wheelman

Well I pulled the exhaust manifolds off my iron head LT1 and found a stripped bolt hole. There are still threads in it but they are in bad shape and will not hold torque. What is the best way to repair this? Here are the ideas that pop inot my head. 1. Drill and tap to the next larger bolt size. 2. Drill and tap, then install a heli-coil kit for original size. 3. Have a machine shop weld up the hole and re-drill and tap. I'm not sure a heli-coil will hold the torque, what do you guys think? I do plan on having a value job done so maybe I should just have the hole repaired at that time. Or should I just trash the iron heads and replace them with aluminum. I would do this but I really don't want to spend the extra $$$. Yeah I'm extremely cheap!! Ken W.

This may seem like a duh question but I'm going to ask it anyway. I've searched the site for information regarding the removal of the smog stuff from the GEN II chevy engines (LT1, L99) and how it affects performance and come up with basically nothing. I haven't looked on any LT1 specific sites yet so forgive me if this is a no brainer. Here goes. In the past we always removed the smog stuff from engines because it was a drag on performance. In the last couple weeks I've seen a few posts here that make me wonder if this is true for the newer engines. One post in particular was basically an advertisement for the new John's Cars LS1 kit where it was stated that removing the EGR prevents the computer from being able to retard or advance the spark like it's supposed to. I don't remember exactly what the other post was but the opinion being expressed was that there's no benefit to removing the smog equipment from the new computer controlled engines and it makes them run dirtier, idle rougher, harder to start and have less HP. I have a 95 LT1 from a Caprice cop car that I'm putting in a 73 240Z so I'm exempt from smog inspections and besides WA state doesn't have state wide inspections, only certain areas. Anyway I plan on removing all the smog equipment (air pump, EGR, evap canister) and then re-programming the PCM. Before I do this though I want to be sure that it will improve performance. I have the complete donor car so I could salvage the evap canister but I really don't want to have to deal with it. So what's the true story here? Will removing the smog stuff and reprogramming the computer increase, decrease or not change the performance. Ken W.

This is just a variation of the Nigerian scam that has been circulating the internet for the last 7 or 8 years. It has also gone by several other names that I can't remember all of them right now. Ken W.

Ryan, I'm using the JTR setup. When I looked at the pictures I noticed the rigth side header seemed to be about 1 inch below the oil pan which is a clearance concern. I think I'll stick with the shorty block huggers, I just haven't decided which to use yet. I'm not building my car to drag but as more of a canyon runner so ground clearance is something I need to be aware of. I'm sure I'll be able to get adequate HP out the the block huggers. Thanks for the info.

I've been looking for headers to use on the LT1 I'm in the processing of installing my 73 240Z. Will these work? I'm guessing all I have to do is use a good set of exhaust gaskets to seal to the D ports on the LT1, right? I have iron heads with straight plugs. Has your friend installed them in his car yet? How close are they to the steering rod on the left and frame rail on the right? What about access to the starter, oil filter and slave cylinder for a manual tranny? From the pictures it looks like the right one hangs an inch or so below the oil pan, is this correct? Some aspects of the pictures are a little hard to see clearly.

Personally I'm glad these animals have been eliminated from the human gene pool before they were able to pro-create and pass on all their advanced traits. It's to bad the parents of these kids, especially the ones who are sueing weren't eliminated themselves before they passed on their own advanced genes. OK enough of my ranting. It is sad these kids died before they had a chance to learn how to control themselves and become productive citizens. The parents should be held responsible for their actions, except for the 18 year old, maybe then they would take a little more interest in their kids and teach them right from wrong. I guess that's assuming the parents even know the difference. Ken W.

NIC, To answer your specific question about a LT 302 or the old style. I would lean more toward the LT. It will have the reverse flow cooling which allows a higher CR on pump gas and also the modern FI that breaths well and can be tuned with a computer. Parts for the GEN II chevy engine are becoming more available and you might not be required to use some special spacer bearings to install the crank. I'm not versed enough with the compatibility of the L99 crank into a LT1 block but based on prior posts it would fit without a problem. I would be a little concerned about it's strength but you could probably get a Scat unit that would be much stronger, your talking $$$ though. I don't know how you feel about EFI and the wiring that goes with it but not having to screw with a carburator makes it more than worth the extra effort to me. I believe the LT1 intake breaths well up to about 6500-7000 RPM in it's stock form so with a little port work on the heads and the intake you shouldn't run into problems breathing all through the RPM range. The aluminum LT1 heads can be had for around $250.00 if you look around, granted thats used but good ones aren't hard to find. Thats a whole lot cheaper than after market and allows some extra money for custom port work which will definitely be required to get the HP numbers your looking for. One last suggestion, find an LT1 from a 95 Camaro/Firebird, or Caprice/Impalla SS as the starter engine and be sure to get all the electronics. They are ODBI and can be programmed without removing the EPROM chip. They also have the upgraded OptiSpark module with the vapor purge line. Ken W.

I'm currently exploring the same welder options but looking at oxy-acetylene as well. Does anyone have any suggestions one way or the other regarding using a torch vs a MIG welder? I'm leaning more towards the torch setup just because I have a small amount of experience with it and none with MIG. I also think an oxy-acetylene setup is more versatile than a MIG or arc setup. Any opinions on this? Anyone with experience welding thin sheet with a torch, your opinion, insights, experiences would be greatly appreciated. I know welding with a torch would be slower but it seems to me it is more controllable, is this true or not? Ken W.

TheBrit Could you take some pictures of that trans mount and post them for us to see. I'm not using a T56 but I've been contemplating a similar setup to what you describe and any ideas would be useful. I've been looking at the stock Datsun transmission mounts in my 73 240Z and want to weld in a piece that duplicates the raised section that wraps around the tunnel. The ears that the cross member bolts to would then be welded to that. This would let me use the stock cross member if it will fit, I think the tunnel narrows down toward the back. Anyway I haven't fabricated any of this yet as I'm still gathering parts. What do you think? I suppose I could always section the cross member if I have to. This is probably more work than it's worth, but I just don't like the way the JTR crossmember bolts to the floor. Ken W.

Alex, I guess I made some invalid assumptions. Based on what you've said it sounds like you may be a little more mature than most of the other young kids running around in high HP cars. It will still be a high HP car even though thats not what you want so be careful and be realistic about your ability to handle it. Ken W.

Alex, I have to agree with Dave Karey, unless you've got some racing experience you should wait on doing an engine swap. Have your friend do the restore and drive the car for a few years and get some experience and maturity before you build a car with crazy HP. The car probably has more HP than it needs in stock form with a brand new driver behind the wheel. One question I have is why do you want so much HP in your first car anyway??? To show the RICERS who is boss? Combine 1 young inexperienced driver with a high HP hybrid sports car, shake well, place on city streets with other high HP cars in the hands of inexperienced drivers and what do you get? A recipe for a dead young man, or at a minimum one very badly damaged high performance sports car. When the time comes to do the swap (several years from now), do it yourself. You will gain a greater appreciation for the car and it will be more valuable to you because you've invested something of yourself into it. You'll also understand the car well enough after that to actually be able to do your own repairs. The only other thing I'll say is don't sacrifice your future schooling for a car. Make getting a good education your first priority and your toys a secondary priority. Cars will always be available, but once you've entered the working world and moved out on your own it gets much more difficult to go to school, especially if you start a family, and with a good education it's much easier to get a good job where you'll be able to afford to spend money on nice cars. Unless mom and dad are planning to pick up the cost of college for you, start saving now and even if they are, do them a favor and help out with the costs. I guess I should stop preaching now, as far as I know your planning on entering the military and don't plan on going to college. Actually not such a bad choice, thats what I did. Let the flame wars begin. Ken W.

280Zen, The first picture is a first gen Z. Your picture is a 280ZX. Ken W.

I wasn't saying the cat WOULD throw the Z at 3,333 mph, but that theoretically based on the capability to launch a 60,000 lb aircraft at 150 mph, it COULD. Based on what has been said the cats obviously have to be limited to a max speed otherwise they would tear themselves apart as well as the aircraft. Just like our Z's do when we put to much HP/Torque (if there is such a thing) into them. Also as has been said, the Z itself would never withstand that kind of acceleration or aerodynamic force. But it is fun to speculate on how far we could throw one if limits on the equipment were removed. Kind of like analyzing Hollywood movies from a physics stand point. Ken W.

Are you still getting the JTR manual? If so you can make it from the diagram in the manual, or have a shop do it. If not let me know and I'll see if I can scan the picture and send it to you. Ken W.

Based on what Phantom said my guess is that the cats are limited to a max launch speed of ~160mph so things don't break as often. This doesn't stop us from doing the calculations based on the forces generated in launching a 60,000 lb aircraft at 150 mph Just as a quick calculation you could divide the weight of a Z into the 60,000 lbs 60,000 / 2,700 = 22.22 Then multiply that times 150 mph to get the unlimited velocity the Z would reach 22.22 * 150 = 3,333.33 mph. Based on the afore mentioned 3 second flight time the car would go ~2.77 miles. Not quite the 30 miles mentioned before but still a very long distance. You would also get a nice sonic boom on launch. These calculations obviously ignore aerodynamic factors so the distance would probably be half that, I'll leave that for someone else to figure out. Ken W.

I'm in for some stickers and like the idea of a web site. I know lots of us post updates on our projetcs here but a dedicated site would be easier to access. Ken W.

I have the computer geek problem also. I regularly get calls from people I haven't seen or heard from in months or years and the first thing out of their mouths is "I have a computer question". THANK YOU VERY MUCH MICROSOFT!!!!! Actually it's not Microsoft's fault, it's the idea that WindowZ is so easy to use even a total moron will have no problems. Then folks go out and drop several hundreds or thousands of dollars on a system and expect it to run no matter what they do to it. Not gonna happen!!!!! Anyway enough ranting about that. I also get car duty at our house but it's just my truck, my wife's mini-van, my Z and my son's car. I make Derek (my son) do all the work on his car and I supervise so he learns a little and I don't have to get his grease under my finger nails. I don't trust him yet to work on any of the others, he's at that stage where he knows just enough to be dangerous. I'm just glad I'm not good at plumbing or carpentry, I hate plumbing!! It amazes me how people assume that our time is free for the taking, do any of us ask questions of doctors or lawyers without expecting to be charged, so how is it different for us? Ken W.

This virus may not be coming from DavyZ. There are several email virii that not only grab the address to send to from your address book but also the address it came from. What this looks like is an email coming from DavyZ but it really is coming from someone else who has DavyZ in their address book as well as your address. I know the Klez worm does this as my wife's grand father was receiving email that looked like it was from us but it really originated with my wife's brother. The long and short of it is that if DavyZ's norton is up-to-date it's probably not him. I hate these f**king virii, they have cost me several weeks worth of system cleaning at work. Ken W.

When you tried to shift it into first did it grind then as well? If not then it isn't your slave or master. If the clutch isn't disengaging it would grind in every gear. Sounds more lilke the shift forks or synchros are screwed up, especially if it doesn't grind. Like the sychros are galled on the shaft or maybe the shifter shaft is jammed in some way. Are all the gears acting the same? Ken W.

Brushwolf, I just pulled an LT1 from a Caprice cop car and used twist ties and small round key labeling tags to identify all the connections so I could put everything back together. Don't rely on memory!!! I would think the AOD would be an easier install than the T-5. No clutch mechanicals to deal with and if you don't cut the wires to it you should be OK. I don't know about that year of Ford but the PCM in the Caprice managed the engine and transmission. I'm converting to manual so I'm not worried about the transmission control but I still labeled and salvaged all the control wires to it. I can't answer your other questions but I have seen posts that mention a book published by Ford that outlines how to use the engine management system in an older car. If I remember right it was very cheap, like 5 bucks or so. Search the site, you'll probably run across it at some point. Ken W.

OK, I'm supposed to be #7 but who knows now. Anyway here's a picture of my Z doing what it does best at this point, even got the jackstands in the picture. Notice the mighty LT1 next to it. Ken W.

Most of the things you guys have brought up is why my wife and I decided to home-school our kids. I've got 2, one 17 the other 14. The 17 year old spent 1 year in public school, the 14 year old none. Before you bring up the question about socialization, I'll answer it for you. Are you happy with what your kids have learned from the others in school??? All about being a disrespectful monster. Yeah the teachers can't discipline the kids and the kids know it so they are that much worse and the younger ones learn all about it from the older ones. It's not just the schools fault though, parents who don't discipline are even more to blame, and by the way, you can discipline you kids, just don't be stupid and abusive about it. Our kids have been socialized, we belong to a local support group that does things like field-trips and skate days which give the kids a chance to spend time together. They also have to learn how to interact with many different age groups which doesn't happen in the public schools. The public schools aren't totally bad but they are bad. I guess you can tell this a is a hot button subject for me. I detest the smart-mouthed disrespectful animals that most of the young kids are today, especially the ones who have drivers licenses and think they own the road. Well I better stop before I say something really bad. Good luck to the people who are teachers or have a spouse who's a teacher, you have my simpathy. Ken W.

0100 I had a similar with a 260Z years ago. Mine turned out to be a plugged fuel filter at the tank. The car ran fine until I got on it which sucked all the gunk into the filter element which would then fall back to the bottom of the filter when I shut the car down. It had an electric fuel pump as well. Might not be the problem you're having but something worth checking. Ken W.

240hoke, The tach jumping and the ignition going crazy has nothing to do with the valves and probably caused the pinging problem. I had a Subaru several years ago that started doing the same thing. It turned out the upper bushing on the distrbutor shaft was shot which allowed the shaft to wobble and which affected the electronic ignition pickup spacing. This caused the tach to jump around and screwed up the timing. This isn't exactly like your situation but sounds similar enough to maybe point you in the right direction. You might have a bad ignition module that fails when it reaches a certain RPM level. I don't know enough about your ignition system to really make an informed diagnosis but it sounds like something gets overloaded at the upper RPM range. Ken W.

Dan, What's the capacity of that Suzuki tank? I really like the way your unit turned out and have considered doing the same with mine. Do you have any CAD or scale drawings of the parts you fabricated? Ken W.