Mikelly

I know of only one Z that has been retrofitted with a power steering unit. Zdr. of Roanoke, Va. installed an RX7 unit in his 72 240Z and it cost him about 100 hours of time and god only knows how much in parts to make it work. This man is a god when it comes to the Z and he told me he wouldn't do another one for less than $1000 plus parts. It was that hard, and that pretty much sold me on leaving the idea alone. Now, if someone with the creativety (Likie SpenceZ Has) wanted to try it out and had access to fabrication tools, you might be a pioneer in that area. I'd love it if someone came up with something on this topic! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Economics is a different matter entirely. However, If you think a T5 won't live in the car, then an old three speed won't either. Just my advice, but I'd wait until you can afford the right tranny, unless you enjoy swapping them out. I personally have taken the 6 speed out of mine 8 times, and root canal was looking more attractive by the time I got the thing sorted out. Good Luck. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

The chin spliter... a good example is on the Red 2003 concept Viper on the cover of this months road & track. A chin spliter is mounted to the front spoiler and lats horizontal and sticks out forward of the car as much as 8 inches depending on the need..,. What it does is catch air that forces the nose down towards the ground. A rear difuser helps the air that collects at the back of the car better exit the shape of the vehicle.. That rear difuser is what got the Mercedes in trouble last year at road atlanta... You know the one that took flight.. Oh, wait, that was in 1998. Anyway, you have to be real carefull with those. As for Belly pans, equal attention must be given to them and veins, and channels must be properly designed within them as well or the car will again act as a foil. What we are ideally trying to achieve with aerodynamics is to really cheat the wind and get air flow to assist in forcing the car to the ground. Figure that out, and HP is a non issue. Botch it and you might look at getting your pilots license because these babies will take flight with out any aerodynamic assistance. Monkey with the dynamic airflow around one of these and you can do more harm than good. People thought I was crazy when I first put a whale tail on my Zs back in the late 80s, but I had data from this old racer I knew and it proved that those big wings (Some of them anyway) really worked and created as much as 2000# of downforce.. They work at speed. Now, the front chin spliter can achieve the same effect. There are some who think that you should A: Leave the rear of the car slightly up in the air, and have the front closer to the ground, creating a wedge. Run coil overs up front, run a chin spliter and a belly pan under the front of the car, only up to the firewall. And then run a big wing on the rear. Side skirts are also desired as is a nose extension of some sort, usually a g-nose. Supposedly this is the recipe for getting the car to behave at 180mph. I'll find out... The sad thing here is that this guy I used to converse with... Years ago I thought I knew everything.. I was 23 or 24 and he critiqued something I built and it pissed me off, and I threw his number away... I was young, and very stupid, and his assistance was invaluable to what I wanted to do. The pride of a young man can be dangerous. Wish I had his number today.. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I used the painless wiring block with ata style fuses and it isn't a pain IFFFFF you pull the interior and dash.... If you want to leave most of the car in place, you will have issues, but ti can still be done! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

....Two things that are key for me to purchase a system is the ability to Bolt it in without a lot of headaches and the ability to have it be reliable day in and day out. I drove my car to work today and while coming up the highway the carb started breaking down a bit... Which it didn't have to do last weekend.. seems I'm always having to tweek this thing and that just pisses me off. I'd like to bolt something on, and tune it and leave it.. The TBI setup in my truck is bullet proof, but I know there are limits to the ability to get maximum HP out of a TBI setup... I do like the idea of keeping my port matched intake though... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I take exception with that "DORK" comment... I happen to know that he is a very nice guy who knows a thing or two about cars.... BLKMGK AKA JIM P. You wacky guy you... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I used to have contact with a guy who ran the Nevada SSC and he had given me some very interesting info on aerodynamics. His car was an L6 motor pushing about 12 PSI boost and he was getting into the lower 170s on a regular basis. He say and average speed increase of 4 miles per hour in the top end sections of the run when using headlight covers AND he noticed that the steering became a little more precise at speed. I have had my previous Z into the 160s and the car floated even with road race suspension and side skirts and spoilers. The way I plan to attack this is with a chin splitter, belly pans, and some sort of rear end difuser. Problem is that youcan do more damage than good if you aren't carefull. How will I get to know if the mods work??? I'm gonna try to get some sponsore support as I get closer to actually heading out to Nevada so I can get to a wind tunnel. We'll see. As for the G-nose.. the nose was designed to combat the exact issue of the nasty reverse angle grill/ sharp edge of the hood. The only way to use that nose visually and make it work is with fender flares, which I have. I'd be up for putting one on if it made the car handle better at speed. I to am extremely interested in all the info you guys find. I'm shooting for an 2001 appearance in Nevada, but my impending marriage may push that back yet one more year. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I used the New turbo bolts. I can't stress enough on using new bolts for the main, rod and head bolts. I had the only engine failure I have ever had in 15 years of building engines due to not checking a rod bolt for stretch...It failed and cost me the bottom end of an L28 motor...ON START UP!!!! Seriously, for the added cost of about $100 for all the bolts you need, it is money well spent, especially with a turbo adding stress to those areas! Just a thought! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Thanks Rick. I already have him penciled in to call from your last post down below... Much appreciated! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Drax, I strongly recommend that while you are in the new block putting in new bearings, you should seriously consider getting some ARP or Nissan Comp rod and main bolts. Nissan Comp sells the bolts for $35 per set (If memory serves me correctly). Cheap insurance to do since you are there anyway! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Yes, that TYPO was on purpose.. Fuel injection is the topic of the day. There are sooo many types of FI systems out there. I'd like input as to which systems work best, which work well, and which are easy and hard to do installs on. I'm personally looking at several aftermarket types and need to feed a 500HP application. Is the Holley 4Di the way to go? Accell Mini Tunnel ram? Edelbrock multipoint? Lets roll up our sleaves and chat fuel infection guys.. Help me out here... Speed density Vs. Mass Air.. In the mustang world everyone wants Mass air, yet in the latest article in Hi Po Chevy, a long discussion and defenition was given that Speed Density is the best and most widely tunable... so which is the best? Throttle bodies Vs individual injectors.. OK this one really has me stumped because I have personally used both... I have a throttlebody on my GMC and it has been the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned in my life, and it is pretty darned quick to boot... But what about individual injectors feeding each cylinder? Ah yes, spent many years playing with those and I built several normally asperated L6 motors with different injectors and had some good and some not so good successes with those. The best of all worlds for me personally is to have a system that makes the most HP and is the most dependable and trouble free system out there... asking for the sun, the moon and the stars is my norm, so bare with me! OK, what say you guys??? Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

...And you want to check the bearings and races on that stub axle... you may have damaged them... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

If you look at my car in the featured rides section and in the Fuel cell install tech article, you can see how I ran the ducting. The answer to the performance question is yes. If you run the car with a regular airfilter, or one drawing air from the underhood HOT air available, you will notice that the motor isn't as responsive and probably won't accelerate as quick. I plumbed my tubes through those opening where the car gets its natural air initially... then summer hit and I needed fresh air to come into the car. So I re-routed the drivers side unit to run down to the brake duct opening in the spoiler. I now have fresh air, and still have two 4inch ducts feeding the carb. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

.25.... yea, my bad. OK, But I still say it isn't worth the extra time spent and the $300+ bucks... The time is primary and the money is a distant second. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

So Jim, Why not keep your Panasports on your car, and swap the braking system out that you currently have fore something that will still fit inside the rim???? Your wheels look great, and you like them, and they fit your car..... So why replace the wheels? Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

This is the exact info I was looking for. If we are talking little to no gain....I like my Flowtechs just fine. I'm not sure I need to lose any more skin off my knuckles swapping in a set of headers that will get me .025" off my time slip since I'm a road racer at heart.... FYI, HotRod basically said the same thing... The choke point is in keeping factory cast manifolds Vs. anything aftermarket. Shorties are not the best, highest performer out there, but they aren't too far behind. If I build another 383 I'll do 1 3/4 primary block huggers, but for now I'll keep these and be happy! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

The flowtech headers are quality pieces and the ceramic coating is sweet. I like the way they fit and I used Stage 8 bolts on them. I put them on with the motor out of the car, but I'm not sure how easy they would be to swap out with the motor in the car... They cost $189 shipped from Jegs. As for shorties Vs. others... HotRod did a piece on them last year and you might be surprised at what they found... There is a reason I'm looking at increasing the size of the primaries and not going to a different design header... Equal length headers do make more power, but at a great fitment hurdle, and cost... Sanderson makes a great set of headers, as my buddy with the 55Chevy has them on his... and his are 1 3/4 and they are polished aluminum manifolds... very nice, but very pricey...$589 per set. I'm not ready to buy them just yet, and I'm already making some big power, and I'd probably see more HP gain by swapping in an electric fan.... Which is next on the list BTW, but I just wanted the info... FYI, I'll be saving the flowtechs for the convertible conversion, and if Flowtech made these in 1 3/4, I'd absolutely buy them! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

That is very good info to know.... Good question about the diameter, as I would have assumed they were the same as well.... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I'm looking at possible upgrades for the current powerplant and I know that 1 5/8 primary headers on a 383 are a little small. Does anyone know of a manufacturer that sells block huggers in a 1 3/4???? I'm currently using Flowtech Ceramic block huggers... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I'm still looking for a speedo sensor... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I am currently running an 8 inch wide wheel all the way around with zero offset. I could put a 9 inch wheel back there and clear the strut and spring assembly, but I'd have problems with the tires clearing the fender. In the front I have 225-50s and the tire is just about 1/4 inch wider than the fender. Not desirable in my opinion. My plan is to either get fender flares up frontr or get a new fiberglass front clip... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Someone else on this site (Early in our beginnings...) had the same problem and wound up loosing a headgasket because of that. I'd strongly recommoned it. And Drax is correct. You must break the bolt loose, removing all torque, then retorque the bolt. It is a pain, but better do it once, then have to learn the hard way and then have to pull a head....or worse! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Guys, I really don't think you have anything to worry about with the slave offered by the factory. I have been using mine for over 900miles now, and it sits with in about 2 inches of my exhaust pipe. It works fine. The thing is wrapped in heat barrier to help with heat issues, but I drilled and tapped mine and ran a 1/8" to 3AN fitting into it and it is fine. The plastic is a space aged nylon designed for strength. AP Gurlock makes the unit and also makes a lot of other stuff out of the same matterial... For the space shuttle. It is strong, durable, and shouldn't leave you stranded. Buddy of mine that ownes a shop in Woodbridge swapped one out of a 95 camaro that had 135,000 miles on it and the thing was in good shape when he took it out. Trust me, they are good units. Your only other choice is a hydraulic throwout bearing by tilton and a few others... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Congrats on the maiden voyage. I really would like to know how the conversion went, as I'm considering this for the convertible conversion.... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I don't recommend cross drilled rotors... And I say this even with my car being equipped with cross drilled rotors fornt and rear... Bought them years ago before the bad news leaked out about rotors coming appart because of stress cracks around the holes... this being due to heat... Slotted rotors are the way to go! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk