wheelman

Does anyone have a list of the members of our team? Please post it if you do. Ken W.

If you do go wireless make sure to enable the WIFI security. Only get an 802.11g card, they have the security features where as the earlier ones didn't. We got my boss a ThinkPad that had wireless built in. We don't have a wireless net in the office so I disabled it but he turned it on by accident at home and it turned out that a neighbor somewhere close was running un-secured WIFI. To make a long story short, my boss tapped into the neighbor's network and started receiving email without dialing in. Needless to say he got real worried and I had to shut off the wireless again and lock it out so he can't mess with it. Just a word of caution. I'm a part-time network administrator for our company so I'm a little paranoid about un-secured connections to the internet. Ken W.

I would also check IBM's web site to see what kind of system you can get for that price. The ThinkPads are very nice systems and I've found IBM's customer service to be exceptional. I bought an IntelliStation off eBay and had some minor broken parts on the case. I called IBM to order them. I was actually talking to a person within 5 minutes, no extended phone menu navigation. It turned out the system was still under warantee and even though I wasn't the original purchaser they honored it and shipped all the parts I asked for free of charge. Try getting that kind of service from DELL, Gateway or HP, not gonna happen. The company I work for has several older Compaq laptops that just won't die. They are part the HP now so I don't know about the quality or service. We also have DELLs and have had lots of problems with them. The other thing I would suggest is stay away from the home consumer models and pay a little extra to get a business class machine, the quality is higher and the serive is usually better. This also applies to the version of Windows you get, pay the extra for XP Pro, it provides some networking capabilities you may find you want. Ken W.

I agree with the 2 previous posts. I'm more of a Ford guy myself and if I hadn't run across a great deal on an LT1 I would have gone with a 302. I did tons of research and the only real problem is the steering shaft clearance which can be solved with a u-joint. A guy named Al Silveria (alsil on this board) makes a cross member mount that solves the motor mount issues as well. I would ask him to lower the mount point about 1/2 to 1 inch to provide hood clearance for the EFI manifold if you use one. Al has a web site where he has lots of pictures (zcar.netdojo.com). If you do go with a SBF you can get one from a Lincoln Mark 7 or Mercury Marquie cheaper than a Mustang but it's the same engine, some even had the 230HP HO. The parts are getting cheaper and if you want to use a manual transmission the Ford T5 is much more plentiful than the GM unit. Took me about 2 months to find one. Most of the Chevy guys will tell you to use a T56 but they're to expensive for me. I'm going to run the T5 until I get a chance to rebuild it using a G-Force package. Anyway, don't be afraid to do the Ford swap, most of the problems have been solved, just search this site and ask questions. If I do another one it will be a SBF. Ken W.

I'm a Software Engineer. I do embedded system programming for handheld X-Ray flouresence instruments used in metal alloy analysis. I also serve as the LAN administrator and all around PC technician due to the fact that my company is very small. The company I work for is named Keymaster Technologies. Ken W.

39 as of Oct 30. Day before Halloween. Year of the Dragon, Scorpio zodiac sign, saved by the cross. Your attitude about life is what makes you young or old. Ken W.

B-Bodies are the Caprice, Impala SS and Buick Road Master. They have the iron heads and a milder cam. Rated at 265hp and 330ft/lbs torque. Not all Caprices have an actual LT-1, some have an L-99 which is a 265ci baby LT. I don't know if the Road Master uses the smaller engine. Ken W.

If you do some shopping around you should be able to find an LT1 from a Caprice or Impala SS for not much more than an older SBC. I found a Caprice cop car for $1000.00. it has 102,000 on it but runs very good and compression in all cylinders was around 190. The tranny in the Caprice needs work but I'm not going to use it. Once I pull the engine I should be able to sell it for $500.00 just for the rearend. My suggestion is to look for an LT1, swap it now then pull it later to rebuild when you have more time and money. That way you will already have dealt with all the wiring issues of the EFI. You could upgrade to aluminum heads and a hotter cam during the rebuild. Ken W.

The JTR book lists about 150lbs weight gain with an "old style" 350, ie cast iron heads, intake and exhaust. The aluminum head LT1 should be about 60 - 70 lbs lighter because of the heads and intake then if you use headers you save a little more, so an LT1 install should only gain about 70 - 80 pounds, some of which ends up on the rear wheels. I'm in the process of pulling an LT1 from a Caprice cop car right now which has the iron heads so it will be closer to an "old style" 350 but I'll be using headers and the intake is already aluminum so that will help. Eventually I'll replace the iron heads with aluminum but I want to get it running first then pull the engine and tranny and rebuild both. Anyway hope this helps. Ken W.

You non-IT guys would never believe some of the stuff we see. I once had to process a laptop that was returned from a guy my company fired. It had some orangish very nasty stuff all over the keyboard. The case was even eaten by what looked like acid. When it warmed up it smelled terrible. Anyway this guy had been using his own laptop for months and we couldn't figure out why until this one was returned. We call it the "Chemical Warfare System". It turns out this guy had puked all over it after having one to many at the bar one night. YUMMMM!!!! As IT people we always assume the worst when stuff is on a computer that's returned because you never know what it might be. Never take chances, people can be very discusting!!!! Ken W.

What does it take to become a member of the jackstand racing team? My 240 is all torn apart right now and will hopefully be running this coming summer, that is if I continue to have the good luck finding parts I've had so far. I just pulled the L6 from the Z this last weekend and will start pulling the LT-1 from the Caprice soon. Anyway I've got lots of work to do, fortunately I've got a HUGE attached garage (3+ cars) so I can work on it whenever the bug gets me. Ken W.

I just pulled the L24 and 4-Speed from my 1973 240. Are these worth anything? I compression tested the engine. Cylinder 1 was low (75psi, 110 with oil), all the others were either 125 or 150. The intake and ignition systems are missing. The oil smelled like it had gasoline in it when I drained it before pulling the engine. I never drove the car so I don't know the condition of the clutch or transmission, although shifting it while sitting it seemed tight and the fluid that ran out when I pulled it was clean and clear. Anyway I'm planning on selling the combination to a metal scrap yard just for the steel content. What do you guys think, is it worth the cost of advertising in the paper before I do that or not? Ken W.

Does the JTR TPI/TBI manual address the LT-1 FI system? I have a donor car (1995 Caprice 9C1 Cop Car) with all the wiring and a 4L60E auto tranny. I'm still debating about the tranny, but I found an outfit that makes a control module that gives you the ability to use push-button switches to up or down shift. The unit is called CopmuShift by HGM. Costs about $1200.00. Anybody heard of it or used it? I found you can get all the wiring diagrams for most newer cars at your local library. Just photo copy them rather than spend the $100.00 for a helms manual. Ken W.

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I've been a bit discouraged with the search for a tranny lately. I took the Caprice to a tranny shop yesterday to determine exactly what is wrong with the automatic in it and was told the clutch for 3rd/4th is burned out. They quoted $1750.00 to repair it. Makes me wonder if anyone ever has them rebuilt, it's possible to buy a rebuilt one for $600.00 off the internet!?!?!?! I guess I need to develop some patience and not let it get to me. I'm not sure what the 6th gear ratio was for the T56 mentioned in the post that said they would cuise at 90mph and 2000rpm. It sounds like it was a GM unit. I was not aware of the different second OD ratio. Maybe a T56 wouldn't be such a bad idea. How much work is it to install a 3550 or TKO? BTW those listings I found on ebay were for Ford configured trannies. Thanks again for the info. Ken W.

I've read some other posts where people have said the 6th gear in a T56 is virtually useless unless you change out the rear end and use lower gears or you want to cruise at 90 mph and 2000 rpm. I'd like to avoid this if I can although I am looking for an R200 with 3.54 gears, that would help some. I did run across a listing on ebay today for new Tremec TKOs for $1299.00 and 3550s for $1199.00 with $50.00 of the shipping covered by the seller. The listing didn't mention whether they were configured for Ford or GM so I emailed, haven't received a reply yet. Are these good prices? Is the 3.27 first gear going to be a problem? I guess that depends on the gear ratio in the rear-end doesn' it. I know these units would be more than strong enough for me as I'm not planning on drag racing or getting radical with the engine. Maybe I'm being too cheap but I'm going to have a real hard time shelling out the money for a T56, even a used one. I live in a relatively small town in south eastern Washington and there isn't much in the way of junk yard selection. I've contacted the locals and they can get me a T56 but it'll be $2000.00 without a bellhousing, clutch, etc... I did run across a 1995 Carpice cop car for $1000.00 with only 102,000 miles that I'm pulling the LT-1 out of. It has a 4L60E in it that needs some work, tries to shift into 3rd but can't hold it and then acts like it's in neutral. I've toyed with the idea of using it but really prefer a manual. If anybody wants this tranny let me know and maybe we can work something out. Ken W.

I'm in the process of putting an LT1 in a 73 240Z. I'm evaluating my tranny choices and have done several searches on this site but found nothing directly addressing using a T5 with an LT1. The engine I have is an iron head LT1 from a 95 Caprice cop car and I'm told it produces 265HP and 330ft/lbs of torque in stock form. I plan on changing the cam later to more of the Camaro/Firebird setup but will probably keep the iron heads as they are supposed to flow better than the aluminum. Anyway what I want to know is will a GM WC T5 from a 96 V6 Camaro hold up to the LT1. The tranny has been rebuilt. Also will I need any special parts to bolt it to the LT1? I'm thinking nothing other than the correct bell housing, but it never hurts to ask. I don't plan on drag racing, I'm more interested in a daily driver that will also be good as an occasional canyon runner. Ken W.