Phantom

If you go the 300Zx route you can get the welded up companion flanges for around $300 and then get the 300zxt half-shafts from a salvage yard for maybe $100. New set of bearings and you're in business for about $500.

Thumper - I noticed you have a 260Z - 240 style or later 280 style? That will affect your decision. I have heard that the 280ZX Turbo CV's are getting harder to find and that the 300ZX turbo halfshaft/CV upgrade may be the better move for longer term availability of parts. FWIW - I put new Spicer "Brute force" u-joints on my half-shafts and have already broken one at around 20,000 miles after installation. I'm planning on going the CV route when I get time/$$

Nearly everyone who has worked on his car a lot ended up removing those so they have become very difficult to find. They were a significant contributor to helping cool the engines by better controling the air flow and actually increasing the flow through the radiator. I no longer have one on my car but would probably put one back on if I can find one lonely.

I just got news my 89 year old aunt in LA fell and broke her hip yesterday. I am her closest relative so my life just went into a day-by-day mode. I definitely want to hook up with these guys some evening just to check out their rides. I've been exchanging comments with them over on their website and they seem to be a pretty cool bunch.

David - You got it! Keeps the juices flowing! I don't have twins to keep me busy so I have to adopt. Chemicalblue - evidently the spot is at Beach and 820 on Saturday nights. Whiteboy has two Z's himself and his dad has one. All are sprayed small blocks. Not sure when I'll get a chance to get out there but I will one weekend.

So what is he running under that cowl hood? Also -where do they generally hang out - and what night(s) of the week?

Hmmm - I'd swear I saw that car at Tony's Pasta & Pizza last week! Already registered. Chris indicated there are 'several' small blcok Z's on the forum? any idea who they are? Evidently the 240Z that 'whiteboy' is building is still on jackstands?

I can identify George - I rounded a corner one day and my battery fell out of the car - disconnecting the power lead to the CPU in the process. Lights & radio worked as well as the heater but the motor went dead like it had been axed. Fortunately when I raised the 'bonnet' I rather quickly noticed the battery wedged dwon by the starter instead of in its tray. Put it back, reconnected the CPU power lead and all was well with the world. Then there was the time I rebuilt a v8 - put it all back together and cranked it up only to have it run horribly. Stood in front of the car and then said and hooked up the other four spark plug wires. Idle smoothed right out. Then there was the time I did an oli change on a Sentra - drained the oil out of the 5-spd and added 5 more quarts to the engine. sometimes I've wondered how I get up in the morning.

I totally agree there. It took me 5 years to decide what body kit I wanted for my car and then what color(s) I wanted to paint it. Then it took me another 5 years to decide what to do with my drivetrain with the last year on this forum reading all the postsI could find on the subject which resulted in the decision for the LS1 / T56 combo. I've learned to read, then take time and analyze what I've read along while contemplating the next 4 or 5 subsequent moves so I have as few do-overs as possible. The most expensive do-over I've had was when I decided to change my interior color from brown to red - about 2 years after doing my seats in brown leather - ouch. Once the color decision was made the interior and the sound system went pretty fast. Now I'm struggling through brake and suspension upgrades but, so far, it looks like everything will progress in a fairly linear fashion so costs will be somewhat controlled. It's amazing - I've had this car 14 years now and I'm still learning, modifying, progressing.

Bartman - not if he's going to drag race it. He even says in the linked thread that he is going to that area next as he doesn't expect it to last long. I do like the looks of the car and the boosted LS1 has got to be a real rush. Then again - stock rear suspension and stock tires - maybe the rush will be to the tire store to replace the smoked treads!

I just read all the posts in this thread - now I'm really depressed! It's amazing how we can have people all around us and be so alone. deja & Mikekz - don't give up totally on the Atlanta Z CLub - look up Dennis (AKA: the menace) McGinnis, ask him about 'the body' and tell him Bill Davis says "Hi". They're not all a bunch of snobs although I know some fall neatly into that 'purist' definition. I'm in a club here - even had one of the most miserable experiences of my life as president of the club for a year. People can be mean. Then again - they can really come through when you need it the most. I use the club to network - meet a lot of people and learn of resources. Last night I met a guy who is a member of Motorsport Ranch - It's a 1.7 mile road race course where you become a member like being a member of a golf club. Anyway - he offered me 30 minute sessions on the course, with him in car instructing, for $30. That's a deal that can't be beaten locally. I've also been able to source parts and some good shops through the club. When it comes to help with the wrenching - the car either goes to a shop or I call my sons. Usually my older one will help out and he'll bring his wife and my grandson (note I said MY grandson!) with him so it's a twofer. He doesn't have any reservations about working on a V8 Z car and is up for learning all he can.

Put the car into a corner and see if that affects the sound. My experience with rear wheel bearings going out was that they made noise in a straight line but got much quieter in a turn.

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Contact Advanced Metallurgical Technology in Ft Worth, TX. (817) 921-5100 and ask for 'Frankie'. She owns the place and has a 37 Ford coupe with a blown 454 in it, custom paint, Italian leather & chrome everywhere. She has about $100k in it. If she can't help you she'll know who can. She'll also be willing to tell you if you're on the right track or not with the process you want to perform. Tell her Bill Davis said to call.

I did a Google search on this subject a few month ago after seeing the replacement lights in AutoZone. The variety of LED configurations is mind bogling. There is also a pretty broad price range too. My decision at that time was to wait a while as I have much more important things on the cat I need to spend money on - like Struts and CV joints. After I get the big items resolved I'll go after the lights. By then all my dash lights may be burned out anyway. Mine are so dim I didn't even know they are supposed to be green.

I'm running the Modern 240SX/300ZX rear disk brake set-up with their recommended pads and Willwood 12.2" vented rotors with forged superlites in the front with Hawk pads. I also have the '81 master cylinder but have not yet installed the adjustable proportioning vavle. Observations: 1) I have no problem locking them all up. 2) My front wheels are always coated with brake dust. Get the car on a wet parking lot and attempt some lock-up tests. Let's be sure that you aren't trying to do all your braking with the rear. YOu'll know right away on wet pavement if the rear tires are the only ones that lock up. That will require more adjustment on your proportioning valve. Obvious questions - you did remove the stock proportioning valve - correct? You also carefully bled the the master cylinder before it was installed? If it wasn't "bench bled" you may not have a properly operating master cylinder. After all that I would be back to the vacuum booster.

Not a problem. I've got my own still and I'm making distilled water for about 25 cents/gallon. The problem is that I can oly make about 3-4 gallons/day so it would limit the range a bit. :burnout:Not to mention the fact htat my wife would get upset if I started burning her drinking water!

Heck - most people don't even figure mine out until after I've walked away from them AND then explain it to them. No problem with the police.

I've always referred to it as a 'modified' torque tube. Technically it is a standard setup using the F body T56 and the Datsun R200 but the transmission and front differential mounts are replaced by a pair of channel iron sections that tie the rear of the transmssion to the front of the differential. It's a rather involved design that works very well but is enough more complex than the standard mounts that John chose to go the standard mount designs for his components making mine a one-off. Personnally I would preffer to stay with the Fbody style T56. As it is, that T56 moves the CG of the car toward the rear wheels. The Corvette style would move it even more and make the car even more tail heavy.

I read an article on Top Fuel engines in a Motor Trend. They are developing around 7,500 HP at 9,500 RPM. Really puts my 365 at 5,500 in perspective. The technology is phenomenal and those guys are pure definitions of "brinksmanship".

This may be a repost but it sure put things in perspective for me: Definition of Acceleration. * One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower than the first 4 rows of NASCARS at the Daytona 500. * Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1-1/2 gallons of nitro methane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate with 25% less energy being produced. * A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to drive the dragster's supercharger. * With 3,000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into a near-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock at full throttle. * At the stoichiometric (stoichiometry: methodology and technology by which quantities of reactants and products in chemical reactions are determined) 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitro methane, the flame front temperature measures 7,050 deg F. * Nitro methane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases. * Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder. * Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After halfway, the engine is dieseling from compression, plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1,400 degrees F. The engine can only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow. * If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in the affected cylinders and then explodes with sufficient force to blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half. * In order to exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds, dragsters must accelerate an average of over 4G's. In order to reach 200 mph (well before half-track), the launch acceleration approaches 8G's. * Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have completed reading this sentence. * Top Fuel engines turn approximately 540 revolutions from light to light! * Including the burnout, the engine must only survive 900 revolutions under load. * The redline is actually quite high at 9,500 rpm. * Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimated $1,000.00 per second. * The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.441 seconds for the quarter mile (10/05/03, Tony Schumacher). The top speed record is 333.00 mph. (533 km/h) as measured over the last 66' of the run (09/28/03 Doug Kalitta). -------------------------------------- Putting all of this into perspective: -------------------------------------- You are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter "twin-turbo" powered Corvette Z06. Over a mile up the road, a Top Fuel dragster is staged and ready to launch down a quarter mile strip as you pass. You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the 'Vette hard up through the gears and blast across the starting line and past the dragster at an honest 200 mph. The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that moment. The dragster launches and starts after you. You keep your foot down hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums and within 3 seconds, the dragster catches and passes you. He beats you to the finish line, a quarter mile away from where you just passed him. Think about it, from a standing start, the dragster had spotted you 200 mph and not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1,320 foot long race course. ... and that my friend, is ACCELERATION!

I understand the stock market crater of a few years ago. I watched my investments be reduced to half of what they were. The point is that you need to find the right fund and get in it for the long haul. I've been preaching that to my kids the past two years as they've watched their bank savings accounts growing at a higher rate than their investments. I made my point last month, though, when the monthly statement came from the investment showing an annualized growth rate of 60% for that month. That is not at all typical but was a "strong economic indicator" that things are starting to get better. I'm starting to hesitantly breathe a little now and feeling a bit more comforatable.

Hmm - well - I'm 57 and retirement isn't that far away. At this point I have a healthy 401K at work and significant investments through a broker. My house and cars are paid for so I have no debt. I looked at what I had last week at realized I could last 16 years on what I have now without changing my lifestyle or earning another dollar. Oh yeah - I forgot to mention that I'll be pulling in Navy retirement in a few years which not only adds monthly income but covers medical. It's been a slow, methodical plan.

You can also do a search online with salvage yards naationally. Some of them are free and some may cost $4-5 to do the search. Personnally I'd rather develop a realationship with a local salvage yard that generally has a lot of GM products and stay tight with them until either they get one in or locate one you can see before you buy. Best if you can get the "works" when you do it. The more you get at the same time the better the deal will be. Mine actually worked out very reasonably because the guy that did my conversion had a Z28 with 3,500 miles on it that had been sitting in his yard for 5 years waiting to be used as a donor for a Jaguar. No Jag owners bit so I got a good deal - and everone else got the resulting Johns Cars components.

DAT240Z - I caught that edit on your post! OK - now you have many more tires to choose from but the eralier advice I gave still holds.