Ray

Ever had an amp meter fry??? I did spent 2hrs on the side of the road one beautiful Saturday. Had my trusty volt meter (if you have a 240 with stock wiring carry one!!) traced it and finally pulled the heater controls, pulled the amp meter and put both wires on one stud and put it back together away I went. The car is still this way and my cousin drives it to school every day. The Z wiring system doesn't say lucas on it but it can act the same.

On the subject of getting your stereo stolen. Which has happened to me several times. There are several new systems that use and remote and no faceplate. They can be mounted anywhere in the car. Most are used in conjunction with a CD changer. FYI

I thought it was a z it may have been a zx. What I was looking for was, in the past 30 years someone has to have fixed the aero problems that the Z has at high speed. All we have to do is find someone who has done this before. This will give a much better knoledge base to build from. I was hoping someone ( LA guys ) knew of a Z that was run on the salt. Does anyone know if SCTA has records on line or does anybody have a contact that races the Salt or Lakes??? Another thought may be the road racing Z's and what did they do to deal with the same problem?? Why reinvent the wheel??

I was just rereading the thread on aerodynamics and the Z. I remember seeing pictures of a 280z turbo at the salt flats about 10 years ago. Anybody know who it might have been???? In the life of the Z car someone has to have gone 200 with one!!!!! That may be where we find our aero data without having to reinvent the wheel.

REMEMBER THE LS1 HAS DIFFERENT MOUNTING PROVISIONS THAN CONVENTIONAL SMALL BLOCK. YOU WILL HAVE TO COME UP WITH A DIFFERENT MOUNT AS THE DATSUN CROSMEMBER WON'T WORK. OTHER THAN THAT GO FOR IT, LIGHT WEIGHT AND ALOT OF POTENTIAL FOR HP. THE LS1 IS A GREAT MOTOR (TAKES SPRAY WELL TO).

Do you have another distributor??? If the pickup in the unilite is going bad it can cause this, but usually they just die altogether. You can always go to the wrecking yard and pickup a HEI, and use it to isolate the problem. I also agree with a few of the other people on the site check the motor out, aka comression or leakdown test to make sure you didn't hurt anything else when this started to occur. Good luck, and don't get discouraged it usually takes time to figure electrical parts out.

Per Herb Adams,- (inovative engineer and racer) " The only real difference on a race car is the ride quality, a properly set up solid axel is easier to tune and alot cheeper" This was in regard to his Cobra replica that Matt was using as an autocross car at the time. I had asked why he didn't use a independent rear, this was his answer. The reason I repeated this was I think the type of rear isn't an issue. It is the way in which it is setup or installed that is the issue. Also consider what you want it to do. Thousands of people have used the stock z suspension for racing with great success. It has short commings are in the area of tire size, adjustabiliy and strength (in a drag race enviroment with slicks and alot of hp). All cars have compromises, if you don't like it change it that is what our hobie is all about. As far as someone's reason for the change, I don't care, as long as it is done correctly. Isn't that what this site is all about, giving people help and support in their project. If you don't like the idea that is ok, but still try and encourage the process. We all modify our cars for different reasons and what works for you may not work for me. THAT'S WHAT I THINK [This message has been edited by Ray (edited October 18, 2000).]

BTW thanks Pete, Now I have somewhere to start.

Even the turbo 301's are gutless and the parts are expensive IMO. If you are doing a swap go all chevy or put in a 455 it will bolt to the B.O.P. belhousing. BTW what is this going into????

There are several differnt types of 12v pumps. I am unfamiliar with the Moroso. Most of the ones I saw a as Scrutineer in SF region were brass rotary vane type with AN fittings. Mostly vane puppy or equilivant. Look at industiral supply houses they will have to order the 12v, may be cheeper. If you are looking for a clean install look at some of the Porsche 935 install's. They have a gear driven pump off the ring gear that spray's lubricant at each gear face in the transaxle. Really inventive way to keep the trans cool.

Does any anyone have a body shop manual with the measurements for the front frame rails. I have a frame rail in my car that is in need of repair, no rust but it was in an accident some time in the past and the repair they made I dont like. So I got a really clean 72 front clip with no rust. Before I cut either one apart I would like to have the measurements. BTW I should have a drivers side inner fender and complete frame rail leftover if anybody needs one.

Mike, how much clearence do you have in the front in between your coilover and the tire?? and Pete how much room is there in your front setup??? It also looks like I will be looking for some 300zx wheels in the future and maybe a set of turbo rear's with some drag radials. BTW Tire rotation never occured to me I seem to buy 2 or 3 sets of rears before I ever buy a front set.

Thank you both for the information and the offsets (I am doing a 73 240 BTW). I understand about raising the spring perch and/or going to coil overs. Mike have you ever tried a set of turbo wheels maybe with a 40 series tire???? Several people have mentioned a 17x9 wheel fitting with the appropriate mods, does the 16x8.5 get to close to the strut???

There have been several referances to the 17x9 Cobra Wheel. What is the backspacing on this wheel and what are you using to match it in the front. I have seen some Cobra style wheels for Rangers and other Fords any idea on the back spacing for them?? They seem a cheeper option for wheels but any way you go you are going to spend 150-200$ each if you buy them new. I wonder if there are any other wheels people have tried, I have seen Mikes 300zx n/a wheels. What about 300zx turbo rear wheels????? Any thing else rear wheel drive with 16's of 17's.

What year is the caprice?? If it is 95 or newer be aware there are 2 differnt LT1's. A 5.7(350) and a 4.3(265) version so be aware. [This message has been edited by Ray (edited July 24, 2000).]

Look into the alumininum tanks with the fiber wrap. These are alot lighter. The power company arround here uses them on all there trucks and runs CNG through them. Good luck.

Have you guys seen a large bore 350?? It is a 400 block with a 307/327 crank in it. You use Ford 300-6 conecting rods(modified) and a modified long rod 400 piston. Big bore long rods and realitively cheep. They really spin up fast!!! If you do one use the special thick bearings not the spacers. I beleive federal mogal makes them. The spacers don't transfer heat away from the bearing as well. Anybody know of any other neet combo's????? [This message has been edited by Ray (edited May 06, 2000).]

Check all the other stuff first. If everything checks out ok, check the radiator cap. Most caps are 16lb but when they get old they will vent sooner. You can also get a 22lb cap that is used on most of the race stuff. It will raise the boiling point a little. The 22lb cap is only a band-aide, if the other stuff isn't working properly you will still have problems. Good luck Ray [This message has been edited by Ray (edited May 02, 2000).]

Thanks for the info and the websight.

Hey John, What kind of modifications did you have to do to the Holley?? To run 18psi are you adding fuel from an aux. source( ie. hobbs switch and an extra inj.). I have seen blow through conversions before but never asked how it was done. [This message has been edited by Ray (edited April 26, 2000).]

I really don't think this will be a problem if you use a decent size CV. Look at alot of the newer 4X4 pickups. They all run angles greater than 15 degrees stock and alot more weight and gearing then we would be able to get in a Z. Most if not all of them turn all the time, no lockout hubs. The life of the CV's seems very good, two of the guys I work with have early 90's chev pu's with lift kits which puts them at even more of an angle and no CV problems after 150k this way. Good luck.

Back to the SCCA thing did you guys ever see brass shims used behind the spiders. If used properly the shims will heatup and expand then the brass will gall to the back of the spider and walla instant locker. Then when the diff cools (hopefully before inspection) and you turn the car the diff is unlocked again. Now there is a down side to this it leaves alot of little flakes in the gear oil and the rear ends don't tend to last long. I did learn somthing in the 2 years I spent as an SCCA scrutineer. Cheeter trick #2. !!! I also learned that you can fiberglass a baby nitrous bottle and solenoid into a cowl induction fiberglass hood and use the hood pins as contacts for voltage and ground. Just run the motor a bit rich. Learned this trick on an IMCA mod. Dirt car. The only reason he got caught was the motor blew and so did the hood. Right off the car and when it hit the ground it broke into 2 pieces with the bottle an solenoid in the middle.!!!!! [This message has been edited by Ray (edited April 21, 2000).]

Another issue that you guys totally missed is ride quality. Go ride in a stiffly sprung solid axel car then a IRS car the IRS car will ride alot better. Handling should be equal on a flat surface if both are setup properly. On a rough surface the IRS will shine big time not only in ride but in handling. Now this is only for those of us who drive our cars enough to notice freway expansion strips and potholes. The rest of you a solid axel will work great. [This message has been edited by Ray (edited April 20, 2000).]

Good luck with the 302 long as it is fast!!!

Didn't notice the dollar signs just thought it was a neat swap. Wonder if anybody has priced just a stock dressed motor from japan???? Either the 2.6 or the 3.0 . I know they started putting these in Skyline's 86 or 87 so there should be alot of them available in the other export markets. If you hear of anyone here who has done the swap, I would love to talk to them, I'm just courious??? Mine will still be a small block because of the price factor, but I am always open to other ideas if the $$$$= performance.