SpeedRacer

I could not fit the 26" Griffin in my car because I used angle iron to "box in" my sub-frame by mig welding it all the way from the floor pan to the core support. This does a great job of to reinforcing the front end but uses up a bit of space. However, the guys at Griffin made me a 25"x19" just by narrowing both tanks a bit. Then they heli-arced an piece of 2"x2" aluminum angle stock on both tanks to form a flange. I then drilled holes in the flange to match up with the stock location of the original radiator and bolted it in. Not the cheapest way but it looks like Nissan engineered it that way and does it ever cool the engine.

Datsunlover - Must be your computer because the post from BLKMGK is there.

I posted this somewhere quite awhile ago (and can't find it) but Sanderson http://www.centuryperformance.com/sanderson2.htm makes a lots a different, very high quality, headers. Check'um out.

I had the usual clunk in my Z as well. Even though my front mount looked good and had not been replaced to long ago I tried a new one along with polyurethane "mustach" bar bushings and I am happy to say that the clunk went away. So, check you mustach bar bushings and the your u-joints. BTW, I would put that strap back on the front of the rear axle - it's nasty if the mount breaks and the rear axle pops up - it can even yank the driveshaft out of the trans!!! NO driveshaft hoop? Well, have you ever seen a car do the pole vault? Also, BTW - if you replace the mustach bar bushings I would suggest you check into the JTR driveshaft angle fix because it corrected the minor vibration I had in the car too.

Try Precision Replacement Parts Corporation. They sell a kit that includes almost every weatherstrip for a Z (including the windshield and rear glass as well). The kit is very good with the exception of the door seals. Many people have had problems with these because they are not "metric" (to thick) and a little to hard. You will end up slamming the doors all the time. The problem has been reported to Precision many times by many people but they have never changed to kit. They are expensive, but if you need door seals buy the factory ones. I used the complete kit on my car but ended up replacing the door seals so I speak from experience. You can find the Precision web site here http://www.prp.com/ I think the Z Barn http://www.zbarn.com/ sells the kit for about $250. The also have the factory door seals.

Hey Mike - Sorry, I still haven't found any valve covers for a SBC like mine but did you ever consider the ones that Mickey over at Inglese has http://www.inglese.com/chevroletv8.htm Just a thought.

Hi Mike, My base car is a 1971 but, since John did not have a dash to fit the earlier model, I bought a dash from a 1974 Z and adapted it to my car which is a ton of work and I would not recommend you try it. The vents on the edges are actually fastened to the original Z car dash sheet metal skeleton just like stock. All you have to do is carefully cut a hole in the fiberglass dash. BTW, although it looks like it is leather, the dash is just black gel-coated fiberglass with the "leather" type grain and stitching designed into the mold. To use a radio you need to have a Z console that holds the radio since there is no provision for one in the dash. Again, you carefully cut out the center section of the dash and the entire original center section of the dash fits in and mounts it it's original location. That is not to say you can't leave the center section in and do what you want with it but you will have to make up a face plate since it is just filler and the glass is pretty rough. My console is stock and un-modified so I do not have a radio - however, the engine is music to my ears! The design is rather ingenuous. You strip off all the old vinyl and foam from the old dash leaving the sheet metal skeleton. You then cut out and fasten the new fiberglass dash to the old skeleton with sheet metal screws. By carefully adjusting the screws along the windshield you can get a perfect fit. Then you use an expanding foam (I used the latex low expension type) to fill all the gaps between the fiberglass and the sheet metal which makes for a real solid installation and deadens sound. Yeah, the three lights on top are center (blue) for the high beam indicator, left and right (green) for turn signals. The lower left (amber) is for the alternator and lower right (red) for the emergency brake. They are Ron Francis units and all have a ground on them since they are going into a fiberglass dash. Also, the is no glove box unless you want to cut one in! Hope this helps and good luck.

Yup, you are right Locutus, it's the Alpha 1 GTO version of the dash. As I mentioned earlier, I have one in my car that I bought from John Washington and you can see a pretty good picture of it in my album http://www.zing.com/album/?id=4294856715 As you can see I installed some large 5.25" Stewart Warner guages in it instead of the Datsun units.

VR Engineering is owned by John Washington and he is a great guy to deal with. I bought some of the parts for my Ferrari GTO kit car from him and they were always high quality. As a matter of fact, I bought the GTO dash from him and three years later I got around to installing it. It didn't seem to fit right so I called John. Turns out Datsun changed the dash in 1973 (the GTO dash uses the Z sheetmetal skeleton) and I have a 1971 so it will not fit. John calmly says - "no problem, just send it back and I'll refund your money" - mind you, this is after three years!!! All the fiberglass parts I have purchased from John are hand laid and not out of a chopper gun. The fit and finish has been quite good but keep in mind that if you want it as flat as sheet metal you will have to block sand it.

Just got my catalog from VR Engineering and John Washington will sell just the cowl induction hood from his Subtle Z http://www.reactionresearch.com/subtlez.html

Don't think I've seen one with a Nissan V8 but here is a shot of the one with the Lexus V8 http://www.jps.net/zparts/sidebars/eng_lexus1.htm

John Scott is right on - I use the 84-88 Corvette in my Z with the Camaro 14 degree T-5. I heated up the shift lever with a torch and bent it straight. The shift lever comes right up through the stock hole in the tunnel and console. I needed the speedo so I had two choices - build a wedge for the trans mount or bend the trans mount at the 14 degree angle. Decided that a small wedge was the best way because it would make playing with driveshaft angles simplier. I use the stock Corvette slave cylinder and a Tilton (Wilwood now I think) 7/8" master cylinder. Then I had the local Aeroquip shop make up a SS line to go between the two. I think the Corvette setup is much better and cleaner than the Camaro version.

Dennis, Check out this site http://www.mortec.com/castnum.htm but you are right, it is a bit confusing. It says that it can either be a: 3970010....302.....69....4...Z-28 Camaro 3970010....350...69-80...2 or 4 If that thing is a 4 bolt 302 it is worth a lot of money (if it is in good shape)!! The local guy here wanted $1,200 just for a NOS crank!

Since we have traded emails you know that I think you should take that '72 Z and do a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO from Thunder Ranch http://www.thunderranch.com/gto1.htm but then I am very biased! If you decide to do it please let me know if I can help. BTW I have a couple of new shots in my album if you are interested http://www.zing.com/album/?id=4294856715 Good luck.

Pete has some great information on driveshaft angle on his site http://tidalwave.net/~pparaska/ check it out.

Hey SpencZ - If you do think this is a good idea and you get serious, try to find an LT5 "Black Widow" motor if you can. They came from Mecury Marine with 475 HP. Remember, when you check out the performance numbers, that your car will most likely weigh at least 1000 lbs. less than a Vette - we are talking some very serious street performance here! Z-ZR1 it !!!

No wierd flashback for you John Scott - you are right on. GM was having a few problems manufacturing aluminum engines (Vega anyone) and with the limited quantity of LT5's to be built they went to Mercury Marine for the greatest small block ever built. Hey, John, I think you've got something there - Z-ZR1 - it does have a certain ring to it (or did you just stutter)?

SpencZ - You are now building a high tech serious mover (was there a Z in there someplace) and I think I mentioned this before but a Corvette ZR1 "King of the Hill" LT5 motor in it would be sooooo cool!!! http://www.cuc.edu/~gingram/engine3.html Stock (1993-1995) the thing had 405 HP and 385 lb ft of torque and pushed a C4 Corvette to 188 MPH!!! It set a world record of 24 Hours Endurance @ 175.885 MPH for 4,221.256 Miles!!!!! Check it out at http://www.zr1.net/ We are talking Lotus designed all aluminum 32 valve DOHC mouse motor. Think about the jaws dropping when you opened the hood!!!! and I think it would be a first!

Greg Cohan in our club just sold a red Porsche 930 with a Corvette LT1 engine in the back of it. Man would that thing ever launch but it was scary because you couldn't keep the front wheels on the ground! It actually fit without any modifications to the body.

My guess is that Ron Jones has one of the fastest Z cars around, (and I should let him reply) but here it goes - 1976 280Z, 540ci BB Chevy, 2sp Powerglide, Ford 9" and turns 8.56@160,1.25 60ft. That is one very, very quick Z - check it out in the "Readers Rides" area.

Hi CorZette, you might want to think twice about running without the stat. However, it will work OK if you put a restrictor in place of the stat. The problem with running without a stat or restrictor is the water travels through the engine to fast and does not have enough time to pick up the heat. So, although the guage reads lower you end up with hot spots and uneven cooling of the block and heads which leads to other problems including warping. Up to you but just a suggestion.

Really hard to say on the idle because of so many different factors but most of all the cam. With the mild cam you should be close at ~750-800 RPM but again, hard to tell. Most small block Chevy's like around 15 degrees advance at idle without the vacuum advance conected (if you have one). If you have a vacuum advance it should be hooked up to ported vacuum and not direct manifold vacuum. Also, you should check full advance but again do this with the vacuum advance dis-connected. Full mechanical advance should not exceed 43 degrees to be safe. Most of the time an SBC can handle this but if it pings or knocks than back it down a few. This is important because pre-ignition caused by to much timing advance can destroy an engine. At light loads the vacumm advance usually takes it up around 50 degrees for better fuel mileage.

I haven't seen the Arizona Z Car rear control arms in a few years but I don't think they would have changed much. And yes, they provide a lot of room for camber, caster and toe adjustments. They are very strong but quite light since they used chrome moly steel and where designed for use on road racing type cars. The ones I have seen did not have provisions for attaching a anti-sway bar but I think you could add a plate to do that. BTW, Arizona Z Car at one time sold a full tube frame chassis with integrated full roll cage and it utilized these chrome molly control arms on all four corners (are you listening SpencZ). Does anybody know if they still sell these?

Hi Owen, Yes the struts are supposed to be filled with oil. If you replace the cartridge in the strut you fill it with oil but the cartridge itself is sealed. It should be quite difficult for you to move the piston in and out of the shock even on the softest setting. If you can move it by hand it should take a great deal of force and it should move very slow because that's what shock absorbers are all about. Four of them have to dampen the movement of ~2600 lbs. or about 650 lbs. each. Hope this helps.

Wow, sounds like a bit of a tough one. I think you'll find SuperDan is right about the timing as long as it doesn't kick back trying to start it. Hard to explain but the engine is more efficient with advanced timing (to a point) and uses less fuel therefore less heat. I know that you said you changed the waterpump but did you get a good high volume one? How about the pulleys, are you under-driving the waterpump? Ever think about trying an oil cooler? With two fans you should be moving enough air but maybe not enough coolant. Cooling that little ole' 305 shouldn't be too big a problem but if that doesn't fix it I'd call up the boys at Griffin Radiator http://www.griffinrad.com and order a two row (1.25" tube) aluminum radiator. If that doesn't cool it nothing will!