Hugh

I always liked the engine bay in gloss black. it's easily fixable if scratched, and it looks sharp. Also, most fluids don't even show up on it. Flat black material will show fluids really well.

I like the idea, but I have no idea where to get it...

Nah, I'd take them in for custom upholstry. You'd be suprised the amazing things a good upholstry shop can do. You have the ability to customize the whole thing.

Yeah I like my gas tank in the back where its not the first thing to crush in a head on collision! Guy I'm usually more concerned about the jerk behind me than what I may hit...

Use the entire rear end out of a ninties MR2 turbo. That would be the easiest, and that motor can easily turn 400hp. It wouldn't look like a V12 under there... but would still be cool.

After body work on the trunk of my last car it extended down a few extra inches between the lights (180sx). I beaned myself in the head numerous times after that... never expected that metal to be there, but it sure was solid.

This is an update to my Novus plastic polish thread. I wanted to put up pics for you guys to see what I did. I just wanted to make sure you guys knew about this stuff, its a great product, and has worked wonders for me. http://store.yahoo.com/plastic-polish/ You get the three step kit, and use it according to directions. It takes some elbow grease, but in the end... your plastic materials (all the lights and such) come out looking like freaking new! Instead of buying a brand new set of tail lights for my car, I bought some used ones with no cracks and with the Novus will make them look nearly new. My wife drives a Miata with the plastic clear headlights on it. Her's were all yellow and scratched to the point where I was looking for new ones. (expensive) I heard about Novus from the Miata guys and got it. I put it to work, and her lights look brand new from about three feet away. The beams are brighter and everything. I'm not a dealer or anything, I just like to pass along good info when I can.

Those times sound perfectly reasonable with traction. I like your plan of taking your time on the TT motor, instead of trying to slam it together in a hurry. I always want to start projects and get up to my neck in them... then wish I would've thought things through later on. My current project is getting a lot of time and research put into it, aiming for the largest outcome with the least money necessary to build it.

The R200's in the S13/S14/R32, etc... have been known to break between 350-400hp. However, many have held up to some serious abuse with even more than 400hp. I personally ran an R230 with 395rwhp/362ft/lbs. It never missed a beat, and I ragged the hell out of it. My friend was doing a fat burnout (wasting what was left of a set of Nitto drag radials) and he broke his R230 diff. He had 363rwhp, but it obviously broke because of the crazy burnout.... so this is still up in the air. (the abuse he put on it drag racing could've set it up to break later) The R200's in the R32 are stronger than the S13, but still have a tendency to rip teeth off the pinion with enough power put down. All in all, the R200 and R230 are great bang for the buck diff's. They sometimes break, but they will take a lot of beating before they do, and replacement parts are available and not too expensive. I'd like to run an R230 with an aftermarket ring and pinion Cryo'ed and shot peened and coated with a Quaiffe LSD unit in it. That would ROCK.

The flow characteristics of the 6-3-1 will be smoother than those of the 6-1. It has to do with turbulence in the collector. The difference is usually very little in HP terms. However, those with smoother transistions are considered to be better.

I will be sure to take a look at that joint. I was thinking about all the bushings, but hadn't considered the ball joints. See, its a good thing I asked!

I recently replaced the front swaybar bushings and saw an increase in front end stability. It helped out a lot with the weave I was getting on the freeway. However, I still think it could use some tightening up... the wheel has a bit of freeplay, and I don't like that. I don't want to spend $100 now and turn around in a few months and spend $300 and remove the old parts.... So I'm asking for advice on how to do this right the first time, even if it does cost a few hundred bucks. What should I do to stiffen my steering? I just want the car to roll straight and not weave. I also want to eliminate freeplay as much as possible.

NHRA rules are available online. I've been researching them. I'm trying to do the opposite of your setup... it will see 95% street and 5% strip. Thing is, I have no problem with a semi-race car in traffic... been there, done that. My last car had a 395rwhp SR20DET, super short gears (4.90 rear end) and a racing tranny. All solid stuff... lots of noise and whatnot. I can deal with all this. I just don't want something that is not streetable.... Like I can't get into it in my Dockers and button up shirt

Can you show me any pics of it as it sits now? I just imagine something like a full drag car, where you can barely get in and out of it.

Hmm... ok. They seem to be doing alright on lower power cars in the 240sx, though. I wouldn't put something like this in my own car if I plan on making any kind of power, though. Anyone fit an R200 from a 240sx or an R230 like the Z32 diff housing onto a Z? I have 6 of these VLSD's with varying gear ratios, and I would love to fit them in my Z.

Is there anyone running that chassis kit in their Z that I can see actual pictures of? That seems like a pretty hardcore setup, just judging by the picture... like I wouldn't want to put that in a street car. I want to do a Ford 8.8" rear end to handle the 600rwhp my SR20DET will put down through it. (and create less weight than the 9 inch)

The reviews I've seen from people with the phantom grip in the R200's on 240sx's have been all good. They said its great for breaking both tires loose, especially if you're trying to drift. It engages both wheels very quickly, so its also good for drag racing (unless you have enough power to break stuff)

No problem, always glad to help.

I was looking at buying swaybar kits online because this Z was feeling like it floated down the highway. I happened to notice some bolts and a nutplate behind the passenger seat, though... and I peaked under the car to find a full rear swaybar in there. It looks to be of pretty good size... not stock. The end link bushings, however, were completely blown out. I'm thinking this car had a good suspension put on it many many years ago... and what looks like old stock parts is really just old aftermarket parts. Might help if I had any experience with a bone stock Z. It seems to be a few inches lower than stock, too far of a drop for just bad struts. I suppose the old springs may have sagged a bit though... depending on how good the quality of the parts put in were. I plan to gradually upgrade everything... but in the meantime, I'm taking baby steps. I put some energy suspension polyurethane bushings on the front end links today. It was a bitch to get apart because the end links hadn't been removed in years. (but the nuts didn't match from side to side... so they've been off) For a total of $8.99, the front suspension is worlds better than it was. I'm no longer afraid of the front swaying during lane changes on the freeway. I'll get to the back sometime this week. I need to get the swaybar bushings that mount to the body, but they're not OEM so I will have to measure them. I've read the best method is slipping a wrench over the swaybar, I suppose I'll do that. Once I get this thing tightened down to the road a little, I can already tell I will love driving it.

Here's the 1972 diagram broken down for those who can't print it correctly. You just have to piece together the four images. A: B: C: D: Print each one on its own page, cut of the excess and tape them together if you want.

Wow, with all that stuff underneath it... you ain't modifying the seat bottom. I chopped up an FD seat once to fit my old 180sx. The bottom was just two rails and a fiberglass bucket. Those Z3 seats are a different story. You're gonna have to cut into the floor. You need to reinforce the front bar area if you're cutting it.

Anyone have pics of the install anywhere? Or should I just use the service manual for this one? (I've never messed with manual steering... but mine is sloppy and needs tightening)

gotcha. The local shop here doesn't carry Aeromotive I don't think. I'll have to order mine.

heh heh, yeah... thats a lot of watts.

No, not bad. Did you buy from Summit?