Warren

Folks, Please bare with me as I try to get through this. I'm not a very open person when it comes to talking about family, but by sharing this with you, my "internet family", I can only hope that it might bring to light just how fragile life is and how much we need to make the time to cherish our loved ones. Saddest of all notices 22 year old Elisabeth Mallows is my stepdaughter from a prior marriage. We are VERY close. My 17 year old daughter Melanie who lives with me is her half sister (same mother-different father). 3 year old Lane was just at my house, swimming in my pool the weekend before. He was with his father and grandfather (on that side of the family) at a resort when this occurred. The message I'm trying to convey here is for everyone to stop and smell the roses, while you can, with ALL of your loved ones. You never know when something like this can take them away from you. Thank you in advance for letting me post this. I needed the vent, if nothing else. Rest In Peace, Lane. You will forever be missed. Warren

Yep, Jeff Arend will be the next Kalitta Motorsports Funny Car driver. Click for story.

Only until the driveshaft bounces around enough to come through the tunnel and into your leg or butt cheek. A driveshaft safety loop should totally encircle the driveshaft, keeping it IN the tunnel and not allowing it to go THROUGH the tunnel as well as keeping it from hitting the ground and pole vaulting the car, hence the name "LOOP".

Thanks for the update and followup.

looking at the back of the gauge: (numbered as in the diagram at http://www.autometer.com/productPDF/0621B.pdf ) Although your pin 3 in your picture shows a black wire, my gauge has it on pin 2...they "could" both be grounds. I have mine wired as shown in the diagram above and it works flawlessly.

So what's your question? Is it normal? No, it's not, however, a dead or dying battery isn't normal either. Fix the battery charging/voltage issue first.

That's the way they're retracted...they SCREW in, they're not pushed in. Use a pair of needle-nose pliers to catch in the indentations on the outter edges of the piston(s) and twist it in. In true Moderator form, I MUST remind you--- SEARCH. Using the word "Retract" in the "Brakes" section, lookie what shows up: Click

That's not entirely correct...the output shaft DOES move about 3/16" in all directions from center on an automatic transmission. I have a brand new, never installed one, direct from Nissan here in my garage and just went to check it. Pulled the black plastic shipping cap off the back of it and it DOES move. This is the tranny for an 82 NON-turbo ZX that I'm referring to. My turbo transmission from my 82 Turbo ZX moves as well. The front driveshaft yoke centers it and rides in the seal. Replace the seal and you shouldn't have any problems. As for what caused the seal to wear out and break into peices to begin with, I'd consider the age of it to begin with, as well as the balance of the driveshaft itself. Those driveshafts came with NON-replaceable U-joints in them. Check the U-joints to see that both the front and back ones move freely in both directions on their axis' and if any binding is found, don't take any chances...have a new driveshaft made. If the u-joints don't show any binding or looseness, at least have it balanced at a driveline shop to eliminate the possiblilty if nothing else. A worn or disintegrated transmission mount (that sits on the crossmember) as well as the crossmember bushings themselves can also attribute to seal leakage, so check those as well. Replace as necessary.

Don't feel bad Hugh...I get the "HUH?" all the time...I still have to explain why to some who don't realize it. Tag Only: Full rear panel:

It's too generic Prox, not a custom fit...too much space between it and the body panels for me.

Anybody know of a place to get a "custom" roll bar made for an 82 ZXT in or near Atlanta? I'm looking for something other than the generic Autopower crapola. I have a nice interior in my car and don't want to cut it all to hell and back, but need to have a rollbar installed, possibly with removeable door bars. I'd like to keep it as close to the interior panels as possible and still meet specs required by the NHRA. From what I hear, there are a couple of different members here that are GREAT at stuff like this and I'd rather have a HybridZ member who can appreciate the car for what it is do the work. I'm not looking for freebie work, but obviously a deal would be great. PM me...you know who you are. Thanks, Warren

Hey Mike, not to be a smartarse, but... http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=136146

Nope, I have a 2004R in mine, never ran a glide or anything other than the stock 3N71B in the past. The 2004R is TIGHT on the passenger side, no matter what you do, but it DOES fit. Let me clarify that. It fits with the L28 and my custom L28 to Chevy/BOP adapter kit. The kit will be on the market SOON...and I mean REAL SOON, since it was just track tested with no ill effects on anything. PM me if you're interested in the kit, since I don't want to hi-jack the thread.

Go to the User Control Panel (User CP at top of screen), edit your profile. I hosted the picture elsewhere since it would only put a URL link instead of an IMG link if I hosted it here on HybridZ. It'll add the info to the database for ya. Oh, and I guess your 12.8 will push me down to #64...oh well, I don't plan on being there long either...hehehe

Yasin, Evan & Gabe, THANKS!!! Scottie, I was nervous as a dog crapping bricks at first, but after the car sat perfectly still doing the burnout on the line lock, no side to side at all, and when the smoke cleared, the tranny performed flawlessly, rev chirp, rev chrip, rev chirp, finish line, rev chirp (just for kicks), BRAKES!... Those butterflies are why the record button didn't get pressed on the 2nd pass. Didn't want to scream with the helmet on, kept my composure and picked up the timeslip. Went directly to the souvenier shack & picked up my Operation Street Legal 100mph club decal...(OK, so I'm a sucker for stickers). BTW, an extension tube attached to the top vent on the tranny, going to a catch can mounted behind the tranny on the frame rail solved the dripping problem. It only puked out about a tablespoon of fluid into the catch can. It's still overfilled a tad, but I already knew that...thanks to the aftermarket dipstick being marked wrong. So that solved the dilema of leaving little red spots of fluid all over the garage floor (and the street/track). Once it stops puking, I'm going to re-mark the dipstick so I know where true FULL is. Everything is dry now...THANK GOD! All in all, a great day at the track, even with only 2 passes made. At least now I know the "home built" transmission can take a beating and the "home built" adapter works without damaging anything. I've now got 185 miles on the car's new odometer and feel pretty confident that everything will hold together (said with fingers crossed).

Thanks, and sorry about that, it was about 10 PSI of boost. Still haven't tuned for any more than that. Kinda dummied up and forgot to hit the record button on the LM1 during that run...I only made two runs...that is the 2nd one (the better of the two) Kinda wierd...I trailered the car 5 hours, 2.5 each way, and made 2 passes totalling less than 27 seconds. Not alot of return on $120 worth of gas, but it was fun nonetheless. Looking forward to next time (possibly the 7/11 weekend). Once it's tuned better and I get more seat time, learn to drive it, when to shift it, etc, I expect to see the 12's. As for the grudge match in October, sure, why not, it's all in fun, and fun it is. I'm hooked!

I just jumped up 43 places in the Timeslip Database, from 106 to 63... I FINALLY got to run it at the track for something other than a photo opportunity. The car is still basically untuned and still has ALOT more in it. Once I get some more seat time and learn to drive the darn thing, as well as do some REAL tuning, I hope to move up a few more spots. Car #25 (right lane). Only my 2nd time EVER on ANY track. I'll get there.

I just jumped up 43 places in the Timeslip Database, from 106 to 63... I FINALLY got to run it at the track for something other than a photo opportunity. The car is still basically untuned and still has ALOT more in it. Once I get some more seat time and learn to drive the darn thing, as well as do some REAL tuning, I hope to move up a few more spots. Car #25 (right lane). Only my 2nd time EVER on ANY track. I'll get there.

Age has ALOT to do with it I'm sure, as well as that the newer tire compounds include a built in UV protection (the higher quality ones like the Goodyear Marathon, that is)... New ones really don't so much NEED protection from UV rays, but it sure helps to keep them covered to avoid the common everyday filth that builds up from the weather alone.

yep, and do it when they're cold...before you go driving off hauling the loaded trailer... then stop somewhere along the way, after they're warmed up and check it again, adjust as necessary, up to 10% over the recommended max is ok, but NEVER under the minimum. More people have suffered blowouts on their trailers from underinflated tires than overinflated tires, which is why you see so many "alligators" on the road...the sides wear out and the tread separates. The PDF file I supplied is a good reference...there are also other charts to go by on their homepage. This may not seem correct because the center isn't being worn as much, but if you think about it, the sidewalls are stiffer than the tread itself when there is a load on an underinflated tire, hence, the outter edges, supported by the sidewalls are bearing more or all of the load.

Underinflated... ALWAYS run trailer tires at their MAX recommended air pressure based on the load weight AFTER the trailer has been loaded. This comes straight from Goodyear. I recently bought 4 new tires for my trailer and it was recommended that they be covered to avoid UV light exposure if stored outside as well. Check the recommendations on Goodyear's website regarding their Marathon radials here. I was shocked to read it at first, then it all made sense. Needless to say, my trailers, stored outside, got a set of wheel covers put on the tires as soon as they are parked.

The NHRA sadly suffered another loss today. Professional Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta, 46, was killed in a fiery crash at the end of the strip at Englishtown, NJ today, when his car exploded near the finish line and burst into flames. The car continued to the end of the track, parachutes in a tangled mess. When it hit the sand trap, it ran completely through the sand, and the fence then exploded yet again when it hit the concrete barrier. He was transported to the hosiptal where he was pronounced dead from mutiple injuries incurred during the crash. Godspeed Scott, you will be sorely missed. NHRA Raceday will air at 11:00am ET tomorrow morning and the finals eliminations will be broadcast at 8:00pm ET, both on ESPN2.

I believe one of the premises behind the idea is to eliminate the need for a hard outter skin...and let the car's exoskeleton take the shock by placing hard parts in strategic places to protect the occupants, kinda like shrink-wrapping a roll cage.