cygnusx1

There is almost no substitute for cubic inches EXCEPT for forced induction.... There is NO substitute for cubic inches WITH forced induction!

Well If you want the whole car, you better ask for the pile of dirt under it. Most of the metal is in the dirt.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0807730/ http://toronto.craigslist.org/tfr/168343661.html "Short Film Premiere seeks spokes models" "Models are required to stand infront of the classic Z cars (240, 260, 280) and smile while we shoot a ton of pictures.." "....this film screens on the 21st of June at 11:30PM."

If you dont have a history on the car, do the ball joints. Very dangerous if they fail. Welcome.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfa_Romeo_GTA I have always loved the sound of the Alfa motors. Even in the early 60's they had, Double Overhead, Crossflow, Hemi Combustion, Sodium Valves, Cast Iron Headers, All aluminum. I had a 2000cc Berlina but it rotted away. This GTA would be my dream mistress next to a Z. The GTA was a lightweight variant of the GTV series. Built for racing.

Boost spikes can be caused by: -A tight actuator or wastegate. -A restrictive hose/fitting in the line to the actuator. -Too long of a hose leading to the actuator. -Too small of a wastegate. -Sticking BOV if it holds open a little and then snaps shut...like mine did. BTW, you DO need that vent hole no matter what or the wastegate will stay open.

Good advice on finding bodyshops. When I pimped my Z around looking for a bodyshop I got all kinds of dirty looks and excuses. Here are a couple. One guy said, "I dont work on Japanese s**t steel" From a block away another shop said, "I aint working on that, it has an inch of bondo on it already." Funny thing is it had good original factory paint on it still and was just faded. I ended up going with a reference from a friend that had his vette painted.

Drill the tiny hole in the line that goes to the actuator. I drilled it in the hex of the barbed fitting. Use a very small bit. Maybe 1/64" to start. On your photo. The barb fitting on the right gets drilled. To calibrate it, hook a bike pump or compressor and a gauge to the bottom fitting and set the knob to whatever cracking psi you want. Just listen for air opening the ball valve.

I hate silver Z's....J/K. I will NEVER forget the day I went to inspect the paint on my Z at the bodyshop. It was my first ever paintjob and the car was dull as a brick before I dropped it off. As soon as I saw the shine of the silver I was in heaven! Nice Color! Did you have insurance and how did it go with the insurance company?

Would a more restrictive oil filter cause the stock oil gauge to read lower than usual. After I changed the filter and oil today my oil pressure gauge seems to respond more slowly than before. It takes longer for it to raise and it seems the readings are all a bit lower by about 15psi from usual. The filter is a little smaller than the last one I had on there.

My boost lost its hornyness today and it turned out to be the BOV was sticking.

Are you measuring mixture with a wideband? If so, how much is it changing? Is it leaning out at idle or all over the load range? Need more info.

BINGO! I had it right...it was a sticky BOV. I took it off the car and opened it up and it was tight. I polished out the bore and the valve with a cloth. Then I added a bit of silicone grease and reassembled it. Now it builds boost, just like it should. So if you ever notice your boost builds a little slower than usual...now you know.

Good intercooler, stock injectors and injection, run fuel pressure up to 65psi with an FMU, and turn the boost to about 15psi. (the FMU is somewhat controversial...but it works ) Basically I run the same except I have a T04B and make 260rwhp/300rwt 120K miles never opened.

I use a TurboXS recirulated BOV. It has only one fitting on top of it for vacuum. I suppose when you snap the throttle shut, the manifold vacuum overcomes the BOV springs and pulls the BOV open.

OK ever since I took EvilC for a ride in my Z yesterday (stay tuned for videos). The boost curve has been a little off. The boost used to build evenly from about 2600rpm and up. It was a nice linear boost climb that felt linear torquey with the gas pedal motion. It would run about 2600 - 3300 to climb 0 to 15psi. Now the boost hangs out around 2-5 psi from about 2600 to 4500 rpm and then all of a sudden it hits at about 16psi like a shot gun. I thought the grainger valve was sticking open, so I took it apart cleaned it and recalibrated it with my compressor. It seems to be OK. Would a sticky recirculating BOV cause this behavior? I miss my midrange boost and torque ;-( HELP EDIT: The car idles with good vacuum, no intake or exhaust leaks apparent. All I/C plumbing seems tight. Car runs great otherwise.

Today I changed the oil and filter in the Z and I wasn't feeling all that well...a bit groggy. I have the turbo oil cooler line adapter where the filter screws on. Well I usually check the old filter to see if the rubber ring stuck to the engine. Well, the filter slipped out of my hand and fell into the oil drain pan. I just threw out a few words and screwed on the new filter. I put the car down, and added the oil, started it, and PHOOOSH!!! oil all over the side of the block and the floor!! I let out several more choice words and plunked my hand into the oil to fish out the old filter...no rubber seal!!!..@*&@#^. I knew about this old noob mistake since I worked at a dealership a long time ago and I always oil the seal before I put on the filter. However, you always get bit when you least expect it!

Yeah lemme' dig it out of the archives and see if I can repost. I don't know what happened to it during upload...Puzzled. Try RIGHT clicking it and saving it first. Then play it off your hard drive.

Does anyone want to see some REAL robotics? http://www.bostondynamics.com/content/sec.php?section=robotics These things are downright wicked!

Isn't that the official Waco Compound ZX?

Manual sharpening of bits is somewhat of an art. My dad who was a machinist/engineer for 40+ years could do any size bit with his eyes closed (with or without his reading glasses) in about 15 seconds. He taught me, but since I don't do it often, it takes me a few tries. Get a good bit and try to match the angles to what you know is good. Twist the bit and and tilt it as you twist. Grind into the cutting edges. The two cutting edges need to meet near the center of the bit. The two cutting edges need to end up being very slightly higher than the back ramp. Basically you are removing material behind the cutting edges to create a sharp leading edge. Good luck. It's a fun thing to do.

Mine came off easy...beacuse it had cracked along the keyway. I had to use a wheel puller to get the one off my other engine that was on the ground.

Very cool Dave. I heard you might be down this way to see EvilC soon. Unfortunately, I will be in Cali so we won't be able to hang out. When I stripped my donor ZX I thought about keeping the cruise...maybe I should have. Got pics?

Wow, that is a beautiful little car. Another one finds a good home! I can't wait to follow the project. Keep us in the loop. Nice photos too.

Hmm? for some reason the video I linked to seems to be out of order. Is it working for anyone? Thanks, If you are talking about Mikes blue Z in the video, they are tan leather Ferrari seats that came out of a friends totalled 328...for free. The black seats in my silver Z are early M3 seats...also got them for free. Right place, right time.