blueovalz

A conversion I've had a lot of correspondence about, and positive feedback on the 300ZX front vented rotors using the 280ZX front calipers. This does not require any spacer between the hub to wheel, or hub to rotor (but will require two thin shims between the caliper and the strut mounting ears). The floater design allows this option without any fear of rubbing between the caliper and the wheels. Contrary to initial opinion, floating calipers are not a bad thing. In fact, I've had a great deal of success with them (but now they are the MkIII Supra floaters), and have yet feel the need to install the 4 piston Outlaws that I bought 6 years ago (still in the box). I even looked at the C5 calipers as well, but an aluminum floater concerns me in regards to the jaw flexing.

Nice rugged piece(s) of equipment. It looks heavy duty (and heavy) no doubt! I wonder what the upright is based upon?

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand strings

Personally, I praise the leadership of this forum for refraining from/baning strings that could easily turn political in nature or debate. It was a problem for me, and if I had to list the number one improvement to this site, it was the recognition that this needed to be done. These types of strings cause dissention in the ranks, and many times negated the rich positive aspects of why this site is so well respected. Though we have many opinions about what should/could be done to modify the infamous Z, we should leave it to that subject (as well as some of the more humorous topics) and remain solidified in promoting the hybrid cause. There are many members of this sight that I consider close friends (even though I've never met them face to face) based solely on the love of the Z car. I do not want to taint those relationships with contentious debate about something so personal to me, yet so insignificant to the enjoyment of this site.

At last!!!

Awesome job! I can't say enough about how well the engine looks!

Yeah, heat helps. It's a chemical reaction, and heat will speed it up, even after the fact. I've been told that fiberglass hardens throughout it's life, and not just the first hour or two. I believe this is why years later you'll see slight waves in what was a perfectly flat panel.

This is the first time I've ever heard of the ZXT case rubbing on the CA. It's been a while since I've looked at a stock rear end, but don't the upper washers have the rubber absorber bonded onto them? I would look at everything first, FRONT and rear mounts and bolts and make sure everything is as it should be.

When this happens and all else fails, I borrow the wifes hair dryer and spend some quality time in the garage with the fiberglass!

I'm not intimately familar with the billet bar, but if you're using a solid/urethane (rubber) combination mounting setup, be sure to do a "search" on this subject as it is considered a risk in regards to the front (solid) mounting failure.

Here was a thread I posted last fall. It should be close, but a win none the less. The claimed 4.2 second to 60 MPH is accurate (but not the 1/4 mile time) as mine will do the 0-60 thing right at 4 seconds even. Take a look: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=105224

Resins will slowly thicken with age (because most if not all resins have a small amount of catalyst already added from the factory). The catalyst though, can sour with age making them less effective, and this is what it sounds like has happened to you (or you did not add enough catalyst - cold day that day?) Anyway, the sniff test can tell you a lot about the catalysts viability. It will actually develop a sour or vinegary smell when it starts getting old.

In reality they don't "easily" fail. I've run the 240Z axles on my car (it's been a hybridz over 15 years now) without any problems in both racing and street environments. It appears from a historical perspective though, that the 240 axles show a slightly higher risk of failure than the 280 axles will, but from the posts I've seen, this would be a very slight increased risk. My observation is that there are thousands of success stories using 240 axles compared to the 2 to 3 failures we've heard about. If you do run the 280 axles, you'll need the companion flange for those axles as well due to the different spline count.

Ohhhhh, I saw nothing about rear calipers and assumed (my bad) the front calipers were the subject of discussion. The concept of inserting a spacer is no different than several manufactures do. But the 280ZX rear calipers cannot be modified as such. I successfully use 280ZX front calipers on the rear of my car with front Maxima rotors (vented), but my set-up, with a good proportioning valve allowed this. What could be done is take the OEM front Z caliper, insert a spacer, and use it in the rear, but then you'd have no emergency brake, which basically negates your desire for the emergency brake. Being a rear caliper mounting bracket must be fabricated anyway, why don't you go ahead and use the 300ZX rear calipers then?

The ZX calipers are for the ZX rotors, which are vented. The caliper is a "floating" design, but that shouldn't make this subject academic.

Sorry to hear this Pete. Hope the surgery gets you back up and on the car again.

I recently screwed a modified nut over my clutch switch to keep the button pushed in all the time (I hate working on a car that necessitates getting into and out of the car just to start it) on my SX. I hate safety switches, the fewer the better.

I agree, and I recognized this when I was designing the rear end. Thus, when I built the spoiler, I realized that improvements could be made in matching the panel shape with the tail light shape, but the only way to do it was to incorporate the upper curve, required in the panel, into the bottom of the spoiler. So I sculpted the lower part of the spoiler (as seen on the previous photos) with a curve in it. Then after the above photo was taken, I painted the sculpted portion the same color as the tail light panel to somewhat mimic the shape I wanted to give the panel. From directly behind the car, the tail light panel blends into the bottom of the spoiler to make it appear to be a continuous piece. Below is a poor modification of the photo above with the sculpted portion painted the same color as the panel. This is as the car sits at this time.

I shaved first, but later decided to wax it. Still unsatisfied, I had it tucked and lifted, but eventually I took it to the Michael Jackson clinic for refacing my entire a$$:

I had to fix a hole (that I thought was filled) after I had the headers coated. I simply ground the area clean, welded it, and sent it back for a re-do at a reduced cost.

Thanks Don, Interesting. The Stealth intake (dual plane, but a high RPM dual plane) is about 3/4" shorter than the 302 Victor Jr intake I currently use. FWIW, I recently found out that the deck height of the 4.6L (8.9") motor is shorter than the 351 (9.5"), but longer than the 302 (8.2"). Evidentally, the heads are where all that size is found. On the other hand, the 5.4L deck height (10") is very long. These values are rounded off a small amount.

I always liked the long hood line and consider that essential for any "sports" car look. The S130 has a shorter one than the S30, and would, IMHO, be as short as I would care to go. Any shorter and it starts resembling a mid-engined car, without the fully proper proportions. I do like the increased rake on the windshield though!

Good, that verifies the 1" taller block. My thinking is that my Victor Jr intake is pretty tall, so I'm sure I could find a 351W manifold that is flatter than the Victor Jr, and keep the increased height change to a minimum. Looking good so far.

Yes, but the added height may be an issue. The information shown above indicates the 351 is 3" taller, but I would like to see this explained. The deck height increase from a 302 is about 1.3" at a 45 degree angle, which equates to roughly a 1" height increase, and about a 2" (1" per side) width increase. Obviously the manifold must be taller than a 302 manifold, but I cannot see it as being a full 2" taller than a 302 manifold, plus, different manifolds have varying heights, so you may be able to get a relatively flat 351 intake (suffering performance though). After that, I can only assume the oil pan may be deeper as well. Dp351zcar, anything you can add to this? From Mustang Forums.com: The 351 block is very similar to the 302. That means that almost all parts swap between a 302 and a 351. This includes: Heads, cam, lifters, timing chain, timing chain cover, water pump, engine mounts, and all sorts of other stuff. The bellhousing bolt pattern is the same as a 302, so all trannies that bolt to a 302 will bolt to a 351. However, there are some differences in the 351 that necessitate new parts: 1) The oil pan is different. Motorsports carries one. You can also get an oil pan of of an early eighties LTD Crown Vic. If you go the junkyard route, remember you also need a oil pan pickup tube, and a special main bolt that the pickup attaches to. The FMS pan is a pretty good deal, and if you shop around, you can get one for under $100, which comes with the dipstick, bolt, and pickup tube. 2) The internal balance of a 351W is the same as pre-81 302's (28.2 oz). The 5.0 HO has a 50 oz. unbalance, which means you cannot use the flexplate/flywheel or the harmanic balancer off of an HO engine. You have to get the correct pieces from a dealer/junkyard. 3) The deck height is higher, which means you need a different intake, since the 351W intake is wider. A 5.0 Upper will bolt to a 351W lower. 4) Also, a higher deck height means that the accessory bracket will need to be replaced. FMS sells the new bracket for about $50. 5) The higher deck height means the headers sit up higher than in a 302 powered Mustang. A special set is required for a 351. 6) A 351W will in all likelyhood not clear the stock hood. You will need a cowl hood for your car. 7) The distributor has a fatter shaft. You can obtain one from a 351W powered FI truck (if you are using FI) or any late 70's/early 80's car using the 351W and a Duraspark system if you are going to build a non-efi car.

I don't usually like to opine on paint and body mods, but I'll make an exception here as the previous comments say it all.