Mikelly

At that point I'd just go the LS1 route. Replacing the block would be the kiss of death for sure...And remember when we were at Chin Motorsports? You and Icard wrenching your cars while mine was fresh as a daisy waiting for the next run session? That's the argument for the German car. Spending upwards of $1000 for a weekend at the track with the entry fee, lodging, food, and other expenses, it gets to the point of exceedingly high diminishing returns when you're not on track driving the car you brought. I've driven less this year than any other year, and it's due to the commitment I made to sort this car out this year. Don't get me wrong, I love this Datsun, No let me correct that, I've fallen BACK in love with this Datsun again. But it has not proven to be reliable yet. I will be the first to crow the loudest when I get through a full season (30 days) of tracking the Zcar. But at this point, I don't hold those expectations. Mike

Thanks Matt... Several of you guys asked how it could have happened. It probably happened over the course of two events... The first time back in June when I ran NCCAR the car was getting lean on the backside of the 280 degree turn and wouldn't recover until the front straight, four corners later. So I only drove the car a handful of laps. That lead to the overhaul of my fuel delivery system and the instal of the fuel safe black box and integrated fuel pump, along with new fuel line. Then at Summit Point in July the car was exhibiting problems with the gauges, reading high oil and coolant temps and low oil pressure... That lead to me gutting all wiring in the car and creating a new dash from kydex, and buying the FAST Dash to integrate all the sensors and monitoring in one discrete data logging display. So it could well have been caused by that. We will see. If it does need to be overhauled, the following will happen: Ditch the hydraulic roller cam and go solid. Make my own headers so I can stop worrying about the block-hugger clearance issues. Add a drysump system. Add better pistons and maybe lighter rods. Add an aluminum flywheel. Everyone I know is telling me to ditch the 383 and just go with the LS1. But I am not so sure that there would be an advantage at this stage. I would have to re-work the bellhousing to motor issue for my TKO600 and the hydraulics, and I am reading that has issues with exhaust and steering linkage clearance on some platforms as well. So I will see what is awaiting me when I get home. I am pretty sure the combo of a solid lifter cam and better headers would be worth a fair amount of HP increase. Mike

So right now I am in Nage Head, NC with the family. On the long drive down I was thinking about all the time wasted. All the money spent... all the frustration... So I am just going to sell the damned thing and go back to Porsches... JUST KIDDING! So yesterday morning I got up early, put on my robe and some shoes and walked down to the shop. I raised the car on the lift and took a peek. I then checked the oil level on the dipstick... and noticed that the oil is WAY over-filled. I then checked the accusump. With the new EPC unit installed, the accusump isn't refilling. So there is that... And I think I have yet another additional quart in the pan... Had to dig back to when we were at the track in July to remember that I put an additional quart of oil in the car. So I m running 11 quarts of oil in a system that should have 7 quarts in the oil pan (Champ roadrace pan), 2 quarts for the accusump, a quart for the remote filter/lines/oil cooler. So when I get back, I will drain all the oil, and start over. I need to troubleshoot why the accusump isn't refilling and if I can't get it to work, take it outo of the picture all together. Then I'll see what is what. Pete, I already have forged pistons and rods in this build. I would only consider upgrading parts that are damaged and maybe the cam. I am also going to attempt to built some headers. I need to resolve the header problem. Mike

John, Mine was rear heavy as well. Lots of people think the big ole v8 will cause so many problems when in fact when done right it actually makes a balanced package. The weight on my car has come down significantly this year, though. smart parts and spending money on wheels and such has paid off. I'm down in the 2500s without driver. I just posted above. My 383 stroker is puking oil out the dipstick. It is going to have to come out for sure. Mike

Motor in the Zcar has to come out. Just drove it 1/4 mile to the gas station and back and it is puking oil out the dipstick and feels like it wants to let loose above 4500 RPM. I'm going to pull it down after we get back from our vacation to Nags Head. This is obviously going to set me back on my plans for the fall... WONDERFUL!!! Mike

Send me the link to the Zcar event and the Barber track day... Mike

Taking a few days off gang. Got some family "stuff" with the youngest and our granddaughter, and the impending melt down of a family unit. Mike

I'll dig through my old JCR catalog, but they did have three different "whaletails" in their catalog. The Calafornia Zwidebody kit came with one that was the middle of the three sizes... Mine was HUGE!!! Mike

:lol:

So the whole purpose of that application on the Porsche 911 is to get the wing into the clean air. the base and wing work together to provide the downforce and stability. It's added to the RSR front bumper/cannards generally to balance the package. These cars tend to see a 12-15 mph increase in speed thru the uphill esses at VIR, but lose straight line speed on the long straights, due to the drag the wings cause. The car that won this year's ultimate track car challenge, a 2008 Z06, was running the LG Motorsports World Challenge splitter/wing conversion and would pull on every single car at the event in the climbing esses. But took a hit in straight line speed for the same reason. So be mindful of the benefits vs. detriments of the wing and what you hope to get from using it. Mike

One thread with a guy complaining about not getting an email response consitutes "some" negative reviews? Mkay...

Contact number is on his website. You can also find him on Facebook under ZForce Productions. Mike

Totally out of line dude... Maybe you're having a bad day, but you need to dial that nonsense back and apologize to the other member.

I had one of those a loooong time ago. I believe John Tedder has it now, as he bought the car it was on... That's a Jim Cook racing whaletail. Loved mine. May end up with the one on the Red Zcar in my shop... That car just sold to Tom Harris... Mike

Curious where the neck snapping and check cashing comes into play! Looks clean and original! Mike

Another pic for the library! Thanks Man! Mike

He's not always the fastest to respond, but he does get stuff out. Remember gang, Justin is doing low numbers production runs of this stuff. Takes a while to get enough orders to have them made. He is doing this out of pocket and doesnt' have a large overhead budget supporting his efforts. Love my BAMF Carbon fenders and rear taillight panel from him, BTW! Mike

I'm wondering if the combo of the two isn't going to cause you some problems up front man. Seriously. Hope it turns out well. There was a comment made earlier about the extension of the lip and it not being that long. I know I keep going back to porsches as a comparison, but I think it adds validity to what I'm saying... On my new to me GT3 the lip is tiny. The rear wing angle is adjustable. Adjusting the wing pitch by 4 degrees you can get by with the small front lip. Adding the 8 degree shim for the rear wing instead of the 4 degree shim and then adding the GT3 CupCar Lip provides reasonable balance. The difference in the two lips is very very small, but effective. So by adding those cannards later, you may have more than enough balance. Can't wait for your updates!

They're sold out here too. The few the dealerships are holding back are marked up insanely high. Richard, I feel the same way you do... I could sell the GT3 tomorrow and walk away without losing a dime. And that's an 8 year old car. Mike

THAT is what I wanted to see... I could NOT for the life of me make my wing "stable" and "safe" without going thru the hatch to the floor, so I ditched it. Will be interested in seeing how yours performs. I'm sure that high up in the clean air, it'll provide mega-downforce. You may need Cannards up front to help spread the frontal "grab". We should think about another windtunnel test to see how several of our "wilder" designs flow! Mike

I needed to do something with the space where the passenger seat was, so I got some diamond plate aluminum and covered up the space. You'll notice that I also went back to the Braille Battery after the wiring overhaul. I hope that with the circuits down to 7 total, and the alternator up to 140AMPS worth of keeping up, that it'll do the job more effectively. I'll take both batteries to the track with me just to be on the safe side. I also am thinking of moving the battery to the front passenger footwell to place the weight better. I'm rear biased right now. And I also mounted the Traqmate back on the suction mount so I can get a better angle from the driver's seat... The wires hanging around the steering column are for connection to the ecu and will be properly stowed when not in use. It's all coming coming together. I may pull the headers and exhaust this weekend and "fix" my collector leak problem with a permanent solution. Mike

The Porsche 996 GT3/GT2/and Twin Turbo use a similar setup with difusing and duct guides *(instead of duct tubing) to cool the brakes and generate "guided" velocity. Good idea for sure. Mike

I will, I Promiss. My goal is is to get through a full event close to home before I head out of region. That said, I am watching your progress on the aero stuff... I am hoping we can hook up in October or November at Road Atlanta. Heck I may just come down on a Friday and crash your party for a weekend... I am a sponge wanting to learn from you and your guys... Mike

I personally think it's a compelling car, but wasn't moved to order one back in April/May due to the stat sheet. I'm not overly impressed with the performance per dollar spent. But it does have tremendous potential. Mike

well I lied... Pepboys called while I was out with the wife for a sunday drive, and after I got back home, I took off to pick up a wire connector. I now have a very functional working oil temp readout on the display. For some reason the FAST D200 dash doesn't like the autometer sender gauge, so I swapped to the GM oem coolant temp sensor I had laying around. Works great! Mike