johnc

When it comes time to do some track testing, put four reasonably good tires on the car. You don't want to do brake testing with crappy tires and you don't want brand new tires. In the first case, you'll not be able to test the system to its higher limits and in the second case you might horribly flat spot a new set of tires. Also, when testing, if you do flat spot a tire, your testing is probably done.

One of the important things is to reduce the pressure drop across the cooler. Plate type coolers (like the Mocal, Setrab, and B&M) give the oil multiple flow paths, just like a car radiator. Tube type transmission coolers, like some of the Permacool, units have one long tube that snakes back on itself. Some even have internal spirals or fins which cause large drops in pressure with the higher viscosity engine oils. I tend to recommend products that I or my customers have used and had good experiences with.

The big gain in oil cooling outweighs the small cooling loss from reduced airflow through the radiator.

I have a few of these and its always a nice find when I'm tearing down a strut. I just put the parts in a box and put them on a shelf. One of these days I'll build a set of factory original struts just for fun.

Its very hard for us to determine exhaust sound changes over the Internet. Every car is different and things like outside temperature, cloud cover, etc. all impact exhaust sound. One of the things I face all the time when building exhausts are growing noise restrictions at race tracks. I have a sound meter and I actually measure exhaust system noise on some of the race cars I work on. Unfortunately, what I measure here at the shop can be different by one or two orders of magnitude at Laguna Seca, Qualcomm, or Cal Speedway.

Glad to hear it worked.

I would be reluctant to put the gas fill in the side of the strut tube, at least anywhere the piston moves past. There could be some amount of oil blow-by past the piston seal as it passed the hole in the strut tube and there might be some increased seal wear. Personally I would prefer a point outside the range of piston travel.

Don't now the EGTs but the exhaust was on a Solo2 chapionship winning BMW M3 for 6 months. The car did do a couple track days but most times it was hard use for 60 to 90 seconds at a time. For mild steel, sustained temps above 1,200 degrees will cause it to lose 40 to 50% of its strength. Add in the perforations and the muffler walls were bound to fail over time. The fiberglass packing also kept heat in the muffler. A full 304 or 321 stainless steel muffler will last longer in a high heat situation. I always recommend Borla.

I've always though that this engine/tranny swap (along with the Buick V6) is a great idea.

http://www.weldingsupply.com. Search for Aluminum cleaner. This stiff is acidic so make sure the caliper is stripped (no pistons or seals) before cleaning.

Search. Been discussed here many times along with the correct part numbers. Oops, just noticed this question was for a 280ZX. I "think" the S30 and S130 use the same knurl. If so, the S30 information that comes up in your search would be correct.

Assuming current shock thinking, figuring out the pressure is fairly easy. Assuming 1970s shock thinking, more pressure is better? I would have to check clearance to the ball joint, but the shorty pressure valves used by Penske would work under the rear strut and might work under the front strut. There's also just enough of the strut tube in the hub casting that we might be able to come in front the side and stay below the shock piston's lower travel limit.

That's fine. You could always buy the struts from me... (shameless plug).

That's ERW material which is ok for the most likely NHRA/IHRA classes you will run your car in. It will be an issue with SCCA and NASA except that you're installing a roll bar instead of a roll cage so inspection is not as stringent. You should be fine if you show up at an autocross or an open track event as long as you paint it.

Until you count the cost of labor to R&R a diff 3 times...

Looks like ERW to me. There appears to be an ERW line on each tube. Before you invest a lot of time installing that cage, be aware the SCCA, NASA, NHRA, and others now require DOM tubing. ERW is only grandfathered for cages certified before 2006 ro 2007 (don't remember which). Also, make sure you get the certifications from your tubing supplier in case the tech inspectors ask for them.

They work just fine until they collapse internally... http://www.betamotorsports.com/benchracing/CheapMuffler.html

I'm able to nitrogen gas charge Penske and other shocks that use a special kind of Schraeder valve. What do these struts use for getting the gas in the body?

Since it appears that no one sells springs specifically for the 2+2, I guess you'll have to settle for coupe springs. FYI... the Tokico spring rates are 175F (working) and 200R for the 280Z. I don't know what the rates are for the Eibachs.

The Eibach and the Tokico lowering springs work fine on the 2+2 body style. Tokico and Eibach both have had caveats about using these springs on the 2+2 because of the additional weight from the two backseat passengers.

I don't need convincing or to do any testing to know I want one of these for my 350Z. I spend a lot of time talking with Rob and Bob Hines who tested a Torvec on their T2 350Z. They loved it and didn't want to give it back when Andy called. Right now I'm running an OS Giken CLSD which is very nice. Having 12 little clutch plates on each side does wonders for getting power down mid corner.

The Gleason/Torsen, Quiafe, and (I think) Torvec are all Automatic Torque Biasing types of limited slip differentials. Due to their mechanical design, torque gets directed to the wheel with the most grip. This is because the diffs use worm gears which have a unique property in their design: Worm gears can drive another gear but cannot be driven by that same gear. The tooth angle on the worm gear is so shallow that when the main gear tries to drive the worm gear, the friction between the main gear and the worm gear locks the worm gear.

No.

Perfect way to phrase question!

300+ crank horsepower L6s on carbs is "common" in the road racing world. For SCCA GT2 and Historic racing they are typically L24s making that kind of power. Also, FI has no problems with high overlap or long duration cams using MAF or MAP sensors.