JMortensen

Wow, that's really surprising to me JohnC. I've been espousing the "don't run more wheel or brakes than you need" theory, but even I'd figure that you run into brake fade pretty quickly with 300 + hp on a road course with sticky tires and little 11" brakes. Am I wrong? Do you also have a massive ducting project completed in there too? Jon

You could get the 8" sleeves. Don't think you can really make a mistake with the long sleeves... Jon

Aux is right. Probably somewhere in the high one hundreds for a tight street car. Double duty street/track puts you in the 200's. You've got track springs there, and you will need Konis or better to dampen them. There was a big discussion on this just recently. Do a search. Jon

Brad, That doesn't look like pick up from other people's tires. Looks like you're just shredding them. Time for wider tires, or maybe some weight in the rear when you race. Jon

That was nice. I'm not much of a piano fan either, but that was really good. What bugs me about drugs are the people who think that they are SMARTER on drugs. I had one stoner neighbor who is barely literate tell me how he read Shakespeare stoned and "he really understood what it meant" but he couldn't understand what it meant sober. I asked him if he wanted to test that theory on some Shakespeare I had studied in school, and he declined. I think drugs trick you into thinking you know what you're doing. I had another friend who plays guitar, and he was convinced that he could play the entirety of "The Wind Cries Mary" by Jimi Hendrix until he sobered up and couldn't do it anymore. The best story though is a buddy of mine who used to freestyle BMX. He had to be stoned to learn this one manuever, which consisted of riding forwards in a slight turn, than spinning 180* and rolling backwards from there on the front tire only. It was pretty cool looking, and he was the only one who could do his drug found talent sober. He said that pot helped him feel his balance, and for some reason "click vision" helped too!!! Click vision while rolling backwards in a nose wheelie... FWIW, I think all drugs should be legalized, but if you end up in a ditch because of them, no one should be required to help you, and if you commit a crime to get drugs you should get serious jail time. Jon

I wonder if there is a decent posi for the Dana that comes in the Vettes. I seem to remember there only being one, a Dana tracklok (aka trashlock) which is weak at best in both strength and hookup. Tends to break spider gears, and has a very weak posi design. Maybe there are more available now... Jon

That URL does not have a listing for a 280ZX. That would be the same as the 240 set IIRC. You might want to try calling that company, or try another import parts dealer, NOPI or someone else online. They shouldn't be that hard to find. Maybe even pick up the yellow pages and look for an import parts house locally. Jon

So Gramercyjam, what did you decide to do on your car? Jon

Don't dispute it before you give him a chance to refund you! Obviously there is a problem with the parts. Ask him to call tag the parts, since he sent defective stuff he should pay to return it. If he doesn't want to call tag the shipment, consider sending it on your own dime, THEN consider disputing with the credit card. I have seen people who dispute everything they don't want, rather than returning or even calling the merchant. You've got a lot of power to screw him with the dispute, at least give him a chance to make it right. Oh, and there is a time limit on disputing charges. I think you have to dispute within 60 days or something like it. Check the back of your cc statement for the details. I've worked in many a mail order business, and that's my take on it, FWIW. Jon

Looks like the other people on that forum set him straight. I did like the comment about his dancing banana though... Jon

How do you think the 2 different Viper drivers felt when I beat them at autox in my '93 Toy P/U? Granted, it was autox, but it's still a fun story... You think that Viper is fast? Well, I've only raced two in my little 4 banger Toyota here, but I whipped 'em both! Jon

Juan, don't make them like the 300ZX hub. You have a chance to fix the dust seal issue while you're doing this. The 300 hubs are too narrow and don't fit quite right on the inside. Get a 240 hub and a 300 hub. Make the races and bearings and seal fit like the 240, but with the 300 lug pattern. My $.02, Jon

Just to clarify, I'm saying camber increase, not negative camber increase. I see that we are using opposite terms there. Jon

I thought camber increased (relatively speaking) after the arms go horizontal, because as the suspension continues to move the angle effectively makes the control arm shorter and shorter, drawing the wheel further into the wheel well, shortening the distance from the bottom outside of the tire to the centerline of the car and reducing the camber. Never seen a Z go past horizontal before? Take a look at a really low Z with sectioned struts (I think yours might even qualify). The fronts go past horizontal before the rears, but the rears can go past as well. Here's Tom Holt's website showing his rear end at full droop: http://sth2.com/Z-car/fulldroop2.jpg I can only imagine that this setup goes past horizontal pretty often, despite the stiff springs and heavy shocks. Probably past horizontal when you put it on the ground... Also, my understanding is that once the arms go past horizontal then side loads on the tire will compress the suspension, but they don't if the angle of the control arms is down. That's been my take on it for years. I'd be interested to know if I'm wrong, but in my own little mental geometry example it still seems that I am right. Jon

Uhhh, camber does change on a Z. A double wishbone IRS may have camber changes cancelled out, but any Z out there (not sure about the Z32 or the 350) is going to have a camber curve, where the camber will get more negative until the control arm goes horizontal, then less negative as it continues through its sweep. ZX's have camber AND toe change like a Porsche or a 510. Setting camber is not a final thing. You set where it starts out, then based on tire temps or tire rollover or whatever you adjust to get the best perfomance. It constantly changes as you drive. Jon

If that's true then the Z driver rocks! Any Porsche owner who has a license plate frame that says "I'd rather be driving my Z" would definitely have an open invite to a free beer after the event from me! Jon

I think that was the Z06 driver, personally. That was Buttonwillow. He looked like he was lifting or coasting through the esses, REALLY took his time going into the first hill, coasting through the bus stop, went way too easy over both hills, and going way too easy in general. It also looked like he was coasting into the braking zones too. Too afraid to gas it until he needed to brake. I can say that I was guilty of all these things the first time I went to a big track. Its really hard to learn, but Open Track events are a good place to go, because you can get a pro in the car with you. It's $150 well spent. FWIW - I LAPPED a '99 Turbo 911 there in a 30 min session at an Open Track HPDE, and no, he didn't spin. He was however a 65 year old dentist... You gotta give the Z some credit too. He was certainly doing a better job than the Z06, and probably walked away with a HUGE smile on his face. FUN TO WATCH!!! Thanks thefastestz. Jon

Worst case scenario couldn't you get a copper headgasket made fairly cheaply? I thought they were reasonably inexpensive to have custom made. Jon

BRE put VW CV's in the original 510. Not too far from there to get a 930 CV from a Turbo 911. I've seen rifle drilled chromoly custom axles for those too. Lightweight and super strong... Couple more things on the 9", you can set up 3 or 4 3rd members and swap them out fairly easily so you can change your gear ratio from one track to the next. The have a 3rd pinion bearing called a pilot bearing after the ring gear contact point which keeps the pinion from flexing away from the ring gear. This is better than the standard bearing setup which only holds the pinion behind the head. Jon

There are a number of different ways to mount a solid axle, but the one you're going to see most often around here is 4 link with panhard bar and coilovers, I'm not even going to try to explain that, look it up on the web and the pictures will be better than a description. Leaf springs are not the best, so people wanting to swap probably won't go that way. The Ford 9" came in lots of performance cars and light trucks from the 60's to '86 in the Bronco. They come in 28 and 31 spline from Ford, but you can order aftermarket 35 spline, and if memory serves I seem to remember seeing a 45 spline once (more splines means thicker axle=more strength). The stock cast iron housings tend to crack over about 350 hp, especially if you can put it to the ground. Aftermarket nodular iron and aluminum 3rd members can address this issue. Also the axle tubes tend to flex, but there are weld in braces you can buy to fix that as well. The 9" is good because the axles bolt in, which is required at some level (I think it's once you get into the 11's) in NHRA competition. By comparison, 12 bolt Chevy rear ends come with C-clips, which are excluded once you hit that break point. You can modify a 12 bolt for bolt in axles, but you don't need to if you start with the 9". The 3rd members are very easy to set up, and since road racers, circle track, drag racers, and off roaders all like them there are a HUGE number of gear ratios available, and parts like ring and pinions and lockers and spools are cheap. They do have a really low pinion, so problems with pinion angle are common (at least in 4x4's). Anyone care to expand further? Jon

Brad makes good sense here. I was thinking that the lifters would bleed at high rpms, but it makes a lot of sense that they would bleed at low rpms when oil pressure is down, and may hold the valves open at high rpms if the pressure in the lifter is too high. Thanks Brad! Jon

Return it and buy a set off of ebay that was actually taken off a Z. If TEP gives you any hassle, dispute with your credit card company. One more thing: for some reason I've come across several Weber carbed Z's that had no insulators between the carb and the manifold. If you didn't get those with this kit (sounds like it since you say the studs are too long) make sure you get them with the next setup you buy. Jon

SBC400, that hub cap makes it look like you've got a full float rear axle! Jon

Good point. I won't be adjusting that thing for a LONG WHILE Jon

I guess I was looking at the same cell with no foam on their website. Jon