Mikelly

Peej beat me to it... I was gonna say that the cages I've seen powdercoated have been coated on the main sections of tubing with the connections taped off and left raw for welding. The you match your paint up and just paint those welded joints later... Make sure to match the paint well, and no one will be the wiser! Mike 8)

Those tools make biker boys almost palletable... Mike 8)

Yup. My complaint with Virginia has always been that they don't care about real emissions... there is now reason for them to lift the hoo don my car and see what is under it, so long as it burns clean. However, Right now my Vette won't pass emissions under the current "Visual" inspection regs. My cold air kit is not emissions legal, which causes the problem from a visual aspect. Most of the states involved in emissions testing have it all backwards... All in the name of REVENUE generation. Mike

I'd like to thank Jamie T. and Pete for coming in and giving a hand on this project, and I'd also like to thank Ross for giving me his direct line... I only posted it on three boards and two bathroom stalls!! Seriously, though, I appreciate it... we didn't use it, but it was good customer support. Jim McNemar is a very generous man. He picked up the tab for Doug's 18 hours so far, and for quite a bit more work in the rest of phase 1 Next Saturday, and phase 2 in the coming month. I appreciate that bit very much... We still need to get over the hurdle of the interferance of his CCW wheels on the front spoiler/ fender, but I'm going to install my adjustable TC Rod/ control arms and that might help some. We also need to sort out WHY he only has about an inch of free travel for the strut before it hit the bump stops. Fun Fun Fun... Pete asked me why I took this project on... Jim McNemar is infectious when you talk to him. He oozes enthusiasm about the things that interest him. You can see it come out of him, and hear it in the tone of his voice. This project was tough, hard work, but man this car is GORGIOUS and these parts made it even MORE gorgious! Glad I picked them! This project and Jim have also given me renewed enthusiasm to GET MINE done. When I saw just how much work we got done this weekend, it hit me hard... All these weekends my car has been pushed off to the side... it is THE NEXT car to be worked on, when this car is out of the bay... My vette motor will sit in plastic when it arrives, as I have no interest in installing it right now... I've got bigger fish to fry... So Pete, to answer your question from Saturday, that is why I took on this project... I can't wait to see my own ride done!

OK Gentlemen, Because this has turned to a LESS THAN HAPPY read for ALL OUR MEMBERS, and has started to gravetate towards personal comments AT Each other by a few members, I Locked it... But now I've UNLOCKED it... FreedomFighter, Get it in check or GET OUT. PERIOD. I'm done justifying WHY your comments offended SOME READERS. There are a lot of folks on this site and many of them READ and don't POST. They do however comment to me offline when something offends them... If you don't approve of the way we moderate then TOUGH. I think you contribute, and are very intelligent, so I shouldn't have to tell you that you can be Passionate about a topic while being civil... No panties being worn (I'm actually a commando kinda guy, myself! ) and no pansies in site. As I told POP before, and I'll tell YOU now, THIS site doesn't operate under the view of YOU BEING ABLE TO EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT to free speech. You are more than welcome to fork over the money, start you own site and do that... But not here... You are however, FREE to stay, so long as you get it in check... You are bordering on confrontational arguements with other members and this site isn't the place for it... I'm not Baning anyone, and I'd appreciate other members NOT recommending anyone be baned... With the number of admins and moderators we have here, we're more than capable of showing someone to the door... and with THREE other ADMINS actively in this thread, THAT is why I reversed my own decision and UNLOCKED it... But just be aware that we're watching this and other "politically driven" threads. As Pete Paraska stated before... This site is NOT like the rest of www land. We're doing everything we can to keep it that way. I'd like to think that people of all walks of life can come in, enjoy the read, contribute to topics, without feeling like their opinion would ever be attacked... Regardless of the opinions of some, I think it is healthy to have these discussions, so long as we keep that last comment in mind. We have people from every persuassion and every religion who frequent this site. Please be considerate of them as well. Mike Kelly 8)

So an update is expected I suppose... Friday night the car and parts were delivered... At my suggestion at the time, Jim ordered the parts from Ross at MML... The parts took 8 months to get in, and the list of parts was extensive... I'm pretty sure Jim ordered almost everything Ross has to offer! I had never sectioned struts, so I had asked Ross to have them done by his machinist... I didn't expect a few things would still be required when I got them in, so some spacers and welding the coil over rings was still required. Yesterday morning I did that while Doug pulled the suspension loose... The car is gorgious with Ferrari 300 Sikkens RED paint on it, but the underside was filthy. We spent the afternoon cleaning and then painting suspension parts. The story on this particular Scarab goes like this: This car is a 1973 240Z that was sent by its owner, a dentist in California to have the transformation done... However, the Dentist did NOT want the body work or the badges. His intent was to have a sleeper he would be able to sneak races with. According to JIm, the car was quieter then, didn't have as radical a motor, and was a stock bodied Z. The guy eventually sold it to another Dr type guy who let his 18 year old son drive it for a few months... It was sold after it was deemed to much car... This was 1986. Jim bought the car in 1986 from this guy and drove it back from California. It was still a stock bodied Z at the time. THe paint you guys will eventually see on this car is the paint Jim had sprayed when the custom bodywork was done in 1988... This PAINT is GORGIOUS. When Doug gets home tonight and recouperates, I'm going to have him post some pics for me, since he has made space for my stuff on his server... We took before pics, and are taking after pics, and there will be at least one more stage. However, Jim is now thinking about freshening the motor in the car when we do the JTR swap, and We're also thinking about a cage and fuel cell so he can have true duals... I have a PILE of parts that will be for sale from this car... I've got complete strut assemblies for a 240Z LOADED with Bilstein Strut cartiridges. The lowering springs are the Scarab springs and will go with the assemblies... This will inslude brakes and lines... Contact me offline... I'll also have the original Jim Cook Racing 15X10inch and 15X7.5 inch wheels mounted with BFG race slicks on the rear, and BFG TAs on the front... FOR SALE... These are in the factory fourbolt Nissan pattern. More to come Mike

Well it's kinda funny, I was on the fence, but it isn't like we're actually doing anything BAD to the car. The car will still "look" like a scarab, but with updated wheels, suspension and brakes, and it will have a better position for the motor... Those guys did an excellent job back in the day, but today's technology is just gonna bring it into the 21st century! Besides, this guy is super attached to the car, and once you guys see the pics, you'll understand WHY he wants to keep it! He should be here within the hour! 8) Mike

The price was $50 per stub axle including the flange. They also have 5 lug hubs for $35 each... Mike 8)

FYI for people... Zbarn has them for $50 each plus shipping... Mike 8)

Ah yes... The American way... Burn flags, hate those who provide the protections and liberties that you take for granted, and spit on the soil so many have died on to make sure you have said rights to display your beliefs and protest for your causes... Glad to see it is still working, at least... God Bless America and all our sheeople! Mike

It certainly offsets the Marriage penalty... don't see HOW we can convince young people to get married BEFORE sex, when you GET TAXED for getting married in the FIRST PLACE... Another something we can THANK Mr. Clinton for... Mike

It is indeed an original... However, a worth can't be placed on it if the owner doesn't drive it because it doesn't "do" what he wants it to... Focus on this car is to do track days and the occasional cruise in... He wants to drive it, and right now it is sitting... Mike

Jim McNemar, a member here, is dropping his car and (Estimated) $15K worth of parts off to my garage this afternoon for me to start his transformation... Jim's got an original Scarab Zcar that comes with ALL the trimmings, body work, bulging fenders, and a 355 Chevy with 4 speed... And OLD technology brakes and 15inch tires... Jim asked me to put together a wish list of parts for him last winter and they finally came in three weeks ago. So today is the start of phase one... We're going to transform Jim's CLEAN, Straigh, Wonderfully painted fire engine RED scarab into a 21st century supercar with the help of a Ton of parts... Phase 1 is: Coil overs, Five lug Hub and axle upgrade, MM EXTREME 13inch front and rear brakes, and a new QUAIFE LSD R200 Differential with CV Axles, and finally a set of CUSTOM CCW 17X9 and 18X11 wheels shod with sticky tires... 8) I'm also gonna whip together a set of my custom front control arms to stick under the front of this car, since the others are still on back order... Doug Carrow will do the assist on this install, and we expect to be done by Sunday afternoon. Phase2 will take place probably over the Thanksgiving weekend. It will consist of ditching the Scarab mounts, and 4 speed transmission. We've opted for a JTR setup for mounts, and will install a new GFORCE 5 speed tranny. I'll also likely have to shorten some exhaust, upgrade the cooling for the radiator/ motor, and possibly do something about the oilpan/ header clearance... I'll know more once we're done... Doug and I will be taking LOTs of picks, and Doug will put them up online early next week so you guys can see the work we're doing... Oh, and Jim was nice enough to order me a GForce T5 transmission for all my hard labor! Can't beat that! More to follow! Mike

Not sure if this has been mentioned, as I didn't read all the replies, but the Victor Jr. on my 383 stroker fit easily under the stock hood of my 260Z with no clearance issues... Why give up the extra 20HP? Mike 8)

THat's why I'm using them, but again... You can get them A LOT cheaper if you search on some of the popular Vette and Mustang sites, as well as EBAY. Mike

Yup, a buddy of mine goes to Maxton all the time with a team, and they do really well with the ZX12Rs they've had modified, and He tells stories of some of those guys who show up there and run crazy speeds in that 5 miles airfield stretch! My ZX9R is modified, but not turbo'ed and it will pull HARD above 170MPH with the right air and 65-70 degrees... I just wish I could sell it... That Thing is more addicting than crack! Mike

OK, I'm with you now... YOu could do that... The only reason I would think long and hard about a custom one-off 4 X4.5 is what if you change your mind down the road and want another wheel? Guys around here (Myself included) change our minds more than our underwear... Which might explain the smell! Mike

Terry, The reason we (The government Intelligence Infrastructure) couldn't plow through that pile of data is because of the era we lived through in the 90s... I was a government employee for one of those services and saw first hand the DEEP cuts made in personnel and resources... It was ONE of the reasons I resigned and became a consultant. For the rest of you, Again, as Tannji and others have asked, where is the PROOF it has been ABUSED? It hasn't. PERIOD... There are many many checks and balances in that bill to mitigate abuses... Could they happen? sure. Will they? Maybe, but I doubt it... Kinda like Freedom or Tannji stated early... It is a tool for the government to use during this period and will be terminated when the war is deemed "Won"... ... And if you really want to piss and moan about it, why not WRITE your senator or congressman... MOST of them voted for it... And I don't want to hear excuses WHY they voted for it... They voted and that is that... Complain to them... I'm done with this one... Tired of kicking this horse... flies are getting to thick! Mike

John John John... You still trying to sway people? I gave up man... You can lead a horse... Mike 8)

Nowing this situation, I'm very pleased to hear that you got a deal that made you happy... Careful down in Cuba... Godspeed! Mike 8)

Like I said before Pop, I'd be all for doing away with the Patriot Act if they would just light off about SIX Nukes... Turn the region into a GLASS BOWL and be done... Could be a Dead (Pun intended) issue with one simple desicion to LIGHT THEM UP... We will fighting these people for the NEXT 100 years... It will not go away, and we will not win their hearts and souls. Either pull out or bull doze the whole region and start over... Can't have that nice warm middle of the road liberal answer to fix this one... They hate us and perceive that we have done enough damage (Americans in general, doesn't matter the persuasion or political bend) to deem us their NUMBER ONE target... I'm confident in saying that Israel has offically settled into the number two spot, and may fall into third behind England at the rate we are going... Blow 'em to hell and strike down the patriot act... That way Pop's happy, I'm happy, and we can get back to wrenching Zcars! Mike

Coulpe of comments here... Go with forged pistons if you can, and the prices quotes to upgrade from a SCat 9000 to a forged crank are decent... Overkill, but decent. I would also think about that Dynagear pump... Not a bad oil pump, but I'm going with the CANTON balanced pump/ pickup tube assembly to match the roadrace Corvette pan I bought for my 383. I don't think you want to scrimp on that pump... Just my opinion... Also, with all the stupid crazy deals out there, you might want to just look at a complete balanced shortblock... Shoot for a four bolt main or splayed cap assembled setup... The Ibeam rods are nice and light and if I had it to do over, I'd go with those, BUT now that I'm looking at TWIN TURBO manifolds, the added strength of the rods will come in handy! Mike

Exactly my thoughts as well... And when The PA has lived out its usefulness, it will be struck down... It is a tool in a time this particular tool is needed... I just wish they would dig into the "Tool" shed and pull out those nukes... We could be done with this whole situation tomorrow... Mike 8)

For the cost of the adapters you could have changed to five lug, and adding the adapter adds unspring weight (Although it is aluminum) and an additional part to potentially fail... Not that it will, but it could. Mike

You and me both Phil... Word is he will retire BY July 05... Mike 8)