WizardBlack

I have an MS2 v3.0. I built it myself. I will say, however, that Haltech/MoTeC/AEM/Wolf3D have more features. That's the bottom line. It's a fact and you can't argue with it. Does MS work? Heck yeah. It's really a difference of bells and whistles. To the OP, if you are concerned about installing a standalone, you sure as heck don't wanna try to MAKE one. Buy a Megasquirt from diyautotune. Either MS2 or Haltech are gonna be about the same difficulty to install. The simplified interface of the MS2 will make it a tad easier to tune when you first jump into the software.

LOL never show that you know what you are after or that it's anything special. They always jack the price up. Just go out and grab it and leave the wires rough-cut. Heck, smear a bit of mud on the box. LOL To answer your question, the PIP/SAW is how EDIS and MS trade sync and timing info. I am almost certain that the mount tab needs to be grounded. Likewise, you are using shielded wire for PIP and SAW, yes? Not just a ground wire running next to it, but multistrand shield wiring completely covering the signal wire with the foil covering as well? Regular wire won't work.

I finally got the dash covered in Upholstery Grade Alcantara. It has a bit of backing to give the Alcantara some more thickness. Alcantara by itself is pretty thin and soft; flexible like silk I suppose. The upholstery backing also gives you something to bite into with adhesive, etc. The colour is a bit off in the images, it's not as green as it shows but it's somewhat like the blue in the forum menu bars, etc. The spray can adhesive works pretty well. Just give it a good 3 coats and lay it on there. You can't really get it back off if you press it down. Be aware that the adhesive comes out like spider webs; very strandy. Likewise, be careful not to stretch the Alcantara as you apply it because it has a flexibility factor and you can end up with some wrinkles if you aren't careful. I am debating whether or not to add endplates now. I kinda prefer the visibility (with the doors open) to access the stuff behind the dash. Everyone loves the dash. It adds a lot to the interior and goes well with the silver bezels on the Autometer gauges and even the orange of the Butterscotch door panels (soon to be replaced with aluminum and Alcantara) and the wood grain of the shift knob.

Great job! Ever think about getting a piece of plexi or something even more scratch resistant to replace the OE glass? Maybe take 'em out and use a plastic (or headlight) buffing kit to clean them up?

I have one slightly smaller than that, actually. I have long legs, etc. I look through the wheel to the gauges quite a bit, but it's better than constantly rubbing the steering wheel on my legs. Effort is decent but not terrible. It's a bit of a handful to completely turn lock-to-lock sitting still on smooth pavement. I also have 9" wide front tires, welded rear diff and 9.5" rear tires, so that's probably about worst case. Once you get up past 10 mph it's no issue.

Yeah, I've done that a bit with the swaybars. I did notice the lube they give you is very very viscous. I thought it a tad strange to use. As an update, I think the camber is ok, but it is definitely toed out. I suspect if the car was ever aligned, changing the TC rod bushings could easily affect the toe, so I'll just have to get that straightened out. On a side note, I have a metal-on-metal squeek coming from the left rear. I can replicate it just by leaning on the left rear, etc. I suspect my gland nuts weren't torqued well enough. I just had someone hold the strut assembly while I tightened them with a pipe wrench. Can the strut (or shock, whatever) shaft squeek on the ID of the gland nut hole? It sounds like a chipmunk with a power megaphone.

I got the car on the road some finally. It's not sinking ALL the way but it does keep working. The brakes work pretty well. Maybe I do just need the bigger MC. I'll letcha guys know when I get it on.

The surface that they intend to pivot is the outer edge of a steel sleeve/tube against the inner surface of hole in the poly bushing.

Uh, yeah... I really want the steel tube type of front LCA with tabs welded on for both swaybar and a new rod/clevis type of TC rod with a ball joint from another vehicle, but the manufacturers all make billet aluminum LCA's now. I dunno if that's for ease of manufacture or if there's a risk involved, etc.

If you aren't familiar with the stud welder method then I wouldn't try to teach yourself on an actual car. I'd stick to dry ice or paintless dent repair.

OK, I've been slowly tinkering with the car and whatnot. It starts and idles but I haven't done any road tuning. Most would probably think I'm procrastinating, but I've done this long enough to know to wait until I really feel like it's the right time. Anyways, it's already turned up a few good things. For one, I got my dash covered in blue alcantara. I hope to post images here shortly. It adds a LOT to the interior of the car. Likewise, while tinkering about and idling the car for a long time tuning in neutral, I got to check the heat soak condition of the car somewhat. It holds steady at 180* F max. I know it'll get hotter but I like to "season" everything before setting a hood on it and driving about. It's a good thing I did... If anyone installs a palnet (or equivalent) fuel rail, be SURE to shield the fuel line running to the front of the rail. If you run the rubber line alongside the rail itself, it will literally cook the line from the radiant heat of the turbo manifold. Mine had gotten so hot that (as the rubber relaxed) it was hanging an inch from the manifold. The line was hot enough to burn my fingers if I held onto it. Needless to say, I immediately shut it down and drove to Jeg's. I'm lucky as Summit Racing delivers next day from where I am (even if I order at 8PM at night) and Jeg's had three stores and a warehouse within an hour drive of me. The closest is 30 minutes. I bought some Fire Sleeve to cover the fuel line. I hope to get it installed in the next day or so and resume "tinkering" until I get the good feel that it's ready to thrash. I bought the big 1" stuff as I don't plan on having the N/A L28E in there forever and I'll need the stuff for dual -8AN fuel lines eventually.

Eww... OTOH, I thought a regional subforum would be nice for Z guys to get with local enthusiasts and post up events all the way down to small, impromptu get-togethers.

Dragonfly probably hasn't noticed that I have all poly bushings now. That'd totally make sense for rubber; particularly aged rubber. OTOH, I'd imagine it affects the preload. I came from a modern jap sportscar background and I gotta say I was scratching my head when I saw the poly bushing setup. Yeah, it'll take a lot to spin those inner sleeves. I also have poly T/C rod bushings (gonna replace the control arm setup sometime here) and I wonder if those don't put a heckuva bind as well. The entire suspension has lots of binding and stiction.

I have serious concerns about the validity of the results given the accuracy and precision of a typical auto pressure sensor. :-/

Nice job! Certainly a good post and nice pictures to match! Mine was stuck when I bought it, too. An alternative for someone without a dremel (or afraid their hands aren't steady enough) is to grab some 3M Wet-or-Dry 600 grit sandpaper and get it wet a bit and run back and forth across the slope (along the direction of the slope) while providing even pressure. It should also knock down imperfections and get it working well again. Let us know how it's running!

It's not a factory dash. I have an image of my 3.8 pound aluminum dash in the member's projects area. I just got it covered yesterday and have been installing gauges and switches today. I will probably have images up tomorrow with the alcantara on it. All you need is upholstery grade alcantara and spray adhesive such as what is used on a head liner. The dash was made with a metal brake, electric metal nibbler and an architect's square. Easy enough. I used a vice and some metal strips to bend the edges for reinforcement. It would probably hold 25 pounds without even distorting much.

Yeah it was solid as we had agreed. It would go so far and then be pretty solid and stable no matter how hard you pressed on it. Now the next day, when you hit that same "solid" point, it slowly sinks down as it did before.

LOL I was just thinking the same thing... Is there any WORSE place to have your Z than in the ocean itself?

Xenon, no?

Moar piktures!!! I know it's a sad addiction, but... how much do they weigh?

LOL. BTW, I completely second his statement. I would add that, as you get older and continue to buy tools, go for Craftsman or equivalent. Autozone brand isn't terrible (I have some, too), but they will break. If Craftsman breaks or wears out, you get it replaced for free at any Sears outlet. Oh, and... :beatdeadh:beatdeadh

Well you said it yourself. You don't think it's holding you back. Get some info on pressure drop. The biggest thing I look at as far as the core at it's limit is to datalog a couple hard pulls from zero to triple digits and watch the air temps - post IC.

Got the info. Thank you.

The harnesses probably come with "destructions" and warnings on the proper way to mount them. I know G-Force, Takata and Sparco does.