Mikelly

The crank is a brand new Scat9000 internal balance and the balancer was used, bought here from a member, but in good shape. I'll have to take some measurements on th and see what they come to. I don't think this thing should be as tight as it is... I've broken TWO install tools and now a ARP bolt. The threads appear to be trashed, but I'll sort out finding a tap and see if I can clean the threads out and salvage what is in there... I'm not gonna re-use this damper... and it will likely go in the trash... Mike

Any of you guys know if it is possible to repair or replace the threads in the end of a crank shaft? Had something happen today I've never experienced before... Installing the balancer for the FOURTH time, the bolt got hung 3/4 of the way in... Wouldn't come out, wouldn't go further... I heated it, and tried to gracefully back it out, and after all else failed, I hit it with the impact and removed it... completely trashed the bolt and the inside of the snout of the crank... I feel sick... People wonder why every year at this time I contemplate unloading this project... This balancer has caused me more problems than it is worth... I'll never buy another Fluidamper...Not worth the friggin' metal it is made of... SFI or not...I have heated it, lubed the crank snout, lubed the inside of the balancer, hit it with steel wool, sand paper, and it still would not go on without SIGNIFICANT force, and even then not all the way on... Mike

There is no such thing as a 2005 SVT Cobra... Ford doesn't plan to even make the Lightning anymore and the only project on their books for 2006 is the Mustang Cobra GT for 2006. It will be a bad bitch... You want to see silly? Go over to a couple of the Corvette sites... I posted my GT3 thread from here over there and within 10 minutes I had a bunch of asses telling me how wrong I was for driving that fast on a public road... It spiralled and was deleted within the hour... Mustangs are nice and can be modified to be quite quick. I don't know why it is the younger group of owners is the way they are, but they are similar to the Ricer crowd... Sad really! Mike

YUp, My best friend owns and swears by Volvos. He had the 850TR Wagaon and sold it for his new XC70 AWD Wagon. I car pool with him two days per week in that car... They are well made for sure... Buy used though. His lost 7K in value between March and October this year and it is a 2003 loaded... Glad your buddy and his family weren't hurt... This is WHY I'm a fan of red light cameras... We can't police ourselves, so the government will have to do it for us... Sad really. Mike

There used to be a Driveline specialties shop in Fredericksburg, but it closed. THe main headquarters for that company was located in Richmond... Mike

So Saturday morning, January 1st rolls around and it is balmy and gorgious in Fredericksburg Va. It finds me with paint roller in hand, on a ladder, with the Missus barking orders at me to paint here, or touch up there... When a little black sports car pulls into the drive... It is a very shiny, nice looking little Posrche with a very large wing on the back... Jim McNemar hops out and I know that my warden has come to pardon me from this day of manual labor... I run down stairs with speed I've not seen in some time, grab shoes and run out side to see this new wonder of german steel, aluminum and composite. WOW... Jim is grinning like the proverbial cheshire cat, complete with feathers sticking out of its mouth... He just at a bird, and it is settling well. We crack a beer (it is 10:00 AM) and chat about the car, his Scarab project, and his new motor. We walk out into the garage and chat for a few minutes, then he says "You are gonna drive this Porsche... You've got to experience it!" OK, so you don't tell a man "NO THANKS" when he wants you to test drive his new toy... So I sheepeshly said "OK!" Jim knows nice cars. He has a very nice Z06 Corvette, and had a nice Porsche Cayen, (The GT3 has taken its place). He also will have one of the nicest Zcars you are likely to ever lay eyes on, so he doesn't need me to tell him how fabulous his car is. But it is. This car is amazing to drive. The power hits and hits hard at 4000RPMs and just keeps rolling on like a freight train. It is simply amazing, the rush of acceleration this thing brings. The steering is light, the car handles so crisply and so exact that you put forth little effort. Jim told me that the sales guys warned him that the ride would be harsh and that the tranny is notchy... not so. This car is a sports car, and the ride is firm, but no more so than the Vette. Brakes got tested as we were on the interstate in 4th gear, traveling about 105mph when a car decided to change lanes into our path... EXCELLENT and FIRM braking that tracked straight and true. We rolled the car up in 3rd gear to about 105mph, and 4th and 5th gears both saw stints at 120+mph. The car simply pulls effortlessly. It was amazing. I did one 6th gear roll on from 70 mph and the time it took to get from 70 to 130 was from the underpass of one exit to the end of the on ramp from that exit...in SIXTH gear. Thank's to Jim for having a Valentine detector on hand for this test drive! This car also drives like a VW around town. Cruise in 3rd gear below 4000 rpms and it is like any other car. The clutch take-up is exact and the Carbon kevlar clutch material is very precise. You feel everything. Clutch pedal effort is a little stiffer than a normal clutch setup in modern cars. The pedal is harder to depress than the Z06, but not by a lot... and you do not mind at all. This car drove very timidly through traffic in town without a hitch. No bucking or peaky revs, or any of the other difficulties some sports cars exhibit. This thing could be driven to the grocery store by your grandmother. What struck me more so than anything else was the jaw dropping stares we got from people as we rolled along at 100+MPH speeds or trundelled in stop and go traffic. People want to see this car, who is in it and what it is all about. We got a kick watching people's reactions. C5 Vettes have become so common place that you don't tend to get that much in the C5 anymore. Words can not express my appreciation to Jim for allowing me to drive a car of such magnetude. I've ridden in a GT3, but never got to drive one. Most owners won't trust the keys of such a car to the hands of someone who thinks he is the next coming of Michael Shuemacker! Jim is a very well grounded, down to earth good 'ole boy done good who isn't stressed about such things. He trusted me with the care of his Scarab, and he trusted me with keys to the GT3... I can NOT express the level of excitement and what a true TREAT it was to go for an hour ride with him, driving his car. Jim, If this is any indicator to how well my 2005 will turn out, I can't wait... Thanks again for the drive! PIcs will be up in a bit... Got to get them online and then over to Doug to host! Mike

They are 2 5/8th Autometer Phantoms... Same as the ones I have... I really like the look of those on that Dash! Can't wait to do mine! Mike

That looks like CRAP... Wanta do mine? Good work man... and thanks for the tip on the 16Gage brackets... Got some, will make some! Mike

I'm in renovation hell... We got carpet installed on Wednesday in the Master Bedroom and the music room... Last night and this morning we completely painted everything in the music room and it is DONE... I just finished the walls in our 26X15 Master bedroom and We'll cut in the trim after lunch and do the ceilings so we can move our furniture back into the Master... Probably be to tired to do much of anything else...no parties this year! Mike

I love Jegs! I placed the order Wednesday afternoon and this morning everything showed up via FEDEX! Geez, after 3+ years without my Z, it will feel very strange having a Z in the garage I can move under its own power! Mike

Joshua, I'll keep everyone posted on how well the tranny works. We're doing two of them and Jim's project will be on the road before mine, so we'll be able to sort them out relatively soon. As for fitment, this thing is TINY and weighs only about 70# without the bellhousing and other goodies attatched. Be aware that GM Syncromesh isn't much more than a motor oil. I was a big fan of it, but stumbled onto the tech info breakdown on it at a site that specifically broke it down.. Syncromesh isn't even a true synthetic, from what the tech data said. I think it was at http://www.bobistheoilguy.com if you want to do some research on oils. We can't use anything but Royal purple DexronIII with the Gforce stuff, and that isn't conveniant for me since I'm an amsoil dealer.... Paul C. told me that he has pulled appart several trannies in the past with the Gforce bits installed and found that Redline had turned to JELLY... Something about the Ester not getting along with the parts and getting contaminated... So I won't be using redline either! Good luck, and The Keisler isn't a bad unit, but I chose the route I did based on the research. Your trans will be plenty strong enough in a 2700# car, and if it isn't notchy, then you have zero problems! Either way, After having personal experience with the T56 tranny in one of these cars, I think we're both coming out ahead of the game. We're getting the strength (More than) of the T56, without the size or weight issues... Less filling, tastes Great! Happy New Year! Mike

That is a floor drain plug and you could add them if you like, but I don't intend to let my car fill with water... 'Course we don't generally deal with a lot of flooding, so your mileage may vary! Mike

Bill, I've got such a mess at the house right now, I probably won't even get to it this weekend... But when I do I'll either heat it, or hone it, one of the two... friggin' carpet install was a mess, and I've got furniture scattered everywhere, PLUS all kinds of other useless crap, which I finally broke down and threw out... On top of that the carpet looks so good, the wife wants to paint THIS weekend... so now I'll be painting the master bedroom and the music room, walls, ceilings and trim... Won't get back to the garage until next week sometime... So much for a new years shindig! Mike

Joshua, There may be a Bubba at Gforce, But I dealt with Paul Cangialosi at http://www.5speeds.com...'>http://www.5speeds.com... Every time I've called Paul Cangialosi, he has answered the phone and my questions... To my knowledge Paul builds every Gforce equipped T5 and T56 tranny that runs on the World Speed Challenge and that was all I needed to know... I have had personal contact with three guys running his tranny in WSC (and of which I found on my own through a Viper and two C5 Vette Websites, without Paul's knowledge) and all are VERY happy with his trannies pushing serious (600HP+) power out of his transmissions with NO failures. I already had a master cylinder by Tilton (7/8th bore) with a braded line I used on my T56... I'll recycle it. I thought I put the roller pilot bearing in the list, but it is coming in the Jegs order. I've ordered an Energy Suspension tranny mount... it was $40. My flywheel was previously purchased when the motor was being built, so it was needed for the internal balance on my 383 stroker... I got it on EBAY from a vendor for $130... it is SFI rated and was new in the box. Having had to deal with my C5s hydraulic TO bearing, I've decided I do NOT want to go that route. I'll use a stock T5 slave cylinder that I'll modify... cost is about $30. I did a little research of my own, and bottom line is the Tremec TKO is a Notchy transmission that I did NOT want to deal with. Everyone I've talked to about this tranny who has it, all complained about the break in period and how notchy it is. Pete Paraska told me flat out he would never own another one a while back, and I've driven two Mustangs equipped with the TKO and both were difficult to shift due to the issue. Furthermore, when I called Keisler, I was NOT given a warm and fuzzy when I told them about the project. On the other hand, Paul at http://www.5speeds.com was VERY enthusiastic about my V8 Zcar project and has invited me to come do an event at Sebring when the car is complete... I couldn't hold the guy at Keisler's attention long enough to get to the technical specs I wanted changed for my tranny needs... Your experience with Keisler may have been positive, However Bubba AKA Paul Cangialosi sold TWO transmissions based on his responsiveness, customer service, and attentiveness to my project needs. When he called me at home Tuesday night, I was VERY impressed... He went to the trouble of calling Jim McNemar to get my number, then called me. Bottom line is I got MY transmission spec'ed MY way. I'd highly recommend Gforce... regardless which way you go, I would NEVER do another T56, so in my mind, the Tremec was a good second choice, but the Gforce/T5 was #1 and would ONLY be replaced by the TKO if Paul couldn't deliver the tranny within the timeframe needed. Mike

YOu know, I've travelled outside of the US a bit, and I honestly had NO IDEA that these locations were such hotspots for tourism... I was certainly caught off guard... Toll is above 80,000 fatalities so far, and expected to hit the 100K mark... This is a true tragedy! Mike

Search in this category for the thread where Dan Juday was making his own adjustable control arms... In it there is a parts list of things you could buy and put together/ weld to make your own adjustable suspension... That is the best way to go in my humble opinion... You need camber/ caster/ Toe adjustment and all you have from the factory is Toe... Mike

...And people wonder why Chevy keeps the Pushrod configuration in the LS1/2/6... Look how WIDE that modular is... I've got a buddy trying to shoehorn one of these modulars into his 1986 Mustang and he is having issues... Mike

Well There are some answers out there... First, you have a unit-body car. Therefore you can't very well do a "frame-off" restoration. Similarly, a "true" Tube Chassis would be hard to do, although several here have come darned close... You can remove a lot of the sheet structure to the vehicle and weld in new tubes and better sheet material... the only issue to really keep in mind is keeping the body from moving once you remove everything that is keeping it in line. Michael is a member here who has done the bigblock conversion, and has a full cage installed after having the firewall relocated and some other serious chassis work done... You might want to chat with him! Mike

Actually yes, I understand why it is soooo tight... It is designed just like Piston pins... Interferance fit... I'll heat it up, as that is likely the culprit. I checked the key and the keyway in the balancer... when I installed it without the TC on, the balancer had sat in front of my torpedo heater, nice and toasty and the motor WAS COLD... So I suspect an amount of heat (Not a lot, but say 150-170 degrees) will aid in it going on... It came to me today when I was noodling this around... Mike

Soooo Now that I've ordered my clutchkit and am in the home straight for having everything in house to actually BUILD my 2nd V8Z... Here is the run down on what it cost me for my T5 setup Vs a T56 unit... Gforce T5 Custom transmission/ Shifter included - $1840 The rest of the parts were bought through Jegs, since I can't seem to beat the prices and the parts are heavy so the free shipping was a good choice... Links below: Centerforce DF Clutch Kit 11inch #183-DF148552 - $262.99 Centerforce Release Bearing #183-N-1716 - $33.99 http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=2150&prmenbr=361 Lakewood SFI Bellhousing #620-15020 - $329 http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=2141&prmenbr=361 Lakewood Clutch Fork Boot #620-15510 - $19.99 http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=198624&prmenbr=361 Jegs Clutch Fork #555-60101 - $29.99 http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=4747&prmenbr=361 Jegs Dowl Pin Kit #555-22006 - $9.99 http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=85507&prmenbr=361 Mr. Gasket Fork Ball #720-3855G - $13.99 http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=2145&prmenbr=361 Total comes in at about $2550 for everything sans Flywheel, which I got earlier for about $130 balanced with a 53 ringgear and SFI rated as well. Bolts for the bellhousing come with the bellhousing kit, so you won't need to worry about that, although you will want to trim the bottom ring off the bellhousing for an additional 1 inch of ground clearance! This gets you the Certification and torque rating you should need to make Hi HP live in one of these light weight cars, I hope! This is also the same setup we're gonna use in Jim McNemar's V8 Zcar! Mike

Depends on what you are trying to achieve and what you consider "Light". There are a few tricks that will lose 70-100 pounds fairly easily... Ditch the heavy (And some say UGLY) bumpers and bumper strut hardware and save a lot on BOTH ends of the car... And ditch the factory exhaust/ resonator/ pipes/ manifold. The earliest (1970) 240Z weighed about 300# less than the latest (1978) 280Z is my guestimate, but I'm sure one of our info Junkies will belch out the right exact numbers! Mike Mike

Bill, the installer works completely differently... has a threaded shaft that threads into the cranks, and then another threaded (LArger diameter) portion of the shaft has a bearing and a nut, which you turn against the bearing to drive the balancer on... Mike

Yea, and although I'm for relief and donations... Lets keep our collective guard up people... There have been FOUR identified fraud fundraisers here in the DC area in the last TWO days...According to a news tip on WTOP. Make sure the funds/ donations you send are getting to the relief organizations and not SOME SCUMBAG! 60,000 lives lost and counting... this will likely be the largest single weather related disaster of our time.... Mike

So yesterday afternoon, between moving furnature for new carpet installation in my music room and the master bedroom/ stairs and dealing with the Dish Network installation at our house, I took 30 minutes to re-install the timing chaing cover and install the balancer... So I bolt everything back up, and get my driver tool... start installing the balancer when the tool feels VERY tight... I back it off and check the threads on the installer to make sure I'm not bottoming the tool out again... Nope... So I reinstall it again and start snugging everything down and AGAIN it gets VERY tight, like the balancer is binding on something... it has gone on now without the cover on, so I'm really concerned... I put just a tad more torque on it when SNAP... the end of the tool breaks off IN the damned crank shaft right as the DISHNET guy comes into the garage... He is somewhat of a gearhead and when he sees me do that, he thinks the crank is trashed... of course I've done this before, and know that all it takes is a pick and some patience, because you have to back out the portion of tool... which I show him how to do real quick... But I'm still at a loss... the balancer goes on with ZERO drama with the TC cover off... Mike

ZEDD Findings is one of the companies that sells the floor pan kits, but you can get them from (Dare I say) MSA as well as Victory Brittish. I'd OPT for making your frame rails from the blueprints found here: http://alteredz.com/structuralmods.htm As for pre-made cages... Yes, there are two that are readily available, but I don't like them... The S&W Rollcage kit here: http://www.swracecars.com/ and the kit offered by http://www.jegs.com is another option. Reason I say I don't like them is because they are drag racing oriented and NOT designed to function as well for road course stuff, but may suit your needs, depending on what you intend to use the car for. Mike