Drax240z

Lookin good man... the stock rail sure is ugly! (I just ripped mine off a couple days ago) How much did the adjustable FPR run?

Think about this: If 1 in 1,000,000,000 stars had a planet around it like ours, and 1 in 1,000,000,000 of those had sentient life, there would be millions of civilizations out there...

Maybe it is just the angle of the dash that doesn't cause glare? I always figured this would be an issue with a glossy dash... maybe I'm wrong. Sawzall... hehe. The Dan Juday brute force method of interior customization! I would very seriously like another dash mounted gauge however... hmmmmmm.

I'm a bit confused Dan... (what else is new) And of course the extra gauge pod (a nice feature) in the center. How does that fit over a stock dash with 4 pods instead of 3, and have the same spacing? Or is the 4th one just inserted to the left of the stock trio? I'm pretty sure there is going to be some serious glare off the top of that... do you have any plans for a matte finish of some sort? That's going to look just sick inside of a Z.

Best bet is to check out http://www.sdsefi.com/prices.html I am using this system on my Z, and I am very pleased with it. You would need to either get your sensors from SDS, or pick up the necessary GM sensors yourself. (which would likely save you money) The group deal includes the cost of the unit being shipped to you. This group buy/discount works for any of the units, be it for 4, 6 or 8 cylinders and in any combination of units, with any options. SDS gives me 25% off if I get 10 units, and will only ship to one destination. (in this case, my shop) The 5% discrepancy is to cover my costs to ship the units to each individual person. (hence the 20% discount) If we don't get 10 units, I can still work out some other discount, 10-15%.

40' x 60' with a 2nd floor mezzanine/office area and still too bloody small... But back to the origional question, I would say that you are probably best to maximize the volume and not worry too much about the shape. (within reason) So I guess 24x40 over 30x30.

Speaking of plug gap, what are you guys getting away with for spark plug gap? I had a few issues that seemed to be cleared up by lowering the gap, now I am hearing that 0.020"-0.028" is probably the range to be in for a boosted engine. Can anyone confirm?

Getting a whole bunch of stuff this winter... Polished Intake Big NPR instead of small Paint Lots of engine cleanup/rewiring Walbro pump Aluminum fuel rail Z31 throttle pedal New IC Piping Likely suspension & brakes will be addressed too if the money holds. (coilovers, illuminas, vented fronts, rear disk, 16x8" RX7 wheels, tires... I've gathered 80% of the parts so far)

Sweet... an AE86 outrunning a skyline. Great movie.

OK, I'm in now.... winter mods finally starting.

1 to change the light bulb and to post that the light bulb has been changed 14 to share similar experiences of changing light bulbs and how the light bulb could have been changed differently 7 to caution about the dangers of changing light bulbs 10 to point out spelling/grammar errors in posts about changing light bulbs 5 to flame the spell checkers 3 to correct spelling/grammar flames 6 to argue over whether it's "lightbulb" or "light bulb" ... another 6 to condemn those 6 as purists 2 industry professionals to inform the group that the proper term is "lamp" 15 know-it-alls who claim they were in the industry, and that "light bulb" is perfectly correct 19 to post that this forum is not about light bulbs and to please take this discussion to a lightbulb forum 11 to defend the posting to this forum saying that we all use light bulbs and therefore the posts are relevant to this forum 36 to debate which method of changing light bulbs is superior, where to buy the best light bulbs, what brand of light bulbs work best for this technique and what brands are faulty 7 to post URL's where one can see examples of different light bulbs 4 to post that the URL's were posted incorrectly and then post the corrected URL's 3 to post about links they found from the URL's that are relevant to this group which makes light bulbs relevant to this group 13 to link all posts to date, quote them in their entirety including all headers and signatures, and add "Me too" 5 to post to the group that they will no longer post because they cannot handle the light bulb controversy 4 to say "didn't we go through this already a short time ago?" 13 to say "do a search on light bulbs before posting questions about light bulbs" 1 forum lurker to respond to the original post 6 months from now and start it all over again.

Hmm, I kindof like it.

If by 'racecars' you mean dragcars then ok, but I sure don't see many road racers running out to install a solid axle!

Just going to jump in a sec to clarify. The above statement is only partially true. If we are talking carb's, then it is important to have turbulance in the intake in order to keep the fuel suspended in the air/fuel mixture. As soon as laminar flow develops, the fuel tends to coagulate and forms puddles. So very often manufacturers leave a rough casting on the inside of an intake to promote turbulant flow... but only when it is designed for a "carb" or something like TPI where the fuel is travelling through the intake. However, in a direct injection, or multi-port injection model, the fuel spends zero time travelling through the intake, it is injected into the engine or directly at the valve back. In this case, it is desireable to have a smooth/polished intake in order to achieve a maximum air velocity. EFI engines still 'swirl' air entering the combustion chamber, but this is done with the valve placement in the cylinder, as well as the piston dome design, and/or head shape. Swirl and turbulance aren't the same, but they are often confused.

Considering the independant suspension: Pro's: - better grip on uneven surfaces - car is allready setup for it Con's: - easier to get limited slips and lower gears for solid axles I'd choose an independant over solid 99 times out of 100 for a car that will see street duty due to the first thing listed.

OK, I have to comment on the labour to fabricate intercooler piping. First off, I haven't seen any pictures of the quality of work, or the finish, I would expect it is top notch. I've done intercooler piping now for quite a few cars. The last customer I did some for was an SR20DET conversion, using a starion intercooler. I charged him for 6 hours labour. It took me closer to 12 but I was cutting the kid a break, and also undercharging because I didn't have all the tools necessary to do the job quickly. (for instance, I was cutting piping with a hacksaw, rather than a bandsaw which would have saved quite a bit of time) In my opinion 10 hours is about right and will be what I would charge again for doing this. However, now it gets interesting. If he wanted all the welds ground smooth, and the pipes polished within an inch of their life, then I can see another 8-10 hours in labour to take it that far. The finished result should be seamless, perfect and polished, but I could concievably charge someone 20 hours to do their intercooler piping if it was done to that level. So I think that is a reasonable amount to pay for some quality pipes. It seems these guys have explained why the car feels slower sufficiently.

Yeah I guess I take it for granted how important the math skills are, having always had a real head for numbers... there is no doubt about it that an engineer is constantly crunching numbers, so you'd better like it or at least be good at it... On an aside, have you ever noticed how often people will reach for a calculator to do very simple math?

Tim, take the time to look up whatever camera you want on dpreview.com. I've been reading there for years, and comparing their reviews to my own reviews of digital cameras I have used. (~20 now) I really put camera's through their paces, and I've always found the dpreview site to be bang on in their reviews. They say the S5000 is an "average" value for your money, then don't get it. Look for something "recommended" or "highly recommended".... Yeah the feature set is relatively nice on the S5000, but there are some big drawbacks... ISO 800 isn't even available at high resolution. The CCD sensors aren't truely doubling the resolution... more like adding 33% or so in my experience. So this 3.1 sensor, while a CCD is equivalent quality to ~4.0MPix sensor from anyone else. Also don't concern yourself with a huge zoom. Considering 90% of your photography will be cars, family, etc. you won't need the zoom. Look for a bright lens with a reasonable zoom. (I'd try to find a lens that did at least 5X zoom, and had a F3.2 or less at full zoom) The S5000 accomplishes that, but so do many others. For your price range, I would highly recommend looking at a DSC-F717 by Sony. The DSC-F828 is on its way, and while it has a boatload more features, the F717 has a very complete feature set, is an incredible camera, and will be cheap since it is being discontinued. The low light autofocus and nightvision is exceptional, and this is something that I've found is really lacking on 95% of the digital cameras out there. (fast autofocus in low light) I'd imagine you could pick up a F717 for around $600 in the US. A not about the EOS Rebel 300D... I had one in my hands yesterday for a while, and all I can say is CHEEP! Well the plastic body of the camera didn't feel too bad actually, but that lens felt like garbage. I suppose you can't expect quality lenses for the price though. All in all I think the EOS 300D is a sweet camera and really changes the industry, but if you pick one up I'd look into getting a higher quality lens with it as well...

FSAE... but if that chance is passed you by... Well it's tough. But check out all the big company websites, they typically have their job listings online. Apply to everything and cross you fingers. I put out 150+ resumes this summer to racing teams, manufacturers, etc. and ony had a handful of informal interviews... It really helps to know someone on the inside. In fact, I'd go as far as saying it is a requirement. (knowing someone in the company) I certainly had much more luck when that was the case. Also if you are an engineer, make a point of listing your practical skills and experiences. That is what will make you stand out as an engineer. This was a suggestion made to me by a couple of Formula Atlantic teams. (kudo's to those teams that actually took the time to respond... which was very few) While my resume isn't the best, I'll post you a link anyway. It never hurts to see another reference. http://www.members.shaw.ca/drax77/CV%20-%20Richard%20Lewis.pdf

They should sell a universal kit... it'll come with ends and you crimp them on after cutting everything to the proper length.

Go with Magnacore... recommended by SDS.

That's what we call a rust free Z up here.... If you can still tell its a Z, then its rust free.

Well concentric is concentric... regardless of the means. I am curious to know what cars use hub-centric wheels rather than lug-centric? Seems to me that it would be cheaper and easier to make everything lug-centric from a manufacturing point of view.

Here are some basic numbers offered up by Visteon for FSAE comparing 1 pass and 2 pass radiators: Core Dimensions Predicted performance* number L[mm] H[mm] D[mm] FPDM 3m/s-core face air velocity 6m/s-core face air velocity (Length) (Height) (Depth) (Fins/dm) Q[kW] dPair[Pa] dpH2O[kPa] Q[kW] dPair[Pa] dpH2O[kPa] 1 267 210 26 75 8.04 83 3.7 12.61 250 3.7 2 267 232 26 75 8.78 83 3.5 13.63 250 3.5 3 267 255 26 75 9.48 83 3.3 14.58 250 3.3 4 330 255 26 75 11.71 84 3.5 17.73 250 3.5 5 330 277 26 75 12.52 84 3.3 18.73 250 3.3 6 330 300 26 75 13.29 84 3.2 19.63 250 3.2 7 267 237 36 75 10.48 122 1.8 16.27 335 1.8 8 267 259 36 75 11.24 122 1.6 17.15 335 1.6 9 267 280 36 63 11.41 96 1.4 16.48 267 1.4 10 267 302 36 63 12.01 96 1.2 17.12 267 1.2 11 330 204 36 75 11.51 124 2.7 17.94 339 2.7 12 330 226 36 63 11.92 98 2.3 17.54 270 2.3 13 330 248 36 63 12.81 98 2.0 18.57 270 2.0 14 330 270 36 63 13.63 98 1.7 19.45 270 1.7 * Notes: 1. Radiator type: 1-pass parallel flow. 2. Predicted performance was calculated with HXCTM (1D model) for smooth tube, tall fin radiators. 3. Inlet air temperature: 40oC 4. Inlet water temperature: 100oC 5. Coolant flowrate: 20 l/min Core Dimensions Predicted performance* number L[mm] H[mm] D[mm] FPDM 3m/s-core face air velocity 6m/s-core face air velocity (Length) (Height) (Depth) (Fins/dm) Q[kW] dPair[Pa] dpH2O[kPa] Q[kW] dPair[Pa] dpH2O[kPa] 1 267 210 26 75 8.24 83 10.9 13.19 250 10.9 2 267 232 26 75 9.08 83 9.4 14.50 250 9.4 3 267 255 26 75 9.91 83 8.3 15.74 250 8.3 4 330 255 26 75 12.27 84 9.5 19.22 252 9.5 5 330 277 26 75 13.24 84 8.5 20.61 251 8.5 6 330 300 26 75 14.19 84 7.6 21.93 251 7.7 7 267 237 36 75 10.98 122 10.4 17.90 338 10.5 8 267 259 36 75 11.91 123 8.9 19.24 338 8.9 9 267 280 36 63 12.25 97 7.7 18.72 270 7.7 10 267 302 36 63 13.09 97 6.7 19.85 270 6.7 11 330 204 36 75 11.93 125 16.6 19.33 342 16.6 12 330 226 36 63 12.49 98 13.7 19.11 272 13.8 13 330 248 36 63 13.57 98 11.6 20.60 272 11.6 14 330 270 36 63 14.63 98 10.0 22.01 271 10.0 * Notes: 1. Radiator type: 2-pass flow. 2. Predicted performance was calculated with HXCTM (1D model) for smooth tube, tall fin radiators. 3. Inlet air temperature: 40oC 4. Inlet water temperature: 100oC 5. Coolant flowrate: 20 l/min If anyone would like I can send them the excel file that lists this in some sort of legible format.

Thanks Gary. Not nuts exactly... I had heard stories of "the strutless wonder" in these parts before, but was told it was a VG30DETT powered car. I believe you have dispelled that myth for me. I can't claim much in the way of credit for the current VG/510 swap going on here except that it's my business partner doing it, and at the least we're bouncing the ideas off each other. The goal is a 300rwhp 4 door 510. Great info though Gary, do you take the car to many of the Northwest Datsun meets? (Shasta, Vancouver, Port Townsend?) Maybe next year I'll see the car in person.