MrFancypants

How did you bleed that setup? That corrugated hose looks like an air magnet. - Greg -

3/8" would be plenty. You could even probably get away with 5/16". 1/2" would be total overkill. This idea is a really great idea, by the way! Very resourceful! - Greg -

Thats a hyped up statement too. We have hundreds of years of world oil reserves. Fort McMurray Alberta alone has over 100 years of known reserves. Once you add in the undiscovered oil, we're not running out of fossil fuels any time soon. Not saying electric cars are a bad idea, but I don't really buy into the hybrid thing. Once battery technology improves to the point you can run 300 miles on a rapid charge (< 15 min), hybrids will be obsolete. The real solution is to move away from IC engines altogether. Just to whet your whistle for now, check these bad boys out: http://www.teslamotors.com/index.php - Greg -

Yep, me too. I will procrastinate on this one until the motor is out, that's for sure. Do a quick search on battery trays and you'll find a thread on lowering the battery tray at the same time. Helps with CG and all that good stuff. - Greg -

Wish they left the whole "mining bashing" crap alone. Everything in a car comes from a mine, Prius or not. The damage from the superstacks in Sudbury was done decades ago before regulations and better scrubbing technology evolved. But it sounds better when you get the wankers at Greenpeace involved, I guess. Shipping nickel around the world and back also assumes all the nickel in all the batteries comes from the same mine, which it doesnt. But it adds to the shock value that keeps readers reading. The total cost of ownership and the misleading mpg figures was the valuable part, though. I was surprised they didnt mention battery disposal as an environmental impact. In either case the final point is good... "let's be green" is just selling Toyotas, it's not saving the environment. - Greg -

On my last car I sealed the IC to the AC condenser using 2"x2" air conditioner foam weather stripping (from HD). It stuffed nicely in the gap and compressed down to make a very good seal. I also used it to seal the radiator to the condenser. - Greg -

Prepare to be... scared. If youre ready to buy I think you may come home with a new car this weekend. The powerband on the Z06 is just plain insane, and I think it would take more than 5-7K to get a 350Z to its level. - Greg -

Ok.. next question.. Im not too impressed with the universal brake clamp options out there. Does anyone know of a source for the stock rubber clamps? Something in polyurethane would be best and I could get the metal brackets powdercoated. Has anyone cast their own clamps out of polyurethane (e.g. McMaster Carr stuff)?? - Greg -

Two really important things before you take on any car project without experience: 1. Space 2. Time I could add Continuum but that isnt the same conversation. The Space thing is important... make sure you have room to work. Personally I dont think a single bay garage or a driveway is enough space. You need a place where you can tear stuff down and not worry about having to get it all back together and moved aside because the space is needed for something else. Time is crucial because if youre under the gun to finish something (say it's your daily driver, for example) you will add so much stress to the work that it won't be nearly as much fun. Having the flexibility to put the project on hold when other priorities come up is really important to keeping yourself motivated. Of course you should still set some general time goals so you dont procrastinate, slack off or simply avoid completing your project. You'll also ALWAYS miss a part or two -- time crunches can kill you when you dont have EVERYTHING on hand. Ive done a lot of car modification when I didnt have the luxury of the two things I just listed, and the stress just plain sucked. Make sure you set yourself up for success and you'll learn something while enjoying yourself at the same time. Very good point about the mentor... If you're just getting into working on cars, a motor swap is probably biting off more than you can chew just yet. Gotta learn to crawl before you can walk. - Greg -

~6000 RPM redline, high compression (9.7:1 according to a web search) make it not a very good choice. It's basically just a torquier VQ35, at the expense of horsepower obviously. The block must be overbored so it would be even weaker. They can't be cheap, either. Just go V8 if youre not gonna go inline. - Greg -

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=EAR%2D967108ERL&N=700+115&autoview=sku - Greg -

Your insurance premiums won't go up if the other driver is at fault. Your insurance doesnt want to pay the other driver. I see no reason not to involve your insurance company. Do you have a copy of the police report? Did the other driver get cited? Totally sounds like a scare tactic. Your insurance company probably has much better lawyers than you can afford, and they come free with your annual membership - Greg -

Decided to do the flaring myself. Here's the tool I got, Ridgid 377 ($97 shipped at Toolup.com): http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/458R-Ratchet-Flaring-Tool/. Very nice tool that has a ratcheting mechanism to prevent overtightening and also burnishes the flare. All the AN fittings, SS line w/ steel tube nuts will run me around $100. SS braided lines on all four corners will run me another ~$75-100. No more IF fittings for me! The CN stuff looks good but it's pretty pricey, and SS lines shine up real nice *BLING!* $225 does seem like a decent price but my final setup will be quite custom. It's difficult to build a line kit that works for everyone. - Greg -

Amazing pics. I wouldnt say stock flywheel machining is bad across the board. It's a combination of how much you take off, what kind of power youre putting through it, and what kind of clutch you use. Pretty clear that guy went overboard in one or more of those. - Greg -

When they changed to the 280Z style (mid 260Z model year), the door panels changed from having an armrest and a strap (four point mounting) to an armrest with integrated handle (3 point mounting). I would bet the door lock, window and door handle holes are in the same location, though. Im not sure if the backing board is marked for both hole configurations -- if it is then it would just be a case of making it with no armrest/handle holes and having markings to drill your own, as was already suggested. - Greg -

I've been thinking about installing a start/stop button into my 260Z since the ignition is pretty worn out. From what I saw in your writeup, it sounds like you still need the key to set the car in OFF-ACC-ON mode before the button will do anything. Our G35 seems to work around this with the Intelligent Key -- Im assuming the Altima is the same. Have you thought about adding that? Probably considerably more expensive but would do away with the key ignition entirely. Another idea would be a simple 3-position switch that would only work if the alarm system was disarmed (i.e. no key). On a side note, my fiancee saw this picture in your post and said it looked just like a : Now THERE's a business opportunity for every man in America, not just Z enthusiasts Welcome to the forum... I think hybridiZation includes electronics too. - Greg -

Thats one sexy car but DAYAMN that's a nice air compressor!! Did I read those sidewalls right that those are 275-40R18 tires? Almost 27" dia tire seems HUUUGE but doesnt look gigantic on the car. Oh and the hood is gorgeous too -- very clean fiber pattern. - Greg -

Your local NISSAN dealer should also have them. Im surprised they didnt have them at AutoZone actually. - Greg -

I can send you my late 260Z panels. I need to recover them anyway. That won't help 240 owners though. - Greg -

If it doesnt work for your ZX, let me know since it will definitely fit in my 260Z - Greg -

HawaiiZ - Search ya lazy bastard J/K.. I had the same exact question a couple months ago and can tell you they are interchangeable. At first, I was scratching my head just like you! - Greg -

So after some price quoting, all stainless steel is not going to happen. #3 JIC stainless steel bulkhead fittings are over $70/EA Compare that to steel fittings at around $3/EA and you can see my concern! The tube nuts and sleeves for hard line aren't particularly cheap either. It will run me roughly $13 per tube end (parts and labor). Steel tube ends will be more like $5 per tube end. For me the important thing to keep stainless is the line itself. Is there any potential issue with using 0.028 seamless SS line with a steel tube nut/sleeve and steel fittings? - Greg -

Four wheel car on two wheels Show or Go?

I checked out all the fittings on Superlites and my prop valve and they are 1/8 NPT (3/16" ID). The outlets on my MC actually look a hair smaller than 3/16" ID. I was thinking of maybe going -4 from each outlet on the MC and then switching to -3 at the F/R tees, but I dont think it will really accomplish much. I looked at my '05 Frontier and it has 1/4" lines between the MC and ABS box, but then switches to 3/16" on the outlet side to the calipers. Thanks guys! - Greg -

Discount Tire. - Greg -