dustin280zx Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 grumpy, are you fixing your garage up to live in? I expect next to come is a refridgerator, then a TV, then a microwave, then a/c and soon grumpy will be nowhere to be found except when he pulls his vette out to get grocery's/beer run. Haha. Anyway nice garage. Getting a dyno in there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted February 7, 2007 Author Share Posted February 7, 2007 http://www.ag.auburn.edu/users/gparmer/articles/flowbench2/ http://tractorsport.com/flowbenchparts.htm http://www.performancetrends.com/ez_flow_system.htm http://www.4cycle.com/karting/html/flow_bench.html this will get you started, (ideas) allready have a coke machine and a refridge out there,but no plans for a kitchen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnjdragracing Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 Hey Grumpy, That is what I did. With my blower engine. Always wanted one and finally decided to build one. I guess I loved the Mad Max movies and the old school of racing. So I decided to purchase a blower, did all my home work had a plan and followed through. Built the engine and really surprized myself along with my friends. Never thought it would perform so well. Installed it in my brothers Zcar and have been having fun since. The engine was built to go in my Monte, One day I will finish stripping and repainting the Monte and the engine will go in it. I just have to much side work at the moment to be able to pull the Monte in and finish it. Hopefully in a couple of weeks will start back on the Monte. Probably will install the 412cu N/A engine in it for the time being. Once my brother and I fufill our goal of 8's in the 1/4 with the Z ( stock suspension ) then I will pull the engine out. Jerry my brother wants and plans on doing a turbo v8 for the zcar. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HICKL Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 Is it ok to agree yet disagree? I agree that financially, the process defined here is the best. But, I have really enjoyed the process that I have taken my Z thru. It has went from a primered up stocker which of drove and enjoyed, to a pretty red stocker which I drove and enjoyed, to a stock powered 350, to some decent heads and bigger cam etc etc. My first 13.9 pass was a break thru, my first low 13 pass was a break thru, my first 12.9 was a break thru, then 12.6, then 12.3 and who knows what she'll do with this new stroker (thanks again Grumpy). Sometimes the journey is half the fun, my car still needs a million things and that's what keeps it interesting. For me, I would have been discouraged and probably never got here if I had tried to do it all at once. I think it has to do greatly with your personality and style of doing things. Big picture, I agree that the one build to perfection is the best way financially but I can't see it bringing near as much fun and adventure as I have had in the last 3 years with my project. Just my two cents, not trying to ruffle any feathers. I love you guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted February 7, 2007 Author Share Posted February 7, 2007 look this whole thread is basically based on the fact that 90% plus of the guys do it the way you guys that do alittle at a time as the budget allows, describe (add a bit at a time,as you can afford it, learn as you stumble thru) and WASTE a HUGE amount of money in the process, IM not saying thats wrong! Im just pointing out that SMARTER APPROACH,is thru doing alot of research,planing and thinking BEFORE spending money, that will result in far less expence and a better final product, THE real secret here is to LEARN while HELPING & WORKING ON EVERYONE ELSEs car, WATCHING THE MORE EXPERIANCED GUYS, and LEARNING THRU THIER MISTAKES AT THIER EXPENCE, then building a killer combo from what youve learned while helping a whole lot of other guys while you & they, LEARN what works and whats wasted effort. I take a good deal of time here, HOPEING to bring you guys up to speed, and learning from the more experianced guys while IM HERE, so take advantage of the mistakes and what I and the other more experianced guys have learned the hard expensive way......theres lots of guys that know more than I do and a whole lot that know less, but as a group we can do a far better job than any one guy could hope to do! remember when you were 2 years old and mom said don,t stick bobby pins in the ellectric outlets.....there was a reason then, and theres a reason for what Im saying too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HICKL Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 I agree 100 percent. But would hate to discourage the "kids" from doing what I did. An 18 year old potential gear head just can't wait 4 years to drive his toy. Just dont' want to scare them off in fear that they turn into video gamers instead of potential future car guys. Yes, I spent more money this way, a couple grand easy, but I enjoyed the car the whole time. I'm done, not trying to start trouble with the king. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted February 7, 2007 Author Share Posted February 7, 2007 "I'm done, not trying to start trouble with the king." not in the least! enjoy the discusions and differant points of view, were all equals here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veritech-z Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 My philosophy kind of goes like this: If it breaks, upgrade it. This usually causes something ELSE to break, allowing you to upgrade that. It's a lot easier to justify spending money on an upgrade if the old part is not perfectly fine. As for engine philosphy, I try to only get parts that will still be good regardless of my powerplant for my L series. I'm trying to get the bugs worked out of my megasquirt now so I can get the hang of tuning it on a V8. I've got a t4 turbo that I'm saving for my 350, and so on. I've kind of resigned myself to the low performance I've got now, kind of like skipping luch to have a big dinner. It took me a while to learn some of the lessons Grumpy is teaching, for instance: 1) Do NOT try to hot rod your daily driver, if you can't afford a toy, just wait for awhile 2)do it right the first time, it's SO much more expensive to reinvent the wheel when you can talk to people that have already done what you are thinking of I always tell people to plan a PERFORMANCE goal, and then take the most cost-effective, reliable way to achieve that. I used to be swimming in Honda guys when I worked at the Acura dealership, and all they know is brand name this, and high dollar that, I think they just get caught up in the "scene" more than they actually want a fast car. I always heard "I'm going to get cams and do it NA, I can always go turbo later..." I actually saw a guy try to do this once, his car would stall out at idle because his cams were so radical (and not adjusted correctly) BEFORE the turbo, I was like "that thing isn't even going to start..." Sure enough, back to stock cams. There's something to be said for learning as you go, but that supposes you are even interested in learning I guess... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 You guys never fail to entertain Yup... if it'll be years before you can have your "dream ride" but you can put something nice together now... I vote for the latter. Then you can enjoy now and save for that dream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hamlet8900 Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 All right I have to add two more cents: I really admire true "ratrodders" because they have come back in tune with the spirit of this sport. Work with what you have, the best way you can, be smart and you can build something beautiful and fast at low cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LS1 240Z Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 my Z is going to have a chevy motor, ford rear end, toyota front brakes, nissan suspension and body. its something Dr. Frankenstin would be truely proud of. throw something together, get it on the street and work out the bugs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Yeah and Frankenstein's monster was one tough muther!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbhsbZ Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 For me, most of the fun is building it. I've built 2 racecars and 1 t-bucket roadster in the past. The T-bucket went from cradle to grave in one month flat, then I ran out of money so threw a bean bag chair in the bucket and that was my seat for the next 6 months. I also did a VW rabbit stock class car and a MK2 VW GTI open class road racer. Here is what the GTI tought me. #1. Patience is everything, it can make or break a project and your pocketbook. (I have no patience) #2. If you can afford the best parts, buy them the first time. If you buy substandard or "good enough" parts the first time around, you will eventually upgrade a couple of times until you get to the best stuff in the long run, and you will have ended up paying for 1 or 2 sets of lesser parts and one set of top shelf parts in the long run. Buying the best in the beginning saves you money, but requires patience if you're not a rich man. See #1 #3: Don't make compromises due to supplier screw ups, parts availability, or tooling limitations. If you don't have the tools to make the parts you want, spend the money and buy them. They will prove to be invaluable to you through many other projects. If you pay for the parts you want, make sure that the suppliers ship you the parts you want. I've sent back over a couple grand worth of parts for the Z project because suppliers were trying to be cheap. #4: If money is an issue (which it is with me), don't count out used parts. With enought patience (see #1) almost everything you could ever want can be found used, at deeply discounted prices. I found a set of custom made long tube 1 7/8" headers, ceramic coated, for the JTR setup on ebay about a month ago for $200....and they fit too!!. A dream car to me is something that I built. Something that when you peak under the hood or peek inside, all you see is a bunch of slick ideas that you carried out. I usually get tired of stuff after a year or too....just about when I get it the point when its nice and reliable, and finished. If I can't work on it, I get bored...at which point its a big hunk of parts sitting in the garage collecting dust. Time to move on to another dream build..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 "...I ran out of money so threw a bean bag chair in the T-bucket and that was my seat for the next 6 months." Hah... So you drove a "bucket of beans" for six months? That's awesome!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 A different take on "dreams." The 18 year kid who buys a Ferrari Enzo has reached the pinnacle of automotive nirvana. What automotive thing does he lust for during the next 60 years? Probably nothing. He'll tell his friends "Cars bore me." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 ^^^ He won't have the time to be bored... too busy with all that pu-Z;) ^^^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted February 8, 2007 Author Share Posted February 8, 2007 I know several guys with filthy stinking rich parents that bought thier kids CORVETTES , BEEMERS,ETC. most of them can,t and couldn,t be bothered to change a spark plug , you guys that build your own performance cars are so much smarter and motivated and generally better off, in every way,. Id much rather talk to guys like myself that worked for every last thing they ever accomplished. those guys are generally jerks and except for the monetary, level that thier parents provide, they are useless slugs draging down society. frankly thats I big reason in my opinion that the #$$%%^^^& seem to run things, thier families provided the cash/back-up, and they don,t even need to have any drive or smarts to get a great carreer start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 ^^^ Yeah but sadly... they still get more women. ^^^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted February 8, 2007 Author Share Posted February 8, 2007 any woman that looks ONLY for you potential check book ballance,the guy has, vs the CHARACTER and MORALS of the guy they date is BOUND to be in for a far higher percentage of problems,why do you think most of those guys have several divorces, if things don,t work out, the gals looking to get all she can, and on too the next potential checking ballance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 ^^^ I'm not talking about "marriage", GRUMPY;) ^^^ Any woman who only cares about $$$ deserves to date guys who only care about physical pleasures. Of course, the reverse is true as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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