JMortensen

Nitrogen and oxygen and a few other things are what we commonly refer to as "air". Jon

Camber plates eliminate the rubber entirely, at least the Ground Control units I have do. So they drop the body by the difference in thickness from the original isolator to the new all aluminum pieces, which in my case was I think 1 1/2" or so. I believe that the 240 has a much shorter rubber insulator at the top. You may want to verify that and hunt around for a set of 240 insulators, I don't think there is a difference in coil diameter front to back, so either would work, just find the height you need. Or you could cut the rear springs, which will also raise the spring rate slightly. I have to wonder why there is such a huge difference in ride height front to back. That seems really wrong. Are the front springs cut and not the back or something? Jon

One more thing, I've driven my Z for something like 35K with the noise before it started popping out of gear. This is with monthly autox and a few track days a year for 3 years. Jon

The throwout bearing engages when you push in the clutch, so that is not your problem. I think you have worn countershaft bearings, as do I. This is very common on the Nissan trannys. If it hasn't already, what should happen next IME is that the tranny should start popping out of 2nd on decel. I have a rebuild kit, and was told that it is not really that hard to rebuild it, so that is my plan. I need to get my @$$ in the garage already!!! Good luck with yours! Jon

Tim, you've got it right. JohnC, I think that was probably YOU. Most of the time when customers get pissed, it's because of the guy on the phone. And being friendly is VITAL to selling and making customers happy. I picked up the habit of having a mirror in front of my desk while I was at my last sales job. When I first got there I was thinking--DAMN! This is a room full of VAIN people!!! Now, when I talk to customers I look in that mirror. If I see a person in the mirror that I wouldn't want to have a conversation with, because I looked pissed off or frustrated or whatever, then I take a break. Being knowledgeable and friendly are two different things, and quite a few people have one or the other!!! It was pointed out to me at one point that I sounded pissed off. I didn't realize it, I wasn't pissed at all, but I would take a big breath before I picked up the phone, then sigh as I picked it up, and there was a shortness of breath and a tendency to stop my sentences suddenly, just the way I talk I guess. One of my managers told me that were he in the room with me, he would know by my facial expressions and body language that I was not upset, but over the phone the difference was amazing. People were being adversarial with me for seemingly no reason. I corrected this problem and my sales went through the roof, and my customers became happier! Another good lesson I was taught, some people just shouldn't talk to each other. I don't know if it's some sort of auditory thing or what, but some people will rub each other the wrong way IMMEDIATELY. Those people should talk to someone else in your company. Anyone else. It's not personal, it just happens. All of this may seem like nitpicking. It is not. I went from the bottom third of the sales staff at that job to the top 3 in ONE MONTH, just by changing my speaking voice a little tiny bit. Jon

You gonna hang some tassles from that curtain in the windshield? No, it looks GREAT! I love black Z's! Congrats. Panels look FLAT. Those hood vents are looking good too! This was your 1st paint job??? Nice work! Jon

Nitrogen isn't flammable (thank god because it's what 70% of the atmosphere). The only reason they do that is because it is more stable at temperature, so your pressures don't vary as much when the tire gets hot. If there is a 2 oz weight savings per tire I submit that you could run regular air and take a crap before you got in the car and get the same effect, and not have to buy a tank of nitrogen. If you're racing there are other reasons to use nitrogen, but that's not what we're talking about here. Jon

Since I mentioned this on another thread, the new GM I6 in the Baja trucks. It doesn't sound like a Baja truck... Jon

I am familiar with Spicer joints, although not the ones used on Z's in particular. The newer "Snap Tite" units (not a reference to the models for 6 year olds) have a forged cross, and you can get them with no zerk fittings. That would be the best, although like I said I'm not sure if you can get them for a Z. Jon

You might want to check out some 510 forums for a good answer to this question. They seem to know how to make the recirculating ball setup work, and work well. Have you tried adjusting the steering gearbox? Is it loose? Jon

If your car isn't running yet I would suggest checking all hoses and rubber and just start replacing what is needed, you'll probably end up replacing it all, and you can do them one at a time. If you want a nice ride try KYB GR2's or better yet Tokico "Blues" and cutting the stock springs with a cutoff wheel, 1/2 coil at a time until you find a ride height you like. Cutting the springs makes them stiffer, and I had my first Z setup that way. Worked out great, that car handled really nicely. Don't bother with the tranny until you do the turbo swap, because you can get both at the same time from a donor car, and the Z 5 speed should work fine until then unless it is already in need of a rebuild. Brake upgrades can wait as well. I got my LSD from a junkyard for $325, but it needed to be rebuilt. Spent another $300 on that. Should have bought one out of a runner from someone on a forum like this. Any idea why it isn't running now, or did you buy it already dead? What happened that you ended up having it parked? HTH, Jon

You might want to take a look at the How to and Tech articles at http://www.zhome.com/. They have some good stuff in there. Are you going to do your own wrenching, or pay a shop to do it? A lot of the parts are reasonably inexpensive, but the shop's $$$ will be more substantial, especially on something like installing poly bushings or strut cartridges and springs. You can usually find info on doing those things by searching here (I see you've already been searching), but if not you can always ask. You may also want to join the IZCC mailing list, as it is more directed towards those just fixing up or slightly modding a Z, and this forum is more for advanced engine swaps and racing style suspension systems. Don't abandon this forum though. There are some seriously talented people here, and when you get advice from people as knowledgeable as some here are, it may just save you time effort and $$$ on a huge scale. Welcome! Jon

Over 60% of degree holders don't work in the field of their degree (can't quote the source of that stat, sorry). Start looking elsewhere for a job. My materials engineer degreed brother-in-law is swinging hammers on a construction site today, and making more $$$ than he was working for NEC doing manufacturing control on DRAM chips. Maybe have a pro look at your resume. Send it to corporate headhunters. Just some suggestions, take them for what they're worth. Jon

So HeavyZ, JDKGabe, and Kevin; you guys gonna vote for LaRouche or what? He seems to be the only candidate who fits your ideas that I've seen... I'm not sure what re-regulating railroads and airlines and building canals is going to do for the economy, but he thinks it will work. Just curious to see who all of you are supporting. FWIW - http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/dowjones/20031030/bs_dowjones/200310300841001006 Jon

Get a Stone kit. Most quality machine shops will have them. Jon

Yeah, I guess I didn't realize HE was gonna do the sucking. Jon

This may have been discussed before but the offroad race trucks using this engine make HUGE power and sound insane! And they were NOT lacking top end power. Jon

Perry, if you're talking about being impaled by the strut tower bar, I think there would be other things to worry about before that. The length of my bars that go to the firewall are maybe 2' long, and they are tied into the area that ZR8ED mentioned, where there is a support underneath the cowl. For that to bar to impale the driver, it would have to move probably 4' or 5', and either come through the dash or follow it. You're already dead in that case!!! Jon

My old boss installed one of those that was given to him for free on his Astro Van 4.3. His result: no change whatsoever. He didn't dyno it or anything, but he couldn't tell the difference at all. Jon

ZX dizzy is a plug and play, and if you go MSD from there you can eliminate the module on the side of the distributor. I never had a module fail, but I did eventually eliminate the module just to take one more possible failure out of the system. The ZX has less mechanical advance than the early distributors too, so you can run more static advance. Here is a useful site that talks about 510's, but its the same stuff, just 4 pronged stator or 6 pronged stator: http://home.att.net/~jason510/Dizzy_FAQ.htm Jon

If you don't already have one get an air dam. They help a lot with crosswinds, and the floaty feeling at speed. Jon

The preload on the rear wheel bearings comes from the spacer that sits in between the bearings. The spacer is not collapsable, so no amount of torque would change the preload. You're basically just making sure that everything is TIGHT. Or am I wrong? Jon

There is a national minimum wage. I think it is $5.25, but then the states can choose to raise the minimum wage from there. If the govt took the advice you gave to give a minimum wage to every employee even in other countries, the companies would just move to the Carribean, where those laws don't apply. They already are to get away from taxes. The problem is that the tax burden on American companies is already too high. Adding costs by adding this minimum wage would drive the companies out of the US. And they would leave. "Proud to be an American" only goes so far especially when huge $$$ is on the line. Here's a scary story for you: http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2003/08/270875.shtml That is a political forum, not a news story. Couldn't find the original CNN story... Apparenty the GOP has moved the fundraising telemarketers to INDIA. Maybe I'm the only one who is just learning about this now, but holy crap! This is bad. I can't believe that people running for political office in this country are outsourcing the campaign fundraising to other countries... apparently Ross Perot owns the company?!?! WTF!?!?! Jon

Z guy, I usually run front on 3 and back on 4 or 5, but you really have to just go and try it. You can make a significant difference in the car by changing the shock settings. Try 3 and 5 and if the back end is too loose try 3 and 4. Just go and have fun, and mess with the shock settings between runs. Don't forget your tire pressures, though. IME, they make about the same difference. So if your tires heat up and you are stuck playing with the shocks and don't pay attention to the tires, you won't be happy either. Driving on the street I usually take it down to 1 on both ends. Makes my kidneys happier. Jon

OMFG http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Oct2003/California.TMOA2003299_lrg.jpg