cygnusx1

I drove a 60 HP Honda Civic daily. My stock 76Z was my "fun" car. I sold the civic and bought a WRX with 227HP. I was blown away! My Z was no longer the "fun" car. Oddly enough, I still loved to drive it. Then I turned up the boost in the WRX and added fuel for 265HP. I could not believe how easy it was to make power with a turbo. I was bitten by the bug. I found HybridZ.org and the rest is history. The Z is now my "fun" car again with that turbo whine. Leapfrog the cars over eachother until they get too fast for you to handle.

I took my friend out for a spin in the Z. He had a digital camera and took a few short vids. This is me pulling onto the parkway and accelerating up a pretty steep hill. I short shifted a little but it's still pretty fast. Watch me catch that car that I pulled behind. http://videos.streetfire.net/player.aspx?fileid=ECC8AED8-460E-4A89-98AB-F58B0345ABB6 Sounds good, doesn't it?

I am using ORIGINAL Nissan CV shafts from an early 80's ZX Turbo with my adapters. I did have to compress them pretty far but not all the way to their limits to use them in my 76Z with the stock R200-3.54. I used a long one and a short one...a matched left and right side pair. I also found that the easiest way to get them in and out was to drop the inner control arm and swing it out. When you finally get it all bolted up, use lock-tite blue and high-grade bolts.

...sniff...sniff...no more long winded posts...sniff..sniff Start rehearsing this now: "I used to have a kick-*** TurboZ. I wish I still had it!" Congrats on kicking the habit. Not an easy thing to do. Good luck.

I see. But yet it remains that I get a large rush of air when I open the gas cap on a low tank. I will double check to make sure it is pressure and not vacuum. Now you made me double think my memory. Either way it would be a bad thing and it's most likely a dirty or kinked tank vent line. If I remember correctly, the gas cap has a pin hole in it with a rubber "reed-valve" type arrangement...or at least that what it looks like. I always thought it was there to allow air into the tank to prevent vacuum build up. It's a '76 BTW. With the tank mostly full of air, the fuel will heat up quickly and heat the large volume of air in the tank. That would definately cause pressure with a plugged up vent. Thanks.

You would think if it were a sealed system, as the gas went down, you would get vacuum....but the fuel pump adds pressure to the rail and the extra pressure bleeds back to the tank where it would build up if it had no opening to atmosphere. I am not sure what the pressure is in the return line after the regulator but I know it's positive pressure and it goes into the tank. So THAT could be the cause of the pressure build up in the tank. The reason the fuel pressure gauge is not affected by tank pressure is that BOTH the return and the supply see the pressure in the tank so they cancel out. Is it SUPPOSED to build and hold pressure or is it SUPPOSED to vent to the great outdoors? This has become a great mystery. Oh another point. Fuel is incompressible so the pressure from the fuel pump does not get to the tank UNLESS there are air bubbles in the fuel lines such as in a low fuel situation.....aha....That may be why you only get the tank pressure on a nearly empty tank! It is also worth noting that the stock fuel cap on my 76 looks like it is designed to let air in to prevent vacuum in the tank.

Now I have no idea weather the Z tank should let out a rush of air when opening the filler cap with a low tank... hmmmm Back to square one. Normal or not? Anyone....Anyone.....Bueller?

OK good then at least I know there should not be pressure in the tank. I thought that maybe the fuel injection system maintained some kind of pressure in the tank and it was normal. However, it just doesn't seem right to me so I posed the question and I was right to be suspect. I will check that vent line with the gas cap off so it won't build pressure. I know that the original carbon cannister had a diaphram valve to open the vent line in the presence of engine vacuum only. Is that right? Thanks Loose_Screws

I posted this several days ago on the fuel delivery threads and got nothing. I wonder if anyone here can answer my question. I hate to be a cross poster but this one should be an easy yes or no question. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=104310 .....Surely you guys gas up your Z's once and a while and can tell me if this happens to your Z as well. Thanks

Some info about videos and Codecs while we are here. 1) Don't be stupid and post videos of you or others that may incriminate anyone...duh. 2) There are tons of different coding methods used to make videos. I use the latest ACE Mega Codecs Pack. It is a large file but I have never found a video it can't play. It comes with the Classic Media Player which is good; "no frills", and it will play quicktime and realplayer stuff with no hassles. http://www.divx-digest.com/software/acemega_codec.html

Permatex #2 is what you want to use. DO NOT use it as a gasket. Use it on both sides of the proper gasket lightly. It will do two things. 1)Hold the gasket in place for assembly. 2) Seal very well including keeping synthetic oil from leaking. It is great for beading corners that are notoriously difficult to seal with a gasket; like the top of the timing cover against the block. It is much nicer than RTV and comes apart pretty easily without destroying gaskets when you disassemble later. Follow it's directions carefully. Oh....do not use it on HOT parts. Like exhaust and intake manifolds. Use it for the covers and pans and ancillary parts. It's for cooler types of stuff or stuff that sees engine oil.

It's an air filter for a 2 Stroke RC motor. It is not clogged. So I take it that there should NOT be pressure built up in the tank? The vent line runs open from the front of the car right back to the tank or does it not? I wasn't sure if it was normal or not, this is the only Z I've had and it has been doing this for quite a while.

Now that gas prices are sky high, I run the tank down lower than usual in my Z. (It's just a mental thing). I noticed that when I open the gas cap with the tank very low, I get a huge surge of relieving pressure rushing out of the filler neck. That isn't normal is it? I have stock 76 280Z fuel lines and tank. The vent line that use to go to the carbon cannister is open in the engine bay with a "little foam filter" over it. What gives?

At Watkins Glen during the 2005 ZCCA I went out for my last stint of the day with 1/4 showing on the gauge. Going up the last hill into the blind left-hander, the Z was starving dry. I pulled into the pits where my instructor had a five gallon can of gas. I dumped in about half of his fuel and went back out with no more issue...other than I owed my instructor gas money I run stock fuel tank and lines in my 76Z Turbo with stock pick up points. Maybe I should switch to using the drain plug too....hmmm.

Found it in an antique toy's shop. http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=4115&cat=500&page=1

Jon, Thanks for all that very useful info regarding pressures, and angles. That is what I was looking for. Eventually I may go to camber plates and/or adjustable cotrol arms but for now I may try shimming some caster in and toeing out the front a smidge. 260DET, On the track I definately heat the outside edges faster than the rest of the tire but for the most part (99.9%) I am on country backroads roads, so they wear evenly overall. It's tough for me to justify a fully adjustable suspension setup for a street driven car but I've obviously reached the limit of the stock geometry. I have enjoyed my track times so much, and have learned so much about the huge difference between a street car and a race car that I am now considering buying and/or building a dedicated track car....someday...maybe a go-kart will quench the thirst...

Thanks for the compliments but believe me it's the camera that makes the difference. The seats were given to me by someone that had no interest in them. They were in a 50's era chevy that was supposed to have bench seating. They are originaly from a BMW early M3, I think, and they are made by Recaro. They are fairly heavy but the styling is perfect for the Z. I had to make aluminum mounts to use the stock Z seat rails under them.

I just got a Canon 20D digital SLR with three lenses. I love it!! What photos! With the wide angle lens I was able to shoot the WHOLE interior of my Z through the side window. Note the proportioning valve and line-lock from the Arizona Z Car big brake kit in the ashtray. MED SIZE: http://album.hybridz.org/data/500/Cygnusx1-interior.jpg

It turns in crisp but in mid corner it wants to push either on or off the throttle. Of course snapping off the throttle brings the nose back in a bit but it seems a little pushy otherwise. I have no camber adjusters but I have the car fairly stiffly sprung, sway bar'd, and bushing'd so it stays real flat in the corners. I tweaked the Illuminas to 2-front and 3-rear to help but it wasnt enough to rid the mid corner push. How does tire pressure and toe play into this...which way should I go with at least those settings for track days? Not specific #'s, but more tire pressure front or rear does what? Thanks for the input.

Hmm I run the AZ Kit with 16x7 Panasports from MSA...not sure 100% of the offset but it's not zero. There is no rubbing on my 280Z.