DavyZ

Man, unless the rim is really rare or very expensive, it would be cheaper to just obtain another wheel from a junkyard, Nissan wrecker, or ebay. The cost of 'straightening' one of those rims might set you back $100 or more. Davy

Thanks for the reminder, Mike. They also have a ton of other good books on sale too--I had forgotten that I had just received a catalog the other day too Davy

Scottie, the difference may be that NADA (Nat'l Automobile Dealer's Assoc) is looking at wholesale value perhaps? Maybe more in-line with KBB low (wholesale) blue book numbers. I worked in automobile sales and I have to say that KBB is MOSTLY what we used, not to mention all the banks and finance companies as well. NADA was another reference, and then we had "the black book" which was a weekly or bi-weekly update on nearly "up to the minute" auction values. Rule of thumb: make sure you are comparing apples to apples (retail to retail) and wholesale to wholesale. The "retail price guide" is what the car should list for, but that is not necessarily the selling price of the car. Most selling prices are between retail and wholesale values. Davy

It's too hard to tell sometimes, especially since written words leave almost no indication of tone, inflection, etc. A lot of guys come here because they have been beat up by a bunch of worthless trolls on other boards----that makes them gun shy from the getgo. Anyway, thanks for the info. Davy

If the vinegar does not work (and it should), you could try using Lime Away or some such product from the grocery store--that should take off the mineral deposits from the glass. DO NOT get it on your paint!!!!! I personally would not use any kind of abrasive cleaner on windshield glass. There is glass polish that is available from Eastwood that I'm sure will take care of 'spots.' Davy

They look really good, but you'll need to drill the stubs for 5 lugs. These would look killer on a lowered Z car. Davy

Don't dump on someone else's swap--that is NOT why they come here. Read the mission statement again if you don't understand. Davy

bump

Louie, you may find the part numbers for a flange from NAPA auto parts that will work, but use the search function in the "drivetrain" forum. I bought their flange because it came with the kit and was well made. Davy

Last I checked there were a couple of Chevy motors that crested the 400 hp mark. Use the search function in this forum to read posts with urls-a-plenty for different engine shops. You pick the horsepower that fits your budget. Davy

Tell me about it! I have still tried to find a good 400 block with no success. I'd build a 406 or 377 in a heartbeat. Davy

Wow, those are cheap and they look great too! They look like exact copies of the Sandersons I bought from Mike W. (zfan) not too long ago. I doubt they are Sandersons since the "S" crest is not welded to them. If you can buy those powdercoated for about $100, they are a steal. That design would work great upside down with 90 degree bends to the front of the motor for a turbocharger... Before buying, ask how thick the flange is--Sandersons have a stupidthick flange, but they don't need gaskets apparently either Davy

Not with FWD it won't Davy

I have some HS rollers that I bought second hand and they look like quality pieces to me. I was able to get them cheaply enough it made good sense to use them, plus they are rebuildable. HS has been around for years so I'm not too worried about getting parts or replacements. I do have some new Comp Cams roller rockers as well, but they are not true rollers. I figure one set will go in one motor and the other in another. Thanks for the info Davy

You'll get personal opinions as to why one might be better then another. Here is why I went JTR: 1) Big manual that is reasonably descriptive and gives some good examples for doing different tranny combos. 2) Has good drawings of the parts needed including good measurements & diagrams so I could make it myself if I wanted to--hey, if they give out all the info in the book, they don't have something to 'hide.' 3) They are a local company to me and I have heard good things about them. 4) I met Mike Knell about 13 years ago and he let me drive his cars--he was cool and his cars were fast, so what is not to like? 5) At the time, JTR put the engine farthest back and low as possible to get the best weight distribution out of the car. Keep in mind MSA used a design similar to Scarab but has modified it over the years. 6) Also the JTR book has many other suspension modifications and such. This topic has been thrashed about sooo very many times on this board. Use the search function and look up all the info you want. Davy

You sure about that, Tom? I believe that there is at least one member using it in his car with a manual tranny. I don't see any reason for not being able to use a manual tranny with the MSA kit. Shoot if a Scarab kit can be made to work with a MT, an MSA kit should too. Davy Ah, found it: Miles son Ian uses both the engine and tranny mount with a 5 sp. Here are pics from his site: Ian & Miles' site

So Grumpy, what do you think of Harland Sharp roller rockers? Are there any good aluminum ones??? Curious minds want to know. Davy

I'm assuming you mean the design???? Unfortunately the Z more then qualifies as a 'ripoff' in the design catagory. I remember my dad test driving a SAAB Sonnett way back in 1972. I really liked the car and hoped that he would buy it because it looked so cool to me back then (I was 6 years old). He ended up buying a SAAB 99 instead...arg. Davy

Clean looking ride! Davy

I think it is really cool! I just would not own it, that's all... Davy

Like the previous post said, you should be fine with the rods at that hp. And, to reiterate what was advised, make sure you spend the money on the rod bolts, because that is where most of the failures occur, not on the rod itself. Davy

...Or was it Goaturd??? Something like that anyway. Davy

LOL! You made your point! Still, it is safer to just bash him from behind my keyboard!! Sorry, I could not resist. Once in a while, you just have to someone. I don't think it is anything personal, it just feels gooooood ROTFL! Davy

Tim, I only somewhat agree with you. Trying to recover from a mistake like that is very difficult, if not impossible except with very very experienced drivers. HOWEVER, I think about what he did (moving the shifter in a "U" pattern) and it just does not make logical sense to me. 4th gear to 3rd gear requires going across the gate, but 4th to 2nd requires one weird freaking shift IMO. I have mis-shifted before, right before a curve, but I did not lose the rear end (of course I was going about 60 mph, not 100 mph). If it was me, I would take the lumps for my own mistake, and not blame it on an instructor. Also, I seriously doubt the insurance company will pay for squat since he was at the track. My $.02. Davy

Turbochargers by Hugh McInnes is pretty good as a general book, and I highly recommend Fuel Injection by Jeff Hartman. The Corky Bell book is a good one IMO and is in my library. Davy