JoeinCA

Okay Dan, no politics. Guy cali, sounds like a good project... I wish i had started with a 240z... But right now i am rebuilding my 280 and giving it paint (finally). I think that there are at least 2-3 v8z's in antioch and the surrounding areas, and beyond that i'm not too sure. Plus i know that there are at least a few straight 6 runners that also frequent these forums in the area... Anyone want to suggest a place to meet? Thanks auxilary, that sounds like fun, i'll look into it as soon as i finish writing this post. Have a good night, Joe

what would be really cool is a dual fwd setup, with two supercharged front wheel engines, one in the front and one in the back... You could even do four wheel steering.. A Z like that would be a beast!

Dont let this thread die! I know there are alot of good ideas out there that can give alot of people new ideas at how to make thier car a one of a kind... If only i were better with photoshop... i did something to my program so that every time i load an image it comes up almost completely black, except where the photo is overexposed... any help? i have a wicked idea that i can't illustrate, it's annoying! Anyways, keep up the good work guys, I think we are on the verge of finding a great way to add more class to our z's. Have a nice day, Joe

that's understandable... I just thought that since we seem to have a community of people here that are more intelligent than the "average Joe", it would be interesting to see some of your views on this subject. Though i was hoping to get a discussion going that would follow the general trend of acceptance of other's views that i have seen on this board. But if this isnt the right place, then I suppose i can take my quandary elsewhere. It is probably best for Hybridz to stay on the subject of hybrids...? Have a nice day, Joe

Hello everyone, I have noticed that there are a few people who frequent this forum that live in my city. I think i twould be a great idea to see if we could form a small club or at least arrange meetings so that everyone can get to know each other and exchange ideas. SO, if you live in antioch or the surrounding areas, and you are interested in hanging out with other z people, throw in your $.02. Maybe we could arrange a metting at a local pizza joint or something to that effect. Get together, take a look at each other's rides and just shoot the zhit. I just think it could prove to be a fun experience... Have a nice day, Joe

This is not a subject i often see on this non-tech board... SO if nobody wishes to discuss it then i fully understand. Ive just been pondering alot of the crises that this country has found itself in. The problem i see is this: The country is being driven to warfare by an agenda that lives in the government, yet not among the people. The approval of war against terrorism came after an "unprovoked " attack against the U.S. right? If you study the history behind the events, you see that our country can easily be blamed for many of the things that has happened to it. Point: Our country involves itself in the affairs of other nations and groups in a way that is reminiscent of a badly organized police squad. Our "undercover police" takes actions that are not endorsed by the people. Actions that directly affect the way other nations and groups see the American nation. Although the general public in the U.S views our country as the "good guy", internationally we are seen as a meddling nuisance that should keep it's nose where it belongs. We all know the reason that Bush wants war with Saddam, oil, and a vendetta that began with Bush Sr. I personally dont believe that the United States should go to war with anyone at this point, unless we plan on fighting until every single organization that has any negative feelings towards the country. You can ruthlessly destroy one agressor but there will always be another waiting to take his place. We are not a popular country. And although our military may be strong, the battle losses arent going to be in the military, they will be right here among the general population. Innocent people that in no way have a say in how the military is used. We dont have a democracy, we have a republic, and the people that control the government are power hungry. What we need is a more direct democracy, and the full story, with no hues of American ideaology. Propaganda keeps many of our country's actions under wraps even after there is retaliation. And then we feel justified to attack, even though very few people know why we are under attack. This is getting long, and if i expect anyone to read it and put thier thoughts and information down, then i should end it now. But one last thing, i think there should be an amendment to the constitution that states: "No son/daughter of a former president is to be allowed into office, personal agendas from previous administrations shall linger and adversely affect the decisions of the new administration." I welcome constructive criticism, especially if i am wrong. All i want is truth, because it is very difficult to find. Have a nice day, Joe

I own both a 77 280Z and a 1968 chevelle malibu... It is only natural that i dream to have the power and torque of my malibu in my Z! The big difference? Being able to smoke the tires in the powerglide malibu going from idle to 3k.... Being able to smoke the tires in the Z only if i rev it up to about 3.5-4.5K and dropping the clutch.... Ive grown up working on chevy engines, and i cant help but giggle every time i see a ricer with his big wing in the back of his front wheel drive car, slumped so far in the seat you suspect he broke his back, or is a midget...going BZZZZZ at 55 through a residential area. It is PURE COMEDY! Ricers are my daily entertainment while i work on my Z in my driveway, they buzz by "muggin" me, and i just smile... Anyhow, i think there is way too much mouth movement, and not enough car movement in the rice crowd... drive cars, eat rice, Joe

actually i think she said a 76' 280Z.... That engine combo should make for a wild car.. I think that getting into the high 10's with that car depends alot on your gearing. 500 hp in an approx. 2900lb car, should be pretty close to 10 sec 1/4 mile... right?

Well, if you dont have a whole lot of cash... this site is little more than a field of dreams.... I would reccomend you do alot of research, decide what it is in a car that is really important to you, and then figure out what engine you want. With enough time and money, any engine will fit. Also you may be suprised to find more z's in your area than you think, i never saw them around, until i considered buying one. Now they are everywhere... A stock 280z is a quick little car without any modification, and believe me, you can leave stoplights sideways and in smoke in a straight 6 z (done), it just isnt quite as impressive as a v-8. I believe though that you should stick with the I-6 until you get very comfortable with the car and it's characteristics, then perform massive suspension and brake upgrades, then think about getting a v-8, or other high power engine... Then again, i also feel that you should be very good at working on cars, and know a great deal about fabrication before tackling a hybrid project... Anyways, my point is that you should decide what you want, because nobody can tell you what you want, need, or should do with a Z. That's the beauty of car customization, it is YOUR car, and nobody else has a car exactly like it.

I dont care how good my alignment is.... i dont think i would ever wish to risk my life, car, body, to pull a stunt like that... It was pretty cool though maybe if someone paid me.... and let me use THIER car . in that second video though, alot of those people looked very... broken.

hehe, ive got my car all torn apart.... but i STILL have to stick with the straight six . I wrecked my current unibody , so i bought another.... and am transferring EVERY PART from one body to the other... The job would be so much fun, if i were actually UPGRADING ANYTHING!!!! Oh well, at least i am finally going to get a paintjob... I know what you mean though silicone boy, so many parts, how will i ever fit it back together?

Actually, i just took some toime to read through a couple forums, and man, there is alot of flaming... seems like none of them can accept any car whatsoever. kinda comical overall though. Check out one post in the Si vs all forum, about 337's . a very diverse group of people to say the least.

they didnt seem to talk down, but i suppose if you wish to be paranoid and analyze every post, you can detect an attitude that isnt exactly Pro-Z. Then again, they are posting in a honda forum....

If you are taking it down to bare metal, then you need to pick up a special primer that is made for bare metal application, from what i have heard, if you try to apply regular primer to bare metal it will just run right off... I am in the process of stripping and painting a 280Z and i gathered this information just a few minutes ago from an experienced painter.... Good luck with the stripping and paint work, Joe

well, ive driven around for about 4-5 months with no front bumper on my 77 280Z... i even got pulled over once for speeding, ( got out of the ticket) and the cop didnt even mention my lack of a front bumper... so i suppose it really isnt an issue of gettng into trouble for not having bumpers, but whether or not you feel safe driving around in a tin can without even the illusion of protection. anyhow, good luck with whatever decision you make. Joe Borsodi

Holley, yeah, i think that is the one i saw... I just think it would be cool to have, and it would give alot of programmability for things like nitrous, or supercharging... But if it is $3000 or more... i'll buy a roots supercharger or an under-hood unit.. and then adapt the closer to stock ignition to it.. Unfortunately, all dreams at the moment, i just got the thing back on the road with the straight six, and i havent started the block (chevy 383 Stroker) prep or parts gathering for the swap... no money

Hello, i was wondering if anyone had information about different Distributorless sytems available for early model Chevy engines... I have seen electromotive's offerings, but i dont really like how the system works, (the way you have to set up the sensors). Anyone around here use thier product? any opinions on how it performs? Also, i could have sworn that i saw a system that actually used a sensor that was put into the place of the distributor, then ran to a computer, and finally to a coil/spark plug wire (thing)(all of the wires ran from the unit to the spark plugs, i believe it was also the coil unit) Does that sound at all familiar to anyone? Kind of a shot in the dark, but the system i saw looked very clean and it seemed to leave enough space so that fabrication of a new hood latch wouldnt be required... Thanks for your time Joe.

hey, thanks for the advice guys... i was thinking of going with a 4-5 speed tranny, manual with a final ratio of 1.00 i was wondering what year, after 77... had the least visile smog components and testable components on a... 350 engine... i had a couple of other questions... but t lost what i wrote...; and now i have forgotten.

thanks for the info guys... i still dont know what to do with my engine... i am weighing all of my options though, considering that i dont have any expendable cash at the moment, and am more concerned with just fixing my rear suspensions and electrical problems so i can at least get my car back on the road... but with being at a halt in progress ( cant figure out why the turn signals are causing the battery to drain and blow fuses and other wierd things) i have alot of time to think about the future of the car... thanks for the tips..

hey guys, i am still turning over different ideas for building a good engine for my Z. anyways, i was wondering, with a 383 stroker engine, what would be an ideal gear ratio for the rear end matched with an m-22? i would like to be able to use alot of the torque that the engine provides. and i would like to avoid spinning the tires all day long.. Also, what do i need to do/get to do a 383 conversion on my 68 327 block? i have been looking at speedomotive.com and i think that i will be buying one of thier kits... will i need to bore the block .30 over? thanks for any help that you guys can provide..

to remove the driveshaft more easily... you must remove the rear counter weight, and the rear sway bar. from there you should be able to get an open end wrench in on the bottom two driveshaft bolts.. If they are still too tight.... then break out the air hammer and give them a few good whacks and see if they are more cooperative. if the doesnt work, grab your dremel, and buy some replacement bolts and nuts.... ive had to remove my driveshaft 4-5 times in the past 4 months, and that is the way i do it...

any ideas about the first engine in that list? i read the article, and was pretty impressed. what kind of numbers do you guys think that would put out with the same heads, but with the bigger valves? maybe i could do this sort of an engine for my Z...

and, yes, i am aware that my last post didnt exactly show perfect english... I've found that it is better not to criticize grammar and such, because then people like to try to point out EVERY single mistake that you make. And i have a tendency to write the longest sentences that has ever been known to man.. riiight... I think i am going to go to a nice junkyard and grab an entire rear end for my Z, and maybe some toyota disc brakes... that may solve some of my problems... Oh, by the way, cna anyone tell me what kind of adjustable coil overs are available to basically bolt onto my 77 280z? i would like some nice coli-overs so i can tuen my suspension a bit...

Hmm, yes, i know the entire "lack of cash flow" scenario like i know the underside of my Z...(unfortunately, extremely well on both counts...) I mean, i enjoy wrenching, but i wish i had the cash and a nice place to work on my car. It's been sitting for somthing like 5 months now. and i am getting pretty anxious... i'm just tyring to get the l-6 and 5 speed that i have in it going... unfortunately, my stupid ass slid into a curb and need to get the rear end aligned or replaced. ( no unibody damage as far as i can tell, the grade 8 bolt that sheared saved my car!) Anyways, i too am 16, and although i know that i could get a job, i also know that with that job would go most of my free-time, my participation in my band would pall, and i wouldnt be able to get time to work on the Z... I have a 327 that i found in my mom's garage, it appears to have been freshly rebuilt.. but it had rust in 3 of the cylinders, but i worked on them and got it loose, and didnt even break a ring.. hehe. Unfortunately i dont ahve the thousands of dollars that it would require to get the v8 going in the car... PLUS i am planning on attending WYOtech with a long time friend of mine and possibly opening a custom hot-rod shop after we graduate from there... ooooh about 5 years down the line. Tuition to that school is mighty expensive... Plus i get crap from my parents about wanting to go into the automotive industry, and about wanting to get a job... They think i should be more academic and pursue a career crunching numbers or writing.. ( which, when i put some effort to, am pretty talented at) Oh and this is getting long... so, one last thing about the proper english topic, I personally use nearly proper english when i have something to say, people usually listen more intently when a person sounds educated. And it DOES annoy me when people can't spell their own name, but hey, i'm glad that not every 16 year old out there can write like a lawyer when they want to, sets me apart a bit... Anyways, to kind of show off, and maybe ask for a bit of assistance, would you guys be so kind as to check out this link? http://forums.paintballcity.com/showthread.php?threadid=201779

i am planning on running a 100 hp shot of nitrous.. but i still think it would benefit from improving the flow and bringing it up to 300-350. besides, then i can have alot of power at all times and not have to go fill up the bottle once a week. so far i am considering running the vortec heads, with a comp cams 268, edelbrock dual plane manifold, and an edelbrock 650 CFM carb, or a q-jet... hmm i dunno.