blueovalz

My scales showed 421lbs for the complete engine and 71lbs for the tranny (it was a 4 speed) when I swaped them out.

Sorry Tony, they're all a bunch of gearheads, but I appreciate your good fortune. Anyway, I weighed all the pieces today, and without gauges, all the fiberglass parts weigh 7 lbs. The project grew a little this weekend as I finished up the dash completely, which was the fabrication of "under-dash" panels that ran from the curled edge at the bottom of the dash, down and forward, to attach to the anti-intrusion bar that crosses over the transmission tunnel. As with anything I do though, I've been so happy with the way this turned out, I'm contemplating a cover over the transmission tunnel, the alternator cover (it's behind the passenger seat), and perhaps a few pieces in back. Here are the panels, with extra wire hanging out as I trouble shoot the new wiring harness installed prior to the dash buildup. And the driver's side (without the bed liner coating)

Thanks for taking on this project Tim. It's people like you that make this organization above all others. Next time though (if there is a next time), make a profit on this deal, 'cause god only knows how much time you put in on this, and it's only fair for you to be compensated for it.

Thanks for the reminder Aaron. Yep, that's a pretty slick adaptation of a Vette tail. Kudos!!

Smaller bore than I thought. From the photos it looks like a hybrid (no pun intended) of Ford, Chevy, and Mopar. Throughout the decades that I've done this stuff with cars, I am still amazed at what I've seen in regards to parts from one engine being modified, and then re-used in another make. With the exception of crank, heads, and cam, the odds of finding a piece that will work are pretty good I would think.

Wished I could help as this is one project I'd love to see completed. Can you supply numbers for the bore and stroke? I'm thinking all the reciprocating parts should have a close fit with domestic parts, even with a minor bit of machining (hopefull the crank is in good shape?). Gaskets would seem the be the biggest problem.

I wonder about this as well. My driveshaft adapter is just like this in that the entire torque is transfered by the friction of tow tightly mated flat surfaces between the adapter and the propeller flange (and mine is made out of 1/2" aluminum, not SS). Nothing has twisted in two as yet, and that was 14 years ago. A recess to make it "hubcentric" though would be nice. Anything lighter, like aluminum available?

You're not alone. But I do hope the typical Iraqi will eventually be happier now than he was prior to our invasion (or as was spun for the election, prior to 9/11). I wonder what will be of greater importance in their hearts when it's all over and done (if), Saddam's torture of family members, or the current killings of family members due directly to our invasion (no, we are not killing the Iraqi people, but our actions resulted in the current ongoing slaughter). I constantly ask myself though, if we were watching another country doing the same thing as we've done, what would our reaction be. I suspect we would be a bit skeptical, cynical, and a bit embarrassed for them. I don't see often where our casualties are linked together with their casualties in a single sentence, which is interesting. I too wonder about the total deaths caused simply by the "perception" that we "may" be attacked "sometime" in the future. Pardon me: it was their "desire" to build the weapons that "could" be applied to the previous sentence. Oops, it was to free the Iraqi people from the clutches of a murderous dictator. I knew I'd get it right sooner or later (donning fire suit)

Reminds me of when I was a kid (mid 20's) and having something similar done to me on some bodywork after a wreck (i.e. the frame rails were formed out of bondo to look straight when in fact the rails had been crushed, of which the bondo finally fell off after a couple of weeks of driving it, and this was only a fraction of the problems). The lawsuit was favorable, but it taught me a lesson: roll up the sleeves and learn how to do it yourself!

Hmm, I guess I need to go back and perhaps add some more info into some of the shots for those "inquiring minds" that want to know. Oh, BTW, the OXcart award goes to (drum roll please)......tony78_280z!!!!!(sound of ding, ding, ding, ding and bountiful applause) for the correct answer to the perfectly placed roll of electrical tape behind the shifter. As your prize for the proper answer, OXcart Racing Enterprises will submit your name for a drawing of one "well weathered wood slat from a vintage OX cart, replete with dung stains and odor guaranteed to add humility to any garage." Congratulations.

I'll be glad to post it if you'll send me an email with photo attached.

Well, you're right. I never document anything from the very start, 'cause usually I question my own judgement in the design, and thus I think "why would I want to document this ODD looking part." The fitment against the steel under the windshield gasket was done by using a large piece of corrigated cardboard. I cut and cut, and did some more cutting until it fit the curve just right. Then I laid up some fiberglass (thin layer) onto a big piece of smooth aluminum sheet (to eventually create a large, flat, smooth, and thin sheet of fiberglass). Then, after hardening, I popped the fiberglass off the aluminum, and then used the "smooth" side (side that was next to the aluminum) as the top part of all the pieces involved. Then I traced the cardboard templated onto the fiberglass, cut it out, and then bonded the gauge pod cover (whole different story there) to this flat piece. All of the flat surfaces where pretty much created this way, and then cut, fitted, and bonded together.

Well Dan, it's good to see you get your fingernails dirty again. Been a while, huh.

Have you a method of indexing the arch or lip so that it coincides with the wheel's axle (the suspension appears to be completely removed at this time)? I remember the sickening position I was in when I cut my wheel opening, only to find the wheel arch was not centered on the wheel (I'm a perfectionist, and this absolutely killed me). Then as I went through the process of insuring a perfect centering I found that the left and right side were not symetrical, and then ride height (arms were not correctly "set" as I at first thought they were) came into question, and then blaa, blaa, blaa. Anyway, I know it's a PITA to put it all back together again, but the suspension really needs to be in the car to center it correctly (if no other provisions have been made to index the wheel arch). Otherwise, the job looks like it's going very well, so keep up the good work.

Well, almost anyway. For years I looked an nothing but instruments clustered around the steering column, and nothing else (much as in the first photo). But last month I decided to re-install the combo switch so that I could use the "normal" lighting features of a street legal (loose interpretation) road car. The only problem with doing this was that I had to remove the brackets and instruments (6 total) and find another location for them. As odd as the design looks, the top row of instruments just barely hides the view of the windshield's weather stripping, and no part of the hood or road view is blocked. Yes, all the gauges are mounted on top of the top crossbar of the cage. Now to cover the combo switch and do some minor detailing. Here is the "after" photo. Gauges are in, and working. The concept I was trying to maintain is the race "look," which is one reason for a "modular" appearance with all the SS screws and pieced together parts. Another reason was so that the complete dash can be disassembled and removed in 5 minutes time. These last two shots are how the dash appears through the windshield. All pieces are fiberglass (gee, that's a surprise!) of about 1/16" thickness and coated with the AutoZone truck bed liner which gave it a perfect (in my opinion) texture.

Amen to that!!

Very nice. I've always admired a cost effective and labor intensive way to upgrade anything on a car if done by one's self, and this project you've done is top notch in this catagory. Not easy, but you can say "I did it". Great job!

I "baffled" (and I use that term loosely) my tank by welding walls (about 5" high) up on one side of the tank at the lowest part of the tank. This created a tall cube somewhat that surrounded the pick-up (or drain) for the gas pump. At several points along the floor of the walls, where they made contact with the floor of the tank, I cut very small notches 1/8" diameter or so that would allow gas to flow through the holes slowly. The rate at which the holes passed gas was enough to always keep this "cube" at the same level as the rest of the tank with the engine at full load. Thus if I got down to the point where the fuel was down pretty low, the "cube" would still hold enough fuel as fuel was running out of it (slowly, and while in a turn that pulled gas away from the "cube", but never drain completely by the time I finished a long sweeping turn. Then the gas would return back to run slowly into the cube and fill it back up. I don't have fuel injection, so I cannot tell how effective this is as the carb bowls act as a surge tank. As best as I could tell, the foam has less impact at preventing fuel run-off than the small holes do. I poured fuel through a piece of foam, it it did not do much to slow it down.

The tech department at McLeod helped me on this determination. I told them the type of clutch I was using (Long style I believe is what I have) and they knew approximately how much movement would be required at the bearing to disengage the clutch. With this information they told me a 3/4" bore, 1" stroke would be recommended. Obviously I don't need the full 1" to disengage the clutch, but pedal pressure and stroke are perfect with this set-up.

Hi Jeff, Glad to have you on board. It sounds like you've got a great start to a nice project. In answer to your questions: The driveshaft itself is all Ford, and came off a Mustang I believe. Any Mustang driveshaft (that fit the T-5 output shaft) I believe would work as I think they all use the same yoke on the end. Check this out to be sure, but whatever shaft I used, it was very common in size. It was then shortened only and then bolted to an adapter (1/2" aluminum) that has the Datsun propeller shaft bolt pattern and the Ford bolt pattern. (Assuming your query is for the clutch) I've no part numbers at all, but what I've used is a McLoed (spelling?) hydraulic throwout bearing for the T-5. Some folks have had their problems with these, and they require bit of thought when adjusting them, but I like mine (even with the few minor problems I've had) and am keeping it. In regards to the clutch, I do not have part numbers. This part can be any generic aftermarket (Tilton, Girling, etc) piece as they all have the same bolt pattern, which is almost identical to the Datsun pattern. Simple modifications to fit them in are all that is required on the pushrod. I use a 3/4" bore on this.

Glad to see you back in the saddle again Larry. I'm equally happy to hear you never quit fighting, and especially happy to hear you've got a home to come back to.

I've always had a higher performing SBF (302 and 289) in mine, and never had any problems with the unibody. This included tower connectors to the firewall, I drove it a while (pre-cage era) prior to getting serious about the racing end and even without the cage, it did not seem to be overstressing any particular area of the unibody. My engines were near the 300 lb/ft of torque though.

All the 280ZX calipers are the same. The change was made for the 300ZX (wider mounting brackets and a change to the caliper)

To get any significant reply, there needs to be someone out there that has done both swaps to the Z and can compare the two, but this is probably a rare case. I have the 280ZXT shafts, and the rear mounted bar. The bar will come VERY close to the boot, and at full droop, may make contact with the boot. I modified the ends of the bar, and switched to Stanza links to move the bar away from the boot (it's about 1/2" away from the boot now.

Kajukempo, Wing Chun, Kick boxing, and then mix a little bit of knife skills (this is what really spooks me as I'd rather be shot that fool with someone who is good with a knife).