echo006

talk about reviving an old thread. Are you still making these anymore? sent a pm, would really like a set for a 74 260z im working on.

Seriously upstanding guy. Even if you were not buying anything, he was always more than happy to share information and educate people on the finer points of modifying. Didn't matter if you were buying or window shopping, he was a class act. My prayers are out to your family and he will be deeply missed in the family of z.

I don't really know if anyone has used one since its a new thing for these guys, but thezstore.com has a four row in the factory z configuration. It's 2.75 inches thick according to them and is polished aluminum. weighs about 14.5 pounds. That's actually why I was looking here. I was tryingto find someone who has one installed to see how the clearance looks. I really don't see any problem with clearance though. There is a well known RB26 Z on the internet with the ISMA flares painted grey with silver stripes. He has his intercooler mounted between his radiator support and the radiator itself and I think his fan is still a puller type. His radiator doesn't look real thick, but its just the fact that he has that much between the support and the engine.

Nope, the shop is not going to do anything about it. It was our local Rent-A-Wheel in Valdosta, GA. They say because I didn't buy one of there wheels they couldn't do anything about it because there policy is to send it back to the supplier. All I got was a $20 bag of chrome valve stems I asked for. They know I'm not coming back and they know I'm telling every person I see. You would think that a business that mounts real low profiles on 24'' chrome can keep a set of wheels nice. What happened was he didn't feed the tire properly when the wheel was turned face down with the polished side in the clamps!! Major pissed, but I'll just have to polish it as best possible and deal with it. At least Kim gives such a great deal that its afordable to replace if some a*& hole doesn't watch what he is doing. And yes, Kim still offers the group buy. Yes, you may have to wait a week to get a response. Yes, you may have to resend the email in the event you do not get a response after 10 days. YES IT IS WORTH IT!

So Rob, I'm guessing you accept PayPal? I'm strongly considering/already saving money for a RIPS pan.

NOTSUREWHATOUTPUT, I looked on google and the nearest Discount Tire is way over 50 miles away from where I am. Anybody have any recommendations as to a good reputable company to trust with my wheels and tires needs? I apologize if I am hijacking this thread. It seems on topic.

I called them this morning and they said to bring the wheel by tomorrow so his specialist can look at it. Works out for my schedule because I have to work all this afternoon. They haven't said they are going to do the repair yet. Right now they just want to make sure I'm not screwing them with a curb check because I didn't notice it right away at the shop. There are also some marks on the inside surface of the back side where he tried to clamp it using the back of the blocks. They have a surface like that of a meat tenderizer. that can be touched up though and I wouldn't even be so upset except that its on the facing surface and not the back side. So what your saying is it can be installed on the machine with the front facing up like a normal wheel, that it does not have to be flipped over. Right?

I also forgot to mention, part of what caused the marring was he apparently had to flip the wheel over in order to mount the tire so that it was being clamped from the outer facing side and not the inside because it is a deep offset reverse style wheel. I know nothing about mounting tires so can anyone tell me if this is true or was I getting the royal treatment on screwing up my new wheel.

Do they offer that service at all Discount Tire locations nation wide?

Sorry for not posting pics of mine sooner. I just had a used 275/40-17 so I could figure out if I really wanted to run that big a tire in the rear or not. Pretty stoked about it. Only problem though is the lip got marred when on the machine. Is there a way of preventing this from happening when I have tires mounted on the other three. I'm pretty pissed with the guy at that shop right now because of it. I hope I can have some of it polished out. What do I need to be looking for in a tire shop that won't cause this to happen? Except for this happening, I love these wheels, I just want a shop that can take care of them properly and not screw them up.

17x9 front and 17x9.5 rear. They look amazing, glad I waited for the Hyper Black personally.

I emailed back and forth with Kim for a long while, but that was only because I wanted Hyper Black and they kept getting back ordered. You have to be patient. He may not check his emails for a few days but he will get back to you. If you think he didn't get the email just send it again. I recently was finally able to place an order and secure a set of my own. About a week later the wheels were at my house. Worth twice what we pay for them IMHO and well worth a little patience and understanding. I can bet good money that you won't be able to send him an email and immediately get a response back saying "sure here you go just send your money here and you will have them next week". If I'm not mistaken, his English isn't the best in the world either, but he is great to work with and will get you what you want eventually. You have to remember he is doing us a great service by even carrying these wheels in the first place. I am sure they do not keep many in stock at all seeing as they are a very special order. If you want the wheels just keep in touch with him, thats all you have to do.

So, what would be the likelihood that these pans are going to be made again? I would be interested in one, but maybe something that could go in the car as a whole (engine and trans together). Did this pan ever work with the McKinney motor mounts? I read that the clearance is minimal and that the engine had to be mounted appropriately.

How is it that we are talking about revs here and nobody has mentioned rod/stroke ratios? The rod compared to the stroke is what really makes an engine rev-able. Look it up if you don't believe me, I swear by it. The square bore/stroke helps, but some of the best engines I have seen for revs and power are overbore, short stroke, and long rods. engine ___ rod ___ stroke __ bore _ r/s rb26dett _ 121.5 _ 73.7 ___ 86 __ 1.6486 rb25det __ 121.5 _ 71.1 ___ 86 __ 1.7089 rb20det __ 121.5 _ 69.7___ 78 __ 1.7432 sr20det __ 136.3 _ 86.0___ 86 __ 1.5849 ca18det__ 133.0 _ 83.6 ___ 83 __ 1.5909 The higher the rod stroke ratio, the better the mechanical advantage the combustion has on the crank and revs better. Granted, there are other factors such as rotating mass, balancing, valve train, and head design that have to be factored in. The Rod/Stroke ratio is a big player though in revving an engine. As far as chain vs. belt timing goes. If they are maintained properly (changed at 100k miles or less) then there should not be a problem. A belt setup is lighter (valve train inertia) than the chain and the belt does not require oiling. The lighter load allows for higher revs (mechanically speaking only, other factors play in). If i remember right, the advantage to the chain is reliability. Stretching is minimal, only is sever conditions can it ever jump the timing off and that is mostly unheard of (this is still uncommon in belt systems though). Hope this helps everyone.

So, is National Speed going to make a custom twin scroll manifold for your setup? If so, do you think they would be willing to build a second one? I hope this isn't thread jacking, it's just I've been looking into this setup for a long time and this is the first good lead I have come across. I am also shooting for around 400-450hp with little or no lag and really good top end power. What turbo are you using? looks like a garrett GT3076. I was actually wanting to run the T4 manifold with dual wastegates and use a borg warner s300sx 83-71 turbo. From what I've gathered from the guys at full race, the overall lag between a twinscroll T3 and a twinscroll T4 is negligable. However, there is apparantly a great deal of gain in performance to use the T4 frame. From what they say, they have had a lot of customers go with the T4 borg warner and have never been dissatisfied. Just what I've come across. Anything you have heard on the matter?

I don't suppose anyone has a pic of 255/40 in the front on the 17x9.5 wheels? Would that even fit correctly?

Your mentioned that the full-race manifold was having complications with the steering shaft, can you tell me more about this issue? How low is the engine mounted? Is it barely in the way or is the steering shaft trying to go through the manifold? This concerns me because I am looking at doing an SR20 in my early '74 260z and I especially wanted to do a T4 twinscroll setup with the full race manifold. The reason I ask about the engines mounting depth is because the mounting brackets offered by mckinney motorsports doesn't seem to drop down as far as yours does. Maybe, possibly, their motor mount would clear up the issue. Also, I think I will be using either the S13 or the S14 engine for cost reasons as opposed to the S15. The S13 most likely because I'm not sure I want to deal with the variable timing. How much can you tell me about your experiance with the S15 engine and its variable timing? How hard is the cam variability to tune with the large turbo? Does it make a big difference in drivability?

I'm glad somebody mentioned the ITB's in the RB26. I was beginning to wonder if anyone was going to say it. I'm not sure I understand why some people feel the need to swap the 26 intake to a single large throttle body. The ITB's make a huge difference in engine response because the change in air flow when you hit the throttle is imediate since the throttle is right in the intake runner. Also, if you do the math, the six smaller thottle bodies add up to the flow of something massive. If I can find the exact numbers I'll post them, but it think it amounted to something in excess of 100mm. I can't remember though.

I would also like to know about Pete's fiberglass door panals if anybody knows his screen name or can find out if he is still making them?

So how about those of us who would like to keep our air conditioning? I remember reading on Austin Hoke's http://website http://www.vq240z.com that there is an issue with the compressor getting in the way of the steering shaft. Anybody have in good info on this? I know since the RB26 carries the same inline layout that the A/C compressor is not an issue. Just for the record, I'm debating SR20 vs. RB26 vs VQ35 and I still haven't come to a conclusion in over a year of research. My girlfriend hates it too.

I like the JDM powersteering route. I just might have ot get one of those for my early 1974 260z.

You know what, its going in a 280zx right? Just go ahead and through in the L28et and be done with it. I was thinking along the lines of the early 260z that I have and the 240z. They are lighter cars. The ZX needs that bottom end torque. I may even say that a VG30 would be a good choice, but I don't know what kind of support is available for such a swap.

I'm in agreement with Gareth for the most part. The final product is whats going to dictate the engine. I've lulled over what engine to use in my 260z for the past year while I took care of everything else pressing. My personal final choice has come to the SR20, but it is a really really really close call to the L28et and I may still use the L28et if I change my mind again. All in all the big reason for me deciding on the SR20 is availability of aftermarket parts. Fuel economy is another factor. The SR20 (being the four cylinder that it is) is going to get better fuel economy when cruising at lower RPM. My final plans are going to involve a twinscroll T4 Borg Warner turbo making arround 400+hp and a potential of 600hp if I feel that is not enough. Also, anything above 350hp starts to become a strain on the L28et (from what I understand) and becomes near aggravation arround 400hp if the motor has not been properly set up and tuned to be reliable for it. Austin (and his famous blue 240Z) is changing out his L28et for a VQ35 and his was one of the nicest L28et I have ever seen. Big Phil has made mension of being tired of trying to make over 400hp with his L28et and possibly switching over to a RB series since he had to rebuild his Holset more than once (but his frustration was understandable and I really dont think he will do it, he seems to love that L28 megasquirt). But the biggest deal is there are only a hadful of people making engine upgrades for the L28et. Maybe two companies make cams for the L28et. Intake and exhaust manifolds are no go in the aftermarket with the exception of the ITB fuel injection and that expensive. Dont get me wrong, I think the L28et is a nostalgic work of sexyness and sounds absolutely orgasmic. Its just not efficient enough with the power in my book.

Hey look, its the smart cars grandfather!!!

That thing is sweet! It's great that you can finish it in high school, I'm in my 5th year of college and I just now found a 1974 260z to work on. I have been looking since high school though. There were cars out there, just either ones people didn't want to sell, or rust buckets that people were paying way too much moo-la for.