BLKMGK

Yes Pete, that's exactly what I'm considering! I need to remove the "extra" pipes under there and test fit my motortrans. If the room is there I may seriously consider setting it up like yours. However it looks like a clutch may be needed first unless I want to bolt it together temporarily. The other thing missing is motor mounts, Energy Suspension has yet to get back to me.... Grr!

As for the weatherstripping - do a search here. Lot's of info on it, I think the company mine came from was called Precision and it was bought from MSA. The Nissan factory stuff is MUCH better but also costs quite a bit. Imron is nasty paint, supposed to be used on planes I think but used to get put on cars if memory serves me. That stuff is DEADLY so many painters aren't thrilled with it. As you've seen it sticks like mad though. I'm not sure that would work as well with other paints. Even when the bumper flexed on parking curbs the paint hung in there? That's pretty amazing!

Jegs has a clutch made by Hayes #490-85-112 that's 11 inches X 1-1/8 w/26splines. Cost is $249. Those measurements match up with the DF clutch listing from Centerforce. Not sure that it will fit but..... Need to research this more - unfortunatly I'm to the point where I need to get this done! Didn't someone mention another clutch not long ago as being a good OEM type replacement? Guess I need to hit the FBody boards some huh?

After much research and consideration this sucker looks like it might be the distributor I choose. It's electronic, VERY small diameter, is adjustable for both vacuum advance and mechanical, and can be adapted for HEI style wire posts. Mikelly is using an MSD unit that's similiar but I can't find HEI style posts for those and their stuff looks like it usually needs one of their MSD 6 or 7 units to run it. I really don't like those boxes having had one fail and leave me straned in the bitter cold once, it's all discrete analog parts in there! Anyway, can anyone give me some feedback on this unit? Friend's of mine have had BAD luck with their Ford units, 3 in a row, but I'd liek to hear from others about the GM stuff if possible before I warm up the credit card. Since I've got no hood latch to worry about I ought to be able to back this baby darn close to the firewall

I got up under the car today to remove my trans mounts. I'm finally readying the car for test fitting the T56! I don't have a grinding disk for my angle grinder, it's always been used with a wire wheel so I started with a Sawzall. Nope, I couldn't get the bulky tool close enough to the tunnel to do much good, I was really stuck! Then I recalled my recent $13 purchase from Northern Freight that I'd found usefull removing control arm bushings. It's a CHEAP pneumatic chisel! I fired that puppy up and managed to get the mounts out VERY easily! No heat from a torch, mostly clean cuts, and except for the noise it didn't take much effort on my part at all. There are gaps you can work the blade into under there and it just zips right off. If you're looking at this job in the near future I'd urge you to get one of these suckers, the price is right! I'll post some new pics up on my site tonight or tomorrow of this. I was shocked at how much easier it was using this tool but it sure is noisy.

I mentioned this in the Chevy forum but I'll open it up here too. I looked more closely at my OEM clutch disk today and I'm not happy with what I'm seeing. The rivets just look too darned close to the friction surface and I've decided not to risk my Centerforce flywheel ($$!). The pressure plate looks okay bu thaving never had one resurfaced I don't know if that's even possible - is it? Can I simply replace the disk? The Jeg's catalog lists the size of the disk and the splines. I know the pressure plate is "funky" but could a standard SBC clutch of th eright size and spline be used? I do NOT want to pour $500+ into the clutch if I can help it! As light as my car is something close to OEM ought to work. Who makes a good replacement? Should I swap the pressure plate too? I've never done a clutch where I didn't swap them as a pair and I'm brand new to GM stuff. Suggestions and guidance please!

Umm, I've had to use the E more than once Other times I've had to reach in the window and yank the lever when a car has begun to roll a bit. I figure that with as much reworking of the brakes as I'm doing and the age of the car (nearly 30!) it just makes sense in my case to have a working mechanical brake. Yeah, it'll cost me maybe $200 extra or so but my life and the money I'm pouring into this puppy like water it's worth it. To each his own, I'm not being critical of your decision - just explaining mine (shrug). Besides, if that little lever doesn't do anything it'll just look really silly to me (lol). Are you going to do a write up on that parking lock? I noticed today that the rear lines pass nicely in the tunnel, I MAY put my prop valve where it can be gotten to inside...

You just now got them?! Were supposed to be there Thursday darn it! Those were calipers I got from you, I think you might have even used tham at one time? Rear brakes are getting to be a real PITA no?

I took a peek at Mike's tank - it fits in there well. I looked around a bit for a bigger tank before getting my 12 from Triangle - at the time it didn't look like a bigger tank would leave room for mufflers. Seems Mike found out otherwise! On top fo that his tank has a steel "safe" aorund it and a bladder, probably foam too. MUCH safer than stock or my current tank for that matter! I may upgrade down the road - I think Mike's got the right idea on this one but I'm waiting to see how he does the rear fill My chassis guys didn't think it would work out and Mike's filler si right where mine is now. If he gets it working that's an upgrade I will have to do - fill from behind the license tag

Hrm, interesting about the bumpsteer mod. I'm about to make that one myself on a spare crossmember but now I'm not so sure. (sigh) Anyone else done this? As for the spoilers, I bought a NICE one from MSA in Urethane. It came from Xenon so you might want to hunt them down and see if MSA marked it up much, my experience is that they do a good bit on other things (weatherstripping!). As for fiberglass over urethane... My neighbor is a bodyman and after he saw my spoiler advised me that 'glass was better. Urethane cannot be repaired like 'glass can and while it's flexible on curbs the paint frequently isn't - even with flex additive. Keep that in mind when making your decision and having it painted, flex additive is a MUST with a urethane bumper! If anyone is locel to VA and looking for a Urethane spoiler, I'd sell this one for a reasonable price close to what MSA sells theirs. I've already taken the hit on shipping and it's in 100% perfect shape. Can send pics.

Randy - for an LT1 I'd not use the SDS, I'd use the OEM computer fo the "proper year" and the LT1 Edit software. Look that sucker up, it's awesome! I can get it for our Impalla SS but the woman is more concerned with MPG these days than added performance. I'm still VERY tempted to get an interface cable and look at some of the datalogging stuff to see if there are any codes or if the knock sensor is doing anything. MPG since we bought it has dropped from 17-18 to 14 or so, I think oxygenated gas has something to do with this though. It's pretty hard to beat the OEM computer and if you can reprogram it starting with the stock maps as a baseline you're WAY ahead of things on the driveability curve. Trust me on that... Now then - Impalla and Caprice motors are indeed iron head. I THOUGHT they were 285 horse but I may be confusing that with the Camaro motors. For a HEAVY car that only has 265-285 horse these puppies flat out haul a$$. Torque galore, I can light up the Impalla's wheels from a stop at will and the woman has done it a few times accidently. I can't wait to get the Z running with half the weight and nearly 1.5 times the power

20miles? Heck, if they were that close I'd be tempted to show up and take a peek in person! Please let us all know what it looks liek and post a pic if you can. If it can handle a V8 this could be a very attractive option! Hrm, do th ehose outlets on a "stock" Z radiator lend themselves well to SBC hose routing?

Well, I pulled out my Centerforce clutch today, put in my pilot bearing, and began bolting it up - tight fit! I used the flywheel bolts to walk it down, better tight than loose. This is one of the funkiest looking flywheels I've ever seen, 2nd only to the OEM flywheel I took off before! I then checked out the clutch and pressure plate more closely. The clutch disk itself may have a little more wear than I'd originally anticipated (sigh). The rivets look awful close to the friction surface but th epressure plate and old flywheel show no grooving. I do NOT want to spend $525 smackers on a damned clutch. I do not believe I need an ultra trick clutch for a car that's this light with about 450HP! Can I reuse the stock pressure plate with a decent disk? The disk looks "standard" and I know the size and splines thanks to the Jeg's catalog. Can I simply order up a disk? Do I need to do anything to the pressure plate? I've always replaced pressure plate and disk as a unit in the past - can pressure plates be resurfaced like flywheels? Who's disk is reasonably priced and better than OEM? This wasn't a problem I'd been anticipating darn it.... TIA!

If they're not HUGE I can host them for posting here or try out one of the free Yahoo! type photo sites that others use. I'd be interested in taking a peek at them to see what the hubbub is about Maybe it's a member car?

Ouch! Homing in on the cost of the darned front ones now aren't we? This is what happens when there's no darned integral E-brake on the caliper you choose. Just out of curiosity has anyone looked at say the Honda calipers? I noticed in Sport Compact Car that they were doing a rear wheel upgrade using an OEM Honda caliper - it's got an integral EBrake. Couldn't tell if it was iron or aluminum but it might be worth looking into perhaps. There's just got to be something out there darn it. I'm commited to the Outlaws now though (shrug).

I think I'm going to go with 245s myself, I HAD been considering 255s. The reason? Nitto just now released a new drag radial in a 245 45R17 size I intend to do this with an 8 inch rim and if I goto 255 for some reason that's the same rim I'd use. A 9inch would be a problem to fit in my wheelwells and I already know that 245's fit just fine on an 8inch rim. Actually - that rim might even be 7 or 7.5 - I've never measured (stock Mustang rim from 94-95 in 17inch). I'll research that and try to get back - I can't imagine an extra 10mm needing too much more rim so 8inch ought to be fine IMO. Oh, and no I've not test fitted either width - I believe 245 to be safe as you've stated. MikeKelly has flares but not up front so I'll be interested in his results and perhaps he can estimate the rear for us? [This message has been edited by BLKMGK (edited February 23, 2001).]

Clint - was that using the stock computer or the MiataLink thing? I thought the stock Miata ECU was a black box still. As for the DFI - yeah dump it out, it's all comma delimited for data logging. I used to have some Excel stuff for it but it's probably lost. My biggest beef was trying to do meaningful graphs when one scale went to about 6 grand and the other was fractions of 1 - like say for the O2s. It was pretty frustrating.

Lone - Ford has the same problem. Not only do they have the older 5.0 stuff darn near falling out of trees but they have both a 2valve and 4valve "newer" motor. The 4valve by FAR has more power potential but almost no one is developing many hard parts for the 4valve motor even though it's been around since 96. It seems that there aren't enough of them for many shops to jump on the bandwagon and working on them is no picnic for the average shade tree guy. Ford only just now ceased production of the 5.0 blocks for OEM usage but I'm betting we'll see 5.0 parts developed for a VERY long time to come. As for th eLS1 - when it's more common, all of th equirks for installing are well documented, and when it makes fiscal sense to build HP as compared to the older motors - hey I'll jump on the bandwagon now. However my current plan is to build something that I can drive somewhat quickly - that means a carb to start with, followed by EFI, followed possibly by a blower. It's just an easier path to 400+ HP than with an LS1 right now. If someone else has the patience then by all means build it, document it (please!) and I'll be much more inclined to do it next time. BTW - how do you tell a pioneer apart from the rest of the troops? He's the one with the arrows in his backside Lead on McDuff!

Jamie - honestly to run NOS I'd do more than a WOT switch... I'd go with a "window switch" from MSD that will set both turn on and off RPM, a fuel pressure switch, AND a WOT switch. MAke sure it kills the NOS before the spark too or BOOM! It's supposed ot be safe if you install it carefully, tune conservatively, and maintenance (sp?!) the solenoids occasionally.

Ya' know - those guys seem awful responsive and knowledgable. I don't want to run longtubes due to clearance issues but have been frustrated trying to find a large tube header in a shorty config. Methinks that these guys would actually be able to tell me what header would fit - I know they've got them in a size I'd like. Opinions on what it would take to support between 425 and 500hp? We've beat this horse before but I'm not sure we ever had a real clear conclusion - ie part number that we agreed would work in an early Z... I HAVE finally decide on a distributor though - ACCELL has one that's NOT HEI with a nice small cap and HEI style terminals. I'm going to push this puppy as far back as I can - no hood latch at all on this guy!

Hey Ross - the Performer heads are what I'm running Forged pistons, more cubes, and Eagle rods though. They went with a flat tappet cam in an LT1 block because they felt they could hit my 450HP requirement without a roller. Who knows, maybe I'll upgrade later! Had GM had the 385 out there when I was deciding there's a pretty good chance I'd have gone with it to be honest. I don't like the pistons but it had the heads I wanted on the ZZ4 bottom, I didn't care about the cam since it's so easy to change. Oh well, they've got it right now IMO. Now if GM would just put that nifty new EFI on it for less than a million bux I'd really be kicking myself in the rear!

Is that why the clutches for these things cost so darned much? They're "special"? Figures! At least the stock clutches are decent from the factory...

Hrm, I had the front yoke on my LSD swapped - I sure hope I don't run into these kinds of problems - it's as yet untested. I'll cry if it whines

So let's see here... $55 each for spots, around $90 for the calipers, plus custom brackets with an as yet unknown price... How much are the ugly single piston iron 240SX calipers? I'm thinking that this will be more expensive but much better performing and much better looking for a very reasonable delta in cost. We'll see, I look forward to bolting these puppies on! Anyone else interested in a set? The more the merrier...

NICE datalogger Scottie! Is he selling it an dis it just software or is there hardware components? The DFI stuff has a lousy rate of logging and to run it's fastest you give up all display. You can also only log about 6 items if I recall. The TECII up till now has been some of the best datalogging software I've seen so far but the FelPro and SpeedBrain stuff is looking pretty decent. Presently I'm looking for the WinACQ stuff that the PMS owners use for the RX7. Datalogging is an awesome tuning tool! WalMart had a very nice laptop on sale (online) for $750 a little bit ago but was sold out - I got the local brick and mortar pace to price match though. Now I just need software... http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?cat=3951&dept=3944&product_id=932331