santamaus

As far as body fillers go, has anyone tried the Por15 filler that goes *over* the por15? http://www.por15.com/product.asp?productid=35 What do you have to say about it?

http://www.ledtronics.com/ds/aut1157/ Perhaps more expensive than you're looking for--but they do seem to have everything. And here's another one: http://www.superbrightleds.com/led_prods.htm

Gran Turismorator You scored -22% !

Dunlop Sport A2. Not too expensive, pretty sticky (don't expect high mileage), and you can get them in somewhat old tire sizes (i.e. -- you won't need a 17" rim running 40 series tires!). http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=SP+Sport+A2 If I remember correctly, they were the stickiest thing I could find in a 195/70R14. Unless you're driving 20k miles a year, the wear shouldn't be a problem, and by the time the tread is worn out, the rubber will probably be old enough you should change it anyway!

Tens of thousands? Hmm.. If I were to build the engine using no parts I currently own, how much more would building a stroked turbo engine cost versus building an L28 turbo engine? I still need a block, crank, pistons, rods, head, valves, cam, etcetera--it's only a matter of size. If I want good, rock solid performance out of it, I'm going to want to balance it either way. As far as pieces go, I need no more pieces for a 3.1L stroker than a stock L28 (well, other than another 300cc!). If I use a turbo, again, I still need the same extra pieces for either displacement engine. So... where am I missing the extra cost? If I were to go locate a 280zx turbo motor, and snag that and drop it in, I could see where the used motor is going to be cheaper, but if I'm tearing it down and detailing all the pieces, where is the difference apart from a little more block machining? Please understand, I'm not trying to be difficult. I just do not see any real diffence between tearing either engine down, machining either for proper balance, and putting them back together again. Apart from crazy pipe dreams like dropping a Q45 engine, an RB, or an XJ12 motor in there, I'd like to keep the L6 motor in there, I'd like to pull as much power out of it as I can, and I'd like it to last until I'm tired of driving Zs. Since both more displacement and better cylinder filling both contribute to better power, and they aren't mutually exclusive, building one monster engine seems to make the best sense. Besides, we can't let Rebello have all the fun, can we?

What sort of compression would you want on a turbo motor to allow it to take less than optimal (say, 89 octane) pump gas? If you wanted to build a 3.1 stroker turbo, what choice of parts would you go for? Most of the 3.1 builds seem to have a fairly high (9.5+) compression ratio, which doesn't seem to be a good idea for a forced induction motor. I would definitly like to keep an L6 core in the car, and have toyed with the idea of building a 3.1, but they all seem to be normally aspirated. Why not go the full route, and drain every last bit out of the engine that is possible (without putting a bomb in the front of the car!)? I don't have any problem with Nissan parts from something else, like the obvious diesel crank and alternate pistons, but I obviously need to do something other than shim the hell out of the head to lower the compression a bit. Also, for added complexity and cost, anyone know of the twin turbo L6 that's on the site? Quicker spooling would obviously be nice. Also--I think I remember seeing a supercharger for the L6 a while back--anyone have a lead on that? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

On top of the Civic blower--has anyone tried to transplant the entire A/C system or heater core from a civic into a Z? Chris

Thanks for the replies! Chris

I had a rather pleasant drive up route 32 next to the Delaware river yesterday, the first good road I've found in the northeast. I live in NYC, and the hour drive to route 32 is not too much of a deterrent. That being said, what other good roads does anyone in the NE know about? Good is, fairly twisty, road surface in decent condition, not too many towns/driveways/people, fairly long, and also not an over abundance of police, er, protection. Not trying to raise any ire, I am not looking to drive like a maniac anywhere, or get anybody killed, but I think you understand the roads I mean. If anyone's been up highway 1 out of San Francisco, you know that most cars can't (and won't) drive anywhere close to the speed limit, and trying to do so is a definite challenge (even somewhat for a motorcycle!). So, if you know of a fairly unused, good condition road that is a good drive, with some moderate challenge, that driving it at a challenging pace won't land you somewhere without a driver's license should those flashing lights find you, I'd like to hear about it.

I recently started converting my brakes over to drilled rotors, higher friction pads, steel lines, etcetera. Trouble is this--the front hub and disk seem to be well connected, and in fact, seem to split in the middle, as opposed to having the hub be one piece which fits through the disk. Any thoughts on separating these two pieces without damaging the hub? I could really care less about the disk, as I have a replacement, but the 240z hub seems to be a hard/impossible to find piece, and I can't destroy it with cave man deconstruction techniques in an attempt to get it free. I also have no garage, and so all repair work must be done inside of a day, so I can reassemble and park it. Any ideas would be appreciated, either to separate the hub from the disk (I believe they are stock 240 pieces, and they just appear to be one piece--I tried removing the four bolts inside the disk, and needless to say that didn't help), or a source to just get new hubs. VB doesn't list them, and MSA has them as discontinued/limited availability pieces.

http://www.carxpressions.com/interior/tenzo_sport_seats.htm These the same things?

Your registration might be your title. New York registration has either "transferable" or "nontransferable" printed on it. The "transferable" type is the title. They then allow you to have a photocopy of the registration in your vehicle, as the original *is* the title, and signing the back of it constitutes transfer of the vehicle's ownership. Chris

Not to be rude, but pretty much everyone here is a prospective buyer. How much? I'd probably buy it for $15! Hell, I'm in NY--it'd be worth the bus fare to come get it sight unseen for that, besides, I could visit a friend of mine down there... However, you might actually get some real interest if you posted at least a couple of pictures--it was restored 14 years ago after all, a simple little sheet metal vehicle can positively dissolve out here on the east coast in that time. Any rust? You might have a gem, or you might have some flawed coal--how about some real info?

Wedge the cam sprocket with a screw driver or socket extension against the cam guide. It's on there pretty tight, but it'll come free. Don't forget to mark where the cam chain goes on it, and how it's aligned to the camshaft (because that'll turn by the time you get it back on!), so that you can assemble it easily. Also!! Do not forget to wedge the cam chain in place so that it doesn't fall into the engine case, or you're looking for a really long weekend. Good luck! Chris

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=SP+Sport+A2 I've had these on my Z for a while, and I'm pretty happy with them. They're nice and soft, and get pretty good traction. Wet traction isn't bad, when it gets really cold out, and the rubber hardens up they aren't so good, but I haven't found a tire that really likes it when it's below freezing. They are also pretty inexpensive. Definitely worth checking out. I got them originally because they were one of the very few performance tires available in 195/70/14s. I believe the treadwear isn't that great, but since you should replace the rubber before it gets hard, and they're inexpensive anyway, it's not really a problem. Compare with high performance motorcycle rubber, and you'll feel like you're stealing them! Anyway, give 'em a go! Chris PS... looked around a little on tire rack, read this page: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=Winter+Sport+M3 Don't fit the 14" rims, but they make them for 15"s and up. No experience with them, but they sound pretty nifty!

MSA makes a pretty good dual 6x9 box that screws into the plastic rivet holes under the rear hatch. It fits fairly tight and doesn't vibrate. I put my amp under the driver seat--no problems so far. You can run all the wires under the vinyl--and, if you cut back some of the padding, you can still have the vinyl lay flat. Fitting a modern stereo is not so easy (unless someone's found a decent box that mounts in the old head unit's space). As for the subwoofer, I've seen a picture somewhere on this site where someone replaced the spare tire with a subwoofer enclosure, and added some space for spare tools. Although--truth be told, the Z is so small, the pair of 6x9's are plenty loud enough. All they really need to battle is the exhaust note, which is up to you how much you insulate the interior or muffle the exhaust. Good luck! Chris

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/led/led.htm http://www.led.net/datasheets/auto_index/auto_index.htm There are both of these for LEDs. The reviews I've read have been sort of mixed--they're bright, but very unidirectional. I downloaded a video from LEDtronics, that looks pretty good, so perhaps I'll try those. They are pretty expensive--$40.00 to $80.00 depending on color. Admittedly, they'll almost never burn out, so I'm saving in the very long run, but it's still a little bit of a pill to swallow at the get go. Does anyone know if the Z's turn relay is the old thermal type (where resistance matters, I believe), or the new electronic type? It'll probably make a difference with the LEDs. Thanks, Chris

Does anyone use/or have you found, but not used, any halogen or xenon or otherwise high output, near stock wattage replacement bulbs for the tail lights, reverse lights, and marker lights for the Z? My manual lists the stock wattage at 7W/23W for the tail lights, the side markers are 7.5W. Would like something brighter, without going to a high output LED, for two reasons: don't want to overload the system with high wattage bulbs, and don't want the directional of the LED. Thanks, Chris

What sort of benefits/problems are inherent with a lost spark ignition system? Has anyone here used the SDS ignition? What sort of trouble and/or success have you had with it? Did you combine it with their fuel injection? With another fuel injection? Thanks in advance, Chris

**just refreshing the thread**

Finally got the pictures up... any ideas? Thanks, Chris

Ok... cleaned all the contacts, and no difference. I took the cover off, and watched it while the car was running. There are two electromagnets in there, one on the bottom, the green one, and the one on the top, which is copper. The top one has the little flap that allows it to contact twice for some reason. Left to themselves, the green one does nothing, and the copper one stays shut, regardless of charge voltage (which increases with engine speed), or anything else. If I manually close the green one, the copper one opens, and the voltage across the battery stays constant. Thanks for any help, Chris

Hey-- Been having a bit of power fluctuation and high reading amp gauge. I pulled the voltage regulator, but I can't see any adjustment screws (like the stock unit in the manual). Is there some sort of adjustment? All the solders look good, and have continuity. The first and second pins have continuity with each other, as do the third, fourth, and sixth. The fifth pin has continuity with both of the first systems when you press the two springs down, and alternates between them depending on which spring goes down, so all the connections seem good. Could the resistor be bad? What is its rating? I'm going to try cleaning off the pins and seeing if that helps, perhaps a little bit of corrosion or gunk in there is causing trouble. When the lights are on, I can usually drain enough to keep the ammeter from getting all the way to +15 (which is good, since it likes to blow a fuse about then). Any ideas? As soon as the pictures get approved, they'll be in my gallery. Thanks in advance, Chris NEW: 09/06/03 Sorry to bug you all with this, but I haven't gotten any answers, and so I might need to buy a new voltage regulator. So, new question--I have a '72 with a L26 swapped in. I'm fairly certain it's the original '72 wiring harness. Do I need a regulator from a 240 or a 260? Is there a difference between the two? Different plug/activation or cuttoff current? Thanks again, Chris