baddriver

Just steal some plates and put them on his truck. Something for him to explain to the cops the next time he gets pulled over.

Hit and miss describes it exactly. I've gotten exactly what I ordered from them most of the time. A few times I got substitutions (in one case a more expensive sub - which they charged me for, of course) but my last order I got a duplicate part, and was missing another part. No big deal, except that I've left a number of messages over the last few weeks, and been unable to get a live person. I also have not recieved a call back. I've never really lost money to them, at least not a significant amount, and will probably try to keep ordering from them when I need parts. I have found, however, that the local advance auto parts has an astonishingly large selection of old z parts, for much less. I always go there first now. Even things I never would have believed they'd have listed. That store and this site keep me in great shape.

If you fight being arrested, then they have a ligitimate reason to arrest you, and any sympathy you might have gained from the judge is out. I expect clerks and managers to sometimes be idiots, but I think the cops in this case are the ones who were the real stooges. They basically bullied and harassed a paying customer on the say-so of the store manager. Isn't part of their job recognizing the difference between crime and non-crime?

How I would approach the problem: 1. Compression test - actual compression is unknown, so check for differences from cylinder-to-cylinder. Post the numbers if you're unsure. 2. Check timing. 3. check fuel filters/pumps, etc. 4. check for clogged exhaust 5. Check tranny fluid for 'burnt' smell. 6. Make sure drivetrain turns freely in neutral - parking brake sticking????

The early 90's TBI engines had under 200 HP, the LT1 was around 260. The LT1 will respond better to a bigger cam, add headers and 300 HP shouldn't be too hard. Nothing wrong with cast iron heads on a $500 motor. http://auto.consumerguide.com/Auto/Used/reviews/full/index.cfm/id/2008/act/usedcarreviewspecs/

Any piece of wire of approximately the correct length will make a suitable antenna, the trick is to put it where it isn't shielded from the metal car chassis. Try running a piece of wire through the dash, or up one of the windshild pillars. Metal will absorb the signal, so put it as close as you can to the glass, and then cover it with the plastic trim. You should have no trouble getting the stronger stations with that kind of setup. You can also make an 'active antenna,' which is a powered circuit that resonates at the selected frequency. Plans are all over the web. That type of antenna usually needs only a few inches of wire.

That warning about the liner is a good one - it can cause problems if not used correctly. It works best on a new gas tank. Lining a tank that has rust in it is tricky buisness. You have to get all the rust out. Most lining kits come with a quart of phosphoric acid, and a pint of MEK to help clean the tank. That's enough for a motorcycle tank, but won't come near to treating a z. The thing is, rust is porus, and tends to collect dirt. The organic solvent (MEK, xylene,Toluene) or whatever you use to rinse the tank before you treat it will take out most of the dirt, but the rust will trap some. The phosphoric acid then is supposed to eat away the rust, but heres the catch - the phosphoric acid is weak and can't disolve rust that is covered by dirt. When I did my tank, I started by rinsing it thouroughly with zylene, then I took it to work. We have a aqueous pretreatment system that uses phosphoric acid. It's a little weaker than the stuff you get in the liner kit, but theres a lot more of it (10,000 gallon tank ) I let it soak completely submerged for about a week. If your doing it at home, you'll need at least 3 gallons of full strength phosphoric acid, and 13 gallons of water - to make enough dilute acid to fill your tank completely. I have no idea where you can get ahold of that much phosphoric acid. We buy ours directly from Freemont Chemical co, in 55 gal drums. (It would be much cheaper to buy a fuel cell and have it installed) Once all the rust is out then you can line it. (Having your tank professionally boiled out should do the trick - if you have a shop around that you trust. I tried to take mine to a shop before I took it to work, but two weeks later it was still sitting where I had dropped it off ) But, if any rust is left, that rust will trap moisture, the liner won't stick to that spot, and then you'll have the same problem - rubber in your fuel line. There is one more detail - the liner can clog the fuel intake and return hoses, so while it is drying, pipe compressed air into those lines (don't use a source of hot air - liner is highly flammable until dry) There. That's everything I know about lining a tank. I can't stress enough how important it is to remove ALL THE RUST.

Just a steering wheel? Why not go all out? I can't take credit for it, it's not mine. But if I had the room, a few spare seats, and a projection TV.......

My best friend had a fender super six reverb given to him by his Aunt. All six speakers were blown, so he took the amp head out and destroyed the box, threw away everything but the amp head. I put new tubes in it for him, hooked it up to a couple of new speakers, and it sounds great. Then I told him that I saw an original super six going for $1000 on e-bay. It would have probably cost $400 to replace all those speakers, the tubes were around $150. $1000 - $550 = $450 profit, if only he hadn't destroyed the box. Oh well.

Thanks, That link had lots of good info. Somewhere in there they were discussing transmissions, so I thought I'd ask if the Vortec engines use the same transmission mounting pattern as the earlier v8s? Can I bolt one up to a t-5, assuming I have the right flywheel? Vortec's use the same standard Chevy blocks, don't they? I'm sure I've seen a lot of discussion on fitting the heads to older engines, so I'm pretty sure, but could always use a second opinion. EDIT: After a little more searching, I found this post: "You guys need to be reminded. There are two main types of v8 engines in chevy trucks that have been called VORTEC. 1st- the 96-99 v8, which is cast iron block and heads, and the same dimensionally as sbc since 55. 2nd- the LS1 (LQ7, LS series) related to the LS1 in the camaro and corvette. It is a different beast, and the truck version has a tall intake as shown in the pictures in the previous post. Both are called VORTEC, but they are very different." Which answers my question. Link is below for anyone who wants to see the whole thread. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=86957&highlight=vortec

I've tried to find a "used chevy buyers guide" type thread, but no luck. Does anyone know where I can get info on all the late model small blocks? HP, TQ and what they were available in? I'm not even sure when the Vortec engines came out, although I've heard the name before. Thanks

I'm looking at getting a fuel injected 350 for a swap, and I need to know a little about them. I'm looking at the late 80's early 90's pre LT-1 motors. I can live without aluminum heads and reverse cooling, but I'd like to know if these motors used roller cams or hydraulic lifters. I know that the LT1's all used roller cams, and the later TPI's, but I'm not sure about the non-performance engines, of the type I'd be looking at. Other than High compression, aluminum heads, and multipoint injection, all of which I have decided that I can live without, is there anything I'm giving up by picking a much less expensive 350 TBI over an LT1 (cost difference around here is around $750 for TBI, $1250-1500 for LT1) Thanks! Jeff E

Back here in Iowa we've got a bill on the table that will require EVERYONE who buys cold medicine to show an ID, and sign a statement, so that the state can track who is buying it. That's even the folks who buy only one box at a time. This is just stupid. From what I've heard, you don't make meth with a few boxes of cold medicine. There was an article in the paper a few months ago about someone who was busted buying psudofedrine, and they had six cases, about $5000 worth- of the drug. I can see tracking the folks who buy it a case at a time, but making every person who buys it show ID is just stupid, and of course, it won't make a bit of difference in the meth problem. I'm no fan of meth, and I'll be behind any law that can really reduce the meth problem in Iowa, but laws like this don't help, they only waste resources.

It's tough to give someone any kind of advice on such a major project, but here are a few thoughts. Don't bank on this one guy wanting to rent the building. Do your homework instead. Try to find out what commercial space in the area is renting for, and see if it's reasonable. Call up a realtor and tell them you need some space in that area, and find out what kind of price they can give you. Is there any demand there? A realtor might be your best contact. Find one you can trust, tell them the location and plans, and find out what they would price the building at, both for rental and sale, then see if it's worth it. And try to get the guy who 'may' want to rent it to share some of the risk with you, that will tell you how committed they are. Ask him to put up an early deposit in exchange for a lower fixed rent for a few years, or whatever seems fair and practical to you. If you can come up with a deal that is a good deal for both of you, and he goes for it, then you know he is ready to do buisness. Just a few thoughts, good luck with whatever you decide.

Should have gotten a lawyer. In most cases wreckless driving requires that a person be in danger as a result of the driving. If there were no people around in the parking lot, then no people were in danger, therefor the action was not wreckless. Some small town cops tried to pin wreckless driving on me when I spun my tires out of a school parking lot (many years ago) and I hired a lawyer. The lawyer got the charge reduced to failure to maintain control, a much lesser charge. It sounds like this is the same type of thing. I remember the fact that no people were around when I did it was an important point towards getting the charges reduced. No way did it meet the definition for wreckless driving, but it was failure to maintain control. Maybe that is why your friend got the charge reduced. But if he pled guilty to wreckless driving, he'll be paying for it in insurance for the next 3-5 years.

Hey guys thanks for the stories and the encouragement. I don't want anyone to think I'm depressed about this, or giving up on my Z in any way. I just had to finallly admit to myself that I was not going to get this project done, or indeed started, for years to come. Saving a little every paycheck is one way to do it, it just seems whenever I get a little saved, something else comes along that takes priority. I'm not really bitter about it, that's just the way life is. I just have to remind myself that I bought the Z because I wanted something to work on over the weekends. Driving it during the week is just a perk! The thing that kills me is that it looks, and even sounds, fantastic, but every time I step on it, I get smoke pouring out of the back, and it's not the squeeling tires kind of smoke. So I just drive it around easy, looking good and pretending I've got nothing to prove. Anyway, thanks for the encouragement. It's nice to know I'm not alone in my frustration. When my wife goes back to work in a few years, we'll be set again and I can get all my projects done. Only now, thanks to Magnum Rockweiler, I also have to chop my bike. .

Summer 2000: My situation - newly married, just out of college, small house, big garage, 2 incomes, no kids. Plenty of spending cash, I buy a boat and a truck, then decide to buy a little 2 seater sports car to have fun with. I decide on a nice Z car, I'll drive it for a year, then, when I have it driving good and fixed up a little, I'll swap a v-8 into it, maybe next summer. Present Day: One income, one kid. plans for another. Wife is stay-at-home Mom. Bigger house, smaller garage. bigger house payment. No spending cash. Sold the boat, trying to sell the truck. Z has a beautiful paint job, nice aluminum rims. poly sway bar bushings, stereo, perfect interior. And still an in-line 6. All this was done before Alex arrived on 2-2-03. Realistically, there is no way I am going to come up with the cash for a manual tranny and an LT1 in the next year. I'm going to be driving an in-line six until my wife goes back to work. I might as well delete my account here and go back to zcar.com Anyone else where I'm at? I had, and still have, every intention of completing this pjoject. Anyone who saw before and after pictures of my Z would have to believe that I was serious about this car. It's beautiful. But it's not a hybrid, and likely won't be for years. I have come to accept this. So who else on this board is only a dreamer? Am I the only one? Even the jackstand racing guys are way ahead of me. Not only do I not have the car torn apart, I don't even have any serious plans to get started. If your in the same boat, this is your thread. Tell me about it, maybe I won't feel so bad. naw, I don't really feel that bad. I bought an AWD Talon to get me to work. Told the wife I needed AWD for winter driving. She knows better, but she let me think that I fooled her.

RedRum - hey, thanks for posting your little bike. Now I don't feel so nerdy posting my 305. And Magnum Rockwiler - Thanks for the idea, I think my CSR would make a fine looking chopper, even if it sounds like a lawnmower when I start it up. I checked out (and bookmarked) that page, and I think you may have lead me to a new project. Damn, looks like the Z's gonna hafta wait another year. It's alright, I don't have enough money for an LT1 yet anyway.

I don't have any pics of my bike, but I do have a stock picture. It's a kinda wimpy 82 Kawasaki 305 CSR. I got it free from a friend after he damaged my new guitar. It's a fun bike, though. I was never really a motorcycle fan until I got one last summer. Then I got the bug, got a liscence, and got to ride a couple of nice bikes. I rode my buddy's Vmax to the Anamosa hill climbs and had a great time, 100+ on the empty four lane in the middle of the afternoon. If there is one thing I love about living in Iowa, it is the ample supply of nearly empty, beatiful four lane blacktop for your summer driving pleasure. Naturally the 305 is a little slow, I'm already craving something faster for my second summer with a liscence, but I'll just have to wait until I scrape up some more money.

I've seen coil spring spacers for sale that are basically chunks of rubber you push into the coil spring to increase the stiffness. Lifts the car and stffens the spring a little. Someone probably decided that wood would do the trick too. Generally it's considered a poor method of increasing spring rate, as it can place a lot of strain on the spring right where the spacer sits. This can make the spring break, although I have to admit that I used a set on an old ford tempo that was sagging in the back. I didn't have any problems, but I wouldn't use them on a performance car. There are a lot of harder but more reliable ways to increase spring stiffness, cutting, using spacers (the real kind), or just installing new springs are a few.

I had a question, but in trying to phrase it intelligently, I accidentally answered it. Later, Jeff

45° ∙ º - ° ÷ ² ♥ ☻ ☺ ♦ ♣ ♠ • ◘ ○ I thought I was an idiot for a while, then I found out it only works with the 10-key pad. Now I too can make snazzy symbols. I guess my idiocy is still up for debate.

It's a difficult decision to make, for sure. Looking back at my post, I notice two things. I'm being rather one-sided, there are good reasons for going into iraq, although I don't know if they justify the cost. The other thing I notice is that it's almost all one long question. I guess that just illustrates the point that I have a lot of questions about what we're doing there, but I don't have many answers.

I have to say I agree with Dan on this one. When we went into Afganistan, we were hunting the people responsible for several thousand american deaths. When we went into Iraq, it looked to me like we were being fed a distraction to help us forget that we still hadn't found the man who was actually responsible for attacking us. I notice that the hunt for Bin Ladin has pretty much disappeared from the news, and no matter what people claim, I can't buy the idea that somehow, sometime in the near future, Saddam was going to attack us. He hated us for years, but he knew that if he ever did organize an attack the we could trace back to him directly, we would have his a$$. I don't believe anywhere near 1000 us citizens would have died as a result of not going into Iraq, but the body count has been steadily climbing ever since we did. And I know it's not a popular point to make, but what about the 15,000 iraqi's that have died as a result of our invasion of their country? Are their lives worth considering? Are their deaths justified by our desire to feel more secure? Is destroying the phantom specter of Saddam worth thousands of lives? How many US citizens has Saddam managed to kill in all the years prior to our attacking him? was it anywhere near the 1000 that have been killed by president Bush's need for vengance? How many poeple would have died if we had not gone into Iraq? Don't tell me we would have had another 9/11 as a result of not attacking Saddam. Saddam has never been connected to the first attack. And after all, we have the department of homeland security telling the FCC to confiscate everyone's fingernail clippers to keep us safe.

That was the funniest thing I've seen all day! People who hurt themselves due to their own stupidity is one of the few things in life I can fully enjoy without feeling the least bit guilty. As long as they hurt only themselves. Keep it up, geniuses!