DavyZ

I do smell a road trip in the future... Davy

Golly, I thought they had put up web security at work that won't let me access the internet car sites. I breathed a sigh of relief now that I know it was a glitch. Yep, it was hard to have no access... Davy

I agree. When I went to the hardware store, I bought grade 8 bolts and had to use washers because I could not find the exact lengths I needed. Frankly, it won't really matter about the washers--no one looks under there anyway Davy

Lookin' good!!!! I like the website and the information via pictures. They will really help someone doing the same swap. Davy

Super sano install! Thanks for the pictures--they'll certainly help someone else to visualize the successful swap. Davy

Man, I can't believe that silver is al the rage these days That is MY favorite color too and it'll no longer be somewhat unique...grrrr. Now I have to go plan "B": two tone paint with some subtle flames or something. I'm still planning. Your Z looks fantastic in the photos---extremely straight with just the right hue of silver. BMW made a very smooth looking silver in the late 1970's/early 1980's with the 320i. I just love that color and would not hesitate to paint my Z that color. Lookin' good!! Davy

Golly, I thought it would be a duct tape and chewing gum type of solution, but from the last photo, I'd say it looks very 'finished' and even would not destroy anything the next time you hit a parking block. Good job Davy

Jeff, I would think that a driveshaft shop could fix that. If they can't, you are screwed. Call one up and ask them if they can lengthen one; it can't hurt. Davy

Owen, I'm doing great! Thanks. The headers I am using are Sanderson CC134's (short block-huggers) that will use a separate 90 degree elbow to go forward (sorry, I should have been more specific) and bend around the front of then engine toward the turbo. Stainless steel custom units are ideal, but I can't afford the luxury right now. This is a cheaper solution. The only thing that bites is that I have to cut one of the flanges to clear the sending unit on the right side, and this also upset the coating on the headers too This is a pic from Sanderson: The distance from the top to the bottom of the headers is minor. Even with a 90 degree elbow, it should still fit under a cowl hood. Hopefully. Davy

Yep, they got her at the other end and probably slapped her with a few fines for what she did. I wonder if they would give her mailing address to all those poor folks that had to endure the delay on her account? Do you think their letters would be ones of understanding? Me neither. Jail time for her I say. Davy

Unbelievable. Wait, I also had to take my shoes off, etc, for a domestic flight and was also chosen chosen for one of their 'special' random inspections. I have all the luck... Davy

It would be fun, but we'll not be going down. Ansel was the master. I remember first seeing his work years ago and thinking, "this is the best photo I have ever seen!" His work is truly inspirational. How is it that there seem to be too few photographers in recent days with his capability? Davy

Oh, didn't mean to offend I like the early ones like yours, but the BIG ones from the 70's was what I was thinking about. They are just too big for my garage, my driveway, my life...lol Seriously, I like 'em all, but I like the smaller, lighter cars a bit better then the behemoths of the early 70's. You car qualifies, even if it is an Impala Don: Thanks for the invite and the congrats--I'm stoked (it's another boy!). I love brew, and homemade is even better. I'll finish my conversion sometime this spring or summer and email you. Thanks again. Davy

What is just a hoot is seeing the protesters in San Francisco urinate, deficate, march, etc. on the City and the majority of the people there by tying up traffic, etc, in order to stop "business as usual." Don't those idiots know that the MAJORITY of San Franciscans already agree with them?!? They act like self indulgent children who have temper tantrums and break things until they get what they want. Pitiful. That sends me into absolutely priceless, euphoric, hysterical fits of laughter--what idiots! Sure, club the ones who already agree that there should not be a war. Stop them from working; stop them from getting to work, or home, or wherever. Why not? lol Those people have far too much time on their hands...the land of the unemployed...must be...they have jobs? Sometimes I think that I work in the strangest city on the face of the earth, filled with some of the most clueless people there are. Davy

Absolutely beautiful for a bit of time & very little money spent!!! I wish I had the money for all the new fancy EFI stuff, but I don't. I surely can relate to your ingenuity and resourcefulness. GOOD JOB!! Davy

Ah, this topic is very near and dear to my heart. Buying aftermarket EFI is probably the way to go if you can truly afford the expense right away. I can't. I have a bad habit of spending money $100 here, $100 there, and not really getting what I want....until now: I have been reading several books: Maximum Boost by Corky Bell, Turbochargers by Hugh MacInnes, and Fuel Injection by Jeff Hartman. The last book is the best one for fabbing your own EFI system and I highly recommend it. I'll nickle and dine through the whole thing and still end up with what I want. I'm converting a high rise manifold to efi by drilling out the NO2 bosses and incerting injector bungs. Cool eh? An 'elbow' is needed to go from the base of the manifold to the throttle body (any can be used and Mustang TB's are especially cheap). I'm using some very short Sanderson headers going to be upside down with 90 degree elbows running forward to the front of the motor to a 60-1 GN turbo. This will make a tasty combo on the 350 and be able to melt some tires with 500 or so HP on tap at reasonably low boost. The main 'expensive' component in my wild scheme is the software/engine management. I'm fairly sure that by the time I have a second V8 built to take this punishment, there will be relatievly cheap (read: free) software using stock components or similar to make this thing work. At least I hope so...SDS is not cheap..ugh. Consider the following: you will need a turbo, piping, manifolds, TB, injectors, intake manfolds, IC, engine management, etc. All that adds up. I won't lie to you: I'm very cheap. I buy stuff if I think the price is low enough and I pass on the retail/expensive stuff. I have been collecting parts for about a year and I still have a little ways to go. You better plan the money thing out ALONG WITH TIME to make sure this will work for you doing it yourself. I have extreme budget constraints so I have to be selective, so time is secondary. It may be 3 years before the thing is turbo'd, but hopefully less. I can only hope....and buy cheap. Thanks to all my friends on this board who have sold me parts for outstanding prices so I can go fast. Big group hug from me *snif* Davy

Happy to hear that there is one engine builder that is still doing a good job. I hope that you are still saying that after the engine is all together and running for the first time! Oh, and Mike, don't forget to add engine oil!!! lol Davy

Don't even go there!!!!!!!! DANG RIGHT!!! I'm weighing in opinion here, but I'll say it like it is: if the car is one of the VERY FIRST Z cars and is worth a lot of money, fine: don't "cut it up." HOWEVER, you must understand that the car is made for your enjoyment, no one else's, and it deserves one of GM's finest. You are actually helping the car, not hurting it. A well done engine conversion enhances the car and deserves accolades not criticism. Comprende? BTW, great work so far!!! Davy

You know, I think many of us, if not most of us, are using some kind of electric fan: Taurus fan with stock shroud or even a Flex-a-lite 150 fan. Engine driven fans are ok, but the electric ones are better. I'm sorry if this does not help you, but I do think that most are using electric fans now. Hopefully someone can weigh in that is still using the engine driven fan with Nova shroud. Davy

I think you may need to unbolt a few more items and then it should come out. Unless it has been glued down, it should come out. I did replace the carpeting in my former 260Z with an MSA kit that worked quite well. However, not being able to leave well enough alone, when I am able to, I will get a place to stitch up some carpeting from a Mercedes Benz. I love the quality of the carpet that comes from the higher end cars, especially European ones. Heavier? Yes, but who cares; it's nothing that a V8 can't handle anyway. Davy

Wow. For about $4000 bones you can have a motor with a sequential twin turbo and one that with some mods can hang with a superbike, not bad. That said, I'll still stick with the Chevy V8 Davy

BTW, all the cars shown really ROCK, guys. I hope no one feels left out! Davy

I think he's not wearing a helmet because the car has a rollover resistance that is unreal and a rollbar. I would not be too afraid of rolling that car, even at the limit, but then again I did crash a motorcycle in a stupid way. Very cool car with an awesome powertrain Thanks for the link. Davy

Man, I hope and pray he made it out alive. It is a very stressful time for you and your family---don't beat yourself up about it. Praying for him, man. Davy

Thanks for the info on your car, Don! I love the looks of those cars, and a '72 is about perfect for me. I would like a Malibu or a Z28, but they are soo darn expensive, you just can't buy a good old Chevy anymore unless it is a Nova, but even they are getting pricey. I need a cool car that the whole family can ride in. Wait, wifey is pregant, maybe an Impala (yuk) or minivan is better *sigh* I think your quarter mile times just rock for a relatively heavy car built by a down to earth guy like yourself. Actually it is a light car now that I think about it. Sometime when I go through Gilroy I'll email you. In fact, maybe I'll have this Z V8 done this summer I'll drive it down there to kill an afternoon--just an excuse to look at the Nova Davy