JMortensen

No, it wouldn't be the same. You can compare the difference in each gear here: http://www.geocities.com/z_design_studio/ Enter in your tire size and your rear gear ratio and you'll see how fast you can go in each gear, and how far the red lines are spread apart. The closer the lines are the less rpm drop between shifts, which should give faster acceleration on a NA car.

I don't have any reference weights so if anyone has them, post up please! I'd like to add the weight in for all of them, 160, 180, longnose 200, short 200, and 230.

80ZX. Also thinking about going to truck 5th gear cluster for .86 5th gear. Rebuilding it is on my list of things to do...

I have heard another method on this that I was going to try. Apparently the issue isn't with the roll pins shearing off, it actually has more to do with them sliding out under heavy vibration. So the trick is to safety wire the pins in. That's what I'm going to do on mine when I get around to rebuilding it.

Forget about the 4 speed and get a lower diff ratio. That will give you the better acceleration and still have top end cruise gears. Your 3.54 that your 78 diff should have will make the ZX transmission ratios seem really tall. The ZX's that came with that trans came with 3.90s in the back for a reason! From personal experience I can tell you that on the track with similarly matched NA cars, my close gear ratio allowed me to pass a friend with a wide ratio trans when he switched from 2nd to 3rd, due to the large gap in the ratios there. The truck trans is worse yet with the gaps in the ratios and I would avoid that one in particular. The 280Z and ZX NA transmissions are pretty damn similar, so if your friend didn't like the 280Z transmission he's not likely to think much of the ZX tranny either.

I'm looking for someone who can help me figure out the details of the R200 and R230 shortnose diff swaps for a FAQ post. There are so many threads that contradict each other that I'm having trouble figuring out what is what. Right now I need to know the following: 1. What is the deal with the 5 and 6 bolt inner flanges? 2. What pieces are necessary to put the CV shafts together (both R200 and R230) 3. Looks like nobody makes a front diff mount yet. Is that correct? 4. What is the perceived advantage of the shortnose R200 over the longnose R200? Just price and availability? I think that's about all I need at this point. Don't post if you're not SURE of your info. I don't want to put incorrect info in the FAQs. Thanks all.

I want my 10 minutes back.

I didn't cover everything, the JTR mod and short steer knuckles were two that I didn't mention in particular. You could do them pretty much anywhere along the way, I don't think that those mods are too terribly common before about Stage 2. In my experience with slotting the front crossmember to get rid of the bumpsteer I found that I only needed to move the pivots up 7/16" before the bumpsteer went away on a bumpsteer gauge. I don't know how the 3/4" was caculated by JTR, but I have my doubts about the accuracy of that number. The effect on camber is similar to installing a 3/4" bumpsteer spacer. Another issue to consider is using the JTR mod with camber bushings. The camber bushings allow the pivot height to be raised and lowered, and the JTR mod raises the height as well. This could lead to potentially really high pivot heights, which might have a pretty strong effect on bumpsteer too. For more on bumpsteer: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=103886

Arizona Z Car used to make one, not sure if they still do but I couldn't find it on their website. Always looks to me like one end or the other of the plenum isn't going to get much flow. With the TB in the middle it looks like both 1 and 6 are getting the short end of the stick. It's tough to look at something like an intake manifold and "know" how its going to react though. If you're looking at stock L6 stuff I think the biggest restriction is the AFM. Get rid of that sucker before you bother with an intake manifold would be my suggestion.

I was sure that this one was going to say: When I get pulled over I just wait for the cop to step up to the window and then just dick punch them. Then I point and laugh and tell them how stupid they were for pulling me over. True, but when the laws are changed to give them the right to pull you over and search under the hood because your car "looks modified" then that is a probable cause case and you might still be right, but you might also have to go to court to win. And that's only if your car ISN'T modified. Is YOUR car modified??? Search on the training video like I said before. It was amazingly stupid, and the rules are so loose that they could be interpreted almost any way you wanted so that a search of the vehicle is justified. Yeah yeah, People's Republic of Kommiefornia, blah blah blah, that's the way it is now, if you don't like it try voting some hot rodders into office (good luck with that one). Now this thread has seriously crossed the line into politics, so I'm going to keep my last word and close the thread.

There was a thread about maybe 8 months to a year ago related to this. In CA they can pull you over and ask to see under the hood. I'm going from memory here, but I think the deal is that if they see "modifications" they can impound the car. If you refuse the inspection they can impound the car. There was also a link to a "training video" at the time where a cop said something to the effect of: "These BLUE HOSES are illegal..." It was pretty F'in ridiculous. I think telling the cop to start writing in CA would mean you would most likely mean that you would have to pay impound fees at the least. BS, I know. Look up the old thread if you want to see how bad it really is in CA.

I have a couple sets of 240 hubs if that's what you need. The 240 and 280 hubs are different. One set has standard lugs, the other has longer 12 x 1.5 lugs. PM me if your interested. I haven't come across one that really wouldn't separate. I suppose if I did I'd set it in a vise so that it was resting on the rotor surface then I'd drive the hub out with a piece of wood and a BFH.

What do you think the chance are of tracking that guy down?

I'm going to pretend it's YOUR fault and ask: What the hell have you been teaching these kids???

There was another post where I seem to remember someone weighing their fiberglass fenders and they were either the same weight as the metal or like 2 lbs lighter. If yours are 1/2 the weight that might just be worthwhile. Are they really 6 lbs? You got them off ebay? Any idea who made them?

What do the fenders weigh? I think I weighed my metal ones at something like 12 lbs. Gotta wonder if its worth the hassle.

You need to sand down the ends of the tubing before you weld. I try to clean it back at least an inch around the area where you weld. It has a coating on it from the steel mill called scale and if you don't clean it your welds won't be nearly as good. Other than that it looks OK. I would have run the tube all the way up to the TC bucket rather than stopping 1/2 way from the floor to the TC area.

As Pop said, you need another U joint. The heim joint just supports the steering shaft in a race car (like the steering column does in ours), but it doesn't allow it to pivot, so that is not what you need. Here's a link to the race stuff with heims: http://www.stockcarproducts.com/steer5.htm

One one post about Mr K's B-day is necessary, and it should be non-tech!!! Thanks.

240 Tail lights 280ZX NA distributors with the E12-80 modules on the side

Not if you install them with the slot front to back!!! Thanks for catching that Cary, I changed it.

This is one of the most commonly asked questions asked here and it is also a tough one to answer, due largely to the varied usage of our cars. From the factory the only adjustable alignment angle available is the front toe. One of the main features of a high performance suspension is the ability to adjust the suspension angles, so as the stages progress the adjustablity increases. IF YOU INTEND TO RACE YOUR CAR, GET THE APPROPRIATE RULEBOOK BEFORE YOU START ANY MODIFICATIONS TO MAKE SURE YOU REMAIN LEGAL!!! REFURBISHING A STOCK Z CAR If the car is a street driver and the intent is to have a cushy ride, it may be that a simple refurbish of the stock suspension is all that is necessary. A typical rebuild of the stock suspension will include: 1. New outer tie rod ends 2. New ball joints 3. New rubber bushings and steering coupler 4. Repack/retighten front wheel bearings 5. Replace rear wheel bearings if needed 6. New shocks (KYB GR2, Monroe, etc) 7. New springs OEM replacements and slightly stiffer Euro springs are available from http://www.courtesynissan.com These few things will restore the ride to close to factory stock. MODIFYING A Z CAR FOR BETTER HANDLING If the goal is to stiffen up the car for better handling, then a lot more can be done. I'm going to attempt to show "Stages" of modifications. These are loose guidelines and parts can be mixed and matched, but these are what I feel are typical mods on the Z's that I've come in contact with over the years. STAGE 1 replaces all old parts with stiffer components. This will give you a firmer sporty ride. 1. New outer tie rod ends 2. New ball joints 3. Polyurethane bushings 4. Repack/tighten front wheel bearings 5. Replace rear wheel bearings if needed 6. Aftermarket front and rear swaybars 7. Lowering springs (Eibach, Suspension Techniques, Tokico, MSA, AZC) 8. Aftermarket shocks (Tokico HP, Tokico Illumina, Koni Red) 9. Bumpsteer spacers STAGE 2 is similar to Stage 1 but starts to allow adjustment of alignment angles. 1. New outer tie rod ends 2. New ball joints 3. Polyurethane bushings and Gmachine control arm bushings and TC rod kit (these allow camber adjustment front and rear and also toe adjustment in rear) 4. Repack/tighten front wheel bearings 5. Replace rear wheel bearings if needed 6. Aftermarket front and rear swaybars 7. Lowering springs (Eibach, Suspension Techniques, Tokico, MSA, AZC) 8. Aftermarket shocks (Tokico HP, Tokico Illumina, Koni Red) 9. Bumpsteer spacers STAGE 3 takes adjustability a step further. 1. New outer tie rod ends 2. New ball joints 3. Polyurethane bushings and Gmachine control arm bushings and TC rod kit (these allow camber adjustment front and rear and also toe adjustment in rear) 4. Repack/tighten front wheel bearings 5. Replace rear wheel bearings if needed 6. Aftermarket front and rear swaybars 7. Coilover spring conversion to 2.5" springs. Street springs generally under ~250 in/lbs. 8. Aftermarket shocks (Tokico HP, Tokico Illumina, Koni Red) 9. Bumpsteer spacers 10. Biscuit style bolt in camber/caster plates (EMI, DP racing) 11. Strut tower bars front and back, preferrably triangulated to the firewall in front STAGE 4 1. New outer tie rod ends 2. New ball joints 3. Adjustable control arms (Modern Motorsports, AZC, Z Select) 4. Repack/tighten front wheel bearings 5. Replace rear wheel bearings if needed 6. Aftermarket front and rear swaybars 7. Coilover spring conversion to 2.5" springs. Street springs generally under ~250 in/lbs. 8. Aftermarket shocks (Tokico HP, Tokico Illumina, Koni Red), might be thinking about sectioning strut housings and getting appropriate shorter shocks to fit at this stage 9. Bumpsteer spacers 10. Biscuit style bolt in camber/caster plates (EMI, DP racing) 11. Adjustable TC rods (TTT, AZC, Z Select) 12. Strut tower bars front and back, preferrably triangulated to the firewall in front 13. Roll bar STAGE 5 - at this point you're pretty much race only 1. New outer tie rod ends 2. New ball joints 3. Adjustable control arms (Modern Motorsports, AZC, Z Select) 4. Repack/tighten front wheel bearings 5. Replace rear wheel bearings if needed 6. Aftermarket front and rear swaybars 7. Coilover spring conversion to 2.5" springs. Springs generally over ~250 in/lbs. 8. Aftermarket shocks in sectioned strut housings(Koni 8610-1437RACE single adjustable, Koni 8611-1259 double adjustable, Ground Control Advance Design, Bilstein Sport VW non adjustable P30-0032) 9. Bumpsteer spacers 10. Cut to fit camber plates (DP racing, Carrera, Ground Control, AZC, TTT) 11. Adjustable TC rods (TTT, AZC, Z Select) 12. Strut tower bars front and back, preferrably triangulated to the firewall in front 13. Roll cage with tie ins to front strut towers Above and beyond Stage 5 you get into modifying the chassis itself to allow for modification of the suspension pickup points. There are also people who have adapted suspensions from entirely different cars into the Z chassis. We've had members install 240SX IRS, Corvette C4 rear suspensions. Also for drag racing there have been quite a few "backhalves" where the entire rear section of the frame is cut off and a new frame built in the rear to allow installation of a solid rear end. Popular choices seem to be Ford 8.8 and 9 inch and Chevy 12 bolt rears. Front suspension swaps aren't as popular as of yet, but many GT2 Z racers have fabricated their own SLA (short and long arm) front suspensions. Modifying your suspension is potentially dangerous and you do so at your own risk.

This is one of the most commonly asked questions asked here and it is also a tough one to answer, due largely to the varied usage of our cars. From the factory the only adjustable alignment angle available is the front toe. One of the main features of a high performance suspension is the ability to adjust the suspension angles, so as the stages progress the adjustablity increases. IF YOU INTEND TO RACE YOUR CAR, GET THE APPROPRIATE RULEBOOK BEFORE YOU START ANY MODIFICATIONS TO MAKE SURE YOU REMAIN LEGAL!!! REFURBISHING A STOCK Z CAR If the car is a street driver and the intent is to have a cushy ride, it may be that a simple refurbish of the stock suspension is all that is necessary. A typical rebuild of the stock suspension will include: 1. New outer tie rod ends 2. New ball joints 3. New rubber bushings and steering coupler 4. Repack/retighten front wheel bearings 5. Replace rear wheel bearings if needed 6. New shocks (KYB GR2, Monroe, etc) 7. New springs OEM replacements and slightly stiffer Euro springs are available from http://www.courtesynissan.com These few things will restore the ride to close to factory stock. MODIFYING A Z CAR FOR BETTER HANDLING If the goal is to stiffen up the car for better handling, then a lot more can be done. I'm going to attempt to show "Stages" of modifications. These are loose guidelines and parts can be mixed and matched, but these are what I feel are typical mods on the Z's that I've come in contact with over the years. STAGE 1 replaces all old parts with stiffer components. This will give you a firmer sporty ride. 1. New outer tie rod ends 2. New ball joints 3. Polyurethane bushings 4. Repack/tighten front wheel bearings 5. Replace rear wheel bearings if needed 6. Aftermarket front and rear swaybars 7. Lowering springs (Eibach, Suspension Techniques, Tokico, MSA, AZC) 8. Aftermarket shocks (Tokico HP, Tokico Illumina, Koni Red) 9. Bumpsteer spacers STAGE 2 is similar to Stage 1 but starts to allow adjustment of alignment angles. 1. New outer tie rod ends 2. New ball joints 3. Polyurethane bushings and Gmachine control arm bushings and TC rod kit (these allow camber adjustment front and rear and also toe adjustment in rear) 4. Repack/tighten front wheel bearings 5. Replace rear wheel bearings if needed 6. Aftermarket front and rear swaybars 7. Lowering springs (Eibach, Suspension Techniques, Tokico, MSA, AZC) 8. Aftermarket shocks (Tokico HP, Tokico Illumina, Koni Red) 9. Bumpsteer spacers STAGE 3 takes adjustability a step further. 1. New outer tie rod ends 2. New ball joints 3. Polyurethane bushings and Gmachine control arm bushings and TC rod kit (these allow camber adjustment front and rear and also toe adjustment in rear) 4. Repack/tighten front wheel bearings 5. Replace rear wheel bearings if needed 6. Aftermarket front and rear swaybars 7. Coilover spring conversion to 2.5" springs. Street springs generally under ~250 in/lbs. 8. Aftermarket shocks (Tokico HP, Tokico Illumina, Koni Red) 9. Bumpsteer spacers 10. Biscuit style bolt in camber/caster plates (EMI, DP racing) 11. Strut tower bars front and back, preferrably triangulated to the firewall in front STAGE 4 1. New outer tie rod ends 2. New ball joints 3. Adjustable control arms (Modern Motorsports, AZC, Z Select) 4. Repack/tighten front wheel bearings 5. Replace rear wheel bearings if needed 6. Aftermarket front and rear swaybars 7. Coilover spring conversion to 2.5" springs. Street springs generally under ~250 in/lbs. 8. Aftermarket shocks (Tokico HP, Tokico Illumina, Koni Red), might be thinking about sectioning strut housings and getting appropriate shorter shocks to fit at this stage 9. Bumpsteer spacers 10. Biscuit style bolt in camber/caster plates (EMI, DP racing) 11. Adjustable TC rods (TTT, AZC, Z Select) 12. Strut tower bars front and back, preferrably triangulated to the firewall in front 13. Roll bar STAGE 5 - at this point you're pretty much race only 1. New outer tie rod ends 2. New ball joints 3. Adjustable control arms (Modern Motorsports, AZC, Z Select) 4. Repack/tighten front wheel bearings 5. Replace rear wheel bearings if needed 6. Aftermarket front and rear swaybars 7. Coilover spring conversion to 2.5" springs. Springs generally over ~250 in/lbs. 8. Aftermarket shocks in sectioned strut housings(Koni 8610-1437RACE single adjustable, Koni 8611-1259 double adjustable, Ground Control Advance Design, Bilstein Sport VW non adjustable P30-0032) 9. Bumpsteer spacers 10. Cut to fit camber plates (DP racing, Carrera, Ground Control, AZC, TTT) 11. Adjustable TC rods (TTT, AZC, Z Select) 12. Strut tower bars front and back, preferrably triangulated to the firewall in front 13. Roll cage with tie ins to front strut towers Above and beyond Stage 5 you get into modifying the chassis itself to allow for modification of the suspension pickup points. There are also people who have adapted suspensions from entirely different cars into the Z chassis. We've had members install 240SX IRS, Corvette C4 rear suspensions. Also for drag racing there have been quite a few "backhalves" where the entire rear section of the frame is cut off and a new frame built in the rear to allow installation of a solid rear end. Popular choices seem to be Ford 8.8 and 9 inch and Chevy 12 bolt rears. Front suspension swaps aren't as popular as of yet, but many GT2 Z racers have fabricated their own SLA (short and long arm) front suspensions. Modifying your suspension is potentially dangerous and you do so at your own risk.

Out of curiosity, is that a long nose R200 or short nose? I'm thinking long nose since they have the R160 and R180 in their other models...

Sounds like ignition module to me. Does it run again after sitting for a while, then do the same thing again after you've driven around a bit? That would be classic module failure.