JoeinCA

Racism will exist until everyone looks the same. Almost everyone is racist, not because they make a concious decision to be that way, but it is in the way they are raised. People fear what they don't understand, and people hate what they fear. Most people grow up around others of their own race by choice, people feel more comfortable around people that look like them, there is no rhyme or reason to it. The real problem that comes into play is the broad stereotypes made about people of certain races. These stereotypes are ever strengthened by the government's policy of coddling a group of people that do not need it. I think that it is all a bunch of BS. I'm in no way a racist person, i only hate people whom are completely ignorant, and it is not my fault if those ignorant people happen to be white, black, or anything between. I think that it would be a good idea to have children associate with people of other races in an environment that they are comfortable with. If a child knows that there is no inherent danger posed by a person whom is different, there should be no fear, and if there is no fear there should be no hate, or prejudice to hate. If you guys want to see ignorance in motion... flip through your daytime TV shows.. that is where the stupid people live. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Joe "Profound thought is the key to any mystery worth solving." -personality #27 (I'm not as crazy as i am)

the engine is sitting in the bay, with the transmission on a stack of 2X6 boards.... I have the driveshaft in place, and it certainly has too much angle. I cant figure out how to move the tail end of the transmission any further towards the passenger side... I may have to remove the engine/transmission again in order to modfiy the crossmember a little more.. I think that the JTR method of slotting the crossmember is very unscientific. I am surprised that i did it that way, instead of getting concrete measurements. This would be much easier if i knew exactly where the M/M bolts were supposed to be on the crossmember towers. I havent bolted up my tranny crossmember yet because i am waiting on a caprice tailhousing, and because i am not comfortable with the idea of just winging it on the drivetrain alignment. i plan on taking this vehicle on very long trips, and i am not about to leave something this important in the hands of fate. Once i do get the alignment just right, i plan on filling in the slots on my crossmember with some small pieces of 1/4" steel. I'm just getting tired of sitting underneath my car in my driveway in the 100 + degree heat with a tape measure and a pry bar... yeah.. no ranting so i'll stop there... Joe

dont tell me you all just eyeballed the positioning...

I picked up a set of the regular patriot block hugger headers. the fit is perfect. with 1/4" or more of clearance between the steering rod.(I think, i havent quite finalized my engine/transmission placement.) The ceramic coated headers sure looked good. too bad i had to cheap out... eh oh well, i'll pick up a set of the ceramic coated headers a bit later, and put these on my 57. Anyhow... I need to go get some parts to finish up on my Q-jet install on my other other chevy... (so much chevy, so little cash ) Joe

heh... You can't help it if your mind takes off on a different tangent than a woman's... It is always a challenge to try to figure out what exactly someone is talking about if you start thinking about your car... One thing that doesnt work is saying that you just weren't paying any attention... getting into trouble for telling the truth isnt always better than lying your a** off. damned if you do and damned if you don't. halfway through writing this post i started thinking about my fuel system... maybe i have A.D.D. Joe

Hi guys, i was wondering if someone with a JTR converted v8Z could throw a couple of measurements my way... I would like to know how far it is from the driver side cylinder head base directly to the engine bay wall. same for the passenger side. I figure that these two measurements will help me make sure that i have stuff lined up... or if you know of a better method... i would really appreciate any insight. Pete? i know you put a whole lot of time into lining up you drivertrain... I have read through alot of the posts regarding this, but havent found any real concrete numbers, aside from the distributor to firewall clearance... I am getting pretty close to getting this thing going, just need to finish the fuel system, and general wiring, some tranny work, and about 35 other little things. thanks for your help, Joe

is that photoshopped? it looks... wrong. Joe

man... i hate falling in dreams... One time i awoke with a jump... and kicked my cat about to the ceiling... Cats don't like waking up while falling either. it took 2 weeks for the claw marks to heal.... my cat doesnt sleep on me anymore. Great stories man, Joe

http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=2863&prmenbr=361 I was looking through jegs for block huggers that will fit my 280Z... Has anyone used the flat tube or the block huggers from hedman? I think that the flat tube headers would fit nicely, (even though they only have a picture of the BB version...) thanks, Joe

Do you happen to have a picture of how your exaust is routed? I have been hesitant to install the transmission crossmember... thanks, joe

LEN: "if you can get into a game at 3com that would be cool, but the only cheap seats are in the nosebleeds, and thats where all the people who snuck in all the weed and hard liquor hangout." Heh, always thinking about the finer things in life, neh? I grew up here in the SF bay area... this is where the money is at... it's too bad you need to be making A LOT of money to even afford to live here. And there are way too many people... Northern cali is much nicer IMO. I bet i will like california much more once i move to Wyoming. Have fun man, Joe

or even an old caprice wagon... that way you wont have any hesitation when you go to take the running gear out... just a thought, Joe

the spacers and setback plates are correct... the drivers side plate has 6 holes, and the passenger side has 5. The dipstick rubs inside of the tunnel, but is 1" from the firewall. I think it is very close. I may bolt up the crossmember, and remove the spacers between the crossmember and frame rail.. also i may remove the uppser washers on my rear diff mustache bar. anyone have a really good picture of a 700r4 mounted with the JTR crossmember? aw man... i just remembered that the manual says i have to switch tailhousings... F*$% that I'm gonna have to fab a mount. Joe.

oh yeah... the drivers sde mount hangs over the front of the crossmember tower by about 1/2". The passenger side mount hangs over the front by about 1/4". I just can't get the darn thing to move around!.... joe.

Hey guys, I put my engine and transmission in place yesterday..JTR Mounts. but i can tell by looking at the engine that it is not going to line up with the differential. My 700r4 dipstick is againt the tranny tunnel on the passenger side. My HEI distributor is about 1/2" from the firewall... and it looks like i need to get the tail shaft of the transmission to move a full inch towards the passenger side... I can't figure out a good way to get it all lined up.... i was think that i could modify the notches on the front crossmember, or add shims to raise the passenger side mount a little bit. I am a bit lost at this point, I can't quite wrap my head around the situation, and i was hoping somebody could shed some light on what is going on... Oh yeah, i just looked again and made sure that i have the correct spacers on the correct side. (EDIT) I noticed that the JTR transmission crossmember will not fit. I was wondering if the MSA mount will fit the 700r4's case mount. (the one futher forward, 85 camaro style). I searched around and from the picture i see it looks like it will fit fine, can someone please help to confirm that before i go out and spend even more money...? thanks for any help you may be able to provide, Joe

I havent used the car yet . I only want to have a good daily driver now. I picked up a used 700r4.. so i dont need to worry about the stall speed at the moment... Though i think it is going to need a rebuild within the year. (more tailshaft play than i like to see, and slightly browned tranny fluid.) I plan on setting up a torque converter lockup kit that will lock the converter when i want, and automatically when i hit 4th gear. it will disengage when my brake lights turn on.... Good news is that i have the motor sitting in the engine bay now with the transmission supported with a jack and wood... The engine isnt lined up perfectly though... anyhow thanks for your advice, i will keep that in mind when i need to replace the TC. thanks, Joe

there is a difference between the early style (pre 1986) 153 tooth flywheels and the later 153 toothers. at least i have seen that when 153 tooth flywheels are described there is usually a distinction made between early model and late model. but that's all i can tell you.. Joe.

53 tooth? I think he meant 153 tooth.... y2k what do you mean by too much horsepower for the 700r4? how much power are you making? Just wondering because i plan on using the 700r4. but the car is going to be a daily driver... though i believe i already have a bit over 400 HP... thanks, Joe

eh.... It is funny how they say things like: "The current two-cycle power plant has the same displacement volume as a 200-horsepower engine" they never seem to give any real numbers. they also said that it would produce torque equivalent to a v8... what v8? like... the vegetable drink? if it works... neato... but to me it looks like a 12" diameter shrapnel bomb. Joe

Horsepower is an equation that is derived from an obscure relation to how far a horse can lift/pull 33,000 lbs. quote from howstuffworks.com: "What horsepower means is this: In Watt's judgement, one horse can do 33,000 foot-pounds of work every minute. So, imagine a horse raising coal out of a coal mine as shown above. A horse exerting 1 horsepower can raise 330 pounds of coal 100 feet in a minute, or 33 pounds of coal 1,000 feet in one minute, or 1,000 pounds 33 feet in one minute. You can make up whatever combination of feet and pounds you like. As long as the product is 33,000 foot-pounds in one minute, you have a horsepower. " End quote. Therefore, a smaller engine can create more HP per unit of displacement simply due to the fact that they can reach higher RPMs. They can do this because they generally have less rotating mass in the engine, and therefore less overall friction, parts can be lighter, and can be moved more easily... Torque is where you get an actual direct equation for determining "power output" here is a definition of the word torque from merriam webster online: "Main Entry: 2torque Function: noun Etymology: Latin torquEre to twist Date: circa 1884 1 : a force that produces or tends to produce rotation or torsion <an automobile engine delivers torque to the drive shaft>; also : a measure of the effectiveness of such a force that consists of the product of the force and the perpendicular distance from the line of action of the force to the axis of rotation 2 : a turning or twisting force" i hope that clears up some of your confusion. Joe

Pontiac and buick both got the m-90 supercharger with the 3.8 v6. it is a super quiet, kick-butt setup. My pop's 98 riviera with 240 hp, and 280ft/lbs can spank the crap out of a large percentage of the vehicles on the road. it only weighs 3700 lbs.... i like to cruise around in it and find riced out cars... I let them take off first and get a car length or two.. then i just roll into the throttle nice and easy... by the time i hit the top of 3rd they are usually history...(5+ car lengths and fading..) the thing is a boat though.. handling is... uninspired. eh.. buck is cool... Joe

"maybe he's slow" ???? I think that is an understatement

Hello again I picked up a 700r4 from an today. Now i am trying to figure out what i need to do before i can bolt it to my engine and do a test fit. I read about the function of the TC lock up kit on bowtieoverdrives.com. And they told me how to install it. But what is not clear to me, since i am not extremely familiar with automatic transmissions, is whether or not my 700r4, in it's stock form, is designed to lock the torque converter. (that was a loooong sentence) My 700r4 is from an 85 camaro(V8). There is a 4 prong electrical "socket" on the drivers side of the transmission. This i assume is the reverse light circuit, and the lockup control? I apologize for asking stupid questions, but a stupid question is better than a stupid mistake. I believe that all i need is a kit like this : http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=3506&prmenbr=361 That kit seems to be pretty nice, though i would like a provision for a switch to lock up the TC whenever i want. (why i would want to do this is beyond me, so i cannot explain myself.) thanks for all the help... I would be pretty lost without hybridz! (and this project probably never would have been considered) Joe.

Hey, good news, i managed to pick up a 700r4 from an 85 camaro (i know, they arent the strongest ones.) for $150 with the TC and flywheel! So, now all i have to do is service it and slap it on my 327... then test fit, driveshaft, wiring, exaust, heater, rad. support, fuel reg, put the front suspension back together... eh. ok so i still got alot to do, but now i think i have ALMOST all the parts... except the starter... Hey Rebel... i may have to try to take you up on that offer , I can do wiring but it always looks (and is) kinda haphazard . Do you know where to find those nice weatherproof connectors? (GM style, late model camaro) I've been wanting to use good connectors, but i can't find them anywhere locally. If i could find good connectors i would go through and change every single connector in my car, and color code each and every one of them! All i can say is Z cars are cool. very cool, very very very very very cool, and when mine's done it will be the coolest... (because it is MINE!)... staying motivated, Joe

I Can see why your car has taken such a long time... That rear suspension/diff setup is slick! that woudl make it alot easier to swap the diff out! (ive done it 3 times now! the crossmember is always in the way.) I wish i had time/money to do all of that stuff right now... Tomorrow i think i will start working on patching up holes and prepping my engine bay. i hate doing bodywork outside... anyhow.. maybe i should get some sleep soon... Joe.