JoeinCA

That looks like alot of fun... We should set-up a hybridz karting session or something... everyone throw in and we rent the track... just a thought. Joe

Hi, i was wondering if anyone knew what the smog laws in wyoming say about engine swaps and smog requirements. I am moving there in september, (the same month my CA registration expires) so i think it may be cheaper for me to register my 77 280Z in wyoming. And if they have less strict emissions laws, i may be able to do my chevy conversion over the summer. So if anyone can give helpful information, i would really appreciate it. The wyoming DMV website doesnt seem to address emissions at all. thanks, Joe

I burned my last haynes manual.... Watching those useless pages curl in the flames was a nearly religious experience. stick to the full service manual... or wing it and hope to god you have a good memory. heh... "may require gentle tapping" Translation: try tapping said part gently, then proceed to beat the hell out of it until said part is barely recognizable, then try a sledgehammer... once the handle on sledgehammer is broken, switch to a sawzall and torch. 6 hours after gentle tapping has commenced, consider buying a new car. (that's what i went through trying to remove a spindle pin...)

fast and furriest? ricers make me laugh. Because they hate to be laughed at. Joe

Cops can be cool... sometimes. I got out of a pretty hefty ticket a about a year ago in my 280Z. I was driving in a 45 mph zone, no speedometer hooked up, and i got angry at the guy in front of me... so i pulled into the other lane and floored it in 3rd gear, hit fourth, got up to around 3.5K... about 75 mph... and i see a cop at an intersecting street... DOH. he lights me up and i pull into my neighborhood. Luckily i knew the cop (he arrested me for discharging firearms within city limits another year or two previous, and we got along well on the ride to the station... lol) I told him that my speedo wasnt hooked up and i didnt know how fast i was going... on the outside i was calm, but i was sweating bullets... i had a pretty good amount of mary jane on me, and i really didnt need to get arrested for that. Plus i was under 18 at the time... which means i would have lost my license. He let me off with a warning... I have been quite a bit more careful on the road since then.

looks like I'm moving out of CA before 2005! NAZIS! Do you realize what this will do to the performance industry in california? it will be devastated. Imbeciles pushing pens, why dont we have REAL people in the government? gotta love puppets on strings and radical idiots.

Livewire: 0-60 in under 6 seconds in a solar car? I think that may be possible.... if it is falling off a cliff.... OR being pushed by a Z.. If they did do away with the 89 and 91 octane gas... you could be sure that gas prices would not drop a single cent. I think that a hybrid electric setup that ran a small internal cumbustion engine (on alcohol, forced induction for maximum fuel efficiency) as the generator could make for a great vehicle. Then run the smallest 400+ HP electric motor you could find in it... That would be a fun little car...

I dont think they should be banned... I just wish they were sold with mandatory driving courses that focus on courtesy. my family owns a Big Ole honda oddessy... it is a great van... I know they are still pretty hard to see around on the road. but at least the headlights don't blind people.... Nothing should be banned... the government already has enough control over our lives. not everyone is cookie cutter perfect! Joe.

the only reason i said that SIT comment.... is because of the fact that 90% of the times that i have had close calls while driving around... i was avoiding an imbecile yakking on thier phone in their massive suv. I stopped riding my motorcycle because it has become too dangerous to ride in my town. (a suburb of SF...sorta) Not to mention the fact that a good friend of mine was nearly killed by a teenager speeding around in a durango... coming around a bend at 60+ in a 45 zone and smashing into my friends toyota. It isnt fair to label all SUV drivers as idiots... i know, but i know that when i see one of those behemoths, i am on my guard. This thread was meant for a light joke i am sure. take it as such! Joe.

Maybe running a tuned antenna wire underneath the metal trim that is inserted into the windshield gasket. i'll have to look into that, Joe.

how about SIT? Suburban Idiot Transport? just a suggestion... Joe.

yes... i am bored, though i have much to do. Someone should go to the chat room... Anyway, last night i was driving home from my ma's house. and this little integra starts toying with me... so we get onto this nice long stretch of road and i instantly take 8-10 car lengths on him in my little stock 77 280Z... So i think i got him and shift to 4th early and just start to cruise... when i see him start to inch up to me, so i floor it, and i should have downshifted... but i didnt, and he ended up getting past me. So i go to the turn lane next to him at the next light and rool down my window to talk, i just tell him "good run man, i didnt expect you to catch up to me, and he just say... "uh yeah" and he drives on... That loss hurt my ego... Beating up on a little mustang today helped restore my confidence though... no shifting idiocies occured this time... he didnt have a chance. uhh....yeah...anyways, Joe.

Thanks John, Now i have to spens some time on that site... Does anyone know if it would be possible to utilize the EFI and harness from a GM SC3800 with the straight six... there are probably way to many different variables to get around... but it was just a mild idea.. thanks, Joe

James, that is hilarious... When my buddy managed to break BOTH of the bolts holding down my steering rack i went to this place called Fastenal... i think it may be a local gig though... FYI i call that place the costco of nuts, i asked for 2 bolts.... "uh, we only sell them in increments above 25" Some good auto places have a large stock of different nuts and bolts, but your best bet is the hardware store... OR machine them yourself from Aerospace titanuim alloy Joe.

You have some rust... Deal with it... no reason to ditch a perfectly good car for a couple rust spots . Repair them yourself, or have a shop do it. Joe.

Tim240Z, I agree with you, i will probably have to do all of the upgrades i mentioned anyhow. I was figuring that i might be able to get away without doing those mods, installing the SC, and having some basis to work on when the time comes to do the V8 swap and rework the body/suspension. Though i doubt that the little M90 could feed a V8. I plan on fabbing my mounts for the V8 conversion when i get to wyotech, and doing all of the suspension, brake, and body reinforcement work in my hot rod and chassis fab courses. I need to learn patience, and just hold off on modification until i get the V8, i think... Thanks, Joe

Hello, I have seen a few threads concerning replacing various parts of the Z body, but i cannot recall any posts concerning replacement of the rocker panel(i think that's what it is called, the rearward section of the unibody, right below the door)? I have a nasty rust hole there, and a donor unibody, sounds like a match made in heaven... My welding skills are non-existant(i know the basics, but have never put metal to metal) but i have friend that is proficient at welding that will be guiding me/doing the bulk of the work. I was wondering if anyone had experience with this, and some suggested methods to use to make sure that i get it done right the first time. thanks for your time, Joe.

Did you sign any agreements that contained time of completion? or hours of work neccessary for completion? If anything else you most likely would be able to sue for any work you missed in order to deal with the car and shop, breach of contract(if you agreed to a completion date), or losses and aggravation due to the fact that you could not use your car. Some of that may hold water, some of it may not. But i certainly think that you should at the very least report the shop to the BBB, and any associations that they have certifications from. Getting burned is no fun, but you have to act as soon as possible, while the car is still in the shop would be best imo. Anyhow, those are the things that i personally would look into doing. In the end you have to decide how far you want to take it. I would also look to see if your state has a lemon law. i think if the same major component fails 3 times over the life of the vehicle (within a year range?) you are entitled to compensation from the manufacturer. I believe there is a law liek this in california, but i am not sure about texas. Joe.

that is a nice little Corolla. 11.7:1 power to weight ratio. must be a fun little car to drive. I like it. Joe.

Well, Turbo would be less expensive, but i just prefer superchargers over turbos. I also am developing great respect for my father's 99 Riviera, it is quiet, smooth, and pretty fast for a production car, i know putting the same SC setup on my Z won't make it much more like the Riv, but i can dream right? A V8 may also be less expensive, but... i would need to buy a transmission, radiator, ignition, 77 or later motor, smog equipped headers, fab the mounts, upgrade the brakes, reinforce the unibody, and modify the fuel system, oh and the rear diff/half shafts. Unless the fuel system setup is over $500-600, then it would be cheaper to pick up the m-90 and fuel system and start fabbing the mounts and piping. I still am not sure what i am going to do with this Z... there are too many options! thanks for your input, Joe.

Ive been looking at some ways to get some comfortable, and relatively inexpensive power out of my 77 280Z... I have been considering the eaton M90 SC that is used on the gm 3800 engines. I have compiled a mental list of parts and i was hoping someone could let me know if i am missing anything. M-90 custom air inlet/outlet custom mount/move alternator to compressor spot custom pulley to adapt SC to belt drive, and overdrive it bigger injectors Stand alone or adapted fuel system Headers intercooler and piping Is that it? if anyone has some experience with this sort of thing, (more on the fuel system setup than anything) your guidance would be much appreciated... I'm thinking of mods that i can do once i get to wyotech... or before .. thanks for your time, Joe

Though i think in some respects, it may be "funny" to dress up a sports car in econobox "all show no go" trim, and go spank some rice butt.... I think it is better to leave that money you have burning a hole in your pocket directed at performance and comfort mods... besides, why do you want that extra attention? Cops love to follow riceballs down the street. just my opinion, Joe

heh.... I've pulled some redneck stunts i suppose... like i rebuilt my 280Z from the unibody up in my driveway... in suburbia... It was great, i discovered i had a couple of cool neighbors, and i pissed off the ones that i hate. so all is well in the end... heh, i also cut up my old wrecked unibody on a sunday morning with a sawz-all... http://joezcar.freewebspace.com/IM001775.JPG ok, so i'm a redneck... but... Ize dun gots my edumacation, and Ize reel sivillized, Darn tootin! Joe.

The "While I'm at it" syndrome. It is a very dangerous sickness. If you have developed this syndrome, don't worry it is normal. But there are few measures to which you must stringently adhere: 1. Never convey a new "while I'm at it" to your SO.* 2. Research the idea until you are sick of it, if symptoms continue, see measure 3. 3. try to justify your idea until you can no longer think of it as wrong. 4. (VERY IMPORTANT) Find the least expensive way to achieve your goal, if possible.** 5. Accomplish "while I'm at it" idea in shortest period possible.*** *: If singnificat other has also developed the "while I'm at it" syndrome, the negative effects of your syndrome can be lessened by not resisting SO's syndrome. (hint, use it against them!) **: This method can lessen conflict with SO. ***: If you fail to accomplish this, you may experience many adverse emotions related to "while I'm at it" project, and project stagnance may incur. See The "I'll do it later" syndrome, P. 37 Joe's Guide to Insanity, Methods to Cope With. Yeah....I'm very bored today, I've developed the "I'll do it Later" syndrome, mixed with numerous "while I'm at it" symptoms. you guys are forgetting Pete Paraska... how long did his project take to complete? I know mine will never be finished. I'll keep changing thing son my car until the end of time... Joe.

I seem to remember from working with a miniature windtunnel at my HS. What i saw was that the smoother the bottom of the object, and the better the transition to the bottom, the more lift was created... Of course the object were propped on a 3 inch mast that held them in the center of the tunnel, this doesn't figure for the fact that the gound is so close to the bottom of the car. What i think would provide some downfoce, and decrease exhaust fumes, you could try running a tunnel down the length of the car, angling from the bottom of the front airdam, to .... maybe where the reverse indicator lights are in the rear panel.... Now that would make for an interesting design.(use your imagination, what i just said leaves many things to be considered...) Hmm, now i have to start brainstorming until i get a reasonable design in my head, Joe.