DavyZ

Very nice numbers! I'll bet you are proud; hey, at the very least it's bragging rights! lol Davy

http://www.stocktonwheel.com/ Sean, one of the country's best wheel widening places is located in Stockton. I'm not sure if they do allow wheels though. Davy

I have the same kit, but not yet installed--I really want to see what it looks like when finished! Davy

Houston, Mike is one of the most gung-ho guys I have ever met about Z-cars, I seriously doubt he'll let anyone else behind the steering wheel, even his wife! Davy

Congrats, Miles! Way to go on getting your car on the road! Davy

Dude! Looks like a nice bonus! Man, to "accidentally" get a stroker motor, when all you were expecting was a 350...SWEET! Congrats on a good find. That 383 just makes gobs of torque from way down low to way up high. What fun Davy

Datto, who posts occasionally here, sees 8K on a fairly regular basis. I always thought that was way high, but I guess not. Davy

Matt, you really need to buy the manual, because it will give you a clear picture of what is involved with the swap. The parts that come with the JTR kit are "necessary" items for a conversion IMO. The stuff you can negotiate on and shop for are items like a radiator, engine & tranny mounts, etc. Get a hold of a manual and you'll be good to go Davy

Andy, the turbo idea is VERY cool since your parents are uncool about the V8. You can always smooth it over by telling them, "Hey, it's just another Datsun motor with a little more umph." Think that will fly? Congrats on your new ride BTW. Davy

Rubber hammer is what I would use. Pete, use the search function to get a great thread from the past--about a year ago we had a great discussion on all methods for doing this. Be REALLY careful if you use a baseball bat since I have seen perfectly great Z showcars have a lumpy lip over the wheels because the owner worked too fast or didn't know what the heck he was doing. Davy

Cody, check with Ross Corrigan at www.modern-motorsports.com for proper wheel adapters. I'm sure he'll carry something like that for those rims. HTH Davy

PETEW, Some guys use gentle persuasion from a rubber hammer, but there is wisdom in renting a tool for that kind of thing--well worth the cost I listed above. If you rent the tool, you will understand how it is done. I don't know if there are instructions with ot or not??? Hey, I just realized that you can always check the web for "rolling fenders" or "rolled fenders" or rolling fender lips" etc. HTH Davy

Omar, due to the space considerations under tha car, you are really limited to muffler choices that will perfectly fulfill David Vizards recommendations AND still be quiet enough for the street IMO. The subject of mufflers is bandied about often, although I can't think of anything recent about Powertones though Will this car be a daily driver? If so, read some of the past posts on the subject and get the guys opinions on the ones they are using. Although my system is not yet installed on the car, I have a single 3 inch mandrel bent system that starts with a Y-pipe, goes immediately into a Stainless steel 3" Borla (staight thru, under the car) and then goes back to a Dynomax SuperTurbo in the rear. The system is supposed to flow so well that going to the same setup in a 3.5 inch will NOT increase horsepower on a 450 hp motor--all according to the previous owner (he sold me his 3" before fabbing the same system in 3.5" for himself--he posted later that there was no hp difference & no 1/4 time difference). This is a quiet system that is supposed to flow well. Think hard about what you want to accomplish, how much it will cost, if it will really make a difference for the money involved, and if you'll be able to live with it when you are done. Just food for thought. Good luck. BTW, you might want to post this kind of topic in the High Tech or Misc Tech column, since it really does not belong in the Chevy (engine) forum. Davy [ October 29, 2001: Message edited by: DavyZ ]

Welcome to the board Grumpyvette! Davy

I'm assuming you have the JTR manual now--if that is the case, you can fab the set-back plates, spacers, tranny crossmember, etc. yourself. The speedo cable you can have made at a speedo shop or you can fab it yourself--one member spliced the two cables together, but I didn't want to do this. If you want to save money, it is probably the best way to go, especially if you have the knowledge and the materials to do so. One member made the parts for under $30!!! That said, I wanted to get the stuff directly from them, because I didn't want to spend the time doing all of that myself; plus I figured that the money was well spent and the kit not overly priced. To each his own. Davy

Len, I like them! Very clever; now go check DMV to see if they are taken. So which one can I have? Davy

Thanks, Mike, the struts look good in that color. Heck, even if they were light blue, they still would look good! You are doing a job to be proud of on your car. Davy

Scott, I'd say yes! (You nut you). Auxilary, hey thanks! At least I joint the ranks of the faceful (??? not faceless?) ones in HybridZ. Davy

Everything Jeff said is correct. As far as the drive shaft, it will need to get modified by a shop (if you do JTR, there is an adapter that gets installed, I believe) regardless. This is generally inexpensive and is one of the more minor items in terms of modification. Davy

Ditto! Davy

RON! The man buys some high quality rims! Dude! They look very sharp "on" the car! (FWIW my wife liked them too BTW) I hope they fit with only an adapter. Coil-overs are great, but they take time to install--just ask Auxilary lol I would love to see them mounted on the car with some angle shots--keep us posted after you buy adapters! Great choice of wheel style BTW! Davy

You saw that pan too, huh? Jegs has it as the "Slamguard Pan" by TD Performance products #969-8910 SBC 1958-79 Drivers dipstick $116.99 (not a bad price). They also have them for newer engines at the same price. Might be really good for a HybridZ IMO. Davy

Mike, just a quick question: Are the struts a light blue or a medium blue?? I can't tell exactly from the pics. BTW--everything is looking SWEEET on the car's suspension. Should be stunning in the performance and looks when you are finished--nice work. Davy

You are surely better off money-wise getting a T5 from a V8 Camaro '88 or later model. Davy

Pete, I was looking at a similar styled pan and was wondering if the side kickouts would interfere with the exhaust or anything else under the Z? I always wanted one of these styled pans because I can get 7 quarts of liquid gold in there as opposed to just 6. ANyone we know that currently runs this style of pan their Z with pics? Just curious. Davy