Daeron

i saw bumper rubber.. if you can find someon that WANTS it thats some change right there. terribly saddening about the loss, though.. flame me all you want, there's a part of me that dies with every 70's Z that gets rusted, crushed, crashed, or slashed into oblivion.

actually, tony, that was great! I knew just enough about it going in to grab what you were getting at. Would it be too obscure to say that it is world linguistic difficulties and stresses such as these that lead to.. ..more bars, in more places?

So... in other words, your statement made me visualize the concept that was finally used. Crap, I wish I had drawn up a rough sketch to say "like this?" at the time! Bah, hindsight.

Over time, countless solder connections in the entire vehicle's wiring wind up being the primary points of random, background resistance that builds up with age. However, the copper itself is also potentially liable to corrosion. In short, (no pun intended) you could either... ..perform a series of meticulous and tedious continuity checks, and drive yourself crazy reading wiring diagrams just to make sure you know what should go where... ..just work with what you have, dovetail the new fuse box in, and do an empirical evaluation of the state of the wiring harness (how bright and even are the headlights? interior lights bright enough?) ..or you could go ahead and swap in the "Painless" wiring harness. In any case, a thorough visual inspection of the exposed bits of the harness will begin to tell a tale, if it has reached a critical state. So, take a look at it, and good luck with your decision. Time will tell; but be ware: putting off electrical issues for TOO long CAN result in FIRE! (click "fusible links blow" in my sig for a long, LONG story explaining one way how.)

nice photos! A compression and a leak-down test is always a nice, handy pair of diagnostic tests for any engine "when in doubt." A "wet" compression test is another step, but I would rather not explain the process as it is not one I have actually DONE, so I don't want to get anything wrong. It is a comparison to the dry numbers, to show potential ring wear if the compression number itself is low. The leakdown test is actually more useful than a compression test, in and of itself.. but the tools to do it are not in every toolbox. The leakdown tester needs compressed air, but a compression checker is cheap and requires nothing else to use but a battery and functioning starter on the engine.

Any air flow meter that reads the same values, at the same given "air flow," would fool the ECU into thinking it was a dead stock one. Had you measured the rate of resistance increase of the air flow meter that was on your car, and compared it to the values quoted in the manual procedure, you would have immediately known that the part was not reading the right range of resistance, and that it needed to be replaced. It may or may not have told you it was "the wrong one" but it would have told you it was the problem.

happy day to you! Are you making door skins from carbon, or what? I missed that memo... If so, that should be a valuable plug and mold! IIRC, the door SKINS are universal on all S30s, even 2+2s but I may well be mistaken. I know if they are, its about the only part that can be said of.

I hate to be a dick and say "that was my point exactly" but... well.... it sort of was. This EFI system is so simple that you NEED the book to walk you through it, because the book walk through takes, as Tony says, about an hour.... and you are DONE. You HAVE found your issue. without the book, you post a thread, fight it for a week, and ultimately solve your mystery through chance as much as anything else. Do me and yourself both a favor. Pretend you've never seen an L28E, and go read the first half of the book word for word. When it gets to specific testing, skim it so that you read the procedures, what to test, where.. but don't worry about pinouts and relative values of each instrument. Just what you are checking for (volts, ohms, milliohms, kilo ohms, etc) If you can do that and manage to translate what you read into an image of working on the car, then you WILL come away from this hour long read with 100 times more understanding of your car as you have now. Remember, I'm not trying to be an ass and say "If you'dve read the book you would have caught that right away!" I am trying to show you how much easier this trial could have been for you, and make future repairs & diagnoses, AND future upgrading and tuning a MUCH easier process for you. A mechanic who can't read his books is a recipe for disaster, sooner or later.

Quoted and re-posted for posterity because its OH so awesome of a quote....

I have to say I made my comment here before finishing the thread over there, and I too am impressed with the way the guy handled it. Seriously, thats impressive, and it indicates someone who is probably an awesome dude. but... reading that post, and realizing that he had NO CLUE it belonged in the coolant and not the oil.... UNTIL he made the post... ..its just so FUNNY!!

that post you linked to made me wonder what the point of telling that story was... just another "ohmygod, i cant believe i did that" embarassing story? thats all I could figure. Those boys are... strange. I can't tell if the "gay miata owner" humor is just humor, if a handful of them actually are gay, or if theyre ALL actually gay... its funny though. (for the record I love miatas, and i aint got no problems with them there homo types neither. Just can't figure out where some of those guys actually ARE on the spectrum...)

I would NEVER react in this manner to someone on my own forum, but since we are "behind his back"...... AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH HAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHHHAHAHAHA FRIGGIN PRICELESS!!!!!!

So if Maru means zero, then what does Kobayashi mean? Seriously, though.. is the "Maru" frequently used in maritime designation the same "maru" you speak of?

GOOD point. Thanks.

Sorry; I tried to keep it short, but I'm a long winded guy. In retrospect I guess I could have blunted the comment substantially without losing the impact I was going for. I stand corrected.

prox: I realized when I made the statement that by considering the stabiliziers so similar to vortex generators that it was somewhat ignoring the technical difference between VGs and the fins. My point was to draw a similarity in fact to the structures in question.. basically, fins inserted into the airstream used to divert/alter that flow. When OTM initially mentioned the VGs, I pictured exactly what was integrated into the box and not a fin with a profile like the aero VGs you see on the roof of the Lancers. The entire point goes to show the importance of vocabulary, not only in communication, but also in how important having the right term is when simply thinking and designing in your own head. I think OTM meant an idea more similar in profile to the finished design than the Lancer VG when he first mentioned it, but it got shot down for the definition of the term used. Its a semantic issue, and TOTALLY irrelevant to the topic at hand, but I feel its an important semantic issue and deserved attention; thats all. Regarding taking some sort of mold... I don't think a simple show of support/demand is necessarily hounding the man. No one has been that insistent about it, just enthusiastic

RedEvil: hypermiling is another term for a change in mindset that the American public needs to adopt, or risk being killed off like the dinosaurs. It is more than "just" trying to get better gas mileage, it is about reducing impact. I won't say any more, but anyone who thinks that this approach to automobiles is "just" anything needs to re-evaluate their worldview IMHO. Sean: Aftermarket EFI is NOT a "minimum $3k investment." Megasquirt can be purchased and set up on any engine for less than that, even if you are totally electronics-dumb and have to buy a fully assembled kit. $3K should be enough to get MS, Accurate Injection ITBs, a weber manifold, and anything else needed to install on an engine out of a 510 if you wanted to go so antique, and it is far faster than any of the 80's OEM systems of ANY stripe. That being the case, I am still stuck on the idea of grabbing an L-series or Z series 4 cylinder of choice. The longblock has proven its potential for economy. To get maximum MPG out of any engine you will need to be running the aftermarket EFI of your choice; some reading in the various subforums can acquaint you to the options you have and their relative cost, but I use MS as a baseline because it is by far the cheapest. Sequential injection seems to be an important point for you on this; I do not think MS can run more than two injector drivers (usually just run one on a Z but I may be wrong?) but if you ARE married to the thought of sequential injection then you either need a very recent engine with its OEM FI, or aftermarket engine management.... Recent engine w/ OEM sequential injection: Pros: Easy setup of longblock in running, economical configuration Cons: Find a transmission Find complete engine Mount the longblock L/Z-series four cylinder: Pros: Easy to mount Easy to find wide variety of gearing in any number of transmissions, established knowledge base on relative strength of various drivetrain components (thinking of possibly going with a lighter, 510 rear axle there) Basically, its virtually OE to the vehicle in many regards. Cons: Need weber intake manifold with ITB injection Need Aftermarket Engine management One of the old Nissan "cons" listed (EFI management) is a virtual requirement of ANY alternative engine, and any other alternative engine would come along with the same drivetrain and mounting cons as the "recent sequential injection" above. The other "con" of the L/Z series, the intake and injection hardware, is merely a cost factor. Are you up to throwing some coin on some toys for this? The cost would be offset by other savings and benefits listed in the "pros" that only a 70s-80s Nissan engine can afford you. I do think that a JDM RWD SR20 would be a great option. Many RWD 4-bangers would be just as good... but almost ALL of them (if I am not mistaken) were batch-fire injection from OE, which means that almost anything you put in a hypothetical hypermile Z would need aftermarket EMS. To me, that is the biggest objection against an old engine that only ever came carbureted.

Because he wanted to look cool in an electric car; plain and simple!! You list your location as Napa... I presume thats CA, and you have plenty of roads that you LOVE driving down spiritedly in your Z, with the windows down, wind in your hair, etc....... now, do something. Close your eyes, put yourself there with a rising or setting half-moon, zipping around the corners..... silently. Nothing but a whirr and tire noise, and the rest of Creation surrounding you. As addicted to exhaust note as I am, as connected to the machine as you feel when you hear it... I found myself picturing this scenario recently in two different state parks down here (one of which I plan on scattering my ashes in ultimately.. ie, my favorite place on earth) and the thought of NO exhaust note turned me on more than any exhaust note I could picture. (I say exhaust note, but I lump in valvetrain sound, intake voice, etc.. the entire sound of the engine.) Seriously, think about it. Doesn't THAT have an ENORMOUS appeal?

Maybe a slightly odd request.. but this build thread has been fairly informative, especially regarding the rod lightening and polishing methods mentioned earlier this week. Could you possibly use the thread to make any more brain-picking requests from Dragonfly, rather than private messages? That way the public gets to see any further enlightenment... The more widespread we make the good knowledge, the more powerful the search feature becomes. I am thinking to kind of counter the number of totally USELESS threads, yanno? Since I am already posting my request, I might as well make a suggestion.. Have you considered picking up a cam more matched to your carbs (didn't re read to see if you already had purchased the cam you plan on using) and then having the cam and carbs to sell as a matched set later down the road when you pick up 44s? IMHO, I've always preferred the look of triple Mikuni's to Webers or genuine solexes anyhow.. that is STRICTLY an aesthetic point, and it has everything to do with that logo in between the bodies... Silly, but I can't help it. Twin Mikuni 40's were offered as a performance option on the 2 liter roadsters, if I am not mistaken, so they've always seemed at home on a Z-car, where Webers are no more "at home" then they are on every other vehicle they fit so well on..... minimal difference, but hey, thats my two bits

None of the cars came from the factory with a sunroof. I imagine some dealers may have added them as options, but the "common wisdom" that I grew up with says that any aftermarket sunroof in a Z roof will eventually leak (something to do with both the flex from a unibody car, and the fact that the roof curves both from front-to-back and side to side.) For that reason to my old man (and therefore, to me until proven wrong) a car with a sunroof is not the greatest option... I would suggest trying to find a way to disconnect that light and any associated wiring from the power source. Since it IS non-factory, the closer you can get to where they tapped into the factory wiring, the better. Another reason I brought up the non-OEM aspect of the sunroof is to point out that they are NOT all the same; any tim you may find someone with the cover pieces, make sure you get accurate measurements on what you buy and what you need before exchanging money. Size, shape, screw location, anything that may be of importance. There is no "standard;" even though one thinks there can't be too many different brands out there, it is just an aftermarket sunroof. You can buy one from JC Whitney and put one on any car, in theory. Also, if you can find a Harbor Freight store near you, cheap digital multimeters can be had.. ie, under $10. Even at home depot they sell some for as little as $15. If you have access (ie, can borrow) to a GOOD meter, then a five dollar cheapie is a VERY valuable tool to have in your own pocket; I've only personally owned one decent meter, because my dad and my uncle have a few good ones around.. so when I need reliable numbers, I use my uncle's Fluke. 99% of my testing, ballpark figures are good enough, and the series of $5 multimeters from harbor freight have been more than sufficient. Hope I'm helping

those pictures are so awesome... :shock:I am off to google "dennis palatov" to find more info! What exactly is the name of that uber-milling process, and what material is being used there?? In my defense I figured/was vaguely aware that there was SOME way to metaphorically "pop a mold off," but I was attempting to be more literal. Edit: Oh... My... God.... http://www.dpcars.net/

With the upturned front nose tweaked down a little, an an integration of a front bumper, the "gaping maw" VISUAL effect should be easily retained, yet safety and aerodynamic factors taken into consideration and compensated for. Personally, I think that the way the rear view looks (ie, what strotter was applauding directly above) makes it look like a late model Oldsmobile sedan.. :- I would prefer taillights that reflect the original 240Z lights as well as say, the first gen Z31 tails did. Not saying stick Z31 tails on there, but find some way to make them resemble the old ones. Two other points where I depart from the prevailing contemporary tastes are the louvers and the fender flares... To me, fender flares should be seamless with the fender, this whole bolt-on thing that everyone is doing nowadays is just going to look dated in 20 years... like many of you seem to feel about the louvers. I think the louvers make the car, and I love em on an S30. Overall it IS a very stunning design, too bad you can't pop a mold off of a 3D rendering

awesome knowledge! Those pictures are worth 10,000 words, and paul, your reply (as usual) was succinct and information-rich.

I have to preface all of this with two statements. First, I am a word person; I have read at least 5 pages in a book almost every day of my life, lyrical content in music is of utmost importance to me, my lexicon is prodigious, AND I am a four-time scripps howard spelling bee county champ Secondly, the origin of a number of bodily "vulgarities" came out of an historical clusterf!ck. in 1056 (?) William the Conqueror crossed the English channel, and committed the last successful invasion of England. (seriously. That 20 mile wide strip of water has kept everyone out for a thousand years. hardcore, no?) Anyhow, with the Norman Conquest came the Norman Language... the last linguistic influence that pushed late middle english into early modern english. At this point, to continue to use old Anglo phraseology was considered vulgar, simply because the ruling class was a bunch of Normans and the Anglo-Saxons had been reduced to second class citizens. So, Anglo words like s**, piss, and f*** were gradually replaced by "cultured" terms like defecate, urinate, and fornicate (note the latin influence) In other words, they're only dirty words because of a bunch of Frenchmen a thousand years ago. In my personal life, I refuse to acknowledge any inherent "dirtiness" in ANY word. Naturally, that is an IDEAL.. If I am standing in an exam room with the veterinarian, holding a clients dog, and there are children in the room.. naturally, I speak with utmost care. However, swearing in an adult setting, on an adult forum (a car-related one at that) is as natural as pissin on a tree to me. If my colorful metaphors and heavy handed use of hairy-knuckled lingo offend anyone, tough titties. On the OTHER hand, to use language like that directed at an individual, is indicative of disrespect and anger. It doesn't matter WHERE the words came from, using them AT someone (instead of in front of someone) shows anger and contempt; that is part of the definition of those words. you dont scream "f*** ME RUNNING WITH A CHAINSAW" when your lotto numbers miss... you scream it when you just gashed three knuckles open between a wrench and your fenderwell because that stupid brake bleeder was screwed in too tight. Anger. To me, there is no excuse for directing language like that at an individual on this forum. As has been said, a dispute along those lines is much better handled privately; that shows respect to the other individual and to the public as a whole. At the same time, there is equally no excuse in my mind for imposing strict censorship of words that cannot be used in any circumstances; viz, George Carlin. Of course, here at the party, the rules of others are the rules of others. I know I am not in the majority regarding these words, so I won't resort to using the extended ASCII characterset to sidestep it (although I WILL get a hearty laugh out of seeing that in such context) and I certainly won't whine about how "the man" is "keeping me down" with this "linguistical oppressivity." (yah those last two arent real words. I'm trying to add some levity. ) I'm delivering pizzas for a job right now. Last night, one of my aassistant managers had a bit of a discussion with me, and it came up that he refuses to tolerate "vulgar language" directed at him (he had hung up on a customer on the telephone; LONG story, my manager was a jerk and NOT in the right.) Now, this same manager WILLFULLY has LIED TO MY FACE several times. To me, an untruth is a much fouler statement to come out of my mouth than the phrase "f*** you," and CERTAINLY worse than an idle, indirect F-bomb..... So, just to restate.. if you have been offended by any language I have used in the past, too bad! I for one will NOT apologize; I self-moderate fairly effectively. On the other hand... IF I directed (or do so in the future) a statement at any individual with malicious language involved, whether it would be allowed on ABC Saturday Night or not...... my humble apologies. Mr. Carlin said it best... "I think it's the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately." I try to lighten the atmosphere here when I can; Braap for one has sent me a few PMs about spilling coffee on his keyboard due to my posts. Words are words. Intent is far more important than verbage.

EFI bible.