tyson Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 Not a whole lot has been happening to the Z now that it's getting cold out and school has started. The clutch is officially on it's last legs, under 8psi boost it now slips. I'm thinking of getting a South Bend clutch as I've heard good things about them. I'm looking at maybe getting a lightweight flywheel while I'm there, the one in the car is supposed to weigh around 17lbs. South Bend's flywheel is 8lbs if I recall, anyone have any input on going that light with a stiff racing clutch? I bought 2 sets of the Z Car Creations tow hooks/tie downs mentioned in post #10, I'm very happy with them. Total cost $90 The Kumho Ecsta XS's lose a LOT of their grip near freezing, but still not a bad tire when warm. Other than that, I'll probably be putting the Z on jackstands in a week or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 Ah damn, I was hoping the clutch wasn't going to be the issue. Not that it's a huge job, but I had put it back in there when I did the engine, thinking "I wonder how this will handle the increased power". Lots of negative press here about the CFDF clutch, but I think I put about 40,000miles on that one, and 50+ autocross events as well. Not a bad life for a performance clutch. 17.75lbs rings a bell for the flywheel, I think stock was 23lbs or so. Didn't go crazy aggressive, as the car was my daily driver at that point. Plus I think that was less than a year after Norm (the 12 second dual SU dude) had his clutch explosion rip his car in half, so I might have been a little gun-shy at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyson Posted May 11, 2013 Author Share Posted May 11, 2013 Well it's spring. I ordered a South Bend Stage II Endurance clutch, rated for 400ft/lbs. I dropped off the flywheel and new pressure plate to be balanced, the shop said the flywheel was off by about 20 grams and they were hesitant to do any significant balancing since the flywheel already had significant work done (17.75lbs). So, I ordered a Fidanza aluminum flywheel which arrived yesterday. I brought it to the machine shop today for balancing. Cost of clutch $300 Cost of flywheel $310 Cost of machining/balancing ~$50 I can't wait to get it back on the road. I'm not looking forward to the reinstall though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 Interesting note about the flywheel... I had it balanced by a local shop here with a good reputation. Sucks to hear it was out, though 20grams shouldn't be considered significant! The aluminum flywheel is going to completely change the car, can't wait to hear your feedback. Though the hardest part will be breaking in your clutch slowly I suspect. A note for you, the throwout bearing was replaced at the same time the CFDF went in. ~40,000 miles ago. The pilot bushing would have been new with the engine rebuild a few hundred miles before you bought the car. Wish I could swing by and give you a hand reinstalling, its not too bad a job once you do it a few dozen times! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyson Posted May 12, 2013 Author Share Posted May 12, 2013 No worries, even before I found out the news on the flywheel I was considering getting the fidanza. The machine shop said the flywheel would have probably held additional drilling, but they weren't 100% confident in it--enough to make me just pull the trigger. I do wonder how the engine will rev up now, should be instant throttle response (both ways). I'm really not looking forward to clutch break-in =( BTW, I was wondering about the throwout bearing, is it just a standard one from a 280ZX non-turbo? I think the hardest part of the removal was getting the driveshaft bolts out, had to stick a wrench up there and spin the tire with my foot to losen em. Removing the flywheel bolts was also a beyotch. Oh yeah, the car needs a new clutch fork dust boot. Anyone know if those are installed from inside the bellhousing, or can I just slip it on after the car is assembled? Interesting note about the flywheel... I had it balanced by a local shop here with a good reputation. Sucks to hear it was out, though 20grams shouldn't be considered significant! The aluminum flywheel is going to completely change the car, can't wait to hear your feedback. Though the hardest part will be breaking in your clutch slowly I suspect. A note for you, the throwout bearing was replaced at the same time the CFDF went in. ~40,000 miles ago. The pilot bushing would have been new with the engine rebuild a few hundred miles before you bought the car. Wish I could swing by and give you a hand reinstalling, its not too bad a job once you do it a few dozen times! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 Throwout bearing would have likely (and I can't recall for certain) been a 280zx turbo one, the same as the flywheel and clutch were spec'd. That's one good method for the driveshaft bolts. Best way I have found is to find 2 slim profile box end wrenches, and place them so all you have to do is squeeze the two wrenches together in your hand to loosen the bolts. You can apply a lot of force with this method just through grip strength. (and nothing will spin) The flywheel bolts would be tough, red loctite on those. I wasn't about to mess around with a loose flywheel. I'd typically just throw an impact on those and let it work away at them... without an impact wrench it would be tough going. Not sure on the boot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyson Posted May 13, 2013 Author Share Posted May 13, 2013 That's what I figured. My impact isn't the strongest, and it wouldn't budge em. I had to clamp the flywheel, put a wrench on a bolt and use my foot while pulling on the frame rail for support. Hopefully I get everything back from the shop today and can begin putting things back together. The flywheel bolts would be tough, red loctite on those. I wasn't about to mess around with a loose flywheel. I'd typically just throw an impact on those and let it work away at them... without an impact wrench it would be tough going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank280zx Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 loctite means impact gun and some heat .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 Let the impact rattle away for a while on there, it will loosen them without heat. A trick I've learned on really stubborn bolts: 1) Apply impact wrench in a loosing direction for 30 seconds or so. (yes that long!) 2) Apply impact wrench in a tightening direction for 30 seconds or so. 3) Repeat as many times as necessary. I've had bolts come loose in the 6th or 7th cycle. People often give up "too early" with the impact. Remember if you abuse the bolts removing them, you should replace them rather than re-use them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyson Posted July 15, 2013 Author Share Posted July 15, 2013 Got everything all back together. Had a few hiccups along the way, plus I really wasn't home very much for June. I had to get shorter pressure plate bolts for the fidanza flywheel. Decided to re-use the old flywheel bolts. Flywheel was torqued to ~80ft/lbs with blue loctite Pressure plate was torqued to ~30ft/lbs with blue loctite Installing a transmission by yourself is a bitch...I really never want to do that again. The underside of the Z has it's fair share of grease and oil built up over time. I'm wondering what the best way to go about cleaning the bottom of a really low car is? Add in about $30 for grade 12.whatever metric bolts and loctite. Add in about $20 for roll bar padding Add in about $25 for Amsoil synthetic gear oil for the transmission. Total for post is $75. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyson Posted July 15, 2013 Author Share Posted July 15, 2013 (edited) Total cost for my period of ownership is at $1600. (hopefully if I ever sell it, this thread (along with Drax's) will be better than a box of receipts) NAPA synthetic oil is on sale again, I think I'll change it later this week. Haven't driven it more than ~5 miles with the new flywheel. It revs quicker since it's a 10.5lb and the old one was a stock lightened to 17.5. I'll post videos and updates after I get some seat time. Edited July 15, 2013 by tyson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyson Posted July 16, 2013 Author Share Posted July 16, 2013 (edited) *sigh* e-brake cable broke yesterday. Then was driving on the freeway and heard a metal on metal slapping sound at higher speeds, came from the center of the car behind the seats. Going to jack it up today, I hope it was just part of the E-brake cable flapping in the wind. *edit* Sound was caused by part of the E-brake bracket which sits above the driveshaft U-joints in the rear, a bolt would drop down just far enough for mild contact with the driveshaft. No damage caused. *whew!* Edited July 17, 2013 by tyson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Gah. At least it was something minor. I'll bet the flywheel difference is noticeable! When I shaved it down to 17.5lbs I was really impressed. (though I added compression ratio at the same time) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyson Posted July 20, 2013 Author Share Posted July 20, 2013 Gah. At least it was something minor. I'll bet the flywheel difference is noticeable! When I shaved it down to 17.5lbs I was really impressed. (though I added compression ratio at the same time) Yeah it's fairly noticable. I guess it's not as big of a difference as stock to 17, but it's there. I'm actually surprised how it really is no different to drive, especially with an upgraded clutch/pp capable of 400ft/lbs. I was expecting it to be easy to stall out, but it's not hard to drive at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyson Posted July 26, 2013 Author Share Posted July 26, 2013 Long day today! So, there's been some typical exhaust smell in the car, mainly on decel. Enough to where it stinks up the clothes after some driving. I had heard about it before, so today I took the little plunge and bought an inexpensive fog machine at Guitar Center for $40 (the party rental place wanted $40/day). Filled the fogger with fluid, plugged it in, ran the cords out the window and then taped up the gap. After a minute I had smoke coming out of everywhere. I know the window seals leak, but I don't care so I taped them up. The rear vents where the Z emblems are billowed smoke, so I taped them up. Had a plug under the passenger seat which was out, re-plugged it. Had the rear hatch leaking quite a bit of smoke...found out part of the new seal I put on fell off it's track a little bit, glued it back on. Also noticed that my rusty hatch lid was allowing quite a bit of smoke to come from the inside down by the lip where the rust had eaten away the joint from where the interior panel bolts up. A bead of window sealant solved that. Tail lights leaked quite a bit, so I removed those and made a gasket from some 3M weatherstripping material I bought at the hardware store for $12. While I was at it, I replaced all the hardware with new stuff (they only had class 12, pricy) for an additional $10. Before installing the tail lights I brought them over to the garden hose and rinsed out the inside real good. I was surprised at how much dirt was collected inside! They look completely different now, and the lights are much brighter. After installing the tail lights I used the smoke machine again, this time it was very noticable that the car was sealed up much better than before. The smoke inside the car stayed longer and was thicker than previously. I do still have some leaking going on from somewhere in the back as I had a wide stream of smoke coming down from between the gas tank and the rear panel. Not sure if that comes from the interior quarter panels being removed? I'll probably post a thread about it. Total cost for the day is $62 for the smoke machine, gasket material and hardware for the rear tail lights. I'll post a video later so people can see how it's done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyson Posted July 29, 2013 Author Share Posted July 29, 2013 (edited) After about 60 miles of driving I'm glad to say the exhaust smell has been significantly reduced with the windows open! It's still a Z & I still smell some exhaust from time to time however, my clothing no longer smells of exhaust after driving. (I very rarely drive with windows closed, so don't expect any data on windows closed) Today I also wired up the PLX Wideband O2 sensor that came with the car. I removed the old 1 wire O2 sensor, changed the O2 sensor type on the SDS EM-3 controller to work with the wideband. I started the car and the wideband was giving data after a few seconds of warm up. I haven't driven it yet, it's going to be nice to fine tune the car and get some more horsepower/MPGs out of it....Especially since I'm driving it out to Colorado in a couple weeks. I'm glad to say the total cost for today was zero! Edited July 29, 2013 by tyson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyson Posted September 15, 2013 Author Share Posted September 15, 2013 (edited) Haven't driven it too much lately, it's been hot and I have been short on time. Replaced the clutch slave, since I put in the new clutch I found the clutch to be catching rather late in the pedal travel. I had bled the system a couple times and done a bunch of research. Ended up using a video camera and watching the movement. I bled the clutch slave and pressed the rod in, found it was putting some force against the fork all the time. I was pleased the replacement slave was only $12! Today I also pulled the trigger on some new wheels. I had been looking at the Rota RB® 17" wheels for a while, but the prices are high and I haven't seen a good used set come up for sale around me in quite a while. I really don't like the 15" wheel size, and the snowflake patterns. A few months ago I saw a Z on here with some XXR 527 wheels and I fell in love. I had been trying to find a local set, but either people were selling them WITH stretched tires, or asking a ridiculous price (or both). Note: I do NOT plan on doing any kind of stretch. Found a ebay store selling them for $426 shipped--best offer. I offered $400, they came back at $420 (already way cheaper than everywhere else). So, $432 spent for this post. Slave cyl and 16x8.25" 0-Offset wheels. Not bad! Now, hopefully I can find some good used rubber to put on them before the end of the Minnesota driving season. Edited September 15, 2013 by tyson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyson Posted September 17, 2013 Author Share Posted September 17, 2013 I found this a bit funny, so I'll share. Today the company I ordered the wheels from called me up and wanted to verify the year/model car I was putting it on. I don't blame them since they probably deal with a ton of people who get the wrong wheels and then want a refund on the wheels and shipping. So I tell him, and he then asks what width tire I'm planning on running (between 225 and 255, whatever fits best). He tells me "That stretch won't look good, there won't be any stretch". I tell him that I'm actually trying to put as wide of a tire as I reasonably can on the wheel, he said he hadn't heard of people putting a wider tire on a wheel. WTF?! Kids these days... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyson Posted September 19, 2013 Author Share Posted September 19, 2013 No car updates, but I'm almost regretting buying a 16" wheel. I've checked all the local car/racing forums Watched craigslist for days Can't find any decent used rubber. Looking for a 245/45/16 (or close to it) and I'm coming up with nothing in the used department. I'd like to get some rubbers on the Z to finish out the rest of the year with the new wheels and to get a good idea of tire fitment before I make the big purchase on brand new ones. Seems like 16" is the bastard size right now, because I can't find ANYTHING for a used performance tire in 16. There's a bunch in 14, 15, 17 and 18.....crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Yeah, the age old problem. 16" looks best out of all the wheel sizes on the Z, but rubber is an issue. Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 - http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Potenza+RE-11&partnum=445WR6RE11V2&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes Lots of DOT legal slicks out there in that size, but questionable wet weather performance/safety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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