DavyZ

That car looks like a labor of love. Very nice looking ZX! I like the hood with the air-inlet you made; good fabbing. David

Well, you could do that if you take your time and have got some free time to measure, work it, measure, work it, etc. That might work really well. Or you could pull a used Performer manifold off ebay for dirt cheap which will flow better than the Vette manifold. Just my $.02. David

Doug, it was very nce of you to post all those pics, but I can't pull any of them up in their current configuration--just thought you should know. David

To be fair, it all depends on the store. I worked at places that never had a "quota" per se, but you had to sell some cars or the mortgage won't get paid. It's that simple. I was not a grinder, neither was the floor manager ("closer"), but I know those shops exist and I detest them... My stores had bonuses based on quantity, so it really helped out a lot if you sold a car and there was hardly any money in the deal. Working 6 days a week is not fun and definitely not conducive to family life. Don't want to go back... David

I qualify as one of the "fiscally prudent" as you say...thanks for the info, Terry! David--the fiscally prudent Zer

I think with just a cam change that engine would rock! With all of those other things you just mentioned, I wonder why Furd has not come out with a Viper killer yet. Research & development maybe? David

I just got back from the Good Guys Show in Pleasanton. I saw quite a few cars, especially race cars that had Zolotone in the passenger area and in the engine compartment. It really looks good. I'm going to use this stuff in the engine compartment for sure--plus it'll hide any "mistakes" I might make to the paint, etc. I'll plug all the little holes left from ripping out the old electrics, etc, and then spray away. I've seen Z cars with Zolotone over everything, including the brake lines, and Z's that had the brake lines masked off. Would there be any pertinent reason to mask off the brake lines in the engine compartment and NOT paint them? Anyone know? BLKMGK: I thought about black for the engine compartment, but I thought about the "maintenance" and possible problems with it...so I made my decision for the Zolotone instead. David

I would be interesting to know the length of the motor in relation to an L6. Overall weight would be a concern. They say it's not heavy, but that is a relative statement, especially when talking about American cars. Neat motor, though. I bet it sounds tough at WOT! David

I could be wrong here, but I think MSA just resells S&S units...

I like the blower for the bragging rights and constant power. NOS is simpler IMO and easier to install. I still like blowers better! Nothing like the sound of a force-fed motor... David

Terry, I would LOVE to hear about this in detail after you have done some testing. Thanks for sharing the information! David

John, your right--there is more to a 300hp engine than just the cam. I was thinking that since we know so little about the motor, a cam with an advertised duration of 274 generally equates to a "300hp cam" in a very broad sense. Yes, compression (which we don't know) and head specs (which we also don't know) are key players here. I made a hasty presumption about the motor--but I'm such an optomist! I can hope for 300 ponies can't I? Thanks for calling me on it--keeps me honest. David

Scott, great find! If you figure that Krangen or Pep Boys is selling remanufactured stock long-blocks for $600-$700, a "performance" rebuild is worth at least that. You price of $400-$500 sounds pretty fair; obviously the lower the better since there is no warranty. If the engine has an aluminum intake and such, the deal becomes even sweeter. This sounds like a 300hp motor and should live a long time if it was assembled properly. Start low first...it would be killer to pick it up for $400 with tax included! David

With all due respect, Dan, it will be interesting to see what improvements your new brakes will make for track performance over the drums. Please be sure and give us the whole scoop! David

Ron, I'm interested in his T5, but I'd like to know some details. Please email me when you get the chance--my email has not been the greatest lately, so pardon it if you get an error. Thanks much! David

The JTR book has the pictures... Also, just measure your diff 3 ways and go measure that other diff 3 ways, then compare. Once you see an R200 in person, it's fairly easy to distinguish the two apart. The R180 looks almost anemic in comparison. David

Heh heh, I hear ya, Lone! David

Personally, I would not reuse the rings, but how do they look? How do they clean up? I suppose you could reuse them, but their condition is of primary importance to how they will affect the cylinder walls. Unless someone here proves me wrong, they are not like flat tappet lifters which really should be replaced. Make sure there is no rust or anything on them. Maybe a machine shop that builds engines could look at them and give their recommendation? They should still be in good shape due to the low miles. David

Welcome to HybridZ! Yes, Darius has a couple of good videos; most of us have downloaded them in some form or another. He has over 600hp to the rear wheels with his supercharged 383 EFI motor. Occasionally he posts, but it has been a long time since his last one. Anyway, welcome to the Forum David

Andrew, sorry for spelling your name incorrectly; my bad I'm used to spelling simpler names like David Smith, John Smith, William Smith, Mary Smith, etc. (my family).

If these are the aluminum heads, this is an unbelieveable price. Hrm, I priced out the aluminum fast burn heads from places like Fitzpatrick Chevrolet, and on sale they were $550/each! You are sure these are genuine fastburn heads for that price? David

I just bought some Vinyl and Rubber Dressing from Griots Garage. I can't tell you how pleased I am with the product--it goes on with a very subtle satin sheen, not that garish glossy shine you get with Armorall. I just wiped down my interior with the stuff (after cleaning the interior first) on my Volvo since I am selling it, and WOW! It makes the vinyl and plastic look new. I know Griots has very pricey stuff, but this dressing has no silicones, petroleum distillates and such which is appealing to me and well worth it. This stuff I will use in all my cars, especially in my up and coming 240Z. Just thought I would share my "joy" David

Excuse my ignorance of Datsun motors, but in what cars did the L20A come in? I had an L20B in my 200SX that was a stout motor which can be made fast. If a "clifford" manifold is anything like the dual Weber DGV manifolds (except a single) there should be hood clearance. Interesting to note, there was a company that sold kits to replace the L24 with L20B four cylinder motors because they claimed the handling gain far offset any loss in power the 4 cylinder gave up. Hope someone else can chime in to help you. David

Mike, have you considered talking to the guys at S&S? If you tell them what kind of ground clearance you need (and to have those collectors angled back), they might be able to help you or put one together for you that still "full length." Of course this could turn out to be a costly mistake if it doesn't work for some reason! The Sanderson units you are considering are headers or manifolds (like Long/dankinzle's)?? I have seen both Sanderson units and they are quality pieces--especially when Cermachromed, etc. Good luck! David By the way, you get 1000 lashes with a wet noodle for bringing up this topic again!!

His paint scheme impresses me even more than the G-Nose does! Very impressive car. I've seen pictures in various places on the web about that car--very sweet racing car. David