Mikelly

Pete, I'm aware of that and posed the same question. I was on the phone with the guys at Ground Control for about 30 minutes while we discused the car setup and they actually have data on file for other cars that have run the open road races in Nevada and Texas. They keep customer feedback and were able to provide me with the setup based on what they had on file for vehicles of similar weight and intended use. They actually wanted me to run a stiffer spring (300#-400#) until this last data dump was discovered for the spring 2000 run. Seems that most of the high flyers ran faster with softer settings than previous years. To harsh and the vehicle is actually harder to drive at speed. I wanted 250# and 275# springs. They advised against it since the car was more neutral with the JTR setback and the additional weight of the T56. I will be adding about 1/2 to 1 inch of rake to the front to rear height though. Seems the car will do better set up with a little of the stink bug pose! Mike Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

OK most of you guys won't be affected by this, but if you are running a V8 and suffer from traction problems, you might want to read this: I did a check over the last few days and getting Ultra Hipo (Zrated or higher) tires in size 16 is going to become more and more difficult ... Seems that if you want anything over a 255 series tire in a 16 inch diameter, I know, I know, that is huge, but some of us use them, you currently have about two choices. If you plan to upgrade wheels and or tires soon, consider the fact that most V rated 16inch tires come in a 245 width or narrower. This could present a problem if you are like me and have modified your car with flares to accomodate larger wheels and tires... Oh, and forget about 15 inch tires larger than a 225 width in a Zrating... they don't make them at all anymore. What this means for me personally is that I will be spending the additional $80 in wheels to upgrade to 17inchers (was thinking about 16s) and an additional $60 for tires... But it also buys me 14 different tire models in a 285 or 275-40-17 and many more when going to a 245 or 255-40-17. My wheels will be 17X8 up front and 17X9.5 in the rear. Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I'm planning to use the stock strut housing UNCUT, and I also may employee a camber plate, not sure yet. Spring length is 10 inches. One thing I will caution those using V8 motors on is oilpan clearance. I went with the 250# springs at all four corners due to the almost perfect 50/50 weight balance and the approximate 2700# of weight the car will have with the addition of the 22 gallon fuel cell (Full) and the additional bracing and tubing weight of the infrastucture. Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk [This message has been edited by Mikelly (edited January 03, 2001).]

Just ordered my new coil overs for the buildup... They (Ground Control) advised 250# springs (Actually higher initially) for the speeds the car is hitting... Should be interesting to see how the car handles with that spring setup. They will be here early next week and should be installed by next weekend! Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

They are light, and thats about all the benefit you will get. The Buick V8 motor is now made by ROVER and parts are very hard to come by. Pick up a copy of the January GrassRoots Motorsports magazine, as they had a complete writeup about that motor in their swapping article. Do a bunch of research before you commit to that motor, and if you do decide to go that route, it will be unique, buit expensive. Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Danno, Pretty much the same story on those as well. The holidays really sloed us more than we had hoped, and we are probably gonna run later on the rears than expected as well. We should have the pictures of the fronts up this week. Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Morgan, they lower the car about 1.5-2 inches over using the strut isolator. Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

...And this brings up another thought, and another question.. Thought first: I you drill out the isolator center hole where the strut rod nut bolts on, weld on a 1/4 inch flat piece of steel stocl, drill the hole for the strut rod and nut to bolt to, you still have the rubber isolator bolte in place for the spring, which is where a lot of the spring rattle, and noise comes from. I might try this for giggles, as I have a few of the isolators laying around, and welding on a flat piece would take about 10 minutes to prep and complete.. This would allow the strut rod the addtional reach, because you are gaining at least 2 inches in the range for it to move, but would only be worth while if you are lowering the car enough to accomocate that amount... would it be needed? Not likely on a street car. Would it transmitt to much noise? I don't think so, due to the fact that the isolator is in place for the spring assembly... Moving on to the question: Would it make better sense then to go with 16 inch wheels instead of 17s? My ONLY reason for going to 17s is tire availability.. However, Currently the HiPo selection of 16s is still there.. For a while at least... What I don't want to happen is that I am forced to replace another set of wheels 5 years down the road because I can't get ZR or Y rated tires for it... Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Just typed up my own "opinion" on the subject... Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

...and I got a price quote recently from MSA about gears... about $650 per set for my LSD R200... Not sure what they run for a regular R200... So factor that in as well! Mike

Also, Many of the racecar fab shops I have catalogs for offer a shock mount tab. Why not leave the strut tube alone, drill out the diamter of the isolator so the strut piston rises through and to the shock mount tab you weld in to the shock tower? That seems to me to be much easier than dealing with mixing and matching non-factory parts...also might help in selling the car down the road. I'm just thinking out loud here guys.. I'm not totally opposed to sectioning the strut housing, just not sold on it as the only way either! Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Yes, covers it well, except I'm still not sold on sectioning the strut tube if you go with 17s. Also not sure that sectioning is needed if one were to use the camber plates or remove some of the matterials and spacers from the underside of the strut isolator for a street driven Z... also, the bearing under the struts upfront... is there a suitable thinner bearing out there that could replace that unit... it is about an inch thick isn't it? Jim, I don't recommend going to tall on that sidewall... especially in a 17. You have to wonder how much you will be driving the car, and I think that running a 17 with a 35 series tire on it will get you about a 25 inch tall tire.. I know the RE730 in a 275-40-17 is about 25 inches tall... Helping my gearing a bit since the 265-50-15 sold by GY was 26 3/4 inches tall.. Remember that you will need that extra gear with the T56... Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Update: Called one of my old classmates this morning and found that the stuff we used to spray is no longer available on the market. Apparently the fumes from the stuff were linked to cancer. Anyway, I'll figure something out... Just don't want to have to deal with a rust issue down the road... Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Years ago when I welded regularly, there was this primer (Grey in color) that was flame resistant and would seal metal BEFORE you welded. That stuff may have been determined as unsafe to use (This was back in the early 80's) so who knows... but it didn't burn off or blister and peal. Oh well...gonna have to do some more research. Pete, I'll be checking out your calk type sealer when I come up and check out your ride on Saturday! Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Well I have also used their weather stripping kits in the past and they suck. Unless they have changed the design and added the metal retainer in the fabric that contacts the doorjamb channel, don't waist your time. The glue-in replacements that are out there just aren't worth the time. They don't stay in place and they really aren't as durable. Save your money... My last set lasted 3months before becoming tired... Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Ordered 2 quarts of POR15 SEMI-Gloss black today! Should be in soon. Any idea where to get weldable primer? Trying to locate the stuff but I'm not having any luck... I know they make it, as I used it years ago, but I'm at a loss since the store has since gone out of business... Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Lets face it guys, the reason we bought Zs is because they are unique and you don't see a lot of them, and they are sporty as hell even in stock form. If this guy copies Ricks car without seeing it up close and personal, does it really matter? Rick will still have his personal touch on his car. I mean it isn't like the guy lives in colorado.... They won't be seen in the same parking lot... Maybe he plans to use different spoilers and wheels, which will be more than enough to change the look of the car... I understand if Rick doesn't want to give his paint code out, no harm there, but hell Ricks car is SWEET to look at... Why wouldn't someone want to copy it??? I'm with Pete, if you want to copy mine, just say the word... paint code and all part numbers can be had! Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Interesting questions. You can get 240Zs that weigh less than 2500#, with 260 and 280Zs weighing in at around 2650#, and ZXs weigh in the 3000#+ range. If you go out to our main page (Click on HybbridZ.org in the location bar on your browser) then click on members rides or featured rides and you should be able to see some of our conversions. Can it be done? Sure it can. Has it? Don't know, but if I were you, I'd get a digital camera, or cam corder and record the whole thing. If it has been done, it probably hasn't been documented. I'd also plan to stick with the Supra six speed as I hear that unit is very durable. You will probably get a lot of doubters with regards to your claims of HP figures on the stock bottom end, although I know of at least two in my area that are making HUGE boost and over 500RWHP with their stock bottomed Supras! Good luck and welcome to the group. Mike Kelly ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk [This message has been edited by Mikelly (edited December 27, 2000).]

Mike is right in the fact that they are older model shocks (Koni D series) and you need to compress the rod to adjust them. However, I have run several different types over the years and the D series performed well for me. Then again, I also liked the Boge struts MSA sells, and you simply can't go wrong with Tokicos. I would not use KYBs on anything. Buddy of mine was the manager of a parts store for 7 years and quit stocking KYBS and wouldn't put them on his 300ZX anymore because they would blow the seals within 5000 miles on a regular basis. Caused him to part company with a major wholesaler because he refused to carry their KYB product line in his store because of the rate of warranty returns. My buddy left the business about 16 months ago, so we aren't talking very long ago. Jim, Check out Boges, as I used them the whole season I autocrossed and won a championship... very compliant and they come stock on Porsche 911s! Mike Kelly ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I have the Koni D adjustable from AZC and I have had two sets on two different cars. They are adjustable as well as rebuildable. They are a little stiffer from the outset, but I like them and recommend them highly. And yes, Dave at Arizona Z is a RPITA, but the price is realy nice... Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Those guys are doing an excellent job of documenting their swap...Very nice work! Hope they join our ranks! Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Yup, I was in the same boat Mike. Die Notcher would have been prefered, but I was in the same delema. Didn't think I would use it. If I was to get into full tube frame building, or even 10 cage intsalls a year, I'd be able to justify it... But I don't. Since August I burned up my sawzal, Jigsaw, dremel tool, and burned a bearing up in my new Zipsaw... Metal work is tough on tools. My wife to be is just happy I'm not out running around on her like her last husband... She figures that if I have toys at home, and she keeps me happy in all other aspects of our life together, I won't have the need to go elsewhere! What I don't tell her is that she doesn't have to go through all this... I love her, and I ain't going anywhere! Merry Xmas... Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Pete, You will be impressed.. you can walk around in it now without tripping over everything! Place looks like a whole different garage! Mike

Santa visited me early last night in the form of a brown UPS truck! Santa delivered to me a new tubing bender (Sorry Ups Guy for the many boxes...) and a tubing notcher! Now, welder is in place, power is upgraded, shop is sufficiantly bright, and I have the rest of the fabricating tools I need... well I will be ordering a sheetmetal break by Jan., but I'm not quite ready for it yet! We are in business now boys! Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Dan Laurizio has a drawing of the Maxima rear disc mount that I posted a link to from my site. Check it out... Thanks Pete for providing the space! Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk