Mikelly

Well I got a wild hair and pulled off my front fenders. Rust... 26 years of dirt and crap had gotten trapped behind the lower rear fender and basically started eating away at the fender and the unibody. Fortunatley the unibody isn't bad, only a few pin holes that can be cut out or welded up. But it appears the lower portions of the fenders might be shot... Not sure what I'm gonna do there... I really need a source for front flared glass fenders. I have a call into ShowCars, but no news yet... any other venders out there that I could check??? I know Arizona Zcar is out of the question, but anyone else you guys aware of??? On the plus side, the damage to my floor pans I reported in an earlier post is less than previously thought. I'm gonna have to replace some of the sheet metal but not all of it... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I have them opn mine and I can tell you that you will need to glass them in. You will also have to cut the inner fender out in order for you to get a wider tire not to rub. This is a long and painfull process and should not be taken lightly... Mine were installed by a professional, so I can't tell you exaclty how it was done, but you will have to prepare to cut some of the body away to make them truly finctional. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I have the article at home and will dig it up tonight. I don't recall the intercooler splitting, but I'll double check that. I think it ran about 178mph and remember that they ran a G-nose, some side skirts and headlight covers on it to clean up the lines. I'll post actual data from BOTH articles tonight. It was a two part series and one of the issues was their "Aerodynamics" issue. Speaking of which, last month HiPo chevy had a very good article on Aerodynamics and a write up on a 3rd generation camaro that went 184mph in the NSSC with about 345 RWHP.... It made for VERY GOOD reading! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I'd have to agree with SCCA. A few years back a guy tried to sell me on marketing some suspension parts he fabbed up. Almost got a guy killed up at Summit point race way. Glad I wasn't involved in it. You would get more feedback form us if you was a little more specific. Plus, you need to remember that most guys contributing to this site are fabricators. If you want feed back, you might weant to discuss with us what you have and get some ideas kicked around. There are several of us who have been around a race track a time or three... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Do any of you guys know who sells R200 Gear sets? I'm thinking it might be cheaper in the long run to get a nice set of gears for my current 88 R200 LSD. Does Nissan Comp still exist??? Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Chris, Pete and I all agree that one would fit, but the big question is this: Where do you live and what emissions regs do you have to deal with. I will eventually put a V8 in a Z32, this I'm sure of, just not until I no longer have issues such as Smog control and the emissions NAZIs! Good luck and take pics of everything. You can get 350 reliable HP from a small block Chevy cheap... the real issue is what else will you need to convert? Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

the number is... sum-290113 I've also ordered some parts from my local Hot Rod shop for the cell to be plumbed to the outside of the car. Not sure how it will work just yet, but I'm pretty sure it will look real trick. I'm using some nice Fuel Safe filler and ressesed fender filler parts to complete the install of this thing and I've got Chris on board with welding up the area under the rear deck and adding some support for the whole unit. Very nice for the price. Pete paraska and Chris were over today taking a look and it is gonna work out nice! Pics to follow! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Well I'm in to a new project on the Z and I will be documenting it for you all. I have purchased a Summit Racing Fuel Cell that comes in a "Fuel Safe" DESIGN with 20 Guage steel container and vent and pickup mounted up top. I have cut the 26X17 square out of the back of the car and am in the process of removing the exhaust so the unit can be fitted in place and requisite holes drilled for the unit to bolt into the deck. I'll be welding in some bracing to protect the unit and provide a more sturdy resting place for the 22 gallon cell. I'm also gonna make the unit fillable from the rear outside of the car. I ordered a Fuel Safe 90 degree filler with rollover flap valve, and and resessed filler that will likely go behind the license plate. The addition of the extra 6 gallons and the added safety of the safe, the external filling and the addition of FOAM again (didn't know it came with it) will be nice. I'll post a new article when all is done... Total cost should be less than $400 for everything, minus the additional cost for modifying the exhaust system, but that gave me good reason to swap mufflers anyway! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I don't think first gear would be hindered that much, and I'm not doing a lot of 1/4 mile so it wouldn't matter. I'm preping the car to do the Nevada Silver state challenge or the Blue Blocker, and a few other events. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I agree that the R200 is plenty strong. my only issue is trying to get more gear for around town and cruising on the highway. Mine is the 88 3:7 LSD version. If I could get gearing in the 4.?? rang I think I'd be ideal with the T56. Running 155mph at less than 3800 RPMs was an eye opener to me. I need shorter gears or I will never see redline in 6th gear and that is a big issue... that and keeping the car on the ground and on all four wheels... and pointedin the right direction... free of fire... I know, I know, I'm getting picky again... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

A few weeks ago I suffered a minor fire in the rear of my car. I wanted to pass along a word of warning about "The Insulator" insulation matting... the stuff can be VERY flamable and should only be used inside the car, not on the outside. I had used some of it on the underside of my rear deck between the fuel cell, exhaust and the rear deck to help with sound and heat. I had also used the matting on the inside of the trunk as well. During fillup at a gas station I had apparently had a slight mist of gas get on the matting between the cell and the exhaust. I paid for my gas, went to the restroom, and came out and got in my car and started to leave the station... and noticed a smell of something burning. I looked back into the hatch and noticed a bit of smoke coming through by the battery box... I backed the car up away from the pumps and got out with some water and doused the flames I could see, then got an extinguisher and hit the whole area for good measure. Then I drove the car up the street to a car wash and hosed the whole rear underside off real good and then drove the car home. No damage to anything but the wire running to the fuel guage, but it could have been much worse. I'm currently looking into the NASCAR/ NHRA heat barrier stuff you bruch on and I'm also looking at the "Phoinex" brand and a few other fire systems to install in the car while I'm re-doing the project over the winter. I caution all of you guys to re-evaluate your cars for safety. I didn't think I would have an issue like that, but I did, you might to! Safe driving! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Well back when I was putting my cage into my car I spoke with two race car manufacturers about seamless tubing and bolting a cage in. Both told me that the only thing you gain from DOM is weight loss and a little (not a lot)added strength. The reason that Seamed tube is so much thicker is to compensate for it. About two years after the cage was put in my other Z I was struck by a 6500# plumbing truck. I was stopped and he was doing 40mph when he hit me and pushed my car into a Ford Taurus sedan. The rear bumper of my car was almost touching the drivers door and the hood of the car was touching the roof. I walked away without injury and no bolts in the roll cage broke. The cage also held its position. That cage was pulled from the wreck, x-rayed and now is in my existing car. Seam tube cages are fine. Mine saved my life. I plan to weld this cage up and add to it for strength and safety. I still say the S&W cages are fine and a bargain to boot. Chris C. and I are getting ready to stick one in his car! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Just checked with a friend of mine who specializes in Fords and owns and 8 second mustang and has owned several super coups. He said that the IRS that came in the Thunderbird would not withstand much over 250HP. 300 would make the rear a grenade item and my car would destroy it in one pass... Chris this answers your e-mail question.. and I got all excited for nothing...DAMN! Looks like we're still using an R200/ R230... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Morgan, I don't know why anyone would be concerned unless there was a rules restriction (Like SCCA) on it being DOM vs. welded seem tubing. If you are building an ITS racer, then by all means follow their rule book. Otherwise, I wouldn't be concerned at all. I have seen a bunch of cages from destroyed cars and most of them were not DOM tube, and the tubing did not catastrophicaly fail. I don't own an S&W cage, but I have an autopower 4 bolt bar with a DOM front section weled up and bolted to it. All of it will be welded in place and the bolts ditched over the winter. I'll also be adding onto the cage and going through the firewall at some point, but I'm not worried about DOM or welded tubes. The thickness of tubing is your big concern. The stuff S&W sells is good tubing. I wouldn't worry... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Randy, I thought of doing that as well, but when you factor in the cost of injectors ($400-$500), machining of the intake for the bungs ($300) and buying an SDS and all related sensors and the airdoor, you quickly come up to the cost of most "Package" deals like the edlebrock, Accell, and Holley packages being advertised... It boils down to biggest bang for the buck for me, and also IF I sell my intake and carb or not. ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Well I guess I have chosen a path to go down. I think I'm gonna swap over to FI over the winter while my many other mods are under way. I was toying seriously with going stock TPI and modifying the Chip, injector and TB, but what I found is that the cost will be somewhere in the $2000 range by the time all the right parts are there, and then you are locked into the parameters of that chip... I'm strongly leaning towards the ACCELL DFI Pro Ram system in JEGS for $2200... Or the New Holley MP1 setup for $2500! What do you guys think? MIke ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

John, which carb have you got?? Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Ross, I took lots of measurements on my car before I did the spacer conversion, and I could find no reason NOT to use them. I didn't keep the info after the fact, but I can tell you that in 1 full summer of driving that car I never hit anything with my oilpan, and Chris Cloude can attest to my roll center... Car handles like it is on rails! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Another question is will you have the room underhood for the twind turbos and all the plumbing... Thats a lot to ask of a small area... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Yea, but will it support 500 flywheel HP? If so I'm there, ship it and tell me what I owe... I'd love to swap over to FI over the winter... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I know you run into clearancing issues if you go with the 6 inch rod and that is where some have really gotten into trouble. I'd go with the 5.7 LT1 "Pink" rod, which is what I have been using, which are cost effective and good to 600hp! Yes, you should have a 4 bolt block in that truck, nice foundation for a strong runner! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

OK, OK guys I know we all have been told that you shouldn't or "Can't" use the Viscous style LSD units that came in some of the late 80s and throughout the 90s nissan product line. However, I'm now getting mixed reports of people using them with great success and zero failures... I am asking those that have actually used them to give us their experiences and dispell this myth... Thanks! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Well I have to take issue with that Morgan... My car Idles at 1100 rpms, gets around 20mpg and produces about 540 flywheel HP in my 383 stroker that I had professionally built for $3800... I drove it last Friday in rush hour bumper to bumper traffic for 1 hour and 45 minutes with no issues at all. Car didn't overheat, and was totally docile in traffic and cranks out some serious Gs on acceleration, cornering and braking. I know of a bunch of supercharged vehicles that are killing the 1/4mile, just none of them are L6s and I don't think there is much being done in that area.. Bottom line here guys is that you have few options with the L series motor. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

OK, lets get down to business, I think Euro280zx knows where we all stand on being touchie/ feelie about our respective builds.. Scottie makes a real good point. Make a plan for your car and stick to it. Had I gone the route I currently have, instead of changing mid stream so many times in the past, well I would have been much happier personaly. However, since you want to keep it all L6 Nissan, and you recognize the limitations of your powerplant (Not to say you won't be able to get serious HP out of a L6, You can.. just not cheap..) lets talk about what you plan to do with the car... Do you plan to Autocross, lap days on a road course, quarter mile duty, or just running around town spanking hondas? What are your intentions for the car... Now, if you have flat top pistns and you have a P79 or P90 mechanical head, I'd not get rid of it. They flow better than the N42. I Would however plan to shave that P90/ P79 head, shim the cam towers, and put the right cam in, get the right custom fuel rail and injectors, adjustable regulator, and upgrade the ignition system. Also, and in my opinion this is key to any performance Z, Get shorter gears in that car. 3.7, 3.9 or 4.11 with a 5 speed would certainly help with launches and autocross duty as well. I'll let others talk about injectors and part numbers since I didn't keep the info when I got rid of the cars and those motors back in the mid/ late 90s. You can get about 230-250hp with 10-10.5:1 compression, enough cam, enough fuel, and enough exhaust...BUT it will be finicky and you will spend some serious bucks. First thing I would personally do is get the NISMO crank and rod bolt set, as well as a good set of total seal rings, and nismo head bolts. I'd get a performance prep on those rods, and if you can afford it, run good aftermarket pistons and have the head completely redone. If you can, upgrade to larger valves like the ones sold at Arizona Zcar. Now, look at the list of parts I just recommended... The machine work alone is gonna cost you about $1500 - $2000. That is serious bucks not including the hardware to build with. However, this is in my opinion a better way to go than the L6 stroker option. That is a start... come on guys lets kick this one around a bit... what did I miss, and what have you guys been doing with these things lately, as I haven't built a serious L6 since 1996. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

First, Let me welcome you to HYBRIDZ.Org, home of the Datsun ALTERNATE Powertrain swaps....GET My drift? Hope so... If you don't want to put a BULKY V8 in your car, thats fine... However, I'd recommend doing LOTS of research before you spend any money on a L series stroker.. the guys here on this site are 100% correct. Force feed your motor and be happy. I did manage to get close to 250HP out of a non asperated L6 with an aftermarket set of injectors, custom regulator and a Hi Po pump and custom TB. However, strokers are another matter. They are way to expensive and not much bang for the buck... Turbo it and you will be much happier... As for getting enough power out of a Datsun power plant to make you happy... I have done tons of research on that as well... You can make a safe 400HP out of a turbo L series motor if you do the bottom end right, but getting into the 500HP range is where you will hit the wall as far as breaking things in the bottom end without getting seriously expensive. What do you consider fast or enough? Don't know where you live, but my car (Until I took it off the road Friday night) just recently hit 155mph at less than 3800 rpms and was rock solid, brakes very well and will sling you out of the passenger side window if you don't have a seatbelt on... I have atleast one member here who can attest to how fast and how well balanced a "Bulky" v8 can be... The next natural question would be "Have you even ridden in a V8 converted Z?" But I digress.... Welcome.. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk