Mikelly

Another thing these control arms will give is a price break in the 'ole pocket book. With the control arms SCCA and I currently have, It cost me over $100 the last time for a front wheel alignment due to the time it took to pull the inner bolt out on each arm every time the guy was fine tuning the setting... WOuld have been much much easier and cost me less! That means every time you take your car in with the new ones we are designing, you would actually save money over the old design.. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Yup, as Pete said, it does, which means you have to preset and mark both your camber and toe settings so they can be set appropriately for both the tie rod ends and your camber settings... Stay tuned as I think I'll have something available for toe adjustment as well... Chris and I should be in business soon, real soon! Some of the stock came in today and we have finished our jig and are starting some mock ups... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Sold My wheels last night to a guy from Hawaii (Thanks Kent!), so now I can get on with the big 17 inch upgrade... I'm also doing some coil overs and a fiberglass front end modification, so htinks will be busy over the next two or three months. So now I need to find a cheap source for 17x9s and go from there! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

The unit consists of the safe which is 20 gage steel, with a poly inner cell/ bladder with foam in side of it. It comes with the fittings for a vent and a fuel pickup. Also it has a nice 3inch bail Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Lone, Where did oyu get the weight numbers from? That seems awfull high.. I'm not doubting it, just questioning it because honest to god I have read or been told about ten different weight ranging from 40# to 120#! I had a Ford 302 block a few years back when I was thinking of doing a 302 swap, but I never weighted it... wish I had now! Plus, lets remember there are about 48 cubes difference there, maybe a better comparison would be to find out what the little chevy 305 weighs instead... Regardless, you are correct in that the ford block is lighter, I'm just not sure how much or why! Mike Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I agree with IDEALZ... I have a Hayden adjustable temp relay that I use and I'm also gonna wire in one of my spare toggles to cover a failure. I'm also using a 16 inch AllStar electric fan that seems to pull enough CFMs... We'll see how next summer treats me! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Well I have done all the requisit mods to my small block chevy and got it to within 25# of the L6 motor. I moved the battery to the back and I think I broke even as far as the weight issue went. However, the ford does offer about an extra inch of slide rearward towards the firewall. That is about the only gain to be had. If someone is making a Ford conversion kit, I'd be up for that as well, since I'm working on my 2nd V8 Swap into a Z. Although I'm of the opinion that building the SMC is cheaper, with a 5.0 FI powerplant the used parts market is a goldmine of deals just waiting to be picked! As far as handling goes, Mine is the JTR method of hybrid and my car was built for autoX, road course events, and some top speed runs. My car is very neutral at speed. I don't have coil overs yet, but I do run Konis and MSA Springs. I am running a rear sway bar, and I have all the regular suspesnion mods, including a cage and the Nissan Quick steer knuckles, Poly Uerethane everywhere and a solid Diff mount. I think that regardless of the motor you pick, if you engineer the build up of the vehicle and stick to a well founded plan for the intended use, then you should be able to produce a well handling V8 conversion... For what its worth, I'm not a Ford guy, I'm not a Chevy guy... I'm a CAR GUY! Mike Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Ellobo, I have installed one in mine and a few others on this site have as well... You don't need to have metal working skills or have lots of dollars besides those needed to buy the parts. I modified nothing on my transmission, no monkey business with the skipp shift solenoid, or anything else, and mine shifts smooth, with no problems getting into reverse. I did make the mistake and destroy my speedo sensor by Taking Matt Millen's advice when I first installed the trans...Tinking I was eliminating the skip shift unit. I also did other things I didin't have to do like grind the cooling fins off the trans, and hammer the inside of the trans tunnel... I didn't know any better at the time and would do things differently the next time. There is no real myth to installing the T56 and it is a GREAT transmission and "strong like bull". It is expensive, as a used unit will run you about $1000, plus getting a flywheel and clutch kit for it... As I stated in my original article, Plan on about $2000 to make it work right. I did and mine works great. Not trying to flame anyone here, I just have personal hands on knowledge of the T56 and how hard it is to install... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

A lot of truth in what Dan just posted. I'd research my wheel and tire options before going crazy on Baer brakes. Baer is all the rage right now in auto magazines and every car mag publication is doing a swap annually (At a minimum) with their kit. My best friend has a set of A sedan RR brakes from Baer on his Mustang... 12 inch rotors all the way around and yes they are nice... for $2400. My z with the 300zx rotors/ Toyota V6 calipers front and 280zx rear discs with KVR pads loaded at both ends, proper brake bias, and big ducts running to the rotor/ caliper assembly will brake repeatedly from 70-0 in less then 130ft, and from 60-0 in about 100ft at the 10th stop. Do yourself a favor and don't get wrapped around the hype. Sticky tires will help PREVENT lock up, since a skidding tire does nothing to slow you down... My .02 Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Eric, Your timing could not be better... I'm looking at buying one of these within the next 45 days... Pulled the front fenders off two weeks ago and found some rust underside of the lower fender.. Since I was going to do flares anyway.... Might as well upgrade to the tilt 1 piece unit. BTW< how thick was the fiberhglass on that unit and did it seem like it was durable? Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

The Ceneterforce Dual Friction kit is $515... It is expensive! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Damn...there I go glossing over another post... Scratch the Toyota brake upgrade... won't work on your car. Whatever you do, see if you can get rotor ducts and plumb in some 3 inch ducting to the rotors so you can get cool air into the braking components.. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

A couple of things come to mind... 1st, lets all remember that a rotor acts on leverage, and some think that if you use a larger lever, you can worry less about heat, which is the true culpret in poor brake performance. One look at the BSR 240Z from 1972 will show that larger brakes don't really mean better brakes. The data I have from that car shows 10.9 inch rotors up front and 10.5 inch rotors in the rear with the proper balance, large tires (on 14 and 10 inch rims and appropriatley fitting tires) and the proper ducting. That car was a series champion for several years. Even into the ealry 80s the ZX teams ran smaller diameter brakes on their road racers. The key is keeping the rotor and caliper assembly cool, and keeping the fluid from boiling. My advice is to run the Toyota V6 4X4 caliper, vented veined rotors, kelvar pads, Ford Heavy duty fluid (Recommended by BAER) and brake ducts with the proper duct hat to the spindle. Run that combo up front and you won't need to do the rears except for looks, and the brakes will work exceptionally well. If you simply must have rear discs but you don't need an e-brake setup, SCCA sells some nice rear brake options.. Now, as to the comment about wheels: I currently have a nice set of 15X8 wheels I am being forced to sell... Why? Because of lack of selection in a wide enough tire for my car. 500+ HP requires some serious width and the widest true performance tire (In a Z or higher rating) is 225... That is woefully to small for my current powerplant. You could go to 16s but the selection there is not a lot better. 17s add a flare of "Boy Racer" to them, but the only real reason I'm going that route is that every tire maker has a hi performance tire in a wide range of sizes and widths. So 17s for me.. As for flares, I'd say you will need them. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk [This message has been edited by Mikelly (edited November 28, 2000).]

RJS... I just got the 45 degree filler with flap valve tonight in the mail packed in a RJS bag, right size, right bolt pattern, perfect fit. I completely re-assembles the unit, including relocating the pickup to the center of the cell and plumbing in a return line! Once all the mods are done and the unit is completely finished, I'll write a new tech article and post pics! This unit will be sweet! 22 gallons and a remote external filler.... nice! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I have been told for years that Heim joints are for race cars only... that couldn't be further from the truth. When I installed the heim joints and steel sleeves into my car and did away with the eurethaine bushing in the crossmember I didn't feel more vibration in the car with the L6 motor in it. I certainly don't see a difference with the 383 in it. Heim joints are fine for automotive use and transmit no additional noise or vibration into the car or driver... Simply a myth, period. The one thing they do give is TOTAL agjustment of the location point the are installed in! Mike Kelly ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Mike, I pulled one of them off today and gave it to Chris to inspect and he, Pete Paraska and I met and discussed options for it. Mine is a 3/4 heim with a tubular steel section welded into the control arm. The original Nissan bolt was retained at the crossmember using a steel sleeve that fit inside the eyelet of the heim joing then using to outer steel bushings to make the exact fit between the crossmember sides. I'll take the other side off and send you some pics of it over the weekend. I think we have come up with a much better design that the ones I'm using though. I'll wait until we get one fab'ed up, but it should be adjustable without taking the arm off at the crossmember. Mike Do you have a number for Coleman? I had a catalog of theirs and it grew legs and walked off... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Well obviously we won't be using the lower end cheaper/ lighter load heim joints. Last thing I want is a control arm to sheer off in the middle of a corkscrew for someone. That would be bad. My control arms Zdr. fab'ed up for me years ago are holding up well. I'll be using those heim joints and that setup, which has served me well for 5 years. Bottom line is that the Zcar crowd can buy them from either of us, they'll be getting the same product. Mike Kelly ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Ah the mysteries of carburetors... I'm glad I'm not the only one with a tempermental fuel system... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Do suspesnion and brakes first... then get your wiring in order... then the motor and trans! Thats what I would do! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Once all the Heim Joints and rods are in house (trying to get a bulk price on them) we can turn out several sets in a weekend. It would not be unlikely to have two complete front and rears done on a Saturday/ Sunday timeframe. However, I should be cautious at this point since I haven't actually made them. But to be quite honest, it doesn't seem like it should take very long once you have the first set done. I'd be happy to post some pics.. I'm getting lots of interest from people so we need to get on this ASAP! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Yea, we shaved the side marker lights on mine (See featured rides ) and it was a nice touch... second car I have done like that and it is now becoming very common to do. I did the first car back in 1992... Lone's comment about the remote keyless entry is exactly how they do it for cars with shaved handles... cool trick would be to fill in the gas cap lid as well and re-route the tank filler to another less consopicuos area like the license plate frame at the rear! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Being a former federal police officer I can tell you that the problem isn't with laws on the books, rather how they are currently interprited and also the litigious society we live in. Sounds like Chris' issues resolved more from the litigation side of the house... Meaning a civil suit for his boobytrap. For what its worth I would have done the same thing. Years ago a guy broke into my parents house while I was naked in the shower with my girlfriend enjoying time alone together... He was armed and we were naked.. Fortunately for him He heard us before I could get to my gun... The picture I'm trying to paint here is this guy running out the back door, me chasing after him buck naked with a 357 Magnum and shooting while running... He got away, but not for lack of effort on my part.. We had about 4 inches of snow on the ground that night to! Can you say immediate shrinkage? Anyway, bottom line is if you are being victimized, and you choose to defend yourself (And I was told this by several Lawyers and Commonwealths attorneys over the years) make sure you do not just wound the person victimizing you. It is much harder for the family of a criminal to get a judgement in court than it is for the criminal to plead his own case! Should I be saying this in a public forum? HELL YES. Don't be a willing victim if you can help it! Mike the gun toating thug! ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Motorsport just sent me an e-mail concerning ring and pinions for the R200 LSD cars... they do stock ring and pinions in different gear ratios... They run in the $650 range... Any other sources out there for these? I'll be chatting with my local dealer since MSA has a tendancy of late for marking stuff up.. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I don't really agree with sectioning struts... I never have done them and I'm not sure it is really needed. 1st question is what are you trying to get the suspension to do? If you are gonna plus up on your wheels and are switching to coilovers, I'd not think you "Need" to do this mod... Some have done it on this board and if you do a search on Coilovers you will find a more technical description on the topic! However, I still say you can live without it. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk [This message has been edited by Mikelly (edited November 22, 2000).]

Man this is good stuff... Keep the data "Flowing" (pardon the pun) on this topic. I for one will be printing all of this out. I also need to make a manometer and do some testing on my fiberglass when we start building... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk