Mikelly

That ios a very good price and you should jump on it if it includes everything you mentioned... Mike Kelly

Mine came with 6 different dies...from 1/2 inch up to 2 inches. I have bent some 1.5 inch .120 wall stuff, and some .134 inch 1 3/4 tubing... the tubing did not kink at all. Stuff looks fine to me. Only thing I noticed is that the tubing gets ovalized due to the nature of the bending... No split in the seem though. Mike

I ran the 24# cap they recommend for the Grifin and promtly blew out my new heater core... Unless you bypass the core, use a lower rated (16#) cap... It isn't worth the headache to run that high of a cap.. Mike

Having JUST purchased a vehicle with the Vortec 4.3 in it, and after spending most of the weekend troubleshooting and tuning a small problem that wound up in the shop, I'd recommend going the whole 9 yards and doing an LT1 swapp... only difference I can tell is the lack of two cylinders... You still have all the associated "Fun" of sorting the FI and electronics gremlins... That said, my 95 4dr 4x4 blazer hauls serious butt for a 6 banger... Mike Kelly

I have no knowledge of Harber Freight's unit. However, I do have a unit from Northern Tool that is a 12 ton unit that works well. It doesn't kink the tubes, and the dies fit the tubing well... It is currently on sale for $99! Mike Kelly

DanK, I missed something here...Which brand did you use? Hell if the fit is that good, and you have already done the teast fitting.... Are your plugs straight or Angle??? Pete and Others, the research I have done on small blocks running the open road points to using ATLEAST 1 3/4 if not 1 7/8 units. Most of my run would be in the 6000+ Range, and my assembly was built to spin to 7200. I had no intention to spin it that high, but it certainly can with little effort... I'm not gonna go 1 7/8 because I too feel that it would be to large, but if I can get 1 3/4 units.... Mike

...And you have to also remember that Mike/SCCA and I aren't trying to screw people over with the cost of our parts... I know what Mike is making on his stuff and he isn't going to be doing an IPO anytime soon, nore am I. Dave's main stay for business for quite some time was his shop and the parts he made... I understand why he is cranky to deal with, but I don't condone it.. Mike

OK, OK I know I'm being bad here, but really need a consencous here guys... I had 1 5/8 primary block huggers... They obviously were small for what I'm pushing. Short of long tube headers (DOn't want to lose ground clearance), what are the other viable options??? I'm leaning towards a Sanderson header, but don't want to make a decision without exhausting (Pardon the punn) all my options... Primary tubes MUST be 1 3/4 units for my application and I have straight plugs... Mike

Jim, You know you could just get shorter lug studs right? Rather than chancing hacking those up, I'd buy the right length you need. They probably won't be ARP, but as long as they are the right grade, I wouldn't worry about it. Nice looking wheels... My car has been sidelined while I work on the control arms and TC Rods for the 6 orders I currently have to fill... Mike

Go to the HybridZ store and see what we have to offer. My control arm design offers ON CAR adjustment which the Arizona Z units do not. My rear design should be done and ready to mass produce by July, and sells for $850 for the six pieces... Front and rear adjustable arms, and front TC Rods... Mike SCCA has some of the nicest brake setups out there, and he also sells coil over kits at a VERY reasonable price. Mike Kelly ZF RACING LLC

Jeromio, I have a tubing bender I got from Northern TOOls and it is a 12 ton horizontal unit. Works great, no fuss, no muss. I use an ole' Joint Jigger tubing connector and I poked through the firewall on each side... I assure you guys, Pics will be forthcoming... 20 points isn't at all hard to accomplish... All my interior is gutted, excepot for the headliner and dash and I do use a fibergkass blanket when needed. Mike

Well I'm close to being done with welding up the 20 point cage, and completing the floor pans. Yesterday I finished tieing in the rear subframes ALA Pete Paraska Style and I started opening up the front factory frame rail boxes to see how much, if any rust was in them. I should have them done and welded up by the weekend and then I can start knocking out the rest of the sheet metal work. I also have two tubes left to push through the firewall to the strut towers and two bars Ron Jones thought of adding while he was looking over my work. After that, I'll fab up the wall and trunk lid to cover the rear cell area and prep and spray all the work with POR15 and paint. Once that is done, Its back to the task of re-wiring the main harness on the car, plumbing the fuel and brakes, and re-assembling the suspension once it gets back from Jamie T's place... Jamie, I'm almost ready to bring the stuff to you buddy!!! Mike

And Randy brings up a good point... You need to differenciate between driving the car competitively and setting it up for the street. What will you be doing with the car? If you plan to be the least bit competitive with the car in an autocross, then I'd call someone like Ground Control and ask them what sizes they recommend based on spring rates, ride height, camber settings, toe, caster, weight of car... you'd be surprised at how any of these, as well as tire presure and tire width and type of tire can all make a difference in a competitive driving situation. You will never, ever push your car as hard on the street as you would on an autocross course or lap day at a road course... Mike

....And another thing to mention is powerband... You don't need to twist a small block like you would need an inline 6 to get great torque and HP Numbers. Just like that comparison, You don't have to spin a big block as high as a small block to get the same, if not more power. However, in a Datsun, where weight placement can be an issue, I wouldn't recommend building a big block unless you enlist the services of Michael and use his big block as an example. The man has a 50/50 weight distribution in that beast, truly a work of art... And the only way to go big block if you are doing more than quarter mile sprints!! Mike Kelly

Hey Jim...I can get Victor JR. style Holley intakes pre-drilled and welded with injector bungs for less than $300! Makes you want to run out and sell yours doesn't it??? You know, if you went EFI right now, you would be ahead of the curve.... Mike

I've posted here before about this exact subject. My motor builder took money out of his own pocket to set me straight on this issue. You truly don't need a forged crank (Or pistons for that matter) unless you plan to hit high RPMS for sustained periods with high compression or forced induction/ spray. A good cast crank setup as Lone mentioned above (4 bolt or splayed caps) will live happily. I have a hydraulic roller setup and it does rev increadibly fast, but my power plant seems to be fine. ZFan, Check with Michael Jackson...That is one hell of a nice shortblock he is selling... Mike [ May 27, 2001: Message edited by: Mikelly ]

Twins??? Oh baby.... That is sweet... what system are you managing those with??? Guys, I need input in this area.. I'm gonna have the TB, Injectors, rails, pump, reglator, all sensors, intake... and support wiring, but I realy need to know what my options are here for ecu and software...I'm leaning towards the Holley, but I'd be up for other solutions/ options as well, as long as they have a laplink and datalogging... Mike

I'm running the Griffin aluminum 19X26 and it works fine for me with an electric fan, although I'm working on relocating it 30 degrees forward at the top. Some guys had trouble fitting the 26 inch wide unit from Griffin, but you could get the 24 inch unit and play it safe...BLKMGK just got a Howe Racing or BE COOL unit...maybe he will chime in. Mike

Well I also plan to upgrade the ECM and software to the Holley MPI software, so I'll be unloading the Cutler stuff on one of the boating boards or E-bay, and going with the Holley stuff. Hopefully when all is said and done I'll have less than $1000 out of pocket for everything. Still need a lap top though.. 70# injectors???? How much HP you throwing down and what the hell sized turbo are you running and is it on an L6? Mike

Another thing to also consider is this: Everyone has their own interpritation and driving style. Some guys like steering with a little trailing brake, some don't. Some guys go to an autocross and whip out fast times bein oh so smooth while others are just out there ripping up the course and still turn fast times... It all depends on what your "Feel" is and what you like to "Feel" when driving. Great thing about it is that with suspension you can change sway bars and spring rates and adjust all the ussual settings to get your feel. Pete, Chris used Glenn's car ( I think that was the one Chris drove??) as a direct comparison to mine... Night and day were his words. Mine also had a cage and those huge sub-frames, which also help with any car, so again, it is all subjective. Mike

Suspension techniques sells a 1 1/8th bar that (I think ) I used on the front of mine and it came with mounting blocks and the endlink kit. I had the stock 280 rear on the back of my 260Z, but won't be able to run it with my new subframe design. Not sure if I'll need one, but I'd like to have one in the rear... We'll see. You want atleast a 1 inch bar up front though, that much is for sure... Chris Cloude went for a ride in my car without coil overs, just regular MSA springs and Koni oil filled shocks and he was floored at how neutral the car handled when in a sweeper type corner or nailing it from a stand still. Of course, I'd also recommend 2x3 inch boxed frame connectors to ANY package you go with, and just have them done early in the project. Mike

The BG is probably as close to a "RACE" carb as you can get out of the box, which is good and bad... <Good if you know carb theory and setup, bad if you don't. My car was tuned by a pro and I went out and ran 10.98s on it. I tuned it about 6 months later and I couldn't run in the 11s... Bottom line here is if the carb isn't tuned properly, ANY CARB, it won't provide you with the service you need... Jim, based on Petes Desk Top Dyno Numbers, and based on a few articles I read on carbs, I'd go with the 650 for now, since it isn't a final purchase for you. I also wouldn't think twice about buying an edelbrock or a carter, as my opinion is that they are perfect, simple and reliable out of the box. Here is one thing I learned from a buddy of mine who used to work at pep boys...reason some edelbrocks have a return rate is that the major chains stock reman units... for a while their reman service was lacking. My Brother inlaw to be has 3 Carters and has had no problems at all, and my neighbor runs two carters on his blown 55chevy... Again, no problems at all... They are easier to get back to a baseline tune if you have little or no carb experience.. their manual is also superior to other product manuals I have seen. I'd go with an edelbrock for ease of tuning, but knowing that you wouldn't get that extra 2HP that you might from a holley based carb unit... Mike [ May 25, 2001: Message edited by: Mikelly ]

I know...Thinking about it gets me all tinglie inside! Seriously, I'm giving some thought to pulling the bottom end of the motor and swapping pistons for something lower in the compression area, and running a more Forced induction friendly cam..... I'd like to possibly see 600 HP at the wheels... However, Those injectors should be OK for feeding the 540+ I'm currently pushing shouldn't they??? Turn down the presure a bit, make a few adjustments to the fuel map... Hell I have no clue, but these fit my future goal so what the heck... Mike

Locutus, I'm pretty sure I saw my exact tubing bender for sale in the latest Northern Tool catalog for $89... Plus about another $40 to ship it I'm sure, but it is a standard "Pipe" bender, not recommended for mild steel tubing, that a friend of mine tipped me off to as being IDEAL for small cage & Tubing projects. Mine is the 12 tone unit, yellow in color. Mike Kelly

The guy I'm getting the system from will swap out the 26# injectors in the system for some flowed and blue printed 40# units that he has for $30 each. I'm set... I have priced 36# and 40# units and it wasn't going to be cheap...not to mention having them matched and checked.... Mike