Mike C

The Comp 268 is the biggest you will want to go with the compression you have. The Comp 260 is probably a better choice, but for my money, I would run the Crane Energizer 266 instead of the Comp 260 or the Crane 272 instead of the Comp 268. For max effort motors, I really like Comp products, but for a daily driver, mild cam, you can't beat the Energizer series where you can buy cam and lifters for $100, just the price of the Comp cam alone.

The third terminal was used for points ignitions. It should have full battery voltage only when the ignition switch is in the crank position. The post was connected to the positive terminal on the coil. This provided extra voltage during cranking so the voltage lost through the ballast would not be too high, and allowed the engine to start easier. For the most part, it is not neccessarry, especially if you are running electronic ignition. I ran points distributors for years without the extra wire, but that's what it was there for. Running 12v to the points all of the time will cook them in very few miles.

I'm not sure that they can be replaced except by an extremely good driveline shop. In looking at the non-replaceable u-joint driveshafts I have, the u-joints are staked into the yoke and there is no groove for a circlip. If the stakes are ground and the yoke machined for circlips, they can be rebuilt. Machine work will eat you up however. Probably best to have a custom driveshaft made unless a new one from Nissan is cheaper. For a 280 you can get a 240 driveshaft where they ARE replaceable, don't know about your 200.

I have heard no negatives about internally balancing the external crank, but it does make sense. It is also expensive. If you operated at high engine speeds (6500+) for extended periods of time (road racing, Bonneville, Nascar) I'd so go internal, but I think your choice to stay externally balanced doesn't do any harm as that is the way the crank was designed. The real fix is to buy an internally balanced crank to begin with, but then it is no longer a "cheap" way to get more cubes, but an expensive rotating assembly that will require and expensive set of rods and expensive block, etc. I think Fluidamper has a 6.25 external dampener for $300?

Buy the book "How to hotrod and race your Datsun" or "How to build and modify your NIssan/Datsun OHC" They both talk about "bending" a head and then surfacing it to restore its use. If you are building a driver, I wouldn't worry about it and would get another E88 head or even better, and N42 with the larger valves.

How could the springs that GM specifies for the HOT cam not be right for the cam? GM uses the same Crane rockers on the LT4 with 100k mile powertrain warranty. I agree, however, if you are NOT going to do the HOT kit, don't do the HOT cam either. There are better grinds but plan on spending $250 for an aftermarket cam. The kit is an excellent deal for a street car, but like Mudge said, if you can afford anything else, your engine builder can suggest a cam best suited to your application. Usually when looking for info on a message board (and it most peoples situation) money IS an issue and best bang for the buck is important which takes me back to the kit... I only know of 6 or so people who have done the kit, and none of them have complaints, but I do not do the F body boards as Mudge must.

I'd send them back. Buy the kit then deliver the springs to your head guy and have him NOT charge you for springs and use yours. IMO, if you are going with guide plates, you should mill the bosses down further in order to restore the overall stud height. This adds more cost and complexity and might require the head tapped to a further depth. Send the non-selfaligners back, buy the kit and talk to your head guy.

I second Jeronimo, but the shifter on a ZX is nearly straight up and down and the early car is bent. The distance between the pivot and the plastic bushing in the trans was different on the 4 and 5 speeds so I had to cut and weld the two shifters together for one that fit and looked right/worked well. I originally bent the ZX shifter in the shape of the 4 speed shifter, but IMO it was WAY too short. My 72 240 already had the 73 and up style slave and fork. This is an easy swap that you will really like.

IMO, if you are going to run the HOT cam, just get the kit for $500 that comes with springs, pushrods, roller rockers and the cam. There is no reason to run the guide plates instead of the self-aligning rockers. Also, rocker stud flex is really a non-issue on a hydraulic cammed motor.

There are quite a few wheels available but no real "new" styles. American Racing, Panasport, Enkei, and others were made for years but finding ones larger than 15" is hard. Centerline and Weld both make wheels to fit the 4 on 4 1/2" pattern (Same as the 60's 6 cylinder Mustangs) I have 16x7 Centerlines on my car with 205 55 16 tires which IMO is a perfect size for a Z. I think the 16's are a must do that make significant improvemnets in looks, handling, and ride of a first gen Z.

Man I wish I lived closer. Could really use the work and save you a few bucks! I hear you on the lift, me and two other guys stood mine up. It has the most massive 230v cast iron motor, mounted on the very top of one of the posts, that I have just about ever seen! We had visions in our heads not of sugar plum fairy's but stitches and traction! What a smokin' deal on a lift. I got mine out of a shop upgrading for $500, but it is "only" 7000# There is a guy in Round Rock, just outside Austin, with one for $1000, a 6000#, if somebody around here is interested. I'm with Terry, keep us in the loop as "Mikelly's World Turns"!

Are you set on brand new? (Zero percent financing from so many manufacturers for up to 60 months is hard to say no to.) I'd take into consideration whether they are equipped with timing belts or chains since that is a 35k mile cost you can afford if you go chain. Faced with a similar dilemma, we were looking at a V6 Camry with sport package and 5 speed. Was a special order, so no break on price or financing. What we did instead was buy a lease return Bimmer. 1995 325is, 5 speed, tan leather, 32k miles. Figured after 5 years we were either going to have a used Japanese car or still have a BMW. We have put 50k miles on the car now in 4 1/2 years. Expenses are: New set of Michelins at 60k, thre brake light switches (seem to be faillure prone, still work but trigger an error on the dash and after the 3rd, they tripled the price from $8 to $24, but the new one seems to have lasted longer...) and a right rear wheel bearing. Still get complements on the car, it's moderately quick, smooth as butter on the road, and styling is superior to all of the other cookie cutters on the road IMO. Monster 4 wheel discs, the silky smooth inliner, timing chain cam drive, and RWD all added up to a winner both at the time, and long term from what I can tell. Besides, if the wife wears it out, will make a really cool drag car back-halfed with 500+ hp! Your cars a '96, huh, never owned anything that new... I'd go Honda over Mazda all the way, however, for reliability and resale.

Congrats, seems like I've been following your travails for weeks now!

If no one else can help you out, they also make marine steering cables and a local marine dealer (or even marine web site) might have contact info for them.

To the best of my knowledge they bolt right up. I THINK you can run any one piece rear seal flywheel. (At least I hope you can...) I have an aluminum head LT1 for my convertible I'll run with a TH700, but I am contemplating the T5 I have behind my iron head LT1 for the Z. You can save big bucks because you can use a conventional clutch as well.

Under pass seat seems like a good option, but mine wouldn't fit. Kicker 40x4 behind drivers seat.

Do you have the stock shifter on your T5? It is a first class POS. Buy an aftermarket shifter, the Nissan T5 will use the same shifter that a Ford T5 uses. Makes a completely different animal out of it. I think the gear ratios in the NA suck for a driver with 3.54 in the back. 3.90 would be better, but 4.10 even better still for acceleration. The T5 has a 3.5 first gear, same as the early 4 speed (70-76) rather than the 3.3 that the 77-78 had (same as "early" 5 speed) The overdrive of the T5 is more than the early 5 speed, but just slightly less than the late 5 speed. You will have to modify your crossmember and drive shaft to use the T5. The NA trans will use the existing driveshaft and crossmemer. IME, there are two different shifters used in the 5 speeds. The early trans I had used the same shifter as the 4 speed. The 81 trans in my car had a shifter with a shorter (maybe it was longer...) distance between ball in trans and pivot. Either way, it would not engage 5th gear. You cannot use the ZX shifter because it is straight up and horribly located. I first bent a ZX shifter to match the shape of the first gen shifter, but IMO, it was WAY too short. I then cut the handle off the ZX shifter and the 4 speed shifter I had and welded the two together to get the correct pivot length and handle shape. FWIW, I bought a T5 for my car and am looking forward to getting it swapped in. I bought a Hurst Comp Plus shifter for an 83-86 Mustang. I may have to buy a different handle, but even on the shop floor it is amazing how much better it shifts!

Check out some of these links before ruling out the Caddy. I do a 67-72 truck board www.67-72chevytrucks.com and several guys there have done the caddy swap it is only about 75 lbs heavier than a small block but makes tons of torque so you can keep those 3.08 gears AND run an OD if you want. http://members.tripod.com/~CadillacMan/79cadpage.html http://www.500cid.com/ http://cadillac.neobiz.com/ http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Pit/9364/guide/Engineid.html A hopped up Caddy is much more interesting than just "another" small block chevy IMO. Keith Black makes pistons, Edelbrock makes a Performer, Crane grinds a cam. 500ci, just sounds cool, too!

The 350 would be OK with the RV type setup, but If it was my car, I would get a 472 or 500 cad from a later model Cadillac. There are a couple of companies that make hot rod parts for those motors, and you can keep your Caddy all Caddy!

If forced induction is in the works, you need to concentrate more on the exhaust side of the head since positive pressure will push air/fuel into the intake. Compression is definitely an issue with the forced induction, but not in terms of minimum compression, but maximum. I highly recommend a book on supercharging if you plan to go that route. There is way more info even in my head than can be conveyed in a few parragraphs. The book, regardless of author, will clear up just about any q.s Give Motorbooks.com a look.

Also, there are two different rear rotors I believe. You want the larger 11 3/8 one. Do Ross a favor and buy the rotors from him!

They are trying to keep you from running on the street most likely. I would not worry about minimum compression, but I would worry about engine displacement and camshaft size relative to the heads. For a 355 ci engine on the street with a cam of less than 240 deg duration at .050, the 215cc intake runners are borderline too big. With a 380+ ci motor and cam timing above 240 deg at .050. If you are building a 3 season streeter, cosider a different head. The AFR 195 is a nice head for the street that darn near equals the flow of the Track 1 and are within $100.

My '86 Trans Am tuned port setup has the older 12si alternator. Usually cars like the 'vette or cadillac received the newer components first. 88 and newer F bodies should have the cs130 alternator. I think it was this months Popular Hot Rodding that showed how to wire up a cs alternator using a resistor in the L terminal circuit to excite it.

I average about 20 mpg with mine. That's in town for the most part and hammering it at every light! My motor is weak, however, and even with the 5 speed it doesn't get as good mpg as my last 240 with the 4 speed and a strong motor that averaged about 22 around town.

IMO, the goal is at least 10cfm at 90 psi. Any reason you can't got 230v? The Husky (home depot) 6 hp vertical tank at about $400 will meet this goal. My Porter Cable twin tank portable does 5.1 cfm at 90 psi and that is almost equal to a lot of the Crafstman "big" compressors. I would like to upgrade my Campbell Hausfield to a 5 hp two stage IR. 15cfm at 175 psi. Compressors are like cars, can never have too much power! As long as you don't plan on running an air sander, the Craftsman will work. Anything beats nothing, however!