Tim240z

Sean, More info needed. Where is it leaking? Around the intake runners, water jackets, or the cam valley. You shouldn't use silicon on the inlet gasket, except maybe a SMALL amount around the water passages. Don't bother with a gasket in the front and back of the manifold...just put a bead of silicon there, let it set up for a while then bolt down the manifold. Using this technique, I have never, after dozens of rebuilds/buildups, had a leaking problem on the inlet. Tim

I will be trying it with a 2004R soon. Ross, If you peruse the install instructions, you will see that there are some adjustments for cable angle etc for customizing shift behavior etc, and with the linkage adapter supplied with the kit, it should make carb linkage size a moot point? Tim

Sean, I put headers and 2.5 inch pipes on my 71 chev truck exiting just forward of the rear wheels. The exhaust sound was very raspy and harsh, especially on throttle lift. I installed a cross pipe (1inch) just after the collectors. It made the world of difference. The engine sounds smoother and not nearly as harsh. I've heard that the X pipe is even more effective.....if that's true, I can't recommend it enough. Tim

Had the same problem with my 73's rear left marker lamp, ended up being a bad earth on that light. Tim

I don't think enough is ever attainable!!! 300 or so HP will be plenty, but I guarantee that once you are used to it, it won't be nearly enough.....chasing the HP demon is a multi-Billion dollar industry for a reason Tim

Check out this site for TV cable setup...loks like a very good unit (patent pending I think) TV made easy Tim

If you scroll down the page on that site, there's a very pretty yellow Z (except maybe for the wing). Tim Sorry....Click on the 'featured cars' link on the left of the page, then scroll down. [ October 04, 2001: Message edited by: Tim240Z ]

I've heard a V-8 Ford 351 racing car with 8 into 1 headers that sounded like a rotary on 'roids. This thing screamed and revved to 8500 rpm, but what's a V-8 without the deep ropey sound? There's nothing better than a nice lumpy v8 idling (except maybe a 34-26-34) Tim

Amen Pete, Also, when you put it together yourself, you are more likely to be able to troubleshoot problems down the road and fix it yourself, instead of paying some other 'rocket scientist' $$$$$$ to do it. Remember, once you know how, no one can take that away....knowledge and experience are KING. Tim

I am looking for seats right now so that I can place the roll cage properly. Do any of you guys have a good source for seats? The best that I can find right now from the web are these seats. Any better out there? $399 for a pair seems fairly good Tim

Just jump in at the deep end..... Go to a wrecking yard and grab a short block and rebuild it yourself. It's really not that hard, but moneywise, you won't be that far ahead of the game. By getting a crate motor, you might save a little money, but if anyone has actually kept a good list of what it costs to rebuild a sbc with decent parts, with the machining etc, it really doesn't save much money compared to the basic crate motors (and that doesn't even count all the running around). I will always build my own because I think that 95% of the fun factor is the building up. I'm one of those people who would probably sell my Hybrid once it's done, just to get another and build it. You can't go wrong with a crate engine, you can always add go fast stuff as you get $$$$ together. Sorry for the length of this post. Tim

Thanks for the advise Pete, but with wanting to use a 4 or 5 point harness, the 'racing' type seats would work and look better. With the amount of effort I am putting into this car,(it is completely stripped now, on a rotisserie awaiting stiffer chassis legs, and roll bar etc---this weekend), I don't want to go with the 'cheap' option, but the more money I can save on 'silly' stuff like seats, the more money i can throw at horsepower Tim p.s. This will not be a daily driver. I have a stock 240Z POS for that.

Dan, The two places I know to find T56s are: Billy Graham's HP Salvage I haven't been able to find anything locally, except for a pretty good deal from a contact at GM. $3500 for the works, new from the factory. The used ones usually run around $2000, but that's not cheap in my books, that's why I'm going Auto. Tim

Owen, How much did you pay for your Corbeau's seats? Where from? The seats on e-bay come with the side mount brackets, so unless I use some oem sliders, they will be static placement. The other seats (per link at start of post), have mounting brackets, but the sliders are $125 for the pair. I'm going check out Scat crankshafts, when I was last at their shop, they had some nice in-house brand seats, but I forget the price. Tim

I had a look at the one's on e-bay, and they look great, and at $370 are cheaper, but the $90 shipping makes them a bit more expensive. The other ones are close enough where I can pick them up, and I would assume, check the butt fit. Just spoke to them and would have to pay an additional $125 for the mounting brackets, so the e-bay ones seem to be the best after all, since they come with side mount brackets. Tim

The 4L60E is the electronic version of the 700R4 (aka 4L60). The early ones ('til 93 I believe) were very weak and unreliable. The newer units can be made to handle up to 600hp. The 4L80E is the ultimate, but is pricey and very heavy (225lbs) and is unnecessary unless you're putting out major ponies. The 700R4 will handle just about any mild to moderate sbc. Check out these sites: The Transmission center Bowtie Overdrives I've looked into both and Bowtie has the best deals and service, but are in CA, so the shipping may be an issue. Tim

Dan, What is the possibility of transferring all of the mechanicals from your car to a good shell? I've seen so many good shells here in SoCal, but the mechanicals,glass and interiors are usually gone or screwed up. Tim

Brad, Thanks for the reply...the 4L80E is very beefy, but also very expensive (over $3000), and also very heavy about 225lbs. Overkill really, unless using monster HP. Tim

Silver, I did just that to my truck (71). The Vortec heads flow very well (better than the corvette heads). I used the Edelbrock RPM inlet manifold and a L98 cam grind. Make sure that you order the upgraded valve spring package when you order the heads (I ordered mine from Scoggin Dickey Chevrolet in Texas). The motor is very responsive, even in my big Cheyenne 20. Tim

Is anyone out there using a 2004R trans in their Z? The ratio drop from 1st to 2nd and 3rd to 4th is not as drastic as the 700R4 (4L60). The 200 came out from the factory in the turbo Buicks, so they should be able to handle a bit of power?! Also, I have a 200, which needs to be rebuilt ($795 quote), and I can get a HP 700 for about $1100. What do you guys think?....obviously money is an issue, but don't want to be penny wise and pound ($) foolish Tim [ September 27, 2001: Message edited by: Tim240Z ]

I was so pleased with myself for finding a completely rust free 73 240Z...Yeah Right!!! After spending an afternoon scraping off the sound deadening mat stuff which is stuck to the tunnel and floor boards inside the car, found that I could seen the driveway through the floorboards. Don't assume that the car is rust free until you have a good look. This is, and has always been, a Southern California car....go figure. So that's a whole day to fix the floors and upgrade the chassis legs. Luckily the car is COMPLETELY bare now and I can put it up on a rotisserie Tim

Ray, Yes I did use the R180 mustache bar. I removed the top washers from the mountings to bring the flanges up enough so as to not hit the control arms (thanks Owen), I haven't measured the longitudinal alignment, but eyeballing it, seems ok. Not 'perfectly' in line with the hubs, but pretty darn close. I really dont think it warrants any further effort to line it up any better, CVs are pretty forgiving on alignment and vibrations, especially with the amount of transverse travel that the Q45 units have. With the hardened sideshafts that Speedway will be making up for me, I know that the shafts won't ever be an issue. I'll have to see if CV longevity is an issue as time goes by. Tim

Owen, Unfortunately, no adapters yet. As I said I was going to have Speedway Engineering make up my sideshafts, but my contact there is in the midwest for the racing for two weeks, so I am a bit stymied. The diff is completely mounted though and the fuel cell is mounted, and the roll cage is getting ordered today, hopefully in time for this weekend. Also decided to cut out the floors and chassis rails to put in stronger ones (ala Pete). Should be done this weekend. Spent a whole afternoon scraping out that dang factory sound deadening mat stuff...never guess....found floorboard rust!!! Now I am trying to find a Q45 driveshaft for a decent price. Tim

Dewzenol, I have just completed the install in my 73 240Z and have a bunch of pictures of the job. I also posted some info on the sideshafts in this section under 'more R230 conversion info' or some such, which may be of interest to you. If you are interested I will e-mail the pics to, sorry no way to post to web as yet. Tim [ September 24, 2001: Message edited by: Tim240Z ]

Mike, Difficult to tell condition until it's running in a car, but see how well the car has been maintained(if still possible). Drain a bit of oil and look for metal and burned smell. Pretty easy to take out: Pull driveshaft (from Diff, then slide out of trans) Drop the crossmember. Pull off the gearnob and boot. Pull the bolts from the bellhousing and slide the trans back from the engine. Hope I didn't miss anything major...it's late. Tim