Bartman

The article thinks it might not be worth it for stock daily driver's, but for those big horsepower guys you may be able to get some extra ponies pretty cheap. The cam's are around $30 extra and on the 492 big block Hot Rod tested they "got a little extra midrange by as much as 12 numbers and added a repeatable 2-3 hp to the top end". For those of you who want to read more it's in the March 2006 edition.

Paulo, Are you starting with the same airdam that MSA sells or are you building your own complete airdam? http://www.zcarparts.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=50-1401&Category_Code=7AD1 You stated that "its made of CF and backed with FG cloth". Isn't it really the other way around...Made of Fiberglass and topped with a layer of CF?

I think he has a fiberglass one on eBay right now for $125, buy it now $135. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8032671558&ssPageName=MERC_VIC_ReBay_Pr4_PcY_BIN_IT

It would be great to see a picture of one installed. I'd also like to hear from someone who's done an installation. I currently have a Kaminari front airdam, and one of the reasons I purchased it was because of the quality and fitment. I've heard that the other airdams frequently required modifications to make them fit properly.

I was reading an article in my Hot Rod magazine about a 4/7 swap. They did some dyno testing that seems to support that a 4/7 swap does indeed create additional horsepower. For those that haven't heard about this before, you get a special cam and change a couple of wires on your distributor to swap the firing order on your number 7 and number 4 cylinders. It's supposed to make the engine smoother and be easier on the crank. IIIRC from the article GM made this firing order change on the LS engines (as well as another firing order change)? Anyone have any experience with this change?

I searched on eBay for completed auctions and found one of his listings that didn't sell. Here's a link http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/240Z-260Z-Datsun-Carbon-fiber-spoiler-BRE-SCCA_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33638QQitemZ8030932926QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW (not sure if the link will work or not). The bidding started at $250 with a buy it now price of $275. I could be wrong, but I'm thinking it's fiberglass covered with a layer of carbon fiber.

I will probably mount the evaporator similar to how fastzcars mounted his. You can see a couple of pictures on his home page (http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/graphequ@pacbell.net/album?.dir=/e8e5). I will definitely post pictures of my install as it progresses.

Sounds good to me. I guess steel-braided or regular flexible hose is just a personal preference, but when do hard lines come into play? I haven't been able to determine when to use hard lines (if at all). Do you use hard line for long straight runs, or for making nice tight bends? From what I can find the crimping tool to make the beadlock fittings on refrigerant hoses is fairly expensive. Should I just bring my car to an AC place and have them do my hoses?

No one has any advice on hoses?

I purchased most of the components I need from Vintage Air today. Here's a list: 66005 GEN-II mini Heat, Cool, Defrost (without vents) 03704-OVA 12 x 24 condensor 48104-RHQ Control Panel 07330-VUG polished aluminum dryer 384600-MBA polished aluminum bluckhead plate safety switch adapter for GM compressor I still need to figure out what to do about my hoses. After I get everything in place I will need to figure out the lengths and what type of hoses to buy.

Did you buy one? Looks pretty cool, but kinda pricey.

Looks like you had some fun! When I first got my car running I was doing the same thing. Somehow it makes it all worth all the time, effort, and expense!

I need some help in trying to determine what I should get for my A/C and heater lines on my Vintage Air install. There are quite a few choices…with a big difference in price. Of course there’s the standard barrier type refrigerant and heater hose lines, then there’s the Aeroquip lines (nylon tube covered with fine braid stainless steel) and fittings, stainless steel A/C and Heater line kit’s, and ‘u-bend em’ aluminum refrigerant and heater lines. I’m going to need a pretty long run, with several 90 degreee bends, to get from the driver’s side front of the engine down to the framerail, across to the passengers side, along the framerail to the bulkhead, and then up to the bulkhead plate. So upgrading will be pretty expensive. Any recommendations or advice is appreciated.

I wound up getting the 50 cf cylinder filled with Argon-CO2 from my local welding supply store and I changed my welder over to use gas. The results are amazing, there's really no comparison. Even though my welds still need work, they are much better than before. With the flux cored wire I couldn't weld sheet metal without burning holes, with gas it works fine. I started without an auto-darkening mask, and it didn't work out so well for me. By the time I got the mask flipped I invariably had moved the tip and started welding in the wrong spot. So I went back to Harbor Freight and picked one up for $50. Now it's so much easier. You can keep the mask down the whole time...and the welds are just where you want them to be. So you guys that haven't switched to gas...just do it. And take Tim's advice and get an auto darkening mask as well.

I've heard people mention electric DA Sanders before...but I can never find them. Is Random Orbit the same thing as DA. It seems that the electric sanders use the Random Orbit terminology and the air sanders use the Dual Action terminology. Is this correct?

If you're seriously interested in supercharging your Z...check out this link: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=99330

I've looked around their site as well...I've even called and sent emails with no reply. I don't think they sell directly to the public, just to dealers. I think you can get all their Z stuff from MSA. Anyone else had any experience with Jim Cook?

I need to get a DA Sander to help prepare my car for a paint job. I'm not a professional, but I need a sander that will last long enough to complete my project and not use up too much air doing it. Harbor Freight has a DA sander for $29.99 http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=2629. Is this adequate for the job I need to do? Here's the spec's if you don't want to use the link: Pad motion resists loading for better finishes and less heat build-up. Cast aluminum housing Cushion-grip vinyl handle and housing cover Paddle-style throttle for precise speed control Speed: 10,000 RPM max; Required pressure: 90 PSI; 4 CFM @ 90 PSI; Air inlet: 1/4'' NPT; Recommended hose size: 3/8''; Overall length: 8-7/8''; Tool weight: 4-1/4 lbs. BTW, I can't complain too much about other stuff I've been using from Harbor Freight. I'm sure it would be different if I used these tools to make my living, but for my application they seem to fit the bill. The Harbor Freight el cheapo grinder I've been using with cutoff wheels has been working fine, and I use it quite a bit.

Sure, you can install duals on your car. If you want both to be on the same side, you don't need to make any modifications to your car. If you want one on each side, then you'll have to change your fuel tank.

I think I'm going to go with my local welding suppy store. Since I need someone local to fill it up for me, it makes sense to get the cylinder from him as well. I'm planning on picking it up tomorrow along with a flip type welding mask (my welder came with a hand held). Now that I've got just about everything (including a book), I'm going to see if I can improve my welding skills. Everything really added up...so I hope it was all worth it.

I found and called a local Welding Supply Store and they recommended going with a larger cylinder as well. They will sell me a 50 cf cylinder with Argon-CO2 mix for $121.86. Does that seem reasonable?

I purchased a Lincoln Electric Weldpak 100hd a while back and I''ve done some welding with flux core wire. I finally decided to upgrade to gas and I've already purchased a kit to convert my welder to use gas. My question is what gas or combination of gases should I use and where should I get it from? I don't weld that much, so a small container would probably suffice. Should I buy or rent? I see some on eBay that sell for around $63 empty or so including shipping, is that a good deal? http://cgi.ebay.com/20-CF-welding-cylinder-tank-bottle-argon-helium-nitr_W0QQitemZ7581615838QQcategoryZ67058QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Harbor Freight has an Argon cylinder for $75, but I think it's empty as well (at least it ships that way, maybe it's full if you buy it in the store?) http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92807 I searched, but I coulldn't find an answer to this question.

The finish looks great and the hood looks pretty nice as well. Is this the damaged hood, the one with lower quality, or a different one altogether? I think the carbon fiber and blue go well together.