pparaska

An idea for the front suspension...still a prototype. http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=180081#180081

Click on "Sledgehammer Z" at: http://www.rontyler.com (Also check out his other stuff) I forgot to ask Ron about where the spring will go - maybe between the upper a-arm and the stock strut isolator area?

That engine looks Great! I like those valve covers and the air cleaner lid. That looks like a 14" diameter by 3" tall element. I'm doubting that if you have less that 600 hp, you'd need that ugly (IMO) K&N top on the air cleaner. It'd be interesting to rig up a manometer to measure the pressure loss with the existing setup. If it's less than 1/2" of mercury, it'd be not worth the added $70 expense of the K&N top. It took me about 4 trips to the parts store to get the right curved radiator hoses. The top one I found should work for just about any Chevy form factor radiator. I had to use a radiator hose "bushing" to get it to work with my 84-86 non-heavy duty radiator. Anyway, the part numbers for the hoses are:    Top Hose: Dayco 70651cs - This hose is very long and had close to a foot of extra length I didn't need. I used a 1-1/2" ID to 1-1/4" ID Hose adapter to connect it to the radiator, NAPA PN 900 "Hose Adapter"    Bottom Hose: Dayco 71217 - Perfect fit with my custom low mouted alternator. Looks OE. Any decent parts store should be able to cross reference to those Dayco numbers. BTW, if anyone is trying to get a heater hose to mount to the core and heater valve and go all the way to the engine connections, I found that one part number works. It's a straight long hose with a sharp 90 degree bend at one end with a 4-6" length after the bend:    Heater Hoses: Dayco 80407 - This is a long straight hose with a 90 degree bend at one end. I used one for each hose, with the 90 degree bend at the heater box/valve. Plenty of length to reach the front of the engine. BTW, all this is at my site: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/pparaska/cooling.htm

Cuong, Very cool. Is there any difference in length between the centers of the inner tie-rod end pivots between the Subaru and 240Z rack? Are all the Subaru racks the same? Which model Sube did you get it from?

Congrats! That car has alot of cool engineering in it! Sorry that Al had to sell it, but glad it's still "in the family".

My car is in no way sorted out. It also has an iron headed Chevy V8 up front (but with AL water pump and intake manifold). The bumpsteer still needs adjustment, and the Momo wheel and short knuckles make it twitchy on the street. I've moved from 225/300 F/R rates to 225/225. I have the Illuminas on 2 (a bit soft, but 3 is a bit harsh for street driving, IMO). The car doesn't buck as you think it might over tar strips, etc. I have know idea about corner or crosss or total weights. I do know that 300 lb/in was not comfortable to drive on the street. And it was hurting acceleration traction. Just a really bad data point, I know, but the one piece of info that might be of interest is the 300 lb/in springs on the rear were pretty tough on me and the car on the street. That and the Illuminas needed to be on 4 to keep it from pogoing.

John, I certainly agree that is the prudent line of demarcation between marque bigotry and just doing what you want/need to. I just have a problem with the tone that the "all Nissan" crowd uses when they say such things - the last example is probably not the best. Years ago I sat through dinner with a Z person I just met (but knew on line for some time). During the entire chat, this person kept saying, "plus, it's a Nissan part", etc. My mention of any other OE or aftermarket part was always rebuffed, even though the cost or performance was maybe superior (most of the discussion was about brakes). This type of "tone" is what I object to listening to, even if the person is not trying to ram their point of view down my throat. Maybe it's because I just don't see the logic in that point of view (call me Spock) or because I don't like hearing/reading the jabs between the lines, but this annoys me. Call it my character fault, if you like. But the idea behind this site was to get away from all that. Some of the people that post on HybridZ who are all-Nissan types know better than to outwardly write marque-bigotted posts and carefully craft their words. Others who either don't care or aren't familiar with some of the founders' sensitivities to this post blatant marque-bigotted or L6-bigotted or anti-American-engine stuff and feel the wrath. I know that to some people reading these threads lately, I might be sounding over-sensitive to this issue, but again, many of us here invested time and energy into this site because we wanted a friendly place to talk about modding the Z without bigotted posts. (Yes the bigotry goes both ways, and I have seen the V8-only bigotry decrease due to posts about it from the management.) It used to be a very friendly place for us to hang and many of us enjoyed that. But the undertone of L6, marque and Japanese engine bigotry has increased in the last months, and I (and I believe others) have come to feel less comfortable at our own little party on the Internet. Just like you didn't like the SLP guy jabbing your truck and Z car, I don't think that if I was at a HybridZ party or gathering I'd feel comfortable hearing someone say some of the half or not concealed bigotted things I've been reading. And that's also a premise of this site - that, if nothing else the originators of this site and those who share their views have a COMFORTABLE place to hang. I agree that tougher and more moderation can keep this in check. But I felt it was time I aired my views on where we are heading with this site. It's become too much like the places I stay away from, and that bothers me. Hopefully these discussions will remedy that.

If you mean I'm very sensitive to it, yes I am. As johnc pointed out, it's called Marque Bigotry, and it's against the Rule #1 of this site. I feel like SOMEBODY has to watch to make sure that we don't let HybridZ slip down that slippery slope, as it has begun to lately. To say "keep it Nissan" is no different than to say "anything but Nissan sucks", in my opinion. It adds nothing to the technical content of the subject.

I'm a little confused by these two paragraphs. I totally agree that it's asinine to say "Ford sucks"' date=' show a graphic of someone peeing on a Chevy bowtie symbol, or to say "and I can keep it all Nissan". They are all illogical things to me - the air and fuel can not read the label on the engine, and whether some want to believe it or not, no brand or country has a corner on producing a significantly inferior selection of engines. (Heck, the next engine going in my Z has 2 parts from GM - cylinder block and oil pan, and I could have bought aftermarket versions of those too!) I just fail to see how "Keeping everything Nissan while you're at it" should make any difference to anyone - the air and fuel sure don't care! On top of that, Rule #1 states: "1. The purpose of this site is to discuss TECHNICAL topics that pertain to the modification of the Datsun/Nissan Z cars (240Z, 260Z, 280Z, 300ZX, 350Z). No thoughtful modification that enhances performance or styling will be put down. [b']The philosophy is one of "parts is parts" - it doesn't matter what automaker originally made the parts, if you think that using those parts on your Z will add to it's performance or cosmetic appeal.[/b] But the emphasis is on FUNCTION, not the addition of graphics, wings, etc. to only make the Z LOOK like it is a high performance car. However, everyone has their own ideas of what stylish modifications look good or bad. " (I added bold to emphasize the part I was referring to.) Now if someone has issue with that rule, then they are at odds with me on this topci and with what I believe the general premise of Hybridz.org. That's pretty funny. SLP had to get womped by a little old ricer Z car! I hope it got rubbed in their faces!

Jim was saying that tongue in cheek. He was making fun of people saying "keep it all Nissan", knowing full well that an ECU would be seen as an acceptable "swap" by anyone. I was just echoing his joke - "all Nissan". Like the label on the engine means ANYTHING to the air and fuel being used to propel the car! So DavD3, I don't think Jim or I were jumping on you - just the silly idea of "all Nissan" in some way being "superior", the way it is sometimes used around here and other places where Z people congregate. We realize you weren't saying the Z is better off all Nissan, but TonyZXT made a statement in his original post that sounded that way to me, and probably Jim as well. Hopefully, I'm not assuming too much when I speak for Jim here.

John, I just went in and found a setting for you that wasn't correct - you now should have full Admin permissions. I didn't realize until today that you were having that problem. Let's blame it on Dan . BTW, as evidence of my assertion that non-Nissan posts are made, I started looking around. I found some very cleverly disquised all-Nissan posts, but this one is more outward and very recent: http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=18625 Read the last couple of lines of the first post. "Keeping everything Nissan while you're at it." Jim Powers then calls him out very nicely with his response.

John, the Admin forum doesn't show up for you at the bottom of the forum index page when you're logged in? It should. Yes, there probably is a bit of V8 bigotry. I don't like that. But if someone comes at me with "I can build a 300 hp NA L6" and they want to drive it on the street, I'm going to let them know that a Turbo L6 or other engine like a V8 is going to be alot more user friendly and reliable. But for your uses, I can't understand why you'd need to defend your choice - you class of racing allows only the L6! As for wielding a heavy hammer, the issue is I'd rather not have to or see others have to. This was once a cheery home for V8 swap people - and with the recent influx of new blood, it's becoming less so. There's a decent amount of "Nissan or nothing" undertone - I'm not imagining it. And yes, sometimes it gets editted out or deleted - as it should.

...just in case anyone was wondering what the other admin is thinking... Wow, where do I start. I am not about to mince words here. These are my feelings, no holds barred. But before I go on, I will tell you that I think the L6 and RB series are fine engines. If the RB were available in quantity, I'd want one in a Z for myself! A turbo L6 Z, I'd love one of those too! A hotrod NA L6 Z, cool, I used to have one and loved it. You see, I've not met one person with or building a V8Z that looked down on other engine choices. That's because we are hot-rodders at heart. We build what we want with what's available. Oh, and just for those that don't know the history of this site, Owen started the V8swappersforum and we lived there for a while. Then Dan Porter started HybridZ to give us a better home. You have those guys to thank. The REASON for starting it was that we kept getting the cold shoulder, flamed, etc. on the IZCC email list, the 240Z email list (although they are more tolerant now), and most notably ZCAR.COM for even mentioning V8 swaps into Zs. We wanted a haven from that. Yes, things have changed. We took on GN engined Zs, Ford V8s, Mopar V8s, Chevy V6, then the L6, then the RB. Somewhere in there we added brakes, suspension, chassis, and other performance oriented forums. Then people wanted to talk about non-tech stuff as a nice friendly place to hang out. Of course, we needed to buy/sell, etc., etc. And here we are, quite a bit different from the beginning. In some ways that's great. But lately, it's less so... These are my observations from being part if the Internet Z car community since 1991. Yes, 1991. The Internet actually existed back then! Email was about it though . Was Al Gore even out of college yet ? And observations during the lifetime of HybridZ.org. 1) There are plenty of L6-only and Nissan-only idiots out there that will tell you in either a nice way or a not-so-nice way that putting an engine other than the one to their liking (L6 only, Nissan only, or Japanese only) into a Z is an injustice, unnatural, etc., and that you must be some kind of a genetic aberration for even thinking about it. THIS is why HybridZ (and the V8swappersforum that Owen started before it) was created - to have a haven away from these closed minded idiots. 2) If you have an L6 or RB or L6/RB forum on HybridZ that has the best tech info on these engines/swap, you WILL attract these idiots. This has happened very recently, and the person could not hold their tongue, even though Rule #1 states that this site is BLIND to engine/part origin - and this person was banned on the first offense. Heck, I was at a meeting of several HybridZ people lately, and even though there were several people there with V8Zs, this person tried to explain to us why he thought it just wasn't right to put a V8 in. You see, this is an illness that cannot be easily cured. It is also my belief that there are many closet purists (be they L6-only or Nissan-only, or Japanese engine-only) out there. I've been caught off guard more than just a few times by that! I will not frequent this site if V8 or American engine intolerance is even allowed to stay posted more than half a day. I will not stand for even giving these tools a second chance. They DO NOT BELONG. Heck, I don't even want to have to DEAL with moderating of viewing that nonsense here. That is the impetus for some of my current thinking on HybridZ... Does that mean we lock or get rid of the L6 and RB forums? To tell you the truth, I'm still not convinced one way or the other. 3) To my recollection, ALL of the bad apples that we've had trouble with (be it V8-bashing or not) tend to be L6-only or RB-only guys. My theory is that the closed mind they have is just one symptom of their bad character, another being immature and not being able to handle one's self online. Immaturity can be someone 15 or 75 years old. I've met all ages like that. To me, that's another reason that I even started to lately consider leaving HybridZ or seeing if HybridZ could just not handle the ENGINE part of the L6 or RB powered Z. That's not to say I want to say good bye to 99% of the people I know here with those powerplants - to the contrary! SleeperZ noted that he doesn't "go around promoting a purist attitude, and very few other turbo L28 folks here do either." Well, even one is way too many for HybridZ, IMO. 4) Afshin wrote: Well, that's in the general spirit, but the roots are there - we started out as a haven for V8 Z swappers. Afshin also wrote: No, not really. And my idea wasn't to say "V8 or nothing". It was more like "Archive the L6 and RB forums, lock them, and let some other site handle that domain." You see, I'm not anti-L6 or anti-RB. But to say that an NA L6 Z is a hybrid is a stretch, IMO. But if we now get rid of the L6 forum, then it hurts feelings, no matter what we say. You see, I was one of the people that didn't want to start an L6 forum in the first place, because my fear was that HybridZ would attract the L6-only purists. Unfortunately, my fears have been realized. And we are now in a place that we wanted to get away from - a haven where non-L6 (V8, American V6, etc.) swaps could be discussed without the purists whining and bitching. 5) Air, fuel, and a turbo can not read the label on an engine. Even though the L6 or RB forums COULD go away, the turbo/supercharging forum can and would address pressurizing ANY engine, as it should! 6) To keep the non Chevy V8 swap questions out of that forum, why not simply move it down the page and have the Admin and Non Tech forums be up top? I think one of the reasons that the Chevy V8 Swap forum is so overrun with off-topic threads is because of it's physical placement on the page. 7) The CornerCarvers.com moderation style is too harsh for my liking, but some of those rules and procedures are attractive. 8 ) I like most of what jeromio proposed as moderation style. 9) I like Aaron's consolidation plan. Oh, and Aaron, Scottie has an American engine - that would stay no matter what! 10) No John (johnc), we are DEFINITELY NOT telling you to take a hike! 11) John, my point #2 says that it IS the topics (forums) that can lead to the people that we attract. 12) It's been brought to my attention that at least one regular on HybridZ thinks that it was offensive to delete the gangster-slang thread and to write Rule #4 the way it was written. I have to disagree. I for one want a high standard of the use of the English language on this site, for those that CAN write it decently. That is to say that if you can write English so that 99% of us can read it and know what you mean, but choose to use very obtuse and regional slang to look "cool", I'm going to ream you a new one. That's NOT to say that people who do not speak/write English well (because it's a second or third language of theirs) should not muddle through and try to communicate. I personally love it when language barriers can be broken down enough that we can share a common interest in the Z, etc.! 13) Dan Porter owns this site - he has the last word on any of this!

I MAY try my Hooker block hugger headers with them, but the port match is pretty horrible and not alot of sealing area at the bottom of the port. If someone had a D-port block hugger header in 1-3/4" with a 2.5" collector that was a drop in for the Hooker, I'd be very happy.

Jim's right on the money. But even before you etch it with a 20:1 or 10:1 Water:Muratic Acid mix, you need to thoroughly clean the floor. This is a real pain on an older floor that has had oil, etc. dropped on it, as concrete is porous and it will soak into it. Keeping the oils, etc. from soaking into the floor, along with keeping the dust down is a great reason to seal a concrete floor. The Tile Clad II had instructions on the label for how to prep the floor. They had you using USP (such-in-such) to clean it first, then muratic acid etch the entire thing, let it dry, and then paint. It's a BIG job to do correctly, and the house will be full of toxic fumes (Xylene, tolulene, etc.) from the paint for a day or so. Unfortunately, you want to give the garage ventilation, so leave the door up. You don't want it to be raining (high humidity) either when the paint is being applied or curing.

I remember a phone conversation with Jim Biondo where he also said he didn't like the look of the JTR mounts. He bought or made a crossmember that bolted or welded to the stock frame rails directly under the engine mount pads. I believe there's someone in Texas (Al Proctor?) that makes just such a part for doing this. Just realize that steering shaft clearance will be an issue. But as Al Silveira showed us (and others), that can be designed around.

I'd like to characterize the "new commitment" as one of having rules and enforcing them. Someone recently wrote an ALL CAPS post in which he got a bit upset and decided to air his opinion in very harsh tones as to other's choice of the country of origin for engines for Z swaps. That was a blatant violation of Rule #1. That person has been banned - on the first offense. Even though some think they can just make harsh, flagrant rule-breaking posts and then ask forgiveness, I and, at least the other moderators that have dealt with this situation and made themselves heard feel that people who make rules offenses like this deserve no second chance. This site is for those that can act maturely, follow the rules, and be held accountable for their actions. Yes, a very strange concept for an automotive-based Internet forum, but one that I hope we can be proud of.

Well, the good 2 part stuff won't chip very easily at all. The Sherwin Williams Tile Clad II in my garage is ten years old, and only 1 or two chips from things that it (actually the concrete) couldn't handle, like dropping a 2 foot crow bar from several feet up, etc. The jackstands and jack wheels have had no real effect on it. You have to pay for the good stuff, but it lasts. This is a pain in the butt job, so do it right, with the right materials the FIRST time. The stuff is slick when wet though. I kind of wish I'd taken some advice and put a bit of fine sand in the paint to help with that. Truck bed liner? I'd be surprised if it'd be as durable as a good 2 part epoxy.

I used Sherwin Williams Tile Clad II 2-part epoxy on my floor. Nothing seems to hurt it. I'd buck up and go with a known good product like the Sherwin Williams stuff. I've heard some of the more available (Lowes, etc.) "pedestrian" 2 parts stuff is not nearly as durable.

A recent hotrod type magazine (Chevy High Performance?) showed how McLeod now has a blowproof universal bellhousing to mount just about any manual trans (except a ZF or Vette transaxle) behind a Chevy V8. http://www.mcleodind.com/catalog_htm/PAGE6.HTM They also are selling bolt-in Tremec 5spds for GM http://www.mcleodind.com/catalog_htm/PAGE4.HTM and T-56s. http://www.mcleodind.com/catalog_htm/PAGE5.HTM BTW, here's an article in CHP on the Weir bellhousing: http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/techarticles/48446/

Read the rules lately? If you really do feel that way, I don't want you as part of HybridZ.org anyway.

Or because they have personal issues with your vernacular. Jim, what does that mean? Do you care to elaborate on a specific past topic?

You should be able to click on one of the .gif files and see it in your web browser. Here's the color .gif

Doh! Sorry I forgot to post the link to my blower fan wiring modification. No fancy web page interface, just open this directory and download any of the files that start with "blowerfanrelaycircuit". There are CAD files (CADKEY .prt, Autocad .dwg and .dxf, and IGES .igs), vector graphics (.wmf), and bitmap (.gif) There are color .wmf and .gif versions as well as black and white (B&W) versions. http://mywpages.comcast.net/pparaska/image/electrical/ What I did was get extra male and female Z connectors (6 position) and made up a harness with relays that plugged between the fan switch harness and the blower&resistor harness. Plug and play.