blueovalz

One last comment on this subject. I had thought about tying the 12vdc directly from the remote solenoid to the GM start lug, but was concerned about the timing of the gear spinning and its relationship to this gear being pushed into the flywheel. My reasoning was that the solenoid should be driving the gear into the flywheel before the 12vdc torque is applied to this gear via the motor winding. I was concerned that if the 12vdc was applied to the motor at exactly the same time that the solenoid was being energized, then the gear would be spinning before it reached the ring gear, causing grinding or worn teeth. Thus I returned the 12vdc back to the proper lug on the GM solenoid, thus allowing the Ford remote solenoid "start" signal to energize the GM solenoid, and giving the starter gear time to move forward into the ring gear prior to the 12vdc being applied to the motor winding itself (via the contacts at the end of the solenoid travel path).

The only thing that comes to mind with a diode is that in order for it to allow the solenoid to operate correctly, then it must be biased the same way that would allow the solenoid to still be pulled in after the motor is running. If the voltage reverses itself while the motor was running then I would think this would push the solenoid open, but this is not the case. So biasing it to prevent the solenoid from staying engage would also prevent the solenoid from starting the engine in the first place???

I was told by a guy to knows this business that a diode would indeed do the trick too.

Thought this my be something to think about here. I recently replaced my old (Non-solenoid starter that used the Ford remote solenoid) starter with a new mini high torque starter that has the solenoid attached to the starter. I wired it just exactly like the diagram above and incured a problem. The starter would stay engaged into the flywheel for about 2 to 3 seconds after the engine started (made a hell of a lot of noise). I found out that the starter motor was being spun by the flywheel ring gear, creating a voltage (just like a DC motor being spun by an outside power source) that then pasted through the jumper (12 supply to solenoid jumper on the starter) which then kept it pulled in. Eventually the ring gear kicks the starter gear out and the starter stops. To fix this I had to remove the start wire jumper on the starter, and replace it with a wire that comes from the "S" on the Ford solenoid. This way the 12VDC is cut immediately when you release the start switch and cannot be supplied by the spinning motor. It worked, and now I'm not spinning the starter with the flywheel anymore. It's similar to the electric radiator fan arrangement. When you turn off the radiator fans, they will generate 12VDC back into your electrical system at first and then slowly dropping off the voltage generated until the fans come to a stop.

Eric brought out some good points on developing a well-rounded rear end (not like my wife's). His Saleen example it wonderful. Unfortunately, it is truly a mid-engine design, and as stated, form follows function well in his example. With the Z, to place some 3d horizontally oriented articles on the rear will enhance its proportions, but my concern would be at what point does it portend to be something that it is not. Attached is a photo of a Mustang rear end I made back in '82. I used Ford truck lights turned sideways, and tinted the reverse light lenses red (the top and side curvature of these lenses matched well with the profile of the rear panel). Then I used aluminum 1" slats (A/C building vent duct cover) for the bottom part of the rear (painted flat gunmetal gray) to take up some space, and again emphasize the horizontal aspect (being the integrated spoiler AND the vertical stripes made the rear look taller and narrower). These vents resembled the venting used on some mid or rear engined cars, but being it is not such, I was a bit concerned that I was drifting away from a concept I strictly believe in, and that is form should follow function. Very rarely will one be criticized for too many functional exterior amenities, but frequently one will be criticized for a few none functional ones. One more thing to add before I terminate this long post is the effect of any graphics or paint on an otherwise plain panel. Applied correctly, lines and colors of choice can be used to eliminate large broad and undeveloped areas on a car, and in this case, the rear panel. Even the simple task of insetting the light "panel" instead of making it flush with the rest of the rear panels will greatly enhance the cause of breaking up this large area into 3 (if you use a spoiler) or 2 distinct horizontally oriented panels (no spoiler). Then you can work on each panel to find what can fit in them correctly to break them up functionally (exhaust, lights, plate, aesthetic grill of some sort, etc.

Appreciate the reply Sunny. The motor had less than 100 miles on it at that time, and now with about 200 miles on it the plugs have a near perfect appearance with still a touch of oil discoloration, but not nearly as bad as before, so it appears it's all seating well.

IMHO, the rear of the Z needs as much horizontally oriented lighting as possible. The individual round lights are efficient in space and design that the "competition" look requires. Form follows function, and in this the simple round light is very effective. Large and/or ornate rear lighting is not what you will generally find on a competition car. BUT (and I hate to use that word), it seems round tail lights are becoming ubiquitous in custom designs. With that said, I have always felt that horizontally oriented lighting is needed to overcome the "narrow" look of the Z rear. Personally, my endeavor is to find a suitable set that is wider that tall, simple in design and function, and small enough to elicit the desired "competition" appearance, but large enough to properly fill the rear panel without leaving too much unused or open space. Tim240Z has a very nice start on this. Eric, I appreciate you putting up the rear shot of the Z for us to experiment with. I wished I had PhotoShop (or what ever it is) to play with.

Pete, this was very amusing because just last week I was going through the same thing. I did the "drill the hole in the throttle plates" routine, and still, no response to my idle adjustment screws because too much of the slot was uncovered. Anyway, the car seemed OK, but I bumped up the timing because it "felt" too retarded. DAMN, just like your experience, I had gobs more HP. Anyway, I could now adjust the throttle plates back to almost a closed position now, the idle adjustment is almost normal, and with the additional change from a 69 primary jet to a 71, it cruises soooo much better and smoother, with a much better transition to WOT. I had to laugh when I saw your posting tonight. I would have mentioned my experience to you earlier in the week, but thought for sure you would have the correct timing (silly me). Now I'm going to go back and see if that #25 squirter will work better than my #40.

Racer, are you going to be around long enough to get on the chat box to discuss paint?

That was better than watching CSI.

Headache1

I would check the U-joints again. Any misalignment with looseness is going to show up whenever a large amount of torque is applied. Coast-down just reverses this torque at a reduced level. Make sure the joints are completely free of any restraint when you check them (car out of gear, static ride height, and free to roll).

Well, here's my $.02 worth. Road course and drag strip suspensions differ greatly, so much so, that one is not really compatible for the other. IMHO, decide which you want as a priority over the other, and then go for that one. The same adjustable shocks may be the only thing that can praticably be used in both set-ups. Sway bars can be removed for drag applications, and you may try soft springs/stiff sway bars if you feel you must do it this way, but it's going to be a "jack of all trades, and a master of none" if you choose this idea of "one size fits all" suspension.

I've got a true ram air set-up on my 240SX. After some redesigning of the intake scoop (the air was going around the opening instead of into the opening) I found I was able to gain about 1/2 to 3/4 lb of "boost" at the higher end of the speed limits. With that said, the difference was noticable in passing on the highway. If indeed it can supply 1 lb of boost at a useable RPM, then then it would be felt, but again, is it worth the monetary investment.

gumball rally set-up?

test

The body is the Elbogrease Special. Surprisingly cheap, but it took forever for me to get it. Took about 2 weeks to do the body shape and lay-up, and then forever to the Nth degree to finish/detail it (do you see any paint on it YET?). Heck, If Pete can finally get a picture of a finished car up here, I guess I can too (he he).

Three lovely numbers all arranged in perfect order. 2-8-9. Being the proud father of a 289 (and a 302 earlier in the game) I know you will be very happy. I finally got mine tuned, and is now close to optimal performance. I'm glad to hear about your blue oval decision. Keep us informed on it's progress, and pass a picture or two on to us during the project's life.

I am surprised this "device" has not up-rooted itself along it's presumptuous path towards ricedom. It must have a fairly neutral or zero downforce position. I can't believe the trunk lid sheet metal is still straight.

My NA headers are Jet-Hot coated. The main reason I did this was to save the headers from rust-out, being it took 2 weeks of a lot of work to make them, and I don't want them rusting away to nothing. But the added benefit of the rapid cool-down is quite noticable. Ten minutes after shut-down, I can grab and hold the warm header tube. The tubes aways look good and stay clean too. OH BTW, Pete, Thanks for the long awaited signature picture of you Z. Looks every bit as good as expected.

I second Lone's reply. After Nissan's recirculating ball power steering though, I believe they produced a power assisted rack for the duration of the ZX line. So I believe that the later 280ZX line has the power assisted racks.

Well, I've run my new motor now for about a week. I did a compression check tonight and all 8 cylinders lie within a 147-153 psi window. I've noticed a small bit of oil in the chambers and wonder if this is due to the moly rings not seated yet or if I've got other problems. Any words from the wise?

I have no idea. Perhaps calling it a radiator is erroneous because the IR radiation emitted is an extremely small portion of the total amount of energy removed by conduction with the air passing between the fins and tubes. Without the air passing through it, it doesn't work very well as it is an extremely inefficient emitter or radiator of heat?? Black box stuff here maybe.

Many times on salvage parts the small holes in the bleed screw will become corroded over to the point that they get plugged up solid (damn brake fluid loves water). remove them, poke a safety pin or something similar into it, blow it out with air, and you should be fine.

I did some pretty wild stuff with a '66 mustang when I first started fiberglassing. IMHO, the design was "out of the norm" and even as I look back on it 20 years later, I am a bit embarrased by what I came up with. Fortunately though, I had no one to tell me my "perfect and awesome design" really did suck, and I later went on perfect my concepts with more maturity and talents. Let's all be aware that one man's meat is another man's poison and promote customizing. Who knows what may come from one or more of these folks as they too mature and improve on their concepts of custom design. If you stomp on them too hard they may not come back up.