maichor
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Posts posted by maichor
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The Betamax VCR kind of tells the whole story!
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The best I have ever heard of was 30mpg in my buddy's 400rwhp Vette on a long trip from Oklahoma to deep South texas. He gets about 25 during his daily driving and less if he is lead footing it.
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Another vote for LS1. I'm with Mikelly, not just for tunability, but a master jet kit won't solve problems like going from sea level up into the Rockies, poor fuel economy etc. Build what you know is good advice, but this particular thread is for a guy just starting out. In his case, I would say don't dismiss the LS1. Cost is not so bad. I have posted this before in defense of the LS1. I bought a 2001 wrecked WS6 Trans Am for $4500. I sold the rear end, bumper, t-top, leather interior, wheels etc. All in all for an LS1/T56, ECU, with 10K miles it was $2000. That was a couple of years ago. I have about $4000 in the motor, by the time you add all accessories, computer reprogram, ceramic coated headers, intake tubing, fuel lines, etc. I haven't dynoed yet, but should be around 300-320 at the wheels. I think that is very reasonable for getting 26mph, a redline of 6200, and a very, very drivable motor. You are bouncing off the rev limiter before you feel like you have to shift because the motor keeps pulling. I won't go back either!
(EDIT) Oh, I also used the fuel tank and pump, gauges, brake booster and master cylinder.
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I have zip ties on my car. Heck, I've even got an gallon Minute Maid orange juice container for my overflow right now. I won't take a side on this one, it just makes me glad that I have done the work myself. If it is sub-par, who am I going to complain to about it! Wow, the hours that guy must have spent putting his rant website together!
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Same here. I have and '01 as well and it kicks in at 225. For a while, I thought they weren't working because it ran at 220 fine and never seemed to get above that until I drove it hard for an extended period. I am going to reprogram them when I get some tuning done.
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Hey! Congrats! You probably will have less Z money with all the spoiling you are gonna do! Very cool.
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Hehe, careful there, my wife wants a minivan, don't give her any more ammo! We have a Mitsubishi Galant 4 airbags side impact beams 4 wheel antilock brakes. And, we have a Jeep Cherokee Sport. It does have a unibody as well, not a frame/truck construction. I don't consider it an SUV because it predates SUV's. I learned to work on cars with my first Jeep. Large engine bay and easy to work on. Parts are cheap and easy to find. Still not very safe though. Maybe someday we can afford a car designed to be safe! My wife wants a Volvo, I think she said XC70.
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Good article there. Thanks for pointing that out. I agree that not all cars are created equally in terms of crash safey. Shop around for a safe car. Still, notice the first paragraph with bolded type. They allude to the fact that the mass of the truck would surely cause greater problems for the smaller car. The testing was against a stationary barrier. They also say the majority of accidents are single car. I don't know about you, but I don't plan on pushing it so that I end up as a single car statistic. Single car accidents mean the driver blew it. That is why I said, in general. When making a generality there will always be specifics to contradict. However, in general means that a car with larger mass, hitting a smaller car, not a barrier, is much worse than say a Z on Z collision. With eveyone driving bigger and bigger SUV's, the chances of getting nailed like we did (his was a full size truck and my bro's was a Toyota) are getting higher all the time. By the way, the lug nut rule came from a guy that does car on car low speed crash testing with human subjects. He drives a big SUV.
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This is an interesting thread. The best advise is, don't get into an accident. But, accidents are accidents because somebody makes a mistake, it may not be you and you may not be able to avoid it. I'm going give my opinion, take it for what it is worth.
It seems like most are assuming you will go liability only. While that is definitely cheaper, I carry full coverage for our cars. By full coverage I mean personal injury protection for you and your passengers. I was riding as a passenger in my brother's truck and there were two guys in the back. On the way back from a little four wheeling in the middle of the day we were taking a gentle curve at about 30mph when this other truck comes at us and doesn't make the corner. He just goes straight, crosses the line and nails us on the front left quarter. He hit us so hard that he knocked us off the road and we rolled over down an embankment. Everyone was unconscious except for me. Long story short, one of the guys in the back needed major facial reconstruction and both legs broken. The other has permanent brain damage, and my brother needed something like 100 stitches for various cuts on his head, shoulder, and arm. I got a scrape on the knee. The point is, when something like that happens, the last thing you worry about is the car. One trip to the hospital will take months to years to pay off if the other driver doesn't have coverage. And, believe me, they treat you a lot different if they know there is not insurance.
My point is, be responsible. Even if that means driving a slow turdmobile, or full coverage or anything else that is needed to keep you, friends, and family safe. I would say that you can do it in a Z, but there are a lot of other cars out there that will brake better and do better in a crash. Z's are small and light. Generally speaking the lugnut rule applies in accidents: The car with the most lugnuts wins! Hit a Hyundai Spec with a Mack truck and see who gets injured.
Sorry about the long soap box speech there. Best of luck!
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This is a street setup. I have no track days on the car.
I'm running Toyota 4X4 calipers up front with Ross spacers for Z31 hubs. vente Z31 Brembo replacement rotors and Precision Friction pads (Autozone lifetime warranty). In the rear I have Nissan Z32 2 piston aluminum calipers with Porterfield R4S pads and Motul fluid. Wilwood proportioning valve, all stainless lines and a 2001 Firebird master cylinder. Stops on a dime on the street and pads seem to be lasting well. However, I have only been for short drives. No fade issues etc. so far.
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I must have watched it 20 times over. Turn the volume all the way up and listen to the crowd when the times are posted. It was also fun listening to the guys talking about the motor.
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Tim is right and gives good advice here as always. You won't know until asking for quotes. Here are some factors to consider.
1) Insurance for any new driver will be high, especially male. You are in the highest risk group.
2) You want a sports car. That will also raise the rate.
3) You don't have any modern safety equipment like air bags etc. Some carriers give discounts for those things.
4) This part is positive and negative . . . Z's are valued low in Kelly Blue Book, etc. So, rates will be lower for that reason. But when wrecked, don't expect insurance to pay much.
All in all, I think it would be cheaper to insure than say a $10000 newer used car.
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Well, for what it is worth, the MSD box on my brothers truck got fried and was working intermittently. He sent it in to get it checked/replaced. They told him that they thought his alarm, ignition cutoff caused the failure. He got rid of the cutoff and got a new MSD and has been ok. He is pretty tough on that truck though, I'm sure that a "waterproof" and "shockproof" MSD does have limits, maybe it wasn't the alarm. Get out a volt meter when it is not working and start checking wires from the ignition.
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I agree with here comes trouble and Wagz. Side pipes make it look less classic Italian and more muscle car, which I like. It all depends on your taste. I am not going for authentic, but decided against side pipes because of clearance issues. It can definitely be done, but you will have to do some work as here comes trouble said. Plus, I love the exhaust out the back! Here is a pic of mine with ovals out the back.
By the way, John also maintains http://www.ztrix.com which is the same site but you don't have to go through the extra page.
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FYI I had my axles custom made from Moser Engineering. I measured and orderd. I had them made for the Q45 diff and they worked fine switching to the R230. The 230 is maybe 3/8" wider than the 200 if even that much.(Edit: read Q45 r200 since the S13/S14 R200 is smaller still). Hopefully Ross has built in more than 3/16" of play in the axles. If so, you are good to go with his.
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I would start with the simple stuff first as it sounds like you already have. I have "fixed" several cars that "just quit" by popping the hood, finding the coil wire hanging loose and connecting it. I have a friend who is particulary challenged when it comes to all things mechanical. I got a good laugh when he pushed his truck home 3 blocks and called me over to check it out. "What would you give me if I could fix it in about 2 seconds without any tools?" That one was fun.
I'm sure you have done this, or some of it, but I would check the coil wire for good contacts on both ends and your MSD as well. Check to make sure that everything is grounded very well. Since, you blew a fuse, I would be thinking short, something hot to ground. However, ghosts in the electronics do occur, especially when hot (i.e. computer freezing up.)
Good luck, I hate electrical Gremlins.
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I'm using a Wilwood 7/8" master and it is plenty enough. Do you know about the roll pin connector mod on the slave side of the line? GM uses a roll pin connector on both ends, I don't know how you made your clutch line, but if you still have the stock roll pin connector on the slave side, you can get more flow by carefully pounding the roll pin out, removing the line and then drilling the hole slightly larger. I think I got info on how to do this at LS1tech.com. I did it before the motor install because lots of F-body guys do it and I figured I might need it. My clutch effort is very light and I have not had any problems. What bore is your master? If it is bigger than 3/4, I would think you would be fine. That is an untested opinion though.
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Sorry, I don't have experience with that welder. But, consider how much you think you will use it. If it is once in a blue moon and one car project, maybe you could get a cheapo. But, most likely, you will enjoy fabricating and a welder is something you will have for many years. I have a Lincoln 135 from ebay and I have gotten my money's worth already. Once you have a welder, it opens up a lot of possibilites.
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Yep, it was a good one. My wife doesn't like to watch that one because she hates the overly dramatic narrative of the 90210 dude. I agree with you about reality car shows. I don't like the ones that are more about shop dynamics than cars.
Now . . . that car was amazing. I like Jay and respect his philosophy of letting a car be what the designer intended, but with that much power, I would have slapped some bigger tires on that thing. They said that was a prototype motor and it sounded suspiciously like the new LS7 and then they twin turboed the thing. WOW!
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Mike C- The BMW is not listed in your sig. WOW! The only question I have for you is, how big is your garage?
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Thanks for the input guys. I'll be ordering soon.
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Oh, boy. This one has been discussed a few times. You should be able to dig up a few threads by searching. Basically, I think most would recommend strut bars front and rear for any V8 swap. Your sig says Serious project car. If that means something above 400ft/lbs I would say do subframe connectors while the motor is out and before you start the swap. If it is a mild V8 you can get away with strut bars and perhaps a roll bar in a 260, provided that it is not a rusted out shell.
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Sorry you had a bad experience. Yes, I agree, they are pricey. They are not for the everday hotrodder. They cater to the show car crowd. However, their service and support has been very good for me. They worked with me on headers for my LS1 swap through the mail when nobody else wanted to do it. And, those custom headers cost me $435 ceramic coated with collectors gaskets bolts etc. This was way before John's Cars, JTR, and Sanderson. If you had bought parts from them, they would have fixed any problems you had.
By the way Superchargers go well with the LQ4, that would mean you don't have to swap heads, but it is also more money. But, $500 is a good deal. I sold some LQ4 heads on ebay for $250.
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You guys dreamin' about LS1 swaps are doing the right thing. Keep watching ebay for that killer deal. Don't be afraid to look at complete cars though. It may be cheeper. And, if you are still a year or so away, the '05 LS2's are going to start showing up. LS1 prices going to get very reasonable!
Hehe, careful there, my wife wants a minivan, don't give her any more ammo! We have a Mitsubishi Galant 4 airbags side impact beams 4 wheel antilock brakes. And, we have a Jeep Cherokee Sport. It does have a unibody as well, not a frame/truck construction. I don't consider it an SUV because it predates SUV's. I learned to work on cars with my first Jeep. Large engine bay and easy to work on. Parts are cheap and easy to find. Still not very safe though. Maybe someday we can afford a car designed to be safe! My wife wants a Volvo, I think she said XC70.
fan thermostat ... best temp for fan to come on ???
in Gen I & II Chevy V8 Tech Board
Posted
How about 160 or 180? The fan will not really help before the thermostat opens. I would set it at 160. If you don't want it to run constantly, do 180. Try it there for a while, you can always change it again.