RebekahsZ

Way to go!

I'm not sure I understand the question. If you buy a Z with some rust, which I agree is pretty hard to avoid, do you plan to try to repair it or just drive it like you found it? If you plan to repair it, think thru the repair. The Z has lots of blind cavities with complex bends. That's where trash gets stuck that holds moisture and promotes rust, like the doglegs and rear fender arches, rear hatch. If you can get to both sides of the damaged panel you can fix it, but if you can't get into the area that is rotten, the best you can do is to put a bandaid on it. If the rust is in a panel that can be unbolted and replaced, like the hood, hatch, doors or front fenders, you are golden. Like TonyD says, the rustier of a Z you start with the more time and money you will spend on rust instead of driving the dang thing. And rust ALWAYS comes back. But if you are ratrodding, it's not as much of an issue. If you plan to flare the rear fenders, a lot of the rust in the fender arched will be cut out to do the flares. Remember, blind box-sections like the rockers and doglegs rust from the inside out, so what you see on the outside bubbling thru the bondo is the tip of the iceberg. I have my eye on a car that has been in dry storage for over 10 years with a lot of the paint sanded off the hood, roof and one door. Those panels look rusty on the outside but that is surface rust and will take 30 minutes to remove with a common disc sander. The rockers, floors and doglegs are perfect. The battery tray has a little heavy surface rust, but I think it will sandblast without popping all the way thru. If I wind up getting that car, it will get the rotisserie treatment and white epoxy paint before I start bolting parts on it.

[sharedmedia=videos:videos:248] [sharedmedia=videos:videos:247] [sharedmedia=videos:videos:246][sharedmedia=videos:videos:244] [sharedmedia=videos:videos:238] 2014 year in review: Z Attack, Nissan North American Headquarters, Nashville, TN Drag racing, Jakes Dragway, Moulton, AL Wannagofast.com, Georgia 1/2-mile, Heaven's Landing Airport, Clayton, GA Z1, Z Nationals track day, Atlanta Motorsports Park (AMP), Dawsonville, GA Upgrades: AZC 4-piston disc brake kit, front and rear. Extra set of rotors, street pads and race pads Koni single-adjustable shocks 6-point NHRA spec rollbar Kirkey Aluminum seats Rear BAMF fender flares 28X9 Hoosier bias ply drag slicks for 1/8-mile 15X8 Weld ET drag rear drag wheels 275/15/60 MT ET Street drag radials for landspeed 275/40/17 Hoosier A6 for autocross and R6 for track days.

240z + LS2 + Hoosier R6 + quitting time = pure crack Guess who was late for supper.....

Zs are unibody so the body is also the frame. Seems that the rust always attacks in the structurally stressed a areas like the rockers, doglegs, and cowl. But at the same time, I've never seen a Z break in half.....? I think you could tolerate a fair amount of rust without really being unsafe. Wear goggles when working on it.

Right after you buy a rusty Z, a clean one will show up for half as much. Just be patient. The trans mount bolts to the floor, so floors with big holes would be bad. I can't think of any absolutes, but rust just kinda sucks in general. It takes a good bit of time, effort and money to put an LS in a Z. Why would you want to invest that much in a car that is near death?

Ok. The trailer thread IS officially ruined.

Ran Raybestos ST-43 pads all the way around on my 4-pot kit from AZC at the track day at AMP. Bought them thru Porterfield over the phone. 6 sessions of 20 minutes. Yes, they sing. Yes, they need a lap to get hot-don't pile into a corner as hard as possible on the first lap or you will find yourself in the gravel. Very little wear and very little dust, rotors look great. The car stops and had no trouble locking the Hoosier R6 275s if I hit the brakes too abruptly. Had to further reduce rear bias on first track session and then again part way thru the day. I have to learn not to punch the brake pedal and press it progressively. Having come from stock brakes, I was way over-braking-its like I've never driven a car before. They never faded and hauled the car down over and over. I'm happy.

I was at the safety shop at AMP called Discovery Parts. The owner spent TONS of time with me an we trial fit everything I bought (you can't do that mail-order). For example I have two different sized feet! My right is an 11 in racing shoes and my left is a 10. In street shoes, I get by with 10s, but the 10 in a racing shoe was killing my right foot. Enough of that... We tried on the HANS-I, which is carbon fiber $995, it fit pretty good. Then I tried the plastic HANS-II $595. I felt guilty, but the HANS-II pinched my neck. I adjusted the pads and tried pretty hard to get happy with it and I just couldn't. So, I dropped the big bucks. I have a terrible neck from a fall when trying to teach my daughter to do back-handsprings "watch this!", and I don't exercise to try to strengthen it like I know I should. With the extra weight of a helmet, I feel very vulnerable, like one of those bobble-head dolls. So I just dropped the coin and went to work to make the money to pay for it....

OK, ok, I'm a worm for having my terrible F-body oilpan hanging down like a pair of balls from a reciever hitch..... I'm already spending over $100,000 Alabama dollars this year on this pool/garage project for the soul purpose of getting the Z out of my wife's garage, which of course is attached to my wife's house. So I guess another $5000 on the Z is equally as justified. But the drysump will have to wait until after I install a couple of lifts-this working on the ground is for the young kids. After hours energy is the rate limiting factor. How do some guys have energy for a drinkin' and womanizin'?

Thanks-I will dissect each sentence of your input. Unfortunately, LS1tech has just as many posers as our site and as many dummies like me. I'm getting input from the guys I was hoping to hear from, almost to the man. Thanks friends. Follow up questions after I digest some of the recent suggestions. Waiting to see if there is any discussion about your choice of 45 as a minimum oil pressure before Accusump pushes volume into the system.

OK guys, thanks so much for your input, and please don't stop-this is just what I needed. The car (and situation) I'm going to be applying this discussion (this time) has a stock LS2 motor and I plan to keep it that way and only road course it a couple times a year-not enough to really become good enough driver to drive it at the limit that many of you would be capable of. Getting more specific to my situation: I only get to a road course a couple times a year; my lifestyle will not allow for racing pursuits to the level of getting a racing license or trying to chase points or anything like that. So, I'm limited to HPDEs and the like, mostly receiving instruction as a student driver. My tracks for now will be AMP and perhaps Barber. From your advice (and the way I've seen Mikelly fight gremlins in a sophisticated oiling system), I'm planning to add a trap-door baffle system and a warning light from the suppliers you fellas have recommended. I think I can do all that without yanking the motor and I'm going to be doing a bellhousing this winter and will be under there anyway. I will get some decent gauges too. Will add a scraper next time I have the engine out and on a stand not fighting a crossmember. I hope to let the warning light tell me when I need an Accusump, praying that my first illumination isn't accompanied by disaster. 1) To what psi should I set the warning light? I'm assuming we want it to come on when I'm at high rpm, but not at idle... 2) What are your opinions on oil temperature monitoring and oil coolers?

Oh no, I'm a dog lover, for sure-just gave mine a bath before typing this. I was including myself when I said "ruining the thread." I'm a willing accomplice-bring on the puppies! Sorry it came across harsh-I should have typed: "WE are ruining the thread." And "ruin" has a more harsh sound than I intended, too. Should have said either "wandering off topic," or said nothing at all. Honestly, I didn't mind a bit, in fact I was joining-in with the discussion with a little joke. Truly sorry.

Added Z Natioals track day to this years resume. Thats two events in a row that required no repairs when i got home. Drove car to work on road racing slicks but hope to get street tires back on it this weekend since my truck is back in the shop and i will be dailying the Z for a couple weeks. Gonna start cleaning up garage tomorrow to put car on jackstands for the winter. May try to do one more event of some kind on Veterans Day weekend then pull her down for upgrades. Bought all my fire safety gear, a new helmet, HANS and arm restraints in prep for the Ohio Mile in June or July. Hardly any draf racing this year, but iIt's been a good year doing other things instead.

Ruining this thread. But, I'd never own a dog that is hung better than me.....

At the rear of the intake manifold.

"No racing, drag racing, autocross." Why the hell not? You are doing this swap why?

My LS2 only has PCV on one valve cover. I used it and plumbed it into the intake upstream of the throttle body like stock. LS1 us usually plugged directly into the throttle body. Only issue I have is that motor uses a little oil and I get a blue puff from the exhaust pipe on downshifts when beating on it. SunnyZ went to a puke can from both valve covers-I think, to eliminate these two issues. Not on my list currently, but someday. Pretty easy mod and I have the bottle already.

The only reason to use the JCI location is if using stock gauge. Since you are using speedhut, go ahead and put sender up top. I will be changing mine. But, I may use the JCI location for an oil temp sender, or something like that. I have some safety work to do this winter, then it's gaiges and engine oil system upgrades. I don't want to buy a new engine anytime soon!

Bout time you got a pair!

Any reviews on their baffles?

700 miles with no noticeable additional tire wear. The new axle seems to have solved it. With old axle I would have corded two tires in that distance. Thanks fellas-I'm keeping the trailer.

None center caps are for chicks.

So here's the million-dollar question: how do you know when you are having "trouble?" and need to upgrade your oiling? Do you count how many sets of main bearings you fry in a season? Do you monitor oil pressure, somehow paying attention to the gauge as you are charging through a sweeper at 130mph? Or do you have to have some sort of data-logger that you can print off a continuous oil pressure tracing? I was kind of thinking about upgrading just for my peace of mind, but I don't know how extensive/expensive I really need to go. I think, for me, at least improved baffling is a good place to start. But is that really enough?

Real men call them OH-58s. I used to fly D-Models at Ft Bragg. Get a haircut! I quit supporting the Army team when a couple of old girlfriends from the Class of 1976 got married in the Cadet Chapel-Im so done. Blowing off my 25 year reunion this month. I'm screwing up your thread.