Pop N Wood
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Posts posted by Pop N Wood
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Just one very informative site from a 10-minute google search
http://www.geocities.com/rt_66.geo/helmet.html
The problem I have with helmets is that so many people state categorically that helmets absolutely-positively-no-question-what-so ever enhance safety. Reading through some of the links above show that the issue is far from a black and white one. Yet some people, especially people passing laws, seem to think the answer is obvious.
In some cases helmets help (like disfiguring road rash), in many others it is completely unclear whether they helped or hurt. Dale Earnhardt died of a broken neck, not head trauma. Could the extra weight of a helmet have been the deciding factor in that one particular accident? Who knows?
BTW, looking at this poor sap above, it looks like he landed face first on the concrete so hard that the entire top of his head came off and threw his brains out, what, 4 or 5 feet? I find it hard to believe a helmet would have saved him in this instance.
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What did that one song say? "Whoever said money is the root of all evil has never experienced the joy of a welfare Christmas"
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I would agree with either one of these statements if it didn't affect my pockets any. Because of people not wearing helmets and higher death/serious injurytolls there are more than likely going to be higher insurance premiums, and less insurance companies offering bike insurance.
OK just to be difficult,
1) You are never going to make motorcycles safe, helmets or not. If you are that worried about getting hurt, stay home. The only safe way would be to ban motorcycles themselves.
2) Don't be so quick to assume helmets always make a positive difference. At speeds above 35 mph, statistically speaking, the only difference a helmet makes is an open casket vs. a closed casket funeral. Do a little research on the topic and you will find the answer is not so black and white.
4) If this guy got his head run over by that truck, then all a helmet would have done is contain the mess. Also from those picture how can you tell if he had a helmet on or not? Maybe it is lying 50 feet down the road and was knocked off when he hit.
5) The “it affects my pocket book†argument is constantly being refuted and in my opinion is not really valid for quite a number of reasons.
6) Does PETEW's avatar really show a picture of someone riding a wheelie on a public road? Not exactly the epitome of responsible riding, is it? Oh wait, he does have a helmet so I guess it is safe after all.
7) You are forgetting the #1 economic benefit of motorcycles, helmet or not: Organ donors. Or donorcycles as the emergency room guys call them. Admittedly callous, but it is simple gamesmanship to try and tally up the cost of motorcycle accidents and not offset this by the economic benefit.
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You could easily get a set of early SU's for under $100. Post a "want to buy" ad either here or on zcar.com and I'll bet you get half a dozen to a dozen offers. If you get them complete with all the linkage and air cleaner it might take you all of a single afternoon to get them bolted up and running. The only real issue is the throttle shaft bushings are usually shot, but the minor vaccum leak this causes is easy to live with for a few months.
Complete engines are also cheap on this site. In fact, most guys complain they can't give away their stock motors. Transmissions can be rebuilt for 3 or 4 hundred dollars and will take a good shop less then one work day to do. Shop carefully and you could easily use the same trans with your turbo engine.
Thus for a weekend's work and less than $500 you should have your 260 road worthy. Of course you realize your "rust" problem could consume considerably more dollars and time, depending on how bad it is.
Also it sounds like you aren't big on doing the work yourself. There are quite a few members who have rewired their Z's themselves and claim it is pretty easy. Do a search for more info. If you do rewire, check out Pete Paraska's excellent site for some highly desireable upgrades for the headlight and (I think) turn signal circuits.
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You're not reading what I said. How people can overlook the human aspect of this and even bother to comment about lawsuits is beyond me. Lack of manners or upbringing maybe? Maybe you could say people were just trying to look at the positive side of it, but that seems a rather disingenuous explanation to me. Our society has a lottery mentality towards accidents in general. Somehow or the other getting in an accident is a good thing because you can get "free" money.
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Ahhhh! Make it stop! Make it stop!
That "whale tail" on the Mustang is classic!
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Man you people went off on a tangent. I am sure the guy will come to some type of financial settlement. I am equally sure the salesman feels like $hit and would do anything to trade places with the guy.
Go back and look at that original thread. There were at least half a dozen postings that only commented on the money. It was like the guy had won the lottery. How in the hell can you compliment some guy for getting a fence pole rammed through his face?
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Word of warning to anyone with children, those pictures are really graphic.
Thank God it looks like the guy should be OK.
Kind of a sad commentary on our society that so many people could only think of the ensuing lawsuit.
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Race cages are designed for a properly restrained' date=' helmetted driver. Period.
Thank you 260DET for mentioning this - nobody seems to believe me for some reason. [/quote']
I still don't agree with those statements. More unsubstantiated opinion, no matter how definitively you state it. I don't see how striking your head on a cage is anymore lethal than striking it on a structural member of the car. So the big issue then is encroachment. I guess the couple of extra inches the bars protrude from the roofline are what makes the difference? Following that logic I guess we should all drive convertibles. Wouldn’t the added strength be an asset in roll over accidents where the cabin is crushed toward the driver?
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Also it pulls _slightly_ to the left under hard braking. Whats the best way to get rid of the slight pull?Phyte
Sounds simple but first check the tire pressure. My exerience with pulling under braking hasn't been alignment, but tire pressure or a sticking caliper. 8)
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One quick point, oil pumps are positive displacement pumps, meaning they pump the same volume of oil for a particular engine speed regardless of the discharge pressure. Thus thick oil will be harder to pump and generate higher oil pressures, but the flow volume will be the same either way.
Another quick questions. I see a lot of posts saying things like Fram and Purolator oil filters suck. What is wrong with them? I know a lot of people think an oil filter has to have an internal check valve, which the cheapest Fram filters don't, but their "tough guard" units have a check valve and a pretty good filter rating. I use the Fram tough guard filters on both my vehicles. Am I hurting anything with that?
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The baffle that goes underneath the car between frame rails I believe is called a chin pan. It helps smooth out turbulence underneath the car to help air flow through the radiator. MSA carries them, but I couldn't find it listed on line so you may have to call them.
But your car seems to be running hotter at idle that it probably should. Two other things to check. First make sure all of the air is out of the cooling system. Many guys have put the front end of the car on ramps to get the radiator cap above the highest point on the engine. Run the engine to burb the air out. Also make sure your lower radiator hose isn't collapsing with the engine at speed. Make sure there is a spring inside the hose. To see if a hood vent makes a difference, run with the hood unlatched (but on the safety catch).
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You have issues
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If someone buys his stuff and want to PM me with questions or post them on the site I will do what I can to fill in details - except the electrical.
Correct me if I am wrong, but JC used Phantom's car to develop the kit. Check out the links in his signature line. Beautiful car. Sounds like everything was done right.
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I provide a manual that details removal of the Z driveline - car prep for the V8 and the install of the components you purchase. I do not provide this information without the purchase of the front mounts.
Sounds like he is use to dealing with the Z crowd. A bunch of do-it-yourself-cheap-bstrds!
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Out of round tires or tires with flat spots from brake lock up will also.
Also "warped" brake rotors will cause slight vibration while cruising, but significant vibration under braking.
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So the dual master cylinder is not exactly a simple mod. What prompted you to go to this set up?
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First to answer the original post. From reading too many HybridZ posts, the short list of "best" brake kits is subjective but would have to include Ross's brakes, Arizona Z car's kit, and probably JSK's Inovations willwood setup. JSK's is a recent addition, but they look like quality parts. There are those who feel the Arizona Z car set up might be the best overall, but the price is high. The big advantage of the 4x4 set up is cost and availability of parts, BUT many complain they are too heavy and possibly not much of an upgrade. So I would imagine any of the above kits would be a big step up from the 4x4 calipers.
Try these links (courtesy of Tim 240Z)
http://www.modern-motorsports.com/catalog/default.php
http://www.fonebooth.com/auto.html
Second comment for 1 tuff Z. First I am jealous of your set up. You have me trying to figure out how I can do the same and still stay married. Maybe offer her furniture. I am particularly interested in your dual master cylinder mod. How well did that work out, especially the lack of a brake booster? You obviously drive it on the street. How easy is it to live with day to day? Much change in pedal effort?
You are the first guy I have seen with such a set up. I have an early Z (1970) which won't support a larger diameter brake booster. Rebuilt boosters aren't exactly cheap anymore. Any way could you post details on how you made the mod (part numbers, templates, etc.?) Thanks.
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I don't remember my 240 having a vacuum one. Been awhile since I replaced it. I do remember living with wet carpeting for months before I finally replaced the mechanical valve. I also remember the valve didn't leak when it was fully closed (I think) but only when partially open. Also the clue that it was leaking was all the green stains on the outside of the valve body. The valve itself never seemed wet.
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Hard for me to believe such a system would consistently form a tight valve seal without some type of spring/flex system. If the valve is closed by purely mechanical means, then temperature changes alone will require constant adjustment. Maybe the rocker arm itself flexes somewhat?
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It would mean constant heat. The control valves are not the best design and they all seem to leak after many years of use. A new one should last you many years and I don't think they are overly expensive.
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Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I am pretty sure most sanctioning bodies do not allow roll bars with cuts or welds in the main hoop. Maybe not an issue, but something you may want to look into if you plan on participating in any SCCA or NHRA events.
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The bad news is you really need both. If you are going to buy just one, then depending on your use this guys says buy the torch first
http://metalshapers.org/tips/fournier/index.htm
A torch is also extremely useful for heating stuck bolts or cutting off shock mounts. The "hot wrench".
The MIG is the better choice for welding car sheet metal. Torches generate excess heat which warps body panels. I was also told that using a torch on some unibody cars is unsafe because the heat stresses can cause metal fatique leading to catastrophic failures. Since you are looking at rust repair, a good MIG will probably be your #1 choice.
For a cage, maybe you can't braze the joints but you can weld them. I have been told a MIG can't be used on chrome moly tubing, but cromoly can be torch welded. In fact, many feel a torch is better than a TIG because it better relieves the heat stresses making less brittle joints. And of course a torch will work with mild steel.
And should you ever try shaping aluminum, then a torch is the way to go
http://metalshapers.org/tips/white/aluminum-welding/index.htm
Either way, follow the advice in some of the other welding threads and buy a quality welder. You don't have to spend a lot of money, but if you buy a cheap one without the needed adjustabilty (or sheilding gas), then you could get so discouraged fighting the machine that it will be just so much wasted money.
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Just because an engine has a smaller displacement doesn't make it any more capable of reving.
No... but a shorter stroke does.
I am afraid I have to disagree with that statement. A shorter stroke may help' date=' but it is far from the determining factor. Valve float and lack of airflow will kill your top end long before the crankshaft geometry becomes an issue.
Keep in mind too that an engine that revs to 8,000 or 9,000 rpm that makes 300HP at the rear wheels is not as much of a challengeCut you off mid sentence, but making an engine that turns 9000 RPM is a REAL challange. If your valve train is not up to it, then your bottom end is not going to be the limiting factor. Like someone said above, 300 HP at the rear wheels means 350+ HP at the crank. That is a nice strong 350, but remember you want to give up 48 cubic inches. The 302 in the 1969 Z28 was conservatively rated at only 290 HP, and I think that was gross and not net. With todays better heads it may not be as much of a challange as it was in 1969, but to get that much HP out of a 302 will require a lot of cam. You will also have less bottom end than the 350. All in all, the engine will not be as streetable (and cost considerably more) then a comparable 350.
I know where you are coming from. My original goal for my Z was a 302, mainly because I had a buddy in high school with a 302 Z28. That car was awsome. But, since coming here and talking to people like grumpyvette, I became a convert. The only reason people use to build 302's was because class rules limited their displacement. In fact I think that was the only reason Chevy put one in the Camaro in the first place. But if you throw out the Hot Rod magazine recipies for building torque monsters to put in 3600 pound muscle cars, then you can build a large displacement engine that runs well at high RPM yet still retains enough low end torque to make it enjoyable in traffic.
If you are dead set on a high reving engine, then you may want to do some homework on what it will take to build one that will live. Like fl327 said, if you want to turn 8000+ RPM, then you had better stick to a forged bottom end. This is a favorite topic of Grumpyvette. Go back and look as some of his posts to see what the challanges are going to be. I still think you will need to forego the junk yard option and get something like a Scat crank.
LT1 Optispark Electronics Replacement
in Gen I & II Chevy V8 Tech Board
Posted
Interesting discussion. Here is one more option to, they claim, make the early Optispark's bulletproof.
http://www.corvettefever.com/howto/16758/
Electromotive also makes direct coil replacement units. I think they are rather pricey, though, and don't tie into the stock computer, nor do they replace the optispark's optical unit feeding the stock computer.