A. G. Olphart

Thanks Grumpyvette- good info as always, and good to see you back. (I'd wondered if the storms blew you away).

I bought a set of Illuminas on eBay from "motorsports direct". Prompt service and the parts were in the original Tokico boxes (with the Tokico paperwork). Some day I may even get them on the car...

A question for those of you who have cut the 3 1/4 coils: Did you heat and fold down the last half coil so that it would fit snugly in the spring bracket? Is the original flattened coil counted when figuring the cut? JTR is silent on these issues. (Or have they been clarified since the 7th edition)?

ALL RIGHT!! That is somewhere in my future... 1st I need a driveable car.

Especially by one such as myself, who has been known to be deliberately obtuse. When added to my natural density, that can be a deadly combination. Sometimes it seems that half the fun is in giving things the unintended spin.

ONLY $700.00. At this point in an earlier post, I might have accused you of belonging to a certain political party.

The early roadsters (like 67 or so?) had the short windshield. Our 69 has the tall one; desn't look as pretty, but my head isn't over the top either. I think the car was originally designed for a generally shorter people, than imported here. The 2000 had some body measurement differences, but none that I know of in the 1600. Check with the Datsun folks, perhaps... http://www.datsunroadster.com/INFO_PAGES/what_year.htm There once was a Datsun web ring, but I've lost my old bookmarks. Happy hunting.

I too will be running the 200-4R in a streeet/highway Z, but beware: If you start running really big power and slicks, the stock internals will break. Strong ones don't come cheaply. Most require upgrades to handle any power. (A very few had medium sized servos and better valving from the factory). Here's the best site I've found for these trannies: http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?forumid=12&daysprune=1000&sortorder=desc&sortfield=lastpost&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

Agreed 8) : Back to Z cars... I may have figured out a way to adjust camber wth cams at the lower control arm. lf it works out, I'll post it in a week or 3. However... before I can weld it all up, I've got to get my old Toyota pickup functional again.

David, my post was not meant as an ethnic slight or slur... I've not studied surnames, and had no idea that you are of germanic extraction. My apologies for that. I quoted that sentence only because it jibes totally with what I've come to expect of Republicans: Aything is OK as long as it makes a quick buck. Nothing else seems to count (especially not the environment) if it stands in the way of profits. Same general outlook as tobacco companies. As to personal histories... I'm 3rd generation American on my mother's side; she learned English as a second language (in first grade in a one room school). I, too, worked my way through school. Unlike you, I got out of the Army of the United States as quickly as I could. (Note that is wasn't the United States Army-- they are the volunteers). I think if I had 17 years though, that last hitch would have seemed Mandatory. I agree with you on illegal aliens, which is another reason I dislike 'W'.: His plan to reward those illegals already here by allowing them to stay. I'd rather that those coming legally get that offer. Sorry about the personal foul. It was wholly unintentional. Ben, AKA A. G. Olphart

Spoken like a true Republican... Money uber alles!!! It is the reality of our two party system... the only function a 3rd party candidate can have is as a spoiler, and the two parties we are stuck with are controlled by polar opposites. The poor voters in the middle can only vote for the one they hate the least, and pray that neither party controls everything (thus gaining the ability to railroad special intrerest legislation by the trainload). Well, I just saw the news... The worst has come to pass; one party owns it all. If you are of a religious nature, pray hard for the nation, we're gonna need it.

"Externally balanced" harmonic balancers/vibration dampers small enough to fit (per JTR that's 7 1/4" or smaller) tend to get pricey. I considered running a stock crank 400 but gave it up. From Summit- Fluidamper part #720111 $341.95 Fits 400 1970-1980 Outside Diameter 7.250" Engine Balance- External (26 oz. imbalance) SFI 18.1 Degrees marked from 50 BTDC to 10 ATDC There may be others- good luck.

DrHunt... Since the stuff is friable, wont the inspectors let you tape it in their presence, if no other way? It should be approved in your log book-- logically, the SCCA would want it protected. In my own mind, I find it hard to accept any bar padding as the equivalent of the crush resistance/ protection afforded by a helmet... and that is how it would be asked to act in a road car. I think the SCCA requires it just to avoid negating all the good a helmet does. Where a helmet's shape mimics the skull, a bar mimics a baseball bat, concentrating stresses at the point of contact, rather than spreading them around as a padded helmet would do.

260DET and TimZ, I'd be interested in seeing your designs for a half cage. I'm only 6 feet but most of that is in my torso, so my 240 is a really tight fit. I will hopefully find some shorter seats to help with head room, but I definitely don't need any new intrusions into my personal space.. DrHunt, I've not read of Snell approved roll bar padding. Does it exist? A nice round skull cracker in cheap foam would be deadly (but leave no open wounds for the undertaker to pretty up) I'm glad that you were able to create a cage that satisfies your needs, and trust that it will continue to do so.

Scottie, I think a residual check valve would do the job... once you get the system bled initially. They maintain some pressure on the line to the wheel cylinders, and thus no bubble could work it's way up out of the MC. Drum brakes have a relativey high pressure to hold the cups out against the cylinders, and discs sometimes none at all (although there are lower pressure valves available for discs). Come to think of it, why would you even need a valve... the line comes from the cylinder, which should always have only fluid in it. If there are ever any tiny bubbles come wandering through though, they will tend to collect in your new high spot.

Like Pyro and GAZRNR say, carb size isn't the problem. So. is this an old 4777 double pumper? The early ones ran 71 primaries, 76 secondaries, later ones went to 67 and 73. Holley has a nice free booklet to download here: http://www.holley.com/tMap.html#TechServ . (You want the carburetor numerical listing). The 'list' number should be on the choke housing of your carb. If you aren't sure of your carb, clean it up and feed it a genuine Holley kit. Make certain that the jets are not partially closed down by deposits while you have it apart, and blow out all the passages. If you don't want to soak it in carb cleaner, Berryman's works well, but it contains some pretty nasty chemicals. How do you know the engine runs happily to 6500? Personal experience, or the guy who sold it to you? If not the carb or ignition, that pretty much leaves tired valve springs. Good luck...

I'd be tempted to build it as a family sedan, and a glass turtle deck 'T' as a street rod... Assuming that I get my Z running, I've a got 30 Buick shell to start on if/when cruising gets boring.

If the 77 has no ring ridge, the main caps are tight (and in order), and none of the main bearings has spun... run it. A real live no machining needed stock bore block... nice. I think some of the 010 markings (like on the block you have, perhaps) are just the last 3 of the casting number, and not an indication of 1% added nickel.

Many thanks, gentlemen. Now I know they are out there, just gotta collect some catalogs. I was worried, as I've two sets of front struts, neither of which had boots. Even Kragens had some that might work (with haywire to hold the tops up) but no bump stops involved.

My 240 is bootless, and so are the Tokico's that just showed up. What boots do you guys run? Sure hope there is a simple solution... Thinking of my shiny new struts and shocks out in the mud (with crud chewing on the shaft seals) could keep me up nights. .

Ein bier, bitte!

John C- Thank you for the bit on (http://www.foreignaffairs.org). I didn't say they were bad, I merely pointed out that I didn't know them. Nice list of names... too bad that I'm not well enough read to recognize who all the folks are. For my opinions, I can only rely on my own experience. Today's experiences include the announcement by Southern Bell that they are shutting down 150 jobs in my area, which have paid an average of $21.00/hour. (They have already closed all local personal contact offices). I think Terry has it right- with the globalization of the industrial economy, everything across the board will average out: Really bad news for American workers. Another of today's experiences which I see as bad, is a fresh example of corporate welfare: Yahoo! News - Congress OKs $136B Corporate Tax-Cut Bill. Jon M- My guess (only a guess) is that your 'just get a job' sentiment comes from a man of greater than average intelligence who is currently employed based on his specialized skills. It's really not that simple, even for a person in that sort of situation who suddenly finds himself in the market for a new one. There are always younger graduates, with fresher brains and more current techniques/training. I don't say that the world owes anyone a living (another quote/paraphrase which I like "He who will not work, neither let him eat"). The problem is jobs for the willing, especially among the approximately half of our society which is below average. It ain't that easy, and there is no one more dangerous than a person with nothing to lose. We need all of our people to have a stake in society, and a job which allows them to live is pretty basic to that. As to outsourcing, let's not play apples and oranges. Deciding where to make a purchase is not at all the same as firing the pharmacist and forcing customers to deal with Bhulabai or Fatima or Mr. Gupta by phone. If I have any grasp at all of this 'free market' stuff, isn't a person supposed to be able to take his or her business elsewhere, thus determining by patronage (or lack thereof) which business thrives and which fails? If drugs stopped selling at inflated prices here in the USA, isn't the idea that the prices would come down to a level which no longer made it advantageous to buy elsewhere? Revisiting the Canadian drugs fiasco. No one wakes up in the morning and says to his wife "Honey, lets run up to Canada and see if we can get a bottle of Bayer's for 20 cents less than at Walgren's". Likewise, I doubt if the well to do would even think of it; their drug purchases have no effect on their lifestyle. That leaves those with a heavy monthly drug bill that is negatively affecting their finances, as in "What don't we do this month: buy our drugs, pay for our heating fuel, or buy groceries". These are the people our government sold out for increased pharmaceutical corporation profits. Note that I said increased profits; if they weren't making money selling their products in Canada, they wouldn't do so. Enough.

Cyrus, I'm happy to have been able to help... If we disagree, I can agree to disagree. I think that most of my opinions are rational, and I'm certain that you feel the same of yours. JohnC, I'm not familiar with http://www.foreignaffairs.org. Just reading the article, it sounds a bit like another Hoover Institute (have they ever seen a Republican policy they didn't like?). A person does need to consider the sources of information to avoid lies by omission, the BIG LIE, and just plain spin. I did like this: Oh, goody, I believe ... more pie in the sky to come after we starve to death. Another interesting assertion: Tell it to all the factory workers now holding McJobs or their empty bellies. I did appreciate the predictive figures conveniently wished away by the author Finally, I noticed that the author advocates free trade; the only time I ever saw free trade helping the American people, our Republican administration changed the law. Bingo: No more cheap Canadian drugs for Americans... can't harm pharmeceutical company profits; they are big contributors. (The smoke screen of 'drug purity' really had holes in it: We had found a bogus drug distribution system right here in the US of A). jmortensen, you may be correct in saying that conservatism does not lead to totalitarianism. The problem, at least as far as the USA is concerned, is that what we tend to think of as conservatism is in reality rabid capitalism. Recall early Standard Oil practices (hope that I remember this closely enough): Move into a town, undercut the competition, run at a loss locally until the competition folds, then jack prices up to support the same practice in new towns. Unrestrained capitalism can lead to the concentration of the nations wealth (and thus power) in very few hands. The Copper Kings of Montana and their shennanigans are an entertainng example of this behavior, including votes purchased on the open market. So capitalism could lead to totalitarianism, at which time, Thomas Jefferson's famous quote would apply: "A little revolution now and again is a good thing". I'll leave you all with a thought on wage slaves... These people are actually preferable to business to true slaves: They require no care. If a real slave becomes ill, the owner has an investment to protect, and thus an interest in their getting well, even at some cost. If a wage slave gets sick and misses work, they may be fired and replaced (esp. in a 'fire at will' state). The more menial the job, the more certain the outcome. Convenient!

Way Cool! With this morale boost everything left will go very quickly.

Well Cyrus, I guess I'll take a shot at giving you an answer... I voted Democratic for longer than a lot of our members have been alive, but sadly went for Bush last time around due to the Demo's position on abortion and 2nd amendment. First, I don't feel that this is totally accurate. In my observation, the Republicans are for corporate welfare- I guess that's helping business, but against welfare for individuals, and for cutting taxes esp. on corporations and the wealthy. Don't worry about the tax cut's effect on the national debt: We rich folk can hold the paper and make money on that too!! However, your characterization seems to fall down a bit on the assertion concerning jobs: All those good jobs being created lately seem to be at Walmart and McDonalds, as corporate America ships everything else off shore. (I see the Republicans as a party in favor of short term business profit at any cost, human or environmental. It's all OK as long as the market goes up). . Again, not wholly accurate from my perspective... One at a time: 1)raising the minimum wage helps the working poor feed themselves. So--- $5.15 X 40hours/week X 4.3333 weeks/month= $892.66. It is pretty obvious that this fully employed individual will not be able to afford both food and housing in any metropolitan area, let alone drive a car or buy health insurance (the poor employer can't afford to provide health insurance either , and of the developed nations, the US stands almost alone in sharing that problem). 2) Raising taxes is like making deposits in the national checkbook. Take a look at the growth of the national debt under the recent Republican administrations. That is what happens when you don't make the needed deposits. (But again, that's OK, we rich folk can buy the notes and make money, and use that money to build toll roads and other infrastructure privately... SOAK THE BUGGERS TWICE: taxes to fund the debt, and tolls on the roads which those taxes should have built). It is called privatization... ever heard of it? 3) Environmental regulations-- Acid rain, a product primarily of coal fired power plants is the easiest example... Corporations are slaves to the bottom line; have you noticed any of them doing the right thing and updating their emissions equipment? If I recollect properly, they recently fought for and got rules enacted which even allow them to expand old plants without upgrading. 4) I do believe the unions need help; they essentially have died since Reagan broke the air traffic controllers. If you don't believe that unions are necessary, read a little history... company towns, company stores, child labor, workers at Ford's plant going up in flames on a fairly regular basis (SEE ABOVE: It's all OK as long as the monied class is making more money and the market goes up). We have big problems because whistleblowers are still routinely screwed. A law or regulation is no good if it has no teeth, and/or those who demonstrate that the law is being flouted are not protected. Finally, unions give workers a collective voice in plant safety and working conditions. 5) Sorry, but this is a Democratic dream seen through conservative glasses. I don't belive this has ever been a Democratic objective.. Well Cyrus, I do hope that this is kind of what you were looking for.