tooquick260 Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 How does that mirror attach? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share Posted August 25, 2014 (edited) I'm kinda screwed not having a forward portion of my roll "cage." A cage is the best thing to mount mirrors to, not only the middle mirror, but also the side mirrors where they are out of the wind. My plan is to epoxy it to an extra stock mirror that I got at the junk yard. It may look ghetto, but it should be removeable that way if I don't like it. It should snap right into the stock mirror clip. Still working on a plan for convex side mirrors, but I have until late Oct to figure it out. 273 hp out of an L6 is plenty badass. You earned that hp-I just bought a motor and made it fit. Edited August 25, 2014 by RebekahsZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted September 7, 2014 Author Share Posted September 7, 2014 Looks like we lost some posts during the blackout. Truck shit its bearings on the dyno and motor had to come back out. Looks like builder didnt clean up well enough when putting bearings in or perhaps he left the old oil pump in. Unless he slivers it to me this week I'm gonna be hunting for a truck for next weekends event. When I went to get car aligned, a slightly loose inner tie rod was found as well as a loose rear wheel bearing. These will get fixed before Z Nationals when Im pounding curbing but I'm not pulling it apart this close to a straight line event. That damn steering rack was just purchased as a rebuilt. Maybe not rebuilt, maybe just new billows and a shot of rattle-can paint(?)! I have fought the wheel bearing for years and have decided to swap out the whole strut as the wheel bearing must not be seating properly. Went to local yard and pulled a strut (I worship the guy who invented the spindle pin puller). Will finish tearing it down this week and get it to a machinist to make sure it isn't worn out to. Then to section it for my konis. I have a month to get that done. Would be easier with my truck...I sure thought 2-1/2 months would be enough for that project. Batter boards are up for my new 30x30 shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted September 7, 2014 Author Share Posted September 7, 2014 Tooquick260-your 273 could easily overtake me, simply by being a better driver. I'm very inexperienced and have only been on a road course twice in my life. And there was very little traffic either day. I don't know anything about passing on a point by, nor do I like to tailgate. The traffic for Z Nats is my biggest concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted September 15, 2014 Author Share Posted September 15, 2014 Z went 148 in the standing 1/2-mile and was a crowd pleaser. Was not the fastest Z car there, that belonged to Ken Shupe in a beautiful sleeper LS6 75 280z. Truck is out of the shop. Feels very soft after driving the Z all weekend: soft springs, vague steering, soft clutch pedal, cable throttle as opposed to DBW on the Z. All in all, I guess I thought it would be as nice as the Z, and it's not. But everything works and it hauls ass. I think I'm gonna have to get used to the new normal. Getting the filthy thing detailed today. Then we start getting ready for Z Nats converting the drag Z to a road race Z in less than a month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted October 18, 2014 Author Share Posted October 18, 2014 Added Z Natioals track day to this years resume. Thats two events in a row that required no repairs when i got home. Drove car to work on road racing slicks but hope to get street tires back on it this weekend since my truck is back in the shop and i will be dailying the Z for a couple weeks. Gonna start cleaning up garage tomorrow to put car on jackstands for the winter. May try to do one more event of some kind on Veterans Day weekend then pull her down for upgrades. Bought all my fire safety gear, a new helmet, HANS and arm restraints in prep for the Ohio Mile in June or July. Hardly any draf racing this year, but iIt's been a good year doing other things instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socorob Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 What Hans do you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted October 19, 2014 Author Share Posted October 19, 2014 I was at the safety shop at AMP called Discovery Parts. The owner spent TONS of time with me an we trial fit everything I bought (you can't do that mail-order). For example I have two different sized feet! My right is an 11 in racing shoes and my left is a 10. In street shoes, I get by with 10s, but the 10 in a racing shoe was killing my right foot. Enough of that... We tried on the HANS-I, which is carbon fiber $995, it fit pretty good. Then I tried the plastic HANS-II $595. I felt guilty, but the HANS-II pinched my neck. I adjusted the pads and tried pretty hard to get happy with it and I just couldn't. So, I dropped the big bucks. I have a terrible neck from a fall when trying to teach my daughter to do back-handsprings "watch this!", and I don't exercise to try to strengthen it like I know I should. With the extra weight of a helmet, I feel very vulnerable, like one of those bobble-head dolls. So I just dropped the coin and went to work to make the money to pay for it.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted October 21, 2014 Author Share Posted October 21, 2014 (edited) [sharedmedia=videos:videos:248] [sharedmedia=videos:videos:247] [sharedmedia=videos:videos:246][sharedmedia=videos:videos:244] [sharedmedia=videos:videos:238] 2014 year in review: Z Attack, Nissan North American Headquarters, Nashville, TN Drag racing, Jakes Dragway, Moulton, AL Wannagofast.com, Georgia 1/2-mile, Heaven's Landing Airport, Clayton, GA Z1, Z Nationals track day, Atlanta Motorsports Park (AMP), Dawsonville, GA Upgrades: AZC 4-piston disc brake kit, front and rear. Extra set of rotors, street pads and race pads Koni single-adjustable shocks 6-point NHRA spec rollbar Kirkey Aluminum seats Rear BAMF fender flares 28X9 Hoosier bias ply drag slicks for 1/8-mile 15X8 Weld ET drag rear drag wheels 275/15/60 MT ET Street drag radials for landspeed 275/40/17 Hoosier A6 for autocross and R6 for track days. Edited October 21, 2014 by RebekahsZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NgoZ Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Some nice footage you have there Keith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted October 31, 2014 Author Share Posted October 31, 2014 On the way back from AMP, my freshly LS swapped S10 tow truck started to have lifter tick. I did a vitals check and noted that oil pressure had dropped from 40 to 25 at cruise. Did an oil change to 20W50 in Advance Auto parking lot (which brough oil pressure back up to 40) and limped it on home. Took truck back to the builder who did the engine build and swap. Seems engine shit it's THIRD set of bearings and scored the crank. O-ring on oil pickup was cut but technician isn't sure that he didnt cut it when trying to remove oil pan with motor in truck. So, engine is torn down and block is at machine shop to be magnifluxed looking for a possible cracked block with the crack possibly located at an oil passage (?). If no crack, the o-ring gets the blame. Engine swap from hell. Daily driving the Z, but keys to tool box on trailer (which has my jacks in it) is in the truck, so I'm daily driving on my Hoosier race rubber with racing brake pads! Got the bad news on the truck motor today so he's FedEx-ing my trailer keys to me so I can get off these mega dollar race slicks. Looks like I may be daily-ing the Z for another month. Funny, I have no defined memory of replacing the oil pick up o-ring on the Z's LS when I switched to the F-body pan. I sure hope I did! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooquick260 Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 So was the o-ring the smoking gun? That sure sucks. We are putting the Z back together with rod bearings being the culprit. Got the higher pressure oil pump this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98blackbell Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 Sorry to here Keith. Glad you made it home. (Note to self, put trailer hitch on Z for back up tow vehicle.....lol) I know we tried the thicker oil to make it thru the Z nationals even but the bearings where hurt to much. I drove down to Orlando for issues at the house and will help quick get the z running again. Got here at 11pm and worked on Z until 2 am. Getting back on it early this am before the Septic guy and the electrician show up. Yeah have a sh%Ty situation here.....lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted November 8, 2014 Author Share Posted November 8, 2014 Tires, alignment, brake pads and rotors all swapped to be ready go to strip tomorrow for last blast of the season. Now the lower hinge mounting for the drivers door is acting like the metal is fatigued and cracking. I'll try to have it patched up this winter, but it looks like I'm about two winters from a paint job (dreading that). This old body is so hammered and tired! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted November 9, 2014 Author Share Posted November 9, 2014 (edited) Popped my first little wheelie at the track yesterday! Mantic ER2 clutch, 3.54 gear, MT ETDrag 28x9 at 17psi, 4000 rpm on the 2-step. Having trouble posting pic and video taken on my buddy's phone. Looks awesome in the pic, but from the video, it just looks like I hit a little speed bump! Kinda like a little frog hop. But it was both front tires for sure! Had two other smaller wheelies on the five passes we made. Was in line with the 2-step turned up to 4500 and 15psi in the tires when the car in front of my left big pieces of engine and oil all over the track. It was gonna be a BIG clean up, so we got out of line and came on home. Car was not as fast on the 28s as on 26s. Not only was it dead-hooking off the line, it was bogging a bit on shifts. Either I'm down on power, or 3.54s and 28s plus tons of VHT on a perfectly prepped track is just too much for my modest 400hp. We walked the track before racing started-the surface was amazing. Edited November 10, 2014 by RebekahsZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted November 23, 2014 Author Share Posted November 23, 2014 Floor of new 30X30 garage got poured on Thursday. Spent the weekend texting back and forth with builder on how to frame the garage out, hoping to start on that tomorrow. We had a face-to-face today and got several issues worked out. But, we are having trouble figuring out if we can have 10' walls (which will allow use of 2X4 studs) allowing roof pitch to get us the 12 feet we need for maintenance lift clearance, or if we need to start with 12' walls (which will require 2X6 studs). Even though it will cost more, I'm hopeful that we will achieve consensus on 12' walls with a less aggressive pitch on the roof. He's conscious of cost, but I want my dream shop to be realized without regrets or excessive compromises. Builder and I agreed to postpone framing until we understand things a little better. He will meet with truss company rep tomorrow to better understand his options with the roof and how it will tie in to the walls. Starting to wish I had hired an architect. Meanwhile, I'm still dailying the Z waiting for my truck to get finished. Argh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted December 1, 2014 Author Share Posted December 1, 2014 Garage is framed; waiting on trusses. The 30X30 shop seems both huge and small, all at the same time. The shop called Friday and said re-re-rebuilt motor is ready to go back in the truck; hoping to pick it up Friday. Then-I can tear into the Z for the winter-I'm SO ready. Still unclear why truck has lost oil pressure TWICE. Lots to do on the Z and it seems that every year I get a late start. Ordered shortened steering wheel adapter today to improve poor arm positioning that was identified at AMP during Z Nationals. Ordered Mooneyes wheel discs, a jig and dzus tab parts to get started on my landspeed wheels. First major event is May 2-3, Hot Rod Top Speed Challenge at Wilmington, OH. Hoping to get a few passes toward my ECTA licenses. Then, I hope to return to ECTA June 6-7 to try to set a class record. Lots to do, but I can't start until my other vehicle is back. Oops, forgot: I have to take my Z to my fabricator before I put it on jacks. The inner door skin has fatigued and cracked, so I gotta get that patched up before my driver-side door falls off: #oldcarproblems (I know I'm too old to be doing #s). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted December 8, 2014 Author Share Posted December 8, 2014 Truck is back and seems good. Shop owner had one of his guys take the car home to put some shake-down miles on it. He hit a dog. It only took out the front valance, which is plastic, so I have that to fix. And the typical hose clamp left laying on the inner fender, and the radiator not completely filled. Other than that its awesome. Heat works and a/c seems to work, but it's winter so Im not sure how we it works, but it de-fogs the windshield so I know the compressor is working. Would like to tear into the Zbut my wife's van goes into the body shop for a fender bender thanks to Rebekah backing into my trailer, and my younger daughter has a low-speed head on collision and bent up her jeep pretty bad. She is ok, so who cares about the car, but I'm gonna still be daily-ing the Z for at least a couple more weeks. As usual, it's gonna be a lot of all-night thrashes to be ready for ECTA in May. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted December 14, 2014 Author Share Posted December 14, 2014 Just found the limits of the AutoZone clutch the LS conversion guy installed in my truck. Tried a second gear burn out on dry pavement. That's a no-go: slipped like a mother. That will be the first project when I get the lift installed in the new garage: performance aftermarket clutch kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted December 17, 2014 Author Share Posted December 17, 2014 Since my Z is now required day to take me to work, I can't get started on winter mods yet. Argh! Just booked a week at Sandals St Lucia with the wife: investing a little so that as soon as I have something to drive, the all- weekend thrashing can begin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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