Mikelly

Len, You got mail... I'm all ears... Mike

Well when you put it in those terms... They could speak in tongues for all I care... SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!!! SHOW ME THE MONEY!!! Mike

Gee, this sounds EXACTLY like what I was dealing with a few years ago when I met my Wife. I set a few ground rules early on... 1st date evaluations... I went on probably 40 first dates. If things weren't going well on them, I'd pay the tab and leave, shaking her hand and saying "It ain't got no fire!" I also ruled out physical contact other than a peck on the lips until after two dates... Third date? Alls fair game! Why, you ask? I didn't want my judgement clouded by a good performance in the sack. You are pulling down some scratch, and have some marketable traits in the singles scene... BE CAREFULL... Don't broadcast how well you are doing because you will get targeted. My last bit of advice is DON'T date women with children if possible. It is a harsh statement, true. I have two Stepsons, and I love them. But the grief and aggrevation my wife's Ex has put us through isn't worth it! SO, IF you can avoid it... Happy hunting... They are out there... Mike

I'm cheap... Just ask anyone who hears of the sick deals I find... $2500 for that car doesn't sound bad if there is no rust on the floor pans, battery box, or other ussual areas and it runs well. Mike

...No, you are not that old... I prefer the language we were taught back in school... Ghetto/ Gang Gangsta speak has no place in my home, life, lifestyle, or BBs... You down with that? Mike

I had the chasis, and all the cage/ suspension and other mods to the body and such from an insurance settlement on another Z. My motor Shipped was $3600. I had $1100 in the T56, $200 in the drive shaft, $530 in the clutch kit, $260 in the flywheel, Clutch plumbing was another $120, another $1500 in Carb, MSD Ignition, fuel pump and regulator, Starter, Alternator, and various other items... However, the engine builder didn't do some things as claimed, used some parts I should have known not to substitute, and eventually the oil pickup tube box (It was braced) broke at the weld, causing the engine to cavetate.. I'm building a new one... Mike

Stain is mostly done. One gable end to do, and some touch ups... Stayed home today with a virus/ flu bug, and I hung all my windows between bath room breaks (Went through a full roll of TP today...) and I managed to get my pedestrian door partially prepped for mounting... The garage roll up is on back order for three weeks... Still trying to get the power company out for service to the structure, and I'm trying to get the inspector out for the framing and rough in inspection. Still need to do Soffits and attic vents, and the rake boards. It is coming along though... Gonna pipe in the cable TV, phone, and a few other devices from the home over the weekend... and trim out the windows. I also plan to redo the fence at the gate...All by COB SUNDAY! Mike

Damn, thats cold! Mike

Hold on a second guys... That car shows a certain creativity. Although it isn't my personal taste, it isn't BAD, just different, as far as re-bodied Zs go! Mike

Well I'm gonna start...Chris is sending me a TC rod and I'm gonna hopefully come up with something for him there... I also need to get hands on a Control arm for the front of a ZX... If anyone has one laying around and could send it, I might be able to fab something up for the front... Mike

I live less than two hours from you and make custom TC Rods... Bring me one, maybe I can put something together for you...Check the link below and then contact me offline... Mike

Michael, Sorry I missed you while you were in town... Been too busy and had way to much on the plate all weekend... As to the comments made about aerodynamic modeling, I agree 100%. Way too easy to get caught chasing the wrong data in the wrong direction. Bottom line is that the car isn't the best solution for testing speeds above 150mph for sustained periods. The CD data available suggests that the car car suffers in several critical areas. Some data came out of Japan years ago that suggested some band aid fixes, like the G-nose and the solid headlight covers and winglets at the front corners... They helped some of the cars achieve sustained 180mph+ stability, but we're talking factory backed, full on race cars. In the end, none of us is gonna get the kind of monetary support to chase this dream down safely... Mike

Well Every part of my upper body is now soar. I stained the WHOLE garage with 15 Gallons of color Stain. You wouldn't think that holding a gallon can of paint and a wagner sprayer would be that hard... I think it took me about 11 hours total... Going to go get windows later today... Mike

Guys, I drive as a commutor a little 1990 Civic Hatchback... 1.5 liter fresh rebuilt with a 5speed... I'd like to give it a little pep... Is there an adapter flange for the manifold, or a manifold that has a turbo adapter, and does anyone know of what parts I'd need to put together a small turbo kit for this thing??? Mike

Got off work early this morning and went to Lowes, bought the color matched stain to match the siding to my houses color and started spraying with the Wagner power sprayer... Front of the garage is done, and half one side is also done... Should be done with the exterior staining tomorrow, and finish sealing the foundation. Then it's off to the store for windows and doors, and of course, electrical stuff.... Mike

Close... March 23rd... I fell asleep at work... Mike

You know, it took me a long time to realize just how SMART that statement was. I pissed away SOOOO much money in my 20's and didn't buy a house until I was 31... Dumb Dumb Dumb... With it SOOO much easier to buy a house these days, and most of them pretty much giving you equity within a short turn around, I'd ABSOLUTELY buy a house... Just get one with a garage so you can tinker... Mike

No Len, you don't lose your privelages... Look in the fro sale section at the Mustang I posted a week ago.. That guy has an estimated $30,000 invested in that car, and it is a SWEET setup. You could drive it to a car show and place well, drive it competitively, or cruise in it with the T-Tops out and the AC blowing... He'll be lucky if he sees $8000 for it... If those mods were on a corvette, H-E-L-L-O... Someone would buy it, no doubt! Zs are even less marketable, which is why ZF Racing LLC will likely change brands for major product sales... No way, NO HOW I'm gonna survive off the Zcar market... Here's your Key! Mike

Well tonight I got home and found the ROOFING done!!! It wasn't supposed to be done until tomorrow... Oh well.. I'm ahead of the weekend schedule... I'll be staining the siding tomorrow, and then sealing the outter foundation on the weekend, and then buying windows and doors!!!! I'm on a roll! Mike

GoaTLong, Do yourself a favor and listen to this man... GrumpyVette knows of what he speaks... I'll be more than happy to sell you a 383 rotating assembly (forged Rods, forged pistons, rings, crank) for $800, But you will be spending ALOT to get to 650HP... It ain't cheap, no matter what people are telling you. You also need to heed the warnings about preping the foundation (Your engine block) for a supercharged induction system... The best bolts EVERYWHERE will go a long way towards starting this project properly... Also, Be forewanred, I've been burned on a crate motor purchase... They don't always put in the motor what they spec... Once you have put a few thousand miles on it and have to tear it down, it is too late to complain then... Drop the pan, pyll the valve covers, hell, I'd even pull a head to MAKE SURE what they spec'd is what is in the motor... I believe it was BLKMGK who warned me of this years ago and I just blew him off, thinking it was BS... Wish I had listened... Mike

Matt, One thing this has really taught me is not to begrudge anyone in the construction trade. Those guys bust ass and deserve every dime they get paid. I never really knew how hard my dad worked for a living until I built this garage! Fortunately I've only got two inspections left and then the final!! Mike

Mike KZ, Les has good ideas and even better intentions... Unfortunately Les can't seem to close on anything he tries lately. Scottie asked about the Pantera Hatch that Les made promises of back in the spring. I've been trying to get my G-nose from Les since Late August. I lost a month of Construction while waiting for Les to Pour the concrete footers, and I tried to give Les the car if he did other stuff for me. Between his job, family drama, his love interest in Georgia, and who knows what else, Les has been less than dependable. Les Heath is a nice guy with a lot on his plate, and I'll just be happy to come to closure and get my G-nose and rear spoiler back from him and move on with my projects. Les did help me spread some gravel, and he helped me do the rebar for the footers. For that I am in debted to him. ...Andy Rooney??? Mike

...I'll tell you... Obviously, I've had way too much on my plate all Year. Starting in January Donna had a medical scare that was pretty bad. Then in March my employees decided to mutiny, causing a HR related nightmare that I eventually survived. The first two events paralleled each other, which was very difficult. In May I got the permits for the garage to be built and started that long and drawn out process… In the middle of all that I let my best friend talk me into buying a motorcycle, which spiraled into now my third motorcycle… I also bought Chris Cloude’s former Zcar project. For those of you counting, This makes 6 cars and two bikes. With two Zs, a 240SX, my truck, the Civic, and my wife’s Mustang it can get really crowded. I was hoping to move at least one of the two motorcycles and one of the Zs. But that hasn’t happened. SO, I’m scheduling with the chassis shop (Thank you Bob for reminding me inadvertently…) to have a chromoly roll cage welded into Chris’ shell as soon as possible. I’m also taking the internals of the 383 stroker to a shop up the street and having them balanced. I finally contacted Les Heath and hope to get my parts back from him this weekend. When I get the car back from the chassis shop, the plan is to then plumb in a fuel cell, prime the chassis/ shell/ floor pans, and then get all the parts together and off to the body shop for some paint… While all these activities are taking place I’ll be focusing on finishing the wiring and other stuff for the garage. If all goes well, the roof should me completed this week, foundation sealed, and siding stained (Thank god it is a three day weekend!). Next weekend we’ll wire it and I’ll go ahead and buy the windows and doors and hang them. Sometime over the winter we’ll set the stairs for the upper level, and I’ll hang a door on that end of the garage. Then the interior will be finished off. We won’t make closing for refinancing until after December now, but that’s the name of the game. When I started this little garage project I had people lining up to help. There were so many promises that folks close to me had made and it was disappointing to take what is going to end up being 7 months to finish this project. So where am I going with this whining? My lessons learned can be lessons for others to learn from as well. Not Unlike creating a HybridZ, Any construction project should be looked at from several angles… What can I do (Talk is cheap, so don't rely on others...)? What will I have to “sub†out to another person to complete? What are the materials costs? What is the labor cost for someone else to do the work? I learned to frame, lay block, the basics of pouring concrete, and how NOT to build a foundation. However, I got to spend some real quality time with my dad, and my brother in-law, which was priceless. Just remember that other people have lives and although they may tell you that they will lend a hand, it is harder to get them to actually give up some time doing fun stuff to help you... I have $6500 invested in the Pad, block work, and foundation. I have $2100 invested in the trusses, and another $5000 invested in the materials to frame, side, roof, and shingle it, as well as the materials for the flooring, and the labor for roofing the structure. I still have to stain it ($120 in materials, plus $200 in tools), install the windows and doors (About $900) and do the electrical work (Another $500). I'll come in under the $16,000 amount that was my high point, but time was the killer here. It has proven to be to distracting to have such a daunting project looming over my head, and has caused me to think about selling all my stuff many, many times. I’m finally just starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I hope to have a final inspection at the end of this month, and be able to move in and trim out the interior (Which will probably cost another $1500 for the insulation and walls). By spring I’ll have the lift installed and be able to use the garage as intended… I’ll move into it in early December, but it won’t really feel like home until the stairs are finished and I can use the upstairs for storage and additional workspace. Somehow, through all of this I have NOT sold the really important things that drove me to build this garage in the first place. So, I won’t be bidding on the yellow car on Ebay, and I will build Chris’ car, using the Gnose and some flares. If for some reason I still have the white Z at the end of putting Chris’ old car back together, then I’ll be building the white car into another F-prep/ track car for the kids and I to play with. Thought for sure someone would buy me out and take over all my stuff and make me sad. But you guys held out… Thanks! Mike

AHHH.... There in lay the problems with setting up suspensions, and the reason guys like Longacre are in business... Corner weights... If you pull your car onto a set of scales, you will then see that not all corners are equally distributed... Further, you should be IN the car when the car is weighed and then adjusted... Takes time and money! JohnC, How'ed I do? Mike

I'm thinking about bidding on this one... Seriously... Mike