grumpyvette

I find that to be amazing, not so much due to the intake change but to have that consistancy over that time period (11 months) REGUARDLESS of the intake swap, and Id bet theres MORE potential left in the T-ram combo

if you read carefully , the post above, youll see I said if the ideal lash is .016 you use a .019 tappet gauge and once adjusted with the clicking at idle method, you turn in the center set screw and then turn in the poly lock about 1/10 turn further to lock it firmly thus you have very close to the desired .016 lash as the threads generally move the rocker about .040 per full rotation., and youve remove all slack, preloading the threads a bit, keep in mind the exact clearance, being a thousanth off or exactly correct is not as critical as being consistant

ID SERIOUSLY DOUBT IT, THEIR, THERE TO GIVE YOU A EXAMPLE, of a good header, not a specific part number, naturally anytime anyone posts parts list you need to check if the parts fit YOUR specific application Ill POST a (EXAMPLE ONLY) on that list like I should have earlier (GOOD CATCH,) hey I didn,t think anyone might even, for a second,think a corvette header could be used on a (Z) BTW THATS A slightly radical street strip combo but it makes killer power when (IDEALLY MATCHED TOO,) with a light car, a 3.90:1-4.11:1 rear gear and a manual transmission, theres a couple camaros and novas that weight 400lbs-800lbs more than a (z) running low 12s and mid 11s with that combo

Ill assume youve verified the rockers and cam & lifters and valve train are in good condition theres no worn cam lobes etc, and you know your clearances are correct before you start, once adjusted correctly poly locks don,t generally come loose and in most cases solid lifter flat tappet cams only need ocasional adjustments, by occasional Id say it depends on the components but several THOUSAND miles between adjustments at the MINIMUM and Ive seen lots of flat tappet engines go 10K between adjustmens or even more. ok , now IM old school but I get excellent results and Im not big on making things complicated, back off the rockers at idle till they click, slip a tappet feeler gauge of about .002-.003 larger than the manufacturers recommended lash, http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=WMR%2DW130C&N=700+115&autoview=sku (btw tappet gauges are cheap and expendable and its comon to have them bend and need replacement) between the rocker and valve stem and tighten carefully till the clicking stops with the poly lock then lock the set screw, once your done with all 16 , go back and give each poly lock about a 1/10-1/8 turn tighter, to lock the set screws firmly,(this takes up the slight exta clearance and locks the poly locks firmly) keep in mind the rockers wont move in that far as slack in the threads is being compensated for as the nuts lock to the studs and compress the lock screw

I recently read two seperate threads about guys having machine work done on engine blocks and in both cases, after a good deal of cash changed hands defects in the blocks were found that made thier use in a high performance application, impossiable, in one the cylinder walls were really way to thin even thought the block appeared to be in great shape, in the other there were micro cracks in the main webs.....heres the sad part, in both cases the shops said the owners took the parts, and stated they would re-coupe much of their machine work cost by dumping the blocks on EBAY or craigs list. On a differant thread a crank was machined for a differant damper retention thread size,because the orriginal threads stripped out. The machinest broke off a drill bit tip deep into the crank snout, durring the repair, same deal.....on its way to resale to un-suspecting buyers. The point here, is that this crap goes on all the time, ebay has become a dumping place for crap that would be generally un-saleable elseware or locally so Don,t assume things are as described.

, and a DANA 60 has a 9.75" ring gear, you can just about drop a 10 bolt rears gears thru a dana 60 set approximate differance in component size...heres the u-joints

in ANY supercharged or high rpm combo youll be much better off with FORGED 2618 alloy pistons, hypereutectic pistons work great in low stress conditions but detonation ,heat, and high stress tend to damage them far faster than forged designs,detonation ,heat, and high stress and lack of cooling lube will kill any piston but forged designs tend to run for longer under the abuse before problems arise

http://s2nd.com/convert-eighth-quarter-mile-time-calculator/ 7.1 in the 1/8th is about 11.0 in the 1/4 mile

http://www.pitstopusa.com/detail.aspx?ID=8726 morroso sells these,kits you can weld into your valve covers, thier used too connect two valve covers at the front of the engine,and the location prevents a good deal of oil from reaching the breathers, Ive seen guys weld up their own custom version using 1" EMT conduit and have vertually nothing in cost if they have a welder and two tall sheet metal style valve covers, (a great reason to own a decent MIG or TIG)and weld in a washer inside each tube to act as a baffle, and then hook up the PVC to the vertical section and get very low oil flow into the PVC due mostly to both the distance and location on the front over the T-stat housing being far further up and forward reducing the oils tendency to flow to the PVC

the ford 9" and dana 60 rear were used for years in trucks and a few cars, theres still plenty out there in salvage yards and many are also reasonably priced typical results of 450hp, slicks and a 10 bolt rear differential http://www.youtube.com/user/MrMustangMan357 video of what happeneds when a 10 or 12 bolt chevy rear fails at the track ford 9" length info http://dfwmotorsport.com/Fairlane/9inchrearends.htm

the rocker stud failure could be the result of many things but lack of oil flow, that allows the rocker ball to pressure weld to the rocker and snap off the stud is certainly a comon one, it could certainly be a defective stud,and that appears to be the case here as theres no indication of extra heat and the break appears to be a stress crack, or its very unlikely but, too much spring pressure,could contribute to the failure. in some cases the pushrod was clogged, the hole in the pushrod didn,t align with the hole in the rocker or the lifter was defective and was not pumping oil, but in some cases its not paying attention when the valves are adjusted, and getting the rocker adjustment nut, too tight, because that limits the oil flow rates , up the pushrod, and the lifter preload is pushed too far, or clearance issues are certainly suspect from the arp web site Recognizing Common Failures There are six types of metallurgical failures that affect fasteners. Each type has unique identifying physical characteristics. The following examples are designed to be used like a spark plug reading chart to help analyze fastener failures. While few of us have access to sophisticated analysis equipment, a standard Bausch and Lomb three lens magnifying glass will generally show 98% of what we want to see. Several of the photos below have been taken utilizing a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and are presented to simply illustrate typical grain configurations after failure. . Cyclic fatigue failure originated by hydrogen embrittlement. Some of the high strength “quench and temper†steel alloys used in fastener manufacture are subject to “hydrogen embrittlement.†L-19, H-11, 300M, Aeromet 100 and other similar alloys popular in drag racing, are particularly susceptible and extreme care must be exercised in manufacture. The spot on the first photo is typical of the origin of this type of failure. The second is a SEM photo at 30X magnification. more info http://www.arp-bolts.com/Tech/TechWhy.html 5. Cyclic fatigue cracks propagated from a rust pit (stress corrosion) Again, many of the high strength steel alloys are susceptible to stress corrosion. The photos illustrate such a failure. The first picture is a digital photo with an arrow pointing to the double origin of the fatigue cracks. The second photograph at 30X magnification shows a third arrow pointing to the juncture of the cracks propagating from the rust pits. L-19, H-11, 300M and Aeromet 100, are particularly susceptible to stress corrosion and must be kept well oiled and never exposed to moisture including sweat. Inconel 718, ARP 3.5 and Custom age 625+ are immune to both hydrogen embrittlement and stress corrosion.

old lift thread http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=98&p=943#p943

good advice above! yeah! IM a TOOL JUNKIE! and IM sure like most guys your nearly broke all the time, well, Im always broke due to the fact theres always TOOLS I NEED, these http://kwiklift.com/commercial.htm are easily moved too and used on a drive way, and your certainly not the first guy with limited room that needs to work in a drive way. Ive prefered too use 4-to-6 12 ton jack stands, in most cases due to a limited budget, mostly, as I was saving for a real lift, and Ive used a creeper on a level concrete floor, and the 12 ton jack stands,and having two 3 ton floor jacks is the prefered method of getting the car up to height...AFTER driving up on two quality ramps to get the necessary clearance for the floor jacks, if you need the car frame exactly level use a combo of the adjustments on the jack stands and several sheets of 2ft x 2ft sq plywood slipped under the jack stand bases to get the exact height necessary OR MY LIFT. while IM under the car ! http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=34924 theres easily 20"-22" of space or more under the frame and even though Im on the older/heavy edge of the average with the 12 ton jack stands, I found thats enought space the lift of course is even better for some things, but you would be surprised at the number of times the jackstands and creeper still get used, and how for some applications they are even prefered

If youve ever wondered why the air/fuel ratio changes when the ignition timing changes at times,its not unusual,but its NOT exactly the IGNITION TIMING CHANGE, but the resulting differance in manifold vacuum readings ,that changed the air fuel ratio, because carbs flow fuel in direct responce to changes in the vacuum in the carbs venturies http://www.centuryperformance.com/tuning-with-a-vacuum-gauge-spg-148.html http://www.centuryperformance.com/ignition-and-timing-settings-spg-219.html http://victorylibrary.com/mopar/cam-tech.htm http://victorylibrary.com/mopar/intake-tech-c.htm

http://www.geocities.com/z_design_studio/transmission_300zx_tt.html works fine but it takes some time to fully load up, change the gear ratios and watch the red lines move possition then put your cursor in the box and you should see the rpms change as it moves around, its not giving set answers but rpm bands and speeds in gear

http://www.geocities.com/z_design_studio/transmission_300zx_tt.html http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/bvillecar/bville-spreadsheet-index.html these are the two most useful

If your starting with nothing, Id suggest finding and using an LS1 corvette wreck as the base car you salvage from. BOTH ENGINES CAN REACH YOUR GOAL,but what youll have once its complete is differant. While its true the ls1 engines cost more and are more difficult to locate and match up to a conventional trans lay out in the early (Z) and motor mounts oil pans etc cost more, the 400 rear wheel hp part and lighter weight make it a better but probably more expensive choice here. getting 400 rear wheel hp from an lt1 is more difficult than from a ls1 in decent condition. Yes I think the cost differance favors the LT1 but if your serious about the 400 rwhp (thats close to 500 flwhp) and a lighter weight engine, I think the LS1 has the slight advantage theres pictures in this thread, of an LT1 http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=140805

http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WD&Product_Code=907335 if your limiting your work to stuff like floor pans, fenders and exhaust systems theres no reason this 110 volt mig won,t work reasonably well but ID consider this 220volt mig the minimal over all shop welder http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WD&Product_Code=907312 and an oxy-acetolene torch, is an option that can do a great deal in skilled hands (youll need to rent tanks) http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WD&Product_Code=MD-510T

BTW the question of which auto darkening welding helmet comes up frequently so, Ive got 4 auto darkening hoods now, but I use the cheap a$$ harbor freight hood more and more for two reasons, first it works flawlessly, and second if I screw it up with welding splater Im out something less than $50 so its no big deal to weld overhead or get a bit careless with it, and I can save my $340 hood to impress guys while it hangs on the welder cart, as its not significantly better in any function but snob appeal, and while it looks great,its not much better in function, in my opinion in fact Ill buy a second spare for the shop,next time I drive bye HF http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=46092 http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=94336 might as well get a couple of these also while your there http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94128 http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=98704

it varried by year but most were between 9.3:1----9.7:1 example 88 IROC-Z A4 L98 V8 9.3:1 5.7 (350) 91 Z28 A4 L98 V8 9.7:1 5.7 (350)

connecting rods and rod bolts are under a high stress, levels, if your going to buy cheaper non-brand name rods your taking a greater chance on having a part not meet minimal specs and strenght levels than the better brand rods and ARP rod bolts, but that doesn,t mean the rods are necessarly bad or not a good deal. Ive used several OFF brand rods, in builds but I INSIST the guys supplying the parts for those builds use 4340 steel rods with 7/16" ARP rod bolts SCAT , EAGLE and CAT parts have all proven to function http://www.scatenterprises.com/ http://www.survivalmotorsports.com/ http://www.adperformance.com/ http://www.dougherbert.com/

if its been sitting un-cared for, dissassemble it and refresh it before attempting to run it!

without even running the numbers I can tell you even the milder cams too large, even ported those corvette heads become a restriction to air flow rates at about 6000rpm with that intake, youll want a cam thats in the 240 durration range, going much larger with the cam durration in that combo will only kill low & mid rpm power, especially if you stick with a flat tappet hydraulic cam thats probably going into valve control issues at about 6300rpm something like this crower roller cam with 1.6:1 ratio roller rockers will maximize the combo http://users.erols.com/srweiss/tablehdc.htm http://crower.com/misc/cam_spec/cam_finder.php?part_num=00423&x=40&y=11 http://www.compcams.com/Camquest/default.asp comp cams is now offering a free cam selection software,THIS IS A USEFUL TOOL, this is useful in seeing the lift/duration/LCA they suggest for your application, in most cases they get fairly close so its a tool thats useful, now you don,t necessarily need to buy a COMP CAM but a cam with a similar lift/duration/LCA from your favorite manufacturer probably should be fairly close to whats recommended willing to spend a few bucks ,want far more detailed results and a program requireing FAR more detailed input?? http://www.auto-ware.com/software/eap/eap.htm but Ill tell your with almost zero chance of being proven wrong that the combo you listed will give up more low and upper rpm power than it can gain with a larger cam like you listed than the crower cam I listed, or something similar, if its matched to the listed components, and youll need too check your springs and clearances ,if you want to spin it up and make significantly more hp? you need much better heads like AFR 210cc and better headers and a single plane intake, like a weiand /Holley 300-110 and even then the gains over the crower cam listed will be minor at best, because the better heads and intake will boost that cams efficiency[/b]

One little known bit of engine trivia, the thread pitch on the rocker studs is a known value, and therefore you can use that info to get a close approximate lash clearance. THAT INFO IS GOOD TO KNOW WITH SOLID LIFTERS ok, HOW you ask? If the rocker studs have a comon NF thread theres a pitch or number of threads per inch, now obviously youll need to carefully verify what the thread pitch, and what the clearances are with a feeler gauge on your engine, while its not running and take into account the rocker ratio but lets assume 3/8" 24 Threads Per Inch 7/16" 20 Threads Per Inch from that info you can adjust the rockers remarkably close to thier correct lash value, in a similar manor too that used for hydraulic lifters , but instead of adding preload by running the rocker nut in slowly just to the point the lifter stops clicking at idle, then adding a 1/2 turn to add preload, you run the rocker in slowly at idle just to the point it stops clicking and BACK IT OUT the approximate lash distance, using the known thread pitch as a guide. lets say the lash should be .016-.018 youve got a 3/8" stud with 24 threads per inch, with a bit of math we find that each full rotation of the rocker nut advances or reverses the nut .041 time 1.5 (or your rocker ratio),per inch, so youll get the approximate lash with backing the nut off about 2/5ths of a full turn, or a bit less than 1/2 turn but more than 3/4rs of a 1/2 turn naturally youll have verified exactly what your engine requires before doing this, so youve got the correct math and value yeah! I know your thinking its not exact! well from YEARS of doing it I can tell you that after awhile youll get a feel for the engines sound and responce and youll find that you can get very good results this infos very handy with self alighing rockers that make setting lash with a feeler gauge a P.I.T.A.

thanks for posting that good info