waynekarnes

years back, 70 corvette LT-1 convertible. about 8:30 pm, on my way home from work,another 12 hour day at the phone company ( i'm a repairman ) been raining for about 3 weeks ( el nino ) solid, san jose ca. union ave. 2 lanes on either side, mixture residental and business ( mini malls, super markets, wendy's, ect. ), regulary used road about 5 miles long between parts of san jose and campbell, so it's not some cow trail. just a regular avenue, like you'd use to get to the grocery store, use to to the expressway. storm has knocked the power out for about the 20th time that week, winds about 20 mph, gusts up to 60. waiting with my group to pass through the intersection of foxworthy and union. cops with flares directing traffic. i see that the intersection is somewhat flooded, as were almost half the other intersections in town, storm drains were plugged and most of the creeks were over flowing. cops motion my group of about 30 cars forward. as i'm getting closer, i see that the cop has water up to his knees, i'm sitting in a lowered, flared fender well vette, with 14 inch wide tires on front and 18 wide tires on the rear ( tread on the ground ). all the cars in front of me are about 3 cars lengths up, i'm looking for a way out ... oh did i forget to mention i have hooker header side pipes on this thing and they are burbling under water ???? water is seeping in under the doors, there's a driveway to a radio shack, i'm going for it ... officer shines his flashlight in my eyes ... waves me off of the parking lot ... starts yelling at me ... all kinds of nasty obscenities, some things about my mother that i didn't quite catch. he trods over to the driver's door of the vette, pushing a small wake in front of him, he's not wearing rain gear ... he's pissed and carrying a gun and a lit flare. i roll my window down, try to explain that i am not the captain of a submarine and i'd like to park in that lot ... he says a few more profound things about my lineage and my mother's pedigree, and points in the direction of the pond, the intersection, somewhere beneath it ... by now, two officers are at the door, giving me what they felt was good sound advise ... as a good 2 minutes had passed ( roughly the amount of time a light stays green here ), 2 minutes since the moment of my group started moving, until the second officer arrived, i was feeling guilty for holding up my fellow travellers that were behind me. now, as i was having this one sided conversation with the officer, i hadn't seen the cars ahead of me transverse the intersection, and on the word of the expert traffic cop on the scene, the one standing in the rain falling from the biggest storm in over 10 years, with no rain gear on, a loaded gun at his side ( did i mention he unbuckled the strap on his holster as he was urging me on ) and a lit flare in his hand ... i decide to go through the intersection. let the clutch out and proceeded into the pond ... i get about 30 feet into this 120 ft wide intersection. you know how the vettes have pop up head lights ??? the lights were about an inch under water, i'm doing maybe 5 mph. another cop on other side of intersection, with my wipers on high, i can make out that he's in the middle of my lane , standing at the bank of the pond calmly motioning with flashlight and flare that everything is fine, just keep coming. so, i think, i must be in the of the worst of it, just motor on through .. in the middle of the intersection the water is now above the side mirrors on the doors, i'm thinkin the cops started making bets as to whether or not i'd make it across, back about the same time i was thinking about bailing into that radio shack parking lot ... i'm hoping that the carb and dizzy are in a pocket of air trapped under the hood, no idea how the engine is still running ... i'm feeling like a character in one of those submarine movies, where they are frantically turning off valves as the water floods in. i hold the gas pedal steady, still in 1st gear, can feel the rear tires skipping, rear is shuddering a bit. turn wheel left/right ...makes no difference ... but i'm still moving forward ... get traction, head lights above water ... out we are on the other side ... took maybe 10 to 15 seconds. the cop that had been calmly motioning me forward comes to my window, he's in full rain gear, looks into my now open window ... makes eye contact, leans back a bit, surveys the vette, starts shaking his head ... bends down asks me, why did you do a fool thing like that ??? i'd a pulled in that parking lot, gesturing at the radio shack now behind me across the pond. i pointed, explained i tried, how the cop over there wouldn't let me ... he shakes his head, mumbles something about F'N rookies, tells me to be safe, motions me on, and starts screaming into his radio ...

misery loves company ... been there ... we were together since 83. she enjoyed the ride and bailed back in 95, when she decided someone was offering a better ride ... divorce dragged on until 2001 ... with the help of her lawyer and bad advice from my 1st lawyer ... mine got $150,000 from me ... for what the court called her legal half of the house,my savings and pension. borrowed money against the house, paid her off i'm just a phoneman, living pay check to paycheck. 2900 take home, 2100 mortgage. typical in the bay area. since 1996, i have had full custody of our now, 15 yr old son ( wild accusations on her part ... luckily the court saw through her lies ... lawyer told me if had been a daughter i probably would have been locked up while they investigated ... court threatened to press charges against her for prejury, but never did ). lawyers and court cost me around 30,000. she spent $113,000 in 14 months ( chemically enhancing her life ??? ). only a sears lawn mower to show for it. the rest of the money is in her "share" of my 401k. she can't get it without paying a major penalty until she's 59. my son is the joy of my life ... the rest is all just money and bull.... things are tight ... we get by ... the pain and the anger are long gone ... my son adjusted ... i have never bad mouthed her, denied his visiting her. he sees the good and the bad in her. knows he's safe and secure with me. he told her mom, back in 95, that he wanted to live with his dad, even if his mom lived some place else. hang in there, monetarily, things may be rough ... but it does get better ... the only real advice i have to give is ... no matter what ... she is still your child's mom ... even though she has treated you like crap ... treat her as you would want your dad to treat your mother ... don't bad mouth her, don't let your friends bad mouth her ... you can tell the truth, be honest, be blunt, just don't bring anger and malice into it. you don't want him hating his mom, for what she did to his dad. help him to see that it's not his fault, even at his age, he's gonna wonder what he did wrong. at the same time, make it clear you have no interest in taking her back, and that you will always be there for him. continue normal routines, school schedules, work, ect. take your anger out some place other than at home. ( if you drink an occasional beer or such, suggest you lay off for a while ). it's healthy that he knows you are upset with his mom, but you don't hate her ( though you may right now ). don't displace your frustrations with her, the money, work, picking up the pieces onto your son ... watch yourself for minor temper/anger explosions. he needs to know, you are his safe harbor. sound like you already have a strong healthy relationship with your son, that's great. let him know how you feel about him. once again, this is probably the only good advice i can offer ... though it's hard to do ... think about this, most children, may not like their parents, but they love em. so, what ever you do to, or say about his mom, is gonna reflect in the way your son sees you. again, you don't have to like her, you don't have to kiss her ass, but you should treat her with respect ... remember, she will always be your son's mom and, inspite of her and what she's done, he loves her. it's important he understands that you understand that, and he doesn't need to talk down about her to be on your side, that you know he loves his mom and you wouldn't want it any other way. and i'm sure, he loves you. chin up dad !!!

from our friend Carl S. at classic z dot com Guys, you know the drill. Every 14th of February you get the chance to display your fondness for a significant other by showering her with gifts, flowers, dinner, shows and any other baubles that women find romantic. Every Valentines day you rack your brains for that one special, unique gift that will show your wife or girlfriend that you really do love them more than any other. Now ladies, I'll let you in on a little secret; guys really don't enjoy this that much. Sure seeing that smile on your face when we get it right is priceless, but that smile is the result of weeks of blood, sweat and consideration. Another secret; guys feel left out. That's right, there's no special holiday for the ladies to show their appreciation for the men in their life. Men as a whole are either too proud or too embarrassed to admit it. Which is why a new holiday has been created. March 20th is now officially "Steak and Blowjob Day". Simple, effective and self explanatory, this holiday has been created so you ladies finally have a day to show your man how much you love him. No cards, no flowers, no special nights on the town; the name of the holiday explains it all, just a steak and a BJ. Thats it. Finally, this twin pair of Valentine's Day and Steak and Blowjob Day will usher in a new age of love as men everywhere try THAT much harder in February to ensure a memorable March 20th. Its like a perpetual love machine! The word is already beginning to spread, but as with any new idea, it needs a little push to start the ball rolling. So spread the word, and help bring love and peace to this crazy world. And, of course, steak and BJs.

the kit is here !!! inspite of tons of rotten luck, he kept his word, a lesser man would have said it's been since forever that he got paid, we're 800 miles apart, screw it. i had his number, turned out to be old roommate's. he told me what was going on, gave me another number, that lead to email addresses , ect. as i tried to find him, his friends ALL stood up for him. got the same story from all of em ... Steve's down on his luck, he's a great guy, he would never rip anyone off. not a one told me what had happened, but they were all sure he'd get the kit to me when he could. i kept trying to contact him as did the hybridz member contact that put me in touch with Steve. after a while, i figured, with that many friends sticking up for him, his bad luck was worse than my not getting the parts. again for me, the roughly 400 bucks i sent him, is quite a bit of money, but no sense wishing evil on someone, when things apparently went spiraling out of his control. off an on, i tried contacting him. as i said, parts arrived, wrapped in heavy saran wrap packing material ... i haven't unwrapped em, i am taking his word that they are in the shape he said they were ( i came across a hybridz member in texas, sold me a brand new kit. his wife suggested he sell his project/parts and buy a running car ). anyway ... again ... i have no idea what he was going through, what was in his head, why he broke contact ( embarrassment ??? ). it may have taken longer than either of us intended, and inspite of what ever hardship he may have been facing, he managed to keep his word, to someone who was basically a single business transaction and a stranger to him. granted, we all expect honesty in any transaction. i'm just giving koo doos to a man who's kept his integrity, while life was beating him down. in my book, Steve Sampson's a straight shooter ... sorry this message is so long ... i think a man's word, a verbal handshake, means something and should be applauded when he goes out of his way to keep it. wayne

no such thing as a foolish question ... we don't ask, we don't learn ... are you planning on adding nitrous on this engine ??? with that weak link, i don't think you are gonna want to do that ... with even the slightest damage to the rod, cap, crank, you are going to have issues with that bearing. now under normal, and a little spirited driving, you may be just fine, polishing the affected areas and using a new bearing ... plastic guage the new bearing, when you install it ( standard practice when ever you install bearings ), put plastic, torque, remove ... check the chart ... if all is good, reinstall bearing, and torque to spec. if no good, find correct bearing or why it's not right. again, i think, i'd pass on running nitrous or most horse power adding devices , until you've put a few thousand on it ... make sure it's gonna be reliable .. not to be a pessimist...if i was gonna use nitrous, i'd yank the crank, take it to a machine shop, along with rod and cap, have em checked. of course there is that element of excitement when a crank lets loose LOL seriously, maybe speak with a local motor head in the business see what he says ... good luck with it, wayne

had two rod bearings go bad on a 55 chevy, way back when ... rebuilder got finger acid on the bearing, bearing delaminated and spun. i used plastigauge, checked, clearance was still good. used some emory cloth, polished the crank, did what i could to get to the rod cap and the piston side of the rod. checked with the plastigauge again. took the plastigauge and original bearing with me to machine shop, they were hesitant to sell me just one bearing ... man went into the back and came back with one from a broken box. was the correct bearing, all was well, no more knocking. drove the car another 3 years. my friend did a chevy into his land cruiser ... rebuilt the 350, low oil pressure, but seemed to run fine ... developed a slight knock. my brother bought the engine for his camaro, my friend sold the cruiser as was ... turned out 4 of the bearing were under sized, spun, markings were on the bearings, all the rest were correct as marked correctly. things happen, mistakes are made ... one, two bearings can go bad, be mismarked, crank turned to wrong size, rod end and cap sized wrong. if you don't intend to pull the engine down, get some plastigauge, check all the bearings, see a reputable machine shop, see if they can help you with some new bearings, and advice on how to check for damage, and repairs, if needed. best of luck on this wayne

that's a lot of rust, sorry to see that. i have to agree with the start over with a better body crowd. if you are a fabricator, anything can be done, but i think you'll be hours and hours into this project, money and time better spent on a cleaner body. as has been suggested anything can be saved if one has the time and money not to rub salt in the wounds ... here's some california z cars advertised on local craigslist ... give you an idea of what you might be able to start with, instead of repairing what you have ... if you rent a truck and trailer here .. might be cheaper to fly out on one of those $99 deals buy one of these and tow it back ... i understand there are carriers that will transport from here to east coast for under a grand. good luck with what ever you decide ... Reply to: hotnickels43@hotmail.com Date: 2004-12-21, 3:12PM PST sellng my 71 240z....lime green, with black leather interior...was running but has tranny problem and will not run...engine starts though...maby needs clutch or something...no time to work on it any more...need very little body work...all original paint...floor pans and rails are rust free..only a few rust spots but just surface...nothing bad...has tokikio ilumina shocks...would be a great project car for someone, but im going back to school and just dont have the time to mess with it...$1600 firm... 280Z - 1978 Datsun - $300 (santa rosa) Reply to: see below Date: 2004-12-30, 9:48AM PST Z-CAR LOVERS' DREAM! Great project car! Old engine w/SU carbs has been removed (blown headgasket) & new fuel-injected engine w/4 speed tranny (included) ready to go in. Extra rear end, old engine w/SU carbs & five speed tranny, and many, many parts included! SU Carbs & manifold alone are worth the price! Sorry, no pics available. Serious inquiries only, please! Help us clean out our yard! 707-588-9926 Datsun 280z for free - $1 (san jose east) Reply to: anon-54041875@craigslist.org Date: 2004-12-31, 9:40PM PST I'm giving away my Datsun 280z that i try to sell. First come will get the car. Please call me to pick up the car. You will need to tow it home or if you have the Massive air flow meter you can put it on and drive home. Car have 2005 tags. So no worry about late fee. Call me at 408-375-7383 do not ask me stupid question. datsun 1977 280z - $600 (emeryville) Reply to: greypinoy@yahoo.com Date: 2004-12-26, 10:16PM PST primered black datsun.. used to be brown.. has all the brown interior.. good dash. no carpet. major tune up cap/rotor/plugs/wires. new alternator with new belt. no front or rear bumper but still have them lying around. do not have smog papers but will pass smog.. you pay because so cheap.. drop price from 1000 to 600.. must sell asap..

i don't claim to know anything about this ... just parroting what a retired mechanic working the counter at kragen's was telling a customer this afternoon, who was having the same problem ... same info as what night rider 383 suggested ... the counter man was telling the customer holding the hei dizzy, that the customer had to make sure the engine was grounded to the body and the frame, and that the dizzy was well grounded as well ... counter man was explaining about how he went to some school put on by delco remey and how they stressed that the number one reason for mods going bad, or intermitent trouble is bad grounds.

Dave i already have a smog pump bracket, with a smog pump still attached .. took it off a couple days ago. i was checking the gallery ... no pix of your z or your set up, was hoping to see it .. does Alex have any pix of your set up, with the smog bracket ? maybe he could email me ??? thanks everyone, regarding the pulleys ... two aluminum double grooves off ebay for $64 ( crank is 6.6 " i think he said the pump is the same ) including shipping/tax/insurance. should be here soon, if the rain stops and i can get an alt. bracket set up to work with the short pump, might get that JTR radiator and the taurus fan in ... then see if i can find an inexpensive body shop ...

thanks everybody. just bid on set of aluminum 2 groove pulleys ... ebay ... i guess the company advertising in street rodder is just hyping their product ... it did make me stop and wonder using search, in post by Davy Z, he suggests using the smog pump bracket for the alternator. i'm gonna try that ... the money tree has stopped producing fruit ... cheap is the way to go ... but, i want this to be correct and safe ... may end up at summit i think the $42 bracket might work ... thanks again, wayne

okay, i'm waving as i walk into the poor house, not driving my z ... new JTR radiator, short pump, to make taurus fan fit ... now, need to replace the pulleys ... and i'm also looking for an alt. mount for the passenger side. there are aluminum V drive pulleys on e bay ... an ad in street rodder magazine, says ... don't buy the cheaper aluminum pulleys, use their high grade aluminum pulleys .... something about the aluminum shredding, peeling off the pulleys. i see quite a few engines in the gallery, using the aluminum pulleys. anyone have any experience with this ??? again, these are for V belts, not serpentine ... thanks , wayne

is there a reason we can't use the picture on the home page of the website, maybe with a big zorro like z across it ? that'll get my vote for a window sticker ... tool box decal .. tee shirt ... beach towel ... boxer shorts ...

well ... new JTR radiator,mounting brackets and, the fan mounting straps ... $240, 114 for short the hi-flow stewart aluminum water pump, $50 for the taurus fan ( plus the one i bought off ebay ... supposedly the mercury version is thinner ... 80 for that one, nor will we consider the zirgo 14 inch 2800 cfm fan for 100, that i got talked out of using, because it won't work ). so ... $584 ... to get that taurus fan to work ... i think most everyone knows that i paid $450 for the whole scarab z, a little over a year ago . HMMMM ??? did some one recently ask what it cost to build a V8 z ??? LOL .. anyway, with the shorter water pump,plus the extra room provided by the JTR radiator, and if i offset the taurus 2 spd fan, it looks like it's gonna work. oh, as an added bonus, i get to buy a new alternator mount, new pulleys, and belts ... i also found that unless i want to hunt down a whole 'nuther bracket set up, i can't use the smog pump ( this was a certified ca. smog legal engine replacement ) ... so ... removed the smog pump, removed all the plumbing ... need to get the plugs for the exhaust manifolds and cap off the egr valve on the intake manifold. original bolts too long for water pump ... will finish this all up after christmas ... after a few simple mods ... might have the z running again ... not driveable, but running ... still need to finish the body work ...

contact John .... he's a great guy ... his stuff is the best .. if my son hadn't needed 3 grand in dental work ... i'd have his subtle z fenders on my z, molded into the msa aero airdam ... email John your questions .. he messaged me several times offering advise and continued to do so, even after i let him know my plans had changed ... never once pressured me into buying anything. Dan J's car is a mix of John's products ... http://www.reactionresearch.com/automotivedetails.htm