Drax240z

You can still get these new? Anyone have a part number or source?

These will only move about 10° or so, not freely rotate. It's more that they are loose, and I worry about the joint being too loose for there to be enough pressure at the oil holes.

Work has been insane lately, so this stuff isn't getting as much attention as I'd like, but I am still getting a bit of work done today prepping the block... Casting Flash Before: Casting Flash After:

I just got a cam spray bar in the mail for my build, and I am concerned that I have a couple broken brazes... Can anyone confirm for me that the tubes with the oil spray holes in them should/shouldn't be able to rotate ~10° at the joint pictured?

Couldn't agree more... an individual manometer for each cylinder is the only way to go, once you do that you'll never go back to uni-syns or the like...

http://www.kodiakracingwheels.com/

I agree. LOL.

Some wiring goodies to clean things up a bit...

Some new parts... finally finishing off house reno's and able to spend some time on the engine. More to come tomorrow.

Well the turbo never shipped, and I told them to cancel the order. Not impressed with the customer service, so I'm going to hold off for a little bit before ordering. Did get some other goodies though, pics very soon!

If you haven't already, replace your fuel filter. It's a cheap thing to do and should be done often. These cars have a tenancy to rust the gas tank. However, given that it never sounds smooth, it really sounds like a timing issue to me. Check your timing, check that you have all wires to the correct cylinders, and that your wires are in good condition.

Thanks guys. I think I am more annoyed at the way the deal went than I am concerned about the parts. The seller is not offering anything as far as refund, or even accepting any fault, instead appointing the fault to me. There are some other issues there, but I will pursue things with him before any of the specifics go public, as it seems others on the board have purchsed from him without issue. Given the effort taken to package and ship, I don't think there was malicious intent either. BRAAP, I have no problem with doing that work, I just need to commit myself that I need to do it and that I am going to use these rods and pistons rather than try to refund/return.

I recently purchased some Z engine parts for my engine rebuild. They were advertised as used parts, with poor quality photos, but the seller spoke well of all of them. I asked for some better photos, never received them, but based on our numerous conversations I decided it wasn't worth pursuing in detail. Needless to say when the parts showed up they were damaged, and the damage was not from shipping. (they were well packaged by the seller and protected in shipping) I have a bit of a beef, because I expected good used parts, and that's what our conversations centered around. I ended up with damaged used parts, which wasn't what we discussed, nor what I had in mind for my build. Some of the damage is relatively minor, some I think is borderline. All of the damage looks to me like sloppy handling, packaging, or assembly. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the extent of the damage and whether you think damage goes hand in hand with used engine parts or not. After contacting the seller he was pretty offended, and said that he received the parts from reputable businesses in this condition and that I should accept them because that's the condition he purchased from these reputable sources in. I believe the worst part to be the damage between the rod and the cap, which won't let the bearing sit correctly. I will have to file down the bump, but it's not an area I am happy about needing to remove material from.

Get a 2.5" crush bent or 2.25" mandrel bent system made, with a muffler and you'll be happy. Straight pipes are not ideal at all on any car, street or race. (most tracks have noise restrictions)

Based on a little "research" I have done recently, I am going to be running the 'A' cam on my turbo setup once it goes together this spring. I'm hoping to extend the powerband a little bit on the top end, and certainly will provide feedback to these forums once I have it together.

Great stuff Austin, your car is really something to be proud of! PS: I think it sounds awesome as is.

Or a 4 cylinder, depending where you look.

Just a question, what tire size are you using? They look quite small to me, I am guessing 205/50R15's? You might want to consider 225/50R15's as another option.

Not every post on hybridz need to be based on fact, direct experience, or something underway. If that were the case we would be stifling innovation here, and innovation is something that this site promotes whole heartily. When it comes to people with years and years of experience in the automotive world, and specifically with Z's, their experience does give them some ability to theorize accurately about the subject matter without having actually done the work themselves. "Knowledge" I believe it's called. Once you spend some time on this site reading, rather than spouting off about nothing, you'll realize there is a large group of members here who have a staggering amount of experience with all facets of car building. TonyD is certainly someone I would consider to fit into that group, and he shouldn't need to post his qualifications to make such statements each and every time, instead it should be up to you. Before you get on your high horse and flame a long standing member, you'd be wise to check a little of their history out on this board, and educate yourself with their postings demonstrating their good judgement, sound reasoning and extensive experience. Be thankful I'm not an admin here. I would advise that you take a cool-it pill and try reading rather than posting for a while however. ----------------------------- Let's go back to Derek's super-duper work, shall we?

Suspension... though keep in mind that a leaky exhaust system can do more harm than just being loud. However, given the Z fumes in cabin issue, I'm going to guess it's not much worse with an exhaust leak. A decent suspension will transform the car like you wouldn't believe.

Define "direct swap"... If you are talking purely bolt in, L-series is all that I know of, though you can buy aftermarket mounts for a few other engines, leaving you with lots of wiring and plumbing in most cases at a minimum.

Cat is generally the biggest offender, they tend to plug up and be restrictive if they are getting on in age. The rest... pretty minimal gains IMHO.

I'm pretty happy with mine, $200 barely used, 3/4hp.

I was more concerned with cooling between the turbo and brake lines, master cylinder, etc.

yeah I just cut and plopped mine is, but I'd like to recess it flush with the hood, which will take a bit of mucking around.