Two40MuscleZ

I have checked the search listing(s) and have had minimal success. Has anyone successfully completed a 9" Ford rear swap using a 4 link setup in a '72 240Z? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Compliments, Van

Jack: For what its worth...I have had a '72 240Z since it was new. Started building up the slant6 and got to a point that was only minimumlly satisfying. The car became storage for the past 18 years. Only have 60,000 original miles on her. This past year I have decided to bring her back to life. What started out as a mild street runner has turned into a full blown Pro Street Show Car! The problem that I am now questioning is continuing on with the project, or build up a '41 Willys. So I know what you are thinking. What allowed me to rethink and reajust my mindset was this years Route 66 Rendezvous held in San Bernardino, CA. This event was spectular, in every way. Some of the sharpest and cleanest Muscle Cars ever. Here I was right in the middle of muscle car maddness. It was great. Then by the end of the day it dawned on me...not one Z much less a muscleZ8 in the bunch. How cool to have one of a kind amidst all these vintage vehicles. That was it...brought me right back into focus. Next year I'm in and as for the Willy's that too will come in time. MAC had a good point about being unique. And that is what we all are...just unique individuals with unique cars! Have fun building whatever project you decide on. Thats what its all about. Compliments, Van

I just love it! Another righteous "3Duce7" making the happs! And they say life doesn't get any better... Comps, Van

Lone, I can see it now..."News at 11:00" LMAO! Appreciate your comedy relief! Compliments to all, Van

Nick: Try these three sites for SBC Casting Numbers and other gen. engine info: 1) http://home.twcny.rr.com/mcss/SBCinfo.html 2) http://www.mortec.com/castnum.htm 3) http://www.auto-ware.com/techref/castnum.htm I concur with Lone and the other members about first giving your engine a general tune up. Check all elect.connections, dist. and wires. Also check the fuel filter(s), carb and jets. Good luck, Van

Hey guys, not to play down those paint palaces, but for the average run of the mill daily driver, perhaps. But, never on a "Z" that you are currently building up! The detailing is just NOT there. From a distance looks real sharp, but get a little closer. Now you begin to see the overspray, runs, sags, blemishes, and the ever present dirt and grit that the prep failed to remove prior to their paint jockies unleashing their fury! Granted they do have their places in society, but really think twice. I would rather put up with primer, yes even out of a spray can, over a good, clean and properly preped surface, than having to go back and reprep, sand and potentially clean the whole vehicle surface again! I have seen it more often than not. Some unsuspecting car owner, who has worked hard on their pride and joy, relinquishing it to a paint shop, leaving with high expectations only to return in disbelief as to how poorly the paint and finish has been applied. Scarey thought! But, you need to do what is right for you. In any event...Best of Luck! Compliments, Van

Petes right! Johns Cars has a less than sterling reputation when it comes to customer service and even answering questions in general. Check prior postings regarding this subject, and you will find that this question has been asked, and answered many times before. JTR has a tried and true reputation. They are more cost effective and stand behind their products and information. I think most members here will agree on that fact. Compliments, Van

Hey Pete: Sorry to hear about your "Paint Jail" problems. Its almost as thought the Board of Prison Terms extended your sentence! If you were a bit closer, I would have been happy to shoot the finish in far less than the 3 month sentence you are now commuting. Please let me know if there is anything I can do. My last paint project was a $90,000 "S" series Jag, which went to Europe and recieved its share of awards. Hard pressed to beat that one. Regarding your cam...go for it! I know that you, Lone and I recently discussed just this subject. I decided to go with the Solid Roller CompCam which I just recieved earlier in the week. It specs out at: Advertised duration 280/286 and 242/248 @.050. Cam lift 570/576, 110 lobe seperation, effective range 2500-6500 rpm. Approx. 160 lbs. seat pressure. Matched to the 462's, and you already know how they have been built, seems to be a compatible match, and as you already know our engines are uniquely similar. In that respect, I really don't think that you will have much of a problem. A little light on the low end, but strong never-the-less. The cam specs you posted were slightly less than the one I have, primarily in the lift. But I really don't see a problem with it for you. KMA as to the disposition of your final decision. I look forward to both the completion of your paint and Cam choice. Compliments, Van

Here are two products that you may consider: El Pico Professional Paint Stripper-Remover and/or Jasco Professional Paint Stripper-Remover. Similar to the jelly in consistancy, however, it is are very costic. Have used it to strip through as many as 6 coats of paint and primer; using 2-3 application coats. Bubbles up in about 5 minutes. Jasco is water base rinsable, works quiet well. Use gloves and eye protection! Cost approx. $28 per gallon. Can be purchased at most major hardware suppliers, i.e. Home Depot or Paint and Decorating stores. Van

Original/early style 327's were only 2 bolt mains. The 4 bolt mains advertised use aftermarket splayed caps. Cost effective, your pocketbook,your call. As for durability...I have never had a problem. In talking with some of the old-time street racers, the concept was explained like this. 327/350hp short stroke, quicker revs. and practically bullet-proof. Great design and dependability. The 350 design was made out of necessity. Designed with a slightly longer stroke, lots of torque, and good overall response, however, there was a main bearing failure problem associated with them. Hence, the "workhorse" vehicles, i.e., trucks, were beefed up to the handle the excess torque and stress factor. The 327 line never experienced any mangitude of that problem. One other smalll contributing factor was; lack of sales! Thats right, the 327 engineering was right on the mark, thus never required the parts inventory associated with so many others. Basically, GM engineered themselves out of making money! Hence, the emergence of the 350. As solid as it maybe, it still has calculated engineering brakedown figured into it! Van

Dave: Youve out done yourself. Sharp looking ride. Lots of effort on your part and it certainly shows. Have fun on the streets. Van

The orange peel is caused by a combination of things. Most often it is due to a "hotter" mixture being placed over the surface of another product...i.e. Lacquer being placed on top of an enamel. It basically, cooks off the undercoating producing the undesired effect "orange peel". The long and tedious process of sanding down to bare metal the exposed areas, reglazing, feathering, repriming and blocking starts all over again. Stick with the laq. based products. They flash-off the quickest and usually are easier to work with. Painting is a lot like building a car...its a learning experience. Best of luck! Compliments, Van

It's simple! Before a crime can be committed two (2) elements must be present. "Ability and Intent." Justification of charges surrounding a crime must prove these two elements exhist. Otherwise, such aligations cannot stand in court because they do NOT satisfy the requirements for a crime. Whereas, Fraud implies willful intent, and thereby satisfies one of the requirements. Intent, is justified by the action, whereby, the latter is also justified. In this situation the "ability" aspect maybe proven to exhist. However, charges of "intent to defraud" is not the premise for the owners actions. There was no intent to mislead or give false understanding or misrepresentation. Therefore, by negating these two primary elements it constures such charges to be irrelivent. As long as the individual shows intent not to be false, a problem should not exist.

Painting flames is not really as difficult as someone might think. Sketch out your basic idea first on paper. Then go to the vehicle that you want to flame. Using a "China Marker" or grease pencil, lighly outline its shape on the areas you want flamed. Stand back and look at the design. If you need to make changes, now is the time. Simply wipe off the undesired lines and redraw until you reach a pleasing pattern. (Most graphic designers/artists who do this on a regular basis, simply skip most of this). We use a 3M product called "Fine Line" tape, which is very flexable and does great on tight radius designs. It comes in various widths, 1/8" or 1/16" are most commonly used. It bends very easy used exclusively for curved shapes, such as flames. Apply the tape following the outline of the flames you have drawn. Next mask off the areas using a low tac masking tape NOT to be sprayed. You now have a template for the flames. Remove the grease pencil outline with a rag and some "prepsol". Lightly scuff the surface of the areas to be flamed, being careful NOT to sand the surfaces of the fine line tape. Use a green 3M scotch brite pad or 200 wet dry paper. Wipe the areas sanded with a tac rag until clean of all dust. Mix your base coat and lightly spray it down over the flamed template. Next spray your beginning top coat color(s) being careful where you start and stop, for your "blends". Your blends for example white tips on the end of the flames; begin from the end tip and back spray slightly over your base coat where it ends. After completing the colors or effect that you want, clear coat the flamed area. After drying carefully peel away the tape. Always peel the tape AWAY from the flame, NEVER into it. You may need to use a razor in some areas to cut the paint over tape, as not to pull and/or peel the fresh flames up with the tape. Go slow! After the flames have fully cured you can lightly color sand and smooth out the paint edge build up. Pin stripe edges, thus outlining flame pattern. Note: Ghost flames skip the striping step. Thats basically it. Search out different flame styles/colors for ideas. Take your time...you can always tell when someone has rushed a flame job. In those cases, they should have just used a couple of gallons of gas and tourched it!!! LOL Have fun, contact me if you have any other questions. Van

Tim: The problems you are experiencing is caused by several reasons. Yes, your paint viscosity is too thick and needs to be thinned down. Next, the HVLP gun you are using was designed for pre-thinned paint(s). California EPA has over regulated the hell out of the paint industry. The little guy suffers while the big companies send tons of crap into the air each day. What little we do manage to add to the overall situation is minimal at best. Another soap box issue... One of the biggest problems that your dealing with is the weather. Shooting anything in 90 degree weather is really tough...especially in SAC. Suggest that you build a temp spray booth out of thick mil visqueen, in your garage is fine. Sweep your floors well and sprinkle a small amount of water down to help miniumize dust. Shoot in the early AM in stead of the afternoons. Winds are usually minimal during the morning hours. Also, the heat and humidity is lower, allowing for a more workable flash time. HVLP...high volume, low pressure; just the opposite of the standard quart pot sprayer. Thin your materials and test your viscosity. Repeat thinning until you reach a comfortable medium. Now basically your ready for your first coats of primer. You follow the same proceedure for mixing and shooting your top coats. It takes some practice, but, getting your paint product to a workable standard makes the real difference. EPA says you can't legally reduce your paints. However, they also say that the paints are formulated "ready-to-shoot". Their ready to shoot formulas are given to averages...and shooting on a 90 degree day in Sac. is not "average". Take your time, good luck, but most of all...have fun! Compliments Van

Glad to help...anytime. Send the pics and questions at your convenience. It doesn't sound like you are going to get to complicated with your shoot. I think you'll enjoy the satisfaction as your project progresses. Have fun! Regards, Van

Tim: Painting and basic body work is relatively easy. First of all you need some background and that is what you are establishing by reading and becoming familar with automotive paints. It is a totally different beast than anything you are probably used to. I say this from experience as that is what I did for several years (custom painting and finishing). All the fancy and trick stuff need practice and basic familiarity with spray equipment and associated tools. Talk at more length with your PPG Rep. Stop by some of your local "Known" custom paint shops. Talk with the owner, tell him your just starting out on a project and your curious about some of the different techniques that interest you. If the person is any kind of "professional" he will be more than happy to discuss some of the basics with you. If not, there is always someone just around the corner who will. Once you have some general working knowledge, and have decided that anythings possible, get with the dealer again and check out the equipment. Explain what you are trying to accomplish. He will be able to offer alternatives for materials, equipment and cost matters. Remember, custom finishes and finishing is just that. It is not uncommon to pay $500-700 for prep, primer, base, top and finish coat materials...and that's if your doing the labor yourself. And, thats still only doing the basic paint work. Flames, kandys, pearls, flakes, metallics, blends, fades, spiderwebbing, two stage epoxy finishes, stripes, lettering, and a host of others things all take time to learn and master. The biggest concern is having the confidence to do the job, and of course using the correct materials/equipment, but moreover "PRACTICE." I cannot stress that enough. That is how you learn, because it is your best teacher. Take your time, don't rush, and you will do just fine. If you need other questions answered...E-mail me. Good luck! Van

Hold on to your bucks! Southern California is by far a Mecca for pristine Z's. The winter climate has some rain, but drastic it's definately not! Car costs are reasonable and you usually don't run the risk of excess rust, as you may encounter in other parts of the country. Your dream car is out there. Just take your time and your searching will pay off in the long run. It doesn't pay to rush through things. Your suppose to enjoy the experience of building up a car...not spend your time correcting unnecessary problems and encurring added expenses. Regards, Van

Anthony, aka Triple_Threat311: This is my first post. I would like to share a few thoughts with you. There are several members of HybridZ which I have had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with. Without going into detail, many of the questions and challenges you face have been experienced by each member here. I have researched the various companies, their product claims, and what they claim to do for you. JTR being the primary source for conversion products and information, followed by John's Cars. Price is always of primary concern. However, DO NOT be mislead by false claims, i.e. John's testimonial page. How many Z conversions do you see...maybe one! Are the kits he offers cost effective as compaired to JTR's? Listen to what other HZ members think of his sales and service? Finally, you are located in CA. Do you really want to deal with someone who is located in Texas? JTR does offer a more affordable kit. It is backed by the company, which for a nominal fee of $35 plus some change for shipping, gives you the basic information the layman needs to get a good grasp on the conversion. There are three (3) big pluses here. 1) Prices are reasonable. 2) Your dealing with an company that has already established itself with your peers. 3) JTR is located in CA. and is much easier to deal with! My conversion has been started with the JTR manual, and followed (with confidence) by their conversion hardware. Furthermore, if you have machinest capabilities, you can fabricate the engine mounting parts yourself...the JTR people supply you with the measured drawings! That indicates that they are not out for the hard sale, but the respect and desire for repeat business from satisfied customers. Do yourself a favor, stick with JTR, both you and your pocket book will be glad. One final note...if you run into problems or have questions, I am confident that you have a whole membership out there who would offer their support, suggestions, and whatever else you need to rectify the problem. Welcome aboard, and best of luck in your new endeavor. With Compliments Gld7PtStar