Mikelly

Moby, Fight fire with fire and submit the paper work against them. Whatever happens, you don't want to come off as the aggressor again. Some advice... I'd plan to move. Whatever it takes, Get as far away from those people as you can... Drama seems to follow some people through life. I do what I can to keep the Jerry Springer candidates as far away as humanly possible... Keeps me out of jail, and the world balanced. I know, I know... A guy shouldn't have to sell out and move just to get away from bad neighbors... But sometimes (And more often than not) this is the only logical solution to not lose yourself or the life you have with your family in the conflict. Good luck! Mike

Chalk it up to idiots on ebay... You did the right thing. If he had negative feedback, then you had every right to bust him on it. Mike

It's kinda funny you should mention that, Bill. Even on race slicks on it at the track, my ZX9R would spin the tire at will with only 131 whp. I can't imagine how much throttle control an R1 would require. Mike

Bill, Honestly, Above 130mph, if someone says "I've done XYZ speed" I'd ask them to prove it... AND NOT by SPEEDO Reading. All the speeds I qoute myself as doing stand the potential of being incorrect except for the few times I was able to employ a friend in the state police with a Radar gun and some two way radios. We've seen cars read as much as 30mph off when dealing with rear diff, tranny, and tire combos coupled with 30 year old nylon speedo gears and stretched cables. John C. JT1, Mark Icard, and the few other guys (Sorry to those whose names escape me right now) who spend time on large road courses are the few who I'd listen to when discussing taking a Datsun into those speeds... At VIR we have a two places per lap on the main course where you can easily achieve speeds in excess of 130mph, and one place where I've personally seen about 150mph in my Corvette. I'd expect my Zcar to hit similar speeds when it is done. Mike

Other than the posted times for those running salt flats, and the few who have gone to jail for exceeding the limits, I don't know how you could validate this... I've seen bunches of discussions and people make comments about how unstable a stock Zcar is... Aerodynamically speaking, none of these non-stock Zs is going to have an issue in the 140mph range. I've personally seen Dr. Sideway's Car and Mark Icard's car both in excess of 140mph and BOTH have been very stable. One of the cars mentioned has extensive spoilers and aero treatment, and the other is more minimal. I think the right setup will allow you to run in the 160s very stable, and in the 170s with some aerodynamic work... this assumes spoilers, wings, and other aero-tricks are being employed already, along with a healthy and adjustable suspension with the right weighting, and bumpsteer mods. Mike

Jim McNemar was gracious enough last evening to allow me to drive his rolling masterpiece. This car is something I cannot convey the beauty of in words. JIm has spent about $40,000 in the last year on parts alone, not including the labor to transform this car into one of the most impressive Datsun Zcars in the world. The cost mentioned above doesn't include the 18 year old body work or paint... The exterior of the car has held up well for that long, and still looks amazing, even with the green antifreeze spray from the little mishap that found his car on my car trailer. This car reminded me of why I sat out in 1997 to build a V8 Datsun Zcar. The noise, the mechanics, the sounds, the gutteral and visceral feel of so much horsepower in such a small package... This car is the king of the jungle, and to be rivalled only by a few cars who'se price tags reach the cubic meters in depth of cost. I drove this car a total of two miles and it kept me awake ALL NIGHT thinking about that two miles. I can not convey the feeling, the impact, or the impression left upon me. The car is increadibly stiff, due to the cage, the frame rails, the suspension, and the 300# and 250# springs installed. I'd leave it as is forever more, as it is the cats azz, suspension wise. The car is built to chase track titles, and with a little tuning it will achieve it... But the car itself is a rolling masterpiece of every part that is the best, and available to purchase and install on a Datsun 240Z. The precise steering, the brake feel as you applied pressure to the massive 13 inch brake setup, the shifting of the transmission, and the sounds... Oh those sounds... I terrorized the neighbors for about 10 minutes and it was glorious. The sound of the 3 inch pipes, and the tires screaming under protest of the clutch play... It was simply amazing... The stats: 1973 Datsun 240Z converted to scarab BY scarab in 1977. This car has a custom set of flares at four corners and no seems for fenders, headlight buckets, or spoilers... There are NO seams until you look at the hood and the windshield cowl, or the doors. The bodywork is masterpiece in motion. The car is painted in a Sykens Red. It surprisingly matches the 2004 350Z perfectly. We painted the chromoly cage welded into the car the same color. Jim also had the floor pans and frame rails re-done to insure the car would be strong enough for the duty of supporting a 350 Chevy small block with the best of the best isntalled. The motor has an Eagle Forged rotating assembly installed into a four bolt main block. The assembly is internal balanced and is bolted to a set of custom aluminum heads with big valves and a custom roller valve train. The oiling system is a canton road race pan cut to clear the S&S headers, a canton accusump, an System one oil filter system, and all the windage/ oil scrapers you can assemble on a motor. The fuel system consists of a Holley system Commander 950 Wideband FI setup, along with a Fuel Safe fuel cell, specifically designed for EFI. The tranny is a Custom Gforce, employing a Lakewood bellhousing, Centerforce DF clutch kit, and a Howle Hydraulic clutch kit. The rear diff is a custom Quaife unit with 3.70 gears, and MML custom axles. The suspension is MML coil overs, rear brakes, front brakes, and Jamie Taylor Hubs. We're using my front control arms/ TC rods along with AZC rear control arms and camber plates. The car is on rails when driving it. We are rolling the car on CCW wheels in Z06 size... 18X11 rear and 17X9 fronts. The interior is fairly stripped with custom Sparco seats, Corbeau harnesses, Custom autometer gages, and some unique switches to control some of the equipment... This car stirs the soul...Like None I've experienced. Like an idiot, I did not take CURRENT pics of the car, but you can see pics here: http://photos.yahoo.com/dat74z Click on the red Zcar folder. Mike

I can't wait to SEE it! Mike

Alex. OH man... I'm still laughing over that one... Jesus.... Crossssss.... Mike

The corvette, Viper, and new Mustang GT have true duals as well. The C5 had them from 1997 forward, and the new C6 does as well... Although the Hpipe design is a joke... Mike

YUp, and that was the ONLY reason I went with the 1.5 inch tubing... That little bit of extra space around places like the steering wheel and rocker boxes was more of an issue with 1.75 tubing. To each his own, But I'm very pleased with my track day cage. Mike

My cage was designed and built by a NASA and SCCA tech inspector and we used 1.5X.120 mild DOM. For comparison, the tubing came out to be about 1.25 pounds per foot of tubing... We used 68Ft. of tubing... So imagine how heavy the S&W cage is... Oh, and I got a 12 point S&W cage GIVEN to me with my Z when I bought it from Chris Cloud. I promtly sold it because of the design and weight. As noted elsewhere, you have to be careful on what "type" of SCCA event you envision running in. My cage would require the removal of the welds on the windshield Gussets to be considered ITS legal, and then I'd have to get a waiver for at least one other tie in point. On the other hand, You want to build it with as broad a spec coverage as possible, which was why I employed a shop like Pipe Motorsports to do my cage. That said, If I was going to install one, I'd do EXACTLY what 240Hoke did! Nice work! Mike

Michael, Based on our discussions previously, You will be one of the FEW people who will be MORE than fine with your retirement plans. You're running out of excuses and need to just SPEND the money and finish your car man! Cheers! Mike

We should have Jim McNemar's Red Zcar at the Shindig. Looks like we'll be doing a noon to six-ish kinda thing this time around guys! Mike

You can see various pics of mine Here: http://photos.yahoo.com/dat74z Look in the various Folders. We paved the driveway in January. Mine is a 32X24 with an 11X32 upstairs that isn't done yet. The ceilings are 12.5 feet and the lift barely clears it. I just found out I'll be replacing a porting of the garage floor sometime in the not so distant future, since the floor is dropping in the back half, due in large part to the poor soil the building was built on. I strongly recommend a structurally re-enforced floor for any "new" garage builders. My next garage will be MUCH larger... Mike

Neither... I say "The best damned site on the web". Mike

Got my fingers crossed as I was really looking forward to taking a look at this clean install! Mike

It's like doing a V8Zcar project. If you have the patience and thick skin, the rewards are imeasurable. If not, you'll never get her out of the garage... Hang out, SEARCH on key words and ASK THE MODERATORS of the specific TOPIC FORUMS for help... we're here to help you, but you have to meet us half way by ASKING! Hope you choose to stay and try harder... Mike

Well it will take a minimum of seven consecutive years to match it, and the field is growing closer now. And make no bones about it, No one in recent memory controlled the pace of the 21 days riding the way Armstrong has. It was painful for Ligget and Sherwood to admit that Lance Armstrong is the best cyclist the Tour deFrance has ever seen... Mind you, Armstrong wasn't a threat to any of the other classics, unlike three of the four previous five time winners. But he did win one of the Classics before his bout with Cancer. The next five years will be interesting to watch. I'd love to see Armstrong become a promenant figure in the US Cycling Program's training. Mike

Rasmussen was sad indeed. It broke my heart to watch him suffer. He beat himself mentally. Ullrich had third place sewn up before the start... Sad really. Rasmussen is well known in NORBA Mountain Bike racing circles, as is Cadel Evans. The two of them are favorites of mine and to see the events of today unfold, and yesterday's disaster for Rasmussen, was a letdown. However, watching the commeradery of the riders with Lance, and them "giving" him the points for the climb for the last climb of the tour. It was amazing to watch the members of the various teams come to him during the ride today and congratulate him. To See Basso and Ullrich on the podium with tears streaming down their faces, it was impressive. The champion has taken his prize and the sport is forever changed. I'm not sure it will be as exciting to watch again. But I'm certain that we have witnessed a history that will not be repeated again for decades to come. Mike

R&L wanted to charge $320 to deliver from their shop in Arkansas to my home in Fredericksburg, Va. where as Forward Air only wants about $150 to ship from the Depot in LittleRock to the Depot 5 miles from work at Dulles. Mike

Posting pictures and names/ addresses isn't the answer guys... Hell I personally invite all of you guys to my HOME a couple of times per year, and would pretty much convey my same exact thoughts on these off topic subjects, although in a more thoughtful way (Face to face beats text any day of the week) at any of the get-togethers we have... Just ask those (Both democrat and republican) who have attended my shindigs. NO, I've always said and will always hold fast to the fact that who you are on a website is who you damned well should be in public, because people are drawing conclusions on each of us, based on what we type. It's all we have to go on. If you say "I believe ABCDEFG" in text, and then back pedal in public and say "I was just kiddin'" That'll speak volumes about who you really are in my book. As someone mentioned to me offline, It's ok to disagree on a topic and argue your point in a non-offense, and non-emotional way. In the recent past I've found I can't do that, because of my work. And I'm ok with that, because now I know I need to work on that area of my life. Lets get back to cars. Mike

Uh, You really need to search the forums and educate yourself. The unibody, fenders, doors, and hatch are ALL the same on ALL 70-78 Zcars, excepting the rear vent on the 70-71 hatch. The ONLY REAL difference in the "look" of stock Zcars is the introduction of the five mile perhour bumper, added midyear 74. MIke

Marriages break up for any number of reasons... He is a good role model overall... Read his book "Its not about the bike" and you'll learn more about his personality and moral beliefs than most would believe. As to his divorce from Kik, She knew what she was marrying into. All the sudden one day she wakes up and decides this isn't a life for her, and she makes the choice to leave. According to Lance, He loved his wife and didn't want the divorce. But he is who he is, and I'm sure the ego that goes along with being the man isn't easy to live with either... You get a peek into that in his book as well. Stuff happens, people move on, and you get over it I suppose. I still think he is a terrific athlete and sportsman, as well as a heck of a spokesman for cancer and cycling in America! Mike

These comments are telling, and rest assured, the staff are reading them. We have lost members over these controversial topics. I've been part of the cause of this with my "Kill them all, and let god sort them out" attitude, which is just an opinion from someone who is to near the flame. I've been called a bomb throwing Irish terrorist (because of my last name, funny that I've never been to Ireland), compared to Hitler, Satan, BinLaddin, and Hussein over this stuff, and have had public and private back and forths with members over this STUFF that is our current climate in our world. All because of text. Text from a keyboard, and an opinion of one. Unfortunately, as an adminsitrator, I guess I should have been more subdued and managed the threads, not jumping in or contributing a view or opinion. That flame I mention above again... It gets hot sometimes... The sad reality is that we're all stressed out over the news. It is everywhere we go. Media is everywhere and the horrors of war and terror are inescapable more now than at any time in our worlds history because of this exposure to the media in all forms. Right, wrong, or whatever, our collective sensetivities are hightened and our skin much thinner, even here on HybridZ, than any time I can remember. It truly pains me to think that I've contributed to these divisions, and I know that my opinion and commentary on these topics has turned some against anything I'll ever type again. I've been confronted over my ability to fairly administer or moderate here because of those back and forths, So much so, that I put it to a "tribal vote" in the admin forum and asked Dan to do what he thought was necessary if I indeed overstepped my bounds. I don't have the answers to how we get past this issue or the division of our members over these issues. But I personally feel that posting these religious and political topics isn't going to speed the recovery or healing process anytime soon. We kicked around the idea of a Politics and Religion Forum Where John C. could moderate the discussions with an iron fist, and I was actually for that because John posts some of the most insitefull information you can find on the arguement from the right, and there are equally talented researchers who post stuff from the left. These particular links are the substance of making us think from different points of view, and will be missed by many. But they won't aid in making us well again anytime soon. So lets get back to cool cars, creative designs, and progress towards a cohesive and united direction, Building FAST DATSUNS. "A man forever looking over his shoulder will never live his future". Mike

I'm with Scottie and others. Matt, For four years I've been with out a Zcar while I was building control arms, building a garage and playing with the corvette... You have to ask yourself this... Do you want to do the Z, or don't you? There is only so much time in the day, and with work, family, and the occassional exercise thrown in, where do you fit in another project down the line? I just look at my peers who are on the track, or on the street in their Zcars while mine still sits, Closer to being done, but still sitting, and I wonder how much further along mine owuld have been to completion if I didn't have the Vette's distractions or the other issues in life that I mention above. Just my opinion, but I'd pass and finish the Z, enjoy it for a while, and then see where you are with time, space, and life! Mike