Dave240Z

Here's something I don't quite understand. How do they calibrate the sensor for the type of car? For example, the allowable emissions for a 1973 Datsun are radically different than those for a 2002 Honda Accord. If you ever go in for a smog check, the engine type and VIN are necessary to determine the allowable limits for your particular year/make/model. For arguments sake, say the Accord is modified and actually puts out emissions close to the Datsun specifications but still passing if it was a Datsun. How does the sensor know the Accord is in violation for it's model year if the emissions are still within legal parameters for a 1973 Datsun? If they setup the sensor to detect for some predetermined limit, the limit would have to be set for the worst case but for what car? If it was for the older cars then many newer cars could be polluting 3X more than they are technically allowed but they wouldn't be cited because their car is still within the older car limit. If, on the other hand the sensor is set to detect polluting newer cars, then every old car would fail even though it is well within it's own vehicle year/make/model requirements. Does all this make sense? Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

Wow, that was amazing. Thanks for the link!!!

Good to know there are a few good women out there. You definitely have a keeper there. Is she going to help build it? My wife is quite similar actually, she doesn't always help but once in a while she does. Just recently, we did a rear brake job on our (her) Passat. She basically worked the left side while I worked on the right, watching me as I talked her through it. She takes great pride in knowing she can do some work on her own car and gets a big kick out of people's reactions when mentioning it. Another example of just how fine of a woman my wife is, just before we were married, I asked if I could pickup a used BMW M Coupe; something I had wanted when new but couldn't afford at the time. With used prices dropping and since my Subaru was paid off (which I later sold to recoup some costs) she didn't hesitate at saying yes and a few months later I had my M Coupe. She never asked once about getting rid of the Z, as she knows it's my true car love. Her only criteria was that since I had (2) fun cars, she wants a fun car of her own. She either wants a original (or quality kit) Porsche 356 or an original Mini Cooper. Something we can work on together as a husband & wife project. I love that my wife actually takes an interest in cars, but I can't help but think that I've created a bit of a monster.

Wow, some of you guys have a lot of cars!!! Here's my list. Current stable: 2000 BMW M Coupe - daily driver/autocrosser 2000 VW Passat 4Motion - Wife's 1972 240Z - my original passion and reason for visiting this site!! Past vehicles: 1991 Toyota Corolla DX - Wife's college car. 3spd auto baby!!!! - Still ran like a champ at 187K when we sold it though. - Should have kept it as a beater I think. 1991 Honda Civic DX - Originally 1.5L TBI, 4spd manual no A/C, no radio. Bought new for $8500 I think. - Swapped in a B18 non-vtec back in '97 - Crashed and totalled on fwy. - Used insurance to buy my 240Z. 1954 VW Bug - 1835cc, 48IDAs, etc.... - sold to buy Honda for college - already becoming one of those I should have never sold it stories. 1968 VW Bug - 2nd car I ever owned. - Sold to buy 1954 Oval. 1971 VW Bug - 1st car I ever owned - Totalled by a disabled old man in a land yacht.

My buddy just swapped this kit onto his car. Let's just say I had to push my eyeballs back into their sockets after riding in it. It was god awful expensive but it looks and works great. My friend tracks his car and was tired of warping his 300ZX 4x4 setup so he stepped up and bought what may be the ultimate Z car brake setup. BTW, all this fits under 16" Panasports with '0' offset, BARELY. We'll be taking more pics later with the wheels on the car, etc....

So just what is the ideal triple carb fuel supply setup? I honestly don't know for sure. There's so much conflicting info it's hard to tell whats up from down. I have heard all kinds of conflicting stories, and without dumping lots of $$$ on my part to test them all out I thought I'd try and see what the collective wisdom is out there with regard to this. Maybe the best way to approach this would be with a series of questions or common statements and we can pick them apart as we go. Also state your current setup and your impressions. 1) You need a return line - Yes/No? 2) If you need a return line, where do you plumb it? After the last carb or after the regulator? I've seen both. 3) Is the stock mechanical pump adequate? My guess would be no due to volume concerns. 4) Do you feed all carbs inline or individually? 5) My current setup: Pump: Holley Red Regulator: Holley w/ gauge Return Line: None Impressions: I personally think something is not quite right about my setup. First, it's rather noisy, but I can live with that if needed. Second, the car seems to want to stall more often, whereas it didn't when I had a cheapy electric pump installed. Third: I can never get the regulator to stabilize. Once I think it's stable, the next time I start the car and look at it, it's reading different. I can't figure out why it's not consistent. Here's a graphical representation of how it looks: PUMP -------REGULATOR------CARB 1-----CARB 2----CARB3 | GAUGE TopEnd performance (our favorite supplier ) seems to have setup a webpage for weber carbs. They even have a section related to fuel delivery options, and basically blast my setup as not being very good. Can't say I disagree with them really. Here's the address: http://www.racetep.com/webfuelspark.html#webfaq Your thoughts?

My dad's a big RR fan. I actually saw this at the Sacramento train musuem a few years back. Wasn't steaming at the time (it was a 3 day event). I would have paid to hear that thing rumble by. Sweet!! Now if they can only get a 4-8-8-4 running that would be just plain sick. Check these specs...just mind blowing. "During the late 1930s, the Union Pacific often used helpers to move trains from Ogden to Wasatch. The UP wanted to simplify this move so they asked their "Department of Research and Mechanical Standards" to design a locomotive that could pull a 3600 ton train unassisted over the 1.14% grade of the Wasatch. The designers determined that to pull a 3600 ton train, a tractive effort of 135,000 lbs would be needed. Assuming a factor of adhesion of 4.0, the weight on drivers would have to be 4.0 * 135,000 = 540,000 lbs. Given an axle loading of 67,500 lbs each, this would require 8 drivers or an x-8-8-x wheel arrangement. The designers agreed upon the 4-8-8-4 design. Next, the horsepower and cylinder sizes were computed based on 300 psi boiler pressure. Although they weren't planning to pull these freight trains at 80 MPH, the DoRMS designed them for 80 MPH in order to have a sufficient factor of safety built into the design. What resulted is considered by many to be the most successful articulated steam locomotive ever built. 4000 was delivered to Omaha at 6PM, September 5, 1941."

Even though I missed Janet's boob (thanks for the pic lownrusty ), I'm glad I chose not to watch it this year. It's amazing how much you can get done during the day with everyone watching the game. No crowds on Sunday = good times. I don't have much interest in football anyway but the superbowl seems to be getting progressively worse with each year which is why I chose to just skip the whole thing this time. MTV seems to have found a way to stoop to new lows as well, although that's not really much of a surprise. It almost seems that with all the commercials and halftime show that the superbowl is not really about football but about marketing and cheezy entertainment. Call me strange, but I thought it was supposed to be the pinnacle game of the NFL.

I have a 3.0L n/a Rebello sitting under the hood using 45MM DCOEs and a TWM manifold. At the time I had the engine built (1997), FI was an option but I wasn't impressed with the complexity and narrow range of choices. TEC-II was the only real option at the time but it was fussy and difficult to program, let alone the fact that not many people really knew what they were doing with it. Since I was already familiar with multiple carb setups and Webers in particular (this harks back to my automotive beginnings working on modified VWs and 911s) I felt comfortable to settle on a set of 45MM DCOEs instead. It's been working well ever since and I have no plans on changing it. It also has the feel of nostalgia which I like and most people are quite impressed to see a set of triple carburetors under the hood of anything on the road these days. Younger people (those less than 30) tend to shrug it off as "old technology" but they have been schooled on a few occasions that old doesn't automatically equal obsolete. Fast forward to today, with the myriad of FI setups available, the ease of tuning via a laptop and fancy GUIs makes an ITB FI rather attractive although it is still rather costly. The main benefit of FI is that it has the potential to offer better low-speed drivability due to better fuel metering and atomization. As a case-in-point, I have been in another Rebello 3.0L car that used FI and I can say that the low speed drivability was noticeably better than mine. However, at the top-end there wasn't much difference between the two as they both seemed to pull equally hard. Of course this is just my butt-dyno evaluation but it does make sense given the similarities and differences between the two setups. Which is better? Probably the FI from a purely performance standpoint as you can get great top-end power without sacrificing a ton of low-speed drivability. Coupled with the popularity of FI these days and the ever growing selection of products related to it and it makes even more sense. If, however you already have a set of carbs available there is no reason you couldn't use them. They won't be quite as expensive with regard to initial cost and are rather simple in comparison to FI since you don't have to worry about computers, wires, sensors, high pressure fuel pumps, fuel lines, etc...Ultimately it depends on what you're more comfortable with. Edit - Added gratuitous pic

Sadly enough, this should surprise me, but it doesn't. When are we gonna force people who file lawsuits to PAY when they are turned down? I pray for the day.

What a cool find. Did anyone notice the interest rate? Take a look, it's a whopping 19.35%!!!! His interest on the $6800 principal is $2176 roughly 1/3 of the principal in just 4 years!!! As a kid growing up in the early 70s, I can remember my parents having quite a tough time with finances due to the crazy inflation of the period. That bill of sale is a great illustration of what it was like to finance something in those times. We sort of take the great interest rates of today for granted a bit, but things like this help keep things in perspective as there were times when interest rates were much higher, and may be again someday. Could you imagine buying a car today, financing say $15K over 4 years at 19.35%? That would be absolutely nuts.

Also worth noting is that the gauges shown here have DIAMONDS in the center of the dial. Those gauges are also POWER METERS which tell you how much power is still available. Crazy stuff. It almost crashed at Laguna a few months ago as well something about too much power I think.

After reading through this whole thread the irony is just killing me. We, as a Z car community, are always complaining about the lack of available aftermarket parts yet when an individual/company steps up to fill one of these gaps all of the "Engineers" jump in and start condemning the people/company/product because it wasn't tested to their liking or that it was too expensive. This whole aftermarket thing is really a catch22. The money required to perform all the R&D and testing people would like to see done (whether or not it is justified) must be recouped through product sales. This is business 101 as I don't think any of us are wealthy enough to offer our services as a charity to the Z car community. This invariably would dictate a higher per unit cost just to break even and here's where the catch comes in. The same people who demanded the R&D and testing refuse to pay the higher price stating that "This part isn't worth $XX, it's just a piece of aluminum." or something to that effect. Let alone the risk that copycats will start to come out of the woodwork, invariably selling the product for a cheaper price because THEY do not have to recoup any R&D/testing costs to break even. There's an old saying around Engineers "There are three design criteria; leadtime, cost, functionality...choose any two." I believe the same basic premise holds true here reworded slightly "Choose any two out of the three; R&D, cost or functionality." And, contrary to what some people may believe, you don't need to perform FMEA or other type of failure analysis on every part, just those areas/parts that are critical in some way. On that note, I would agree that testing of an aluminum hub would be a wise idea due to it's critical nature (a failure can lead to catastrophic consequences) but let's not be surprised when the hub costs $500+ea OK? Also, the approach of slamming the supplier is not very conducive to anything. If you have concerns, by all means please voice them but please refrain from flaming or slamming the individual. This aggressive approach is what makes fellow enthusiasts and innovators such as Juan shy away from any future endeavors since it quickly becomes a situation which is more trouble than it's worth. As a case-in-point I'm a design engineer by trade and have developed several parts (300ZX brake rotor adapters, fuel distribution block, etc...) over the years for the Z car. I have been asked repeatedly by fellow enthusiasts at shows, etc...about producing copies of those parts for them. I have always refused and will continue to do so until such time that I can afford to start a company under a LLC and cover my family assets for the exact reasons I stated above. But, doing so would mean the parts would cost more $$$ which in the Z car community in particular is a recipe for failure. Back on topic...I think Juan has a great idea which obviously has garnered a good bit of interest. With a little R&D/testing, most of the concerns can be addressed. I sincerely hope Juan continues to innovate new products for the Z car and I look forward to having another Z car supplier to do business with.

That was classic!! "I'll give you 2000 now, and 15,000 when we get to Alderan." ROTFL

Wow' date=' this is great news. I took the liberty of adding some color coded dimension lines to your pic. If you could let us know what those are, that would help out tremendously regarding exact fitment for various wheels. Just for reference, any idea how much the stock 240Z or 4x4 caliper (non-vented) protrudes from the hub as compared to the 0.6" for your Wilwood setup? [img']http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/album_pic.php?pic_id=2504[/img]

My love of cars has made me the family car expert and as such, I am almost expected to diagnose and fix all problems pertaining to all the family cars. I don't necessarily mind, but it can get a bit annoying since I feel like I'm always changing someone's oil and barely have time for my own cars (Datsun 240Z and BMW M Coupe) let alone anything else these days. Last weekend I dropped off nearly 20 quarts of used oil at the local auto parts store. The look on the clerk's face was straight out of "dazed and confuzed" as I started stacking containers on the counter. Recently, my father-in-laws minivan broke down and guess who was called to see what was wrong? Yep, none other than the family mechanic. I was able to diagnose the problem as a bad fuel pump and spent the next evening performing the repair. He saved nearly $200 since all he had to pay for was the pump. Earlier, my good friend was having trouble getting his carbs syc'd on his Datsun 240Z (he has a similar setup to mine) so, being the good friend that I am, I carted myself over to his place and helped him set his carbs. Now, I don't mind doing all these things for everyone but I am getting a bit miffed since my favors seem to have turned into expectations, hence this little rant on the internet. All of these people are saving some major dineros and getting quality work performed but don't really seem to consider the amount of time and effort on my part that continually goes into all this which hampers my ability to do other things such as work on my own car or go to a movie. My wife has commented on this as well and says I should try and step back a bit, but I'm not sure how that is going to go over with everyone. I don't want to make anyone upset, I just need a little break and some recognition. Is it too much to ask? I don't need much, a little more respect for my time and a few beers here and there would be great, as would a nice sandwhich or movie ticket as well. So I ask my internet compadres, how would you approach this? What would you do differently? As of now, I do the all the basic maintenance and some minor repairs on these cars: 97 Nissan Quest - Father-in-Law 93 Lexus ES300 - Mother-in-Law 93 Honda Accord - Sister-in-Law 01 Toyota Sienna - Brother-in-Law 00 Subaru Impreza - Brother-in-Law (my old car ) 91 Nissan Maxima - Brother 01 Pontiac Grand Am - Mom (crappy car BTW) 00 VW Passat 4Motion - Wife's 00 BMW M Coupe - Mine 72 Datsun 240Z - Mine 73 Datsun 240Z - Buddy

I think there are several reasons for the desire to have a L6 stroker (3.0, 3.1, etc...) depending on who you are and what you are trying to achieve. As RedNeckZ pointed out, some of it has to do with race rules. In this case, you have to try and maximize what you're allowed to do within the rules. Depending on how competitive you are, spending $5K for a engine buildup that nets you only 30hp may be well worth it if that means you get the necessary edge to win races. Another reason for the stroker is nostalgia. Building a stroker allows you much more power potential than stock while maintaining a stock appearance and Datsun "feel" to the car. Also, keep in mind that these cars are insanely light, so a 30hp increase offers quite a bit more performance. Also, most of these $5K+ stroker buildups are netting anywhere from 250hp up to 300hp which is PLENTY of power for these cars and a considerable increase over stock, much more than just a 30hp. A hybrid swap can certainly offer more bang for the buck, but that isn't necessarily the bottom line for every enthusiast. Make sense?

This is getting VERY interesting and promising!! I did some quick measurements this weekend on my car. Currently, I have the S12 calipers and stock 240Z rotors with Panasport 15x7 wheels. The rim diameter appears to be ~14.3" +/-1/4" as measured from the front, and the inside rim diameter appears to be about the same. Juan, Can you lay a ruler on that setup you have pictured so we can see just how much room there is with that setup? Since the brakes obviously fits in that rim, we could use that as a reference to see just how much room there is to determine what rims will fit and what will not. Also, how much will the caliper protrude towards the face of the rim as compared to a stock 240Z caliper? I don't think this will be a problem, but we should make sure. Also, if you're selling this as a kit, any idea as to the pricing?

The only thing I don't like about the Wilwoods is lack of a dust seal. For this reason, I'd prefer a set of AP Racing or Brembo's but if there is no alternative then I guess we just have to make do with what's available. I do know that the 300ZX vented rotor and 4x4 caliper setup fit on my 15x7 Panasport Ultralights. That rotor is 10.8" dia. and the 4x4 caliper is rather bulky by comparison to the Willwood etc....so I'm pretty sure most any system that utilizes a max rotor dia. of ~11.0" should have a good chance of fitting within a 15" wheel.

Anything else out there besides the standard Toyota 4x4 caliper upgrade? A nice aluminum caliper (AP Racing, Brembo, Wilwood, etc...) with an ~11.0" rotor seems like it would do the trick nicely. Any ideas? I know there are kits out there for bigger wheels, but for those of us who are sticking with 15s, it would be nice if there was an alternative.