TomoHawk

You can get a Z-gate shift for both auto- and manual trans, so I think it's up your preference. I would say that the Z-get shifters are usually for drag racing or street driving where you go 1-2-3-4 and that's it. If you are changing gears in a different order, then the standard stick is right.

The defroster switch connector is behind the console. I think it has 3 wires in it. It's also connected to the defroster light.

I would think that a radiator/ hvac shop could get you something since they repair car heater systems.

I was going to suggest a pneumatic nibbler too and a portable air tank. You can fill the tank from a 12V compressor you keep in the car. I wouldn't know how long the air would last. I wouldn't suggest the battery-powered mooto-tool. I got one only for emergencies and small modeling jobs where the power coord would get in the way.

Check out the MSA holiday flyer. It has a special on braided brake lines & other good stuff.

I would like to use parts of a 4 speed(H-gate) shifter in a new design for my 78Z auto trans. Who's got one of the old-style 4spd shifters (pushrod type) that they would send to me real cheap? Thanks, http://www.angelfire.com/pe2/modeltom

Can you re-chrome something that has pitted chrome on it? Do they first remove the old chrome or something?

Certain cheap oil filters will drain overnight, which means that the entire engine is dry in the morning. This happens because the cheaper oil fil;ters don't have a "drain-back flapper" which lets all the oil drain out of the filter. So in the morning, the oil filter is empty, and the rest of the engine is too, so the oil pump has to pump about an extra 1/2 quart of oil before it can pump oil into the crankshaft and pushrods, which means they ar running dry( bad) until the engine gets oiled up. The 'hammering' you hear is probably the dry pushrods or the dry rod ends banging because there is no oil in there for lubrication.

I think that 'roundness' would be more important for a crankshaft pulley, because you need a good grip on the belt to keep the power to the water pump, etc.,so you don't through the belt off. You also don't want to add any shaking to the already out-of-balance engine (no reciprocating engine is perfectly in balance.) So my opinion would be to do the best you can at both

Can you post a link?

How hard do you have to corner with a car that has a top speed of what: 55 MPH? (on the highway?) IOW, you first need to learn how to drive REALLY good before putting doodads on the car that are supposed to make it go faster (IMO, most ricers are racer wannabe's) Take that from somebody who actually used to do racing (Me).

It's the strock trans in the 280z (I think 3NB1?) Is it possible to use a modern cable shifter? The one in a later model Intrepid has the button on the front! If you don't look closely, you'd think it was a 4-spd.

Rice is nice, but webbers are better. I knew this topic would stir things up!

So did the Trash-cans. Er... Trans-Ams. As I see it, if it was designed with the thing on there, then it belongs on there (except for the non-functional "spoilers".) That's why my Z gets the GTO treatment. It definitely WON'T look like rice after that!

If 'rice' incorporates useless accessories, them (most) amoerican cars with the 'sport' package qualify. I mean those useless "spoilers" on the trunk that don't add ANY downforce, and are only good for attracting dirt & rust. Add to that the luggage rack on the roofs of the 'sport package' cars. Does the luggage rack make your car go faster, or any thing at all? Add to that the tinting strips across windsheilds with the make or model of the car on it. If you don't know the make or model, go shopping & find out! I have a strip of tint on my windsheild, but it's plain with no lettering. It's there to block the sun. what other useless accesories to the put on 'American" cars?

hanks for the info. My 78 280Z trans needs a rebuild & I think I'll tell him to use only the better grade of everything.

Are you venting the wheelwell or the engine bay? I've been trying to figure out how to vent the engine are for the GTO body.

It's from Japan, too, so why wouldn't you consider it in the same catagory as Honda, ToYauTo, etc.? Mine even has new seats from a real rice (eclipse.)

If you fitst coated the whole underside with a good layer of an epoxy coating, the paint that goes on over that will look nice & flat, like on metal. The epoxy shouldn't chip off like paint and I think you can get in a brush-on formula.

I used a HEAT GUN the last time i stripped a car bottom. You can scrape it as clean as you want, then wash the rest off with mineral spirits or K1.

Teo- when in Cleveland (ohio) look me up to do R/C sailing. We got a fleet of 8 one-designs & you should see the competition!

Filling the door handles? Hmmmm... are you planning on using the 'Pushbutton door handles'? Also, I think the Blue Ray assembly manual mentions using rivets. I like Larry's idea of using 2 per. How wide are your strips? I might also suggest brazing the strips on. The sheet metal should stand up to that. Maybe even (silver) solder? It need less heat. BTW, I'm working on a wood mockup just to get pictures so some guys can see what it is- for those who couldn't get the mental picture from the drawings. But first, I got a midterm exam on Wed. I put school first, so I can one day afford a place to put my GTO. Remember Detective Dan Tana (Robert Urich)? I forget the name of his TV show ( some detective in Las Vegas) but he parked his T-Bird on the carpet in his living room.

there's nothing to wear on the strut tubes, but they get really rusty. I wasn't planning on lowering the car like you suggest because it sounds like it will be scraping the ground or speed bumps, and wil definitely limit the places I can go. I will have to get it levelled out somehow. What does 15"tires have to do with anything? Coilovers and all that extra stuff sounds like it will cost mega bucks!

Mine is rusted and i don't think it can be fixed. So, it goes klunk, klunk, klunk when you run the wipers. Would like to get new or refurbished and don't see it in the catalogs.

I took apart the shifter handle and I found out that all there is in there is a pushrod & spring. So all you need is a shifter handle that's big enough to bore a hole (about .75inch diameter and .6 inch deep) to fit over the shifter and then a hole through to the top. Make a longer pushrod & put it together for a cool 4-speed looking auto-trans shifter. That way you can use a carbon one or whatever. Mine will be aluminium and the 'button' will be have a slot-shape. Another idea would be to replace the whole shifter handle by removing the current one from the fork-like thing at the bottom, then weld on another shifter shaft of the kind that turns you on. Even more like a 4-speed look brcause you're actually using a 4-speed shifter lever! Just figure out how to run the pushrod inside.