BRAAP

Imagine a bar stool or four legged table with one leg that is a little long or little short. Cross weights, (X-weight), not being equal causing weight jacking. Cross weights could easily be way off, especially with coil-overs being as they allow so much adjustment. Left to right vehicle weight or front to rear can't really be adjusted, even thought he car can be titled left or right or front to rear with coil-overs. But what if one corner is adjusted tall or it and the opposite corner are adjust tall, (or short, same thing applies). Back to the bar stool weight one or two legs at opposite corners that longer or shorter than the rest, the longer ones are bearing more of the weight. Back to your car, lets say the left front and right rear were adjusted tall, (or just the left front). This would cause the Left front wheel to be loaded considerably more than the right front and with good brakes that apply equal pressures, the front wheels would end up with the skid pattern you pictured. Cut springs, same thing could happen, one spring sagging more than the others, a car body that is the twisted from a previous accident, one tire taller/shorter than the others, one corner of the cars suspension is binding during movement (squat up front, lift in the rear under braking), same thing. Using corner scales with coil-overs, you can fine tune the "X" weights to counter any body twist issues, long-short struts, etc. Grass Roots article on this subject; http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/understanding-corner-weights/

I also have a pair of new in the box L6 engine isolator for sale in this ad; http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php?/topic/85318-fs-misc-z-car-goodies-stock-custom-and-hi-po-l6-eng-parts-cstm-locks-prtr-fld-pads-etc/page__p__808529__fromsearch__1entry808529

Possibly weight jacking due to spring positions? Cut springs not cut/seated perfectly even frt-bck-lft-rght, or coil-overs installed and when adjusted was not done with corner scales with the drivers weight in the seat...

As an engine builder/machinist, this is poetry to my ears. Well stated Tim, thank you.

Wrong on so many levels..

You guys forgot the most important aspect of why the damper is used in the first place, crankshaft fatigue. Typical problems associated with a loose damper or one that has the inertia ring that came loose is a cracked/fractured/busted crankshaft, generally starts out as spider cracks in the radius of the rod journals, also sometimes in the main journal radius. To know for sure you'll have to remove the crank and have it inspected. Sometimes the cracks can be seen in a visual though a Mag test will reveal the hard to see cracks. If cracks are present and you continue to run it, those cracks will continue to grow to the point of failure at some point down the road. Could be several thousand miles later depending on many factors. Sorry, but if it were my engine and I was planning to run it as my daily driver or race car, I'd start with a different crank.

Haven’t touched the brake lines yet tough I keep threatening to. I am short one little custom bracket for the ABS sensor, with that in hand I would be far more inclined to finish the brakes 100%. Today’s distraction was the throttle which is now 100%. I have the clutch and throttle 100%. Used the Lokar 36” LS1 cable and it fits perfectly. Length is perfect, clevis fits the BMW pedal perfectly, throttle travel is perfect, TB hits WOT with .050” between the pedal and the pedal stop on the floorboard, couldn’t be any easier. Only actual work involved was altering the angle of the firewall penetration so the throttle cable ferrule was aimed more directly at the pedal for smoother actuation. Next on the to-do list in order of priority; Brake lines for the ABS relocate. Heater hose and dual zone climate control valve relocate. Swap the diff flange out to the 4 bolt style. Mount the cruise control module and figure out the A/C. Repair the rear shock tower mounts, (removed the rear tires and WOWZERS! Shock tower sheet metal is literally separating from the body!) Lokar Clevis fits BMW pedal perfectly! Throttle cable connected and routed.

Deeper butt gears will put more torque to the wheels, at the expense of spending less time in each gear, It's all relative. Personally I prefer to remain in each gear as long as possible and experience as much of that feeling of torque as possible, not rowing through 2-3 gears getting a brief kick in the pants in each gear. My V8 280-Z was a great example. 3.90 butt gears with welded spiders, (obnoxious for the street). World Class T-5 with 2.9x first gear and 1.9x second gear. 1st gear was literally useless under any circumstance. 2nd gear was the launch gear at the strip and also the take off gear when just tooling around town, even taking off on a small hill with grandma in the car. There was enough torque on hand at idle that the car would take off in 2nd gear just as mundane as the L-6 did in 1st gear, no fuss, no riding the clutch to coax it, it just did it, and 2nd gear took the car through 55 MPH! From 0 to 55 MPH in one gear with enough torque on tap at that you could “not” hold the pedal to the floor at any point in that gear without spinning the tires,. Even third gear would break the tires loose on the freeway as it passed through torque peak, (scares the crap out of passengers when that happens. Definitely could've used a taller diff with 2nd gear as the launch gear). I much prefer this scenario vs one that is just as quick to 55 or even 105 MPH or pulls just as hard but has to use twice as many gears to get the same speed, but it also requires having more torque available from the engine in the first place. But that is just me.

Jon summed it up really well. My input is if you are looking for significant torque increase that will make you grin, (torque is what gives that sit-back feeling in your seat), then your options are, in no particular order; 1) Turbo 2) Nitrous 3) Supercharger 4) Displacement, (usually in the form of a different engine, V-8 etc). 5) Car/you on a serious diet to shed at least 10% overall combined driver/car weight, the more 6) $5k+to Rebello or yourself mimicking a high end L-6 build that will be maxxed out where the above are just starting. There are numerous little things you can do or have done that help increase torque output over stock, but for N/A the gains are gonna be small and only slightly noticeable. Little things such as mild DIY porting in the head, header and exhaust, upgrade the ignition system, lighten flywheel, and most important step, fine tune. Not just ideal ignition timing and fuel mixtures, but parts combinations and assembly of those parts. A slight gain is sometimes nice, but most often not enough or just a tease when what you really want as moderate torque increase that puts a smile on your face every time you mash the loud pedal. Then see the list of 6 options above. Keep in mind, how that torque is delivered has a very strong affect on the perception of power, as Jon's stated with the Porsche and pickup scenario. Flat torque curves are great, but boring, Torque the peaks quickly and falls off will smoke the tires well but runs like a tractor. Torque that starts mild and continues build as the RPMs increase, even though it may only be less overall torque then other two scenarios, will "feel" incredibly fun.

Forgot the EFI update… Made up my mind to go with the GM PCM and GM cruise control. Sold the WOLF V500 and found Chevy Thunder, who will set you up with a stand alone GM PCM and harness for your LSx conversion. He sets some basic settings in the PCM such as tach signal to 6 cylinder, VATS delete, CAGS delete, sets the speed input to match whatever your gearing and tire size is, etc. He also custom builds the harness to whatever length you need to fit your application, including all the connectors you need such as the DLC, your choice fuel injector connector style, O-2 sensor connectors style, 3 wire or 5 wire MAF, coil sub harness connectors, GM cruise control, etc. Also includes the necessary relays and fuses for fuel pump, PCM power, cooling fans, configures for single or dual fan, your choice. The PCM is left unlocked for future tuning if you so desire. I received the PCM and harness and WOW! Every wire/connector is labeled for easy hook up. Relays, fuses, etc. Also included is a very thorough CD regarding many aspects of installing the LSx and PCM including diagrams etc. Very very helpful for anyone doing an LSx conversion. I also did a bit of research and picked up the HP-Tuners pro suite so I can fine tune everything once it is up and running. Already been using the HP-Tuners to diagnose hung 2nd gear shifts and low idle swings on my wifes Suburban, (TPS/connector issues along with MAP sensor going out). On his web site is tons of LSx info, PCM pin outs, how to measure your car to determine how long you need the PCM harness to be, etc. Lots of other pages hidden on the site that aren’t accessed from the main pages, just surf around… http://www.chevythunder.com/ The LSx stuff; http://www.chevythunder.com/ls1_page_1.htm

If you are using the stock Z car EFI, my suggestion would be to search this forum for info regarding aftermarket or aggressive cams with the stock EFI.

Sorry Tony, the last one was a bit much… Locked and stickied.

You are missing the point and we are not going to get into a pissing match. 1) This is a privately owned forum, much like your house. One man “owns” it, pays the bills to maintain it, etc. 2) This is NOT a public or government owned/ran venue! 3) As such, that owner gets to make the rules, like your own house. 4) The owner of this forum can allow whomever he wants in and can kick out whoever he wants, again, just like your own house. 5) Disrespect the owner of this forum/house and his rules and you will be shown the door. He does not want to hear whining from a newb because he is butt hurt for not getting the warm fuzzy feeling he thinks he should feel. You joined this forum and did not read the rules. You asked why your posts were getting tossed in the shed and were politely shown where you were in violation of the rules and where those rules are so you could read them. You come back whining more because you do not understand and in that whining you are still posting with no capitalization, violating forum rules! You do not have to like the rules of this forum, but if you want to be a member of this forum you will abide by its rules, including using your keyboards shift key, or you will be shown the door. Regards, HBZ staff

Usually while the head is off the car, it is much MUCH easier to verify wipe patterns on the work bench using a set of head stands vs on the block in the car. What thickness of lash pads are you using currently? Lash pads from stock cams? Lash pads for stock cams have a dish under them and are .120" thick, there is only one lash pad thinner at .100", but if the cam lobe is running of the valve end of the rocker, even this lash pad is not enough. What head casting is this? If it is a P79 or P90, is there is chance that you or someone may swapped some or all valve from a different head? If the head is not a P79 or P90, disregard this question. If your head does have the brass intake seats, remove that head, do NOT run it. Those brass seats can and do loose their press fit in the head and fall out, end up cocked in the seat bore, holding the valve valve open and in some cases trashes the head on the running engine. When a head comes into my shop with those brass intake seats, I will not touch that head unless those seats are going to get replaced, period! I have have seen the results of many L-series that have dropped those seats.

First off, welcome to HybridZ. As you may have found in looking through this forum, it has been around for some time, established in early 2000. You may have also noticed this is not a typical generic Z car forum, but a technical high performance forum dedicated to extreme performance Z cars, sort of like a graduate program geared towards high performance Z cars, hence the name, HybridZ. As such, we hope all new members will take the time to read the forum rules, upper right corner of the page; The staff have gone to great lengths to keep this Z car forum a cut above the standard Z forums. As such we have some rules that are not typical of regular car forums and members are expected to abide by those policies. Reasons for your posts being tossed in the shed are; Rule #2. Being as this forum is an extreme performance forum, it is expected that members already have a basic understanding of their cars and have some mechanical ability, own some form of a service manual such as a Haynes manual and exercise the search function exhaustively before asking basic questions. Rule #3, a descriptive subject title. Not only will that help you get more traffic to your questions, but the people that might be able to answer those questions will know by the subject title if it is a thread worth opening. Rule #5, basic sentence structure is required. We do not expect college level grammar here but we do expect grade school level sentence structure such as capitalization, punctuation and some effort in proof reading before submitting a post. Staffs view and opinion about why this is can be found in this link; http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php?/topic/64626-lazybroken-shift-keys-rant-does-this-apply-to-you-lets-clean-it-up-please/ Again, welcome to HybridZ, we hope this forum is one you can call home for your extreme performance Z car needs. Paul, HBZ staff.

With the engine and trans just sitting in the car, using a remote reservoir, filled the clutch line, bled the clutch and wa-la, got clutch action and NO leaks! Clutch pedal “feels” pretty good, though wont for sure until the engine is running. Pedal pressure starts right off the top, has a slight ramp up in pressure till approx 2/3 pedal down then has a very distinct over-center feel as the pedal effort gets considerably lighter closer to the floor. Overall pedal effort feels about the same as I recall the stock M-3 clutch effort and next to Rons ’98 M-3, is the same but with a more pronounced over-center feel. Spent a bit of the day upgrading my DIY brake pressure bleeder and setting up a BMW M/C reservoir cap for it. Hoping to have the ABS relocated and with new lines brakes done by the end of next week, or sooner. Pic from engine bay; Pic from under the car;

Yeup, the JTR mounts will fit the Z32 and a traditional small block Chevy, but only after you cut a big section out of the hood, a huge section out of the firewall, and probably have to redesign the JTR mounts set the appropriately above the rack and pinion. Then again you'd be better off building your own mounts because the Z-32 engine bay/trans tunnel design is not even close to the early Z car that the JTR mounts are built for. The only thing that carries over from the early Z to the Z32 is the letter Z on the emblems. At that, to get a domestic V8 under the hood of a Z-32 you are still looking at cutting the firewall. There have been a few guys that have been making claims they can the V-8 to fit without cutting the firewall, started build threads, etc, but that has been over a couple years now, no one has done it, or at least posted their proof of doing it without cutting the firewall. If you want to see how tight it is with the LSx in the engine bay of Z-32, read this thread; http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php?/topic/73951-lsx-powered-z-32-go/ Hope that helps, Paul

BREAK THROUGH on the clutch line! Short version; Due to the similar design of the master cylinder hydraulic line connection between GM and BMW, the OE GM LSx clutch line can be made to fit the BMW master cylinder with a small massage, no need to buy fittings, cut the GM clutch line, etc... Only thing needed to buy other than your slave cylinder is a remote bleeder line/kit like the one from TICKshift.com. I did hammer the tunnel about 3/4" deep trough where the clutch line comes out of the bell-housing to relax the bend on the clutch line, fits nice in the tunnel. Long version; Yesterday in finishing up the clutch lines, I was going to go the typical route and cut the GM clutch line, install the -4 fitting, use the -4 to 10mmx1.0mm ISO bubble flare fitting, yadda yadda yadda, but with the GM clutch hose hooked up the trans I noticed its length is absolutely perfect in that it reaches the BMW master cylinder. I got to looking at the BMW master cylinder connection a little closer, removed the hard line retaining clip and wiggled the hard line out of the M/C and thought about what it might take to get the GM clutch line to plug into the BMW Master Cylinder. Spent some time measuring up both the GM and BMW master cylinder connection bores, then the GM and BMW clutch line fittings, sketched them out in AutoCAD and came to the conclusion it can be done. The BMW M/C bore is smooth at the O-ring diameter for what looks like all the way to the piston so the GM fitting could sit at any depth past the minimum. So I chucked the GM clutch line in the lathe and machined .020" off the diameter of the GM fitting as shown below and added a .040" tall chamfer to allow it to sit deep enough into the M/C to accept the BMW retaining clip and that's it, fits PERFECT! Using the GM O-ring, (BMW O-ring will not fit the GM fitting), it ends up compressing a total of .021” more than it does in the GM M/C, (tighter fit), not so much it causes any issues wit sealing, over squishing, etc. Surprising part is with a little brake fluid on the O-ring it doesn’t feel any tighter when installing it. Installed and removed several times to verify fitment. Best part is the GM clutch line is already the perfect length! Here are the drawings and pics, enjoy… BMW Master Cylinder connection detail; GM LSx Master Cylinder connection detail; Hybrid LSx line-BMW Master Cylinder; 3D render of the Hybrid connection. Retaining clip fits perfectly behind the crimped fitting; Prior to installation; INSTALLED! Retaining clip holds it firmly, wont go in any deeper or come out and it is already the PERFECT length! SAH-WEEET…

I've got the T/B to AFM intake boot in excellent condition and priced nice, have the idle air control valve and I am pretty sure I have a window crank with clip. Intake/exhaust gaskets, those can be purchased through any parts store or automotive machine shop. Intake boot, window crank, Idle air control valve, all for $50 SHIPPED, to anywhere in the lower 48 states. For Sale ad; http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php?/topic/85318-fs-misc-z-car-goodies-stock-custom-and-hi-po-l6-eng-parts-cstm-locks-prtr-fld-pads-etc/page__p__808529 ’77-’78 intake boot with the breather fitting, also fits ’75-‘76 (goes between the AFM and Throttle body), in excellent condition, no cracks/splits/slits, still soft and pliable. $35 SHIPPED! ($25 local pickup) Thread moved to Parts Wanted.

It should be covered in your shop manual, (Haynes manual which every member has or should have). If you are referring to the cold running idle compensator circled in the picture below, the common term for it on '75-'78 cars is; "Air Regulator". Hope that helps, Paul

Hard to tell, pics are fuzzy and nothing next to it to reference size or thickness. Wild guess, a "knock-out" from a metal electrical box used in construction?...

Just be sure the lobes are each receiving adequate oil, (thoroughly clean out the cam internally if internally oiled or the spray bar if external), and most importantly, verify proper rocker geometry. If the lobe is wiping off either end of the rocker, neither the cam or rocker will last very long.

I have thrown away more of those '73-'74 smog carbs than I've given away for free to guys who just wanted all the nuts and bolts... I had know idea they were so desireable...