JMortensen

I have so many questions and things to say that I'm not going to spew it all out in one post. First though, thanks to all who participated and donated. I wish I could have given more to the cause, next time I will. OK, so here's my first round of questions, and a few suggestions for next time: 1. I know you guys were keen on blocking the open space between the air dam and the rad core support. Was there any attempt on any of the cars to seal the top of the core support to the underside of the hood? 2. Along the same lines, did any of the tests have an enclosed air box which took air from the front of the car to the radiator and didn't allow it into the other holes in the core support, or over the core support? 3. Looks like the last test, #28, was done with the 5.25" spoiler on the back. Is that correct? Suggestions for next time: 1. Test a front end where the flares and airdam COMPLETELY cover the front of the wheels. 2. Test a rear flare where the front of the rear flare COMPLETELY covers front of the rear tires. 3. Take the front lip off of Roddy's airdam and test the effect that just the lip has on downforce. Roddy-- That's some pretty innovative stuff you have going on there. Very impressive!

I think Mike gave the green light to comment or ask questions in the other thread. I too would like to know who SDI is, whether they have a website, etc...

Pulled the car off the rotisserie for the first time in 2 years and towed it with my new trailer to my new place. The trailer is a tilt bed 17' Morgan Built. This is the first time I've towed with my GMC 1500 as well, so this was quite a few firsts all at once. Getting the car off the rotisserie was... exciting. I used a floor jack under each rear control arm and hooked the radiator support to my cherry picker. Then me and a buddy controlled the jacks in the rear while another friend lowered the front end. I think when I put it back on the rotisserie I'm going to buy another cherry picker and a second load leveler. The load leveler was a super easy way to keep the car flat. I'm happy to report that the 3000 lb winch I got from HF worked beautifully and pulled the car up with no problems whatsoever. I am still a bit concerned about the longevity of this winch, but it worked pretty slick yesterday. The truck towed the car great, on the one grade between the old house and the new house I think I dipped to 55 mph from 60, but I'm sure I could have put my foot in it and done 70 up the hill had I really wanted to. The trailer did feel a little waggy at one point, I think I need to figure out where the car should sit on the trailer to minimize this effect. I bought these really cool axle straps, but when I went to hook them up it became apparent that these were perhaps not the best buy. I need to install some tow hooks on the front and back of the car, because getting up to the crossmember when all the bodywork is on the car is not going to be easy. In the rear I tied to the control arms, and that also was not ideal. Tow hooks are definitely a must have for this trailer. Then I will have paid for these really nice straps which won't be used in their intended way (looped back on themselves). No biggee I guess, and if I ever want to tow a car with a solid axle the straps might come in handy. The car was put together with just enough suspension to put the wheels on it. It was light enough that when we didn't hit the trailer straight, my two friends who were helping out went to the back of the car and lifted it up and scooted it over before I could tell them that it was probably too heavy. I don't know what the weight is at this point, but after that happened I'm thinking it's still pretty light... One issue I found was that my tie rods are really close to the rim. I had to use 1/2" worth of wheel spacers to get them to clear. My plan was to use bumpsteer spacers to move the tie rods down another inch, which should be the right area to minimize the bumpsteer. That is just not going to happen. So I think the alternative is to cut the steering rack mounts off and raise the rack 1". Of course I've already welded the crossmember to the chassis, so I guess this will have to be done in situ. I don't think it's going to be that huge a problem, but I was a little disappointed when I saw what was going on. Other than that I forgot my keys on the trip to the new place and so I couldn't install the tongue lock. So we put the trailer in the garage. The garage is 23' deep, the trailer is about 23'3" long, so it was quite a PITA to get it in there. Also, my garage door is 8'6" wide, and I think the trailer is about 8'4" wide, and I have no experience backing up with a trailer... It took a while, but we got it done. I'll have to take some pics when I get back over there, it's amazing that we got the door closed... Now all I have to do is clean up the old garage and get all the tools over to the new place, organize, get some work benches built, etc etc. The move is not over by a long shot, but this was the part that had me the most worried, and it came off virtually without a hitch. I forgot the camera, so pics in a couple days maybe. The car looks good on it's wheels, even though its still mostly disassembled.

I don't know what the "right" answer is. I know that John Coffey and I disagree on this particular subject. My take is that the pinion bearing drag is set by the shims betweeen the tapered bearings, and you can put 100 lbs or 200 lbs and it shouldn't change the amount of bearing drag. Once the distance between those bearings is fixed you would have to deform the bearing or the race to make it otherwise. I think the FSM says to keep tightening the bearing until you reach xxx preload, which to me doesn't make any sense at all, since the preload should be adjusted by changing the shim stack. I'm also not one for leaving it wrong and hoping the problem goes away. I guess you could try another seal...

So you had the diff media blasted with the guts in it? Was everything else still in, or just the pinion? Was there any media in the ball bearing behind the seal? If not, then I'd guess the pinion seal is hitting the dust cover on the pinion flange.

I replaced my pinion seal a while back and afterwards it has a good amount of stiction, but once it breaks free the resistance in the bearings feels right. I know I did it all correctly. If that's not what you're describing, then I'd guess one of three things is wrong. 1. No grease on the seal where it rides on the pinion flange. 2. Seal is not properly seated so the face of it is rubbing against the pinion flange dust seal. 3. Didn't put all the shims back in between the two cone and cup pinion bearings.

Interesting formula. My experience is that the rim width should be approximately the same as the section width. Running your formula for a 225 on an 8" rim gives -.07 and that does not fit your .2 to .4 ideal, but I think that's what you'll find 90% of the autoxers and roadracers will use on an 8" rim. Other "correct" tire sizes also arrive outside of your .2 to .4 suggestion: 7" should use a 205 in my experience, but = .03 with the formula 9" should use a 245 or 255, but = -.17 or .019 with the formula I think the formula works, I guess for my money I'd try to get the answer as close to 0 as possible. A 305 on an 11 = .003, but I'm not sure that they make 305s, usually its 295s or 315's it seems. In that case I'd probably opt for the 295s.

I guess Larry needs a new hat now... one of them there 10 gal types! Congrats on the move.

I agree with your basic point about not needing as much safety equipment if you just use the seatbelt and pay attention while driving, and if I had a purely street driven Z, it wouldn't have all the extra crap in it. The issue here is the guy is specifically stating his intent to haul ass through canyons. If you had ACTUALLY ROLLED a car in those same canyons as I have, you might understand why a roll bar makes the list. I think you're wrong on that one. I know there are a lot of people who think it's useless because it mounts to the wheel wells, but I just plain 'ol disagree with that. As mom'sz has repeatedly stated, the wheel wells are structural in the Z, and they tie all that structure together in our cars, the rockers, the door jambs, the strut towers, the torque box (storage compartments). All that stuff is tied together by the wheel wells. Also anecdotally, have you heard John Coffey's story about Hiten Patel going end over end 4 or 5 times and walking away? He was driving a car with an Autopower roll bar (not cage) in it.

Uh... I carry an emergency kit in my truck. I don't have a roll bar in the truck, but the emergency kit is there, with the water proof matches, some water, one of those tin foil looking blankets and some food. Also I usually carry a pocket knife. Seems like you're taking this whole thing awfully personal there Pop. No need to get your panties jammed up over this thread. I think we've stated that the guy's intent is very risky at best, foolish and potentially deadly at worst. I don't know what more you're after. I still don't think that a fire extinguisher in a 35 year old car which is not known for the greatest wiring is beyond the pale nor do I think carrying one is instilling a false sense of security. The roll bar is what it is. You're asking for proof of how a roll bar increases safety. I can only say that I saw my buddies 510 after he got T boned and it was ugly, but I really think he would be dead were it not for that roll bar. The Z is built fairly similarly, except it doesn't have a B pillar. Granted, in that particular accident the guy hit him DIRECTLY in the roll bar. I expect that if he was hit in front of the bar the results would have been a little different. Regardless, if you're not convinced by anecdotal evidence such as this then I think you're not going to be convinced, as nobody in their right mind is going to take the time to prove it to you with a comprehensive crash test study. Absence of proof is not proof of absence though, and I don't logically see how anyone could expect a stock Z to take a side impact better WITHOUT a roll bar than with one. Nor do I understand how the Z would fare better in a rollover without a roll bar than with one. If you have a logical argument to make against those statements, let's have it. If not, then we're getting nowhere mighty fast. I suppose I could sarcastically ask that you prove that it ISN'T safer, but that doesn't get us anywhere... Again on the roll CAGE argument. I know I've made the argument that it is more dangerous on the street numerous times, and I've done it without the aid of any expensive studies too. But when I sit in a car and can swing my head to one side and it hits a steel tube, I don't need a thorough experiment to tell me that my head could hit that tube if I was in an accident, nor do I need too much convincing to conclude that hitting a small diameter tube with my head is going to be worse for my skull than hitting a relatively flat piece of sheet metal. Maybe you think I'm wrong. Fine, but if you want to discuss it any further you'll have to come up with an argument as to why, or else I am again forced to sarcastically ask you to take your own advice and prove that it is safer. Again, not productive and I don't want to go down that road... A lot of what we discuss here is not "FACT", by a strict definition. That doesn't mean that it is not true. Requiring an unreasonably high level of "proof" in order to concede a point doesn't get any of us any closer to the truth.

I agree with Sparky on the fire extinguisher and roll bar comments, especially having had my steering column catch fire while I was on the highway. And having seen a friends 510 after he got T boned by a F150 in the driver's side, I also understand how the roll bar might not just be there for a "false sense of security". However, this part is dead on, and the potentially dangerous thing here is that Armand is telling us that his intention is to go out and run the canyons. No getting around it it's just a dangerous thing to do. I think Pop is right that if something did happen when you were obviously going as fast as you could through a canyon, and somebody did get hurt you'd be in some serious sh!t. Times have changed and all the anti-street racing legislation would be pointed at you. Like I said before, I learned SO MUCH MORE and drove SO MUCH BETTER after some instruction at a racetrack in retrospect running through the canyons seems like a waste of time in terms of learning to drive fast, and almost has a Russian roulette conotation in terms of the stupidity involved...

Check out zlalom's cage in his Hybrid Z photo album. He's 6'5" or 6'6" if I recall correctly...

Seeing where you are located and the fact that you mentioned canyon driving, I'd suggest you get something really slow that handles very poorly. I grew up in Agoura and used to frequent the canyons (think several times a night) for years. It finally bit me in the ass and I rolled a car off of Decker Canyon about 4 turns north of Mulholland. Actually I think it's still technically Westlake Blvd right there. In any event you ought to drive out that way and take a look. Lucky to be alive is an extreme understatement... That's what got me into autox. You can spin and about the worst that happens is you get a cone hickey. When I got into autox I was suddenly confronted with the fact that I didn't know WTF I was doing behind the wheel and that I wasn't nearly as talented as I thought I was. I knew I wasn't going as fast as I could possibly go in the canyons, but nowadays I think back to what I was doing and it was 7 or 8 tenths at best. But with my skills now honed from years of autoxing and a much much faster car, there is no way I would go 10/10ths in most of those canyons anymore, as the slightest mistake would have me flinging my car off a cliff and very very dead. No thanks. In all seriousness, I'd suggest you keep the Z. Don't do anything crazy to it, just mod it slowly as time and $$$ permits. That way you'll truly understand the effect that each part has on the car, and you'll know it that much better. And in the meantime if you really want to drive fast find an autox or go to a Porsche Owners Club slalom at Streets of Willow or do the driving school at Buttonwillow Raceway. The autoxes are cheaper, but you'll learn more from the driving schools. Good luck and stay safe.

As well as most Porsches.

This ought to keep you busy: http://www.pinkbike.com/video/ I haven't been keeping up with the MTB scene as of late, but used to be you could download 1/2 hour TV shows from Pink Bike. Street stuff with guys hopping from park bench to park bench, riding backwards down stairs, etc, all the North Shore stuff, just all around craziness. I like a nice trail ride with a few log crossings, but some of those guys are friggin ridiculous!!!

Try and do some research on your own. You should have been able to search "differential mount" or "diff mount" or some combo and come up with this thread on your own. It's also linked to in the diff FAQ which comes up on pretty much any diff related keywords you can come up with. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=95128

The test I usually use for a master is a steady light pressure. Pushing really hard makes the cups in the master press harder against the cylinder walls sealing them. A light pressure will show a faulty cup because the pressure itself isn't enough to seal the cup to the cylinder wall.

They're still working on the data. You're just getting access to the forum right now.

I'm still a bit confused as to why air would compress only when slowly pressurized by not when you stab the pedal. I'd keep an eye on that master...

Changing title of this thread...

I hesitate to be the one to bring it up, but there is that blue Japanese VH45DETT Z that comes up every 6 months or so. Pics are at zparts.com if you've been hiding under a rock for the past few years.

My statement is word of mouth from friends who have run both tires. You are right though, back to back would be a better way to compare than a month later after mods x, y, and z were added.

You have to cut the top of the strut tower to allow the plate to slide back and forth.

The A038s are pretty crappy. They don't stick well in my opinion, and the tread design is even more aggressive than the A048s. The large gaps between tread blocks make the car sound like a 4 wheeler on mud terrain tires, especially if you run lots of negative camber. I don't have any experience with the A048s, but it looks like it has similar tread pattern issues so I thought I'd share my experience with the previous version. I have friends that drove the Victoracers on the street, and to track days and autoxes. They usually got about 5000 miles out of a set. They are definitely faster than the RA-1s. The RA-1s are the safest bet. They will get the more life on the street vs the Kuhmos but aren't as fast, as jt1 stated.

Camber plates work in the front. In the rear you're looking at slotting the crossmember. There are some threads about that here, and you should be able to find lots more info at any 510 website.