bjhines

It looks like the PRO 5.0 shifter for the Camaros will angle/offset the shift handle toward the passenger side. http://pro50shifters.meridian1.net/default.asp?S=E3&Document=all+years+**Camaro&NID=2884321

I have set the engine and tranny in place to fit the tranny crossmember and clearance the tunnel. I have a few questions about the fitment on first inspection. This is a Jags That Run kit installation with a 1964 Corvette 327 engine and a World Class BW-T5 from a 1988 Camaro complete with everything I wanted from the flywheel to the driveshaft. The conversion is on a 1973 240Z. The Harmonic balancer is 6.75" and is sitting 1/4" off the steering rack. I was hoping for a little more clearance considering this is a realatively small dia. balancer. Is this typical clearance over the rack? The engine setback is great. The engine-to-tranny mounting plane is just a little forward of the 240Z's firewall. The gearshift is well located front to rear in the stock 1973 shifter opening. I have no complaints here. The gearshift is highly offset toward the driver's side due to the angled bellhousing on the Camaro tranny. I can adjust the lateral position of the tailhousing for plenty of clearance, but I am concerned that the driveshaft angles will be way off. The JTR crossmember is shifted to the right side by at least one inch just to get in the ballpark for lateral position. Did you guys center the crossmember in your installation? or did you need to shift it to the right considerably??? This is the ~ballpark~ position in neutral and centered This is second gear. It has plenty of clearance but the JTR crossmember is shifted an inch to the right. This is 5th gear. It sits slightly angled to the right of vertical by ~5 degrees. Any ideas on this initial fitment would be welcome. I will still need to check driveshaft angles and adjust to suit but this seems pretty close. It just concerns me that the JTR crossmember is not centered between the floor rails.

Great job Mike! Thanks.

I would like to get 5 years of HPDE track events and some street miles. I looked at a lot of SBC crate options as well as custom builds. I managed to find a lightly used, well built 1964 Corvette 327 for a good price. I would expect to get ~300HP to the wheels. I felt that the affordable crate motors were better suited to a heavy car with an automatic transmission. They are high on torque and low on the RPM range. The 383 engines just skewed TQ and RPM further away from what I wanted in a track driven 240Z. All in all... I figure I can run the 327 on most any track without ever having to get into 5th gear. It should turn up nicely and survive the high RPM conditions much longer than a $5000 crate 383. The fact remains, I cannot expect to get much mileage on any engine due to the conditions I put them through. My L24 powered 240Z track car has less than 20,000 miles on the last rebuild and it is getting tired. It is on it's 3rd oil pump and it's second waterpump. It has had as many as 10 oil changes PER YEAR. The camshaft is wiping several lobes(poor quality cam). And the front and rear seals are beginning to leak. Track duty will wear an engine at 10 times the normal rate.

The solid differential mount will crack your differential crossmember to pieces. The solid front differential mount was only meant to be used along with a "solid" rear mustache bar and mounting ears. DO NOT USE THE SOLID FRONT DIFF MOUNT ALONE. This is one of a few NO-NOs that can get you into trouble on the S-30 "performance" parts list.

I always thought the quaife was too expensive. The OBX was so well priced I figured it would bring down the price of the quaife. Unfortunately I don't think OBX compares well enough with the quaife to bring it's price down in the market. Too bad... The OBX looks like it would take too much work to make it function properly.

Bump this sucker up. I have aquired 4 racks from 1972 and 1973 240Zs. I also have 3 steering columns. I have even more intermediate shafts. They all show some signs of wear. 2 complete steering systems are functional and usable. 2 of them are trashed and unusable. I have pretty much decided that I will need to replace the entire steering system with aftermarket parts when I decide to do this right.

Man... that stuff is HEAVY!!!! you might well add 100lbs to your sports car. It is a spartan sports car for god's sake. It is supposed to be loud. By the time you add soud deadening and a big stereo you will have exceeded the weight limit with a passenger. You can only stick 700lbs in your car. Add up: Fuel, your ass, passenger ass, spare tire, big muffler, stereo and you are probably at the limit. Sound deadening is going to break the Camel's back. Get a Merc 300D and stick some subwoofers in the trunk.

I was just going to post a new thread inquiring about the Part number for a polyurethane mount for this application..... Anyone have a good quality reinforced mount idea???

IBHSZ is going through exactly the same thing I went through with regard to the differences between good and poor designs. I could not believe the crappy design of the 300ZX CLSD unit. JM and I argued about the movement of the side gears in the CLSD units until I finally tore down a NISMO CLSD unit and proved that it worked the way I had described. It turned out that JM was ALSO RIGHT... because the shitty 300ZX CLSD worked the way HE described. This is a great opportunity to IMPROVE on the crappy OBX design. Lets see what we can do to improve it.

Well said Gareth. It was almost a year ago when I said that. I really tried to view the Alfas with Rose colored glasses this year at the track. There was one Alfa at Roebling Road that absolutely kicked butt. But, It was completely gutted and highly modified in every way. Yes it was fast, but it was also a highly strug race car that could be overtaken by stock engined Z-cars.

OK... finally... The interior is done, everything is fitted and welded. All I have to do is knock off the weld spatter and prep for paint. I added 2 more bars at the kinks in the door braces. I used some neat little preformed gussets on the front end at the weakest joints. ...

I'll buy a tig and a CNC milling machine for the next project.

Here are a few more detail pictures of the driver's side. ...

Been at it again... The door-bars are done. well... half done in this photo This is the layout for the gussets. I figured out that I needed to make a general shape that would allow me to form the piece and then "cope" the edges to follow the curve of the X-brace. 1. I traced the straight edged template on a piece of 0.060 sheet. 2. I cut the piece out and then bent it over a section of tubing. 3. I fitted and traced the required curves on the gusset 4. I cut the curves, punched, and flared the gussets 5. I rechecked fit and welded them into place using numerous clamps to form the gussets to the X-braces. These damn things take quite a bit of time. I spent at least 8 hours on this part of the project.

ITBs on a V-8 with some high revs... V-10 red header goodness http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwrTtWChQ0Q more V-10 header hotness ... ...

How about some glowing headers!!!!! Or how about a MUSICAL engine note... so to speak... If you like the SOUND of a V-8 then BEAT THIS! and NO 180 degree headers either... We are the Champions!

I think this is an L-6 or a V-12 but it is beautiful madness in more ways than one. http://youtube.com/watch?v=Rq1bQGUqisU

Soooo... What kind of V-8 madness is this??? Listen to the passby full throttle at 0:23 seconds.... That is the badest sounding highrevving engine I have ever heard recorded. The thing has a radical sounding missfire in low gears... I assume that is the traction control computer missfiring alternate cylinders. The missfire at 0:31 as he pulls out of the turn gives me shivers... A Wookie getting castrated... or the old-school Tarzan's yell as he swung from the branch... ???

This is BADASSSSSSS BMW race V-8.. I think it sounds like a FORD.... http://youtube.com/watch?v=OH765I6XCqs Here is the same Judd V-8 in a Merc. http://youtube.com/watch?v=rU9mQ7z5JVQ IN CAR... what more to say... http://youtube.com/watch?v=OH765I6XCqs This is what I think of when someone says High revving baddass V-8 sound.... everything else can just suck and blow. ...

^^^^^ The carbon canister and it's vent/purge system is exactly what you need to keep fumes down in the garage and vent the tank to the intake. It allows the intake to purge the canister without drawing a vacume on the tank. It also allows the vapors to vent and be captured by the carbon canister while the car sits in your garage. The canister is purged and reactivated while you drive the car. The bladder-in-canister tanks are the safest. The rest are replacements for factory style tanks that offer no safety benefits. You should provide a cover for ANY tank that would actually keep fuel from spraying the cockpit if it burst. Consider the fact that the cover will likely BEND in the event of a crash... Is it likely that your cover design will actually keep fuel out of your compartment in a crash???... You should route high pressure lines OUTSIDE the passenger compartment. The vent and fill tubes are required to have IN TANK check valves to prevent them from spilling fuel in the event the lines are severed or pulled apart. The real hazard is in the pressure feed from the fuel pump... If that line is severed and the pump continues to run it will certainly spray the interior with fuel unless it is routed UNDER the car and away from the cockpit. I would seriously consider mounting the pump and the pressure line under the car. If you are using a remote filler tube, then you need a seconday "fill vent". this is a large tube(>1/2") that is routed from the top of the tank to atmosphere. It is usually routed to the exterior filler neck to allow any overfill to wash back into the filler tube. The fuel tank should be grounded to the chassis in multiple locations.... canister, top fill plate, and remote filler neck. Many of the high end bladder style tanks have internal sumps with trap doors and dual internal pumps. Foam blocks are used to reduce explosion hazards both on track and in the pits/shop. Here are some pics of my tank which is very similar to JM's design. tank internals: "Fuel Safe" Vortec-ASA fuel cell.

gehtto but functional brake ducts... Before: After: ...

I took them down to the point that the back-lower edge of the airdam begins to radius. I would seriously incorporate them into a splitter.. I just don't have time right now.. I am taking the car next weekend to a 3 day event at Roebling Road to try out the new pavement. The frontal area they cover will take care of the worst part of the fender turbulence that is caused by the rear edge catching too much air. remember the body-sides roll inward sharply near the ground.

I don't think you will get a useful visual cue from the tape... unless it is a large area with really loose tape. You may find that as new holes are opened up it will change the flow of previous holes as you add them and open up more area... If you want to see flow then I would test HOLES not membranes.

This was something tossed around but never actually tested. But here they are... and yes... the wheel is on the wrong side.. I flip them and rotate them to get the most out of them. I only worry about the direction in the rain... ...