Mikelly

I would be seriously addressing the "SAG" issue ASAP Myron. That is a big deal. Sounds like you may have degredation in your framerails, inner fender wells or floorpans. Something isn't right and you need to find out what it is and A: re-align the frame/ Unibody, and B: weld in the fixes. After you address that issue, I'd get a set of Koni "D" series struts From Arizona Zcar if you have a late 74-78 Z and a set of their springs, or Springs from Motorsport. Make sure to get a nice progressive rate spring. I'd get a rear strut brace to go along with the front, and I'd make sure to replace ALL bushings in the control arms, mustach bar, and replace the Diff strap and rubber mount with a solid metal mount. Ths Aluminum cup & Plastic ball assembly you installed goes on the TC rod that bolts to the lower control arm and the unibody up front. It helps aid in strut/wheel assembly deflection, which cause each wheel to change caster, camber and toe under hard cornering, braking or adverse surface changes! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Suspension setup can make or break a V8Zcar. I remember my very first experience with a V8Zcar turned me against them for a long time. The original Scarab conversions put the weight of the drivetrain directly over top of the steering rack which made the Z handle like a Drunk blond riding a mechanical bull, lots of fun to watch, but not to fun to join. Now days we have the right solution to the V8Zcar conversion, thanks to people like JTR, Johns, and Motorsport. All of those kits move the motor back far enough to allow for proper weight distribution and low enough to keep CG well within acceptance. However, there are a number of things that can still be done to help any z, and especially V8Zs handle that extra torque and HP. Question is though, what do you plan to do with your car? You can set up a Road race type suspension to handle 1/4 mile duties fairly well (As witnessed by C5s, Viper GTS', and Porshe 911 TTs) but it is hard to get a drag specific chassis to go around corners well. So what do you do? If your bag is drag only, the best you can do is get the front suspension loosened up, release the sway bar endlinks (Helped me raise one wheel off the ground with an L6 motor), and run lighter springs up front. That is about the extent of my drag racing suspension experience....Pretty sad huh? On the plus side I can tell you about setting a car up to go right and left. Factory rubber bushings really take a beating over time. These should be your 1st area of attention. Every control arm, end link, frame mount, and diff mount needs to be addressed. Doing endlinks and sway bar frame mounts are faily easy. However, doing lower control arms in the front or rear can be a real problem. Heat or a large press can be a good thing. Torches usually are the best tool to use when burning out old rubber and knocking the old sleeves out. Don't forget your mustacha bar. Solid mounts are not necessarily a good thing for day in, day out driving. Solid mounts in the motor and trans transfer a ton of vibration into the cockpit of the car, and over time can become an annoyance. However, I do recommend the solid Diff mount for the front of the Differential. Sway bars... understeer is a big problem with V8Zcars and added torque and factory settings. I recommend running the rear sway bar (7/8th diameter) and a large 1 1/8 or 1 1/4 diameter sway bar up front. They help with understeer bigtime. Also the bumpsteer mod mentioned in the JTR manual is a good thing to add. Also, I use quick steering knuckles and a hard plastic steering coupler to help with quicker and more precise steering. On to struts and springs. Some people have the misconception that slamming a car on the ground is the way to make your car handle. Unfortunately, most times when you use cut or lowered springs, you loose a substantial amount of suspension travel. 1.5 inches lowering from a spring is about optimum for retaining adequate suspension travel. This is very important for several reasons. You want the car to be able to react to the road conditions, dips, pot holes, bridge joints, without becoming unstable. When I was 22 and just learning about these things I was given a set of Road Race springs for a 240Z. They dropped the car almost 3 inches, which helped lower the CG, but also cut the suspension travel down by 3 inches. I crushed my bump stops so bad that they broke off the strut, which eventually started to leak because the spring really wasn't allowing for proper movement of the strut. The spring rate was either 500# or 800# which was way to stiff. Eventually I got my hands on some Traction Master springs and Boge struts and the car was perfect. Those springs dropped the car by 1.5 inches and that combo, along with the other mods listed above and a cage and sub-frames was the setup I raced in SCCA Pro Solo2. Coil overs are the answer for lowering a car without loosing suspension travel. Some folks don't think they are necessary for the street, but they solve several problems for the Zcar. 1St, they help with clearance of wider & over sized wheels, and 2nd they help with dialing in a suspension setup for each drivers personal taste. Swapping spring rates is much easier with a coil setup and you can adjust rebound on a coil-over setup. A note about spring types: There are specific rate springs and there are progressive rate springs. Specific rate springs are more of a race application. The spring rate is the same throughout the compression of the spring. A 200# spring is going to begin life at 200# and bottom out at 200# which makes for a harsh ride. This is great on a race track where surface conditions are mostly smooth and predictable. The street isn't so friendly though. I'd opt for a progressive rate spring for a car that was going to see any street time. Progressive rate springs start life at a lower pound rating and and increase stiffness as the spring is compressed. This is ideal for road going cars, because you can get a comfortable ride yet have the compliance when you throw it into a corner or offramp. Progressive rate springs have three areas: a begining rate, usually very compliant, a transition from the compliant rate to the firm rate, and the last third of the travel which is stiffest for aggresive driving. Typically you will have a spring rate of 125#/200#. This means that the spring rate starts out at a soft 125#, but ramps up to a firm 200#. This is just and example, but that is the basics on the two most common spring types out there! Now Camber and Caster are another issue. Caster is hard to adjust on Zcars because there is no factory adjustment for it. However, the TC rod can be shimmed forward or altered all together with a threaded Heim joint to allow for positive caster. A setting of plus 6 or more degrees (I used to run 8) is desired. Camber, now there is a point to argue...for the street many folks tend to run .50 neg. camber, but I prefer 1 degree front and rear. Too much can be bad, but Zs definitely benefit from negative camber to both wheels. I don't recommend Gmachine camber bushings because they wear out easily. However, after stating that I will admit I have them in the rear of my current ride. I'm looking at fabricating my own rear lowers. Some folks state that Heim joints aren't worthy of road driving. I argue that. I've had the Arizona Z "STYLE" lower control arms up front for quite some time without a problem. Strut braces are nice, and functional. I prefer the units made by motorsport. I also strongly recommend sub-frame connectors and a six point cage to help stiffen the unit body! So what do you guys think??? Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk [This message has been edited by Mikelly (edited February 17, 2000).] [This message has been edited by Mikelly (edited February 17, 2000).]

Too Cool! I've done some laps on oval courses, but never in competition. One big thing to worry about with a cage in your car, which does make it a little inconveniant is the casual contact you will certainly have in event of a crash. Michael touched on doing it right and I agree with him in this. A cage that is not properly designed will collapse into the drivers area. You don't want your roll cage to kill you, but beware, the wrong tubing can kill you and the cage should be designed for the vehicle by a compitent engineer. Casual contact you say? Lets just say that roll bar padding is your friend. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I looked through my reciepts and couldn't find the one for my spicer Joints. Motorsport Auto sells them in their catalog but the part number probably isn't the same. Did you by chance do a web search? Spicer might have a catalog on line! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Last fall Hor Rod or Car Craft did a build up of a roller 305 motor. I paid particular attention because a guy was gonna GIVE ME two motors that needed overhauling. The magazine put on the Edlebrock matched system including heads and got 345+ HP and close to 400FT# torque. That motor has some potential. The big attraction to the 305 is the fact that you can use the lower end of the performance spectrum to get some respectable numbers. If it were me, I'd use the setup you are mentioning with the parts you mention, set the motor and trans up, de-bug the car and drive it some, and wait. Look in the ads for a good set of used small block aluminum heads, and snatch them when the price is right. Then you'll be set. Nothing wrong with a 305 in a 2700# car. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Shannon, What are you intending to do with the car? Obviously you are gonna drag race it some, but is it gonna be a street car? Seems like 500HP +300 shot of nitros is a bit high. If you are focused on drag racing, then get a 12bolt chevy or Ford 9Inch rear, but be prepared.... It will cost a bunch to put one in correctly. I personally am using a 1988300zxT rear with LSD and 3:7 gears in my 500+ HP 383 stroker. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I'D BUY THE MANUAL ANYWAY, READ IT, AND THEN READ IT AGAIN. Also, I think Motorsport sells the parts for a ZX conversion, and you can buy only what you need, not the whole kit. Trust me, but it pre-made, save a few hairs! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I hear ya Ron. I missed the fact that his wasn't hydraulic. My bad. If he is pushing over .700 lift on the spring, that is enough to want to upgrade studs and throw on a girdle. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

XTRM, Ron is making perfect sense... Take your time and do it right. That stock rear will hold up if you go easy on it. Don't do any holeshots with it and baby it until you are rolling and you should be able to drive it for a bit until you figure out which route you are gonna take with the rear! That also goes for any project, do it right the first time and you won't have to go back and fix a broken car. My $.02 ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Ron, I am not gonna do on this site what has been done on Zcar.com. This isn't my world, it's ours. We all have opinions and views, and we are not gonna always agree. However, that won't mean I'm always wrong, or always right. Also, I understood that he was pushing the spring presure, not .700 lift... that would be much to much lift for that motor combo he described. I'm just happy to be here, in a forum where I can feel OK about having the car I have! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

What I was told was that if you don't plan on reving the motor above 6500rpms, you don't need a stud girdle. Also triple checked that with several other builders, and got the same response. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

Myron, You are right, tubes must be seemless, and I think NHRA and SCCA require thickness to be .120 but I'd double check it. You want to make sure you have the right tubes. No sense installing a bar made out of the wrong matterial. It will save your life though, mine had to be cut out of the car, but was inspected and cleared to be re-used. the car, on the other hand, was cracked in two places in the trans tunnel. That made me a believer in cages for life. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk [This message has been edited by Mikelly (edited February 15, 2000).]

My experience with dual carbs in limited, but what I'm told is getting them in Sync and keeping them there are two different stories. Dual 4BB carbs will be tough to keep straight, and Spenc brings up a great point about fuel economy, or the lack of.... Hood clearence is a BIG issue, I don't think you'll get it to clear... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

4 bolt blocks aren't really needed unless you are A: making power above 600HP or B: running an externally balanced motor. This is what was told to me by 6 different builders, incuding Doug Rippie and Lingefelter, both of which were real nice to talk to on the phone. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

The guy was getting a couple of months of 1/8 mile racing out of it. They were axle shafts, and he was looking at putting in a Ford 9inch rear. The car was a real death trap in my opinion. The guy offered to let me drive it and I declined because I didn't want to take such a risk. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

SpencZ, My flowtech shorties coated were only $180. They are much cheaper than you think. Get a Jegs or Summit catalog and check them out. I pulled the test data from an old HR magazine and these headers, and other block huggers flow some respectable numbers, with 1 7/8 tube headers only making 6 more HP and 9Ft# torque on a 383 set up close to what I have built. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I started to go the whole stealth route with the engine install until I heard a 350 small block setup pretty much the same way mine is. You can't hide the fact that you have two extra cylinders and a whole lot more HP and torque when you fire it up. People want to use single tail pipes and other contribe ways to try to hide what they have done, but lets face it, the first time you fire that puppy up, all bets are off and your secret is no more. Besides, why bother hiding all that work? There will still be fools out there who think their pimped out honda with racer boy stripes and Maxwell House tail pipe can out run you....after all, those stickers gotta be worth 5HP each right? And what about those racing stripes? Another 2HP, I'm sure...... Let it roar, and be proud when every head turns. when I pull into parking lots, people don't just look, they start walking over immediately. That is the coolest! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

OK, headers, manifolds, exhaust diameter, mufflers, cats, wat do you guys use, and how expensive was it to get done? Mine is the Flowtech block huggers with ceramic coating 1 5/8inch diameter, with stage 8 bolts. Flows to a custom 2.5 inch H pipe with five flanges for easy unbolting, running back to dual Flowmaster 3 stage mufflers and dual SS 3inch corvette tips. Total exhaust, minus the headers, was $650 and took 5 hours to lay out, end and weld up. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I'd use them. Since you are thinking about painting them the same color, it would be hard to see them and they would be a nice touch. Paint them and then make the decision... Mike

The guy is running a full roller valve train and AFR heads on a 327, with the usuall tricks, race carb, and a 200 shot of nitrous, running on 9 inch M&H street slicks and a T350 trans. Car is gutted and looks like a death trap. He has run a best of 6.71 and I think the last time I spoke with those guys they were talking about putting in a big block. Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I recommend using the cage w/ doorbars if you can live with getting in and out over the bar. At the time, I used my Z as my primary car and the girl I was living with gave me tons of grief over hoping over the door bar to get in the car. So, I pulled them out. But definitley using them (Door Bars)during competition is a must. ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

you can order lexan or have it made for your car, but yes, it is way lighter than your glass. Just the windshield alone will knock off a bunch of weight. Now start replacing every window.....You are looking at 100#+ in the swap. I'd also think about getting some glass fenders, hood, and hatch, maybe even doors! Arizona Z car can hook you up and he can tell you where to get Lexan for your Z! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

It sounds like there is definitely an issue with your pushrod length. You might want to order a rod checker tool and make sure your pushrods are the right length. I am running a full roller hydraulic set up with 1.5 rockers, a custom 1-off ISKY cam with 535/550 lift. On a related note: While upgrading to new covers I got a tall cover that was still too short for my rockers and I bent two pushrods due to the rocker hitting the billet covers. That cost me about $230 to get the problem resolved and another $120 for new covers that cleared. Car still beat all heck out of a 92 TT 300ZX the day I drove it to the repair shop for the bent rods... Beat the guy even with two bent pushrods... I love my car... Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

I use the Flow Tech Block Hugger 1 5/8th ceramic coated units. My heads are stright plug heads, and it is an ultra tight fit for the wires. I bought some MSD 8.5MM wires and some Hot boot high temp covers for the plugs that ran too close to the header for my taste. At $60 a set of wires, it only took cooking one wire to teach me a lesson there! ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk

$1500 for that combo is a steal, 'cause I paid $1200 shipped just for the trans! I'd jump on it! Mike ------------------ "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk