Leon

Uh-oh.

All of that can be alleviated by lightening the flywheel and putting on a better exhaust. If that's not enough, stick an early cam in it and get a few more rpm at the top end.

A smaller wheel+tire combo will go quicker, stop quicker, and have less unsprung weight thus improving traction.

But of course!

My complete programmable ignition system cost about $400, and there are ways to do it cheaper. I didn't have the time to fabricate the sensor mount and press on a trigger wheel so I went to the easier solution. I got Derek's EDIS mount kit (~$170), Megajolt Light Jr. (~$170), and an EDIS 6 set (module, sensor, 2nd gen coil pack, plug wires) from ebay (~$60). It is possible to economize on the EDIS mounting by making your own sensor bracket and pressing on a generic 36-1 trigger wheel which brings those costs down to materials and your labor. If you have time to go junkyard shopping the EDIS may be cheaper as well, so you can have a fully programmable system for maybe $250 or so. That's damn good for what you get if you ask me!

The cross-sectional area will increase by about 1.5 times and your exhaust temps might drop a tiny bit, but very unlikely that it will be noticeable. AFR and ignition timing affect EGT more than anything else. With that said, we will absolutely need a video once you get it back! I'd love to hear it under load, and how it differs from mine.

I noticed that low rpm running was much improved (practically no bog and overall smoother running) with static advance at about 15 degrees, however my 260Z distributor has a terrible timing curve for my application (26 degrees of mechanical) so I have to keep it at 10 degrees static. I have a spare E12-80 ZX dizzy, but instead of spending precious time playing with distributors and still ending up with a compromise I opted for a programmable EDIS setup! I installed Derek's trigger wheel and sensor mount yesterday and will be getting the EDIS and Megajolt controller wired in soon, hopefully. Using Megajolt lets me keep the triples yet provides a relatively economical way to have a fully programmable, powerful ignition system. Load sensing (vacuum) advance will be provided via the built in MAP sensor. I know that I am missing out on a lot of "power under the curve" with my current dizzy. Once I'm done, I can punch buttons on a laptop while having a snack, instead of taking apart distributors and messing with all that crap. Hell, Megajolt lets me make temperature correction curves and allows two timing maps, switched with a flick of a finger! Try doing that with a distributor...

It's the Turbonator part II: turbo exhaust augmentor!

I don't know where you got it, but I got it from the FSM and that's what I run. This is not an oil viscosity issue.

Wow, sad way to end it. Sorry to hear about the house and the Z. Back when I was a kid, I would build cars out of Lego all the time. I'd spend hours getting them right. Sometimes I'd screw up and break the lego-car just before or after I finished it, and get really upset and frustrated. But my mom always told me "the next one you make will be better than the last." I vehemently disagreed and thought to myself that it was as good as it was going to get, but of course she was right! Hopefully you get another Z to play with, and best of luck to you and Rick. The next will be better than the last!

The difference between you're current setup and the MSA twice pipes is glasspack location. The dB may not change much, but you might get more drone at cruising speeds. For a long time I envisioned getting the MSA twice pipes, but as close as I got to the getting them, I never pulled the trigger mostly because the rear valence must be cut for the tips to fit the stock location. I had the exhaust builder install twin 2" pipes with slash-cut vertically-stacked tips at the back (Ã la 432), 4 total glasspacks, and 2 O2 bungs all for $300! I definitely could not beat that value, anywhere. One-man shop with 40 years of experience gets the job done right and done quick. Hell, I gave him a $20 tip at the end!

This may help, for the suspension portion. This sticky, for the brakes.

I love the sound, it's actually hard for me to keep it below 3500rpm just because I want to hear that sweet roar! I have two glasspacks in each pipe, so it's relatively docile on the freeway and around town, but good luck hearing anything else as soon as I open it up. The MSA twice pipes have one (perforated) glasspack per pipe. Loud probably won't begin to describe it! Oh, and post a video up after you get them installed!

I had my twice pipes built by a really good local exhaust guy who runs his own shop. That sound has a lot to do with the type of muffler(s) you're using. Glasspacks tend to do the trick. You're going to love the sound!

$1200??? You could send them in the Techno Toy Tuning (among others) and they'll do it for maybe a thrid of that.

Going from the #3 hole to the #1 hole on a stock cam sprocket will retard the cam. Retarding the cam opens and closes the valves later, shifting the torque (and subsequently power) peak to the right (higher rpm). You have 4 degrees of adjustment per hole, so a fully adjustable timing sprocket will let you dial it in further.

Thanks! Hopefully it will be back on the road in a reasonable amount of time. Yeah, right...

Too bad you missed it, I was there as well! What part of the North Bay are you in? I can let you know if I'm in the area with my Z and would have no problem coming by and taking you on a ride.

I'm on the peninsula and live on a big hill. Up the hill at 25-30mph in 3rd gear is fine, but I do have a 3.9 diff. No downshifts required from 5th gear commuting to Petaluma. I have plenty of torque and can take it to 6500-7000rpm although it doesn't breathe very well up there. Shifting around 6000rpm is perfect. This is with an L24 with triples and custom exhaust, everything else stock engine-wise. If you want max torque to occur at higher rpm then you'll have to sacrifice it down low. I would recommend getting a ride in or driving a Z with a stock cam before you decide. It's hard to gauge any changes you make to the car without having a baseline, which is why I'm starting out almost stock and then progressing into upgrades.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm having plenty of fun with the stock cam. I'm in a hilly area as well and have absolutely no problems. Take-offs are in second gear unless I'm on a hill.

Thanks Stepan! It's funny what other people remember sometimes. Three months of good racing weather? That would be painful! You should come down to California. I can't wait to have the Z back on the road, I'm partway through the EDIS and installing a Holley Red fuel pump because I had it laying around and it should provide plenty of flow. I got an idea for a heat shield setup from Gary at the Coronado Speed Fest last weekend, which I got to go to since our San Diego vacation luckily happened to coincide with it! Also got to meet Adam Carolla (cool) and see the unfortunate damage to the Bob Sharp 610 (not cool).

Look up "strut sectioning".

My suggestion would be to get the stock system up to par, then decide if you want to "upgrade" the brakes.

It's never been done. Make sure to document and post the results so that others can learn from it.

I did, I did! I also accidentally took this thread waaaay off it's tracks! At least we all know what to call heat-exchangers based on their locations now. Resume: compound charging