RebekahsZ

I wonder if the big rubber donut on the slip yoke has any advantage as an impact absorber for the driveline? In my 240z, there is no room for one anyway. Anything to protect the axles from the shock of clutch dumps. Any thoughts?

Thank you! Still fighting seats but getting closer to ready.

After the last post, I went out and put the cover on the seat and climbed in. Bad news. After narrowing the shoulders to allow the door to close, there is no room for me. My shoulders are crushed. Ordering a 16" Pro Street Drag tonight. Watch for a Kirkey Intermediate Road Race seat on Craig's list. I give up. Two day's work in the toilet. Bad part yet is that the bottom of a Pro Street Drag is different from the IRR, so my brackets will have to be re-designed. Heavy85 managed to get a 17" IRR in, but he crammed the seat against the hump-I don't have that option due to the placement of my hydraulic handbrake assembly being placed along the hump. Back to the drawing board.

Here are the rest of the photos, although they never seem to post in the order that I intend. I couldn't live without my step drill bit. I was able to narrow the seat in the shoulder area by laying the seat on its side on the floor, propping the wing on a 2X4 and beating the tar out of it progressively with a dead-blow hammer, test fit and repeat until it fits. Switch to the other wing, rinse and repeat. After beating the tar out of the wings to get the seat to fit, it is very tight in the shoulders. With my old seats, the only time I really needed this much side support was when I rode along in my car with Matt Isbell driving at AMP. Going thru the sweepers, I was leaning against the door with my helmet rattling on the window. Otherwise, I would advise against this seat and tell you to use the Kirkey Pro Street Drag seat: its considerable cheaper and the only real big difference is the shoulder wings, although there is some small difference in the lay-back angle. Oh, I know that the welding is incomplete-my welder ran out of argon. Hope to finish that tomorrow.

I am mocking up to have a custom roll bar made. I am using Kirkey seats with individual should belt holes in the back of the seat. I have purchased an AutoPower adjustable seat back brace. I have a chance to have the harness bar located where ever I like, so I'd like to get it right on the first try. I have seen a lot of criticism directed at roll bars, but nobody ever posts pictures of their final placement, or one that gets committee approval. I only see pictures of setups that are done wrong. It looks like the best location for the mounting the seat back brace is just below the shoulder belt holes. My question: Should the cross bar be located with the belts passing thru the middle of the shoulder belt holes, the base of the shoulder belt holes, or below the shoulder belt holes? Or, do I use my shoulders as the reference for cross bar placement?

Walk away-let it pass.

First install pics. Using stock sliders. First issue is that the seat needs to be raised 1/2" to clear the slider mechanism (the seat can't sit directly on the slider rails). Second issue is that the seat tapers both vertically and horizontally toward the back of the seat, so different spacers are needed in the rear than in the front. Also, the rear of the seat is angled up a bit, so the spacer needs to be angled too. I made some spacer/adapters that fit the bill. They are just cheap Lowes stock and are on the thin side-I may elect to duplicate this in steel before I am totally satisfied. The rear adapter needed some tig welding to get the angle right. Wouldn't you know it that my welder ran out of argon in the middle of the first bracket! At least one is tacked up enough to continue mock-up.. Once the rear adapter is installed, I will try to get the shoulder wings narrowed up. Does anybody else have trouble drilling holes where they need to be? I am a master at being 1/4" off! Then to get the seat back brace installed. Looks like I will be ordering a passenger seat tonight ( I have been making all the brackets in pairs). I have put these seats in and out of the car a million times now. A couple of observations: after having 3 different seats in this car to include stock (slippery), Starion (super heavy), cloth-over-steel frame (nice compromise), these Kirkeys are super light and super comfy. I told my wife last night that I might not get a hotel for my first trip to the ECTA in June, but would rather sit in these seats than sleep in a bed. They feel really good, especially with the little lumbar pad I got from the local pharmacy for $9. Oh yeah, the little side brackets that Kirkey sells: I can't figure out how they are supposed to bolt to the side of the seat. I got the ones that are supposedly designed for these seats, but the rear taper of the seat bottom makes the little brackets un-useable. Another return shipping and restocking fee! Maybe this thread will save somebody else some of my pain (that's the whole reason for the thread).

A word of caution. Has this assembly been re-installed into the car and driven? I made a similar assembly a few years ago (although it wasn't nearly this nice) using a Maxima caliper. The problem that I had was that both the cable and the caliper interfered with the floor pan of the car on bumps. I notched some, but it wasn't enough-the caliper still struck the bottom of the floorpan on some of the bumps at autocross. I recommend that the strut assembly and brake be installed in the car and run thru its full anticipated travel range before we all jump on the bandwagon. There appears to be plenty of room above the wheel when the suspension is hanging in full droop, but things get crowded really quick when the car is at ride-height, even more so when lowered and put into a bump. All will be well IF the assembly is narrow enough to clear the floor pan.

I will go to Art Morrison when I have as much money as Jay Leno, Tim Allen and Reggie Jackson. Until I hit the lottery, he will have to live without my patronage.

Sounds like you look like I wish I looked. Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to be taller. I've tried all the pills, and they don't work...even after 4 hours and a trip to the ER. Don't try taking 2.

After returning the 17", the 16" Kirkey Intermediate Road Race and cover came in this week. I tried both the 15" and the 16" on for size. The 15" feels great (like a freakin' golf glove) everywhere but on my hip bones. Except for the pressure points only on the hip bones, I really prefer the 15" seat. It really fits my torso a lot better, but I think I would be in agony on the hips if I ever did a road trip with the 15". Also, don't know how it would be with the addition of belts or a fire suit. The 16" is a little loose everywhere, but the hip bone pressure was relieved. My skinny wife fit in either seat, but she has probably ridden in the car twice in 20 years. It will probably be a little tight for my drag racing/autocross buddy. The 17" was definitely way too loose for me. For reference, I am 5'9" 185# little meatball of a man. I comfortably wear Levis with a 34" waist and 30" inseam and a 42 coat. Short legs, long torso, wear a size large racing helmet. I'm kind of trapped between a large and extra large T-shirt (If I could lose the belly and man-boobs, a large would be fine). So, time to return the 15" and order a second 16" kit for the passenger side. On the subject of the shoulder wings: the 15" measures 22" wingtip to wingtip; the 16" measures 23", the 17 measured 25". The 20 degree layback that these seats have is just about perfect. I will lay mine back perhaps 1 additional inch, maybe less. Headed out to shop to get the 16" mounted up. Pics to follow.

GTO for sale on eBay ending in 5hrs. Now at $5100.

Sounds like both of the Z31 CLSDs I have used, and will continue to use. No bushing trouble though.

Ouch. I would don a wig for you any day if it meant I got to take a ride-along. The 120# would be a problem-does that make me a weight creep?

mattd428-finish up that rattle-trap, then tell us what you can do! Just kidding-I saw your last photos-keep up the good work.

Since you were considering an auto trans, why don't you be the first guy to do a 6.0 swap from a G8 with a 6-speed 6L80E auto trans, and make it work with paddle shifters? To my knowledge there is noone who has done this. There's a pullout on ebaymotors.com right now. Use LS2 as your search criteria in Parts and Accessories and you will find it. But, be sure there is a paddle shifter that will work with the 6L80E. A google search will likely pull up something.

Camaro =$n Speaking of offset wheels, could you just run a huge wheel offset on one side and effectively more the entire car over a few inches?

I guess before looking for a short (can be hard to find) I would check the components. See if any of the local guys will let you borrow their IAT first, then their MAF for a treat drive. Maybe you will get lucky.

I'm wearing her down and buttering her up. I think I'm making progress. But, instead of sleeping in B'ham Friday night and coming to the race Saturday, I think I'm going to come home 2 hrs from my conference, spend a couple hundred on dinner, and drive back down in the morning.

Don't know what you mean by a "short." Still thinking IAT or maybe that MAF, especially if the tuner says they are sketchy. It only does it when you shift hard, not if you shift smoothly? Will the car continue to accelerate and gain speed and rpm? What happens when you go to 5th and 6th? When I go 1/4-mile, due to the drop in rpm, when I shift into 4th, the car doesn't accelerate as fast as it was before the shift, but there is quickly an rpm where the car really pushes you back and the car starts to boogie right up to 6200. I don't know what rpm that is where the cam seems to "come alive," but it is almost orgasmic. But there is definitely less power available just after the 3-4 shift. Watch my videos on the RebekahsZ chanel of youtube and you can see how my car behaves from cockpit views and from tire level views. Look for the videos from Alabama International Dragway.

I will try to get there by 8am. Will spend as much time as I can and will bring a helmet. That C7 is the sequential?

Are you Canadians actually drag racing this time of year??? You should try a hamburger, ay, it makes everything seem better, mostly just hurts your 60' time. Kidding aside, I'm just brainstorming: what could be different on the track compared to the sterile environment of the dyno room.... Is the problem intermittent or constant (every time)? In Canada-fuel freezing? Did you have this problem in the summertime? Super high (cold air) or low (altitude) air density? Bad IAT (inlet air temp) sensor? Brake drag? Clutch slippage? Do you lose power in 4th on the street? Can you post a typical time slip so we can see your 60', mid-track, 1/8-mile and 1/4-mile times and mph? What gearing in the diff? Are you by chance spinning thru 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, the suddenly getting traction in 4th? Is your fuel pressure gauge in the cockpit where you can see it? Do you have a cold-air intake outside the engine compartment? Got a gopro video that shows the problem? I think Sunny Z uses some kind of IAT trick to pull timing for his NOS. Try PM-ing him. I bet the problem is there. What else would cause power loss, while preserving smooth operation (no stuttering or missing)? If you are racing this time of year, maybe the IAT sensor can't handle the cold air that it sees when you are flying down the track with a 100mph wind blowing on the IAT sensor.

Tweaked?

I don't know Big Phil personal, but from his youtube work, I fully expect some day to find him headlining in a Donna Summers cabaret. Definitely on the down-low. He's so gonna kick my butt.

Part numbers brands and sources for cam? Sources and brand of rockers and push rods? Do you have a dyno graph, ZFan1? I think those performance numbers are great.