tannji

Did Jim Cook sell more than one "Monster" tail like that? I had the California Z widebody kit on a 240 and the tail wasn't the same in the details. The lock cylinder was accessed through the top surface of the tale, and there was no cutout from underneath. The tail was smoothly formed through the transition from top to bottom, with no ridges like that one has around the edges. That one has a similar shape and size, perhaps it was a replica molded from an original?

The XMT line is multi-process, and slightly lower tech than the Dynasty. Money being similar, you get the Dynasty if you intend to do a lot of TIG work. If you think that you want to have the ability to TIG as well as MIG and Stick, you get the XMT. Note that the XMT has Pulsed MIG, and the Dynasty obviously has Pulsed TIG. They are both a little above the typical needs of a hobbyist, but may be appropriate for someone taking classes and moving to welding professionally. Or, if you simply have that kind of money laying around which is not required for car parts, go for it! = )

Level 80 Shammy (Tannji) Elemental spec, Level 80 Mage (Eycbaux), Frostfire main spec, full Frost secondary for grinding. Horde on Silvermoon. Gave up on the shammy and started leveling the mage around February this year. Got some dev love for the shammy and switched back, leveled to 80, did most of the 25-man Uldar content, and I am retired again. Not sure that I will pick it up again, want to spend this winter on house and Z projects. So ya... anyone want to trade me for brake or suspension upgrades? = )

I am one of "Those guys" that can size you up = ) We discount our gas fill by volume, so while a 40 cubic foot cylinder (argon, 75/25, oxygen) lists for about $48, an 80cu.ft lists for about $43. The smaller cylinders waste more gas on the typical filling station manifold, and require more man-hours for less return, so we do indeed "rape" on the smaller cylinders. Purchasing cylinders is painful as well. that 40cu.ft goes for about $150 and the 80cu.ft sells for about $220, though we generally toss the first fill in for free, as the cup that is the kindness of our heart does overflow = ) To give you an idea of how dependent a welding supply is upon that gas revenue, most sell their machines for somewhere between 4 and 12% over cost, which is close to a loss considering associated expenses that go with the job. That $40+ fill on the 80cu.ft cylinder? I pay about $4.00 plus hazard fee and tax. A #4 Acetylene runs me about $10, and a 100lb Propane sets me back $15 or so. And the company still made a couple bucks off me = ) As far as getting what you need at a better price point... here is what works when I am the seller: Be civil. Someone who comes in angry about how I am going to rip them off is that much closer to paying going rate or better, because we tend to be competitive or better locally. Know what the average prices are before you come in and vent on me about mine. Be appreciative when I go out of my way to let you know I am giving you a break. Telling me you will spread the word to others, and will come back because you appreciate it, works wonders. Don't, no matter how much they deserve it, bad-mouth my competition. I know them, their pricing, and their policies. All you accomplish by muck-raking is convince me that I will be the next target. Ask for a package price when appropriate. Most salesmen feel better about losing some bottom line to a large sale than they do when someone tries to nickel and dime them on every little purchase. On cylinder branding: it doesn't make much sense to the end-user, but there are legalities regarding filling certain cylinders. Some can not be exchanged anywhere but the place they were bought, and others can only be filled at the place they were bought, particularly if they are medical grade, or contain regulated gases. Cylinders larger than 150 cu.ft tend to be regarded as commercial, and are rented or leased by many suppliers. Smaller cylinders are usually assumed to be customer-owned, and will generally (but not always) exchanged or filled freely. The best resource for buying cylinders is your local classified adds or Craigslist. I see 300cu.ft cylinders selling for a fraction of their new price very frequently, as well as ox/ac sets or complete torch kits. I may have to discard the entire kit due to lack of maintenance, but the cylinders at worst may need to be re-certified, and are often worth the entire asking price on their own. tannji

How about spending all night installing a new clutch, pressure plate, and tranny combo, solo, and repeatedly. finally giving up and calling a buddy (at about 8:00 AM) to show you whats wrong and why your clutch will not work. Turns out that to a noob, a Centerforce clutch really is just that much stiffer than stock. You can imagine how the first few attempts at first gear went.....

Good luck.... I did the same as you, San Diego to Iowa. I made in great time, due to luck. I had a serious wiring problem that killed the ecu, fortunately a couple months later. The trip was fun though, much waving and thumbs-up from other drivers on the interstates.

I am awaiting some pictures of the interior and some more detail on the exterior, will share here. Any got anything to share on what shape the engine will likely be after this long?

I am considering buying a 260 locally that has been stored for the last 20 years. Ya, I know... I got that little lurch in the pit of my stomach too, but this isn't a gem in the rough... I think. Long and short is the car was acquired in payment of debt, driven for a couple hundred miles, then stored, in 1987 or so. At one point it was minorly vandalized by kids, who crawled over it, denting the hood and roof, and they stole the key out of the ignition. The dents in the hood revealed bondo, so there was damage there to begin with. Apparently there is some bondo on top of the fenders as well, from similar damage. Supposedly there are only minor surface rust spots, and from the few pictures I have seen, it looks clean. We all know how that can turn out. As for the "storage", no maintenance or actual preventative actions were taken. I would assume problems with brake lines, fuel lines, tank, carbs, clutch and brake masters, etc. I can only assume that this would not have been good for the engine or tranny either. So, if I get this it is probably a massive project to even return it to running, let alone somewhat restored. The current owner is currently asking $3700. I will not pay that, but given my location in the Midwest Z desert, and the work and parts it likely needs, what would be a reasonable and practical offer for it, assuming some kid doesn't fall all over himself to get it at near asking price? From my point of view, 260's in stock form, let alone 2+2 model, are not particularly desireable, and I wouldn't normally consider it. However, it is auto and has four seats (sorta, lol) making it making it less of a reach when discussing with my GF and her two children. Any input or personal experience in rescuing cars like this one would be appreciated. Tannji

I sell the Aluminum kits at work and the best I can say about them is that you can get some welds out of them when you have no other option available to you. I have no real good stories about them, and everyone I know who has used them has replaced them with either a spoolgun or a TIG in short order. If you are going with the kit, you might want to start out with an up-sized tip right off the bat. (ie: using .030 tips for .025 wire.) Find the best drive-roll tension you can, too loose will obviously slip, but too tight will crush the wire, which encourages jamming in the liner and loading up the drive wheel with aluminum particles. Also, make sure you have very little drag on the wire roll. Weld with the lead as straight as you can humanly accomplish. The best description I have heard of using aluminum kits was "It's much like forcing cooked spaghetti through a straw"... and I dont think I need to add to that = )

Depends on the particular model. If you get the year and model number, I can give you some feedback on it, if not today, certainly tomorrow from work. Powercon is an Indian company, and has made some good machines, including some sold under the Esab name. Some others are not so good and would be best avoided.

If you are planning on doing any low-amp TIG, I would spend more and do Speedglas or Jackson shell with Nexgen lens. Both are expensive, $300.00+. If that doesn't scare you off, I might lean towards the newer Speedglas hoods that have a new lens retainer design and a sweet headgear redesign. For sub $300 hoods I would look at Jackson hoods with the EQC series lens. Light, durable shells with a good lens that uses "standard" lens covers. (2x4" inner and 4 1/2x5 1/4" outer) Huntsman has a cheap hood called the Nitro that is decent, very light, and good for students or hobbyists. It can be had for $115+, and is better than most of the budget HF type helmets in the $40 to $80 range. Miller has a range of hoods, and some people are huge fans. Honestly.... they don't suck, but I lean away from them. You have to buy Miller lens covers, which usually will only be found at a decent welding supply, and Miller's covers and replacement headgear are a little pricier than average. The headgear also wear out faster, for what its worth. They are very pretty though.... until you use them. = ) Finally, there is no reason that a auto-darkening lens can't be used at night, as long as it works properly in the first place, and has a battery that isnt dead. Some hoods have a non-replaceable internal battery, or a capacitor setup that is used in conjunction with the solar cell. These lens have to be stored near a light source so that whatever the design, it never completely loses juice. Otherwise they will indeed flash you, and sometimes will never recover and will have to be thrown away.

If I may.... What helmet are you using, and what filter setting? While I am most certainly not a master welder of any sort, I get to watch beginner welders attempting TIG and MIG all the time, and I remember my failures quite well. In my experience, especially having learned MIG first, the TIG puddle was hard to see, and the electrode gap was hard to see and control. The helmet plays a part, especially if it is a cheap lens, or setup incorrectly. You need to see the puddle, and lots of beginners focus in on the arc, not the puddle. You cant learn or progress until your eye is trained on what you need to actually see, because that is when you will be able to modify your action while you are doing it, instead of looking at the weld afterwords and trying to determine cause and effect. Once your eye can see the puddle, and see where it ends, you can tell the difference between hot glowing surface and wet, molten puddle. Once you can see that, you can start seeing how much metal you are adding to the puddle with your filler rod. I found it hard to control my filler until I was able to see those details. I also agree that you should meld or fuse before you use filler, using the area of heat-changed color, (or HAZ, Heat affected zone) to judge how smoothly and consistently you are moving the arc. Once you get a feel for the timing, and can see the puddle progression through your lens, start using filler rod. I found that on a machine with pulse, I was using the tempo of the pulse to dip filler... this can be good for some people and a distraction for others. Finally, the point of not using a petal at first is this; there are too many variables to control at first, so remove the variable that has the largest possible affect, so that you can concentrate on learning to control the others. If you have no temp control (pedal) you learn to find the sweet point for the other variables: travel speed, electrode gap, how often and much to add filler. If you try to learn while using the pedal, that variable is constantly changing, making learning control more difficult. If you are welding plate with a consistent thickness and gap, nothing should change, and you don't need the pedal to begin-with.

Here is a version I never saw or heard of before.... http://ndci015.multiply.com/video/item/25/OS_Giken_-_Datsun_P510-1600

This would only be practical for brief bursts, like the 1/4 mile, but has anyone ever played with Liquid Air? I have access to it at a reasonable price, and it seems to me that it could be plumbed easily to the low pressure side of an intake, and controlled like a alky mist system. Instant ice cold air, and this would probably combat heat soak more efficiently and possibly faster than any of the other options. Is it possible that this would be too cold? Ice inside the intake might not be a good thing....

Toffee, Welcome to the site! I am replying in the nicest way I know to let you in on the guidelines this site lives by, before one of the Admins does so in a way that may or may not hurt your feelings. Please visit and read the rules here: http://forums.hybridz.org/announcement.php?f=93&a=2 #2 and #3 are the two that might best appy to your post. As far as your question, 2100 pounds is pretty light, but the rest of it has been done many times. It's all here and in great detail. Search and read up... then your posts or questions will reflect what you found, and possibly what you still need answered. Or, do what I do, just read all new posts every day for 5 years... and let everyone else answer the questions for you = )