bjhines

You need an education bad man. Simple math will tell you if you need a higher wattage resistor. Don't 4uck with electricity until you know who Ohm was and all about his law.

Mine definitely need the loops on the ends.

I too ran into the issue with the "new" cables missing the wound ends. The only thing that makes hardware store/lawnmower cables different than the originals is the loop the factory put into the ends. For $20 MSA and the other retailers are committing a crime. I quit using MSA and others for those types of parts due to the fact that they basically repackage common hardware and charge a platinum premium.

If you can assume that the engine was working fine until the exhaust change then I would bet the value of the car, that it was just incorrectly installed and the gasket leaks. Those gaskets need to be installed with knowledge about how the interfacing components will sealup while tightening them. You have an aftermarket header that obviously does not fit correctly with the orginal Nissan intake. This will only compound the issues NORMALLY associated with these L-series engines. Having the intake AND the exhaust on the same mouting plane makes it very hard indeed. Newer designs have gotten away from this for a lot of reasons, heat, fuel lines over hot headers, and the simple fact that they are nearly impossible to align and install correctly.

The primary focus of the cage is safety as required by SCCA and other organizations. I have tried to add stiffness as well. This is the art of race car chassis design. So far you have not supplied anything but hollow arguments. Please provide something more than hot air to this discussion. There are plenty of chassis pictures available to scribble on. Scribble away matey, I think you will come to some of the same conclusions we have once you get pen to paper(or mouse to pad). I fully respect your arguments and believe me I have made quite a few compromises. For instance, my main hoop is not technically SCCA compliant because I wanted to tie into what I consider a stiffer area of the chassis than the typical SCCA approved designs.

If you have EVER worked on a car built like you describe then you know how hard it is to get the holes lined up and the bar bolted back in place. Especially when you change corner weighting or god forbid have hit something even lightly. The heim joints I am using will hold in the ways forces are applied. Keep in mind that the joints remove any bending or twisting forces acting on the bars. Forces can only be applied in a straight line through the bars using heim-joints. The only improvement that could be made would be to use a material or shape that held stiffer under compression. You also have to consider clearance for the engine and the fact that the hood is very close to the tops of the strut towers. My main focus was to use STRAIGHT BARS, not the bent designs I have seen on nearly every other car out there.

You should NEVER have an automatic ignition kill switch on your road driven car. Imagine full throttle tracking out of a fast sweeper, 100+MPH 1.3Gs teeth clenching corner exit.... and suddenly you loose power, the car spins off track and rolls 20 times while shedding its bits over half a mile. Oil pressure shut down is for heavy equipment, boats, and dragsters. As far as the Accusump is concerned, the added complexity can cause big problems for the average user. If you are racing then you may very well need one every few minutes on a closed circuit race course. I have the EPC valve operated 3qt unit installed on my race car. There are a few things you need to consider when plumbing one of these things into your car. 1. The accusump accumulator is only a small part of the system $$$. 2. trying to oversimplify or cut $$$/corners will only reduce the reliability of your car, not save it from oil starvation. The EPC valve is the most effective configuration. It will accumulate peak engine oil pressure and hold it until pressure drops below activation pressure. The other configurations are much less effective and rarely manage to provide full accumulator volume.

ouch!... unfortunately the hot-rods are the first thing to go on the backburner. We will see the name again soon enough even if the line is produced "elsewhere".

Is drainback that much of a problem? I have only seen the accumulators used on heavy equipment for any reason other than race-car starvation issues.

OK. You need to realize that this was only a partial discussion of a build that was further outlined in another of my threads. You are starting to sound like a broken record compared to the people in here that are posting real ideas and solutions. JM, JC, I, and others also have had discussions in other threads. I suggest you look them up. The welds are reinforced by seamwelding, possibly the hardest part of that entire project. There are also a few extra layers of metal where things were weak from the factory. If you look carefully, you will see the there are nearly vertical tubes on the front and rear towers in the pictures I have posted. Please feel free to show me what you would do on this drawing ...

That is some nice work there. I would not have put such a large radiator support beam in there. That can be really flimsy, it does not take much load at all.

Well.... The front crossmember is a fairly stout piece on the later chassis. This is the reason I chose a later model crossmember that still fit the early rack. Then I stiffened the chassis rails and tied the added longitudinal rials into the TC buckets I used 2 diagonals outside the frame-rails as well. The inside has considerable gusseting to tie the various parts into the 14gauge reinforced frame-rails. The frame reinforcement goes all the way around and even has an added lip where the crossmember bolts to the chassis. The rear got similar treatment. added upper frame reinforcement plate upper tower reinforcement rear diagonal reinforcement There is also a rear cross-brace between the towers, AND the main hoop is tied into the diff-mounting crossmember with diagonals to further stiffen that mounting point ...

Ummm... There are a lot of methods for doing this and different members have taken different approaches. The most common approach is to use a triangle in the engine bay from tower to tower and diagonals to the middle of the firewall or the dash-bar. Others have also used the door-X-bars and tubes running to the tops of the strut towers through the firewall and back to the rear towers. The petty-bar and through-firewall center supports have also been used. Other issues have come up that the floors and tunnel need a lot of reinforcement to keep the driver's legs from being pinned in a side impact.

^^^ rebuilding the diff brings up the questions... Are the shims available? are the bearings still available? Or is this yet another part of the project that will require creative approaches.

There is still a lot of chassis work to do. Electrical harness work is a BIG part of this project. It is central to a lot of different things you may be planning to add in the future. It really should be done with the dash removed and the electrical harness unwrapped on a bench. You have; engine management, fuel pump, senders, gauges, power distribution, modernize the alternator/regulator system, repair or upgrade existing systems like the faulty fuse box and iffy lighting. How's that stalk switch and ignition wiring btw? Plumbing is another system that is central to a lot of different parts of your project. It is easier to install with the driveline and suspension removed Then you can run new lines for fuel, brakes, oil, senders and adaptors, venting, fire suppression etc. Don't forget about the exhaust system, That can cost a pretty penny when it is fully custom and clears the driveway apron.

That is a testament to making the factory stuff work for you. I was impressed with the duty you got out of the old bottom end. Hopefully this new one will last even longer.

WHoaaaa... Hold on there with the big rig towing. It will cost $20,000 for a minor service job on that truck regardless of it's initial cost. I would never admit to owning anything made by Chrysisler. The Jeep is going to be the most unreliable thing you have ever owned. I have been through a few towing vehicles. Ford ranger pickup truck(too weak in every respect) Toyota FJ-80 landcruiser(too short, lacks stability) Chevy C20 gasser 3/4 ton(1984 junker with grabby drum brakes and no AC) Chevy Z71 1/2 ton 4x4(decent tow vehicle, but the brakes are too weak) Currently a Ford E-250 Econoline Van(damn nice tow vehicle in every regard) The only towing vehicle I have been happy with is the E250 Van. It has a lot of weight, Big 4 wheel disk brakes, Decent power, and PLENTY of room for the race junk. I can even take a nap in it comfortably regardless of weather outside.

The "weight capacity" has less to do with curb weight and more to do with spring and tire choices the manufacturer made for that model. There are a great number of things that changed on the S-30 cars over the years. There are threads that attempt to describe the changes but none of them are complete lists of every possible change. Lets just discuss bumpers for a minute; Yes, the bumpers did get heavier, The bumpers are also at the extreme ends of the chassis so they can greatly affect weight distribution and yaw moments when changed. The bumpers themselves are not the only parts that changed to improve crash protection. The mounting systems went though several variations even on the 240Z cars. The earliest 240Zs were equipped with bumpers that were nothing more than "trim pieces". You could squeeze them with your hands and bend them. The earliest front mounts were thin strips of metal that mounted to the inside surfaces of the headlight bucket extensions. There was ABSOLUTELY ZERO reinforcement for the mounts. The weld nuts that held the mounts were welded to 20gauge sheet metal and that was it. The later 240Zs and early 260Zs had slightly heavier gauge bumpers of the same design as the early bumpers. The mounting system changed significantly. The later 240Z mounts were 12/10 gauge steel formed from multiple stampings welded together. The later mounts were attached to a heavily reinforced part of the frame extensions just in front of the sway-bar mounting areas. This area also has the heavy duty reinforcements for the tie-down hooks. The later 240Z mounts and associated reinforcements probably added 30lbs. to the front end of the later 240Zs. The later designs also went through several variations and got even heavier over time. The mounts became complex shock-absorbers with significant frame reinforcements. There are numerous other changes that never get mentioned because they are outside a casual observer's reach. Electrical systems got more and more complex struts got bigger and heavier suspension components got thicker and heavier cross-members got more and more reinforcements drive-line components changed and added significant weight the steering columns got bigger and more complex the entire floor-pan of the cars changed when they added catalytic converters Seat-belts got more complex and heavier over time Seats got heavier The dashboards got heavier and more complex The entire heating and vent system changed and got significantly heavier. later cars had Air-Con installed The Carbys got bigger and more complex The radiators got larger and contained more water Exhaust systems got bigger and more complex The fuel tanks got bigger and heavier for the fuel injected cars. They added a rear fuel pump and filter Driveshafts and hubs got bigger and thicker over the years Nearly all of the chassis stampings changed over the years. Thicker, larger, more complex. The bottom line is; nearly every piece of the cars changed over the years. They added significant weight when you add them all up.

Drifting is damn fun and a real challenge. Set up early by entering slow. Trail braking and abruptly turning in will get the rear sliding. Once the rear steps out, counter steering must be instantaneous and proportional. Follow up by pulsing the throttle to keep the rear wheels sliding without over-revving. Look at the apex and rim it as close as possible. Exit the turn with the correct vector with the car still sliding sideways and make the transition to straighten up the vehicle as smoothly as possible for style points. I have drifted at HPDE events when I can get well clear of traffic. Tow vehicle drifting: ... ...

You should always get your tires installed at a shop that uses a "Road-Force" balancer. This takes the mystery out of tire balance and vibration issues. It will also instantly point to the source of the problem whether it is the tires or the wheels causing the issues. There are bad tires from nearly every make. A good shop will find these problems BEFORE they get installed on your car. If any of you are having issues with vibration then your best option is to tell the offending shop you will get another opinion from a shop that uses a Road-Force balancer. If they still don't offer a remedy then take your business elsewhere and cancel the payment to the offending shop.

I think it is a great sport for auto enthusiasts. I dove into track events(HPDE) and became an instructor to reduce costs. Autocrossing is a blast as well. It is a little more boring than the other options but I enjoyed every single event. The point is, There are so many driving events now for amature car enthusiasts that were not options 20 years ago. I can remember back in the 1980s your only performance driving options were Autocross, and dirt track in my area. Unfortunately the dirt racing required a pupose built vehicle with a way to tow it to track.

Well.... You know how it goes with Webers. I can't disagree with you entirely about the accel pump. The accel pump has a weighted check valve. Obviously the "check" portion of the valve will allow fuel to freely flow, but the weight is supposed to stop it unless the pump pushes hard enough. But it is certainly possible some circumstances will overcome the weight and allow it to flow. You would need some serious downstream vacuum @ WOT. ???caused by extremely small venturis at high RPM???

Z-red Baron. Sarcasm has no place here. If you had the opportunity to open up a few more Webers you would quickly find out that there are hundreds of differences that are not on the list of tuning parts in your catalog. This is one of the main reasons for aquiring a set of Webers that have closely matched serial numbers. On top of that, MANY MANY MANY racers have further modified their carbys well beyond what has been discussed here. You guys do realize that you can check float levels for consitency with a depth guage with the jet cover removed. That won't directly relate to the float adjustment measurements given in the manual. But you can make checks for changes and calibrate the carbys together using the depth gauge. I media blasted the extension on my gauge so the fuel would wet the surface and make it easier to read. There are many other things that you guys have not mentioned that I consider important to getting Webers to work properly. Such as setting the throttle stops. The throttle stop position IS NOT AN IDLE ADJUSTMENT. It should be set the SAME for every carby in the system. The throttle stop position is set in relation to the positions of the transfer holes. The idle mixture screw is how you adjust idle air flow(fuel is metered by the idle jet in the bowl). The idle port and the transition holes work together to act as an Idle emulsion circuit. This plays into another important area of Weber tuning, Transition holes. This is also another area that will make carbys vary GREATLY in their Idle jetting requirements. Transition holes are another area that differs from one DCOE to another. The pattern, number, and size of the transition holes changed GREATLY from one application to the next. Many carbys have had bypass holes drilled in the throttle plates. Others have had the transition holes slotted and grooves engraved in the throttle bores. All of these things can conspire against you to create problems with off-idle operation. Keep in mind that getting a good idle with the throttle plates in the wrong stop-position means you have attained the wrong idle/transition mixture settings. The entire transition circuit will be out of whack and create drivability problems. Just because you can get it to idle smoothly does not mean that it is idling correctly.

Yes. There are several parts that alter the duration and volume the accelerator pump delivers. The pump jet(23?) you refer to only adjusts the bypass flow returning to the float bowl. The ball-check valve is not a metering orifice, it is a full-flow orifice. The only metering part of that jet(23) is the return/bypass orifice. The pump exhaust jet is under a brass cap with a flat-head screw slot. This is yet another piece that is used to change the performance of the acc-pump circuit. I have personally found that the springs vary from model to model. I believe these are also an available tuning part, though I have not found a part number to order a different set of springs.

There are more differences in the designs of the DCOE 40s and the DCOE 45s than meet the eye(or micrometer). The design of the downward sloping passages from the main well to the venturis varies. The passages are not just round holes drilled to move fuel from one place to another. They are flattened, wide ducts that are carefully designed to keep the AIR/Fuel emulsion homogeneous on it's journey from the main well to the venturi. These ducts changed over the years and I recall reading somewhere that the ducts in the DCOE 45s were specifically sized to flow larger amounts of fuel. The lower fuel requirements of a smaller/low performance engine may be way outside of the operating conditions this larger duct was designed for. This means that the fuel/air emulsion may separate and come out of the venturi in spurts and drips instead of a nice even spray. To sum up, using a race carby on your street engine may be doing more harm than good. Using the correct carby for your application(along with venturi size) will ensure correct operation and easy tuning.