A. G. Olphart

Wish UDHarold was a buddy of mine... from what I see over at chevelles, he's a pretty special guy. Nice looking headers... and they clear! Part number?? Looking forward to a picture when the scoop's grafted on. <>

Welcome to the board... Your hybridization gene is fully active, however, there may be a problem with your proposed engine transplant. My wife's 1600 has a narrow engine compartment due the footwells; the 2000 will likely be the same, so a tape measure reconnaissance seems appropriate. Major surgery may be required. If you just gotta have that 2000, perhaps the guys in the 'other engines' forum can suggest a modern high output 4. <>

Mike, I share some of your frustrations. I've repaired and maintained my own vehicles since day one so that I could afford to have a car. The first was a '57 Chrysler that I got for $75.00 because it had a bad transmission. Changed the cast iron monster on my back with nothing but 2X4 blocking. (I think that was about the last trans Chrysler tried to cool with fins on the outside of the converter... mine got a radiator cooler right quick). I've forgotten much of what I've read and never been a racer, so true engine building is a challenge. But I digress; you mentioned brain function. I've read a theory on the net that is beguiling... It is generally accepted that predators, diseases and such prey mainly on the slow and weak. It has also been reported that the brain does, in fact, tend to repair itself. Combine these two things with the knowledge that bathing one's brain in alcohol kills a few grey cells with each bath, and logic presents a solution to our dilemma: BEER. (Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale, thank you). Kill the weak ones, and build a faster, more functional brain by retaining the quick strong cells and adding a few young ones. Even if adding young ones is over rated, just working with the survivors (presumably quicker/stronger) should speed things up by eliminating the slower pathways. Your results and tolerance may vary. <>

LS1, I'm sure you've seen this: http://forums.hybridz.org/announcement.php?f=76&a=2 I would consider calling someone stupid to be a reportable breach of conduct. We HybridZ'ers may not always agree, but we try to be civilized in our differences of opinion. I do think that asking Newbies to search should be done gently; the object is to get them to look, not to insult or make them go away. Three "I" sentences in a row: Gobs of humility here. <>

You're welcome... BTW, laughable is one of the things I do best. There is a fellow with the handle of "IgnitionMan" at Grumpyvette's other home: http://www.chevytalk.org/threads/postlist.php/Cat/0/Board/UBB64 But I don't know that I've ever seen him discuss the units you are considering. <>

Yes, but at this point all you are doing is a rough test for cylinder balance. If all have compression within 20% or so, it will hopefully go a ways. On the other hand, if six said 150, one 25 and another 75 you'd know it needs help now. (Actual compression numbers are very dependent on cam and compression ratio, not just engine condition). Good luck. <>

We don't do badly on the beer here either. http://www.sierranevada.com/index1.asp <>

A built turbo 400 (3 speed) with a gear vendor's overdrive unit would be plenty stout, but I'm not sure of the combined unit's size. Grumpy mentioned the 4L80E; Really strong, but they will be pricy as they are relatively new and need aftermarket parts to operate (the 'E' signifies electronic shifting-- controlled by the native vehicle's computer). They are also LARGE. Physically, the 200-4R is the best fit for a Z; the stock units just need a little help. For a freeway cruiser, a 700 should work fine (there are thousands on the road every day). Ultimate strength only comes into play with big horsepower or Suburban diesels. If you need to race, you have to pay. <>

I find it hard to believe that "Law Enforcement" refuses to become involved. Even if it can't be proven who actually took the car (tow truck driver) the dealership is guilty of receiving stolen property: They signed the papers and took the money, therefore they no longer own the car. Didn't sell it high enough... That sounds like a personal problem. One kind of law for dealers, another kind for punks who steals cars from them. Are the laws and level of enforcement all that different in Tennessee? Probably not. I'll stop at cynical, and hopefully before before reaching political. <>

I say "thank you". It is a nice change from the ubiquitous non searching newbie. <>

Your other site requires member log in, so is of no use. Year of Z? FI or carb? Does it always start, just not keep running? Seems to be a fuel problem since starting fluid runs it up; since you are talking spark plugs in threes, is one SU non functional (plop the piston up and down... does it move freely)? Not enough info to guess logically. <>.

Wilson, I can't speak to the issue of fitment-- I've never done it. Have you searched for 700R4? As to the value of ebay engines and transmissions: I'm a little leery of this type item as ebay's feedback system lends itself more towards things which may be readily visually inspected upon arrival. Chances are a person doesn't know the quality of rebuilt engines or transmissions until about 6 months down the road. Are they still running?... well? I don't know if blocking accumulators is standard practice in 700R4s or not. I can't see GM spending the money to have them there if they didn't fill a need. Maybe Jake will help out. Go here to see what a reputable high performance rebuilder does with the 700R4 at various levels: http://ckperformance.com/select.html <>

M50 seems to also come in a 6 speed in big trucks (with a granny low). http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2002/03/07/036850.html This version must be pretty stout if the PR is accurate. <>

Wilson, you have asked a couple questions which are basically unanswerable based of the information you have provided, and they really belonged in the drivetrain forum. Slimtastic's observation on the gear ratios is generally accepted, but the stock 200R4 transmissions don't usually hold up well with hard useage/ big power (nor do most of them shift for beans). I don't know of any well built performance versions available for $1000. If your engine remains basically stock, a good rebuild of a later 200R4 with a shift kit, steel pump rings and a big 2nd gear servo may do fine. Here is a forum dedicated primarily to the 200R4: http://turbobuick.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=12 A lot of good reading there, and solid (if not cheap) transmissions available through the vendors. I think PTS Extreme is in your area. You mentioned that you plan to install a cam... Your engine's compression ratio may limit/ help determine your camshaft options, and the RPM range of the cam you choose should be considered in picking the torque converter's stall speed. Everything is related. Good luck, welcome to the board, use the search function, find the proper forums, and be happy! <>

Thanks Scottie! <>

I'd enjoy seeing a 'house' car representing HybridZ. The builders will understand that the financial responsibility is theirs alone (member contributions are gravy), and it would be a chance for sponsors to gain exposure as well as HybridZ. Dan/ the administrators need to reserve the right to pull the HybridZ name from the car at their discretion. .

Like Ron said, check with the smog cops. I think the engine has to be same year or newer, and installed with all its smog stuff. Hope you get on well with the referees... they have the whip. If you don't antagonize them, it may not sting badly. .

There is a big difference between willing, and able. We have a large group of very knowledgeable people on HybridZ, but we are spread all across the world... difficult to hold a wrench long distance. In all likelihood the work and ongoing support would fall on the shoulders of a few dedicated individuals; no matter how talented and dedicated, doing everything for a supposed group effort will gall in time. When one considers the expense involved in campaigning a car, can we as a group maintain that kind of cash flow? I doubt it. And I'd really hate to see the same dedicated people trying to keep it rolling out of their own pockets. We don't have a corporate advertising budget. .

People here are pretty rabid about anything that smacks of marque purism. That which works best is best on HybridZ; doesn't matter who manufactured the part. .

OUCH! John doesn't pull any punches. If finding a straight, rust free car is an option, it is certainly the simplest concept. Saves all the sweating over getting things aligned in 3 dimensions (and all the time/work involved). Your misaligned panels would seem to indicate additional tweaks in the structure, which lends more weight to John's already heavy expert opinion. If you want to learn to weld, and expect to build things throughout your life, get the welder and have fun. The Miller line is good stuff. For thin metal like a Z car, the .035 wire that will likely come with that machine is (IMO) too heavy. (Try a search on welders for other opinions). I have an old 110V Miller running .023 wire, and it does fine for my household projects. It comes down to what you want from your hobby car. With the twists and kinks it has, it won't become a show car. If you want to learn welding/ fabrication and are looking for a fun ride, you could do worse. (You do grasp the basic geometry involved, so success is possible). Will you enjoy spending LARGE amounts of time in the shop? As to precise measurements: Some of the big boys have huge flat steel plates they measure from and weld jigs onto; not an option for most Z freaks. I think a person could use a laser level and redirod/allthread hung from the bottom of the car to work with twists from the horizontal. (Car would have to be off the floor). For just plain bodywork, your 1/4" might be Ok for a street car, but suspension locators need to be just as close to dead nuts as you can get them. I ordinarily don't like roll cages in street cars (care to bounce your skull off a steel baseball bat?) but combined with frame rails it would give your vehicle some structural integrity. Then the body panels would be mostly along for the ride. Guess that's your book for the evening. .

You're welcome, Mike. Good luck sorting out your new toy/ daily driver:mrgreen: . .

Mike- I forgot to mention that with a leaky head gasket, the harder a person works the engine, the hotter it gets. (Higher compression pressures shove more exhaust gasses into the water jacket). So if your car is stable at a somewhat higher temperature than you are used to, probably not the gaskets. .