressure cooker. Every pound of pressure increases the boiling point about 3 degrees F. The pressure comes from heat expansion and NOT from restriction in the engine. So, Grape Ape Racing thinks you can just rev up a cold engine and get 15 PSI – NO WAY! Coolant can flow too fast and not absorb the heat which is why most street engines that are converted to racing run a restrictor in place of the thermostat. Try this, turn on the burner on your stove. Run your hand (don't burn yourself!) over the burner slowly and then rapidly. The slower you move your hand the hotter it gets. The coolant in a car has to move slow enough through the system so it can absorb the heat in the engine and also, so it can dissipate the heat to the radiator which in turn dissipates the heat to the air. Also, BTW, pressure is pressure and will always exert itself equally on every surface in the system.

It could be oil through the PVC and adding a baffle would be a good start. However, when an engine puffs blue (not black) smoke after high vacuum it's usually not the rings but the valve seals. If you can, coast down a long hill with the throttle closed and then get on it at the bottom. If you get a lot of blue smoke then I would have the valve seals and guides checked.