DavyZ

Sounds like an old wives tale to me. Vinegar is water based and has ascetic (sp?) acid in it. It's great for removing water spots/mineral deposits from paint and windows, but how can it break loose seized metal? I had a friend put ATF inside the cylinders and free them up on a Toyota pickup, but beyond that, nothing else... Davy

Yep, judging from thre good welds and careful cuts, you'll be doing fine! Nice work on getting the radius cut just so! I hope my flares go nearly as nicely Davy

I would also try some lube (spray something in there). It sounds like the tumblers let the wrong key in and now won't let go! Good luck in not breaking the key in the lock... Davy

I'm still reeling from the boot to the butt Davy

Jim, the flares look really good welded on the body--very nice looking! Also, your extensions were just what the doctor ordered. Strange that the company didn't make them like that in the first place? Hmm. Just one thing: I believe you are supposed to fillet the old fender lip and bend them into the wheel well, then weld or rivet them to the well. The body/wheel well is kind of a structural thingie on a unibody, no? Will you be welding or riveting some kind of steel to mate the well with the body? Just curious. I'm not saying that I know everything, and I have certainly never tried this, but this did come up when Dan Juday was doing his VR engineering kit and he used his own car as an example. Lookin' good Davy

It'll only cost you $1000 for the complete upgrade set to helical cut gears and syncronized setup if you supply the tranny core in install everything yourself. That sounds good, but you need a core for that. The $1600 sounds kinda pricey, but a 'race' prepared TKO is over $1700 from Darkhorse Performance and rated at only 500 lb/ft of torque. So far this sounds like a deal. I'd be partial to buying a 'kit' and installing it myself in my own core. They sell T5 rebuild videos from gearzone.net. And speaking of them, try the link and see if they have anything that might apply or stir your interest. http://www.5speeds.com/ . Funny, I thought this was different, but as soon as I went to the link, I got the G-Force tranny parts when I looked up gears. They are supposed to have a good rep as far as I know and I have emailed them in the past, because I will be upgrading my WC T5 with some of their parts, BUT I'm not spending the kind of money for a super strong unit because I frankly will have under 400 hp to begin with. Davy

Way to go, Tim!!! Ah, satisfying knowing that all the hard work has paid off and you get to ruin some good tires Davy

Good--I needed to know that bit of info Davy

OK, this is starting to make good sense. I think I will purchase a Nissan gasket to use so I can pull the windshield out later on. It is the middle of winter so heat is not really an option except the car is inside a shop, which is warmer then the outside obviously, but not 'hot'. I'll just make sure I do any window removal in the summertime. Thanks for all the help guys! Dan, I'd love something like that, but I don't have the time to experiment with it. Davy

I'm sure you are correct, Terry. However, this particular windshield had black RTV (or similar) sealer and I suspect a good number of other ones do as well. Now that the windshield is out of my car, I have to make a choice. If an OEM gasket works with no sealer and it can be removed at least twice, I am in fat city and happy I guess I'll find out!! Thanks for the info guys. Davy

It is semi-appropriate for this forum, so not too bad. Merry Christmas. Davy

Lets see, a 600 cfm carb on a 350 hp 5.7L Chevy is about right. That feeds a motor that is twice as big as yours. Funny, Chevy guys always talk about over-carbing their motors, and bigger is not always better, even with forced induction. Perhaps some of the experts can chime in. Just looking at what you have, a 390 cfm Holley would be more then enough from what I have read. Davy

There is no reason why you cannot do this. In fact, due to the shorter length of the Z car, it may work 'as is' just with a little bit of trimming and such. As long as you label everything before removing the donor harness you shold be fine. It would save a ton of money instead of buying a Painless system of something like that. Do you feel confident on wiring the car? Are you good with wiring schematics? If you feel good about it, go for it! The Chevy wiring will be better in every respect and able handle a little more too Davy

Thanks for the reply, Terry. I did not know they were actually reusable! Wow. I thought they had to be cut out everytime the windshield was removed. If I may ask, just how does one go about removing the glass and gasket successfully without cutting?? Davy

OK, my friend called up and said my car is 'finished' at the bodyshop: the moonroof is now gone, the drip rails are shaved, and the side vents are shaved as well. The bad thing is that they had to remove the windshield in the process and I need to buy a new gasket, so.... 1) Do I go with a cheaper, generic version since the car will be needing it removed again for paint possibly in a year or so? 2) Do I pony up and spend the money for a Nissan gasket so I can rest assured of no leaks and perfect fit, but will have to cut it up like I mentioned above? I'm not thinking straight this morning and I need some advice Davy

Bob, the car looks good in that VW color--orange red? The 17"wheels you are using are different then those Cyclone wheels, right? They look like 14" or 15" at most. Davy

Yes, they are very classy and sweet looking. A guy at my alma mater had one with a Ford V8 conversion---very cool! Yes it was faster then my 200SX at the time... Davy

A big "thank you!" from my kiddies with new bikes and Hot Wheels track. Wife & I decided not to give gifts to each other this Christmas. Not a big deal since I always buy car stuff through the year anyway! Davy

Similar question asked recently: http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=29471 Davy Go V8

This is not a late '69 car or an early '70 model, so go for it! Davy

Looks good! I'd say you will have one free flowing, highly audible exhaust system. Davy

Brett, Randy has been in a number of Z cars and I'm sure he has driven a few V8s. His turbo Z car is pretty darn fast to boot. You're celebrating New Years early, eh? Davy

So I take it the cars they shoot off the deck just go down to the bottom of the sea? Wow, if they don't bother recovering cars, I can imagine a National Geographic special in which Jacques Cousteau is down there exploring when all of a sudden he comes across a VW bug in the middle of the ocean... Davy

Man, that should have done it to you! I'd still love one of those, if anything for the looks, the sounds, and the nostalgia! Still, I am surprised that it did not intimidate you in the least, go figure. Davy