Jolane

Look into using heavy wall keen-serts in the holes that are screwed up. The drill size is bigger, and that should allow you to fully remove all evidence of a crooked hole. On top of that, the threads are solid (not a helical wire), which will be stronger. They are more expensive than helicoils, but worth a try. I posted here before about having crooked rocker stud holes in my Alum. World Sportman Heads, and they did not care at all. I am SOL as far as those are concerned. I just had to make it the best I could. Good Luck, Joshua

Thanks Everyone for the tips, I have had a few chances to try to tune the thing again, and was still having problems until yesterday afternoon, when I noticed that fuel was leaking out of the carb banjo/barb fitting. Once I tightened that, it ran a tone better. I hope I did not do any damage though. I do have good compression, and the thing is very fast. I do have an IR temp gauge, but I have read that those can be way off. I am going to pick up a contact probe today for a more accurate measurement. TegRacer324, I have a few airplanes left (~5). I have a not flown in over a year. My latest project, before I stopped building, is a 1/4 scale Extra with an O.S 1.60. I have pretty much everything for it, and most of it is built, I just don't have the room (or time) anymore. Thus the reason for a car. It takes less time, and I can play with it for an hour in front of my house if I want. My next R/C toy will be a heli (Thunder Tiger Raptor 50 most likely). Joshua

Just Curious. I thought I would take a small break from working on the Z. This time it comes in the form of RC cars, 1/8 scale buggies to be exact. Having flown RC airplanes for the last 14 years, I thought I would do something different (and I can do this in the street in front of my house). My question: I have broken in the motor (.21 TOP Engines P5). Now I need to figure out how to properly tune the engine. I know to let the chassis warm up, and change the glow plug (using McCoy), but how do I know if the engine is rich of lean? If it is smoking, is it definitely rich, or is it just the fuel type? There are three adjustments, idle, mid-band, and high-band. Thanks for any and all help. Joshua BTW, this engine is in a Mugen MBX5 Prospec with extra hop-ups, has KO Propo Digital servoes for steering and throttle, and is controlled with the JR XS3 Pro radio (Synthesized). Wow this is a fast little car!

Wow, thanks for all the responses. I am with Zhadman on this, I would take Solidworks over anything else I have ever used. I have a number of year experience with Autodesk products. I have not used Inventor though, started using SW before it came out. SW2001 was buggy, but SW2003 Plus is great. The drafting is cake, as is the modeling and assemblies. I did get my MS mouse working last night, I needed a new driver (had V5.0, needed V5.2 I guess). Now Wildfire is working as it should. It is definitely different. I know that I will pick it up quickly, but it will always be much slower than SW considering how illogical the approach is. In the end, it will work, but I just don't understand why people like it. Maybe they have never seen any better, maybe they have never played with SW? Thanks again everyone, Joshua

Thanks Guys. Drax, You confirmed what I suspected, that it will take MUCH longer just to model something in Pro/E than it would in SW. I do not expect the learning curve to be quite so bad from a modeling and design standpoint, but it does look like it will take a while to learn the quirks. I have used SW for ~6 years and am very proficient with it. I was hoping Wildfire would be very similar, guess not. It should look good though on a resume, although it does seem that less and less companies are using it anymore, and are changing to SW. Maybe I can get them to change... From what I have seen so far, I would never pick to use it either, especially considering that the design work this company does will never come close to using the fancy features of Pro/E. It is way overkill for their needs. Rufus, I did not realize that Pro/E had that capability. I have seen a little of Pro/Mechanica, and that looked neat. What I saw was some gears meshing, and the reactions on other components (such as a cam follower on a cam). I am not sure SW can do those sorts of reactionary mates yet. Maybe an add-in can. The new job should be interesting. I like my current job, but feel that my skills will be better used at this new place (although I may never get to use my skills if Pro/E takes all my time...haha). I hope to learn Pro/E to some level such that I can reasonably compare it to SW. Then maybe I can convince them to change based on the outcome of a comparison. I do know that this new company has no idea of what SW can do, nor what they actually need in a CAD package. I think they only use Pro/E based on reputation. Joshua

Okay, I am trying to learn Pro/E Wildfire by using a tutorial book supplied by the company I will going to work for in a week. I finally got Pro/E up and running, took forever to install, and the license crap is a pain (network license, have to VPN in, etc). In playing with Pro/E so far I HATE it. I am a very experienced Solidworks user, and love it, so this is painful. Hopefully someone can help me out in learning Pro/E. Problems: 1. Can't figure out how to lock dimensions so they don't change if I drag a corner of a sketch. I can change the dimensions manually by double clicking, but that does not lock them, even though they are no longer soft dimensions. Is there a way to keep them from changing (unless double clicked)? 2. I can't add any dimensions. I see that you have to use the middle mouse button to add dimensions, and I cannot for the life of me figure out why my middle mouse button does not work. I also can't rotate the models with the MMB. I have tried changing the function of this button in Windows Control Panel, to no avail. I have a wireless Intellimouse Explorer 2.0 (with side scrolling also). Any ideas on how to get this to work? Without being able to add dimensions, this will be useless. I greatly appreciate any help. I really do not see any advantage with Pro/E at this point. Solidworks is such an easy to use, fast program. The methodology makes since, very Windows like. Pro/E on the other hand requires lots of mouse clicks of various buttons in the correct order just to do something simple. What a PITA! Thanks again, Joshua

You should install all your bushing upgrades before alignment. If you don't plant o do this for a while, then I understand why you had it aligned. Otehrwise, if you are going to upgrade anything, you should do it before alignment. Joshua

Looking real nice. I also like those wheels. What brand are they? Joshua

Although I agree that it sounds like a diff mount, I think that the 280ZX design is significantly different than the Z's. I do not think that the 280ZX has a front mount per say, it bolts directly to the subframe. The rear diff mount though could be the culprit. As Pop N Wood said, put a jack under the diff and look for play. I had to replace the rear mount on my 83, and the symptom's were very similar, load clunk noise. Joshua

I am thinking that your problem might be a short in the electrical system. To narrow it down, it sounds like it could be in the brake light electrical. I wish I had specifics, but this is where I would start looking. Joshua

My 83 Non-turbo also had the NACA looking duct on the drivers side. It was a stock hood as far as I know. I definitely know it was a NA car stock. Maybe 82-83 hoods are the same regardless of aspiration? Joshua

evildky, While it seems that the air would simply go back to the tank, remember that it must first get past the FPR, which is ~36 psi. That means that the air compresses a lot, and can be hard to remove. I just know what my experience was the one time I ran out of gas...what a pain. I also had to use the shrader valve on a Ford ranger once to bleed the lines after my friend ran out. Maybe the Z can purge the lines another method, I don't know how though. technicalninja, My 83 did have a prime circuit. I could audiably hear the pump run with the key turned to run for a few seconds, then shut off. I think it may have something to do with safety in case of an accident. The pump will not run continuously unless the engine is running, otherwise it will shut down. I assume this to also act like a prime circuit. Again, this is what my stock 83 did. Joshua

The problem that I had with my 280ZX when I ran out of gas once was very similar. My ZX did not have a schrader valve on the fuel rail to bleed the air out of the system, so basically the fuel rail filled with compressed air, with no way to get out. What I had to do was pull the return fuel line off the fuel rail (loosen the hose clamp), and bleed the air out that way. Be careful, because when you pull it off, you may get fuel shooting out everywhere. Watch your eyes. I would then turn the ignition on (don't try to start it though). This should turn the pump on momentarily (a few seconds), then off. Put a spare fuel line onto the fuel rail, and the other end into a fuel can prior to doing this, you will probably get fuel out. If you get a nice stream out, hook the line back up, and try to start it. The return line is the one not running from the filter. It runs from the fuel rail back to the tank, and was smaller in diameter on my ZX. Good Luck, I hope this helps, Joshua

Thanks Metro! Same problem here. Yes, using Firefox. Joshua

I am sorry to hear your troubles. What a PITA! I just received news today from my insurance company (State Farm) that they will no longer cover my '99 Maxima for Comp or Collision because I did not get my car fixed last year after some minor hail damage. How does that work? I don't really care about the slight hail damage, but how does that affect my coverage of theft, fire, collision, etc? I will take the lose when I sell the car. That really erked me, what BS! I was told that I did not have to get it fixed, and that it would not affect my rates. I HATE the insurance industry, including auto and health! What BS! Rates are rediculous, penalized for others misdoings, etc. I know that the industry is a pool essentially. Joshua

Tim, Thanks for the tip, but what is an anti-foul insert? Is that what I should ask for? Joshua

Len, I have an older Spyder Extra. It was ~$79 last time I checked (I bought it when it came out). I use the stock tank mounting, and stock barrel. I have not tried compressed air (use CO2 only), and have not tried the remote mounts. Too much hassle where and how I play. Although I have this older gun, I do very well just because of technique. One shot, one kill most of the time. The A-5's had some problems when they first came out, but I would assume that those are fixed. I am also not too sure how well the electronic stuff works for the A-5's. My good friend had a number of problems with his, but Tipmann was very good and helpful. The breakdown where I play is ~50% Spyder, ~30% Tipmann, ~15% Autococker, ~5% other. I play with about 30-40 different people. The model 98 was always a favorite, but TheSkrich pointed out its flaws. Big pain to clean. I would recommend visiting the place you intend to play, and ask around about guns. The most helpful thing I found was experience. We have a really spyder knowledgable reseller who is very helpful. A good mask is probably more important than anything. I also have a JT Spectra and LOVE it. Oh, and I will also vouch for 888paintball.com. I bought some stuff from them also and had great service. Finally, with all of these guns, a good ball is needed. Do yourself a favor and do not buy your balls at Walmart. Find a local reseller (or order online) that sells a lot of balls. This will help with getting a fresh package, which is important. You don't need the most expensive ball, just a good quality. I personally like Allstars, and have great luck with them in my Spyder. Great American is also popular here. Joshua

I was cleaning my LCA's this weekend, and making them adjustable, and noticed that there was yellow paint writing under the globs of dirt and grease. Seems that someone replaced at least one of my LCA's also, and I too feel a little apprehensive now. I am sure that, in the end, I will be able to adjust out any bent parts if required. Where I noticed my damage first was at the firewall, where the lower frame rail meets. My firewall had a bent there. As I measured, and used a level down the lower frame rails and the upper beams (where the front fenders attach along the top, with the fenders off), I started to notice a slight twist. After many nights of checking, trying to measure squareness, etc, I felt like I understood what happened to my car. I think someone hit a curb at some point with the wheel and possibly front end. It wasn't off by much, but enough to make me straighten it the best I could before any welding was done. I had to straighten the seam under the front fender, along the top, amoung other things. Just take it slow, measure a zillion times, figure out if there is any frame/chassis damage, and work from there. Maybe you situation is the same as mine, since all I had was a bare shell, I couldn't really take it over to a body shop to have them check the car out. And even if they did try to straighten it, how do I know it is still straight after getting it back to my garage, before I welded on it? Good luck, Joshua

I thought the feeling of my 83's power rack was awesome. I have heard complaints about them locking during an autocross type situation, but never experienced this myself (never autocrossed). I would highly recommend the steering feel of the power R&P. On a side note, I thought years ago that I could one in my 72 to give me power. Well, that was not true, since the 72 is front steer, 83 rear steer. So, I have a power rack from an 82 that had just over 100K on the ODO. I also have the polyurethane bushings for it. No pressure though, let me know if you are interested. Joshua

The Tipman's are good guns. I also like the Spyder guns, especially the newer electronic versions. I would stay away from Autocockers if it is a first gun, they seem to be a pain to adjust, clean, etc. Just my observations. I use a non-electronic Spyder gun against Autocockers, electronic Tipman's and Spyders, etc...and a lot of the fun for me is technique. We play in a wooded area though, not speedball. Good luck on the decision. Joshua BTW, Actionvillage.com has been a great place to buy guns/balls/gear/etc.

Thank You!

Do you think you would get to drive the car if you were a girl? I wouldn't let one drive mine! Not my sportbike either! BUY YOUR OWN! Joshua

Grumpyvette, Thanks for the pictures and tutorial. I could have used those pictures ~2 years ago when I clearanced my 383. Do you know how thick that region of the block is? How deep is too deep (hit the water jacket)? Have you ever experienced any cracking in the block due to the clearancing? I went slowly and kept checking and rechecking. Them I did a half fill of the block, before machining, in attempt to strengthen that area. I am not sure I really needed the fill, but I thought it wouldn't hurt (I assumed most of the heat of combustion is most likely at the top of the cylinder and in the head). Thanks Again, Joshua

While those are not matched length, they definitely look nice. What size of primary's are available? Square or round port? Actually, if you can point me to a website, I would like to look at others. Thanks, Joshua

240Z2NV, That is good information. It is always nice to talk to someone who is helpful and not in a rush, or just trying to sell something. I was wondering about cutting my stock T/C rods this weekend. I wasn't thinking in terms of threading them though, rather I want to weld them to a tube (insert the cutoff section into a tight fitting tube). I am not sure though what kind of material they are, if they are heat treated, or anything else. I would be cautious though of threading the rod. If you look at the original design, the load is carried down the T/C rod, into the large washer, into the bushing, into the frame. The method of transferring the load from the rod to the washer is with a step (shoulder). The reduced diameter and threads do not carry the compressive loads, rather they only hold everything together. I am also concerned about welding due to HAZ affects. It almost seems better to cut duplicates out of thicker steel, them weld from there. Maybe I am going overkill, but that is one part I do NOT want to break at any speed. I agree about the shock mounts. I asked in another thread a while back whether people are welding them on, and the answer was not, just a single bolt. I know others have used them succesfully, but I will not be. To me, it is not worth the risk of having it collapse sideways, or up and down. The decision is yours ultimately. I think the advice you were given though concerning that attachment method is good. Used in tension, I think the shock mount style and clevis style will work fine though. Did you get any ideas on the monoball? Thanks, Joshua