BLKMGK

WHOA!!! I HAVe one of the "Triangle" AKA Summit brand tanks - bought it from Chris Alston's shop when no one else had them. Summit told me they had gone out of business... Anyway, my tank has suffered TWO leaks. Neither of these were on a seam These both occured on the flat bottom of the tank with no external damage visible(huh?!). It was like the gas ate through and my first clue was gas weeping through the clear anodizing. My tank is also "oil canning" with the top filler distended upwards a bit. Still usable mind you but the leaks really bother me. I've repaired them both with gas tank repair epoxy and all is well - the dark spots on my tank in pics is the repair. My tank HAS had two welds done on it to mount it but there were nowhere near the leaks and the shop doing the work knew what they were doing. I have NO reason to believe that this caused the leaks. IMO the way to go is the cell that MikeKelly is using. Rubber bladder, foam I think, and a steel "safe" around the cell itself. It's also bigger than the 10gallon Triangle cell I used. Downside is a top draw for the fuel pump and vent. (shrug)

Stony hit it right on the head - fiber PACKING tape. I've cut tons of this crap lately - both Russel and Aeroquip. I finally got smart and started using inch wide packing tape with fiber in it and wrapping it VERY tight. You'll note that when the stuff shows up from the factory the ends are ALWAYS wrapped in fiber tape Stuff works well. Oh, and I use the Dremel with a cutoff wheel almost exclusively. A hacksaw with a FINE blade can be used but it's nowhere near as good

Before powdercaoting the surface needs to be clean and smooth - might as well polish it. How bad are the slots? I once watched a guy use metal polish and a drill powered buff to REALLY clean up a set of slots. Before you go so far as to buy a powdercoating setup and stink up the kitchen try getting one of those buffs that let you press the face straight down on the wheel face. I think you'll be pleased with the results after a bit of work. The slots are easier to polish than many wheels since the face has fewer crannies (IMO).

"True Z" huh? I always thought the balanced power of a V8 making about 300+ HP was in keeping with the Z spirit

Look into something called a Hobbes switch. That's a pressure sensing switch that should be available in various levels of pressure sensing. With a relay you ought to be able to wire up a setup to turn off the NOS on boost. I'd reccomend using it with a WOT switch and RPM switch just in case. Set the RPM switch BELOW your rev limiter!

NO syncro in Reverse in a T5. Hrm, how would a high idle cause the trans to turn with the clutch pushed in? Friction in the pilot bearing maybe? I'm confused abou that one

Pics Scottie, bring us pics! Pleeeease! I'd love to see some of those suckers. The NHRA stuff is somewhat boring to me. No EFI, no turbos, etc. etc. I'll never forget reading about the guy who ran a Buick V6 who got regulated off the track by the NHRA trying to appease the V8 guys. Damned silly! I want to see innovation and it sounds like you got to see a great deal of it. I hope you took pics

If you place the trans in gear, push in the clutch, and attempt to start it does th ecar move? If the car is on jackstands, in gear, and run it with the clutch pushed in do the wheels turn?

The "Painless" harnesses aren't custom for our car and have to be cut to length etc. They have the added advantage of allowing you to get rid of the glass fuses and overheating fuse box. Still, I've not upgraded mine as it's a PITA and my harness doesn't appear to be that bad...

Yes exactly and this is the reason my cage does NOT extend fully to the rear of the car. I'm willing to sacrifice the rear of the car in order to save the passenger's lives. Side impact is actually one of the areas I'd urge many of us to consider. The Zs, especially the older ones like mine, have ZERO in the way of side impact protection This is mostly why I had a cage put in my car. I do NOT have removeable or swingout sidebars for this reason as well since it would be too tempting to take them out for convenience sake. I also worried that a swingout bar might give in an accident (shiver). ALL bars are padded (except rear crossbar) with SFI rated padding (covered too for UV protection) and passengers are REQUIRED to wear the racing belts. I'll be installing a crotch belt soon as I've noted the belts riding up without it but just haven't had time yet. Anyway, the passenger area is surrounded by the steel cage. Should the car be involved in an accident the passenger area is all I care about surviving, I can build another Z easily enough...

Pete I saw a Volvo with an LT1 in it at Carlisle not too many years ago. Saw it zip down the street WOT a little later too. Nothing weirder in this world than to hear those sounds and see a VOLVO all twisted up accelerating past you like that! Talk about weird! Not sure it was terribly fast but it sure was neat to look at I think it would make a wonderful daily driver... P.S. Pete, why are you looking for a 77 or older? Last I checked diesals (sp?) weren't required to pass emissions anywhere around here Winter is coming, I'm sure there will be plenty of folks with these suckers upset when they begin to have problems starting if compression has dropped. Buy one for a song and convert it over the Winter perhaps? [ October 14, 2001: Message edited by: BLKMGK ]

Hrm, are they allowing blowers and fuel injection on those 500cube motors? I'd imagine so. Could be VERY interesting indeed A shame rules would probably prevent them from running head to head in NHRA...

It didn't sell. Overall it looks like it was done "right" but you'd need to see it up close to really check it over. Paint and bodywork need to be done - ick! but at least the drivetrain looks done. Try writing the guy to see what he wants for it and IF it's within your budget come back and we'll give you a set of questions to ask him. Overall it looks decent but I'd want to see WAY more pics before I'd plunk down that kind of money. He needs to understand he will NOT get all of his money back out of it

Plug access is decent. Tubes come down just behind where the setback plate is. Haven't pulled the pics yet but will try to do so today. A shame the Sanderson headers didn't fit like this - those were some truly sweet headers that port matched perfectly!

It all dpeends on the initial surface. If it's a rough cast wheel it'll take rougher methods to get it smooth. If it's mostly smooth than you can skip some of the rougher things. Powered equipment will allow you to work faster which is why I now have a real buffer instead of using a drill clamped in my vise! Little nooks and crannies are the worst and as you can see from others this is a time consuming task. I'll say it againn - consider having a pro do it if you can find one. Consider the maintenance afterwards too...

Hrm, do you have the car yet? If not I'd buy the most rust free example I could find that had the nicest interior and best bodypaint. I'd look for MONTHS if that's what it took in order to find this. Every penny you don't have to spend on paint and rust repair is money saved - bodyworkpaint is expensive! Mine was $5K but many have done far better. Depends on where you live, your patience, and your willingness to travel to get a car. Buy a running car if you can but obviously don't make it your primary car. Drive it while you gather parts. What's said above about the little parts is 100% correct. Things like engines and transmissions are big ticket but are fairly known costs going in. It's the $200 radiator, $50 fan, $100 distributor, $250 ignition, $35 shift knob, $50 clutch slave, and on and on that kill you. One good idea might be to try and find a car that's already converted. Chances are very good that you'll have to redo some things, repair some things, and tinker with it but you'll be letting someone else take the financial hit. Watch E-Bay, our ForSale board, Zcar's board, and any others you can find including the Want Ad, Auto Trader and others. This ASSumes you've not already got a car Oh, and get the JTR book first and foremost. Then get the JEGs and Summit catalogs. Make lists of parts, ask questions, and make sure you understand things before you start. Nothing worse than getting halfway through and giving up...

Normal rears let one wheel turn more slowly when turning, a spool or welded diff will not allow this. You'll notice it most in parking lots where tight turns are needed and the rear forces the tires to chirp as you make tight turns. When the two tires are connected solidly like that the tire rather than the rear must slip in order to turn. This is why driving in the rain and tire wear is an issue...

First and foremost - check emissions regulations in your area. In Virginia anything 25years old or older is exempt but I'm not sure what Florida requires. If that checks out there are several folks here who have done the swap. Differences would be not needing setback plates to place the engine correctly and the 2+2 needing a longer driveshaft. Other than that I'm not aware of any major differences except to watch out for th epower steering if you've got it. Actually, dpeending on the steering it could be a real bitch to do the swap so hopefully some of the ZX guys who know more about this will respond for you as it could be important...

302Windsor and 351Windsor motors have the EXACT same motor mount points. You can use 302 mounts on a 351W no problem. Cleveland I cannot speak to but in the States the Windosr is FAR more popular. Be careful of the width though, while th eengine deck is taller it's also a V engine which means that the engine itself is noticably wider. In a tight engine bay this can mean BIG trouble. If you need a width measurement let me know. The engine also ends up being taller by at least an inch or two so that can cause issues with hood clearance. They make drop mounts for Mustangs here that could probably be fabricated if you desired in order to drop it down some. Hrmph, you guys get some really cool cars over there that the automakers here are too stupid to bring over. Really ticks me off

Winter in California - how bad could it be?! I froze my buns off with a kerosene torpedo heater blowing working on my car. I actually took a bunch of time off because of it - working in the freezing cold stinks! Take your time, do it right, and you'll have far less to redo later. Keep your wiring neat, don't use all the same color wire (ahem), and use looms. Take your time making radiator mounts and fan mounts too as those will be important. Have you decided what to do for a radiator and fan? There's still lot's to do but you're seeing the glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel and can now pop the hood for friends and say "see, I told you it fit!" I had tons of folks come over and stare with wonder at how well the engine fits in there. Last night a guy stopped by at the car cruise and told me how impressed he was at the "craftmanship" of my car. Really embarrassing becasue all I did was pick out parts and assemble them carefully - it's really straightforward! Good luck, keep us posted, and congrats on the milestone! May you have a warm Winter

Anyone ever figure out if a manual trans will fit behind one of these beasts? I'm dying to find out For future reference of course...

Jazper, rear fenders or front fenders? Is this up front near where the Datsun emblem usually goes? If so that's common - water dumps down from the cowl into that area and it frequently gets cloged. When that occures the water sits and eats at the metal. I've got this problem myself The worst part is that in many cases the rust will eat into the metal that composes the rocker there up front. Once it eats through water gets into the rocker below the door and that's a STRUCTURAL member. Glassing the lower fender for a rapir is fine - fender being the panel you can unbolt and remove. However glassing the rocker is a VERY bad idea as it will lend NO structural strength to the car. Where exactly is this rust and how bad is it? Have you looked under the battery tray for rust? Checked the floorpans? Under the hatch? Zs have many places where rust is common

Ross, I didn't see you request until just now and I just got out of the garage Good news though - these puppies MIRROR the Flowtechs! If Flowtech headers fit your app then I believe these will too! Had there been a flange on these headers I could've bolted up the exhaust - it was amazing. No extension needed, these will work as is with a flange on them. I DID find that the ports don't match the Felpro 1404 gasket like the Sandersons did. The gasket sent with them is generic and the port shape a bit different. I ported some flash out of them and took some pics which I'll post as soon as I have time Also Ross, I took a pic of the headers side by side with the Flowtechs AND I took a pic of them with a tape measure coming out from the pan rail. These come VERY close to touching the JTR setback plate but do NOT touch it - I managed to get my fingernail in there No clearancing has ever been done on my setback plates though. I could almost get my finger between the steering shaft and the header. I didn't test fit the passenger's side but I'm pretty sure that's not needed... Once these are installed and my additional mufflers on the car I'll be having it dyno'ed again. My fingers are crossed!

Okay, the Rewarder unfinished headers showed up the other day. Bummer, they look just like the Sansersons However since these are unfinished the collector can be extended and I think that will fix them fine. They sent along a mandrel bent U to allow me to do this as I want. Given time Saturday I'll be working on this. Once I've got it figured out I'll send them back and have them finished up. May port them a bit too as they've got a touch of slag in the primaries (shrug). I'll snap a pic before I do anything to them and let everyone know how they work out. Perhaps we can get a header model just for us?

I've spent more HOURS polishing aluminum than I'd care to count. My biggest lesson learned was that I don't want much polished bare aluminum on my cars as the upkeep is a bitch. Polished stainless isn't so bad but it's a harder metal and is harder to polih initially. How "bad" are your wheels now? I'm having toruble picturing what those wheels look like but if they have any "cast" looking portions you will have to sand them SMOOTH. You'll then have a ton of fun trying to get various polishing mandrels in there to polish it. Forget the Dremal idea BTW - too small and it leaves streaks. Larger areas end up looking like crap. Drill mounted mandrels work in my experience but it's labor intensive to say the least. In the end you'll have spent TONs of time and then find out that you have to repolish it somewhat often Consider a qualiy clearcoat but even then... Frankly, I'd consider a professional polishing service but expect it to be expensive. Eastwood sells lot's of polishing products including videos on how it's done. Check out their supplies. You'll generally start with something like a sandingflapper wheel, move to wetdry sandpaper of various grits, then to at least one possibly two grits of polishing compound - the last usually being white. The more work you put into the sanding portion the less polishing you'll have to do. Soap in the wet sand process makes for a smoother finish BTW. I've usually used Mother's polish for the final final polish. Use something like a CLEAN diaper to apply it. Never mix compounds on the same buff. Last but not least - *WEAR A DUST MASK* -. The dust generated by a buffer will tear your lungs up and I shudder to think about th ecrap I've ingested. My garage is covered in the stuff from floor to rafters. Try to never do this in the vicinity of a car you care about I think that's it. Good luck!