ZR8ED

Yes that is the type of lawn edging. I inserted some soft copper tubing, and shaped it to get the curve right. it still may need bracing from behind so as to no put too much torque on the securing bolts, and the lower portion of the aridam. Scott Here is a distance shot of the engine compartment. I/C pipes are now painted and so is the bracing. I'm thinking of getting them powder coated or maybe chromed or something.. not sure yet. An aluminum rad and new overflow surge tank are next on my list. BTW the new i/c is working very well..the engine is more responsive. Noticeably. Boost comes quicker and more violently.

Thanks! The aluminum is 24 guage, and is fairly easy to bend and shape. I bought an electric metal sheer, that looks kinda like a power drill with scissors on the end. They work great! I built templates using cardboard, then simply traced it out and cut it up, and then spend several hours fitting it and making the mounts to hold it in place. So far I have no plans to make additional vents to let air out. I have the stock 280Z vents, and both are functional. I'll see how it goes first.

I've become motivated to work on the Z again. I've enjoyed just driving it lately, and now its time to get a few things done. All this talk of aerodynamics again has inspired me to continue my improvements. This week has been to duct the air that is coming into the huge opening in front of the rad, and channel to go only into the rad and the I/C. I've noticed in the recent past that my hood would flutter when cruising on the highway..just the front of the hood. Well it's been kind of another "while I'm at it" story. I couldn't do this work until I got a proper intercooler installed. Soooo out with the volvo i/c and in with a nice intercooler capable of my present and future hp needs. Ok the i/c is installed.. I ended up redoing the x brace and the triangulating firewall braces. Neater, cleaner, more compact, no longer in the way of some items. Now I can start on the aluminum sheet work. I did a lower piece to keep air from going under the rad and i/c, and then a piece for the top. Here is the finished work. I took it out for a test drive tonight, and it seems just fine.. I never got going fast enough to check for air pushing up on the front of the hood, but atleast it is not rattling vibrating, or falling off the car. hehehe. Take a peek of a few shots. Scott

Another little hint. At least it worked for me. I found the MSA headlight covers did not fit very well. They fit when forced slightly, but I was worried the lenses might crack over time. I ended up using a hairdryer to heat up and slightly bend the covers to make a tighter fit. they still fit the same, but were no longer under tension when secured in place. Scott

40-45 hours per week, and currently a 1.5hr commute each way.. add it up and you get 55-60hrs/week. Too bad I only get 37.5hrs pay!

Any Z'rs in the area? I'll be in the city working at the Hyundai Plant the week of May 29th (tentatively so far) Drop me a line if anyone wants to talk Z's and have a beer while I'm in the area. Scott ZR8ED@hotmail.com

Uh if the timing belt is broken, then the cams won't turn.. this leaves any valves..intake or exhaust that are open to remain open..no wonder it is easy to turn over... Sounds like its too late anyways..just thought I would comment anyways.

I like the splitter/pan. It looks great! how thick is the aluminum. Here is my belly pan. It doesn't come out in front of the air dam..It is also realatively thin aluminum..approx 18 guage if I remember correctly. I have seen the highside of 140mph with no seat of the pants issues for the last 5 years I have had it installed. Scott

I had all kinds of problems with setting up my idle with my vg30et. i found that with my mods (sound similar to yours) my idle air control (valve on drivers side of engine) the hose that goes from the intake piping side of the turbo to this valve would not let me adjust the idle, and by the time I got it to idle, but adjusting fuel pressure, timing, throttle plate position etc, the car ran like crap. In a quick summary, we tested this theory by using a visegrip to pinch off that rubber hose (approx 3/4 dia). The car suddenly ran smooth. To this day, i still have a welded up nut with a tiny hole jambed inside the pipe to restrict the air flow. Its been that way for years now. On another side note, i thought that I didn't need that valve, so I removed it.. wrong.. car idle just surged back and forth from normal idle, to 2000rpm back and forth. BTW how did you test/setup your fp? at idle with the vacuum hose removed and plugged? I'm running about 25psi using the above measurement method. Scott

I used to occasionally get that problem with my stock l28 FI... Even with my hood vents. Typically if I got off the highway, and turned off the engine. It would start up right away if i tried, but if i left it for 20min, it would give me that problem. I fixed it with some heat sheilding for the exhaust, and I wrapped a little bit of foil insulation around the fuel rail. On a side note, when I switched to carbs later on, I had to do the same thing to keep it from vapour locking. Scott

I know what you mean by "loud" My C.H. is loud as well. I ended up building a small enclosure with some sound deadener to make it more ear friendly..plus it doesn't scare the crap out of me when it suddenly comes on and the garage is dead quiet. No worries of overheating it for me.. its a pretty low use item..for now.. Scott

I'm not sure why people are saying the stock 5spd is no good. I have been running an 84T t5 5spd for years now, and I'm pushing 350 ft/lbs, and i have not babied the tranny. Maybe if you're pushing 500hp, then maybe consider something else, but 300+hp should not be an issue. As far as a clutch goes, I am running a "Bully" clutch. I'm not sure what other z31 owners are using. I would not use a race type clutch.. especially if it says not recomended for street driving. Even my clutch is fairly stiff, and gives an "on/off" type of feel when it engages. Pulling away slowly feels very "herky-jerky" if I pull away harder, it is no problem. Scott

Does anyone else do this? I really hope this is not another symptom of my Z disease. I have built several excel spreadsheets to track various aspects of my Z hobby. I have a long term goal sheet that outlines all my future mods/repairs, assigns an estimated $ value, whether the job will be done by me or a shop and why I have it on the list. I can sort out the list by $ or by who is going to do the work etc. This helps me keep track of what I want to do to the car, and help me organize my yearly todo list, and keep me under my spending limit. I also have a sheet that is similar, but that is an organized todo list for the current year/season. this to I can sort by different importances, and can use it to plan my season to stay within budget. I then have a sheet that tracks all of the current seasons "done that" list, with any info that is relavant for future information. Lastly I have a master tracking sheet, that records the current setup of my car. I only update it once a year, but helps me keep a record of what mods are in the car..ya never know when I may forget that my oil filter is from a 2.0L 90's toyota celica. hehehe I then keep all these lists in their own tabs, and label them by year. I used to keep a "did that" list that was hand written, which I will backfill into their own spreadsheet tabs when I have some spare time...like winter! hehehe Oh I must be sick... Are you? Scott

Thanks for the replies. Stocko halfshafts are not that bad! that makes me feel a bit better. I can now strike that off my list of possible mods needed soon. Scott.

I vote for all black with gunmetal wheels!.. yes I'm biased but who cares..it's about as mean as it gets without looking "Mad Max" Scott.

Geez been reading posts about garages here, and I thought, Hey I'm in the middle of working on mine..I might as well post my story. I recently moved into another home. I actually bought the house across the street from me. We have kept the other house and are renting both floors seperately (already had a basement tenant) to say the least, it made renting a moving truck a non issue. hehehe But anyways, the garage. This house has my first garage. I've always been forced to work in my parents garage, my driveway, or my friends shop (till he retired) Its only a 1 bay, 11x20, but I have a nice high ceiling, with a good sized mezzanine. I've just finished insulating and drywalling it, and installed flouresent tube lighting. I built a bench across the back wall with shelving to hold my tools, a spot for my Mig, and my compressor. I still have to paint the walls, and the floor. I had access to a silver foil/plastic, and have put it on the ceiling. Man! does it bounce the light back..its not mirror quality, but you can see yourself in it. hehehe You make the best of what you got, so I'll have the nicest (small) garage on the street when finished! I'm just trying to finish up, so I can have a proper work space to start working on my Z again! It sure feels good to be able to work on the Z close by! BTW I'm heading to Pennsylvania this weekend to crash a Supra MK2 meet with with some of my supra buddies in their 7mgte powered mk2's. It will be my Z's biggest road trip in years... So if your in the area..watch for a large group of supra's being led by a black s30 hehehe Scott.

30x30, 60x30!? Wow. I'm thinking small. I'd be happy with 20x20 at this point. Though if you keep it organized, its amazing what you can do with a little space. I'm doing it because I have to, not because I want to. Good luck. BTW where is this land Mike? what state? I heard you say East side of the US? Scott.

As far as I know, the answer is yes. It is a popular swap to do to update the front end of the earlier z31 front end. Scott

Like the title says. Just curious. I hear lots about guys switching to cv's when going much over 250rwhp for the extra strength..or is it longevity? Why I ask? I am still using stock halfshafts.. Have been for years. I replaced the halfshafts just before my VG30ET swap..maybe a year before..well that would have been 1999 or so. I'm still running the same ones.. I do inspect them at the start of the season, before a track event, and at the end of the season. I personally believe that mine are doing well because I'm running a fairly stiff suspension setup, and my cars ride height positions my halfshafts almost horizontal to the ground. I'm not trying to start a debate on which is better, I'm just curious who is able to beat up on their stock halfshafts with some decent hp/tq. I understand that if I took it to the dragstrip every weekend, I may not feel the same way about halfshafts. My car is mainly street driven with a few drag days/road courses per year..

Well you got me there Jon. I am mostly guessing at the weight distribution... Car weighed in at 2900lbs when weighed in its current setup...it actually weighed less a long time ago.. I had the weight down to approx 2680, when it was much more stripped down.. Adding the weight up has suggested to me that the distribution is still close to 50/50. Rear disks are in the plans, but have just not found a setup that I like..at least a set that fits my budget...Its hard to find the $ to fix stuff that I haven't broken, when I still have things to fix that I do break. I'll settle for minor improvements, as long as I can work towards a better balanced solution/setup. Thanks!

Ok I've been doing some reading the last night or two, trying learn a bit about brake bias. Thanks John C. for some excellent posts in the FAQ section. Now after some of this reading, I understand some of the things I have done to the car, and something that I am about to do this wed to the brake system. I am also now wondering how i'm going to dig myself out of this.. Some info. 2900lb 280z. very close to 50/50 weight bias..mainly due to engine setback position of my vg30ET motor. Upgraded sway bars tokico shocks, chevette springs in rear cut springs in front, some new poly bushings (coilovers to be installed possibly this season) 300zx vented rotors. S12W Toyota calipers Metal master pads SS braided flex lines front and rear. Stock rear drums upgraded rear pads. 235/45/17 Yokohama AVS sport tires. 315/35/17 rear tires..same kind. Stock brake proportioning device. and brake M/C Adjustable brake proportioning valve to be installed this week. Why? the new valve. I'm locking up the front wheels under hard breaking, and the rears do not "appear" to ever lock up. Why? I have increased my front bias by upgrading the front brakes and not the back brakes. I also have a lot more rubber on the ground out back. This is not likely to change this year. no more budget for brakes this season. I see some track time will be required for experimentation, but I think I need a bit more braking sent to the rear brakes.. maybe only a couple of % Any thoughts? warnings? ideas? Am I on the right track?..even if it is a bit half a$$ed? Thanks, Scott.

I wouldn't dump the project. you look like your in pretty deep, and getting out is going to cost you. Sell the NOS dash, to make some cash, get some welding done..the holes are minimal compared to our examples of Z's up here in Canada. Clean up each part as you put it back together, and keep it fairly original to keep your parts costs down. As long as the chassis is clean, and the car is up and running, it will always make a good candidate for more restoration. The chassis is the key to you or someone else down the road doing more mods or restoration. Then just drive it or sell it if your interest is gone.

Hey all. I was at a Z club parts swap event, and came accross a deal not to be passed up on. I was looking for seats for my Z actually, but came across a set of 4 coilover kit for my Z. Checked a few more parts tables, and found some extra sets of springs, to begin experiments. After all was said and done, I came out with a spare set of springs and a complete 4 corner set of coilovers brand new in the box for $100.00!! I couldn't resist. Oh crap! I hope this doesn't turn into a "while I'm at it" story...

Anyone have troubles using a Gelcell battery? I have heard they are nearly bullet proof. Quick background: I bought one last year, and I had the battery go dead a few times after leaving it sit for a week/2weeks. Charged it up and packed on a shelf in my basement for winter. I put it on a charger for 1 day then brought it to my Z storage site to bring the car home. I needed to jump start the car, and I have had to jump start it anytime I have wanted to drive it. Charge guage on car reads that the battery is getting charged while driving. I removed the battery this weekend, and tried it in my other car. I had it on a trickle charger for 2 days first. (on the terminals..not the wiring of the car) I installed it in my daily driver, and it would not even turn it over?? So I think the battery is toast. Less than 3 months of use, and it is only 9 months old. I am going to exchange it for another battery, but my question is, has anyone had problems with gelcell batteries in their limited use Z's? Thanks!

red nissan z31