240Z2NV

Having already done the sportbike route, if I were to do it over I would probably try the contoured Mitsubishi route. It will still require a fair bit of fabbing to correct the OE opening; but, in the long run, it will be easiest. Wish that it locked, I'm old enough to remember the Gas Crisis in the 70s when people siphoned gas out of others' cars. If this war continues for long, we could see people doing it again...as gas reaches $5/gal. I would have loved to do the pop-up route; but, at nearly $300, I'll pass. The first one [basic aluminum] is made in China and can be had cheaply on eBay. Again, not locking; and, I emailed the importer [out of SF] and he couldn't give me an intelligent answer as to how it secures, so I stuck with the sportbike route. 'Cat is out of the bag' now. I was one of only a couple of guys that had done it; but, guess we'll be seeing alot more of them now.... God Bless our troops

I was at the JY again today snatching up as many Volvo Two Speed Fan Relays as I could get my hands on, and I was also rummaging for lots of Bosch Relays. I came upon a Saab that had a fan relay with a "timer" [so it was written on the relay]. I was trying to pry it out of the terminal and it broke. It got me to thinking about how [especially smaller import] cars have the fans running AFTER the ignition is turned of and you walk away from the car to continue to cool it down. Do the wiring schematics that have been posted [as stickies & others] take into consideration this type of scenario? I have printed out pretty much all of the relevant plans that should apply to an LS1 here; but, am not clear if they will run as long as it takes to get the coolant temp down regardless of if the ignition is on or not? This is likely a really ignorant question; but, seeing that "Timer Relay" made me feel as though I needed clarification. Will the LS1 PCM tell the fans to stay on based upon temps even if I do not have the car running [or ON]? Or, is it simply a matter of wiring constant "Hot" feeding the Volvo fan switches?

Just passing along something I learned from a guy at the JY today. The BMW 7, 5, and 3 series cars with 6cyl. [or bigger] engines have the battery mounted in the trunk from the factory. They have a VERY HEAVY gauge cable from the trunk battery to the starter in the engine compartment that took all of five minutes to remove. Also, the ground cable goes from the trunk to just under the passenger REAR seat. VERY NICE cabling that cost $7 for the pair, and is damn-near tailor made for mounting your batteries in the rear compartment.

'mphilips4739' you missed the point. If a sportbike rider has damaged his tank in a 'get-off', the gas lid is almost NEVER damaged, therefore not replaced [especially due to the cost]. It is extremely rare to see a dented tank being sold WITH the gas lid & key. The original poster appears to be looking more at the 'Cobra' or Ferrari type, so it is a bit of a mute point. The first on in DavyZ's post is REALLY COOL; but, I bet that it costs some serious dollars!

Out at the JY today, there were AT LEAST one dozen correct, intact Taurus Fans from the 3.8 V6. As a matter of 'fate', they happened to just be 'putting out' a '93 Lincoln Mark VIII. It had that bitchin' four cammer engine in it. The car was PERFECT, couldn't believe it was in a JY. Anyway, I jumped on that fan [they are only $15 out the door today]. It IS the elusive 18" unit. If someone will email me, I will take a side-by-side of it and the Taurus fan for everyone's viewing. I am not really interested in trying to learn to post pics right now, as my computer skills are one notch above an Orangutan. So, if one of you other savvy guys wants to post it, great. Can't really understand the seeming lack of logic in a JY charging a "Core" for an electric fan. They are in business to dispose of parts, so why would they possibly be entitled to a core? It isn't like it is a hazardous waste fee, that I 'might' understand...

I sure hope so. "Life" just has a way of rearranging priorities sometimes. Been some really challenging times the last year and a half or so. I'm back on it, handling the things that I know how to do on the project, and I'll have to hire out the mechanicals due to lack of experience I guess...which is incredibly unfortunate. Don't want to detract from this thread though.....

I have seen the Lincoln fans on eBay recently. They match the Taurus fan exactly...only they are 1-1.5" taller. The blade is 18" instead of 16". I have seen a couple of units with 'broader' and fewer blades [more straight/pie shaped] vs. Taurus' curved crescent-shaped blades. I saw no specific mention on the JTR site recommending the Lincoln fan. And, based upon past experience, have little faith in a return email. I have the JTR radiator, as many of you do. The Taurus fan has been used for several years with great success; but, I must say that I am intrigued by the idea of the Lincoln fan with 2" larger 'propeller'. I stockpiled the Taurus fans [i have FOUR]; but, the next time I go to P-n-P I'm going to keep an open eye for the slightly larger 18" unit. If it 'covers' the JTR radiator better, I'd prefer that one...though I'm certain that the Taurus fan will be more than adequate.

The extreme majority of sportbike tanks are sold WITHOUT the Gas Lid....eBay, craigslist, salvage sources. It is VERY rare to see someone selling the tank AND lid....what are they going to put on their replacement tank [assuming that you are dealing with a bike owner]? Also, you WILL need a tank [same brand bike] to cut-out the mount 'recess', which will not have the same contour as your Z, so you now need to fab enough material that matches the contour of the Z to the material/contour of the fuel 'recess'. The sportbike fuel lids run about $100 [give or take] for new. I spent several months casually scouring to get both of mine at what I felt was a reasonable price [$50 or less]. I got a second unit because the first one got pretty scratched with on-again-off-again trial fitting and body filler 'layers'.

After using the Search function, I was unable to get my specific question answered, so here it is: What is the specific location for a properly installed loop? [e.g. more towards the front of the shaft, dead center, or toward the diff] Thanks....

A reference pic would help so that others know exactly which one you have in mind. Many have done the Cobra flip lid. Some [including myself] have grafted sportbike lids on. Either option requires a fair bit of fabrication.....cost is not so big a deal; but, to make it look right takes WORK.

The JTR recommendation is the Two Speed Taurus fan. Pulls more cfm than any aftermarket fan out there [Fomoco spent a TON of money in R&D on that fan], is quieter, and much cheaper. It is "made" for their radiator. The harder part is finding their recommended Volvo relay. It took me quite a while to source one that didn't cost an arm-and-a-leg. If you are having trouble finding the Two Speed Taurus fan [3.8L], PM me....

Have you checked 'FleaBay' or RockAuto.com? Do you have a craigslist.org in your area?

Someone earlier posted that aftermarket seats are cheaper than OE seats; and, in my experience, that is just the opposite. OE seats are usually had significantly cheaper than aftermarket because of the masses of people who buy aftermarket seats for their 'Fast & Furious' cars, and then need to unload their stockers. As a bonus, stockers would be at LEAST DOT approved, which is better than many of those 'offshore' cheapos. Much safer, and better cover material. In terms of mounting, it's all going to require some fab work...either way. I have seen [and sat in] Miata seats that are an easy fit; but lack the passthrough for harnesses. I have experienced RX-7 FD seats, which have the passthrough and recline. I also had some 300ZX Turbo seats [later years] that were super nice. Honda S2000 seats have been successfully 'transplanted' as well. I stayed with the FD seats because they were cloth, and I personally hate leather. My last point is that ALL of the aforementioned seats were had for LESS than $500/pair. ***After reading the "STICKY" on this very subject, I remember seeing some Supra seats. There were several very decent pair at the jy the other day, and during the half Price promo they would run about $200/pair. With a little fabric cleaning, they would be perfect. Good deals are out there... Also, check http://www.craigslist.org in your area under 'Auto Parts'

I was at the Pick-N-Pulls in Sacramento, CA today looking for some inspiration on fender vents/louvers [e.g. 'Bartman']. I found some that I think will be both unique, and easy to apply. But, for this post... I was looking at the masses of Volvos there. I think that the front spoiler on the Turbos might work well as an OPTION for S30s. They are pretty well-designed, plentiful, and would be very easy to mount. Just thought that I would pass it along for those looking for something different.....

I was at the Sacramento, CA PnPs today looking for some inspiration. I found a COMPLETE Eaton M90 Supercharger system on a Ford Thunderbird, and TWO complete Turbo systems on Ford T-Birds. This is very unusual, and some of you super-fabricators out there might want to snatch them up. I believe that the pricing is $60. If you're a gambler, the Half Off promotion starts on 12/29 Just thought that I would pass along some unusual finds....

Just to pass along an FYI. I was rummaging the Sacramento, CA area PnP yards today, looking for some venting/louver ideas. I found SEVERAL Q45 diffs [VLSD R200] on cars ranging from 96k - 240k miles. All of the cars as of 3pm today had COMPLETE Rear Assemblies. For those that want to gamble, the Half Off promotion starts on 12/29. Both Rancho Cordova & Sacramento had several.

ndeli55 was right on it. Thanks. That's the one. They are also available with 'ducts'. See the pics of John Morton's original race car. Also Motorsport Auto has a pic in their catalog, possibly online as well. Again, MY preference is mostly because not everyone uses it.....

Have you considered the BRE/'Spook' Front Spoiler? It is THE original spoiler for the race 'effect', and I have used them on a few restored Zs that always garnered compliments. Most comment on how they seldom see that 'classic race look'. I've always been partial to them. The Airdam is just so common. It seems as though the strong majority of Z cars have it, like there weren't any options. Personally, I try to find something a little more unique....

Bump. Sorry, I couldn't figure out any other way to 'Subscribe' to this thread without posting...something.

Just wanted to share a tiny bit of info. for those that might need it. The Nissan part number for the C-Clip is: 39734-17V20 I chose to replace the little clips rather than re-use what was likely perfectly good original clips. It was very cheap insurance from my perspective. Now, I just need to see if my local AutoZone loans out the special tool to tighten the band clamps. Best of luck to those still in the process of the swap, and thanks VERY much to those that lended some perpectives while I struggled.

I do appreciate the insights of those of you who responded. The machine shop pressed them in. It took all of 20 seconds for both of them! Just as an fyi, indirectly pertained to the notion of different sized CV housings. The End Stops that I struggled with for so long were mic'd at the machine shop. They were .06 larger than the opening of the CV housing. Ironically, JUST before I left to see the machinist, UPS delivered the 'spare' set that Ross was kind enough to send. I brought both sets to the machinist. The 'spare' set mic'd. at .003 larger. Quite a difference! The machinist said that there wasn't ANY way that I was going to get the original set in, no matter how long I baked the housings. The 'spare' set slid right in with the appropriate Arbor Press. So, if I end up needing to use the 'original' set for the outboard side, I'll have to have them machined down. Incidentally, in case anyone in the future runs into trouble and tries my 'baking / freezing' method. The machinist said that the housings need to be 'baked' at 480 degrees or more to 'expand'. So, I baked them for a couple of hours at 400, and I could have baked them for a couple of DAYS and they still wouldn't have expanded. Again, thanks for the support 'jbc3', 'Bartman' and 'Mark'

So, to add insult-to-injury, I might have further screwed myself in that I had all of the CVs in a huge crate, and the half dozen or so diffs. on a shelf. As I sold sets off locally, I merely kept a 'set' for myself; and, never bothered to check the mating of the CV to the Output Flange of the Diff. My bolt pattern may not match up now if I miss-matched the CV with the diff...?! CRAP! OR, is it a subtle-enough difference that Nissan didn't change the actual bolt pattern, merely changed the casting of the CV housing...? Let's hope. I called Machine Shop number SIX, and he's willing to give it a try. I'm waiting for the CV housing to cool enough to handle, then I'll make the forty minute trek to let him have a go at it. Wish me luck, please :~)

It's definitely a possibility...? It has been so long since I pulled the Diff. & CVs, I'm not even sure what year they came from. I'm thinking '94 because I pulled six sets, and the latest was '95 [it had a smooth cover on the 'pumpkin'] and the earliest was '93. The kit for the conversion that came from MM didn't really specify... that I recall. I am calling machine shops in the area to see if any of them want to take this on....so far, 0 for 3 !!

So, I froze the end stops in the freezer overnight. Put the two 'housings' in the oven at 400 degrees for two hours; and, zip, zilch, nada. They ain't goin' in! Damn!! I called two machine shops in the area, and neither wanted to even look at my parts.....

Since I've got your attention, did you end up needing the 'stops' in both ends of EACH axle on your install, or just the inner CVs on each axle? Thanks!