johnc

I tried Jet nuts with a complete stud setup and every time I pulled the manifolds the studs came out while backing out the nut. I tried "loosening up" the Jet nuts by running them up and down 2' lengths of all-thread but that didn't work either. I eventually went back to nuts and lock washers. I always had to have extras because I would lose a couple every time I removed the manifolds. If I ever move out of my shop I'll probably find 30lbs of nuts and lock washers under cabinets and behind equipment.

There's no set number. Generally its a compromise between a preferred ride height and keeping the LCAs pointing down. IMHO keeping the LCAs pointing down is more important then dropping the car another fraction of an inch. On a 240Z the front LCAs most often determine the car's ride height. You get the front down as much as you can while keeping the front LCAs pointing down and then adjust the rear ride height to put in the amount of rake you want. Sometimes a car ends up like Ken's with a +7" ride height. Many folks would say that a 7" ride height won't handle well and the car should be down at 5". Absolute statements like that are always wrong when it comes to suspension setup. On the ROD I ran a 6.25" ride height in front and probably should have run it at 6.5" but I had a mental block that wouldn't allow me to believe that a 240Z with tires 2" bigger in OD then an ITS spec 240Z would have to increase its ride height almost 2" to get the geometry correct.

All of that 1.7 degrees of rear negative camber comes from the LCAs. There is no provision on Ken's car as its configured now for any top camber adjustment. Getting 1.7 degrees of negative camber from a LCA is big. And, I must say, its very easy to adjust toe with Ross' LCAs. I normally plan on spending about 4 hours getting a Z to track properly but the combination of a very straight 280Z chassis and MM LCAs mad it a 1 hour job.

I measure ride height as Ken describes above. For a car that's driven on the street car I keep it no lower then 6.5". For a track or autocross only car 5" is about the lowest I'll go. But, the ride height limit is detemined by the control arm angles more then any "magic" number. A car with taller tires will need a higher ride height.

Manufacturing convenience?

I just backpurge with Argon using another line off my regulator. Masking tape or bronze wool seals the tube openings. Always remember to use non-clorinated solvents to clean anything you weld. Chlorine gas is very toxic. Acetone is the least toxic of readily available and effective solvents.

Buy a small tubing bender, a nice (read expensive) double flare tool, and some stainless lines. Its another skill to add to your fabricating quiver!

Notebook say: Front Ride Height 7.250" Camber 2.8 degrees neg Toe 1/8" out Rear Ride Height 7.750" Camber 1.7 degrees neg Toe 1/16" in Increasing the front track by 1/4" would be a good thing. Decreasing rear track by 1/4" would be a not so good thing. With the camber plates you'll want to get the rear camber to 2 to 2.250 negative which may give you enough clearance. If you have to move the rear wheels in, do it as little as possible. Drop the ride height the same amount front and rear, we want to keep about 1/2" of rake in the car. And, since its a street car, I suggest you shoot for 7" in rear and 6.5" in front. EDIT: Remember, those alignment numbers are approximate. Aligning a car that's not on a perfectly level floor is an exercise in frustration!

Lascari's in Whittier/La Habra. Family owned and operated since God knows when.

I just finished doing a lot of modifications to an Arizona Z Car cast aluminum oil pan and I had to pre-heat it. But, as Jamie posted, I've never had to preheat aluminum sheet under .250" thick. I would be afraid to for fear of distortion. I use a Lincoln Invertec 205 TIG welder which can do 180amps on AC. I do have to preheat more frequently then most because of the lower power but once the part's hot it welds very well. I also used the 2% Thoriated and with an inverter I can sharpen it and run a vary small ball on the end. I tried the pure Tungsten (green) and had problems with weld pool contamination from the Tungesten. Don't seem to have that problem with the 2% Thoriated. And, as EVERYONE has said here, clean, clean, clean, clean! Physically clean the aluminum parts using a dedicated stainless steel wheel or brush and then chemically clean the parts with Acetone just before welding. Also, get some stianless steel wool and use it to clean the filler rods just before welding. If you sand the parts to clean them, go back over the weld area with a stainless wire brush and don't ever sand aluminum parts using Aluminum Oxide paper.

I talked with the builder/owner for a while but I forgot his name! I think this car will be in an issue of SportZ 'cuz Art and I were talking with him at length.

Never heard of Techno Toy Tuning.

GM's costs per vehicle are still about $700 more then any other US manufacturer. If they price the vehicles the same as the competition, where do they make up that $700?

I went through the same quandry and ultimately function won out over form in my decision to flare the ROD. Looking back I wish I didn't but to get the performance out of the car that I wanted, I really had no choice.

Tell that instructor to keep his hands inside the car! From the pictures it looks like it needs a bit more rear camber and from the ride height it looks like you haven't put the rear camber plates on the car. We need to get the car down some more too. Still planning on relocating the front LCA?

Maybe angle it up toward the rear to give you a little bit more clearance at the back of the car.

951-245-6240 They changed the area code a few months ago.

What are the rotor diameters? How many caliper pistons and what are their diameters? What diameter MC piston size for the fronts and rears? Any porportioning valve installed? What's the knee point on the valve? What brake pad material?

A 100amp service should be enough to power a 275 if you've got 3 phase.

There are two parts to an AN hose end. The first part is called the "Socket" and is the end of the fitting containing female threads and is slipped onto the hose. The second part is is called the "Nipple" and it consists of the "Cutter", a tube, and the AN fitting. No lube or sealer of any kind is used on the AN fitting but you do use light oil or anti-sieze is used on the female threads of the Socket and/or the male threads on the Cutter.

Ever driven one of the 2.3L 4 cylinder ones on the freeway? Its like sitting in a metal trash can while someone is grinding on it with a 36 grit 8" wheel.

First it was the Quaran flushing and now Lutefisk: http://iowahawk.typepad.com/iowahawk/2005/05/newsweek_lutefi.html

What is "Bump" and "Rebound": http://www.koniracing.com/roadsetup.html Shock construction: http://www.koni-na.com/construction.html No. Some are single adjustable and adjust both bump and rebound (Tokico Illumina), some are single adjustable and adjust only rebound (Koni 8610), some are non-adjustable, some a double adjustable where rebound and bump are separately adjustable, some are quadruple adjustable where low speed rebound, low speed bump, high speed rebound, and high speed bump are adjustable. On single adjustables where both rebound and bump are adjusted at the saem time then you are changing between set ratios. No, and the old 90/10 idea is no longer valid in most drag racing applications. Letting the front of the drag car rise trapped a bunch of air under the front of the car and hurt aero at mid track. There might be a few vintage guys still using fast rise front shocks but most competitive racers are using velocity sensitive shocks that control front lift. Yes, between 5 set ratios. Yes. Separate adjustments for bump and rebound. Defines the amount of control for that adjustment. Soft means less control (less damping) and firm means more control (more damping). Engineering degrees, lots of money, lots of testing. See above. For theory see below: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1560915269/qid%3D1116435212/102-9279296-7051353

That was you?

Agreed. Having looked at dyno runs using 6 EGT probes on an SU equipped L6 I can verify the mixture issues and a big factor in the problem is the exhaust ports on the L6 head! Surprise! Just when you think you "know" the intake and carburation is where you should focus your energy...