jbeech

OK, so the adapter is for the outer CV joint, right? Now I get it. How are you planning on shortening the half-shafts? I look forward to your photo. How are you planning to get all those bolts in there - boiltig on the adapter then the big-ass nut (bou coup torque) then the last siz bolts? In my limited experience I've had miserable luck with CV joits holding big time torque i.e. like what a V8 can produce. I was thinking of going to Ford Ranger front dif half-shafts (off a 4WD) is doubt arose about using stock Z-car half-shafts again - but that has never been a problem for me (and yes, I would occasionally light them up for the fun of it). Hmmm, I installed my SBC in 1982 and through 1999 when I sold the car I never had need of the spare half-shafts I made up. What's everybody's experiences? Why CVs . . . I mean spitting CVs and all the damned balls (a bit smaller than a marble) out all over the street sucks - especially when I have to look for steel balls covered with grease! FWIW, I know some race cars use CVs, but as I recall they're typically all light weight race cars. Hmmm, unless I hear some persuasive words, I think I'll stick to U-joints. Thoughts everybody?

What did the motor come out of? That'll likely provide an answer to details of the engine without pulling a head . . . I suspect it's very cold in PA so no need for that nonsense! As for not minding a mechanical lifter cam, I suspect you will about the third time you adjust the lifters. I think the 272H will be a nice cam with that Performer intake and 1.6 rockers. A cam with more duration might get a bit miserable on the street. Working at a converter place might prove handy. Personally, I'm more the windy road type Z-cars so I shouldn't comment on your choices of transmissions - I just picked up a T-56 for mine and the automatic is coming out (gee, I guess I just did comment - sorry). Good luck,

Tim, I first wrote privately hoping you might have pictues of the actual half-shafts you are running but I've not heard back yet. I poked around your site eyeballing the pictures of the R230 LSD install in your car and I must say up front, that's an awesome site - good job. I have a few questions. When I selected the driveline photos, at the bottom of the page, the last photo shows the R180 diff side-by-side with the R230 from a Q45 - along with the half-shafts. The half-shafts are oriented such that the axle-side of of the Q45 half-shafts are at the bottom of the page with the inner, or diff-side of the half-shafts near the diff itself while the R180 diff (oriented the sam as the R230 diff) has its half-shafts upside down with respect to the other ones, i.e. the axle-side is is toward the top. The reason I ask is the inner side of the Q45 half-shafts are star-shaped, right? That being the case, why did you make those CV to companion flange adapters? Didn't the star-shaped side of the CVs bolt right up to the R230? When I installed a Corvette chunk into my first V-8 Z-car I cut off the original U-joint on the inner side of the stock half-shaft and welded on a Corvette U-joint retainer in place of the Z-car U-joint retainer. Next, on the outer side of the half-shaft (axle side), I drilled the U-joint off the shaft (on the lathe) and re-welded it back on after making up for the shorter space available (due to the increase in width of the Corvette chunk). Frankly, I'd planned to do the same with an R230 install into my car, but seeing yours would help me decide if I should go with the stock-style (innner/outer sliding half-shaft arrangement) or go with a CV-style set-up. Do the CVs hold the horsepower well? Granted, I never tried to run better than low 13s (on 8" wide rims/tires), but it never gave me any trouble either. Now, my new (recently purchased from a fellow in CA) SBC Z-car has a GTO conversion kit and is equipped with 10" rear rims/tires and also has an R180 - so I know the diff has to go. Reading on your site about the advantages of the R230 over the R180 make it somewhat of a no-brainer to go with an R230 vs. using a Corvette chunk again, but I would love to see a photo of the actual half-shafts you are running. Can you help me out? Best regards,

I'm moderately experienced with SBC in Z-cars and would hence, suggest you need to provide a bit more info anybody can advise you. For example, there is a question in my mind of whether you actually have 4.10 gears in the rear presently, or somethng else. When selecting a cam for a SBC, how you plan to drive is paramount. You have expressed a desire to maintain fuel economy while also not wanting to be spanked by 5.0 Mustangs, and C4s. While these are not mutually exclusive parameters, they are somewhat at odds with each other. Frankly, with 4.10 rear gear set, you shouldn't be embarassed by them now, which is why I wonder about the rear ratio you state - are you certain of the gears? It's easy to figure out by placing a chalk mark on one of the tires and on the drive shaft and then count revolutions of the driveshaft to make one complete revolution of the tire - it should be close to 4:1 for that 4.10:1 gear set you putatively have. It also helps to know more about your engine, i.e. intake/exhaust setup, does it have a single four or dual 4-barrels carbs - or FI, is the intake manifold a single or dual-plane, is the engine equipped with headers? Also, are your heads equipped with 1.94 or 2.02 intake valves? Don't forget to tell us what compression ratio the engine has, and also the cc of the combustion chambers. While you are at it, it would help to know if the engine is equipped with stock 1.5:1 rockers or long 1.6:1 rockers. Are they roller tip or stock? Also, do you want a mechanical lifters, hydraulic lifters, or even a roller cam? Presuming the car will always have an automatic tranny, there are indeed 4.10 gears in the rear, you expect this to be a daily driver, the engine is equipped with a dual-plane single 4-barrel (and is not computer controlled), the complression ratio is around 9:1, the engine is equipped with stock rockers, has headrers, and you desire a hydraulic non-roller cam with a stock torque converter . . . I would recommend something like a Crane Energizer 272H. This camshaft has specs of 272 degrees of advance duration, gross lift .454", and is well suited for an RPM range of 1800-5400. It'll have a decent idle, and provide good low to mid-range torque

Congrats Jeremy - starting her up for the first time is a rush. I remember how excited I was with my SBC install . . . and that was a doodle compared to the heroic effort you've gone through! I've been following with tremendous interest the trials and tribulations as you've progressed. I'm on pins and needles myself as I await the T56 I recently purchased from a fellow HybridZ member - sometime this week it'll be here. By the way, I'm the fellow who called the other day when you were up to you elbows in wiring - now I understand why you sounded a bit distracted. In fact, now that I've learned you were busy on the final stretch of wiring in preparation for starting her up, I'm somewhat surprised you even took the call! Anyway, once again, congrats!

Finger slipped, my first was a '73 240.

I bought the one in CA. My pal John Dozier (TrickZ) and I flew out to Fresno and picked her up. We made it back and had a great time in the process. I arrived late Sunday night tired, but with a silly grin nothing could wipe off my face -I'm sure you can imagine! All in all, the trip went quite well and the car performed very well (excepting the trip over the mountains along I-40). As I'm sure folks know, carbureted autos have trouble when going from sea level to over 7000 feet, but once we came back down, things went fine. We didn't get to actually leave Fresno until Wednesday afternoon because we got nailed by a couple of mechanics at a place called Performance Muffler. Let me explain; early Monday morning we took the car to Performance Muffler at 349 N. Minnewawa in Clovis for them to drop the fuel tank (so we could carry it over to a radiator shop to be cleaned out). In fact, I rented a pickup truck from Enterprise to do it. Anyway, the job was supposed to take maybe 30 minutes, but when we get back from Enterprise with the truck (Enterprise sent someone to pick us up), they hadn't even started and furthermore, said they didn't want us hanging around and would call as soon as it was ready. Well, we didn't get a call until after 5 PM, at which point they said the tank was very dirty and would take 5 days to be cleaned! Upon querying them about the tank's location (so we could go look at it), they said where it was wasn't any of my business and that in any case, the radiator shop was already closed. Bright and early Tuesday, the 14th of January, we visited a local wrecking yard where we secured a replacement tank for $100. By the way, a bright spot of the whole thing was meeting the owner of Turner's Wrecking (a real nice fellow named Jerry Turner), but I digress. Arriving back at the mechanic's shop at 9 AM, we waited around until after 12 Noon where their business was closed. They simply didn't open their business that day! Then, late that afternoon, one of the mechanics called to tell me he and his partner wouldn't be back at work until the following morning - yup, another day wasted and another night in Fresno. Wednesday morning, we waited for them to arrive and around 11 AM one of them arrived and said he's get around to installing the tank later. At this point I became insistent and what transpired is John and I ended up reinstalled the fuel tank ourselves (it took all of 15 minutes)! Next, as we're finishing, the other partner shows up and presents me with a bill for $400, and smooth as bank robbers, said pay up or they wouldn't lower the car off the lift. What's more, it was cash only, and hurry because they had somewhere to go. Well, as you can imagine, I was upset but with the car up on the lift I feared that if I protested they'd lock up and disappear again. So they got 400 bucks of my $500 traveling money and we finally got on the road. The rest of the trip was a doodle and (excepting the sour experience with those thieves), the trip was a blast! FWIW, this is my second SBC Z-car. I boiught my first, a '72 240 in 1978, converted her to a SBC in 1982, and added a GT kit in 1995. Unfortunately, I had to sell her in 1999 when we moved back stateside in 19999 fomr the Panama Canal Zone - yes, I sold everything that wasb't nailed down including my 1966 Maserati Sebring (sob) and my 1973 Pantera (a rust bucket I don't even miss). My pal John has been sending me GT info every few months as they came up for sale but the right circumstances never came together until this one . . . and she's a beauty!

Dick, your GT conversion looks great! I also read your review at . . . http://www.hybridz.org/Review/0002/Ferrari_GTO.htm . . . which I must say, is a 'super' job! I'm currently panting after a set of quad 48IDAs from Inglese, but looking at your tri-power setup makes me think it looks just as good - without the 'huge' expense - or so I presume. What is the going rate for that manifold and three of the little Rochesters? Also, what about those valve covers (and the air cleaner too)? My pal John Dozier and I just got back from CA where I bought my GT ready built. She's a beauty too. This is my second time around with a GT conversion on a Z-car as I sold my first in 1999 when I moved back stateside from the Canal Zone (thanks to Jimmy Carter). I owned that one since 1978 (a '73 240) and converted her to a SBC in 1982 and added the McBurnie kit (I think, it might have even been an Alphabet kit, but I don't recall off the top of my head) around 1995. Anyway, we picked her up last week and drove from CA to AL together (and then on home to NC). Of course, there were lots of looks along the way! If you don't mind, would you give me a call - and I'll call you right back please? I'd like to chat with you a few minutes. 910/938-3371

Hi DRK in Greensboro, NC . . . I'm in Jacksonville, NC with a SBC in my Z-car with a GTO body on it. Me and a pal just drove it back from CA where I bought it. This is my second time around with one. I owned my first since 1978 and sold it in 1999 - missed it bad! Is there anybody else in our neck of the woods? JB