Tim240z

You mean 'GullWing' doors? I have thought about it, but I don't think the top of the doors can be made strong enough to handle the weight. Maybe with fiberglass doors it would be possible. Tim

Craig, The measurements were discussed in length (no pun intended) in this post. I measured the Camaro radiator in my car and posted some pics for the topic starter. This radiator is about as wide as you could go. Tim

No the JTR kit doesn't work with these motors AFAIK. A couple of guys here have done it though and they should be able to give you some pointers Tim

Spot, This is something I have never done before either, but I thought'what the hell, in for a penny, in for a pound' so after looking at Terry's pictures and his commentary on the mod, I felt it was doable. I didn't bother taking any pics since Terry's are so good. Give it a bash...it takes patience (be sure to take your time) and careful grinding and welding and some good fiberglass reinforced body filler. If you want any specifics on how 'I' did it, drop me an email. Tim

If this is for a pure learing experience, do the L28 since you are unfamiliar with them. If this is going to be a high HP conversion project to be played with after the class is over, go V8. LT1 or LS1 would probably be better to learn about since the technology is newer and you'll get more knowledge carry over for other newer engines. just my 2c worth. Tim

Give these guys a call.web page. I was going to go this route, but the 'tech' guy said that the BMW units wouldn't be able to handle the power. I find that hard to believe. They can also change the % lockup for you if you go that route. I just decided that the Q45 stuff was more easily available and I wanted to get going with the conversion, so I cocked the BMW idea. Tim

Check out this post.. It was discussed quite a bit. You can get (and it's what I have) a mig welder that can also weld gasless using flux cored wire. Tim

I just jumped in with both feet and cut off the whole damn thing. I cut it about 1/2 way between the edge of the drip rail and the body (ie not flush with the body) and then with a 50 grit sanding disk, ground it down to almost flush. Then tacked it. Tim

Miles, Have you sorted the problem? Tim

I did the cutting and rewelding of the drip rails on my 240 V8 project over the Xmas break. MAN, I had to hold my breath as the cutting disk wound up to speed and I started cutting.....no going back now I kept telling myself. Well, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but the damn lead they used at the factory was a major PITA when rewelding the roofline. It took A LONG time to reweld...tack welds all the way along the roof line and windshield pillar, then grinding down, rewelding the gaps, grinding down, rewelding blah blah blah..... Well, it's all bondoed with fiberglass reinforced filler ready for sanding and shaping, which I think will be the hard part!! But, even in it's rough state of finish, it looks SOOOOOOO much better without the drip rails!!!! AND....the little woman bought me a pair of 5 point Simpson harnesses for Xmas...Whoo Hoo!! ...NOT DOT approved though , wonder if this will be a problem!? Also disassembled the 'luggage straps' which I will be using to hold down the fuel cell. Buffed all the rust off the mounting tabs and buckles and 'PlastiDipp'ed' them. Then I redyed the webbing black. BOY OH BOY, the look brand new...off getting resewn now. Tim

Matt, When I did mine I had already done the floors and subframe connectors, so I don't know if this will help, but here goes: I placed one jackstand under the front Xmember, one under each chassis legs, about under the seats area, and jack under the diff area. Tim

Damn Terry, that's Nice!!! Tim

Gary, GM sells a crate engine with Vortecs that makes 330 HP.That's with a cam lift of .435"/ .460" lift. I am assuming that is the STD valve spring heads. So with 9:1 compression that motor claims 330 HP @ 5000RPM and 380 ft/lbs torque at 3800 RPM. I think that with the STD Vortec valvetrain, 350 HP is probably not out of the question, but if you haven't bought the heads yet, get the upgraded ones. They are good to .525' lift. Hope this helps, Tim

Sounds like the needle is sticking open letting fuel run unchecked into the inlet. With the engine running, or just the electric fuel pump running if hooked to a seperate switch, look down the carb and see if fuel is pouring in. Had that problem before with my Holley, with similar symptoms as you have. If your pump is run thru a switch, try switching it off while trying to start, or just disconnect it. If it fires nicely without fuel pressure, then you've got it licked. Tim

I bought the factory upgraded valve train with my Vortecs. It adds about $200 to the total price on the pair, but is well worth it. I believe(??) it allows up to .600 lift cam. For a cam recommendation from GrumpyVette (THE guru) check out the post "Desktop Dyno Revisited" from about a month or so ago. Tim

Yeah, the ZIEX 502s have a great water dispersing tread pattern. If you're still not convinced, we (at the tyre shop) fitted Falkens to M3s, M5s,Vettes and Porsches(with a lot of quick talking to convince the fussy owners). All, and I mean ALL, of them made a special trip back in to tell us how much they liked them over the OEM tyres! Tim

Keith, Back in the 'Old Country' I worked at a Tyre shop for many years, so I had the opportunity to try many brands back to back on my car, both name brands and off brands. I now use Falkens EXCLUSIVELY, both on my 240 daily driver, my wife's Volvo 850, and will be using them on the Hybrid V8 when it gets on the road. They are very well priced, the factory uses the most technologically advanced manuf. processes, the natural rubber content is very high (as compared to the synthetic rubber used in most other brands). What does this mean to you?: 1. Excellent traction, both wet and dry. 2. Very low road noise. 3. Fairly soft compound, BUT still long wearing tread. 4. Very attractive price. I've read an article in an Aussie mag which did a track/road test with about 40 different brands. Falkens came in first, the first well known brand was Michelin at 4th. Tim

Jeromio...you have mail Tim

Looks fantastic Question though: What have you done for the lower fender area, behind the wheel wells? Tim

Brake article Tim

John, As for breathing protection, if the primer contains cyanide compounds, then the activated charcoal is not sufficient. However, since you will be venting the area well, probably not worth the expense of breathing apparatus. I would recommend that you reconsider the gravity feed spray gun. In my experience, they work better and most pros are going that route too. Tim

2000 is going to be a tight order. Remember you are going to have smog issues sice your car is a 74. I would suggest buying a wrecked camaro or similar with a manual tranny and transfer everything over. I would say that once the motor and tranny are paid for, look at spending about another grand on stuff like exhaust, drive shaft and ather misc. stuff. Hope that this doesn't burst your bubble. Tim

Dwayne, If you can see rust then I would bet that there is plenty more that you can't see. I thought my 73 Zed had zero rust until I scaped away the sound deadening from the floor boards and ended up having to cut them out and weld in new material. Not a major job if you can weld. Many blokes on this board have done it. I replaced the frame rails at the same time and connected the subframes. click on my homepage icon above if you want to see pics. Pete also has some pics on his site which are far better and what I used to fashion mine after. If your mate is a panelbeater, he should be able to do it with little effort, or at least give you pointers. Cheers, Tim

I vote Grumpy for 'King of Cool Links'!!! Tim

Also try Harbor freight. They carry DeVilbis brand which is one of the best. Get the best one your wallet can afford. The ones the pros use cost almost $1000 each. The ones at harbor freight go for about 150 or so, depending on the sales at the time. Timharbor freight