heavy85

Cary - That's the wrong answer - you actually get a lot of respect not being a 'trailer queen' + the ~14 MGP daily driver makes that painful. OK so tow vehicle + trailer is step one that I know is inevitable, unfortunately. Now step two - what about the car and the events? What area should be focused on? John mentioned stiff springs. Any other cool events out there I should try? Cameron

Yeah it's rambling but I'm looking for ideas on how to best have fun with the car. Try a hillclimb maybe? Focus on designing a new rear suspension that will put power down better maybe? Data acquisition so I know where to gain time maybe? I can fabricate so am wondering if there is a lot to be gained in the suspension? That sort of thing. I would like to add a cam, rollbar, A6's, aluminum radiator, pads, brake cooling, splitter, ... but in the end this is my toy that's to relieve stress and I want to spend my time and $$ wisely to accomplish that goal. Over the last year I've been exploring all kinds of racing with it running with different regions, tracks, clubs, & even took it to the drags. This has been a LOT of fun. Now I'm wanting to keep having fun with it but also keep developing it and am looking for ideas and bang for the buck in terms of lap times and fun factor. So how much are springs really worth? Yeah #2 2600 is me and passenger seat and ~1/2 tank. Chassis is already relatively stiff so I dont think that's it and I believe on track I'm gaining every time ... it's the low speed autox stuff where I've run out of talent. Cameron

My car is reasonably fast as it sits - easily a cople seconds faster than I am. So now I'm at a quandary where to take it next. I do not want to go wheel to wheel with this car so that's out. I've been running low speed autox for years and seem to be in a rut where despite many updates dont seem to be making any ground on the faster cars. I've also grown a bit bored with it. Last year I started high speed autox (autox on a full racetrack - one timed flying lap starting from pit road) and immediately got hooked. I've since run four HSAX, track drivers school, open track days, and recently completed my first NASA event where I got signed off for HPDE Group 4. So next event I should be able to get signed off for Time Trial license and start to compete. On a full track my car is relatively much faster than parking lot stuff. It's an LS1 swap (~350 hp) and 2600 lb race weight 240Z on Hoosier slicks so it keeps up with most cars out there. I was having a ball playing with 600+ hp C6 Z06's at the NASA event. Full out to full out they are probably a couple seconds faster than me but I could keep up and even passed them a time or two. The car as it sits is very easy to drive fast. Very neutral and I can manage 4 wheel drift during track out by more or less throttle. Biggest problem is putting down the power as it spins the rears easily. The brakes fade easily but that's mostly due to the pads and need for cooling. I'm also seeing wear on the far inside edge of all tires. I dropped a degree of camber and am now getting fairly even tire temps but am still wearing the inside wear indicator. I've got some basic aero like a pedestal wing, front spoiler, ducted radiator, vented lid and more or less fully adjustable suspension. 300F, 250R, big 'n little bars, Koni SA, etc. So I'm looking for advice where to take this next. I realize a good drivers school would be beneficial but that's a years worth of racing funds so it's hard to swallow. I also realize that A6's would be faster but am worried about life. I'm also getting scared my luck will run out and something major will break and leave me stranded or worse ... Given the economic situation I'm also not wanting to spend a lot of $$ anytime soon. Really just looking to have fun and try new things and keep getting faster. I realize this post is a bit rambling but I'm really just looking for ideas on what to do next? Thanks Cameron

Yes these were dry. In the past I've used anti-sieze but basically forgot when I installed these studs last winter. In talking with fellow racing engineers who have talked the bolt experts at work about anti-sieze they decided to use oil. I tried oil but it seemed to disappear after one use and again forgot to add anti-sieze. You do have to realize that anti-sieze will impact the stud stretch and the required torque. Anyway I know all this and I know why they siezed I'm just trying to find a brand or store to buy 'quality' nuts. Are you saying just use the bling crap off e-bay or whatever the autoparts store has when you say 'soft' nuts? Cameron

Tim - Last weekend at Autobahn was friggin awesome. The nut seized about halfway on because they've been taken on and off a zillion times. The treads are simply worn out and were flaking off the edges into small metal shavings. Apparently one of the flakes got stuck in the threads and I had no choice but to turn it till the stud snapped. I dont think it has anything to do with the car itself just cheap studs and nuts that have been used many more times than they were probably design to. Ain't skeered with 4 lugs. They are also 1.25 fine pitch which obviously doesn't help matters. I plan to switch to GM/Miata 1.5 pitch which as of Saturday night I already have one installed . Camaro/Vette/etc as well as Miata studs are the same knurl I believe as the Z but use 1.5 pitch instead of 1.25. EDIT - got that thing running yet? John - yes I'm running Diamonds wheels. I started off using their aluminum lug nuts but they are huge as they use a 1" socket. They didn't fit the street wheels so it was a PITA to switch nuts when you switched tires. This year I changed over to generic nuts that dont seems to have any compatibility issues in 9 events so far this year. That reminds me I have a set from then when I ordered the wrong size and never returned them. I'll have to dig them out but I remember they were huge as well. Cameron

... but they look perfect. Seal and piston look new? The bracket are from MM and are cast steel and I thought many had good experience with them. Pad wear is also even. Cameron

After seizing a lug nut this weekend at the track I've decided to upgrade to ARP studs. Problem is I can't find some quality lug nuts to go along with them. Any suggestions? Thanks Cameron

That will keep my rears from leaking At least I now have two piece vented rotors so I've gone from one to three laps before they go away. I now have a winter project ... You have to remember I'm on full slicks with lots of grip a very good power to weight ratio (~350 hp / 2600 lb) and I drive very hard. Yes My fade is pad fade not boiled fluid. Hard pedal just no torque. Yeah I need to upgrade pads but the whole street drive to and from the track has got me concerned. Just tore one apart. Everything is perfect. Pad wear is even. Seal looks new. Piston looks new. Now I'm really like WTF. Why did these start leaking? They leak just pushing the pedal sitting in the garage so it's not a heat related or dynamic flexing issue. Cameron

With the stock brakes I could go about one lap full out before the pads faded and I went off track - dont ask me how I know. With the new vented, two-piece rotor, 4 piston front & rear disk set-up I can go about three laps before the pads fade and I go off ... but dont ask me how I know that either. Either way these are HP+ pads which as I've found dont take heat well and have a low coefficient so are weak for track duty. I was expecting the new set-up to work much longer but they dont. Anyway this weekend were 25 minute sessions so around 15 laps give or take. Knowing their limitations I managed pad fade by braking WAY early - I mean WAY early - on the long straights and never had an issue until the next to last session. The pedal was always there so I dont think I boiled the fluid it just got progressively softer through the session and I could manage it. I had also just bled the brakes with Motul Saturday night so they had fresh fluid. I've gotten the stock brakes HOT and never had seal issues. I mean smoking burning the paint off kind of hot. I never even smelled brakes all weekend so I really dont think they got THAT hot. If I got the brakes hot enough to melt the seals I would expect to have seen other signs like blued rotors or at least smelled hot braked but I saw no indication at all. My concern is not with the fade as I understand and can manage that it's how do I prevent these seals from failing again. I missed the last session because of it so I dont want these things to leak again. Cameron

I was always taught that you dont mow wet grass. Guess you have to do things differently on the wrong coast. I plan to burn this week on purpose after I trim a bunch of crap up. Cameron

I'll skip boring everyone with the details and leave that to another thread but at the end of the NASA track weekend the brakes felt odd and weak with more than usual pedal travel. I decided to skip the last session - intuition is a great thing - and in the process of changing tires noticed that one rear 240sx caliper was leaking badly. I limped it home only to find out the other caliper was leaking but not as bad. WTF. One was a reman bought off e-bay and the other was from Advance. I didn't boil the fluid or anything and am only running Hawk HP+ which dont take heat ... and also fade really badly by the way. I'll repeat WTF. Any ideas? I thought many people use these for track days and even remember seeing pictures with heat checked rotors. One last WTF for good measure? Cameron

So now how do you mow the next time without fear of another 'heat incident'? Cameron

I did the Camaro tank because it's cheap (came with parts car), quiet, factory, and easy to install. Cut out the spare tire well. Weld in some simple 1" square tube - you can see a couple pics in my album in the background of the diff mount pictures. I used the Camaro straps and it fits nicely. I also used the Camaro wiring harness and filler neck. The filler neck had to be cut and reoriented a couple times and extended with a 1" round tube but looks totally stock. If you want to keep the tire well this wont work. It is also handy to have a complete car like I did because I used a LOT of pieces off it in the overall swap. I dont know how the baffling is in your tank but I've also not had any fuel starve issues and I pull a lot of g's with full slicks. This is actually the reason I went with the Camaro tank is to get some good baffling. Well that and I'm cheap but I would do it all over again. Cameron

You could always buy my SVT Focus that we've now officially grown out of Cameron

Do it Do it Do it. Fast and scary fast are two good reasons for LS swap. It will be one of the most popular car at any race if you like attention. Is sounds good. It confuses people. It's fast. It uses stock parts so easy to work on. Decent mileage. It's fast. In fact I can't think of a reason not too do it and would swap an LS again in a heartbeat. Only problem I had (actually have 'cause I never fixed it) was the fuel pump would only run for random amounts of time if controlled by the ECM. I hard wired the fuel pump around the ECM and it works fine. I used mostly stock Camaro parts and it worked out very well and stayed on budget. Cameron

Mine are long gone but the heat shield under the cabs helps with a lot of things but not the smell. I ended up having to park outside with the hood open for a couple hours, once cool put plastic bags over the carbs, then push the car into the garage. Even then the smell wasn't too bad but it was still there. I never finished the bowl cooling deal so cant say how that works. Cameron

Can we say u-joint angle ... and is the floor a cooler of some kind? Cameron

Careful there Tim your wife may take away your power tools if you keep that up. So when is the battle at Gateway? Pick your day - open test & tune days are Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Better hurry before I cam the LS .... The car is coming along well. I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing it. Looks like you are doing things right. Cameron

Depending on your tire choice steering is very heavy even at moderate speeds with relatively wide slicks. I sometimes have a hard time keeping up at the autox trying to manhandle those sticky tires. Cameron

I've got a set of front and rear strut bars I'll sell. I welded in bars instead of these bolt in bars. The brackets are powder coated 'Camaro Silver' (it's more gray than silver) and the rods are solid steel with rod ends. Make an offer and I'll see if it's worth getting rid of them. Cameron

... and I'm sure nobody ever 'touches' them right? Not never twisting of the cam or anything like that .... Cameron

I bought a wrecked '02 Camaro w/ 42k miles for my 240. Completely stock and I have never even split the engine from the T56. I drive my car occasionally to work but mostly to the track to race it. Between 80 and 200 miles one way to the track. Drag, road coarse, autox. Stock 240Z radiator, stock Camaro fuel system, stock 240Z 1/2 shafts and stub axles. Only broke once and that was a block from home when it chucked the driveshaft. I had the stock Camaro aluminum shaft shortened and they did a crappy job and it broke at their weld - the single part that I outsourced in the whole build. I've raced it probably a dozen or more times since the swap plus probably 5k street miles back and forth to the track. It's dead nuts reliable. Last Saturday was an open track day. Six 20 minute sessions with 230+ water temps for half of them. Monday was a high speed autox. Threw a belt during the first practice and ran half a lap with no water pump. Threw a belt on the front straight bouncing off the rev limiter in 4th (~115 MPH). I realized this when it puke antifreeze on my tires and spun four corners later. Gauge was pegged at 260 deg after running full tilt of about 3/4 of a mile with NO water pump. Replace belt, finished race, drove home 200 miles with no drama. These can take some abuse and get you home. I also run on full slicks so have high grip and high power and it takes it. Now watch I get stuck 2 hours away this weekend at the next race ..... Cameron

I already responded last year but (plug plug) I have a pile of Z drivetrain parts just waiting for new owners since the LS swap if anyone is in the market for engines, trannys, etc ... End shameless plug - I still live in Illinois so back on topic. Cameron

Looks like an in-car tube bender. Start with a straight tube, add spring/shock, add paint, install, hit a big bump and presto you now have a bent tube. Cameron

Poser Thanks Cameron