Jesse OBrien

point well taken. There are a few people who race Z's here in Vallejo, I figure I'll just approach them. I may just turn it into a race car myself, to be honest.

That's low. He didn't even bother to mention that. Who would do such a thing?

That's one of the sexiest things you can spread over your bedroom floor. Can't wait to see more.

Just a thought, but wouldn't this be worth spending a few hundred dollars to transport? I mean, finding a rust-free shell must be relatively difficult in Oregon, for example. If anybody finds a car in the San Francisco or Sacramento area, just let me know where I'd be driving it and I'll be happy to deliver it for gas/lodging money. I love traveling!

I happen to have a spare 260z that won't be used for anything (it has a dent on the rear driver's quarter panel, and it wasn't worth the few hours to hammer it out, so we got a new 240z shell). The plan is to strip some of the parts and sell it as a parts/track/restore shell. My questions are: What parts should I realistically take from it? Who wants it, and for how much (clean title)? (bunches of pictures here: Darth Z)

um... damn. I wonder if I can fit 4 in my driveway... I sort of have a problem: http://projectcrx.wordpress.com/2008/05/04/multiplying-projects/

Bought and paid for, came with a bunch of extras we weren't really expecting for the price. It's getting a 351w Ford v8 in the next few months, expect VERY complete documentation to follow.

Where did you get your tank done? I work in Oakland (live in Vallejo) and I really don't know the area very well, but I'd like to find a few good shops for stuff like this.

I DD my '73 s30 with a '57 283. It definitely needs a wiring cleanup and the interior (everything, basically) looks like hell. It's also louder than sin with the dual side-dump exhaust, but I'm okay with that. The only big issue I have right now (now that the alternator works) is that gravity is the only thing holding the gas tank in, and the cap vents into the passenger cab. Once I fix those, driving will be much more pleasant. Regardless, this (and the BART) is what gets me to work every day.

Can't blame this on fluids. Would the timing chain cause this kind of clacking noise? How hard is the timing chain and gear to replace, and can I use a double roller style?

um... a guy on Craigslist who didn't do the swap... no good info available. And yes, I bought it as you see it. I've fixed a bunch of wiring, and plan to get the passenger's seatbelt to retract and get the alternator wired up (right now my alternator is a battery charger that plugs into the wall). I'm going to check my fluids. I used to get the same TYPE of sound (valve knockish sound) but my quieter when my Hondas were low on oil. I'll keep you all posted.

I'll tweak them down a little more when I get back from work then, they're a bit wobbly. I looked around briefly online to see how to tell what kind of cam I have. All I know is that I have camel-hump heads... so, if possible, could I get specifics? Pretty please?

I just broke down the block code (T0515D) and came up with this motor being a 283 from 1958. I wouldn't be surprised if it were making funny noises, I would too if I were 60 years old!

Responses greatly appreciated! I won't have a chance to check on these today, but possibly tonight. The rattle is only after revving, while it's coming back down to idle. I was told this motor is a 327 from '64, but I really have no idea how to verify that. The only number on the block didn't seem to make any sense on the Chevy Identification sites I visited. I'll check the spark plugs this morning, before I leave. So far, it sounds like it's coming from the driver's side valve cover, or possibly the exhaust manifold. The valve cover has funky t-topped rods holding it on, so I can't use a torque wrench. How tight should they (realistically) be? Anything I should be looking for if/when I take them off?

Hey experts! I'm pretty new to the Domestic scene, so I wasn't sure what to make of this engine noise I have going on. I just bought this last week with the v8 swap so I don't know the history of the engine. I'm honestly pretty worried about this sound, and I'm not afraid to go tearing into the engine to fix it, but this is my daily driver so keeping it on the road is important. Here's a video of the sound (you only hear the clacking after it revs). Location-wise, it sounds like it's coming from the intake manifold or just underneath. It could be in the heads, but it sounds more centralized. Any ideas would definitely be appreciated. Thanks in advance! *edit* I totally forgot to link to the video. This should help a bit:

So, does anybody have or know where I can find a diagram for exactly where each ignition plug is wired? Also, does anybody have specs on the stock relays?

I may have been misleading when I described the keypad. I'm going to be using a keypad like this: (*edit*:image attached, but linking doesn't seem to work) in the coin tray in the center console (next to the e-brake lever). If I can, I'll run the wiring underneath the metal, just above the transmission. Even if not, I won't leave my wiring diagram in the car (I'm going to have it on my computer and that's about it) so figuring out what's what will be difficult (especially when it's in the center console, hidden away, rather than on the steering column). Also, first priority will be given to standard ignition switch placement, and I'll leave my 'false' wires there, probably wired up to the alarm, possibly wired up more sinisterly (I could wire it up so that the would-be thief becomes the ground for a very strong electrical connection). I'm actually going to have quite nice seats, but no stereo whatsoever (I wouldn't be able to hear it over the engine anyway). I may get seat covers or something, because the seats I'm getting are kevlar race seats. However, they're basically going to be welded directly to the floorboards, so stealing them would be quite difficult. I'm going to leave the stock steering lock on there, and simply have the keypad switch it. You do raise a valid concern with aftermarket stuff in the car, and I may even put some kind of tracker in/on the seats (gps sender units aren't really expensive, when compared to $750 seats). ECU? Sorry, I forgot to mention that I'm running one of the simplest engines out there. It's a 327ci Chevy v8 (I'm pretty sure about that, it could be a 283) with an HEI distributor and a one-wire alternator. Basically, my engine has 5 wires: 2 for starter, one for distributor, one for tach, and one for alternator. If a thief were smart enough and wanted to spend the time, there's absolutely nothing I could do to keep them from starting this car. However, that's where my steering lock comes into play. As an additional anti-theft device, putting notes in all four tires is generally a good idea. Make sure it has your contact information, identification information (ideally with a photo), and a short note basically saying, "If you service these tires and the car's owner is not the same as the person in these tires, these wheels are stolen. Please contact the police with this information to get these back to their rightful owner!" The best anti-theft device is making your car unattractive to theives (hard-to-sell parts, anything with an identification number, and more attractive targets close-by). Most theft is opportunistic, meaning that you made it easy for someone to steal something. Most thieves wouldn't even know how to put my car in gear! Would you?

Good god that's a clean Z! Really, it looks beautiful, especially that simple, pure valve cover. I'd love to see some videos from the autox though.

You can ALWAYS count on pics. To see what's been done so far, you can always visit my page: ProjectCRX (name pending, if you have any ideas, let me know). As for windows being broken, I have hood pins holding my rear hatch down (actually only one hood pin, the other fell off while I was driving it home) and it rains seldom enough that I generally just leave the windows down when I walk away. I have nothing worth stealing in the car (and really, the car itself isn't worth stealing), and I always stick to the 'outrun the bear' philosophy. Basically, the 'outrun the bear' philosophy consists of parking next to a car that is at least twice as attractive as mine. That means '60s mustangs, miatas, civics, etc (cars that are the most likely to be parted out on the black market with no questions asked) commonly see my car next to them.

Almost everything that's worth doing has already been done. The Transporter was where I originally got the idea (a few years ago) but dismissed it as being unrealistic. Now, looking at what I've got in the car, not doing something fun and interesting would be unrealistic. I could also do a fingerprint reader: (http://www.directindustry.com/prod/wison-techology/fingerprint-reader-for-vehicle-applications-38178-323775.html) or an aircraft style switch: to start the car. Or something new car manufacturers are using now and do a bluetooth identification thing, where you just need to have your key NEAR the ignition, not in it. That only solves some of the problems I have, and doesn't suit the Z very well, IMHO. I've toyed with using a bluetooth keypad from a computer or an old(ish) cellphone for ignition, but I think I'm going to end up using a fairly generic touchpad or PDA inside the center console slot. New anti-theft feature! I might even add a couple wires in the space the ignition would be in, so if someone DOES try to hotwire it, it'll engage an alarm (I know, I'm a bastard... a thief expects to hear the car fire up, and is rewarded with an alarm instead). I'd even leave a key in the ignition, so no wires would need to be cut. Just turn the key, get the alarm. Nobody should be turning the key anyway.

I just started the very long process of rewiring my entire car. When I got it, the entire fuse box was bypassed, as far as I could tell. The headlights and electric fan were wired into two switches going directly from the battery + while the ignition module was largely bypassed or completely hacked into. Four wires were spliced into the ACC slot (and not all together, they were basically rolled into a ball and electrical taped onto the main ACC wire) of the ignition. I'm tired of this, and a little tired of our reliance on bits of metal called 'keys' as our primary security measure. I'm totally going 'keyless' for my daily driver. What I'm planning is to have a 2-way ACC switch, a numbered keypad, and the lighter as my primary electrical solutions. Hear me out: ACC Switch: I'll wire this up where my choke was (I believe I have electric choke on the Edelbrock carb on my V8), and hopefully get a switch that looks like the original choke. This will connect to the ACC relay, and turn on all my accessories (light circuit, guages, etc). Numbered Keypad: Hidden in the drive channel compartment is my replacement for a key. I may end up using a PDA that gets powered up when the ACC switch is triggered, or I'll get a microcontroller-powered keypad. I may do a 3-digit ignition code, or a 5-digit, or a 20-digit (depending on how safe the neighborhood is ). This puts me into RUN mode (HEI distributor gets power). START ENGINE button: What could possibly be more clean and clear than a button dedicated to start the motor? I don't use my lighter, so I'm going to convert that over to a button (keeping the lighter itself cosmetically identical) that leads to a relay which engages the starter motor. I'll have to figure something out to keep the damned thing from STAYING in (meaning the starter keeps turning) when I press it, but other than that I think it's a great, clean way to start the car. To start: Flip ACC switch Slide open the coin space and input key in keypad press lighter This will effectively make the car much more difficult to steal (no wiring on the steering column) and much more interesting all-around. Potential issues: I'm a bit worried about a few things here. Namely: What are the specs on the ACC relay, and what's actually wired into it? Where can I get a good switch that looks like the stock choke lever? Would it be easier to just take any average switch and jbweld the choke lever to the switch arm? How is the stock ignition module (the piece you stick the key into) wired up? There are 5 wires, and one definitely goes directly to the starter. What about the other 4? I looked through my Helm's manual and couldn't find a good diagram of how it's broken down. Everything that I'm missing right now. Of course I'm not going to be able to forsee everything. Maybe you can help me to prevent running into big problems (like fire)?

This is kinda hilarious. I didn't even realize this was the same car, but I'm buying this on Tuesday it seems. That'll be 3 Z's in my driveway and garage. I get a nice fresh 260z rear suspension to replace my too-short springs I currently have. Yay. Oh, good find, by the way.

That's about how I originally started with cars. I loved the Honda CRX, bought one, and started learning from there. My father always hated working on cars, so I was pretty much on my own. Luckily, I found a local guru who helped me through the hard times. I'm really interested in seeing these two projects unfold. Definitely keep us up to date.

It is? Vallejo is nice and cheap.

Hey everybody! I just picked up a 327-powered '73 240z and with solid mounts, and the only real complaint I have about it is the placement of the alternator. It's way off to the driver's side and wobbles around a lot while I'm driving. Also, because it's at a funky angle the bearings in it whine when the engine starts revving so I'm looking to replace the bracket asap (like tomorrow morning). I did a quick search, but didn't find any specific answers, and I'm new to Chevy's (I've upgraded from being a Honda guy to this) so I'd really appreciate any input offered. From the looks of things, the passenger's side, right in front of the head should be a nice clean location, but I'm not sure exactly which bracket will work for that. I looked around on Summit for 15 minutes or so, and nothing really stood out from the rest (I guess not seeing them installed makes it tough to eyeball), but they had a ton of options. So, suggestion? And thanks in advance!