johnc

Thanks Pete. Regarding the "all Nissan"post example... IMHO... The goal of keeping your Hybrid all Nissan does not violate the intent of HybridZ. Brad's Q45 Z is a good example of something we all agree fits the mold here. The problem is when a builder with an "all Nissan" goal feels that others should share the same goal and expresses those feelings on this site. This is just another derivation of "Marque Bigotry" and we've all seen that on the back windows of pickup trucks where that stupid kid is peeing on the logo of some other brand. Its just as asinine and stupid when typed on a message board. In March when I had my 240Z on a chassis dyno there was a team from SLP there testing a highly modified, supercharged Pontiac Grand Prix GTP. I tow my 240Z behind a Ford F350 pickup and its was parked next to the GTP as the Pontiac was rolled off the dyno. I commented to the Pontiac owner how nice his car looked and sounded. His reply to me was that he was embarassed to have his beautiful car next to a POS Ford towing a rice burner. I told him that he could go do something physically impossible with himself and then proceeeded to put down 50 more horsepower on my first pull then his SLP Pontiac did after three hours of tuning. Marque bigotry is just stupid.

I had access to the Admin forum when we were beta testing the site. At some point (I don't know when) the Admin forum vanished from my Forum Index. I also don't get any of the admin buttons/controls in any of the forums. Its not a big deal to me but if you guys need help moderating I'll be glad to own a couple topics. Also, I wouldn't be as heavy handed as I say. Polite the first time and then grumpier later.

Your car. Erik did mention the front bar as a big unknown. Also, Erik tends to prefer a very loose car ("lively" is how he describes it) so mere mortals like us would prefer a chassis closer to neutral. Someday I'll tell you what it was like to race my white 240Z right after I bought it from Erik back in 1998.

But Pete, here you are the King! If one of those clowns shows up you can shout, "Off with his head!" Maybe I'm a bit sadistic but I would look forward to one of those Whack-a-Moles sticking his head up. A witty reply, lock the tread, and ban the user - all in about 30 seconds. "No more HybridZ for you! Next!" I'll be more then willing to wield the hammer if its getting a bit heavy in your hand. I used to have moderator privlidges until the new site was setup. Conversly though, there is a little V8 swap bigotry on this site. I have had to defend my choice of a normally aspirated L6 for my 240Z on HybridZ a number of times.

The Lincoln Square Wave TIG 175 sells for about $1,400 new and I've seen them for $800 used. http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Catalog/equipmentdatasheet.asp?p=2505 I've been using the Lincoln Invertec 205T every day for a year and I'm very, very happy with its performance on steel, aluminum, stainless, copper, and Ti. It will run on 110 or 220v. http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Catalog/equipmentdatasheet.asp?p=2513

Funny that this should come up now. Erik Messley was (finally) able to do a comparison between a 240Z setup with bigger front/smaller rear springs vs. the smaller front/bigger rear springs at a California Speedway event last weekend. His opinion of the bigger front/smaller rear springs is: 1. The car washes out a little on turn-in and feels sluggish. 2. Braking performance is reduced because you don't get a fast enough weight transfer to make full use of the front tires when they can provide the most braking effect. (FYI... spring rates do not affect total weight transfer, they just affect the rate at which that weight is transferred.) 3. Its much easier to lockup the front wheels under braking and adjusting brake bias rearward just reduces the overall braking ability of the car. 4. Steady state understeer in all corners unless the throttle is used (lift or power) to induce oversteer. None of this is to imply that a car setup big front/small rear is slow around a racetrack. It just has a different feel then a small front/big rear setup. If you are more comfortable with a slightly understeering car then the big front/small rear setup may fit your needs. There's a short video here of my car going around a track. The car is setup neutral to slightly oversteering with 275 front and 300 rear springs. It rotates very well which you can really see in the corner where the M3 goes of the track: http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=24602

It you're just starting out, a 110v MIG welder should be able to handle all the steel welding you'll want to do on your car. Both Miller and Lincoln make good machines for about $500. You'll also need to add a small Argon tank, welding helmet, gloves, etc. so you'll probably spend about $750 total to get a complete outfit. Your workspace is also very important. Figure out how much room you have in the garage and then search out a very sturdy, unpainted steel table. You can build a cheap one by buying industrial shelving uprights and cross beams and then having a steel plate cut to fit. A 1/8" thick plate should work fine for home use. Then, go to a metal yard and buy scrap steel of various thicknesses (up to 1/4"), sheet metal, tube, etc. and spend a lot of time practicing.

Those are older versions of the current Panasport Formula wheel. They used to be called Panasport Formula One wheels but I think Bernie sued them for using that phrase. At 11.5 lbs they are probably the lightweight version which is very prone to cracking from the lug nut holes inward to the centerbore. Have them professionally inspected before turning a lap.

I don't think the issue is the number of topics on the site. The issue, as I see it, is how the site is used. Again, something like the Corner-Carvers Guide for Newbies (http://corner-carvers.com/wiki/index.php?Guide%20For%20Newbies) and a zero-tolerance moderation policy (which I'll be happy to help enforce) will resolve a lot of these issues. The problem is the people not the content. Blaming the topics for some of the issues we have is like blaming guns for a high murder rate.

So, you're telling me to take a hike?

It took 3 years for me to get my car done (and its still not "done"). During that time I went through the whole range of emotions. Just keep plugging away and get yourself mentally prepared for having to redo some of the work you haven't even started yet!

Tire don't behave as you've described. The concave shape you mention is not intentional on the part of a tire manufacturer. Its actually a result of less then ideal belt design and manufacture (cost savings). Very few (if any) modern steel belted tires balloon to any significant degree and the only area where tread and sidewall distortion occurs is the tire footprint itself and the areas immediatey around it. I recommend reading "Race Car Vehicle Dynamics" by Bill and Doug Milliken or "Tune to Win" by Carroll Smith to understand tire dynamics. The Tune to Win book is considerably cheaper. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0879380713/qid=1060117996/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-8547205-3611905?v=glance&s=books And shouldn't this be in the "Brakes, Suspension..." topic?

My custom Monocoque 15 x 8 wheels had 2mm from the wheel mating surface to the back of the spokes, my custom Monocoque 16 x 9 wheels had 5mm for the same measurment, my custom Kodiak 16 x 10 wheels have 19mm and my 15 x 7, 0 offset Panasports are 28 to 32mm for the same measurement.

Power to displacement became an important comparison criteria due to racing regulations. Engine displacement is a fairly easy parameter to measure for sanctioning bodies (as opposed to removing an engine and putting it on a scale) and its been done since the inception of motor racing. I think every sanctioning body in all types of motorsports regulates and measures engine displacement in at least one class. There are even agreed upon conversion factors for rotary and forced induction engines. Its natural for that comparison criteria (in existence for almost 100 years) to be used as a reference by industry and the trade press. Whether its fairest or the most ideal way of determining the efficiency, performance, desirability, or whatever is irrelevant. It is what it is.

The 3.08 R200 gearing was for Nissan diesel applications. Probably more a truck applicaiton then diesel Maximas so search for diesel powered Nissan patrols, Hardbody pickups, light or medium duty Nissan truck chassis, etc. Search the truck junkyards.

Marvel Mystery Oil.

STOP! If you are going to race with SCCA or NASA or any of the other sanctioning bodies you must BUY AND READ their rules books before you continue any farher. A number of the things you have listed are illegal modifications and you are missing a couple required safety modifications. If you showed up at a track you would not be allowed to race. Again, BUY THE RULE BOOK, and don't rely on any rule interpretations from people posting on message boards.

I won't be there. Too much stuff to do in the shop and there's a night autocross Saturdayabout 10 miles east of Cal Speedway at the old Norton AFB. Until I get the new oil pmp in I'm limited to short bursts of power, no sustained high rpm load.

The whole bike, but I'm betting the engine is 75% of the cost.

$37,000 US. The fun just went right out of it...

That was true for me too, but I would only listen to someone I respected or had some credibility. But, if you're "just some old guy" driving a Camaro or some "old school" 240Z you don't have that kid's respect and he's not going to listen to you. Lecture all you want, you have no credibility and you're not his peer, his brother, or his father. Most people have to learn through their own experiences and mistakes.

I want one! I'll figure out the chassis later. Is this a one-off for FSAE or are they making a few?

You gotta leave Oregon out of it or we'll end up with our own little Quebec.

So, I'm sitting here trying to calculate what percent of our $38,000,000,000.00 budget defficit the estimated $60,000,000.00 cost of the recall is. First off, I can't put 38 billion into my little Casio calcualtor. I start removing bunches of zeros and I get: 4.210526316 -04e I assume I broke it. Suffice to say that 60 million is a very, very small percentage of 38 billion. A perfect analogy: as the Titanic is sinking we are arguing about how to rearrange the deck chairs. FYI... California's budget is larger then the GDP of all but 5 COUNTRIES in the world.

I haven't done one in years but I don't recall having to learn any secrets. You just flip the top over and measure to whatever point the carb manual says.