pparaska

Well, some feel that coilovers are overkill on the street. I dunno, I like them. You have a bunch of rate choices, you can adjust corner weights, ride height. On a daily driven car they might get dirt between the sleeve and spring perch and jam. You don't really need camber plates on the street. Slot the strut towers to get around .75 to 1 degree of negative camber. Use the stock rubber isolators with the proper top spring mount and you'll have a quiet ride. I'm sure others will pipe in. Hopefully Ross and/or Mike (scca)

275s all the way around will be nice . I think the car looks much better with no side markers, or maybe some flush ones. I used 280ZX side markers (thanks Glen!) to kind of update the look, but they stick out alot too. I wanted a driver. Having side makers may just save you someday. Especially if someone doesn't see your headlights. I wired my front side markers to blink with the turn signals on. The sidemarkers are my concession to a bit of safety. But I think the Z looks better without any!

Dynomax (Walker) Super Turbo. Cheap, not too loud, mellow (deep) tone, flows well.

Len, the Corvette halfshafts don't telescope. Won't work well in a Z.

Please. do yourself a favor and shop Mike Gibson (scca here) http://fonebooth.com or Ross Corrigan http://www.modern-motorsports.com before sending your money to MSA. You'll save big bucks and get great technical advice along with personal service.

TexasZman: Actually, that's just one way. Another, easier, cheaper way is to put a 280ZXT L6 in the 240Z, keep the car light, and tweak the turbo system (more boost, intercooler, etc.)

I remember the days of the IZCC mail list (before the IZCC was even formed) being about a dozen people, not thousands. I remember Zcar.com, the V8Z wars, Ron Stoy. Ron Stoy and the non-moderation that followed are the reasons I left Zcar.com. Haven't been back hardly at all. Maybe once every 4-6 months. The signal to noise for the topics that interest me is so low as to be almost immeasurable. I remember Owen's site. I remember when HybridZ was a numeric IP address, and when Dan registered the domain. I remember Dan asking me to write the mission statement - I was very flattered. I remember when a member to remain unnamed footed the bill for a years running of HybridZ. Hmm - we may be coming up on that anniversary? Man, it's been a great ride! Thanks Owen, Dan, everybody for a great site!

I'd definitely rate the Mustangs last in handling, unless they have the Shelby suspension pieces on, then they'd be 1st! 70+ Camaros handle a good deal better than the 67-69, although Mark Steilow has been building some killer Pro Touring 1st Gen Camaros. I prefer the 69 styling to all, and I'd love to have one of Mark's 69s. Vettes = $$$ for car and parts, except a SB is a SB, unless you are talking rare Vette-only parts. Be different, get a 70 AAR CUDA I'd rate the Z as a better handling car than the early Camaro, Mustang, and 53-68 Vette. And the aftermarket still exists to make it a really good handling car. Don't forget power to weight - the Z wins with a streetable SB in each.

Terry, that thing is looking clean and awesome!

Terry, I'm with ya. I'm sure he and his buddies think it's the hottest looking car in town. Who am I to tell them they're wrong?

4th (and what I did) : Have it all powder coated

I really like the 2nd system idea. The X-pipe up front is supposedly where it should be. Resonators in the tunnel, if you can get them to fit up tight, is a definite plus. Any muffler hanging at the back of the car will be louder than needed. Mufflers need tail pipes to muffle well, in my experience.

In my experience, you can get all the info that David Vizard has in all of his old and new magazine articles in his book: "How to Build & Modify Chevrolet Small-Block V-8 Cylinder Heads" It seems that each article I read in the mags by him is just an excerpt of info in that book. Not a slam or anything, he's definitely one of my favorite automotive authors (if not my favorite overall). Just wanted to pass along the info. Info on general head porting is in that book (although it tends to be SBC specific), and he describes the flow bench in that book if not his other books as well.

I have a color blind buddy that always paints his 240Zs white. A year or two later when the rust starts popping out, the BROWN RUST stains make it look like total garbage. To me white is just so boring and hides the curves of the car. I feel the same way about bright colors on a Z - dark colors with some pearl or metalic in them really accentuate the beautiful lines of the Z. I like stealthy colors also - makes me feel less of a target in my speeding-ticket-fanatical, cop-infested region. My second choice was a dark Maroon, with a dark grey charcoal like SuperDan and now the_dj has on that beauty was a very close third. I have two other cars that are Maroon, so a third would be too much. The downside to any dark color is it looks so much less attractive when the first particles of dust start settling on it. I keep the California Duster in the hatch . JMO, everybody has an opinion on colors, just somethings to consider.

Well, you should be subscribing to that Mag anyway, shame, shame All I remember the article saying was that the Chevy Luv rockers were a cheaper replacement, had a slightly higher ratio, and that the photo makde them look very similar.

Of course, I can say that, since I made the mount points for the control arm pivot adjustable on my crossmember. I can adjust the horizontal and vertical position of the pivot bolt independently, +/- 1/4" of the recommended JTR relocation specs. Haven't found time to fine tune it yet, but I have it set to nearly the "JTR" relocated points and it's fairly good in bumpsteer, by road feel. I guess I was thinking about Michael Fawke's (from the IZCC mail list) observation that a single "relocation" spec for the pivot point isn't optimal from one crossmember to another. So if you are off a bit, it probably won't matter a bunch. The fact that you're 3/4" +/-1/16" above the stock pivot is going to be an improvement. You really need to measure the bumpsteer to know where the hole NEEDS to be.

Bob, I agree, resurfacing may well go beyond the hardened surface. A simple dimple hardness tester could verify. The Chevy Luv rocker arm thing was mentioned in the latest Sport Z Magazine (Fall 2002) on page 47.

Thanks Grumpy. I'm impressed with their description of what they do and include. One option would be to call them up and see if they can do just a block/crank/rod/piston short block for me. But adding the heads in would be good! I understand those heads (TFS 23 degree 195s) are a good way to go.

I probably have several thousand dollars worth of nickel dime stuff in my Z. Not bragging, but if you let the project go on long enough, it'll kill ya! One thing I learned: Just buy and assortment of bolts/nuts, in a pre-assembled tray from a place like McMaster-Carr. Cheaper that way and you get plenty. Stainless baby (unless I needed a high grade bolt, then I usually bought a few grade 8 or even AN or NAS bolts, in a few select places). Same goes for wire - buy a pre-assembled assortment. Same for electrical connectors. Exhaust hangars: Get generic ones and make them work. Cheap and saved my butt when one broke (do to a bracket breaking and overloading the rubber in another mount). Generic is GOOOD. One thing is to collect scrap materials: hose, wire, steel, AL, SS plate and sheet, tubing, etc. I have tons of "trash" stashed away and I am ALWAYS using it to make things I need. The lower mounts for my A/C compressor and Alt are from angle iron from a bed frame! Welding allows this kind of "recycling". Oh, a stainless chain from a toilet flushing pull is part of my adjustable throttle return spring setup. You'd never know if I hadn't told you!

I'd guess 10k, maybe 15K max miles out of them. All depends on how you use them. I beat on mine and they're about half gone in 7-8K, IIRC. These are not high mileage tires!

I wouldn't be too concerned about a 1/16" here or there. The suspension holes weren't that accurately placed from the factory anyway. The true test is doing a bumpsteer measurement once it's done. How about taking the doubler washers in where the holes are now, installing it in the car, and measuring the bump steer. If it looks like a big problem, then go back and move them. Otherwise, take it back out and weld the doublers in well.

I really wouldn't want diagonal door bars in my Z, as I'm 6'2" and 225 lbs. Getting over them would be a pain. I don't like swing outs, as I don't see that they do enough structurally to put up with having them there. To me, a street Z really needs a proper door bar and windshield hoop to stiffen and protect - one that comes down the A-pillar nicely and goes through the dash so as to not cut down on outward visibility. JHO. Watch the Sparco seat's wings. The Corbeau wings are generally smaller and easier to fit in a Z.

Bill, I agree that there is SOME 1/4 wavelength affect, but if you present a nice surface of any measurable size to the incident radar wave such that it causes a nice specular return, it won't matter if the surface has dimensions that are divisible by 1/2 wavelengths, etc. Steps, gaps, cavities, shape, edge returns - it's all so complicated. One of biggest problem with an auto's signature is the cavity return from the cabin. Gold coat the windows, (only millions of dollars to have done correctly for this purpose) and you're miles ahead. A slanted radiator is good too. One thing the Z has going for it is the sloped hood and small frontal area. But the vertical radiator, cabin return, edge returns from the hood, etc. all make true stealth pretty difficult. Jim has an excellent point - the radar gun will listen to the loudest return. You need some decent power and a good antenna to be able to override your vehicles signature. Then you have to worry about getting caught.

Mike, thanks for the input - I posted here first hoping someone had something to sell - I didn't see this as a technical thread, but it's become one. Should have just posted in the V8 forum! (I moved it now to teh Chevy V8 forum and deleted it from the For sale one.) I'm beginning to wonder if the 383 might be more of what I want. I'm beginning to think that 6000 rpm is all I'll ever want to turn, especially if the engine is making a bunch of torque down in the 1500 rpm range. The 400 just breathes better, I'd imagine, with the larger bore. But if it's going to be hundreds less, a 383 is probably what I'd end up with. I don't like the idea of spending $1900 on a block, but machining a junkyard block to get everything nuts on is not cheap either.

Paul, Sorry I missed the rest of this thread. Let me know if you want the control module wiring diagrams.