cockerstar

Would e85 be a viable option for a high compression n/a?

I'm not seeing any pics. Sounds nice though!

Easy questions here: 1) When should you have your heads decked? I've been told that every time the heads come off of the block they need to be decked to be true to provide a good mating surface to avoid blowing a head gasket. Conversely, I've also been told that cleaning the surface up with a gasket scraper and solvent is sufficient. 2) How do you determine which length pushrods you need to use? Thanks

I like the way you think Plus, you can't beat that price on a donor engine! Lots of pics are a requirement for all of hbz. I'm looking forward to seeing how this one is going to fit in.

Is it just me, or does anyone else thing that a black hood with black flares and spoiler would look good? I've always liked the look of the hood on a Z being black to contrast the body color. It helps to break everything up, rather than just having that single mass of color. I definitely agree about painting the airdam though. Phil, have you considered having the chrome accents around the windows and quarter windows powder coated black?

Flux core mig? Really be sure you have a clean surface to weld on (a grinder and a wire wheel are musts), and make sure you have a clean solid ground too. Some of them aren't too bad, but there's a lot where you didn't really get much penetration. Are you planning on stitch welding the body seams (seam welding) for chassis stiffening, or are you just tacking along like that? If you're going from the ground up, I think seam welding is "worth it", just because it's relatively easy to do, as well as being cheap. It's one of the things that adds up when going for a stiffer ride and a very responsive car. It wouldn't be "worth it" in my opinion to pull the engine to do something, but like I said, it's a good "while you're at it" modification.

Your car now needs one of those "baby on board" caution signs

There isn't an "average build cost" because everyone's projects are so different. Sure, we might all be sticking a SBC into a Z, but the condition of the motor, the condition of the car, personal goals, standards, time frames, budgets, etc. all play a huge role in the final outcome. First you need to set a few basic project goals, and then you need to make a plan to achieve those goals. How much power are we looking for? How do we want it to look? How long do we have to do it? How much do we need to learn before we can do it? etc. Once you have your plan, make a parts list with prices, and get a rough estimate of time it's going to take to complete it. Now, triple the cost and double the time - this gives a more accurate picture of what it's really going to take. You're going to run into unanticipated things along the way that are going to cost you a lot of both time and money, and there are a lot of easily overseen costs that will "nickle and dime" you to death. You can have a v8 Z for less than a grand if you're okay with sticking in a 350 and a th350 from some old van that ran, but if you're going to build something nicer it's going to cost a lot more. It all boils down to two things... 1. desires 2. budget Always remember the golden rule about cars: "Fast, cheap, and reliable -- pick two!"

Saw your build thread last night! I take it that twice pipes are no longer the idea now? Looks good Beau!

Physics 101 is an oversimplification of everything to help everyone get the "big picture". Start taking too many variables at once, and things start to get confusing really fast. There's a reason why it's called "fundamental physics"

Well, from my knowledge the TPS is a throttle position switch, and not a throttle position sensor. There's idle, cruise, and WOT, with nothing in between. But then again, this is off of an '87, so it could be completely different like you're hoping

To my knowledge, any stuck l series FI isn't going to take to an aftermarket cam well at all. It's better to upgrade of an aftermarket EMS before swapping the cam.

Interior is blue/faded black to purple with some of the panels repainted (very well, would have thought they were original) to black. I really wasn't planning on doing much to the interior as it's pretty thrashed. I can get some pics later today. Wheels are wither the stock iron cross ones, or steelies. Thinking of keeping the iron cross ones for another one of my Zs as the tires on them are completely shot.

*shakes head*

Like everyone else has said -- glad you're okay, and milk it for all it's worth! Prices on a NOS bumper and NOS sheet metal are a must. Also, remember that you have the right to pick a body shop! Definitely don't settle for where the insurance company gets their quote from.

You'd be surprised at the amount of noise that'll come in with pop rivets holding in a piece of a floor. I think welding it in correctly, rust sealing the floors (even if it's just a wire wheel + paint), and some cheap sound deadener is time and money well spent in the case of how much driving you're going to be doing.

Just wanting to know what your opinion is on the coloring of the 280zx. What looks the best? What compliments the car's lines the most? What really doesn't look that great? I have a '79 280zx that I am doing all of the body work on before I sell it. Once everything is straight I'll be painting it myself. It gives me a chance to have a bit of a practice run with a paint gun before I paint my '71, and it makes the car worth more when I go to sell it. I'm assuming I'll be able to make at least enough to cover all of my costs. Right now the engine bay is the stock silver color, and the jambs are a very poor faded and chipped red. I'm planning on respraying the jambs, but not the engine bay. I'm wanting to stick with single stage paints, or only wanting to move to a clear. This is my first time spraying, so I'm going to avoid doing a metallic. Overall I want something that's going to be attractive to most buyers, and be decent to shoot. My body work skills are respectable, but I'm still not sure if gloss black is a good idea or not Thanks in advance, Ryan

Any interference with the steering shaft?

I haven't tried yellow freight yet. I'll definitely look into them. Right now, $150 isn't too bad at all. I had it down to $126, but that was assuming loading docks on both ends. I also hadn't thought of splitting the trans up either. It was very recently rebuilt, so I'm kind of hesitant about that route.

Hey guys, I'm trying to have a transmission shipped to me, and was wondering what you guys have used in the past to ship large/heavy items. I've been looking at shipping via freight, but not having a loading dock/forklift on one end nearly triples the shipping cost! I do have a forklift and a loading dock on my end, so that makes things a bit easier. For the price I'm being quoted, I could drive down to Salt Lake and pick it up myself... So, what have you done to ship engines/transmissions in the past?

Take a look in the gen I & II forums right above. Welcome to hybridZ! take a look all over the site and read up on people's builds. The search function at the top of the page is extremely useful, as 95% of questions (including yours) have been addressed before, and are open to be read. More pics of your Z are a must! it looks great!

I'm parting out a whole car. PM me with pics of exactly where you need me to cut

Can't wait to get mine!

I'm not seeing any of your pics

Do you have any flex joints in the system to deal with the expanding and contracting from temperature?