Doc's new project

[dr_hunt]

I decided to make me a z. I'm starting with this;

 

 

Basically it's a totally totally rust free '74 260 that I bought as a parts car for the boys 260.

 

I managed to buy a narrowed 9 inch ford last year. I have a th350 that is built with a shift kit and ready to go. I have an alky 357 inch motor that is dart block, eagle 3.5 stroke crank, Carillo Rods, JE 13:1's, AFR220 heads, roller cam. I have a 2 other cars and a host of parts including an intercooler for the z rated to 1000hp. Hmmm, well, why not change pistons in the 357 motor to 9:1, put TPI on it, single turbo, paint it and have my own car.

 

So, this is just the beginning.

 

I need a big friggin turbo.

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Mobythevan sold me a TPI setup complete with megasquirt and hopefully half his megasquirt knowledge. Woohoo, road trip to Colorado to pick it up.

 

Work it baby!

 

I was pondering today about running a glide instead of a th350 as the glide will handle more power. I can build the glide to hold 750hp in the high drum relatively easily and 1200hp if I get a 10clutch high drum. I have 2 spare glides and one th350. Mind you all this is going to be a daily driver. I don't think the glide would be a problem to drive on the street though as the z is awfully light. Pondering stall in the converter and thinking about 2500 to 3000.

 

I've decided to get moser axles for the 9 inch, although I have resplined stock axles already, that way I won't worry about the rear end, besides they are only $300 a pair with backing plates and new bearings.

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Well, going to Colorado to pick up the TPI setup. Looking forward to meeting everyone.

 

Then I bought this from a hybridz member, Holset pro 52, should be here in a week or two.

 

 

Gee, I wonder how much boost I can get out of that?!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Maybe, just maybe I'll have 3 running cars instead of just 1!

 

YEEEEHAAAAAAWWWWWW!

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Well, picked up the TPI, megasquirt, wiring harness and associated goodies and got to meet bryan aka mobythevan. So that was very cool. He has some nice projects that should be wicked.

 

Checked on the tracking number and the turbo should be here Wednesday.

 

Moved my 40 foot shipping container yesterday so today I'll clean it out and start filling it with the crap in my shop so I can actually work on something. Starting to form my new shop as well.

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Well, I got my turbo today, Thanks Andrew (A6t8vw) for coming through.

 

Time to order the lift now and I got a job designing a foundation and a separate new building for the guy that owns the redi-mix concrete company in town. So I'm getting trade for some concrete in exchange for engineering design on the new building and I can get the concrete now. Stinking fantastic when a plan comes together!

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Here is the shop layout, going to be about 26' x 35' with a 20 foot apron in front. Going to put a 24" square footing with 2 #5 rebars in the bottom and a 6" slab with remesh only utilizing 3000 psi concrete. Uprights are going to be 5 - 1/5" oil field casing and cross beams are going to be 3" pipe. Got the test results back on the concrete and all three samples broke above 3000 psi at 72 hours so the 28 day strength should be around 3700psi. Pleanty good.

 

 

 

Ordered the 2 post clear floor lift today. $1640 delivered, man they are getting cheap! I decided to pour a footer around the shop and then use weld plates with anchor bolts welded to the bottom for beam placement. Then I can weld the pipe to the plates and get them straight and all the same height. Going to have a single pitched roof sloping to the back of the shop. Once the lift gets here I'll pour the slab so I can have the mount plates for the lift ready to install when I pour.

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Took the little alky 357 apart yesterday. Totally pristine condition inside except for 5 pistons, the Dart little M block looks great, what a piece of art those are. The 13:1 JE pistons are bye bye for now, going to build 9:1 compression, probably have to bore to .040 over, going with a bullet custom hyd roller cam, rework the afr 220 heads and install titanium retainers to remove some of the valve train weight. Rebalance and it'll be ready to go. Should be ready to assemble in a couple of weeks.

 

When I loaned the engine out we installed it with just an HEI, where I ran a msd7 series with a 7400 rpm rev limiting chip. He has a memory tach and before he took the engine for a swim it was taching 8200rpm according to the mem in the tach. So, the exhaust valves where kissing the pistons on 5 holes. Valves look ok, we'll see how it comes out. I think I'll replace the valves, cheap insurance.

 

I have a buddy that does aluminum fab, awesome tig welding. He's going to make me some aluminum wheel tubs. He has a plasma cutter too so that'll be helpfull cutting out the old wheel wells.

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OK, well the lift arrived this afternoon. Unloaded it with the backhoe and here it sits.

 

 

Now I can make mount plates with the j bolts welded on the bottom and all thread coming out the top to fit the lift mounts.

 

Been a rough week, I've been to alot of funerals and it's windy as all get out. Next week, I'll form and pour concrete. Since it's so nasty I've been painting the inside of the house where the new tile is down. Last week I bought the tile for the rest of the house so on bad days I can work in the house laying tile, etc.

 

I sold a TC contender pistol in .223 that had a leupold 2x scope on it. So, now that's converted into z cash. So, I'm going to order those sanderson block huggers in the 1 - 7/8 primary size to fit the afr heads. I think that will suffice for running the exhaust plumbing up to the front of the motor where it'll merge and I'll mount a T6 turbo flange for the holset turbo. I'm going to fab my own mounts so it shouldn't be that big of a deal getting the exhaust up to the front.

 

Now to start ordering Powerglide parts and a custom converter (spragless 3500 stall). I dug around the shop and found I had a Hurst PG shifter laying around so I'll use it in the z. I picked up 2 more powerglide cores the other day from a friend that gave them to me.

 

I expect the engine block, heads, new pistons, crank with new balance job and custom cam to be ready in 3 weeks. Then I'll assemble the engine, build the trans.

 

I hope the shop doesn't take that long to assemble, I have everything on hand already except for the slab, but then once the lift is in and the shop is up, I'll be ready to strip the l26, trans and rear out of the 260z.

 

I think spraying paint stripper on the car and pressure washing it should get most of the paint off. Then I'll start fabbing the roll cage and doing the frame rail supports and installing the rear rails for the 4 link. Then off to Ezell aluminum fab for the installation of the tubs.

 

The only other things I think I'll have to buy are gauges, alum rad, wastegate, misc intake piping and silicone, exhaust tubing. I think I have most everything else already laying around like greddy profec E01 electronic boost controller, Wideband O2, etc, etc.

 

I traded a 327 shortblock to Ezell for some work which inlcudes a custom aluminum fuel tank!!!

 

So the budget looks like this so far;

 

$500 TPI with megasquirt

$1050 for Holset Pro 52

$200 for Rust FREE 260 z

$2000 Engine machine work, JE pistons, Bullet hyd roller cam, lifters springs, pushrods, balancing, bearings, gaskets.

$1000 for PG parts and converter.

$300 Narrowed 9 inch rear end

$300 Moser axles

$300 Custom driveline

$300 Used Detriot Locker or the 9 inch ford

$2000 for other misc stuff (estimated)

 

So, for now thats about $7950. I'll add it up later when I know more. Painting it myself so won't have much in that either. Should be a nice daily driver! Hoping to get 900FWHP out of the motor, we'll see.

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Ok, bear with me here. This is alittle journey before we start on the z. But we'll eventually get to the z once we finish all this other stuff. In fact it's necessary to complete the z so here we go.

 

For all you SLACKERS out there, yes, you know who you are. Like Mr. larry Cole (cozy z cole) who has a job checking out hooters, or Dan (superdan) who, well, we aren't sure what he does, but it isn't much according to his wife. Then there is Ron Tyler and Braap who spend more time on the board than anyone else, so we know they are slackers.

 

I, um am not a slacker, just disguised as one.

 

I got up at 5AM today and poured 10 yards of concrete for the first half of the shop!

 

 

So, now we form the rest of the shop. I calculated that I needed 8.2 yards and ordered 10yards only to be short 1/4 yard. Friggin concrete guys, said he could get 10 yards on a single rear discharge truck. LIARS!

 

So, while your sipping your toddie or drinking your beer being a slacker, just think of this poor schmuck working his A$$ off.

 

Oh, those plates with the bolts, those are for the lift. I built them out of 1/4" steel, drilled the mount pattern on them, ran bolts up from the underside and welded them. Then I attached eight 1/2" j bolts to the bottom side by welding the nuts to the plate. There are 4 other plates, not sure if you can see them all but they are at the corners and one on the left side halfway down. They are for welding the upright 5-1/2" casings to.

[dr_hunt]

Put up the lift today, been about 4 days since I poured the first slab. Formed the second half of the shop floor and 10 feet of the apron full width. Ready for concrete next week to finish the shop floor and half of the apron. I'm going to pour the apron for use as a basketball court for my boy, he thinks he's MJ jr.

 

Putting up the lift is an experience. For those of you willing to try it, make sure you have help. Standing up the uprights isn't for the weak. Used the backhoe to lift up my boy to install the top brace cause it's so friggin high, the concrete held up fine to the 15,000lb JD410D backhoe with no cracks, chips off the corners or anything.

 

The instructions are ok, but not the best. It's doable for those with some mechanical ability and knowledge. If you can work on your z you can do this. All I have left to do is hook up the hydraulics, wire the electrical and add hyd. fluid. Getting there.

 

Got sidetracked today and picked up an '08 Sea-doo rxt 255.

 

I know, but the devil made me do it!

[dr_hunt]

This is what getting sidetracked means!

 

 

Everybody needs one of these, sea doo that is, great fun, 255HP of supercharged and intercooled OH YEAH BABY!!!!

 

Back on track now. This is what the lift looks like installed and working.

 

Was painting the floor but ran out of paint. Going to pour another 17 yards on Thursday morning. Then the shop floor and 10' of the front apron will be done. Then it's time to fab up the shop. Don't expect it to look like much, this is all used materials except for the concrete. I'm hoping to have the cheapest shop around. About $5000 including lift and concrete.

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Poured 17 more yards today, so it now looks like this;

 

 

Changed concrete companies, figured 15 yards, ordered 17 yards and had 2 extra yards!!!! Cheaper too!!!!

 

That's my migrant worker Arturo in the picture making some expansion grooves in the concrete.

 

Almost done with this part, pouring another 8 yards and then it's time to put up the shop building and get to work on the z!

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:shock: Got my sandersons today.:shock: Would post a picture but I'm having sticker shock over the invoice. They better work!

 

Pouring 8 more yards of concrete wednesday. My migrant worker got busted and shipped back to mexico. Oh, well, a buddy is going to come help me wednesday. But up 2 of the 4 corner posts this evening.

 

Took off the whole weekend to ride the Sea-doo at the lake. 72mph on a ski is friggin fast!

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Ok, well poured the other 8 yards of concrete, put up the uprights, so now it looks like this.

 

 

Ordered 8 yards and had 1.5 yards over. Oh, well, better over than short!!

 

Got alot of left over 5-1/2" casing so I'll build a shade for my 25' fifth wheel camper later on.

 

The little diesel miller welder works great for projects like this.

 

Going to move the 500 gallon diesel tank and fill that area in with some base coarse to match the rest of what I did this morning after pulling the forms.

 

Off to get some more materials when the wind quits blowing, it's doing like 35mph today.

 

Oh, and got to go turkey hunting next week, either Tuesday or Wednesday so I won't work that day either.

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Complete slacker today, put up a basketball goal for the boy, which was the main reason for the 20' apron in front of the shop, played alittle hoop with him. Lucky little turd. Going seadoo'ing at the lake tomorrow!

 

Ordered the PG parts today, got the 10 clutch high drum, vasco jet turbo spline input shaft, dual o ring servo, roller tailshaft support, transbrake and master rebuild kit with a kevlar band.

 

Working on getting and edge blower nitrous converter off ebay, we'll see.

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Finally got off center and got something done. The roof frame is up and welded. Time for C purlin, then pro panel.

 

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The engine will be back this next week, also the PG parts will be in as well.

 

So it's time to tear apart a PG and get some parts washed. I will assemble the trans and leave it on the floor in a corner. Then I'll assemble the engine.

 

I think this weekend I should put up some of the roof.

 

Getting side tracked today, have to build a motor for a local guy in town, he's bringing it over tomorrow.

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Made alittle progress. Putting up the c-purlin for the roof, have them all made already, put up more this evening when it cools off. Going to play golf at 2PM.

 

 

This is what powerglide parts look like. Roller tail shaft housing, pro tree transbrake, vasco turbo spline input shaft, 10 clutch high drum, steel hub, kevlar band, master race overhaul kit. I had the aluminum deep pan already, so now I need to machine a reverse piston and put it all together. I'll take pic's later in the week when the boy and I get started on that. So, this trans will be built to handle 1200HP and is easily done yourself for those of you who choose to run PG's.

 

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Well, finally finished up the roof joists, so now can start putting the sheet metal on the roof, then the sides. Getting there.

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Well, got the roof up finally. Been awhile. That makes a ton of difference in the rain and heat we have been having.

 

 

Now to work on the sides. Probably be here and there as I want to work on cars now, so cars it is. Besides, I can put up the walls by myself where as the roof required and additional hand to run the backhoe to raise me up and down.