Mikelly

Myron, I am using the Holley pump and regulator. I put it on on Saturday afternoon when the BG regulator was pulled to be sent back for returns to JEGS. As for the carb, I have a BG SportClaw 750 double pumper. I'm not sure what the current jets are. My cam profile is 292/294 duration, 535/550 lift on a hydraulic roller cam with 1.5 roller rockers. Don't know what the lobe seperation is, I'm at work and the cam card is at home.... As for the vapor lock, I thought I cured it by lowering the fuel cell and letting the vent rollover valve get more air... Reason I was looking into backing off the timing or reduincg the fuel to the carb by other means is that the under hood temps are real high, although the temp gauge shows that the car is only running at 180 degrees even with high air temps outside. However, you can touch anything on the passenger side of the engine bay and it gets real hot... but not on the drivers side. I realize the engine being closer to the passenger side will increase temps, but I have my vacuum canister mounted where the battery used to be and it gets hot to the touch (It is polished aluminum which does draw heat, but...). I'm confused, but I am going to confirm this "High temp in the fuel line" suspicion tonight by running a can of gas to the extra pump I have, right by the front fender, then run the line up to the regulator and into the carb and see if that stabilized the pressure. Then I will know if it is from the heat at the mufflers or under hood temps... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk [This message has been edited by Mikelly (edited May 15, 2000).] [This message has been edited by Mikelly (edited May 16, 2000).]

The outter rib on the caliper hit the back of the rim where it mounts to the hub, not the outter rim itself. I was conerned at first, but once I realized the minimal amount that had to be removed, I didn't sewat it. However, that caliper will not (The 88 6 Cyl. 4x4 model) clear a 14 inch rim... Too big. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Scottie, what did your door bars cost you? Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Jamison, Pop over to the fuel delivery section and you can get a better idea of what some of us are running for fuel. As for fast times, I refuse to post anything until I have an actual time slip, but Scarps times and MPH are definately in the window that I'm hearing from others... Thats why I want this whole fuel issue sorted... Speaking of that, some of you guys gave me tips before on lower under hood temps... what is the best way? I regapped the plugs from 32-40 and I might try smaller jets in the carb, what else should I look at? Retarding the timing maybe? Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk [This message has been edited by Mikelly (edited May 30, 2000).]

Ryan, I'm not gonna beat up on you too bad, but I'll echo what everyone else has said on this post... READ THE BOOK AGAIN. Everything I did came straight form those pages... Harmonic balancer: 7 inches or smaller. Flywheel: Depends.. what trans are you gonna run? T56? Then you hae to go with a 153 tooth I think, and if you go that route, then you need a 93-97 F-body starter for the same.. Remote Starter Relay: Yes, I use the Summit unit. Wiring: JTR does a gret job with the wiring and that alone is worth the cost of the book. Anything you replace in the wiring should be done with 10 guage wire. Or you can get yourself a painless wiring harness and fuse panel and completely re-wire the car, which I recommend, but plan to pull the dash before you do. Brakes: Keep your drums for now and swap in a set of toyota 4x4 calipers and 300zx rotors, calipers will be 1988 V6 units and rotors should be from a 84 300zx non turbo with a 10.9 inch diameter. Read my tech article on that swap, and plan to swap out your brake master and a bias adjuster. Seriously, go back and read the manual again, Mike Knell does a great job in the book and even gives part numbers for 95% of the parts. I was so addicted to that book that it was in the crapper with me every visit and I took it to work to read during lunch breaks... good info in there beyond the phone bill complaints. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Wrong wrong wrong.... I have no idea what the he!! is happening with my screwiey fuel delivery, but this much I know... If it is warm during the day, the car still drops presure under operating temps. Now, question is this.. coolant temps are below 180 degrees... but when I touch the outlet side of the fuel pump it feels hot... it is four to five inches away from the tail pipe. When I touch the fuel log under the hood, it is also hot to the touch... Could I be boiling fuel before it gets to the regulator? If so, do the Hi temp wraps sold by some of the companies out there work well on fuel lines and pumps and would that be enough? I opened the gap on my plugs from 32 to 40 to allow for more thorough fuel burn in the chamber (& possibly lowering temps)and the plug seemed to do well. Any ideas would be appreciated..... I'm losing my mind. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

You should be concerned... It won't clear. I had to grind a small amount on the fin on the caliper (88 V6 4X4) to get it to clear on the 15X8 centerlines I had custom made. I don't recommend using the toyota calipers with factoty wheels... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

...and Dropping fuel presure issue appears to have been resolved, although I will be swapping in the return style regulator tomorrow afternoon and trying it again. The presure did fall off on the gauge mounted on the regulator, but held at 7psi on the guage on the fuel rail... Interesting. I ran it for 20 minutes and it held at 7. I am going to buy a relay and wire it in for the sake of it, but the problem seems to be resolved. One thing I'm gonna do is jet the carb down one size on the primaries and see if I can lean it out a hair and get the heat out of the engine bay. After the trouble shooting is over, I'll go ahead and swap out the starter. I need to get that back to the auto parts store before the time runs out on it and get the regulaotr back to Jegs before the return policy expires... Anyone need a new Holley pump and regulator? Guess I hae a spare... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk [This message has been edited by Mikelly (edited May 12, 2000).]

.....Not to mention the trouble and headache you would have with sorting out that Tech2 software...Trust me on that one... I live close to Electromotive and they wanted to use my company name (Small is it was) to sell their products...I got suckered into buying the HPV1 unit and had nothing but trouble, and I got a demo on their Tech2 software, and it is nothing like the way they describe it. It is not a do-it-yourself application. Stick with the V8, hell go bizzar with the V8, or even do the 4.3 L turbo buick, but don't go back to the L series... Only my $.02 Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I'm running 2.5 inch custom duals with Hpipe and 3 chamber flow masters out the back. That is the way to go in my opininon. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Best bang for the buck is the GM crate ZZ4 package for $3200. If you shop around, you might be able to get it on special for under 3K! It comes with aluminum heads and intake already, so all you need is the accessories.. Then expect another $350 for the JTR kit and then the cost of a descent 5 speed or automatic... about $1000... then you are done. Glad you came over! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Last Time I checked with Arizona Zcar they didn't have the control arms in stock and wouldn't make single sets. They wanted large orders on hand so they could make it worth their while. Last I heard, Dave was trying to get out of the business.... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I agree with the last few posts. Do not run without a thermmostat. That is an old hotrodders tail. If your car overheats with the thermostat but not without it, then your problem isn't the Thermostat... Playing with fire there B-I-G TIME! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Caster camber plates are absolutely N-O-T needed. However, I would recommend an adjustable lower control arm. You will definately need to compensate for the change in the geometry of the front suspension after lowering the car. Even 1 inch of lowering will require an alignement. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I have spoken with Matt on the phone and he is very helpful and informative. Send him some e-mail, because I believe that he had big problems with his headers. A very reasonable alternative option is the Sanderson 1 3/4 cast aluminum manifold that is full equal length 1 3/4 tubes that run to a 2.5 ot 3 inch collector. They are awesome. Mike Kelly ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Pete, Scissor jack ontop of an ammo can????? I thought I was the king of Jerry rigging... To to funny! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

....I'm so glad you are researching this.... Keep going man... I'm gonna follow everything you do on this rear diff conversion... Finally someone else to be a test mule..hehehe Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I'm 33 and have never been married. Came close twice, but I backed out. I can honestly say that I'm glad I waited. No way a woman would have ever put up with the level of frustration and money spent that this current project has accumulated. However, Now it seems that I will most likely be moving my current girlfriend and her two sons into my home, as I am finally starting to think about settling down. SpencZ, That said, it is always easier to see grass greener on the other side. Stay focused on your project, you're way to young to let some chick slow you down. Not that headboard olympics should be put off until a later date....just find a friend who is into sport sex! Let that get you by until you're done with the monster! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

OK, lets think about the advantage of coil overs.... They offer ride height adjustment per corner... that is the PRIMARY advantage... and they also allow for an easier swap of different springs, and to fit more tire under the car without fender flares. Are they a race only application? NO. Here is the big issue though...its in the spring. how you mount it has little relivance. Progressive rate springs I think are the way to go IF you can find them for coilover apps. Straight rate springs are more of a race only application that some people live with on the street. My 1st Z project had 600# springs front and rear, they were free and I figured "Why not".... I was 24 at the time and my back wasn't hammered to death from years of mountain bike racing, like it is now. I drove that car for two years set up like that, and it was increadible on the offramps and zipping thru traffic, but it would get old on a road trip. I swapped to a set of eibach springs (Progressive rate)and Boge struts and W-O-W!!!! I had suspension travel again, and all the squeeks and rattles went away. That was my 1st lesson in what works on the street. With a V8, I'd think a little stiffer spring rate all around would help, but in a progressive rate it would still make daily driving much better, just make sure you have a good transition ratio from one weight to the other... For those who don't know what I'm talking about.. Progressive rate springs have lighter weight (More comfortable) at the top end of the spring load (Less load on the spring and easier to compress thru the 1st 1/3 of the travel) for daily "regular" use. However, as you hammer it into an off ramp, the more the spring compresses, the stiffer the spring gets, which means you get more performance from the spring as load is applied to the springs (2nd 1/3rd is transitional from the lighter to the stiffer weight), which helps with individual tire performance as well. Progressive rate springs will have two weights associated with them vs. one on a straight weight spring. This is of particular help on the street where road surfaces are much more unpredictable, with manhole covers, potholes, and bridge seems. This allows for better suspension performance at each corner, allowing each tires to responde to the patch of asphault in its direct path. I have used progressive rate springs to autoX on and they work well. True, straight rate springs are nice for racing, but we aren't talking money here, and I think for day in, day out use.... Go with progressive rates... And with coil overs, swapping springs in doesn't take very long, so for my own application where I'll be trecking out to Timbuck 2 to do high speed runs, I can run a 300+# spring all around for the race, and then swap my daily driver springs back in for daily living. And with my back... THATS MUCHO BETTA! Later! Mike Kelly ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Any recommendations on fuel pump relays??? I'm gonna get back int eh garage tonight and see if I can finish wiring the 10 guage wire in for the pump and see if that stops my fuel flow issues... But it would be nice to have a relay in line... What are you guys running??? Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I personally saw a 250HP L6 car twist hard enough at an autoX that the passenger side door came open going around a corner. We checked the latch mechanism and it was fine. This car had stiff springs, shocks and sway bars in it.... Once he added subframes and stronger floor pans the doors never moved again. This same car had wrinkled the sheetmetal in the roof and rear quarters slightly....Before he added the subframes and floorpans. He was running slicks for autoX and the car was pushing some serious Gs in the corners and he drove it hard on the street. Keep in Mind that this car was rust free, meaning no holes in the pans or frame rails. there was minor surface rust, but that was it. This car didn't have the gobbs of torque that the V8s put out either... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Not too many... You could go with a drysump, or you could run a fabricated pan, but be careful that in the design you keep the oil pickup surrounded by baffles and a trap door, so you don't suck air in the tube... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Not only is the 22# cap a band aid, but it will cause problems with the heater core as I found out. I would recommend what Pete recommended and go with an aluminum radiator from Griffin. I use one. Keep in mind that people get mis-lead by multi core radiator designs. It has nothing to do with the number of cores, but how big the tubing daimeter is in the core. My Griffin is 1 1/8 inch diameter and is only a two core unit. However, because it is so large, it flows much better. Also, get rid of the electric fan, remove it all together from the front of the radiator. Now try and see what the temp reading is... Reason I say this is when I had two 10 inch pushers in front of my radiator they actually blocked more air than they pulled. They worked against the clutch fan on the back side of the radiator, obstructing more air than the clutch fan could pull. Interesting side note... This months Car Craft claims an added 45HP by getting rid of the watrpump driven fans all together and going with a puller style electric fan like the Flex-alite Black Magic electric fan.... interesting in deed... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Once you have everything you need to complete the transformation, My guess is between 20-30 hours of honest work and major changes. Then you must prepare for the de-bugging phase....that could take a lifetime... Seems like mine is... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I was advised by a GM service tech rep to use their Syncromesh fluid only. It supposedly makes the internals much happier, but it will make your wallet a little poorer... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk