johnc

I think this can be done and with enough development time the car can be made to work very well on a road course. Unfortunately it will probably take over $100K and at least two years to get the car on the track for test day number one. Hell, my 240Z took three years and almost $60K and you'll have to put a lot more into the chassis, driveline, suspension, and brakes then I did to make 1,000 hp work. I certainly don't want to discourage someone from this effort, but I would hate even more if they got a year into and then realized the financial and time commitment needed to get a beast like this on a race track. That would leave us with (yet antoher) failed HybridZ effort.

Just curious... What's the budget for this vehicle?

Actually, you'll want to talk with Javier Guiterrez at Edelbrock. He's the one that handles the import side of the company. Javier was (is) JG Engine Dynamics and they were purchased by Edelbrock a couple years ago. Conversly, Jim Thompson at Sunbelt or Dave Rebello at Rebello can both built an L6 N42 or P90 head that can make whatever horsepower numbers you want (up to maybe 700).

ATI Super Damper. Jim Thompson at Sunbelt has the part number for the L6 application.

A 4 barrel carb on a Datsun L6 is not a trick setup. Its an OK street compromise and most folks run a 390 cfm Holley. A good set of tuned SUs will out perform the 4 barrel setup.

If you want to discuss the performance aspects of FWD, RWD, and AWD I suggest you look at SCCA's World Challenge Touring series. Compare the race results for the past couple years showing wins by driveline configuration. You can also look at NASA's PCTCC series where Gary Sheehan won the championship last year ina Subaru WRX and the current champ is driving a 3 series BMW. For some older information check the European Touring Car Championships from the early to mid-1990s. A web search should get you the information about the race series listed above. Be sure to note any rewards weight and partity enhancements that the sanctioning bodies give to the vehciles. As you said, broad statements about which is better are useless and will get you a failing grade. In fact, any conclusion that you make stating which is better will get you a failing grade. It all depends on the application.

GRM Volume 19, Number 7, November 2002, Page 26.

Grassroots Motorsports recently did a comparison of fwd, rwd, and awd. Go to their website and look for the back issue.

So, are we taking bets on how many of the head bolts snap when the trigger is pulled on the impact gun? I say 8 and will put up $5.

A broken stub axle will almost always result in a "lost" rear wheel. Sometimes you get lucky and the brake drum or disk brake caliper will retain the tire/wheel/stub axle assembly for a very short time. Most of the time you're not so lucky.

I don't have the GCR handy so I'll type from memory... Main and Front Hoops .120 wall 1.5" diameter DOM, ERW, or CroMo tubing. One continuouse piece with no more then 180 degrees of total bend. Attachment Plates Same thickness as main tubing for weld in and minimum 3/16" for bolt in. No more then 100 square inches total area for each plate. No more then 12" on any one side of the mounting plate. Minimum 7/16" Grade 5 attachment hardware for bolt in with at least 3 bolts on each plate. Backing plates highly recommended for bolt-in. I'm sure some of the above might be incorrect. I'll check when I get home (if I remember...)

BRITS TEACH FRENCH TO FIGHT SUN EXCLUSIVE By JOHN KAY Chief Reporter BRITISH Army chiefs are training French troops to fight for the first time, it was revealed last night. A platoon of 60 junior French officers came through a tough course in Britain with flying colours. Unfortunately, immediately after course completion, the French Ministry issued a statement "...the [defense ministry] immediately surrenders all control of French military forces to British authority..." The French infantry troops were deployed in the Brecon mountains of Wales and received all their orders in English. The French unit commanding officer, Captain Claude de Bracke, has turned over his weapons to his British counterpart as part of the surrender terms. Lieutenant Colonel David Adams, of the Army's new International Defense Training organisation, said: "The French performed very creditably, that is until the capitulated." The two-week exercise ended with the platoon being fired on with live ammo as they conducted an attack. It is though that this drill induced the French government to offer terms. Lieutenant Colonel Adams added, "We were fascinated by their tactics in the attack - they relied heavily on cowering rather than suppressive fire employed by us." Top brass last night insisted the training for the French was totally unconnected with the proposed Euro Army and they also stated that they will ignore the French surrender, coming as close as it does to France's surrender on March 22 to the Macedonian Army. The training organisation is now raking in huge sums even though it was only set up last April. Troops from South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Oman and Kuwait have all attended courses here. The Sun's military adviser Major General Ken Perkins said training French troops was good for Britain and the Army - not just because it brings in extra money for our cash-strapped forces - but also because of the confidence it brings with such a quick victory over France. He added: "UN forces are thrown together at short notice in difficult situations. Trust comes through exercising together. It is better to learn about your allies before the bullets start to fly."

Myself, Dan Baldwin, and Keith Thomas (katman) can heartily recommend Sunbelt Performance in Atlanta, GA (770) 932-0160. Mike (Mistress Motorsports) seems pretty happy with the 3.2L build for him by House of Cobra in Costa Mesa (or maybe its in Santa Ana). I've heard and seen his car run at the last HSR West race and its pretty impressive.

For street vehicles under 250 horsepower I feel front wheel drive IS better then rear wheel drive from a handling, perofrmance, and safety standpoint. To back up my assertion, take a look at SCCA's World Challenge Touring racing series. Now, I wait for Dan's reply...

Use the bearing. The strut has to turn and its turnsd MUCH better on a bearing. Put the bearing between the two washers and use Redline or Mobil 1 synthetic grease.

Common problem in racing. The c shaped clamp bolted to the bottom of the bushing tend to oval over time. You can shop the junkyards for some good ones or make some shims up and clamp them between the clamp and the bushing.

RTFM... Disconnect the e-brake cable from the adjuster arm. Take a long thin screwdriver and put it through through the hole in the drum with the hole at 6 o-clock. Gently pry the adjuster arm down, away from the adjusting wheel and the wheel clinder. You should hear or feel a click when the arm disengages from the wheel. Rotate the drum forward and use the screwdriver to spin the adjustment wheel backwards a lot. Then pull the drum off. - John

Laguna Seca is allowed a few over the limit races each year. Its the only track in California that I'm aware of that has a more restrictive limit then the standard 107db limit imposed on all racetracks in the US (usually by the sanctioning body - SCCA, NASA, etc.) But, noise restrictions are coming and will eventually be enforced on all racetracks. Not as severe as at Laguna, but you'll see noise monitiring and limits across thec ountry within 5 years. Its not a bad thing and cars can make good power when properly tuned for mufflers.

They have distributor trigger wheels that work great. I'm using a distributor trigger from Motec on my 8,000 rpm 3.0L L6.

Anywhere from 180 to 340 hp normally aspirated. You need to make the turbo/NA decision now before you start building the engine. The NA path requires different pistons then the turbo path. Yes, all will help. But first, how much money do you have to spend and how much money are you willing to spend on chassis and suspension upgrades? Going fast is much more then just horsepower. I suggest you spend a couple months doing more research before making any decisions. Up to about 250hp the costs of a NA and a turbo engine are about equal. You're looking at basic engine rebuild/preparation costs that build a solid foundation for future horsepower gains. Above 250hp the turbo route tends to be cheaper and will ultimately result in more horsepower (up to 500hp) then the NA route (about 340hp).

As said by Keith and myslef earlier, ITS racers REGULARLY run their engines over 7,000 rpm dozens of times in a 30 minute race. Most of these folks race every month. Stock dampers last in that environment at least two years and often much longer then that. For you street guys, a stock damper specifically for your particular engine with whatever numbers of pulleys required should be fine. If you're concerned, buy a new one or search for the nicest one you can find in a junkyard. Put away the drill bits, rubber plugs, and put the correct part on your car following the instructions in the FSM. Its really that easy.

There are very few (if any) combination MIG/TIG machines. Again, MIG machines are Constant Voltage (CV) machines and TIG/Stick machines are Constant Current (CC). The power supplies are different for each type of machine so a combination MIG/TIG macine would require two different power supplies or a special (expensive) inverter. There are many different kinds of TIG torches and they even have TIG torches with an automatic filler wire feed and hand amptrols. Any place you can get a MIG gun you can also get a TIG torch. But, for farm welding, buy a separate MIG welder. You can weld dirtier metal with MIG and still get a good, strong weld.

I'll keep it simple. Solid pulley = Good (all pulleys are solid and are bolted/attached to the damper). Solid Damper = Bad. Any type of through bolt/pin/stud that affects the rotational differences between the two parts of the damper bonded together by rubber = Bad. How's that?

Oh God. Confusion is starting again. Go back and read again what JeffP has posted. He's right. There has to be some type of DAMPENING DEVICE on the front of the L6 crank. Whether that's the stock peice, an ATI, or the new one that Jeff helped design it really doesn't matter that much from the crankshaft's point of view. Jim Thompson has lots of stories about BMW 325/328 racers in the SCCA World Challenge Touring series breaking crankshafts after intalling Unorthodox solid crank dampers/pulleys. When they went back to the stock part the cranks would last all season. ITS racers regularly run at 7,000+ rpms and they almost universally run(Keith, step in here) the stock single pulley small diameter damper. They also get inspected periodically and get replaced regularly. And they do fail. I've seen one punch through the hood of an ITS 240Z, fly over two cars, and go through the windshield of the third car in the draft.

Aluminum conversion kits normally come with aluminum rollers. The big trick is to adjust roller tension to just push the wire through with as straight a line as possible. Remember, wire feed speed on a MIG welder determines amperage and heat input. MIG welders are Constant Voltage (CV) machines so current (amperage) varies; determined by the machine trying to maintain a specific arc length (voltage) by melting the wire. For welding aluminum turn up the wire feed (heat) as high as you can.