RebekahsZ

How did you set the konis (how firm on each corner)?

I can't remember if it has been 2 or 3 years. I break stuff all the time. Most aggravating issue has been an intermittent starting issue. It might start perfectly for a month, then fail to start until the 20-something-th turn of the key. Then it might be fine for 2-3 months before it won't start again. All the other problems have been racing maintenance (clutch, tires, brakes, axles, driveshafts, tie rod ends, hubs, bearings, brake fluid, loose suspension and drivetrain bolts). Engine still has same plugs in it from the junkyard. I change the oil once a year right before racing season starts. Still have stock gauges and a few of them work. Lots of "old car" issues: diff breaking welds in floorpans, wear and tear on the camber plates from constant adjustments, door misalignment, worn out door hinges, torn sheetmetal where doors bolt to hinges, cracks in A and B pillars, un-staked bearing races in hubs. If your shit isn't broken at least every other trip to the track, you aren't driving at full potential. Phantom, loan me your car for 24 hours and you will have more stories to tell-I'm sure I can break it bad enough to keep you tied up with "upgrades" for about 3 months. Kinda funny: My household has the following cars: S10 truck, Honda Odyssey, Jeep Liberty, Jeep Cherokee, Datsun hybrid 240z. Over the past 2 months, the truck shit two sets of main bearings, the Honda got $800 of body work, the Liberty got $5000 worth of body work and $500 of mechanical work, the Cherokee got $3000 of repair work. During this period, the Z was driven daily in all types of weather (since the rest of the fleet was in the shop), and it never needed anything but gas and Rainex (wipers don't work). That's representing. I did get a little tired of climbing over the door bars.

Savage42-did you have to clearance the scraper any, or was it bolt-on and go? probably a good idea to spin the starter once with the pan off or rotate motor by hand (these could get messy) to be sure of crank clearance before buttoning up?

Sheetrock is going up in the new garage. Coming along nicely. This should be the last winter that I have to share garage space with my wife's minivan. Hope to order heater for new garage today, then the next big ticket item is a 4-post lift. Think I'm gonna bite the bullet for a new Bendpak. Chipping away on cleaning out the garage so that I can get started on mods when we get back from St. Lucia. I'm having to trash a lotta stuff that I would love to keep, but space just won't allow for it.

Great work on all parts of the Z. If you could price it right to be able to make it worth your while, you probably have a product that you could sell in that surge tank assembly. I can't believe the kayak doesn't launch off at that angle! I like having drip rails on my old cars just for racks-so handy, but new cars don't have them. I ran my car that low for a while then had to raise it up a bit. It just got so aggravating having to plan trips to avoid speed bumps. Gets old. Awesome car!

This thread is getting a little old since the OP posted anything, so I hope you don't mind this little addition. Do you plan to have roll-up windows or gutted doors? If gutted doors (for drag and landspeed events they prefer the windows up (keep trash from flying in and hitting you in the eye) and for sports car racing they like the windows down (to be able to drag your dead arse out after hitting the wall before you are a crispy critter so there's something to display at your funeral). If gutting the doors, get those door bars out where you have some room to work the steering wheel. Or, if you can cut those out then install the door panels, door handles and window cranks and have your fabricator try to lay the bar so close to the door panel that you can only fit a zip tie in between the bar and the panel. By taking the time to put a couple of very shallow, well placed bends in the door bar, my fabricator could have given me 1/2" more space in places and a full inch in other places. As it is now, I don't have room for padding. I will keep a couple of sticks of padding and zip ties in my race box for that one inspector who draws a line over no padding (I wouldn't blame him), but that padding is right in my ribs and elbow at present. I have just received a set of AZC quick steer steering knuckles to try to fix my elbow room problem on tight road course turns. I also have installed a thinner steering wheel adapter to straighten my arms a bit and I have moved my seat back an inch but added some foam in my lower back of the seat to keep the clutch within reach (I have short legs). Just trying to straighten my arms as much as reasonable. If I ever decide to tackle adding A-pillars and a headache bar to my cage, reworked door bars are definitely in order. But by then I may be looking at dzus fastener style plexi door glass, so the doors can be gutted. Every year something new! Sorry so wordy.

I think about selling mine every day. Then I drive it, or look at my boss's store bought Porsche, and I say: "No way!" The being very "upside down" in it financially makes selling it pretty un-attractive too. "Invest" $40k or more in a car that is really only worth a couple thou parted out....makes more sense to keep it. That's one beautiful car.

Braided lines also burn really fast and hot if a welding spark lands on them.

That engine bay is beautiful!

Did the baffle have a rear-facing trap door for drag racing?

240Hoke-nice shop!

For street tires, I would lean toward 17s. For drag tires, stay with 15s. For autocross/roadrace tires, go to 18s if you have a V8, so that you can use used Corvette cast-off used tires. If L6, stay with 15s so you can use Miata used cast-off race rubber. So, in my opinion, it depends on your use.

I sure do like the state of those floor pans.

Anybody concerned about that oil pressure?

Dude-you married WELL!

Technotoystuning.com pretty well has everything you need. Visit their website. You can do as much or as little as you want, and you don't "need" their whole kit to go fast. I think they will let you send in your struts and they will section them for you, assemble each corner and send it back to you. I run their front LCAs, but they are overkill really. I haven't heard a single complaint from any of their stuff. If you have money to burn, you can probably consider them a 1-stop shop. Get camber playrs from TTY when you get the coilovers. But, you can do everything they sell yourself if you have time and are handy. I used to have more time than money, but that situation has kind of reversed itself. Use your R200 till you break it twice. Get TTT's front hub kit and chequered flag racing's rear stub axle kit with 39 splines and Z31 axle adapters.

Vic-what do you mean by "won't cut it?"

If you find any old newspapers behind the bondo inside the rockers, look for a date on it and some Beetle Bailey comics! Ownership of any bags of dope you come across transfers with the car. Same with loose change.

Mike-I found a ball bearing under my work bench cleaning up today. Any chance it's yours?

That's what the D in Tony's moniker stands for.

Don't really need a rear swaybar. I've run with and without trying both stock and aftermarket sizes. Up your spring rate and ditch the rear bar. Unless maybe you are Greg Ira or something.

My opinion: Stock control arms, sectioned coilover conversion to allow 2.5" ID coil springs, koni shocks, camber plates to achieve 3-degrees of camber front and rear (don't stress out over caster), Arizona Z car brakes (or equivalent).

I haven't tried one, but it looks promising. If you wind up with a spare, let me know and I might buy it from you.

I lost my balls a few years back when we decided to quit having kids....as they all go off to college I'm rather regretting it. Get some damn sleep, Mike, it will be easy to find in the morning. I'm in day 2 of cleaning my shop-I'll PM you if I find a strange ball bearing that has leapt thru the worm hole in the hybridz space-time continuum.

Looking for some quick steering knuckles for my 240z. I imagine they are all the same for all S30s. Can be "used" if unmolested, but I don't mind new ones either. If you have a set laying around, let me know by PM so we can settle on a price and get them coming my way. Keith