Andrew Bayley

"i do know that all the Opti's interchange" ...sorry, gonna have to disagree with you on that one. A non vented F-body Optispark would NOT fit on my Iron head Impala SS LT1 motor. The coupling to the cam shaft was totally different. I guess I could have swapped in a nice LT4 hot cam Also, a '95 Impala SS was OBD-I, '96 was OBD-II. -Andy

It's all about how you launch. The weakest point in the driveline is actually the half shaft. And it's not so much "weak" as it is "misaligning". When the Z starts launching harder, the squat becomes more excessive until eventually bottomed out on the stops. When the suspension is bottomed out, the u-joints are at a pretty good angle and do not like to be stressed very much. Can you guess what happens next? A lot of us have had success running the 280ZXT CV half shafts. The trickiest part is making (or finding) an adapter to fit the Z’s stub axle. Do a search for “CV Conversion” and you should find a bunch on the subject. As for the durability of the R200 itself… I would venture to say that 600hp is not out of its realm. However, this is with very smooth hole shots. Any “shock” at these HP levels will most likely break the pins or something else inside. Take a look at this web site and you will notice that the 9 second and ten second Z are both running stock R200 rear ends. However, their 60 foot times are only slightly better than the 11 second crowd. I’ve got a feeling that below a 1.5 sixty foot time will quickly disintegrate the gears. Of course, I could stand to be proven wrong -Andy

Before I discovered the wonderful realm of Drag radials, I slapped on a set of (ready for this?) 245/60/R14's on stock Datsun 6 inch rims!!! The front tires are only 225/60/R14's. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I did this. I wanted the most possible traction on the street without going to a drag slick. Of course, the winter after I did this, BFG announced the release of it's drag radial. Doh! Straight line traction with these tires is OK, cornering absolutely blows. Sidewall flex is worse than my Econoline E-150 conversion Van. I do not recommend this combination. I wanted to keep the tire tall enough so I wouldn't loose a bunch of ground clearance, like I did with the old 215/6014's. I really needed to just buck up for a nice set of 15 or 16 inch wheels at the time. Of course, I was fresh out of school and broke as a GM Electrical Body Controller. On the other side of the coin, I also run a set of 275/40/R17 on 8.5 inch rims. I personally think the 8.5 rim holds the 275’s almost perfectly. The sidewall is almost perfectly perpendicular with the rim face. However, this is a set of Michelins. My older BFG ZR1’s had an ever so slight bulge on them, but one would have to get real close to even notice it. Like everyone has said before in this discussion, tire size will vary dramatically per manufacturer. Bottom line, measure everything for your self. I had a certain Z owner, who was avid that an 8.5 could never hold anything wider than a 255, look in disbelief at my 275’s on the same sized rim. Sure enough, tread width measured out to right around 8.5 inches… even though it was advertised as a 275. Get out there and tinker around a bit. After all, that’s what we are all about! -Andy

I've driven my heater-less V8Z in sub freezing days a few times. It's not that bad. Of course, I had to accomodate for the trip (hat and gloves), but it was tolerable. Yes, a lot of heat does work it's way up through the floor from the exhaust. However, start cruising at more than 60 mph for a few minutes and more of this heat is gone. Also, these older Zee's (Zed's to our friends in the north and extreme south ) typically do not have the best weather stripping in the door areas. Any heat increase from the exhaust, will be offset by the cold rush of air past the worn out weather stripping. If you only plan on driving it a few times in the cold and don't mind that extra clothing, go for it. I can drive all day long in +40 degree temps in normal driving cloths and not be affected. When it starts hitting the 30's and lower, it's time for the winter beater (with a full heater). Also, the look of the engine compartment without the heater hoser is much cleaner IMHO. -Andy

Thanks for the plug Lone, I guess I would like to add an extra $0.01 to my $0.02 already on my web site. A lot of the 11 second Z cars are indeed running some kind of street slick. The BFG Drag radial seems to be stickiest, but they also wear down quickly. RickB seems to have had some success with the Nitto's (which people say last longer than the BFG's), but I believe that he has recently switched to the BFG's as well. It's my opinion that just about every Z car in the 11's will have some sort of slick-type tire. Granted, there are people who can (and do) run 11's with an honest street tire, but they are also running huge MPH. For example, I ran against a +550 hp Z once who only ran an 11.50 but came flying through the traps at +130 mph. If he had good traction, this guy could have easily run low 10's. Another thing you might notice, is that all of us (except Ron) are running the OEM rear ends. I believe that an R200 can live all day long behind an 11 second Z car and most of the time behind a "gently driven" 10 second car. One of the members here run's 9 second ET's with his R200, but says he goes through one after four or five runs. I think a single digit ET is when someone should seriously consider going solid axle. Of course, a lot of us are going for the "sleeper" looks and 0 to 150 mph in under ten seconds with a stock Datsun rear end definitely has that area covered -Andy

Well Cerb, At least nobody is giving you chit for not being honest. Indy, Search the archives, we've discussed the wiring options for the 700R4 a few times in the past. It's very simple to do and worth the extra (minimal) effort. I would tend to agree with Cerberus that you would only really want the lock up in fourth gear. Also, the brake switch is a must. I've got a 3000 RPM stall converter and I never notice the higher stall on the highway while the converter is locked up. However, tap the brakes, and she will instantly flash up at least 500 rpm (1800 - 2300, 2000 - 2500, etc...) There is also a make-shift map sensor that I used to unlock the converter when manifold vacuum drops below about 5 in/Hg. I can still cruise down the highway and speed up / slow down with the flow of traffic and never unlock the converter. Good Luck -Andy

2.5 PSI of fuel pressure (top picture only) and Z-E-R-O oil pressure Actually, the stupid isolator for the fuel pressure gauges needs to be bled every year. As you can clearly see, I never got around to it this summer. Also, I think it's pretty cheap of autometer to not put some sort of power diode in their tachs to get the needle to rest a zero when the ignition is off. Thanks for the kind words. -Andy

Stock converter...??? Just kidding. I remember when my '87 700R4 had the OEM converter in it. Totally sucked! I could not get out of the hole if my life depended on it. I eventually ditched the 1200 rpm OEM unit for a 3000 rpm TCI converter. Major difference. I dropped at least 1/2 a second off my ET in the quarter mile. The initial price is a little bit of a hit on the wallet, but worth every penny. As for locking up the converter manually, the solonoid in the transmission shouldn't draw much more than a couple hundred milliamps. Also, if you are serious about getting every last bit out of your car at the drag strip, locking up the converter around the 1000' mark has been rumored to give a few extra mph in the big end. Haven't tried it out yet, one of these days. Cerb, What are some "nominal" pressures you are seeing while under full load? I seem to get a different answer every time I ask a different person. -Andy

I replaced the three gauges in the stock Datsun pod with Autometer 2 5/8 gauges. It's actually quite easy, once you can get to everything. The trick I found, was to use as much of the OEM mounting hardware as possible. The Autometer gagues were not as deep as the Datsun ones, so I had to "wedge" some pieces of cardboard between the new gauges and the mounting strap in back. I suppose you could use rubber, or plain paper if you wanted. Be creative, that's what we are all about. Click here if picture doesn't load Click here if picture doesn't load

I second what Clint had to say. First gear in my AWD Talon absolutly sucks, unless I dump clutch at 6500 rpm Even when I do launch it hard, I only see about 14 psi in first while every other gear is about 16 - 17 psi. Scottie, If Scotty doesn't pick up your welded R200 by February, I'll stop by and pick it up while I'm in Orlando. I've been meaning to weld up an R200 with provisions for the CV axels (my stub shafts on the diff side refuse to come out ) for some time now. -Andy

If you got $500 to throw around, go for it! Half a big one might sound like a lot at first, but if the conversion is done correctly. it will provide tons of answers to questions you would have othwise painstakingly found out about. Also, items like the motors mounts and radiator mounts that would cost a few dollars have already been taken care of. And besides, any running small block is worth at least a few hundred dollars. Couple that to a working transmission, and there's the return on your $500 investment. I expect the car will be totally shot. Oh well, there's plenty other Z cars out there that need a small block. ...Now comes the next question, you got room for all these cars? I thought so myself, but my neighbor said otherwise -Andy

I still like my "Z8" plate on the Z. Other ideas I considered: 570Z MYZGOT8 I8MYZ 5PTWHAT (actually taken already) LT WHAT RICERKT DONTASK I also had a 1975 Cadillac with "5K LBS". The other day I saw a neat one on a BMW M3: dv dt Being an Enginerd with tons of Calc and Physics classes, I appreciated that one.

$15,000 for a 650 hp motor... You guys have obviously not priced out Marine motors lately. This is a steal! But seriously, this is along the same route I want to go with building up a big small block. Of course, I don't think I would need to spend the kind of money he did for the crank, pistons, rods and camshaft. I'd be happy with a hundred less horses at half the cost. -Andy

So, ahem... Mike, Davy, Pete... We are waiting! [ October 24, 2001: Message edited by: Andrew Bayley ]

Did either of you guys notice much difference between a roller and hydraulic? Did the butt dyno pick up anything? Also, is a hydraulic roller worth the money? My logic is: if you are spending the money for a wet roller, might as well go solid. -Andy [ October 23, 2001: Message edited by: Andrew Bayley ]

These model years, not production years. 240z: 70 - 73 260z: 74 280z: 75 - 78 280zx: 79 - 83

I'm going to try and take a stab at this. Please forgive me if I am way off... Anyway, I once asked this same question to a close friend of mine who seems to know quite a bit about suspension travel and dynamic axle loading. The most basic way I can think to describe this, is to account for differential windup. When major amount of torque is applied to the differential, the front of the pig naturally wants to wind up towards the sky. This is most likely why most Z cars with slicks and/or big power have destroyed the original front differential mount. Not so much because the OEM unit is junk, but more so because of the added upwards force on the differential. Solid axles are submitted to this same force. This is why there are "pinion snubbers" on most solid axle sports cars. The snubber acts as a "bump stop" for the front of the pig. However, once the differential has been torque’d against the snubber, the remaining torque still needs to be transferred somewhere. Since the axle housing is solidly connected to the vehicle, there is a solid firm connection to each side of the frame. Most always, the connection to the frame (i.e. leaf spring, lower control arm, ladder bar, traction bar, etc...) is in front of the rear wheel. Therefore, the windup of the axle is transferred as a force to the frame of the car in a point between the wheels. As more torque is applied to the axle, the force pushing upwards at the point between the wheels becomes greater and greater, until it is strong enough to raise the front wheels off the ground. In an IRS setup, the torque on the differential is isolated from the rear control arms of the Z. The windup of the differential is still presented, but the upward force is significantly greater since the moment arm consist of the short distance between the front and rear mounts and is limited to the differential. Now this is where things got confusing for me, I'll try to do the best to be comprehensible. A side effect of the IRS is a rotational force about the rear wheel that is opposite from that of a solid axle. When torque is applied, the rear control arms want to "roll forward" with the wheel. Since the rear control arms cannot roll with the wheel, the torque of the wheel will cause the control arm to compress towards the cg of the vehicle. In layman’s terms: "squat". Take the front and rear control arm points, and draw a straight line through the two towards the front of the vehicle. This line will fall well below the cg of the vehicle. A simple solution to reduce the rear squat of the Z is to either raise the front mounting point or lower the rear point. Of course, the car will ride for shit... but it wont squat any more. There are other ways to reduce the squat of the Z car and actually reverse the effect on the rear suspension (push the wheels down rather than lifting them). I've been toying around with one particular idea, but I've yet to implement it. It will be exciting to see if it actually works. All theoretical calculations say so, but we all know how things work in the real world (i.e. guess and test). So, could an IRS Z lift its front wheel off the ground? Yes, but it would have to be a pretty large bump in the road -Andy

I am recalling these numbers from memory so I might be off a little: TH-350: 1st - 2.52 2nd - 1.51 3rd - 1.00 TH-700R4: 1st - 3.08 2nd - 1.71 3rd - 1.00 4th - 0.70 Also, the 700R4 is physically longer than the TH350 by about an inch anf a half. The TH400 is the same length as the 700R4, but not the TH350. -Andy

Kim - Ross, Thanks guys. I've been warned about the 4 bolt 400's. I would use splayed caps, so an OEM 4 bolt is not what I'd be looking for. Also, I agree that I would wind up spending at least an additional $500 in machining alone on a used block. Remember, I would be shooting for around 600hp and 600 - 700 ft*lbs. It will always be a street car, but it's not going to make a 30 mile commute every day. I'll try to run it on pump gas (93 octane) but if I have to mix it with +100 gas, I won't be too disappointed As for "additional costs", I've already got the 1 and 3/4 inch long tube headers. The radiator I've currently got doesn't keep the little 350 I've already got very cool. It's time for an Aluminum job. My biggest concern is actually the heads. I bought a set of the Edlebrock Performer RPM heads. While the smaller 170cc (I think) intake runners work OK on a 350, I have doubts that they will flow enough for a 400 motor. Oh well, I've wanted to do my own head porting for quite some time now. I know enough people who can help me get started and make sure I don't ruin a perfectly fine set of heads. I'm still in "long term planning" mode here, but I think I've finalized my decision over turbo(s) or a blower. Hopefully this next summer will be the last season on the 350 and I will start picking up piece for the 400 and have it ready by the end of next winter. ...It's time to get serious! -Andy P.S. Kim, she may be able to get away with it only once... but that's not going to stop her from trying more than that! [ October 23, 2001: Message edited by: Andrew Bayley ]

Mike, Just out of curiosity, how often does a solid roller need to have the lash checked and/or adjusted? I've often thought about going solid roller, but the simple "half turn in, then forget about it" on hydraulics is a nice feature. -Andy

You are going to need a four speed shifter and a shorter driveshaft. Some of the aftermarket shifters can be adapted to 4 speed operation. Look in a Summit catalog, I seem to remember them selling something like that. Also, the 700R4 is about an inch and a half longer than the 350. Besides that, it's just a bolt in job. -Andy

Since you posted a picture of you wearing a Slayer T-shirt, I feel I must respond Anyway, I just pulled apart a GM 700-R4 for the first time this past winter. I bought the "Haynes" book from the Local Auto Zone ($20) and it covered about 95% of the rebuild. The inside of the 700R4 wasn't as ugly as I had expected it to be, but it is fairly mechanically complex. Take your time and invest in a good set of snap-ring pliers. It took me a good week of after-work-wrenching to totally disassemble my trans and put everything back together. On a plus note, I do believe that B&M sells a rebuild kit with very detailed step-by-step instructions for the backyard mechanic. However, they only offer these instruction for the 2 and 3 speed transmissions. Nothing for the overdrive units. If you decide to keep the 3 speed, bonus! But I do suggest that you heavily look into an overdrive. I've driven a Z with both the 3 speed and the overdrive. That extra gear was well worth the additional cost. -Andy [ October 22, 2001: Message edited by: Andrew Bayley ]

Tim, There is a little secret to posting yahoo photo's. Yahoo and other photo host like to encrypt your own pictures to make it harder to post those images from other hosts. But alas, it can be done (right click on the pictures in Yahoo for the Photo's "real" properties) Almost got it Tim, Some times they (meaning Yahoo) actually splits up the name in the proerties menu. The name is listed in the top of the menu, but the address is shown below. Those Sneaky Son's of B*#$^es! [ October 22, 2001: Message edited by: Andrew Bayley ]

Ya know, It seems that every time I have a few extra bucks (money doesn't flow at all at home, It's gone before I ever see it) I can't find any good deals. I recently went looking for a 400 block for under $500 but found nothing. However, from what I've just seen above (thanks Pete), there are deals to be found. I just need to be patient and keep those few extra bucks in a place where it won't burn a hold through my pocket. Ray, I've been contemplating a twin turbo setup for a few years now. I even went as far as to buy a used kit (which wouldn't fit ). I've rationalized that any more power out of my 350 will most likely grenade the lower end. This is why I want to rebuild the short block. Then I say to myself: "Heck, if I'm going to rebuild the short block, might as well do it right!" I am confident that I can make a N/A small block with all the power I could ever want in a street car. I love the idea of a TT setup, but I always go back to the simplicity of the N/A big cube motor. My old man always argues with me when I start talking about blowers and turbo's by saying; "The reason it's been so successful, is because it's so simple. Stay with that!" ...I can't argue him. -Andy

Go here for a more recent picture Mike and James, You guys are my Heros!!! The very first time I heard "Angel of Death" I was blown away! The two nost memorable days in my life have been: 1) my wedding day and 2) the day I learned how to play "War Ensemble" in its entirety ('Seasons' was a close second) I've seen the boys live more times than I can remember. Its truly an experience I recommend for everyone. Where else do you see the audience "prepping" up before the event with; chest pads, elbow pads, knee pads, shin pads, etc... [ October 22, 2001: Message edited by: Andrew Bayley ]