Mikelly

There you have it... Brain doner... I have no sympathy for an IDIOT who doesn't take the proper precautions. No properly designed DOT approved/ SNELL 2000 helmet flies off your head unless your head comes off your body... Guy is an oxygen thief! Mike

Wow, Good comments... We did research and we got power rating from 111hp up to 135hp. I took the lower rating because I got it from a fairly reliable dyno source. Yup, we're aware of the oversteer issues and Eibachs and tokicos will be on the car before he drives it alone, AND we are going to sign him up for a driving school in the spring. I realized a while back while walking through a junk yard that it doesn't matter. Kids are getting into accidents driving every type of vehicle known to man. My theory is and always has been education. He will drive aggressively in the car, ANY car. If I arm him with one that will handel it better, via brakes and improved handling, and stick to the NO HORSE POWER mods rule we have instituted, then I feel his chances will be better. Hopefully it will be the right move. Education is the answer, I'm convinced. Teach him how to properly drive, and he will survive. Mike 8)

Well It has come that time, the boy is 16. He has done his home work, and has found that he is an import kinda kid... Does he go out and follow the heard? No. He wants an MR2. So we have located an original owner non-turbo 1993 model that is a california car. All White, and loaded with a brand new 5 speed and clutch kit. It is clean, and has been well cared for, even though it has a ton of miles... Guy has a binder an inch thick of the stuff he has done to it since buying it. It is a Ttop car, and is stock. We're going to pick it up this weekend for $4500. It will be in the wife and my name's until he is out of school... Surprisingly, the insurance to add the car and him on it is only an additional $1100 per year including full coverage on the car. I couldn't think about him being in a front driver... And I know it is a sporty car, but it only makes 111 HP... So I'm hoping it won't be too much enticement for him to get in trouble... Being the parent of a 16 year old is the most nervous I've ever been... Mike

I had a gentelman from FLorida call me yesterday and ask about the control arms I made. We talked for almost half an hour and got onto the subject of WHY I quit making the control arms and WHAT others offer. HIs exact comments mirror mine. Here they are: "Back in the mid-late 90s MSA had a much better idea of what they had in their catalog, and what they had in stock. You'd call up MSA and Sal was usually the guy you got and we all know that Sal is 100% on the ball. However, Now you call them up, tell them the part number and you are lucky if they A: Have it in the computer, B: Have it in stock C: Can get it in a reasonable amount of time!" These were his words exactly. He used the example from two days back when he called and asked about their camber Kit they sell for the Zcar (Sits ontop of the strut isolator) and the guy on the phone couldn't even find it in the book. Now, I agree that good employees are worth their weight... A good employee makes the business and the person managing that employee look THAT MUCH better, and my phylosaphy has always been to surround myself with good people, and I'm all but ensured success (Within my control!). You can't say that about MSA these days. Sal is now babysitting, and he is overwhelmed day to day with every aspect of that business. When was the last time any of you spoke to him on the phone? And when Sam is there, you do have someone who knows Zcars... Beyond that, the staff there is less than impressive and I'd fire more than half them, especially their "KING of Diplomacy", Kurt. As Tim and a few others have pointed out, There is very little competition within the community of Zcar owners. I recommended this gentleman to speak with Mike Gibson or Ross Corrigan about control arm solutions for his speific project/ problem. MSA has some serious problems that won't be fixed any time soon. As Kurt told me two years ago. They are in the business first and foremost for the "Restoration" Crowd. This site and its members are less concerned with gucci matching matts and key chain rings and more impressed with getting a car to perform. 75% of their catalog is based on replacement resto parts, and cosmetics, with a small section devoted to performance. As Kurt said, They don't sell enough performance parts to make it worth their while. I know I certainly did... So much so that I couldn't keep up with it. Talks with Mike Gibson show that he also can't keep up with his business at times as well, and his parts selection was MUCH greater than mine. My hope is that Ross Corrigan and others will be able to make a storefront that will actually compete with MSA. It will be good for everyone, including MSA. Without competition, you lose your focus and your drive... MSA has lost it. Before you start hammering me about "How I've still got an Ax to grind" (And you know who you are... ), Please spare me. I don't care about stepping on toes anymore... If I ever go back to the MSA shows, I'll be there as a participant, not a vendor. So pissing in their rice bowl feels like the warm stream of relief that it is! Bottom line is They have problems and some of their staff should be fired for being less than professional. 8) For what it's worth, I'll likely be buying some parts from them in the near term... Unfortunately Victoria Brittish doesn't carry the GNose. Mike

I've skipped the last two pages of this thread, so forgive me if someone else covered it... DON'T do the Lexan windows if this is gonna remain streetable. Lexan is really only a race application item. You pretty much won't keep a clear lexan shield, as they aren't as forgiving as glass in the day to day real world of driving on the street. AND I'm not sure just how much you will truly save yet. Haven't installed them in my track car yet... Mike

YOu need re-enforcement...Period. This is an accumulated effect issue... You really want to ensure that the car stays as straight as it currently is. YOU WILL Damage the unibody... It is just a matter of when, not If. Mike

Let me let you in on a little known secret... Your Z can be made pretty darned stable to withstand some pretty impressive speeds. I've had radar verification that I hit 168MPH in my Yellow Z back in 1995. I also hit in the 150s with the T56 equipped 383 stroker white Z. In both cases I used a whale tail and lowered stance, front spoiler, and rocker panels on one of the cars, as well as stiff springs and some very crude methods in the suspension department (Long before I ever thought about making control arms for myself or others...). Also, these were short bursts at the end of a 3mile stretch of road with no access from other vehicles or pedestrians. It can be done, but it will take a toll on the car. I cracked the whale tails on both cars at the seem with the hatch, and one car (Yellow car) had cracks in the paint at the rear hatch seam and the a pillar joints. I personally think a salt flats car can be made IF engineered properly... It will take time, money and serious engineering to keep a sustained and measurable pace on a sanctioned course. Good luck... Maybe I'll see you out there... Mike 8)

Well Last night I managed to get the storage boxes removed from the street Z without further severing any arteries... I also trimmed the sheet metal for the new 16 Gallon Summit fuel cell. I need to get it on the lift so I can weld in the structural support for the cell. I also found a guy in my neck of the woods who does cromoly steel cages and I'm waiting on a call back from him with a price for the 8 point cage. I'm gonna go ahead and start prepping the chassis for paint. On the Track Z front a major decision was made this week. We're gonna build a 347 stroker ford motor for the Mustang (I"m gonna forego the Vette for the moment!) and I'm gonna take the motor and trans from the Mustang and use them in the track Z with a cam and aluminum heads after a freshening. Got a price from my engine builder, dave, that I simply could NOT refuse. Not for aluminum heads and forged bits... So, We're making some progress. I need to get some more stuff home related finished off before I can throw serious money at the Zs, but I'm feeling pretty good that I'm atleast making progress of some sort. Finding someone locally who does cromoly is a BIG plus. I was happy as a pig in poop. Mike

I'm interested in the 300ZX 5 lug (5X4.5) for BOTH CARS front and rear... So put me down for at least a full front and rear set and a rear set for the other car. I'd buy these asap! Mike

...Probably because finding ZXs in clean condition is getting as hard as fing straight 240--280s. I know I know "I see them all the time" is the response I'll get for making this comment, but I haven't seen many clean 280ZXs for sale recently. If you do the pans and rails properly, the car will be as strong, if not stronger than before... Will it be "Worth" it? that is up to the owner. Mike 8)

The wife conn'ed me into buying a new frig and stove over the weekend, so I get the one from the house! We now have BREWSKIES in the garage, ice cold and ready to serve... Now if I could get over the bladder and kidney infections I could take advantage and stock up! Mike

OK I've got a real problem with this particular topic. We all have an opinion of the import performance scene and what defines a "ricer" and what doesn't. Having been subjected to this culture through my kids, I can tell you that their level of enthusiasm, if a little mis-informed, is VERY high. Does it mean that every civic running on the streets is a hotrod? No. Not to me, but YES, to them it is. My oldest son's car club just went to the track and the fastest car ran 10's in the 1/8th. He is the pres. of the club and HE MADE FUN OF THEM. Did he run his car? NO. He has a good idea of what fast is and what fast isn't. That is the reason we are building a T3/4 B18 motor. The scene is what it is. We all have opinions, and we are all in titled to them. But lets all remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I remember (Painfully so) how sooooo many people over the years have told me that ruining a SBC engine by putting it into a piece of japanise ricer CRAP. We don't have to "Like" their personal taste in performance enthusiasm, but don't deny these kids their right to be in the ever growing pool of automotive enthusiasts. I learn from every group of enthusiasts out there, from the import scene to the mini trucking, and trucking scenes, 4x4 groups, Choppers, sport bikes, most every facate of wheels or motorized vehicle out there... Come to my house and you will see that evidenced in the books and magazines laying around. There is a LOT to be gained when you open you mind to new and inventive ideas from interesting and new groups... Sure, most of it will be out of your field of interest, but the true nuggets are the ones dug deepest for. Closed minds open no doors to the future... Mike 8)

I sold some stuff and still have a four bolt block and a 383 crank that has been polished. I could let you have those cheap. Mike

Nope, Actually I'm gonna go one better... I had dinner with the wife a few minutes ago and I gave this issue more thought... Here is a NOVEL idea... GET ALONG! Had we had moderators with some BALLS at Zcar.com, this site wouldn't have come to be. So here's what I'm gonna do... From here on out... It is real simple. If you don't like a topic... DOn't READ IT! Don't like it in YOUR forum? Tough. Reading is fundamental and as some of our MOST VALUED MEMBERS have pointed out, The L6ers contribute QUITE A BIT of usefull info when you TAKE THE TIME TO READ. I, for one, am getting sick of having to DEAL with people NOT being adults and NOT respecting their fellow members on HybridZ. If folks can't get along, we will start deleting users and bannning them. Now I'm done. Mike

Way ahead of you Don... I've got an ARP unit on order! Mike

Oh JEEZ... MY head hurts... First, Tim, Take a time out. I made a comment about looking at the relevance of the person's claim. I didn't say we would or wouldn't make further changes. Furthermore, I've been SICK and BUSY lately and haven't been on the site as much as I'd like to. However, Being that we have such a good group of admins and moderators, I figured someone would jump in IF this thread got out of hand. SOOOO SINCE no one has, I'm Locking it. I'm sick of there being a need for an US and THEM attitude here on the site. We made a few changes to clean up the categories and consolodate a few. We're not changing or getting rid of the L6 stuff further than the changes that were recently made. However, if ANY of you feel the need, I encourage you to go off and start a site that fits YOUR needs. Mike Kelly Administrator

Did some work on my wife's 95 GT today. Swapped out the radiator, some gooyear Hi miler hoses, and a new SFI rates harmonic dampner/ balancer. After throwing a timing light on it I was amazed to find that the old unit had slipped about 6 degrees more than it was supposed to be reading (10 degrees). That is a big deal and likely why the car would ping when you hammered it... Now to cure the leaking radiator CAP (forgot to get one!) and the gasket on the new thermostat is weeping at one spot... Great! You'd have thought I was capable of such things by now! Mike

Well my concern is that there may be something else up inside the motor. All we are doing is replacing the crank and bearings (And pump and shaft!). I'm concerned over the trash from the bearings. Mike

Little brother bought a 88 Mustang LX 5.0 and drove it three days before it lost all oil presure. We pulled the motor over the last few days and I dropped the crank out of the bottom this afternoon... Looks like the rod from the distributor to the oil pump SNAPPED ! He is getting a crank kit and we're gonna throw that in it and call it good until he can afford a crate motor... He just started a new job today, so money should start to become less of a problem. Mike

I'd suspect you are looking at about $1000 in materials and labor, maybe more in your area. However, don't panic, this is actually a GREAT chance to upgrade the CRAPPY frame rails that are on that car to something that will make it handle 10Xs better at no additional charge. Find a good fab shop to do it and you might get off cheap. As for the other poster's question about how to best remove it... Gringer 94inch model works well) and some metal cutting discs. You can also use a sawzal. No Zguy should be without a SawZal! Mike

Actually, I'm sad to admit I HAVE seen a 350 powered Z get its ASS handed to it by an L6 NON turbo-ed Z. About 10 years ago, but I saw it none the less. We're gonna have to look at this one. Everyone knows we are trying to get a better grip on our growth and we've made some changes recently to that end. Not sure I'm ready to upset the applecart we just restacked. Mike 8)

Right, but HP doesn't break trannys... Torque does. Mike 8)

...And Again, Transmissions aren't rated in horse power... Think Torque numbers... Reading is fundamental! Mike

I'd put ANYTHING OTHER than a T56 in THAT car. The T56 tranny gives you an additional 40-50 pounds of weight over any of the Tremec 5 speeds out there. Not to mention the cost of a decent clutch kit will run you big time, PLUS adding the complicity of the flywheel and plumbing for hydraulics issue. If you are going to go to the expense of doing this, I'd suggest having a Tremec 5 speed adapter plate made. My experience with My T56 was not as pleasent as others. With my radical (Not really THAT radical) cam, I had issues of not being able to use the 6th gear in the car for daily use. Any thing under 2000RPMS (Which was less than 90mph!) and the car would buck in protest of the lack of vacuum. It simply isn't worth the added expense and serious weight hit in the center of the car for bragging rights on saying you've got a 6 speed. Mike

ANd now why didn't YOU go over there and leave HER at the house? Man, I'd have told her to go have a drink and relax... I'm not there to socialize with the neighbor, I'm there to meet a legend... Mike