Zvoiture

Lots of people make their own out of bar stock drilled and tapped. There is some explanation in the latest SPORTZ mag, and you should be able to find plenty of info by searching... steve77

Yeah, if a car can't turn 4200 r's for an hour, then somethings wrong! I have a 5-sp and I really don't feel 90+ for an hour is working anything to the extreme. It is very temperate here. Never get a frost and never goes above 90. Even with the turbo oil pump--STILL shim it and bump up the relief spring? On an older engine, would there be seal problems? Stupid ?....Where is the relief? I'm guessing IN the pump? steve77

Nothing. I never drive crazy. It's dangerous. steve77

All right! Thanks Fred....So what synthetic 40 wt should I get? steve77

Was just catching some HOT Neck-car action on SPEEDVISION. One of the only two real NASCAR races per season. It's so funny to see these guys navigate Watkins Glen! It's like these great, soft slugs or station wagons or something wallowing over the hills and around curves. They use EVERY POSSIBLE inch of the track. Still, it beats left, left, left, left...... steve77

Your are killing me with this post. I would love to come down and watch races at Laguna >>>>> Then put your butt in the car and get down here. It's only what, 15 hours? Or you could fly down here. I could even get you a donor Z you could drive up to the races in with us! (oh there's some real good grammar!) seve77

1. I don't recall ever calling anyone on street racing. It's bad, yes. But we all own sports cars.....because.....??? And sports cars are produced.....because.....???? Women have breasts.....because.....???? Maturity removes impulsiveness, not testosterone. 2. I was not RACING. I was merely cruising up a reasonably deserted highway at an off-peak hour in an automobile which has had every suspension, braking, and drivetrain-contributing part replaced. I am in greater control of the Z at this speed than my any car I have driven. I drive my LS400 at 85-90 all the time, and nobody even notices. The driver doesn't even notice!!! "Oh, wow. I'm going 90. Wonder how long I've been doing that?" In control? Sort of. Aware of road conditions? No way. Driving the Z is like pointing your finger. 3. Brand new 280 ZXturbo oil pump. This is a very simple switch which gives you considerably more oil pressure. 4. No, I did not see the oil foaming. That was just a guess. A stupid one. I seriously doubt if the crank is slapping the 'lake' and there is no water in the oil.... 5. I don't think the viscosity has anything to do with it. I also don't think heat is a factor. Once the engine gets hot, it isn't going to get any hotter. It was at operating temperature the first 5 minutes of going 4300 and driving it for 15 hours that way is not going to raise the temperature any. Likewise, once the oil has thinned down as much as it's gonna, it's not going to thin down any more. 6. I don't think temperature alone can be a factor on the operation of the sending unit itself. I suppose gradual heat rise on the contact wire could be? 7. Still, it HAS to be the sending unit. Somehow. I just can't picture modern oil (not to mention brand-new oil) causing this kind of situation in a motor. 8. The SU is also brand new. It is a NAPA, though, not a Nissan. Each brand has its fans among Z drivers and I have always found NAPA oem parts to be top-notch. 9. 4200 r's isn't extreme!?!?!? Is it? The car just starts to run good there! It is well below the yellow-line. Is it? 10. A cooler? The need for oune would suggest the oil in the pan is not the same temperature as the engine. I would think the oil would be the same temp as the engine almost immediately and stay that way. How can it get hotter than the engine? 11. Plenty of oil in the car too. My car holds 6 quarts. 12. Never did another sustained run like that again....Haven't since. The oil pressure guage still works perfectly. Don't know how accurate it is, but as I said before, it responds quickly and predictably to engine conditions. It used to be real sluggish, but put the new SU on and it practically follows the tach. Likewise, when I installed the turbo pump, all ranges took a very noticeable jump. 13. Maybe I could put fins on the pan. There has to be a certain cooling effect at 95! Speaking of which, anybody ever try those fins that go around a filter? Pretty dorky looking, but seems plausible. Did I miss anyone? Just messing with you guys and thinking out loud... steve77

Not sure...Big tracks like this are tough (to get on)....Clubs will rent Buttonwillow and Willow springs and Thunderhill and such, but LS and SP? It is nearly impossible to get info off the web sites of these places too. You pretty much need to just be 'in the know'--a regular at events, belong to a big club like POA, or just know "somebody" to get track time. steve77

No oil cooler. The ride back was plagued with traffic and CHP officers, so never did another sustained run, although a Civic and I did a little 120 for a minute... steve77

VERY NICE rattlecan job, SMG..... Back to the topic, it seems logical to have a Project of the Month and then we will have to have a Resto of the Month and then we will have to need a Modified of the Month in addition to the Daily Driver of the Month and of course the Car of the Month that we have now. So I propose again a Car of the Week. Just one. That way there will be plenty of spotlight to go around. This week a junk yard dawg, the next week a 30,000 mile garager, and next week a Chevy 305 with double 650's. Next week a sleeper. Next week a rattle-can paint job. steve77

Unfortunately, it seems at times Datsun/Nissan people are "the worst" when it comes to representing their marque at Laguna Seca. And yet there was a time when the big-horsepower GTP Nissans dominated the track during the IMSA Camel GT Championships. But that can all change! We have been in touch with Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca to establish a "Datsun/Nissan" corral for the October 4-6 U.S. Sports Car Invitational. This is an inaugural event and a historic one. This will be an extravaganza, with GTP and GT cars from the 80's and early 90's competing in sprint races on Saturday and endurance races on Sunday. The endurance races each last 90 minutes. Saturday night is an Oktoberfest at the track with German beer and brats, along with live bands. The awesome Nissan GTP cars will be racing. These cars dominated the IMSA Camel GT Championships for three years just before the demise of the series. If you have never seen these monster bhp Nissan beauties run, you've missed what Nissan racing is all about. Also in attendance will be the GTP and GT cars of Porsche, Jaguar, BMW, Mazda and Toyota. For the members who haven't seen these babies, they resemble the mighty Group C LeMans cars. Go to www.laguna-seca.com for the skinny on this great race. The deadline for purchasing the corral is 9/20. We only have to buy 20 tickets at $10 per pass. Our corral will be be near turn 2. This beats the hell out of parking on the side of a bumpy, dusty hill and walking half a mile to the track. $10 corral passes are IN ADDITION TO regular admission tickets ($40/two day pass...less for one day, etc...) There's gotta be 20 of us who would like to caravan and/or park together at this incredible event. (Some of us are going with or without the Corral!) If you are interested, contact Steve McConnell ASAP at: ZVOITURE@aol.com HURRY! Steve McConnell (with writing and organizational credit to John & Sherry) Central Coast Z Car Club 746 Via Bandolero Arroyo Grande, CA 93420 805-441-6856 FAX 805-473-5871 ZVOITURE@aol.com

Time for a drive to the coast!!! Sunday, Sept. 15. Custom House Grill on the new Avila Beach Promenade. 11 or so...Lunch at noon. If you can, let me know if you can join us. ZVOITURE@aol.com steve77

>>>>a good friend who i know and is well knowledged with Z's has had nothing but heart ache from them >>>> I have heard these rumours too and I have never purchased anything from them. I suggested them because they SEEM to have pretty straightforward pricing and options in their cattledog. I feel they are probably not much more than a large machine shop which has specialized in import engines and turned it into a fairly nation-wide commodity. It's too bad they don't have it right. steve77

Castrol GT 20-50 steve77

He doesn't want you to know his pen name. AlexanderMolesworthTaylor77

On a recent trip to the Bay area, something strange happened. Fresh oil change and filter ZX pump with maybe 10 hours on it Sending unit has maybe 10 hours on it Gauge always real consistent...moves quickly and easily to expected levels depending on driving conditions...about 1/4 up at idle, slightly under mid-way at most driving, slightly above half to 3/4 at 4-5r's... Cruising up the 101 at a sustained 90-95 mph. Not much traffic so it was going solid at 42, 4300 rpm for upwards of an hour. Oil pressure ran at it's usual slightly above half-way for an hour and then started dropping slowly. Over a span of 15 minutes or so I watched it fall to below the 1/4 position on the gauge! This is all without dropping below 4000! Temperature and all other gauges normal. I was really getting nervous and pulled in for lunch. After lunch, I checked the oil and found it completely 100%. Exactly the level it had been upon leaving my garage. What happened? steve77

Mike, there's a complete 77 here for $100. That would be a complete CAR. steve77

Mike, have you checked with Paeco? I am sure they would be very comparable to (the engine company formerly known as) ATK. Also as mentioned above, there are plenty of good Z engine builders on the West Coast. I'm not sure what you are lookin for in terms of performance...and the more liberal your goals, the more builders available, obviously. Just check around with local club members or AutoXers. There are plenty of good engine builders around here, that's for sure. Check with Paeco. steve77

That's what I thought too (2 300's and 2 240's) AND going back and reading the SportZ column a little better and one finds a very gentle segue in the first paragraph from OTC to SCCA ITS. My bad. steve77

The R33 is usually classified as the most conservative model of them all....... >>>> With the obvious exception of the G35, of course steve77

Wow, I just received my Fall2002 SportZ magazine today and it too has pix of at least 4 1st gen. Z's running in the OTC and AGAIN THERE ARE NO CAPTIONS OR NUMBER/COLOR REFERENCES to who the drivers/owners of the respective cars are! Amazing. I guess I am just supposed to automatically know who everybody is.... steve(will start paying better attention)77

How about COTWeek? Keep things moving... Everyone has a COTMonth! Kinda like having a amp that goes to 11 (everyone under 30, just ignore that...)! Spread the love around a bit. steve77

If you only subscribe to one car rag, this should be it! What a great magazine...Just got my Sept issue...Can somebody tell me which Z is who's in the Open Track Challenge pictorial? I assume one is Coffey's.... steve77

I have two visibly identical dipsticks from the same lower end (N47). I changed them today to see if one fit tighter and discovered nearly a quart difference in "H" level readings. The rubber seat seems very well fused on to the shaft on each, so I doubt any shifting. The printing/checkerboard is a teensy bit different but the interesting part is how much longer one is. The one I was using is 7 1/4" from seat to top of checkerboard. The other one is 6 7/8". That's a lot of oil! Which one is right? Anybody care to measure their dipstick for me? steve77 PS: YES I know how that sounded! Try REALLY HARD not to drag this down...

Holding a banner for 240z.org? Where's that photo>>> Yeah. I was there all day and never saw that. Who invited who? they don't complain if you are seen in another car. >>>> 2Mz's you obviously have not seen the look on my Z when I jump in the truck and drive off.... steve77