johnc

Don't weld the door handle to the roll cage "door bar" as I said above. Weld it to the inner side beam in the door. What a goof I am sometimes.

Just have a muffler shop build one.

Acid dipping is a controlled process where material is etched away from the metal structure to reduce overall weight. Metal is actually eaten away. You don't want your roll cage tubing thinned by acid dipping. I would get the car media blasted before any fab work and skip the acid dipping.

When I was racing Spec Racer Fords 110hp was enough to scare me, lap after lap.

Leave the pivot and then weld the handle mount to one of the door bars. Or make a lanyard out of cable.

I've spoken with Cardone, Undercar, and EMPI and none of those companies track left/rights when rebuilding the 280ZXT or the 300ZX CVs.

I will qualify my reply with this - I have not personally raced on the Tokico HTS shocks. I am relying on the info from the dyno charts and informaiton from people like Pete and another friend who is racing on a set. The 8610-1437RACE single adjustable is just about perfect for a 240Z running springs in the 250 to 375 range. Its also completely rebuildable and can be revalved for about $100 each. Being a race oriented shock it needs periodic servicing (every race season or two) and the top seal/bearing tends to wear out after a couple years. If the gland nut gets loose, the top seal/bearing will fail in a heartbeat. The Koni is a very tight fit in a 240Z strut and you'll most likely have to shave some paint off. The HTS is close to perfect for a 240Z running springs in the 250 to 400 range. The compression damping increase is ok, but at the upper end of the range its a bit more then the 240Z needs. Rebound damping is fine. It is not rebuildable and is sealed for life. It cannot be revalved. Per some racers who run these shocks (Mustang American Iron guys running D-Sepcs) these shocks last forever with no maintenance. Its an easy fit in the 240Z strut tube. I'm going to install a set of Tokico D-Specs (just a re-branded HTS) on my 350Z and compare them with some Koni single adjsutables I've been running for the past year.

Had to dig that on up... As you can see below, DaBomb had an influence on me. Buttonwillow in 2004 with my future wife:

Luckily I happen to have a forklift. Two straps under the roof and Bob's your Uncle!

Look for a Contractor Storage facility. Those units usually allow some work and have power and light. They usually rent for $1 to $1.20 per square foot. Keep your unit clean, don't spill any fluids, and be prepared for break-ins.

Usally its a hard spot in the pad material or a piece of debris that got caught up in the pad. If you got the front brakes really hot or used them hard right after pad repalcement that can also cause the problem.

I measure ride height at the front and rear of the rocker panel. The horizontal flat part outside of the welded vertical lip. You really, really need more camber.

Sold.

What size wheels and tires? For 225 to 245 width radial DOT tires try these alignment settings: Front Camber: 3 to 3.25 neg Caster: 6 to 7 positive (even on both sides) Toe: 1/8" to 3/16" out Ride height: 5 1/2" to 6" Rear Camber: 2.5 to 3 neg Toe: 1/16" to 1/8" in Ride height: 5 3/4" to 6 1/4" For tire widths over 245 try these alignment settings: Front Camber: 2.75 to 3 neg Caster: 6 to 7 positive (even on both sides) Toe: 1/16" to 1/8"" out Ride height: 6" to 6 1/2" Rear Camber: 2.25 to 2.5 neg Toe: 1/16" to 1/8" in Ride height: 6 1/4" to 6 3/4"

But, how do they work? What's good about their performance and what's bad? How's the car handling?

If the car runs, fire it up, put it in gear, get it up to about 80mph and hit that axle shaft with a carbide tool Stand back when you're getting near the end of the cut.

SU carbs do not work well with a "Ram Air" setup as pictured in your drawing. The pistons work by sensing the pressure differential between the inside of the carb and outside air and ducting air directly to the carb throats throws off this pressure differential. An air box as I posted above is a more effective solution for SU carbs.

Lathe.

I was hoping to go but my older brother died from cancer and the funeral was Saturday.

That's not a complete "swap." That's an engine. The swap itself will cost thousands more then what you pay for the engine.

I'm impressed as hell. 1,300 trip miles, a couple full power top speed runs, and all you have is a couple oil leaks and a bum connector. Great news!

It would probably add about 3+ degrees of negative camber if you retained the same top strut position. You'll have to move to top strut mount out a similar distance, which is possible if you run coil overs and do some trimming inside the wheel wells.

My Nissan 350Z came from the factory with -1.1 degrees of camber front and -1.0 in back. You won't see any appreciable wear from that camber setting.

US manufacturers designd and built cars for the US market, exactly like all the other worldwide OEMs. Back in 1970 I would argue that the global automotive market we have now was just barely getting off the ground. Manufacturers adapted (instead of designing) cars for foriegn markets. In 1970 the US Interstate system was nearing completion and we had tens of thousands of miles of wide, fairly straight, and free roads across the country. Large, V8 powered cars are ideal for that environment and can cruise comfortably at 80 to 100 mph all day long. As a kid we made many multi-day driving vacations in my Dad's 1968 T-Bird and 1970 LTD. No car is "better" then another car IMHO. Cars are all different, meet various needs, stir different emotions, and work as well as can be expected given their complexity and cost limitations. BTW... Here's a picture of a Dodge Charger competing in an edurance race at Monza this year: And here's what is sounds like when the Hemi is fired up: http://www.olympia-charger.com/2007/09/3-2-1-ignition-.html