attworth

Just a little update... Picked something up a while back. Nothing special - actually it's not really sought after at all - little bitty old 305. Working out details now. Also started construction of my rotisserie. Need more steel!

Zedd findings sells both the floors and rails. Unfortunately I've talked to Dan, and he only stamps the S130 parts if he has two orders ready to go.

I believe you are correct about the 8.5:1. I do have another question regarding heads for the motor. I've been researching good builds for the 305, and this one - http://www.popularhotrodding.com/enginemasters/articles/chevrolet/0667_phrs_305_chevy_engine_blocks/index.html - by Popular Hot Rodding seems pretty solid. They used these heads - http://www.shaverengines.com/EQLIGHTNING.html - which from what I can tell are just Alum. Vortech's with specific specifications. They used the 180cc heads for this particular application. (not sure on the exhaust port, can't seem to find that anywhere.) The heads I have are 416 castings. (1.84"/1.5" valves, 58cc chambers, 165/59cc ports)I guess I'll note the obvious, the Vortech heads have .1" larger intake valves, and slightly larger ports. Are those minor differences truly worth the ~1000$ price-tag? Or is there something magical about the Vortech style heads that I'm missing? I wish the guys at PHR did a direct comparison between the two heads. The heads I have are really clean, and I wouldn't mind using them - if they're not going to choke down any hopes of making some decent power. Any thoughts?

My wife really like Tim and Eric. I can't understand why. Every time I see it or hear about it, I hope my brain will implode so I don't have to go through it again. She even almost went to see them live until the tickets got lost (not my fault.)

Pretty cool video. The GTR looks sloppy for that big ole price-tag and AWD. Still pretty cool.

Wish I could get into the habit, but I just can't. I used to wear latex underneath mechanix style gloves, and that worked well. Take off the mechanix for small jobs and still have protection. I ruined two socket wrenches by turning them with my palm and somehow getting the latex wrapped inside the directional mechanism...thing. I really need to try nitrile, but I never have enough money when I'm at the parts store to get some.

I guess it depends on where I'm going. My wife and I dream about "showing" something some day. This is my ideal show-car. An early 50s Mercury coupe. Timeless, beautiful. For a daily.... Hmm, now that's a tough one. Something I could actually afford - the GTi is pretty sweet, and would match my wife's Rabbit that she doesn't have yet. I also like to have a truck around. Nice beater truck would have to be a power-wagon. I even like the color of this one.

I'll have to try the 2x4. Hadn't even really though of that. I'm not in a real pinch with the motor - I'm not even sure I'll end up using it in my car. Just a huge frustration.

I've had absolutely no luck. I removed all the rocker arms and the cam and towers so as not to damage them. I tried just about everything I could think of and the darn thing just isn't moving. I even beat on the water outlet at the back of the head with a dead blow rubber mallet and no luck. It's not moving whatsoever. It's almost as if there's still a bolt in there somewhere, but I've checked, double checked, counted the number of bolts I took out, and NOTHING. *sigh*

I've got a good one for you. Having a hard time identifying a motor I may pick up today. Casting number is 14010203. All I know is it's an 82-85 305. Can't seem to find any information pertaining to the pistons. I'm trying to figure out if it's got flat-tops or not. Edit - Found my answer, the owner sent me a picture. They are dished. Just for grins, since I don't have the motor yet, any idea what cc those pistons may be?

Does anybody really spend 600$ to replace their seals? Seems pretty outrageous. I've noticed that the majority of my leaking occurs between the window and the t-top seal. I think a big player in this problem is my horribly fitting driver's side door, which doesn't allow the window to sit where it should. The pass. side is in a similar predicament, but is more related to the poor weatherstripping on the t-top. http://www.blackdragonauto.com/icatalog/z/full.aspx?Page=13 Number 2 on the door weatherstripping section - Front T-Top seal - 30$. Would be worth trying I think.

Had a busy weekend. Got most of the car stripped down - it's almost ready for the rotisserie. Got all the removable body panels off, stripped most of the interior (except dash.) All that remains is the steering linkage, front and rear cross-members, and hard lines for the brakes and fuel. I know I promised better pictures, but I forgot my camera again.

I was pretty bummed that they didn't show very much of the Z. I did see Aziza's car where it's being fueled up. Only way I could tell is because of the spoiler and the undeniable shape of the back of a Z. Sorry man, I was really stoked.

Ive got one, kinda rusty. 50 plus shipping and it's your's. Shoot me a PM if interested.

Thanks for making me feel better about prying the head all over the place to get it off. I was scared to mess it up. I'll see what I can do and post my results. As it stands, 11 head bolts are removed, 3 broken, and the two tiny screws came out last week when I took the front cover and oil pan off.

Attempted to remove my head last night. I got all of the bolts loosened in the proper order, except the 2nd to last one, and about the 5th to last one. The 5th to last broke off after turned out quite a ways, and broke just above the threaded part of the bolt. The 2nd to last broke about 1/2" below the bolt head. Took the rest of the bolts out and turns out bolt #4 also broke, above the threads. Didn't feel it or hear it. I attempted to wriggle the head loose from the ends, keeping the head as straight as possible, but it's not budging what-so-ever. I'm assuming that since the 2nd to last bolt broke so close to the top of the head, that portion of the head is still nice and torqued. I didn't want to warp the head any more than it probably already is now. Anybody have any ideas of what I can do to remove the head safely? Currently the camshaft still turns, so that's a good sign - I'd rather keep it that way. I'm a little nervous about drilling out the bolts since aluminum heads are pretty touchy.

I spoke too soon - http://www.jegs.com/i/Hedman/500/58160/10002/-1

I found a killer deal on a Old's 350 Rocket. Think I'm gonna snag it. From everything I've read, the rocket is a pretty good motor. The heads installed on it are supposedly no good. Hopefully I can take them to a local shop and have them check them out. The owner of the motor says he knows of a place with replacement rebuilt heads for 99$ each. Not too bad, if there's any truth to it. Edelbrock has some nice pieces for about 850$ each. Not too bad either if it comes down to it. Supposedly the bottom end is good, but rebuild parts are pretty cheap if not. The hardest part is going to be fab'ing some mounts for the motor and trans. I'm also a bit concerned with headers. I can't find any "block huggers," so I think I'll need to go with shorties - no biggie. I've found a bell-housing that'll adapt a TKO, Muncie, T-10, and a few others. It's a bit steep at 474$, but I'll worry about that later. I've read there's a bell-housing that'll allow the use of a T-5, so we'll see about that after I do some more research. Anyway, any input or encouragement would be great. When I told my wife about the 850$ heads, she just shook her head. I found these too. Pretty neat, and would definitely be "different."

He mentioned its for a 83-84. Two different model cars, and neither or which is a 280Z.

That does seem like a good deal - thanks!

I've been looking around for some thread chasers. I found this thread - http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=72944&highlight=%22thread+chaser%22 which led me to the McMaster site. I did a search and came up with - http://www.mcmaster.com/#thread-chasers/=189hxq I'm wondering what I actually need. I've never used a thread chaser. I know what they do, but looking at the pictures, I have no idea what I'll really need to freshen up my motor. I'd like to chase all the threaded holes that I remove things from. I won't be messing with the block, but I will be removing the head, and have already removed the intake/exhaust and all accessories on the motor. This part number (2542A51) is for the combination "internal/external" chaser. Can anybody clarify what those terms actually mean? Or perhaps point me in the direction of what I may need? I'd hate to order something only to find out it doesn't include the sizes I need. I've read through my "How to rebuild" book, but haven't really noticed any direct references to chaser sizes needed. Thanks everyone.

I guess it would help to note that this won't be a race-car. Mostly street driven.

In the process of cleaning up my rear diff. I'd like to paint the case itself black, with either Por-15 or Rust Bullet (depending on when I run out of Por-15.) I'll also be painting the non-moving parts of the half-shafts. For the rear cover, I was thinking I'd use some silver high-heat paint. Do yall see any heat issues arising because of this? Would the paint not allow the diff to cool like it would if it weren't painted? Or am I just being paranoid? Thanks

I have a really big floor jack that gets pretty tall (bought it to work on my truck.) I use the tow hooks usually. Allows the use of jack stands just about anywhere else. Always use jackstands if you're going to be working underneath the car.

So the pistons are domed? or flat? I just can't see how they'd hit the head before hitting the valves.