Mikelly

Victoria Brittish sells some rather large flares for Zcars. They sell for $400 per PAIR, but I've had them in hand and they are VERY nice... Mike

Well I can certainly supply a hat and Hub from the 5 lug setups... Just tell me where to send it and we can work something out... Juan, check your e-mail! Mike

JSK, COntact me offline... I['ve got the whole setup I can send it ALL to you if we can work a deal.. Mike

I don't think Juan's intent was to steal Mike's Pic other than to show an example of what these units look like. Further, that rotor and hub adapter are pretty ocmmon pieces, but defenitely custom due to the back spacing issues... I've researched it and I can't find them in ANY of my wholesale racecar parts catalogs. Juan isn't getting them from Mike, because Mike doesn't sell them for $250 for the caliper adapters and hub adapters... I paid $900+ for my front Outlaw setup with the same adapters, so IF there is an issue, I'd let Mike/SCCA and Juan sort that out. That said, I applaud Jaun for coming up with a MUCH MORE affordable brake solution. If someone came up with a control arm solution LIKE MINE for less, I'd say COOL, Good Job! JUAN, Are you gonna do a 5 lug setup for those of use using the 300ZX front hub??? I want these for the other projectZ! Mike

Perry I want to personally thank you for extending my project even LONGER!!! Last night I started welding the front clip together... I've got to go back this weekend and amke some changes to one side, but It was defenitly the way to go. Having had a fiberglass front clip in the past, tyhis seems like it will be SOOOO MUCH Stronger... I need to get with you offline about your hing setup and the way you dressed up the backside/ underside of the clip.. Mike

Pete, YA DUMMY! I"m not that far from you...You need a road trip! Mike

John, I for one didn't think you were implying that at all... You are a resourcefull guy... I'm cheap, You are resourcefull... You say tomato, I say them damned red things hangin' on the vine... Anyway, Nice parts selection... You guys ever go to the MSA AUTOX, YOU GOTTA see John's Car... WAY TRICK! Mike

Yup, Pete Paraska is running the same setup and he's not had anything bad to say about it! Nothing wrong with it, and at a decent price! Mike

Well for me, for now anyway, My shop is the exact perfect size. Once the upstairs is done, Then it will be even more close to perfection, since I'll have MORE storage space! Mike

See my photo album for my dream garage... Some members have seen it in person! A 24X32 garage WITH two 3 foot deep benches and two 2 foot deep benches (All are four feet long), shelving lining most of the walls, a lift and plenty of lighting and power outlets... Oh yea, you REALLY want to be able to run the lift, welder, chop saw, grinder, drill press and sawzall at the same time! When I build my next garage, I'll probably keep a similar footprint unless my two Z stable grows... I LOVE MY GARAGE! Best money I could spend ON THE Z was building the garage! Mike

Mike, I must have missed your post... Your best bet is to e-mail me offline at Dat74z@yahoo.com if you need something... As for being sure of the parts or not... Ask those who have them... There are about 40 members here who can atest to the front suspension's worthy capabilities. There are also a number of folks who were at the AutoX school who can atest to their performance at the latest MSA outting. Mike Kelly

Denny, Joe, and Mark, Go price stuff for the Honda crowd... Trust me on this... The ONLY things that are cheap and reasonably priced are the bling.... FOUR Forged pistons are gonna run us close to $600!!! I can get a set of EIGHT for almost HALF THAT! These kids are in the same exact boat we were in... A fart pipe and some cool pedals and lights and the kid is out a weeks worth of income at McDonalds... Go ahead, pick up a copy of Sport Compact Car and thumb through the pages... Get to the "REAL" go fast parts and take a look at the prices... It's the exact same thing I noticed when I used to pick up copies of Truckin' Magazine... Same thought... I can slam a mini pickup for $500. That is a "REALISTIC" goal... But for most of the import crowd, getting a car to GO fast and furious is gonna cost HUGE! Most of them can't afford to make the huge HP gains that few are actually making. That's why when I see that a guy has actually done it, and done it well, I give big kudos for the effort. I'm telling you guys, and maybe you don't want to see it for what it is, but there are similarities here... MANY. And the biggest, most important point is that we're all C-A-R G-E-E-K-S. Someone else commented on how boring it would be if everyone drove the same "Mustang or Camaro" or bland looking Honda Civic, or pick your import. Insurance is sky high, and I know in My 18 year old step son's case, He would LOVE to own a Mustang like his mother's. However, It would break him to pay the insurance... So he has a ...CIVIC. All I'm saying is lets not look at the world with blinders on... 8) Mike

Pete, You would be correct... However, do a search on tire sizing and see how many times people ask what is the widest tire you can fit... And as I mention above, this is just a test, and the car is still a shell... I have no doubt your issue of tire rub under squat may be an issue. Again, this is only a test and is NOT gonna be on the track car. We're still sorting out tire/ wheel options and sizing for it... Sticky is good though, and I'm also a fan of WIDE and sticky... Mike

Guys, We have grown a bit over the last few years and we've gained a membership of folks from all over the planet... I want to touch base on a few things since we have drifted a bit from the origins of HybridZ. For some time now the issue of Ricers and others less worthy of a HybridZ has arrisen. Usually this topic includes disparaging remarks about someone whose personal taste in their car isn't what our vision might want it to be. Is this that bad? Rewind to a time back in 1998 when the Likes of Pete Paraska, Owen, Dan Porter, Myself and others were getting verbally pummeled over on other Zcar sites and news groups... Because we were different, or our cars SUCKED, or because we were destroying a name, and ruining a legends heritage. Some of those old battles still sting. Yet here we are today sharing LARGE CHUNKS of technical data with those that would thumb their noses at some of our creations... Now lets fast forward to the present... Kids all over are taking their favorite cars and pushing the envelopes of performance, style, and yes, sometimes taste in the name of hotroding. Yes, Hotroding. One thing I've learned in dealing with the Honda set as of late is that they are no less passionate, and just as cash strapped to go fast as the rest of us. Reality is that most of these kids love what they do, and the fact that they are learning to do it makes them want to do even more... Even if it is just a simple cold air intake or cool looking plug wires... they did it themselves. We came here and formed our own little "Private Idaho" for a reason... One, brought out of necessity, more than want. We were forced out of conventional circles... yet lately it seems those circles are starting to revolve around our own little oasis. How Ironic! A good friend of mine has a saying, to belittle is to Be Little... Next time you see a "ricer" reving his motor at an imaginary adversary, smile and think back to when you did such things... The sport is growing, changing before our eyes... But it will come full circle... and regardless of your preferences, the import scene is making a huge impact on our aftermarket, allowing many more options than we had just a few years ago... We should embrace this opportunity to make good of the motivation coming out of the industry, and put it to good use. Remember where we came from lads, lest we be doomed to return there again ! Chin up! Mike

Man, tough crowd today... I didn't CLAIM it was intelligent... I just said YES they would fit... For some of us who are tractionally challenged with REAL HP, the larger tires will aid in fending off that issue! Oh, and this isn't on the track car... I've got flares for it... This is on the "looks matter" street car, So, yea you could say I'm sacreficing performance to Pimp some ultra wide treads... So shoot me! Mike

PeteW, I'll get to your initial question in a minute, as I've done a TON of research on Hondas since we are building one for my stepson. ONG, I think you are missing the point Scottie was making. The car doesn't suck. Often times it is clearly the driver... I drive a 1990 Honda Civic (1.5L Turd) to and from work every day and There is nothing like getting the jump on someone at the light to make the next "Spot" in traffic... But that doesn't mean the guy next to me in the C5 Vette is "racing Me" or in as big a hurry... I love it when I'm at a car guys get together and you hear someone talking absolute BS about how their (Pick your favorite car to hate here) Just spanked the stranger in a Viper that will never materialize. Oh, and I know you are talking about what these guys are doing at the track... Most people I know who have gone to the track SUCK at drag racing, Myself included. Front drive cars are harder to drive in general. They actually MAKE you a better driver by learning to drive fast in them. We used to tell people this at road course events and they wouldn't believe it... But it is true. Learn to drive fast in a front drive car and you will be that much faster when you move to the Z, and smoother... PeteW, there are FAST, VERY FAST imports out there. I've recently met some folks on another site (Very similar mentality to ours) where these guys are doing swaps with Hondas and pulling some very respectable times. Direct swap is a little far fetched, but with a little pre-planning most of them aren't much harder than a direct bolt in... You just need to make sure the right trans and axles are sourced with the motor you want to swap in... Here are a few facts from our own build... My stepson's 94 Civic came with a 98Ft#, 102HP 1.6L D16 motor. By swapping to the B18B1 NON-Vtec engine alone he moves the HP and torque to 142HP and 127FT# torque. That is without touching anything else... His car currently is running high 17s to low 18s. Our guess is by doing the swap alone he will be running 15s. OK you are thinking 15s... A bone stock Zcar wouldn't break out of the 17s with professional drivers when the car was tested new... and that includes the 75-78 model years. The civic outweighs the Zcar by about 400#. It isn't light in sedan form. We're guessing a realistic weight will be right at 3080# with half tank of gas in a two door sedan. Now, We're building this motor to run boost and a smaller turbo... We plan to push about 8# boost to start with and We're guessing then we'll be seeing low 14s to high 13s. Right now we are about $1300 out of pocket and we still need axles and forged pistons... and probably an injector and fuel pump upgrade... So, by the time were done we'll be at about $2500 to get the car from high 17/low 18s down to the low 14/ high 13 mark. Here is the kicker... these kids LOVE their cars as much as we love our Zs. Yea, some of them do some pretty stupid things to their cars and earn the "Ricer" logo, but I think the term is getting a little tired personally... There is a guy in my town running a 1992 Civic hatch back, and he is running in the 12s. The guy has a short commute (Only about 14 miles each way) but he drives the car to work every day, with full interior and heat/ AC. The car is clean, handles well, and looks nice. He has also done some nice suspension mods to it as well as big brakes from wilwood... The guy is 27 years old and is a real nice guy. He has planned his build, much like we do, and his execussion of it was well done... The car is one that I'd be happy with as a daily driver, that's for sure! They are out there, and my guess is we'll be seeing more of them! Mike

Time Out Boob Boy... Did we forget CURB FEELERS???? Neon Lights are oh maybe 20 rungs down the ladder on those in my opinion when it comes to full on TACK-E! And uyou obviously NEVER owned a Toyota Celica... Now THOSE cars had some stupid options in the aftermarket... You could get all kinds of stupid looking crap for a 73 Celica ST, and don't ask how I know... YUCK! But I digress... Yes, there is at least one FULL OUT riced up Z running around my town and it has garnered the nickname Mosquito Killer! I guess it boils down to what we each consider "Nice"! Kinda like boobs and plastic surgery, Ya know? I mean, when are they really "Too BIG"? Me, I like a nice set of 34B-C range, yet someone else might not be happy unless he has a set of 44 Double Ds parked in the seat next to him. But we were talking about rice... Sorry! Mike

Guys, We're looking at fabing up some tubular tie rods for the Z. In an old catalog from Arizona Zcar Dave used to sell these... Don't bother looking on the site, as We couldn't find them, which leads me to think he quit. My question is this: Using a stock Nissan Rack, Is anyone using a modified, or Custom tie rod? All the units I've seen employee a Heim joint outboard at the steering knuckle... This would do a couple of things to aid in handling as well as aid in using my control arms to their fullest extent... If using a NISMO quick steer knuckle apparantly the Cone Killer crew had issues with running out of threads on the tie rod to rack point. I've not had this issue in setting up my car, as I'm running the same units, but They did and their cars are currently NOT in pieces... Ian and Steve don't use the quick steer knuckles and have had NO issue at all with binding of the TC Rod or in camber adjustment... The other benefit with the tubular tie rod would be the bump steer issue... Lots of racers heat the tie rod and straighten it... this would do away with it all together...AND with the cost of tie rods going up per pair, might be a way to do away with them all together... Any thoughts??? Mike

Alex, I've chopped up over 80 control arms in the process of making my adjustable mod to them. I've never noticed a difference in length... There might be in the 510 units, which are almost identical in appearance... But I'm pretty sure all 70-78 control arms are the same, based on what I've seen. Mike

OK Guys, Here is the deal... the wife had an alignment issue on her Mustang I wasn't privy to until it wore out the insides of some 255-40-17s... these tires, and the 275-40-17s thaqt match them are on a set of 5 lug Mustang Cobra R knock offs... The Factory Mustang wheels were on my grey Z (See my pics) with good 245-45-17s on them, so I figured I'd just swapp wheels out while I was changing oil on Sunday. Car was on the lift already, so why not, right? Anyway, I was just gonna throw the fronts on until I could get a pair of the 245-45s swapped over to the Cobra Rs, but I figured I'd just swap all four over for now... Anyway, I put a 255-40 on the rear with a 1/2inch wheel spacer and I had plenty of room with the tire coming out close to the edge of the fender lip. So then I tried the 275s on the back and they come out to the fender lip. Since I've got 12 inch eibach coil overs, I'm guessing that if I could get the coil over perch above the rear tire by using a shorter spring then I could actually move the wheel in a 1/4 inch and get the 275s under the fender lip completely. This is on a NON-Flared Z. The only real issue is if the tire would rub under acceleration squatt... Pete P. is dealing with that right now, but a few turns of the coil perch could eliminate that all together. I'll have to take some pics... Mike

I'm with Grumpy. You guys are making this WAY to complicated! Mike

Did you mount your coil overs with 8 inch springs or 12 inch springs??? I know with 245s on my Mustang wheels, and with 5/8th inch wheel spacers, I have very little space for clearance on the tube with the 12 inch coil overs... I'm hoping to change this with 8 inch springs. I've got 275s on my Cobra R wheels, but have moved those to the Mustang. I also have 255s on the front, so I could really do some tire fit tests once I get the new coil overs in... Mike

I Guess You don't. You're there... Or so I'm told. You're probably like me and don't see it in yourself though... SO MANY THINGS I feel I need to improve on... Language, patience (as a certain spindle pin found out last night...) Money management... Tons of things I need to work on... My dad just seems to have it all together, and makes it look easy! Mike

Yes and no. You take a HUGE COST and WEIGHT hit for the T56. In your explaination you just showed how ludicrous it is to have an over weight 4 speed. The other BIG HIT that typically gets lost in the cool factor of the T56 is the hit to both torque and HP in using the T56. Jim Biondo Swears that the T56 is a huge robber of HP due to the added gears, fluid, and moving parts. Parasidic (SP??) drag creates a hit in the driveline as well. I've also read this claim on a couple of Viper sites, as well as one Corvette site. Mind you, I had a T56 and thought there were issues with the combo that took away from the cool factor... Throw in tires and rear gearing and you can muck things up real good, or have a decent package... Depending on what you are building... If I ever get a C5, I'll get it with the 6 speed, but I'm gonna Keep my Z projects 5 speed only. Mike

John, there may be some confussion all around. I asked if they were interested in doing the L28 thing, and I'm not sure if they really wanted to go L28 or just FI. They'd really like to go with standalone and individual TBs... But that is bux. Mike