Sven

I think there's a general consensus here... do the Faiready now, work on it and swap the G-nose over. Make the California Z the long term project. Just get that Fairlady on the road! -BTW, it looks pretty damn clean. I'm doing the same thing with my two '73s, the less dented of the two stays L6, and the deuce & a 40 is going wide with a 331 Stroker, to be finished "someday".

One more vote for the lights! I have some 5.25" aircraft landing lights that will be mounted the same way. I tossed around the idea before, but your pics totally sold me on the grille mounting.

If you can get those Si seats cheap, scoop them up. I would in a second. My old roommate had an '01, and those seats are about the nicest factory seats I've ever sat in (btw, 5'9"/190lb). I'm keeping my eye out for a set locally.

Good info Tony! Yeah, Europeans do have some goodies. I wish I could get my hands on a Eurovan I5 TDI (um, just the engine). I drove the crap out of one for almost a week in Spain. Very decent and even quiet. Also, in Europe they have performance diesel cars... imagine that? I'd love to have one of those AMG Mercedes diesels we can't get. And I'm still waiting on a V10 TDI Toureg test drive. Dealers won't exactly order one just for me to flog for a few minutes. Anyway, I was born and raised in Germany, and have been across Europe and the Mediterranean. I fondly recall an autobahn trip in a friend's fathers top of the line Citroen @130mph for a half hour straight. Even so, I still haven't heard a diesel that sounded as decent as that Z. I think the diesel's image in the US can largely be blamed on GM, and their terrible diesel passenger cars of the late 70's/early 80's. The average American only knew diesels as stinky, loud, smoking slow cars that blew up.

I understand there are big vehicles that can be fast, after all- I drive a 2000 F250 with a Powerstroke and several mods that make it a freeway beast. BUT, your average Tahoe isn't exactly a speed machine. Personally, I really enjoy when Triplestacktiefighterwing Boy wants to cut me off on a lane merge. I let them downshift, then I mat it. It's especially nice when they are on the right ...just like my tailpipe.

Ummm, it's an SUV...

Who said that? I don't think anyone expects that. The problem would lie with the person on the other end of the postal system. I think that's fairly obvious.

Yeah Stony, they're huge. I toyed with Powerstroking an old Lincoln my dad and I have, but the big diesels are just so... big. The Duramax is do-able/relatively small, but still pretty heavy. There's been a Duramax'ed Chevelle put together already. I think it's a matter of right engine for the right car. -Sure, a Donovan can be made to fit in a Nash Metropolitan, but there are better choices. I've been trying to talk my dad into buying an old Lemans so we can make a DTO. We've got a few GM 6.2 and 6.5 diesels just sitting about just waiting to be turboed and slapped in. It would make for a neat driver with decent mileage.

I think this is a cool idea, but unfortunately it can't work. As said by others, it's the bad apples that ruin this for everyone (-didn't the the Pinks thing go sour?). For every honest person that thinks this is a wonderful idea, there's another thinking about how he can cash in off the suckers, and get a free set of scales... The anonymity of the internet makes this all the more easier a scam to pull off. I think this is a great idea, but the only way it would work is in a local club type of setting, where the threat of someone that lives "in your neck of the woods" exists to discourage the bastards of the world.

No problem Dan. You made me get off my ass and measure it, which I've been meaning to do. I measured my R.S. Compe intake and it was 4-3/8" flange to flange. -Very similar runner length to the TWM. I have the taller K&N filters on it, and they barely fit between the strut tower and carb. I'm guessing the Cannon forces you to use the shorty (less flow) filters. Maybe we should start a separate thread focusing on sidedraft intake specs and differences?

The Mikuni measures out to 2-3/4" - I just walked out in the garage with a tape measure... so those are fresh, not off the top of my head #'s. Anyway, it's pretty darn short. FYI, the Cannon ended up being 5-1/4", a huge difference. I also have an R.S. Compe (? anyone hear of them?) on my stroker car right now. I'll measure that tomorrow if I remember. I think it's probably in between the other two. -Hope that helps. How long is the TWM?

ROVdriver, did you do this yourself, or have it done by an upholsterer? Simply beautiful. It is exactly what I've wanted to do since seeing a Ferrari Dino years ago.

Nice work for an amateur, but you don't really count as one of those anyway... So what size primary are those? Did you shoot for a specific length, or was packaging the main concern?

Nice, verrrryy nice.

Debating the merits of the R200 and R230 diffs kind of misses the entire point of this thread. It has also been covered to wretched excess in other threads. I think the Ford 8.8 pumpkin in T-Bird/Mark VIII/Cobra/ or Explorer guise has a ton of promise. They're affordable, easy to find, and gears are readily available, as are limited slip options. There are also several spindle types to choose from. FWIW: The Jag setup is H-E-A-V-Y, same for the 9". Cool for a street rod, not for a 2500lb sports car.

My brother just came in wondering why I'm giggling like a school girl. I don't know what his problem is...

Cygnus -Don't get me wrong, its a cool idea I'd like to do. I just didn't want to see you get in trouble. Out of curiosity, how did you go about patenting your idea?

I don't mean to burst your bubble, but... Do an Ebay search. There are a few companies already selling this. Please don't get yourself into a patent/legal bind.

Those are serious old school punches. I had an oxymoronic ghetto system in my 260 that was actually expensive. That was like '94 or something. I made a box for a set of Boston Acoustic Pro Series separates, and ran them with an Orion 275... all from my $29 portable CD player. It actually sounded damn good til I finally bought an Alpine CD and torched the tweeters. Should have left it ghetto.

Pick up most any car mag today and you'll find the same.

The ridiculousness of the wheel/wheelwell relationship is stunning. Overall, this car has a ton of work(and probably money) put into it. It really is a shame that the end result just doesn't work.