blueovalz

Well, everything is tacked up on the final configuration. As it sits, this piece allows a total of 5/16" of simultaneous adjustment at both ends. This allows about +/- .9 degrees (or a little over 3/8") toe adjustment at the tire (if my rusty trig is correct). Tiime to clean it up, paint it, slot the holes on the upright, and install.

It's always good to see you and SuperDan grace our pages from time to time.

Yeah, right Nissan had a corner on the reciprocating engine in 1900 and we didn't even know it.

I've often wondered, what with a Formula car's type of suspension, if the roll center couldn't be raised up to (or above) the car's already low center of gravity. Would this then completely eliminate any need for an anti-sway bar (and if above, cause the car to roll into the curve instead of away from the curve)? Is the CG, acting upon the roll center, what causes the body to roll? Hypothetical of course

I'll keep that in mind. Thanks

I love efficiency. Light weight, low power, GREAT performance, and the added thrill of practically no surrounding body

I would like to form some Lexan headlight covers for the BlueovalZ. After doing some small amount of research, I've determined a design for the box in which the forming will take place, and instead of using a vacuum to "draw" the Lexan into the mold (reminds me of a T-shirt I bought my boy when he was a kid that said "science never sucks" because there is no such thing as "suction", only positive pressure), I am going to use pressurized air to push it into a mold. I am stuck so far as in what material I will use for a mold that will be easily made, but also not change much under some heat. I've considered plaster for now. Anybody on this list have any experience in this kind of work. I've got everything but this nailed down.

I've never used a sealant with a grommet type of gasket. I know the new windshields are glued in, but not the old ones. If indeed a sealant is needed, then I've been lucky because I haven't had any leaks. I seem to remember being told by a bodyman (a long time ago) that the old style grommet type gaskets did not use sealant, and this is why I never did. Is this incorrect?

Nope. The body height (ride height) is determined by the springs. The crossmember only lowers the inner pivot point (along with anything else attached to the crossmember), but the spindle height (which is determined by the wheel/tire combo), and hence, the springs sitting on the spindle, determine where the body sits.

I've used both, and the only reason for that was because the aftermarket one (first one) worked OK, but made the windshield removal a PITA, so when I did remove it one year later, I bought the NISSAN one, and have been very happy since (it was softer and more pliable), especially since it has made the removal of the windsheild (going on a dozen times over the last 4 years using the same gasket) very easy.

Nice job with the SBF. I've always had a soft spot for those wheels. I had a set on a '66 mustang a long time ago.

The backspacing sounds about right. Nearly every custom made wheel I've had was with a 5" BS after the coilover install, which left about 1/2 to 5/8" between the section width of the tire and the spring/strut assembly. But won't the 5-1/4 BS on the fronts get pretty close to the spring/strut assembly or am I just splitting hairs here?

A slap in the face and a kick in the A$$ I guess the best thing I received for Christmas this year was another gift of family and friends (and garage dog) that continue to put up with me throughout another year.

The use in body panels offer a high surface area to weight ratio. Unfortunately, side mirrors (in general) offer no such advantage, and IMHO, it would be unwise to use double-sided tape for this application. BTW, any good autobody repair supply store should carry this.

lookin' good!

Dan, DAN?! (I love your latest!!)

I believe some of the BIGGEST dump trucks use this technology of having each wheel electrically driven as well.

Keep up the brainstorming here 'cause I see some potential for this. It just dawned on me that another benefit of the shorted differential case is the needed increase in the driveshaft length. Even though the horizontal plane of my drivetrain has no angles in it, I wished I could say the same for the vertical plane. Because the propeller shaft is pushed over toward the passenger side by about one inch (And I don't have enought tunnel room to offset the engine and tranny to do the same), the angles on the driveshaft (a short driveshaft) bother me. Lengthing the driveshaft will to some small degree, shorten these angles. Plus, the bracket illustrated above could incorporate some kind of driveshaft safety loop as well. Keep the ideas comming guys.

In reality, mine is just a belly pan for aesthetic reasons and functions only. Airflow directionality, as well as speed under the car is not controlled to the point of where I would call it a diffuser. ZR8ED has one that would be a step closer in the direction of what a diffuser would be. The air under my car could be assumed to be turbulent and chaotic, at which point it may reach the edge of the rear bellypan and either go over the leading edge (which helps cool the fuel tank, fuel pump, and fuel filter from the heat generated by the two mufflers under them), or under the pan, but either way, there is no uniform direction to the air flowing under it, and hence, little affect gained in lowering the air pressure under the car. I still say a slight positive pressure inside the car will eliminate the odors.

So we (U.S. drivers) couldn't see oncoming traffic all the decades prior to the daytime running lights GM put out, and now we can't put the cell phone down long enough to not only see a third brake light when it, and its two big brothers, turn on, but now we have to be annoyed by the blinking light. I can only imagine what bumper to bumper traffic would look like from a distance. I guess it's only a matter of time before the reverse gear beeper is place on the domestic four-door. If we could only learn how to drive, and not just how to steer the car that carries us.

Sounds good to me. What I glean from this then is a chassis dyno is fine for power while an engine dyno works well for both torque and power when it comes to what's at the flywheel. The enertia of the drum seems to be the key then in measuring all this. Thanks.

One measure of energy or losses expended is heat. How much heat is the transmission and differential (along with wheel bearings, joints, and yes tires that are aligned incorrectly) producing. I've never done a run on a dyno, but just curious, how does the operator isolate the torque effected by gear ratio or transmission gear ratio. I'd think that my 4:11 rear end would skew the numbers verses a 3.54 rear end.

SuperDan, good to hear from you. Either you've been around lately and the, Ahem....Avatar, has caught my attention (I like), or you've been scarce. Either way, good to see you still around. Terry

Well, well. We appreciate that significant detail that I had missed.

That seems to be right. The biggest fly in the ointment is the tires. You can take a handful of (in this example) 245/45R16 tires, produced by different manufacturers, and mount them on the same wheel, and the sidewall profile will be different with subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) section width differences. And the way a tire fits on a wheel can make or break whether it will rub the fenders if you leave little margin.