JoeinCA

Hey, i was wondering if there was any place to get the exact dimensions for some english wheel dies. I am in school right now learning sheet metal fabrication, and when i leave school i will have access to a lathe. I firgue that i can build myself an english wheel when i leave here for the cost of materials and getting the dies hardened. Thanks Joe

ME! I should win, because i have no affiliation with anything. I'd fire everyone. abolish the party system. And i would sit in on the whitehouse lawn with a shotgun waiting for small animals to come by that i could shoot and cook up for the homeless. I then would go to every school in america with that same shotgun, and every stupid little piece of *expletive* that didnt want to learn and thought they were god's gift to the world would get the scare of a life time. then they would get sent to a hard labor prison for an undetermined amount of time, so that they could no longer disrupt the education of others. As far as health care goes, everyone gets a tube of super glue and a syringe full of morphine. Then, to mix it up, i would order the invasion of Canada. just because nobody would see it coming. Then i would resign from the presidency and put the canadians in charge. Oh yeah, before that, i would build an armored fleet of caterpillars, and make afghanistan and Iraq the only parking lots visible from space. Talk about good autocrossing space! I'll hire the budweiser donkey as my spokesman. It is going to be a brilliant campaign. Just a note, I dont believe any of that BS ^ . politics are stupid, and solve nada, and i approve that message.... Joe

I had a similar problem when i first got my conversion going. It also was taking out my fusible links in my 280Z. I just wired a relay up to the S terminal, and used the S terminal wire to activate it. That may or may not solve your problem, but a relay is only about 5 bucks... It isnt the most scientific method, but you could try hot wiring (batt to S terminal) it to see if this is the actual problem. just make sure to not use too small a wire... a screwdriver works too, but i prefer to have a wire connected to the S terminal and then hit the battery. I always got startled by it turning over when i used a screwdriver... Joe.

HeavyZ: I thought all v8 camaro/firebird had WCT5s from 87-92. I could be mistaken. Thanks for the tip on the starter. I would probably be better off with a permanent magnet gear reduction starter. Wheel man: thanks. I might end up with 2 t5s... if i dont lose an auction i bid on 4 hours before buying this one! i might need a back up nwc, who knows..... Joe

Uh, you know what i said about needing to be patient? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7910604276&indexURL=6#ebayphotohosting My impulse to buy was faster than my impulse to be patient... I asked him for the numbers from the Tag... but i couldnt wait for the answer... well. I think i have a T5 on the way... Joe

Well, $800 is a little over my budget... $225 would be awesome! Thanks for the tips guys, I may have to see how much the place in Sacto will charge to ship a t5 to wyoming... Did it come with a bellhousing and shifter? Last time i had the cash for a T5, I couldnt find one to buy in the first week. So i bought another 700r4, and a handful of upgrade parts, and a saginaw 4 speed. And i couldnt decide which to put in. So, i concluded to put neither of them in and get the frickin T5 this time. So now i have 2 700r4s, one good one, and a good 4 speed. I'm just sick of the automatic, I live at 7200 feet, I have a big carb and my car runs bad... and i have a stock torque converter with a lumpy cam. doesnt quite work. Pretty funny actually. When i did drive it, if i forgot to put it in neutral, it would die when i stopped... and then it would chirp the tires whenever i put it into drive. I like the 700, but i believe that my Z should have a manual. I need to be more patient with this search... Joe

Sorry, i wasnt trying to be mean.... a Clear valve cover would be awesome for a show car. especially if you had some cool goodies that were hidden by a stock cover. Joe

you know what would be even more BLING than that? Spinner pulleys. yeah! Spinner hubcaps are cool, but when you open the hood and see all them pulleys blingin'.... never mind... aside from not being able to see through it, plexiglass may not like the heat, and may give you sealing problems, but i dont know. If you have access to a good welder. you could make really cool sheet metal l6 valve covers... Joe

That sucks man, you should go out and look for a good rust free and straight unibody... Spend some time and find one that is really nice. Your car was so clean that anything less wont be acceptable to you i imagine. When i wrecked my 280Z and tweaked a nice straight and rust free unibody, i should have shot myself. but aside from that, i ended up with a rusty unibody and a car that is going to be 10 times the work to finish. If i had looked around more, and found a better unibody, i would be much further along. After you rebuild it from the ground up, i bet that your right foot will be much lighter for a long time. It is a pretty big project for one person to complete. I know that i drive my car with much much more care... when it is driveable... Good luck , Joe

I dont know if any of you have been looking around for t5 world class transmissions, but they arent too easy to find. So far, i have found one in Ohio, one in southern california, one in connecticut, and I'm living in Wyoming! I've even been calling junkyards in the denver area like mad, and none of them even have 87-92 camaros and firebirds. it's insane... I know that there has to be someone within 100 miles of me that desperately wants to get rid of a T5 WC... I just cant find them. I think that it is a conspiracy. The powers that be dont want me to have a 5 speed in my datsun! They know that if i get it running again, I will make it the coolest Z in the universe. And everyone will be so awed by it's magnificence that they will be satisfied with thier lives and commit mass suicide! Well maybe not all that. But i still cant find a T5.... And i need to get my car into school so that i can fabricate an airdam, belly pan, roll pan, and do some lead work. These Wyotech custom fabrication courses I am in are awesome by the way... I highly reccomend them. Joe

I am about to go over there and see what is up. I think in Wyoming the law states that they have 2 months to get me my check. philiow313 I moved to Wyoming for school, I will go back to California asap. thanks, Joe

I got lucky on the transmission, I pulled the pump in a way that would make my old Drivetrain teacher cringe.... and found the check ball sitting in plain view. I was able to retrieve it with relative ease. And I even had a new gasket for the pump! So all i had to do was fiddle with the input drum and some other thing that i have forgotten the name of, to get the clutch splines to line up, with the tranny on it's side. so all in all, it only took about an hour to fix.. Then i came home, i figured that it would be best to not push my luck. 2:29 am... almost time to go to bed... Joe

I would really appreciate any advice you all may have on this. I moved out of my apartment at Sterling University Lodge at the end of March. I paid them one months rent and a $400 fee. The terms of the contract i signed states that i am responsible for rent if i move out before my lease is up, unless another renter assumes the lease, or signs a new lease on the apartment. I was told 3 separate times by 3 separate people that my apartment had been occupied the day after i cleaned up and moved out. I was told that i would be recieving a rebate for the months rent that i paid in 4-6 weeks. I went back in there early last week, and i was presented with a bill for $912 in back rent. I had not been contacted even one single time since i moved out. they had the correct forwarding address and they had my phone number. They told me the apartment was rented, then they try to charge me for back rent! They told me that they would call me as soon as they got the issue straightened out. I have yet to recieve a call, so i plan on going in there again tomorrow. I plan to tell them that if i don't recieve my $350 rent with interest, and have the debt cleared, then they will see me in court and will have to explain how very sorry they are for their mistake to a judge. Any advice? Opinions? Thank you for your time, Joe

That's what i said when i got back in my truck at the gas station today and found that it would not start. I take a look at the battery and notice some new corrosion going on, so i wiggle the cables around, and give it anohter go. Nothing... At this point I figure, "all right, I can push start it, no problem." Shortly after i had that thought, i was sitting in my truck, blocking an entrance to the gas station... cool. Luckily a fewguys came up and offered to help me push it, and it started right up. So i go over to my garage and start checking it out. I clean up the terminals properly, then i check the voltage... 10.2 volts. New battery time. So i manage to push start the truck, buy a battery, new + cable, and an 02 sensor that i have needed for a while. So, about $100 later, my truck is up and running. Good stuff. So i go back to my garage, and i start working on my 700r4 for my datsun. I have to swap valve bodies from one 700, to the one that i plan on using in my car. I picked this tranny up from one of my teachers, whom assured me that it was out of an 84 camaro, so i was really surprised to see a spiderweb of wires when i removed the pan. So, i;m sitting there swapping the valve bodies, which really excites me, because i am the biggest fan of check balls in the world. I love them for their ingenuity. They have an innate ability to go into the WORST POSSIBLE PLACES. For example, falling down by the park pawl, that wasted another 15 minutes of my time, no problem. About 3 hours later i am putting everything back together, and i was really happy at this point, because i was sure that the transmission would be in the car in an hour or two. I go to grab the last check ball to transgel in place... and it falls into the tranny, just behind the pump, and it quickly rolled down the input drum, to an unknown final resting place. SWEET! After yelling every imaginable curse and insult that i could think of at the check ball ( through the hole it fell in, so I know it heard me). I put up the white flag for now, and i will tackle it tomorrow morning. I hate automatic trannys with a passion, simply because of check balls, and the ever present evil of seals and broken 2-4 accumulator springs. All right, i'm tired of hearing myself complain... Anyone want to trade 2 complete 700 r4 transmissions, a rebuild kit, new bushing, thrust washers,3 torque converters, and 2 caprice tailhousings, TCI throttle valve, corvette servo, .500 pump orifice valve, Megashifter, and a chrome pan for a complete t5 setup? Please?! These 700s are giving me an ulcer. I didnt even want an auto to start with! Oh well, it will all work out with time... Joe Joe

Hey guys, I have spent a few hours trying to find out the specifications of the fuel injectors i have... The injector is marked RP, Rochester, It has 2 part Numbers on it. 17090882 And 2117 .. If anyone could lead me in the right direction, it would be much appreciated. Thanks, Joe

I decided to go with fuel injection because it is a whole lot better than carburetion.... Better cold starts, better gas mileage, smoother power curve, better fuel distribution. hmm.. maybe i should take a nap... i ve been up for 23 hours straight playing computer games, Civilization 3 is very cool, 5 times better than civ 2, which kept me hooked for hundreds of hours. It's a great day, Joe

I finally went and picked up a TPI setup for my HybridZ. I think that i got the entire wiring harness for an 85 camaro. The wiring completely fills a 2'x2'x2' box. One of my intake runners has a good dent in it, so i'll either have to buy a new one, or try to push the dent out... The setup came with a distributor, 2 computers, and a set of new looking injectors, which look like dual spray injectors... kinda strange.... there were a couple of unidentified control modules in there too. I just have to sort it all out, and then ship it to myself. I'm on christmas vacation in California still... The TPI system is a little bit bulky for a carry-on. I love getting myself good gifts, ive been playing sim city 4 for 2 days straight(good game!). I bought Civilization 3, but it didnt want to load. Happy Holidays, Joe

yeah, it is pretty cold... no fun at all. I will never live in a climate like this again... nic-rebel, If you can get the modine part number, i would be very grateful. thanks guys, Joe

Hey guys, it has been a while since i posted, I have been extrememly busy with school. Yesterday the temperature dropped to about -20, and froze my coolant in my truck (88 chevy silverado 2500), which made the side tanks leak, and now i am hitching rides with friends. great... I was wondering if anyone knew of a good site to buy a real radiator to fit my truck, Not one of those stupid little aluminum/plastic deals i have on there now. I want a STEEL radiator. 28 1/4" X 17 1/4" X 1 1/4 is the size i need, with an oil cooler. I have found a few different places that stock the radiator, but they do not say what company made them. I would like to get an all steel modine radiator... thanks for any suggestions, Joe

The Input to the coil packs is about 7-10 amps on the primary windings. I was told, but did not verify the output amperage. Over one amp and you risk stopping your heart, if you have current travel across it. all of the electricity i took hit my arm, and then returned to source about an inch and a half from the origin. it isnt voltage that kills you, it's the amperage... 100,000 volts is very uncomfortable, but it probably wont do any permanent damage. Joe

50,000 volts is not that bad. A bit more than discomforting. Basically they are just talking about simple static electricity. Big Whoop. We have a DIS mock-up in my classroom. Yesterday a bunch of guys got up and we put our arms up against the coil packs. You turn the sensor wheel and get about 100,000 volts at .7 amps. I held my arm there the longest, 6 seconds. It is a very cool sensation actually, all of the muscles in your fore arm go nuts. so, no fried thieves. What i reccomend, is hooking a separate coil pack that will only be active when you have a switch set. You can set up a control module that would make the coil discharge once a millisecond i think. Then put a pressure sensitive switch in the seat, if you dont deactivate the coil before getting into the vehicle... then you are not going to get into that vehicle for very long. You place one lead from the coil to the right cheek, and one to the left . then they complet the circuit. the only problem with this, is that it may make thousands of minute holes in the seat. and the pants of the offender. Joe

holy shit.... That guy is from my home town.... I cant remember his name... but i know that ive seen him... hilarious... Joe

Thanks to the guys that dont think i'm a complete moron..... (whether or not they are right ) My friend and i decided that it wasnt a great idea, and that we would rather run a 1/4 mi, on a strip if possible. I go to school from 4:30 pm to 1:40 AM.... we arent alway thinking clearly. When i do race him, it will be in the safest way possible. There is no way that i am going to throw away all of the hard work that i have put into my car, just to show up a friend. He has seen and heard my car, and is convinced that he would lose anyhow... However, there is a little subaru WRX that i would LOVE to STOMP... guy came into my apartment, and said flat out that V8s suck. there were 5-6 V8 guys there.... what an idiot. but that is a whole other story... Joe

*sigh* swirve, change lanes, avoid, whatever the hell you wish to call it. Ya'll can quit picking apart my every word, it isn't very endearing. A "die-hard" street racer sounds pretty accurate.... It is a rare occasion when i hit the streets with any sort of intention to speed, race, or basically act like a complete idiot. It has been over a month since i have even been able to drive my Z, i have been stuck in my extraordinarily slow 3/4 ton truck. Yes a race to 150 is excessive, stupid, blah blah blah. Get off my back, exuent.

I've taken my z up to 130 +... It is SCARY... I had to swerve to miss a cone at 130.... the little Z stuck to the road quite nice that time... But the car floats big time. I am taking a hot rod custom course, and the Z will be getting NUMEROUS aerodynamic modifications. I want it to suck down to the pavement. The real scary part of going that fast is slowing down safely........ I'm no expert driver, but i have been driving anything and everything as fast as possible since i was a wee little one. As soon as my Z is up to snuff i plan on taking some racing classes, it is one thing to know how to do something, and a completely different thing to have someone show you and then critique you until you get good. I know the car could take it, but it really isnt worth the risk at this time. Joe