tim.d

Welcome Back! I'm in the process of a similar swap, and was all set on the Mountaineer/Explorer 302, but out of pure circumstance I'm using a carb'd HO out of an 85 mustang...bought the car wrecked, cleaned up the interior, got a free engine and transmission and made 3 grand on the whole thing! But yes, to answer your questions.... -I've done a bunch of abuse to a bunch of different T5s in mustangs, and unless you're being actively stupid they're pretty reliable. And if they do go, parts and upgrades are plentiful. -I haven't looked at the later EFI pinouts in a long while since I have a carb'd engine, but IIRC it is integrated to the transmission controller and an immobilizer , so there may be some hiccups on those fronts. Megasquirt makes a fairly drop in stand-alone with lots of available maps if you run into too many issues. -the later model 302s are the ones to get. Distributorless, decent head and intake design, and strong power numbers that a cam swap will shift things around for a more "sporty" powerband. Good to see more SBF cars on the board!

I've heard mixed reviews on Everlast products, some guys swear by them for non-production use, but everyonce in a while some say that they're unreliable - don't know what circumstances they were really using the machines under. I've got an Eastwood Mig that I've been super impressed with (except for a cheap chinesium gas solenoid), and their new digital 200 looks promising, though not sure if I'd ever use the added features it has. If it were my money, and there weren't any decent used blues or reds on craigslist, I'd go for the eastwood and upgrades LLave suggested.

Great to see you on the forum, love the YT vids!

Sounds like you already know what to do.

I'm kind of upset you're painting it, but more glad it's still alive!

I think you're going to have a really hard time balancing the brake system with equal front:rear piston area. http://www.stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers/white-paper---brake-bias-and-performance-why-brake-balance-matters Edit: nevermind misunderstood Op

I prefer imgur, because it gives you BB code for each image and is more specifically made for forum posting Edit: Though now that I test it again, not working. So nevermind, imgur it is for me.

Flickr, google drive, imgur, lots of other options out there

Interested in going, are there usually a fair amount of S30/S130s or is it overwhelmingly 350/370s?

I had to replace my engine bay frame rails, and made my own radiator lower support. 2 or 2.5" square: Will need to finish out the rest of the core support panels at some point

There's your issue - can't direct link to the "new content" button. Need to access it through the homepage. I agree with rturbo, the faceballs is a ******* mess and is worthless for any real documentation or conversation.

Yay for YZ!

Love those valve covers!

Here is the text so others don't have to scroll through FB: 240 AND 260Z R200 HANDLING PROBLEMS Its common for Datsun 240 and 260Z owners to replace their 3:36 or 3:54 geared R180 rear end units with a 3:90 geared R200 unit. Its a cheap and easy way to get a good ratio that works well with a 5 speed transmission swapped into those early chassis. But, the swap of an R200 in place of an R180 in the 240 and 260Z chassis produces handling problems. The handling problems are felt as: 1. On hard, drag strip type launches, the car consistently pulls to the left when the rear squats. 2. The rear doesn't take a set, constant steering correction is needed on right turns while racing on an autocross course or a track, and its difficult to put the power down on corner exit. The R200 is physically wider then the R180 and that width is asymetric - the R200 is wider on the driver's side of the vehicle then it is on the passenger side. This causes a suspension binding problem on the driver's side when the halfshaft bottoms (run out of travel). All the halfshafts used in the 240, 260, and 280Zs are basically the same, with differences on how the shafts are connected to the differential stub axles (center bolt yoke or four bolt flange). The fully compressed length of the halfshafts, as measured from yoke centerline to yoke centerline, is 12 3/16". The fully extended length of the halfshaft, measured the same way, is 14 3/8". This gives total travel of 2 3/16". I came up with these numbers after measuring four halfshafts, two with the four bolt flange and two with the ceter bolt yoke. In a R200 installtion, with the lower control arms about 7.5 degrees from parallel to the ground, the driver's side halfshaft's length is 12 3/8" while the passenger side halfshaft's length is 13 1/4". The driver's side halfshaft is almost bottomed out while this coil-over equipped 260Z is sitting at an unladen ride height of 6" at the rear. With the driver in the car and fuel on board, the driver's side halfshaft will be 1/8" from bottoming. Driver's side halfshaft almost fully compressed at static ride height. Passenger side halfshaft still has about 7/8" of travel before full compression At this point, the driver's side rear suspension will go into a bind with any compressive load and the spring rate will skyrocket to some number defined by the flexing of metal parts in the rear suspension and rear housing mounting. In addition, large stresses are being applied to the driver's side companion flange, stub axle, bearings, and bearing housing. These parts tend to fail more frequently in 240 and 260Zs equipped with a R200. How can the problem be fixed? 1. Disassemble the halfshafts and machine the outer to allow an additional 1" of compression travel. This is a difficult process mainly because the slip joint in the halfshaft is a bear to reassembly properly and the nylon spacers are NLA. 2. Make custom halfshafts of the proper length. This is a common fix and is done as part of a conversion to constant velocity joints. 3. Keep the static rear ride height at a point where the rear lower control arms still point down. I've had a few folks tell me that some 280Z halfshafts are shorter then the 240/260Z halfshafts. I've traded e-mails with 3 long time Z racers and all of them say the've never come across any shorter halfshafts that fit in the 240/260/280Z chassis. A couple Z parts hoarders that I know checked through their piles of halfshafts and were not able to locate any 240/260/280Z R180 or R200 halfshafts that were shorter. I think the idea of a shorter driver's side halfshaft for the R200 insalls in the 280Z is a myth.

I may be calling you up for a windshield install referral in a bit! Looks great

That'd be ideal!

Here's an online version that adds a little visualization too- http://www.rimsntires.com/specspro.jsp

Well at least you have polite friends

"awww dammit Jim" hahahhahaaha

In addition to drilling a -TINY- hole, it is sometimes possible to 'fill' the crack with an acrylic solvent glue. I have the same issue with my light covers, and will be attempting the repair this summer, using this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0149IG548/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I've used it with success in other applications, but they haven't been in shaky environments.

Depends on the fans initially design orientation. 'push' fans will often be optimized for higher static pressure than a pull setup. That being said, the real world difference isn't probably that big... Adequate shrouds are probably the most important factor.

At least you've got most of the prep work done for yours! I still gotta pull mine out Also the MSA is a reboxed Tabco panel, it's a bit cheaper from tabco. Not sure about shipping cost differences though. https://tabcoparts.com/1234-42395.html

have you looked into XXR wheels? I had some 531's for a minute, really liked them. Good n cheap. http://www.nlmotoring.com/4x114-3-Wheels-s/631.htm?searching=Y&sort=13&cat=631&f-16%20inch%20wheels=612&show=200&page=1&f-0=1021