Al Keller

Terry, Very well done!!!! Al

Mike, That would be great!! Just let me know. If I get any other leads, I'll pass them your way. Al

Pete, Soon - very soon. How did you stay focused on your car? Al

I've seen a number of Z cars with the g-nose and opaque lens covers. I'm trying to find a set of these for "special occassions". I have the original clear glass/plastic covers and thought about having a local plastic molder make a copy if all else fails. Any other ideas??? Thanks, Al Keller

Thanks for the info guys - you've given me a little more to think about. The new tube chassis is coming together on the chassis jig and I was concerned with the oil pan/exhaust/scattershield clearance. I've allowed 4 1/2 - 5". It sounds like I'll be ok. The total travel on the coil-overs is less than 6". The tires will be 245-40-17s in front and 315-35-17s in rear. The wheels will be 17x10 in front and 17x12 in rear. Unfortunately, some dumb a-- didn't measure the clearance before he started taking the car apart. Wait until I figure out who did that!!!! Again, thanks a lot. You always seem to come up with a question/s I didn't think about. Al Keller

Happy Thanksgiving all, I'm curious to know how much ground clearance I should provide for real world driving. What do you guys think? Thanks, Al Keller

About 12 months ago I purchased a set of headlight covers for my G Nose from MSA - part numbers 50-1053 & 50-1054 at $200 each. Pricey, but the only game in town that I could find. I'm still looking for opaque covers to use for special occassions. HELP!!!!!!! Good luck

Henry Castanzo from the Georgia Z club used a Vette rear in his hybrid Z. This was from the mid-year Vettes - 67-82? Sorry, I don't have his e-mail but it may be available thru some of the links on the Z web sites. I'm starting the chassis for my car that will use C-4 Vette suspension front and rear. Looks good on paper, but it isn't finished yet!! Al Keller

Mike, I'm still looking for the IMSA Gnose air dam. Thanks, Al Keller

The motor mounts look great. Make sure the "frame rails" are strong enough to handle the stress. Rubber motor mounts may go a long way in eliminating this concern. I found out the hard way when my new sway bar pulled the mounting "nuts" right out of the frame rail. Nice installation!! Good luck, Al

I looked just about everywhere to find the G-nose kit. Of the ones I found, the Motorsport was probably the highest quality and most complete. Their kit is,I believe, the original Nissan from the 70's. Their price is not out of line with all of the others I found. I found mine on the "used" market but it wasn't easy. It was originally manufactured by Z-Products. Ican get his name and number if you want, but getting him to commit to building parts is like pushing a boulder up hill!! The more cars I see with the G-nose, the more I like it. There were a couple of threads on here about improved aerodynamics as well. Don't know if that can be cerified, but it looks like there would be an improvement. Al

Which 5/6 speed would you recommend? The motor will be a strong 383 as mentioned elsewhere in this section. Which hydraulic clutch throw-up bearing/ slave cylinder / master cylinder combination? Thanks, Al

Give Pete some slack! I'm just starting my car and may give him a run for the longest car project. It seems like a lot of information is available on the GTO conversion. I came across a couple of write-ups from Kit Car and a factory manual for the old Alpha GTO conversion. If you are interested in copies, I could run them off at Kinko's and mail - would pass along the printing/mailing costs. Beautiful car in its own right. Al

All this info is making me think a lot harder than I like to!! It seems like a really healthy 383 could do everything I'm looking for and,maybe, more than I need. Have you seen dyno results for such a motor? What parts were used? It also seems that a 383 would use easy to find parts that don't cost an arm & leg. At any rate, thanks for all the info - it really helps. Al

Thanks for all of the guidance - I'm going to use a small block Chevy in my hybrid. Various books and articles have talk about stroker chevy motors like the 383, 392, 402, 406,415,427 etc. What do you think? I'd like to make about 500hp and 500 ft.lb. without topping 6500 rpm Thanks, Al

Problems with Precision weatherstripping????

I've always been a Ford fan but as I plan my hybrid Z, I find that I can really go either way. I want 500+ hp and ft. lbs., carb or fuel injection (no adder), light as possible, 5 or 6 speed, very shallow oil plan in the front (to clear the C4 Corvette front cross-member - see "engine set-back" message in the "body section" of this site), inexpensive as possible. What would you suggest??? Thanks, Al

Have any of you done engine relocations that required rework of the firewall? What problems did you run into? I'm going to build a full 2x3 frame and 12-point cage. The suspension is from a C4 Corvette. If I use the Corvette front cross member (which I'd like to do so I don't have to reinvent the geometry for the suspension and steering pick-up points), I think the rear sump Ford oil pan and pulleys will hit the cross member and steering rack (I'm trying to keep the crank center line about 12"-13" off the ground with 26" tires). I wanted to save the transmission tunnel (for structural strength), save the engine compartment sheet metal (to hold the fenders, etc on), replace the rusty floor pans and rear sheet metal over the fuel cell. Cutting "everything" out might make more sense but scares the hell out of me because I have to put something back in there that works and looks good! I'm trying to think of everything before I "cut metal". And we all know how successful that will be - active fantasy life.

I'll be using the Tremec TKO 5 speed and the appropriate hydralic TO bearing - don't know which Master Cylinder. Would probably start with Tilton. I haven't picked the TO out yet but was going to start with McLeod. Thanks very much for your input - I really appreciate your help!! Al

I'm going to use C4 Corvette front and rear suspension and brakes. Which master cylinder are you using with the "big brake" set-ups I seen mentioned? Does the Z clutch master work with the T5 / T56 transmissions? If not, then what? Thanks, Al

Terry, Saw the new pictures posted in the Featured Car section. It looks even better than before. Which wheels and tires did you go to? Again, great job!! Al

Myron, I missed that magazine issue. Can you scan the article in or tell me how I could get a back-issue? Thanks a lot, Al

Thank you very much - one and all. At least I know where to start now. Al

I'm getting ready to bond the fiberglass GTU style quarter panels on my Z. Before I do, can you guys suggest the best adhesive and proper procedure to use? Thank you, Al

Terry, Welcome! I'm just beginning to convert my '72 to a stroked 351 W. I couldn't open the web-site you mentioned. Am I doing something wrong? Al Keller