speeder

...In my shop. Bought from a dirt track racer, it's somewhat of a mutt: Indy block, Busch GN Crank and heads. 4.5L/274 ci, odd-fire, dry sump. It has 4-Bolt mains, Oliver I-beam 6.5" rods, Isky roller lifters, Jessel roller rockers, Titanium 2.15/1.75" valves, and a .600+ lift cam. Stone age pushrod technology executed with exotic materials and elegant machining - An 8000rpm sledge hammer! The V6 will sit totally behind the strut towers of the Z, leaving room for two big front/top mounted turbos. I don't know how much HP it will make but I will have head flow, bottom end, and turbos good for 4 digits at the stroke of the boost controller -assuming sufficient driver cajones. I have almost all the needed pieces, and the engine is in the machine shop now. Turbo conversion of the bottom end from 14:1 NA form involves new pistons and cam. The Victor Jr. 4-BBl Intake is being modified for injector bungs and a bolt - on plenum housing progressively linked twin 75mm throttle bodies. Fuel Management will be an Electromotive TEC3r driving 96lb injectors. Turbos are large frame T04/60-1s. A NASCAR-spec wide ratio 4-speed (who needs lots of gears when you have 800 or so lb/ft of torque:shock: ) , Quartermaster Magnesium bellhousing, Tilton Nextel-Cup triple disc clutch, and 2.93:1 R230V are ready. Some pictures are here; http://album.hybridz.org/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=8391

See Z-Gad's link to my earlier post. SPEC has a reputation for thier stuff coming apart. It looks as if my clutch failed due to a chunk of disc lining coming off and grinding grooves in the flywheel, which quickly ate up the other pucks. There were no signs of heating/burning.. I would avoid SPEC for any application, any horsepower level. But that's just MHO.

Those in my sig are MSA IMSA Flares with modified MSA sideskirt "kickouts" to join them. Modified sideskirts could be used with the MSA II Kit and flares. This one' date=' my '78 daily beater, is the one in the reverse roadkill incident. It really was really sharp looking when the paint was new 8 years ago.... [img']http://rick.thebowersplace.com/pix/BlueZ.jpg[/img]

Seems like these things always happen to fresh bodywork. I was taking my '78 280Z home from the bodyshop with a brand new paint job (with my new MSA type 2 body kit ) when a semi ahead of me lost a big chunk of tire. At 70mph in busy 3-lane raffic the tire remains, the complete tread looking to be about 5-6 feet long, tumbled and slithered along the road toward me like some kind of demonic snake. A quick yank on the steering wheel enabled me to dodge it on the first pass, but the damn thing bounced off a car just ahead of me and to the right. It then went under the right side of my air dam, causing no damage there, but the my front tire picked it up and threw it out the side of the newly shiny, straight fender, ripping metal as it passed. Oh the humanity! I can still see that tire monster coming for me in my nightmares, with nowhere to run.

I saw an Indy Buick Twin Turbo Stage 2 engine today, too.

3.36:1 is definitely better for an L28 turbo car. Turbo cars in general like those long gears. I've repeatedly argued this with professional transmission builders who should know better. I started with a 3:90, went to 3:54, then 3:36 and went faster every time. Funny thing, the car doesn't feel faster because of the different power delivery curve, but 1/4 mile times verified the improvement. Ditto on the R180 failure mode. I've seen a couple break, and they were both side gear failures. Don't know how the R180 R&P would last with your power level, however.

Thanks for that! That's one of my favorite cars of all time, as it should be to any Z freak, given the styling similarities. I have a large framed Cobra Daytona poster hanging in my home office.

Preach it, brother - me neither.

Thanks,but the rear tires shown are 325/50-15 DRs on 15X10 Weld prostars! Rear spoiler type is still under consideration... It will not be a tall ricer style, however. Currently I'm leaning toward an upright NASCAR stye. AK-Z, that is primer. It will be painted the same '90 Z32 Dark Saphire Pearl as in my sig photo. Eventually I will have custom wheels to fill those big fenderwells - right now I'm running 10.5" X 17 2003 Cobra wheels F&R with spacers. Tires for street configuration are 315/35-17 rear, 275/40-17 front. As for styling, I did set out to get a stubby Vette/ Viper appearance. I'm really happy with the way the parting line between the front lower side panels and the one-piece front came out. I carefully made that line continue the door's body line for an integrated look.

That clutch was brand new. Had about 600 miles on it, with the manufacturer's break - in procedure followed to the letter. Again, this was SPEC's "Super Clamp" dual diaphragm pressure plate.

Some pictures from SEZ - I hope to paint sometime soon - will wait 'til after the clutch is replaced so it will be mobile.

Ah, the torque of the mighty L6. Looks like a 5000 rpm launch on Big Mickey Thompsons just did it in. I used to think SPECs were good... I can find nothing to suggest a misadjustment - and have never seen a 6- puck burned up like that.

~500.

My SPEC Stage 3+ (with "super clamp" dual diaphagm cover) was toasted at SEZ on my first try with fat drag radials. The best recommendations I have had so far are: ACT 6-puck and Clutch Specialties. I've just ordered the Clutch Specialties Stage 4 with Sintered Iron sprung disc.

Well, I have to update this. I hit the strip at SEZ with my new 325/50-15 Mickey Thompson ET Street radials and my Spec Stage 3+ clutch didn't make it through 2nd gear. Something in the clutch must have broken (I will pull it in the next few days and report) because the car will hardly move under its own power now. FWIW, No one at SEZ with experience with SPEC Clutches had anything good to say about them. The consensus among drag racers there was that ACT is the best. I will be getting the Clutch Specialties setup with ACT pressure plate and sintered iron sprung disc a la TimZ.

I probably did mine the hard way... I just cut the stock quarter panels' and inner fenders' arches to match the curvature of the wheel house, then welded in an arch-shaped piece of metal to seal the inner and outer panels together. I then made an inner fender liner of fiberglass to complete the wheel house out to the YZ rear quarters, and duraglass/ fiberglassed the homemade liner on to the remaining steel body and new fiberglass quarters. Sadly, I don't think I took pictures of this, but will check.

I concur with this. If done propely the valve seats will not be affected. I've had several L heads straightened by this process. It really does minimise the amount you have to cut off the head surfaces. When you have to true both top and bottom the total thickness removed can become excessive otherwise. Just make sure your machinist knows the correct temperature to use. ( Don't go back to the 500 degree guy)

Aww, You guys had all the fun... All I did was break things. Nice representing for the Ls!