strotter

I often wonder: "What would the engineer that designed this think of what I'm doing?, but I also wonder "What did the engineer that design this think *he* was doing"?

Apparently then there is more than one shroud type. Worthwhile to note.

I don't know if there are different shrouds, but my first thought is: did you get the 2-speed fan? It'll have three wires coming out of it. FYI, my install looked exactly like the image, JTR radiator and all.

What's the story if you use a crate motor, relative to the "year of the motor vs. year of the car" thing? If I were to be (God forbid) stopped at an inspection in my '72 (w/ a 2005 crate 350), what kind of smog equipment would they tell me to install? Analogs for the original factory gear? I've looked around on the 'web, haven't found any pertinent info other than that I wouldn't have to install a catalytic converter.

Bartaman, can you post your datalog in a text format so we can all see it?

Both systems use the same intake hardware, the differences are in the wiring, the ECU (computer), and the sensors. BTW, the most popular ECU is the 1227730. Note that you will be satisfied with the torque produced by the TPI, perhaps not so much the higher-RPM performance. However, YMMV. Note too that not all camshafts are happy with a TPI - it's important to use hydraulic roller lifters (and therefore a roller cam) due to the knock sensor being tuned for the noises those make - otherwise your computer will be pulling timing constantly, thinking there's detonation. Check the JTR "Swapping Fuel-injected Motors" book, as well as http://www.thirdgen.org/ . External pumps aren't necessarily loud, if carefully isolated from sound-conducting members.

It's true, we're lucky here in California, low humidity, all that. The best thing, though, is that it cools down pretty good at night, into the upper 60's even here in the valley, except for rare occasions. I've visited NY and Florida, when I was there it never, ever, cooled down. I remember taking a shower in Dade City Fl. and I couldn't get dry, just kept toweling and toweling, the moisture wouldn't go away. It was great though how it would rain in the summer, even if it was hot. Don't usually see rain here if it isn't winter.

I had one when I was in my late teens, a '69 (?), one of the midget-like ones. It was absolutely the worst piece of machinery I have every owned, but also probably the most fun. Had no hood, no top, everything was a mess. True story: there were electrical problems from one end of the thing to the other. In particular, some of the lights would go on and off at random moments. I discovered that a sharp whack to the firewall would bring them back on when they quit. One night I found myself driving through San Andreas , on my way up the hill, when red lights came on behind me. I pulled over, and the officer told me one of my tail-lights was doing the "on again off again" thing. I told him "Oh, I now how to fix that!" at which point I pulled out my baseball bat, stood up in the seat, and smacked the firewall firmly. Light came on solid. He just looked at me for a moment, said "Have a nice night", and left. Sounds like it sucked, and it did such in any mechanical measure you can name: but I also recall, that same night, 7,000 feet on the Sonora pass, not another car within 30 miles, moonless night and there were so many stars the sky really *did* look like a Milky Way, the smell of the pine pitch and dew, the cool air blowing through my hair, hairpin after hairpin after hairpin the whole time Polaris swinging left, then right, then left, then right... There's nothing like a convertible, and there's especially nothing like an English convertible.

Sorry Jeromio, no offense intended =) I actually thought it was Dan doing the swap, and he's fun to torture a bit sometimes... About the actual 280 condenser setup, I see what you mean about it being rather complex. Tell me, though, is it effective?

I assume you're doing this alone? The most useful thing to keep around, of course, is an assistant who is familiar with the procedure, or is at least actively involved. I have drafted my sweetheart to help me with such things on several occasions, and it's good to have someone around "just in case", but have learned not to ask her to touch anything, especially anything greasy (OK, you can chuckle now). Keep padding of some kind around. I have a "rag blanket", an old cheap quilt that I use for such occasions. Fold it in half and lay it on the fender for protection from wires swinging around, roll it into a cylinder for when the rear of the tranny starts to move around, that sort of thing. Also, have a 2x4, or something of similar dimension around to put between engine and bodywork, or tranny and fender, or what-have-you. It's useful as a guide and a little bit of leverage, especially when the tail of the tranny is exiting the tunnel. I also rope the motor, usually from its' rear someplace, one length starboard and one length port, so that I can control it from the pump on the cherry picker, as well as tie it off to prevent it from swinging aroiund if I need to step away for some reason.

Happy birthday, Mike. 40, huh? I can tell you from experience, being 40 isn't too bad. Though you're halfway to death now, of course. Actually more than halfway, but close enough. You've got your retirement set up at this point, right? Something to start thinking about, huh? Physically, you're still in your prime, except, of course, your "little Mikes". They'll begin descending pretty soon, now; making that gradual yet inexorable journey from your groin down your inseam to parts unknown. Perhaps they have seen the Lights at the End of the Tunnels, and are curious. Or perhaps they are simply wondering how your ankles are dong and are dropping by to say "hey". In and of itself that isn't so bad: eventually, though, they'll take their toll on the knees - "ding dong, ding dong", every time you take a step, well, ultimately a recipe for Repetetive Impact Injury. That's why all those older guys walk around so gingerly, you know. Or, that is to say, as you *will know*, pretty soon. And, of course, you'll need to begin telling your tailor not only if you "dress to the left" or "to the right", but "how far" you dress in that direction. There are surgical corrections available, of course: the "up tuck" is common nowadays, albeit nerve-wracking. That's not saying "the boys" will be your only problem. They will in fact, not be. There will be something more, um, well, I'll say it, and the more mature among you will nod sagely and agree with me, knowing it is something perhaps of more immediate and visible concern to you now: "Manmarries". As your 40's pass, Mike, so will those magnificent pectorals you in your youth flexed in manly manner; day by day, they will, as surely as your hair recedes and your sperm count drops, evolve into jiggly hairy balloons. There's a reason those "old guy" shirts have great big pockets, you know. But Mike, we all know you're enough of a man to gracefully accept the minor inconveniences that are the price that comes with the wisdom and experience you've gained over all those many years. Too bad, isn't it, that your brain will start falling apart pretty soon now. You don't really need to know where your keys are every minute, or for that matter the car; details are something for the young, it's time for larger thoughts, not "What's that smell coming from my pants?" And, to tell you the truth, "Matlock" is a very well done show, even if you can't quite recall the name of that actor, didn't he used to live in a small town with a boy named "Opey"? So please accept our best wishes, Mike, on this momentous moment in your life! Celebrate and rejoice, you've earned it. But you also might want to hardcopy these notes, just in case you forget our names. And you can always use the paper to, you know, clean up anything you "drop". Happy Birthday!

Who was it - Dan Juday? Perhaps some other old guy - who was either considering, or had actually started, swapping a 280 factory a/c into his 240. So far as I know they actually worked.

Interesting thing about the pre-'74 exemptions: seems now it's pre-'75! check http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/smogfaq.htm#BM2535 . I don't know when it happened, or why; perhaps Der Governator has a '75 something-or-other he got tired of smogging? You might note, too, that California doesn't require smog checks everywhere: only in "designated" counties, though that seems like most of 'em. (I don't even know how many counties my state has. Sad). Perhaps that'd be the "loophole" for the rest of the country: they'll conform to the California rules, then not designate any counties for smog inspection!

Phobias are odd things - I have a friend who is claustrophobic, but can point to no particular incident that triggered it. He tells me it isn't like "Oh, I just hate enclosed spaces", it's more like "If I'm stuck in a small place I'll scream and beat the walls with my fists until my hands are bloody pulp and if I don't get out soon I'll kill myself" kind of emotion. Totally irrational, and totally uncontrollable. Personally, I have a strong dislike for the texture of cotton balls - it isn't the sight, nor is it even holding one in my hand, it's the texture when I squeeze it between my fingers. Not a "phobia", exactly, but an intense dislike. Sort of like many people feel about nails on a chalkboard. I have no problem with fabric, or Q-Tips, or anything other than little hunks of cotton. The only thing I can think of is that when I was a kid I hurt myself a lot, and when going to a doctor they'd swab your arm with alcohol on a cotton ball; but I don't have a problem with getting a shot (or any more of a problem than the normal "uck, needles" kind of thing). Odd.

That may be true in Florida, but I live in northern California and can tell you that even with the "Smog Nazi" rules we have here, smog is a problem. As I look out my east windows at this very moment, I can't see the mountains - they're thirty, forty miles away. The horizon all around is brownish-grey by late afternoon, and sometimes (towards the end of summer) clouds will appear to be off-white. Granted, in this area we get the "blow-over" from the SF Bay area, but nevertheless, there's a serious problem. Go to L.A. in the summer, you'll start to think that the little exhaust leaks we have in our Z's is, well, everywhere. And it's *much* better now than it was 20 years ago. Personally, I don't think it makes sense to apply California rules to the whole nation, as most of the nation doesn't have the problem we have here. On the other hand, from a manufacturer's perspective, it might make sense just in terms of standardizing their fleets and lowering their costs. I believe quite a few manufacturers already use the California guidelines for all their U.S. cars - I think Honda and Toyota, though it's been some time since I read about it. On the other hand, it *would* make sense if the feds would raise the CAFE mileage standard - no matter how clean you burn, CO2 is the ultimate "perfect" product of a clean burn, and that's the chemical we ultimately need to get a handle on, for both ecological and political reasons. I'm hoping this thread won't be considered "political", but I'm afraid it might get that way quick...

This is sort of the car-nerd version of the "70 virgins" thing, isn't it?

My T56 will bolted right in with four caveats: I used a Weir bellhousing (which included a hydraulic t/o bearing, much improvement over the external on a T-5); I moved the motor forward about 3/4", though still inside the "slot" I created in the Z mount-points per JTR; I moved the JTR tranny mount back about 1"; and I beat the crap out of the top of the tunnel by the bellhousing. With the 3.36 rearend the gear ratios are fine (I"m not a quarter-miler kind of guy), the action is smooth, and I *love* the 6th overdrive. The change from the T-5 *did* move the CG back enough that I notice it in spirited driving, but not a problem as I've tuned the car to understeer; it made it behave closer to neutral.

I installed one (out of a 280) when I first did my V8 swap, and have since removed it precisely because I want to plow. That may sound weird, I know, but there's some logic behind my dumbness: My car is a daily driver - never has and almost certainly never will be on a racetrack - and I want to make it the very best daily driver possible. I want it to be impeccable under "normal", even "Honey SLOW DOWN RIGHT NOW!" driving conditions. The way I have the car set up, it's dead flat, is quick to turn it, and has good manners both entering and exiting a corner. But the reality is, the most important thing I need to be ready for is when some idiot (including me!) does something stupid which requires a fast (and therefore probably sloppy) response; under those circumstances I'd rather plow than spin, meaning that when the traction limit is reached the front gives up just a moment before the rear. I'm not saying I want it to drive like a pickup - lightning-fast response and high lateral g's are delightful, confidence inspiring, and a real safety benefit - but in the middle of something unpredictable and dangerous, when you don't have time to think or set up properly, understeering is less likely to make matters worse. IMHO.

I found one that is obvious in retrospect - when I repainted my doors, I had some little "drippies" where the door panel meets the weatherstrip. Not worth sanding to perfection, and easy to ignore, but any roughness where the weatherstrip comes in contact with a panel will allow water through. BTW, general filth build-up does the same thing, including down at the bottom of the door and at the bottom-front "turn" of the panel (which you can't even see without wiggling around on the ground).

http://stockton.craigslist.org/car/163864664.html

I, too, have struggled with leaking small-block pans. The last time I did a bottom end, I used the FelPro one-piece. It's available for all the SBC variants, has worked fine for me so far.

After having done three paint jobs - an old Subaru wagon, a BMW 1602, and my Z, I must say I'm *amazed* that paint shops can do what they do as well as they do as cheap as they do. The hours and hours and hours involved are staggering; the work is both tiresome and tedious, and the cost of materials is high. I understand that the pro's have all the right tools, and know how to use them, and know all the tricks, and know what to pay attention to and what to ignore, and get their materials cheaper than I could, but still - [edit] and not only *that*, but the actual skills involved aren't trivial, and not only *that*, but there's a certain degree or artistry involved that I don't seem to have, and not only *that*, but ...

What JM says is correct , the ECU swings the afr from rich to lean several times a second. There's a variety of reasons for this, not the least of which is to keep the catalytic converter happy, but it's also due to the nature of the voltage vs. lambda output of the sensor itself - a difference of a few tenths-of-a-points of mixture can make a huge difference in voltage output, so much so that you can't really tell where you are unless you're dead-nuts on stoich. Even without the ECU's oscillating behavior, such as when you have a sensor on a carburated car, there are very rapid changes to afr under normal driving conditions, happening in milliseconds, which I personally can't keep up with - but I have slow eyeballs, it's true. I've never had much luck with NBs on carbed cars, though I've tried it a couple of times. Once you get out of the stoich range and closed-loop, they aren't accurate enough to help you - if you need to tell the difference between 13.0 and 13.5 afr, you're looking a few mV change in output, which will be swamped by the normal variation and "noise" associated with combustion. On my Z, which is injected and run by a GM ECU, I was *shocked* at how inaccurate, or maybe "misleading" is the correct word, my NB was. Keep in mind, it's a pretty modified motor, but the same limitations apply to any NB. I discovered, for instance, that the difference of .3 afr, from about 13.8 to 13.5 during WOT on the WB, gave a *significant* improvement in performance, though the change was all but invisible on the NB. There have been *years* of debate on this very issue over at thirdgen.org. The general consensus is that NBs are good for tuning near-stock motors under closed-loop conditions, but aren't accurate enough for WOT (or open-loop) tuning, or with wide-overlap cams, unless you're doing lots of plug-cuts (which I *hate* doing, standing on the side of the road with my ratchet, people slowing down to look, all sweaty, dressed in my working-on-the-car clothes, just not a pretty picture), in which case you don't really need the thing anyway. BTW, something I learned from a buddy of mine a few years ago was to use an *analog* voltmeter with the NB - rapid fluctuations are damped out by the slower response of the needle, and you can mark points of interest on the face of the gauge with a sharpee type pen.

I have to agree with those that are saying that an NB can successfully used for much tuning - if you're careful, and you're aware of the limitations. I've had both an NB and a WB on my Z for a couple of years now, and have spent many hours watching them out of the corner of my eye. Kind of hypnotic, as a matter of fact. The thing to remember with an NB is that they are really a binary device - they indicate "hi/low", below stoichiometric or above stoichiometric, and that's about it. Nothing in between, not even perfect stoich. They just toggle up & down. If you're tuning for stoich, which is the vast majority of the time, you're fine - you'll see it oscillating back and forth over a narrow range of values more-or-less centered. That's good. If it's stuck in the rich zone, or more dangerously in the lean zone, you're not done fiddling. NBs don't really give you any more information than that, but that's a bunch, really; most tunes start out more than a little rough, and need some fairly heavy-handed adjustments to start. And bear in mind, 99% of your actual use will be in that range of performance - just easing around, stop-and-go, waiting at lights, 70 on the freeway, that sort of thing. It's the 80/20 rule: for 80 percent of the results, you spend 20% of the effort. It's that *last* 20 percent of results that take 80% of the effort. That last 20% is when you're not tuning for stoichiometric, such as during WOT operations, or under boost, or trying to get a little extra fuel at idle for that lumpy cam; that's when you're out of luck with an NB. All they'll show you is "rich" or "lean", and that's not good enough: you need to know "how rich" or "how lean". That's where the WB comes in. It will accurately indicate mixture (or more accurately combustion product results of mixture, which is a little different) from, what, 10:1 to 18:1? Of course, there are a couple of downsides to the WB. The first one is expense, they cost 7 or 8 times what an NB costs. The second is integration: If all you want to do is put a display on your dash to watch as you drive around (as I have done) it's not too bad, all you really need is a second bung in your exhaust and a couple of hours to install. But if you want to use one to control the fuel/air mixture directly, as a replacement for the NB, it's more involved. Some WB units offer an "NB simulator" output, that you can wire to your ECU and will give it the NB-like signal it needs, while simultaneously driving a display. The Mega-Squirt DIY ecu can (I believe) read the WB signal directly, and use if for all calculations. That's especially great, 'cause you can tune non-stoichiometric behavior in the ECU quickly and easily, no guesswork and little trial-and-error. In the GM ECU world, there are hacks of the EEPROMs that can do the same thing, though in more roundabout fashion.

I'm going to chime in for the "manual" method. I'm not especially good at it, but I've worked with machinists that sharpened them well on a regular basic, quickly and (seemingly) easily, so I know it can be done well. I would start by studying a new bit. In particular, study the two-angled cutting surface; one angle (most of the "face" of the cutting surface) has a particular angle, in three dimensions, relative to the cutting surface (a plane perpendicular to the axis of the drill shaft). That is the most important angle to understand. When you sharpen it, that is the first cut you must make, taking the entire surface down a couple of mil. The second cut, at the cutting surface itself, is relatively easy to cut once the "base" has been prepared, describing a surface a couple of degrees "flatter" than the base. If you're familiar with sharpening a knife, you'll understand that it's the same process, though wrapped around a shaft. If you have a really ruined drill, start from scratch by grinding off the end of the bit entirely, perpendicular to the axis. Keep some water nearby, and do not overheat the steel. Though it seems like a waste of a lot of material, it's easier to see what you're going to do when you start. Like sharpening a knife, it's one of those things that takes quite a bit of practice.