DennisK

I, too, am waiting for someone with the answers here!

I've heard the same. There used to be a product called Royal Triton, it was purple also, and a lot of people swore by it. I am not up on latwst race lubes, but would trust what I see with my own eyes at the track, in or around the garage. Stickers on the car mean nothing. One year at Elkhardt Lake, Wi., the CART cars were running Q.S. 20w50 in all but three cars. We were the only ones who had a distributor close, as the other trucks couldn't get in. At that time, late 80's, Q.S. 20w50 racing oil was the exact same product in the retail bottle as for the pro. No one else did that. Now Pennzoil merged(aquired) Q.S., and I doubt anything is the same.

I worked for the Quaker State Corp. from 82' thru 89', ending as a regional mgr. I have had many arguments over the years about oil and oil pressures, & filtering. Most people don't realize that the oil filter was an OPTION for car buyers on some models into the early 60's. "SC" motor oils were pretty basic, and recommended change was at 1000 miles. With each new designation(SE,SF,SH etc.), the lubricant is asked to do more than just lubricate. Suspending contaminents, and protecting the bearings is critical because NO filtering media has been developed that can filter completely and flow fast enough to avoid lube starvation at the bearings. By-pass spin on filters have a valve inside that allows the lube to by-pass the filter at pre set pressure. Pressure settings vary by manufacturer, however are in the 7-12 lb range. This means when your oil pressure is at 15lbs, the lube is bypassing the filter. 99% of engine wear happens at cold temps. The first 5 minutes is critical for lubrication/wear. The tighter the engine, the lighter the lube needs to be to do it's job, cold. In SBCs, tolerances are not as tight as the newer 4cyl engines. 20w50 should not be a problem, and is preferred as long as you don't start racing 2 minutes after start-up! On a 90+ deg day, at idle, with a/c, at a stop, foot on the brake(AT), 15lb oil pressure is expected. Less would be so noisy you'd shut it down anyway! The "5" in 5w30 is the same viscosity as penetrating oil! Not bad for cold starts and tight tolerances. The number after the "W"(which stands for Winter, NOT weight)is the viscosity at operating temp. A 50 will have a resistance to flow more than a 30, therefore better lubrication. Proper warm up will minimize wear, and different brands do have different pour points(room temp pour) even at the same viscosity. QS's 15w40 had a pour point of a 10W, so had easier starts in the cold weather. My recommedation for performance engines, as most have here, is 20W50 synthetic, of a brand you know. They are now proven to lube quicker at cold start, and hold up to hi temp. Synthetics should not be used to break in a new motor. Non syn, (organic) lubes CANNOT break down, as advertised by some. They get contaminents (dirt)which lessen effectivness. Hi vol, Hi pressure oil pumps will make a difference in readings, but slight at hot idle. Hi vol is preffered, but hi press could present a flow problem in racing conditions.

The socket head screws in the strut towers-they the reason for the great handling? What is all that?

VR Engineering's web site is www.kitcarz.com The phone is right, 480-967-3289. Mention in your e-mail to John any and all of us that have been or are customers of his. He is aware of our group, and MAY be open to a little better pricing to the entire membership.

I recieved the new VR Engineering catalog & price sheet today. They have the "Origin" kit which has all you need to go topless. I didn't realize how much straight Z & ZX stuff they have. Anyway, www.kitcarz.com, Z Spyder has pics of what you might be looking for.

My daily driver is an older Mercedes AMG with over 200,000 miles. I put in the Bosch Platinums a few years ago and immediatley got better mileage and quicker starts(german cars seem to take forever to fire). They worked out so well I decided to put in the 4 electrode plugs. I've got about 20,000 on 'em but really don't notice much difference.

Nnggluh! Yea, sure I'm awake! Reminds me of college! Just kidding, what you say makes perfect sense, as applied to automotive. The foam is also how the rear tub is sealed to the body on the VR and other GTO types.

Pete, I am not an engineer, however I have pro status as a golf club repairman. When metal woods came out, they were hollow and had a tendency to collapse inward in the face area. We put expandable foam in and the problem stopped. It was explained to me that pressure was equalized in and out, that gave more strength. I don't know if this would apply, as the clubhead is completely enclosed. What do you think?

The VR reenforcing kit is basically square tube, 1"x1". Rear strut towers are tied together, & then triangulated, with the tube from the rear strut tower forward to the frame rail reenforcements(2 pcs, stacked, to the firewall. the tube is bent 17 degrees to allow entry into the car. I have the pics, some are more helpful than others. Another idea someone else had asked before was doing a Targa Top. Same basic idea, no "T", and no fabricating of the rear deck.

Velo Rossa is a roadster and the manual has instuctions on where to cut, and of course, frame mods so it doesn't fall apart! I have the manual and can try to scan the appropriate pages and send them to you, if you wish.

Mike, I don't think 2 inches from a muffler would cause fuel to boil. Maybe if it was a cat converter it would. Try a shield as suggested or header wrap for peace of mind, but I would check all lines and fittings in the area of the bubbles.

My machinist(old school, not much hi perf) said when we balanced the engine to include the flywheel. The hi perf machine guy said no, they don't include the flywheel, so we did not. Mine's an aluminum flywheel so I don't know if that makes a difference. It seems to me that it should not be any thing to worry about.

I'd love to Dan, but my Ex lives there...

Dan-we need a stop watch!! Is that 2/10ths of a second diff or what?

The bore on the 305 is 3.736.

I don't know if it's different than a 73' 240Z. The bolts were very easy to find and get at from top to bottom. Around the steeiring column and the vents I needed angle type tools(universals), but really no problem s at all.

I checked out their web site and could not find sub-frame connectors, are they custom made? Or maybe a different category?

Mike-I'm impressed! You seem to work well UNDER pressure!!!

Thank you Owen. Those are the heads I'm looking at!

Owen, do you have straight or angled plugs? The $69.95 headers, are those from Summit?

That's a good question, and I'll add to it. What about other brands of blockhuggers? Anyone use DynoMax, Blacjack, Hedman or anything else that works?

Unless something has drastically changed and I've not heard, 1 quart of oil the first 3000 miles is not of concern. Especially when the second 3000 uses 1/2 qt. it tells me its breaking in nicely. I believe they use synthetic fill from the factory, and break-in takes a little longer with syn. Tech services at Q.S. told me to use mineral based for break-in, and then switch to synthetic, so I would'nt worry.

John, while with the Quaker State Corp., I was a regional Coatings mgr. The rust proofing product we had was called "Metal Gard". By all the salt tests and pratical applcations(paying claims vs the industry)the product was rated the best. I don't know if it is still in production, as I've been gone since 89', and Q.S. was merged with Pennzoil. I approved claims in my region and don't recall paying off to any Z owners. The product was a golden brown and was applied in the normal way, including drilling holes(use a step drill bit) to unaccessable areas. It was "Live", in that if scatched, it would "move" to reseal. My private stock is long gone, along with the paint sealant, but you might be able to find some from a Q.S. distributor in your area.

My reply in the non-tech forum was non-tecnical! You made me check twice, I thought my computer wasn't going to the right forums! Mike is right about the enviromental people. Or, if it isn't varnish yet, buy a product called Sta-Bil, and use it as per Mike's suggestion in lawn mowers snow blowers etc.