johnc

Its all a matter of perspective. Being a welder that welds aluminum all the time, I'm thinking that building a part via welding is buttloads easier then trying to machine it, although I do have a small mill/lathe and am trying to learn how to use it correctly.

And an opinion from someone who knows what a Gulag is: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/17/AR2005061701218.html

You can buy structural thin wall CF tubes from McMaster-Carr. A 1.10" OD .05" wall tube has a flexture/tension strength of 174Ksi and a compression strength of 128Ksi which should be more then enough. The tubing costs $24.83 per foot. You do have to use diamond coated abrasive tools to cut it. The bar ends would need to be machined or built up via welding and then glued into the CF tubes with a very strong epoxy. Probably $300 for something built right. And, it would be no lighter then something made out of aluminum for about $125 less.

Talked with a friend who is a Michelin tire engineer and supports the Grand Am and ALMS series. Michelin screwed up at Indy by bringing a medium speed, softer compound tire to a high speed track. Everything that happened after was a result of the FIA properly enforcing the rules. Each Michelin team could have used the new tires flown in but because of F1 rules they would have had to start at the back of the grid. Michelin convinced all the teams to support the chicane plan to keep them from having to start at the back. When that proposal was correctly rejected by the FIA Saturday night the grid was set based on qualifying times. Not a single Michelin tired team followed the FIA's well known and well documented procedures for withdrawing from a race after entry and they are probably going to be sued for breach of contract. BTW... my friend said that Michelin France was responsible for all of this and completely ignored the advice from Michelin North American regading track condition, proper FIA procedures, etc.

Carbon fiber tubes would work fine as strut tower bars as long as they are built to take tension and compression loads and have the mounting ends properly attached.

FYI... I was told the car showed up at a USTCC event and wanted to run in the Pro race with that cage. He ended up in the beginner's HPDE session with the caveat that he couldn't take any passengers.

Exactly! http://daily.nysun.com/Repository/getmailfiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:ArticleToMail&Type=text/html&Path=NYS/2005/06/20&ID=Ar00800

A good thread gone bad. Good job guys!

Ack! I forwarded the link to the Reverend JWL (who's the direcor of NASA) and he went "Ack!" too.

I'm baaaaack! Hawaii (the Big Island) is cool! But someone needs to talk to the Hawaiian drivers. No one, and I mean no one drives faster then 60 mph. I remained calm and didn't dive bomb anyone but I would need large doses of Valium to drive around there. What did I miss?

Getting married and honeymooning in Hawaii. No e-mail, no phones, just a nice woman, beaches, sun, surf, volcanos, and Mai Tais.

That be John Williams weekend driver. His BSP autocross car is also in the MSA catalog. John makes a lot of the parts for MSA (he's got a big machine shop in Lake Elsinore, CA).

The Rusty Old Datsun was built for NASA/OTC Unlimited 3 Time Trial class. Basically anything goes. Cars similarly classed were Honda S2000s, Turbo Miatas, Lotus Motorsports Elises, Second Gen RX7 Turbos, Subaru WRXs, Pre 1975 Porsche 911s, and others. As others have posted, the days of a 240Z being competitve in ITS are most likely numbered, although the new restrictors have slowed the BMW 325s down a bit. A 280Z was never competitive in ITS (too heavy). Its really time for the 240Zs to move into the Vintage racing circuit. Most organizations welcome them.

Thanks. We'll be staying on the big island in Kona with maybe a trip to Oahu and Pearl Harbor. I've also just finished my titanium canoe so I can ride the lava flows! Probably explains all of it! BTW... did you know that its physically impossible to seat 96 people at 10 tables set with 10 chairs? You need at least 11 tables set with 10 chairs and even then, it takes about 4 hours to figure it out.

I'll give it a definate maybe. Probably need a guy bonding thing after my honeymoon in Hawaii...

A customer of Erik Messley's put a set of those scalloped rotors on the back of his Viper and ran it at a VRL event at WSIR (a track that's pretty easy on brakes). They were blue and cupped by the end of the day. He went back to Brembo rotors.

According to Jim Thompson at Sunbelt, larger exhaust valves on a forced induction engine are a definate help if the exhaust ports have also been welded and ported. If the exhaust ports are basically stock then the larger valves are not worth the money or effort.

I can do 1/4 windows and the rear hatch. But, as 260DET said they are really not for a street car. Unless you're willing to pay double the price (from $55 to $115) for a 4' x 4' abrasion resistant sheet your widows will look like crap in about 6 months from scratches.

Yes it is and I've done it, but there are very severe limitations. You have to set the machine up for DCEP (DC Electrode Positive) which puts 70% of the heat into the tungsten. This limits the amount of amps you can run because you'll melt the tungsten. About the minimum welding amps you need DCEP to weld aluminum is 120 amps and for that you'll need a 1/8" tungsten. Anything more then about 125 amps and you'll need a 5/16" tungsten! You get great oxide cleaning but penetration will be shallow.

$1,250.00

Used to have a custom C&R/Visteon with a Niagra heat exchanger. I have the design drawings if you want them to make another. Figure about $1,100.00.

Not true regarding the heat setting. Because aluminum is one of the most thermally conductive metals it requires more heat to weld then comparable thicknesses of steel, stainless, titanium, nickel, etc. Despite the lower melting point, the heat is being sucked away from the weld point extremely fast. You always run a higher heat setting when welding aluminum then with steel.

Even though there are probably a few examples of people sneaking one by, its not a legal swap. The SR20DET was never certified by the EPA/DOT in any US chassis so the engine is not allowed in any vehicle operated on a US highway. Now, if you took a SR20DE and turbocharged it, you would have a better chance of getting it passed because the SR20DE was certified. If you can make that case to a referee (not just a smog tech) with your JDM SR20DET then maybe you can get the car through the smog system.

No, in any welding the filler material must be compatible with the base metal. Typically you would use 4043 or 5356 aluminum filler wire to weld aluminum. > Also, can you weld/braze brass fittings onto aluminum? Yes you can weld aluminum fittings onto aluminum tubing. You can also braze fittings onto aluminum buts its difficult because typical brazing temperatures are 800 to 1,000 degrees and aluminum melts at 1,280. The MIG machine you mention above can easily weld aluminum and MIG machines do not need AC to weld aluminum properly. The only special thing you will need is a gun cable that has a teflon liner and lots of extra contact tips.

1970 240Z L30, 16x10 Kodiaks, heavily modified, roll bar, CF hood/hatch, full interior, full bumpers, roll up windows, 1/2 tank (9 gallons) - 2160 lbs.