CoastGuardZ

Justin, They make a gasket scraper which doesn't work any different than the glass scraper that mike said so take your pic and maybe you've got one kicking around. As far as how to stop it from going into the cylinders... not a whole lot you can do. Just take your time... the good thing is the cylinders are closed off by the pistons so when you're down grap a shop vac and kinda suck any of the crap out that got down there. Did the motor overheat when the gasket blew? If it did you should check to see if the head is warped. Also remember to use new head bolts. Have fun, Nate P.S. What's a sigma?

One of the funniest I've seen in a while!

Well Mike, I personally don't see why anyone who comes to this country by illegal means and not following the proper procedures should be allowed to stay. But all I can do is clinch my teeth and say "Aye Aye, Sir". Our biggest problem lately has been Haitians... we had 204 on deck at one time on our last patrol that we took off a sinking 65 foot boat! Less than fun especially when we take them back to Haiti.

The guy who said it... Lone Star and i think he was the Han Solo wanna be character. Nate

The answer is ... Dot Matrix (like the printer) Nate

This is where I chime in with my opinion. I have never raced an automobile in a sanctioned event, only in small local events where the only prize is bragging rights until the next weekend. On the other hand while growing between 11 and 16 I raced Go-Karts in the WKA South Carolina and National Series event. Starting in the ~45mph Jr. Restricted Sprint Class and ending in the ~110mph 135cc Enduro lite class. I've raced on dirt and asphalt, oval and road course. I have seen films on "drifting" and in no way can consider it racing or even a sport. At best I will group it into an exhibition category. The "look at me" crowd. The same fellas with the picnic table spoilers and fart-can exhaust, the pants falling off and the hat's on sideways, the thousands of dollars in performance parts to make a car faster and then tossing in 200 pounds of stereos, speakers, amplifiers, televisions, DVD players and playstations. As far as I can say about "drifting" is that it is not new. It has been around since man decided to whip a car around turns at speed. It has simply been known as "loose" and no one thought it to be so great as to do it on their own accord. In racing this happens and you know your chassis is a hair too tight. This "drifting" will take a bit longer to pass than the goofy mini-truck phase but it will pass. And all I have to ask is the same requested of all exhibitions of speed, keep it off the streets. It has a place and Main St. is not it. Sorry I am now stepping off my very opionated soap box. To answer the question initially imposed I do not see why a Z wouldn't make a fine "drifter", if that should be your cup of tea. Also... There is a magazine out there called Grassroots Motorsports, and in the January issue there was a write up on the 240sx's. The thing that caught my eye was people using the KA24 motor turbocharged and getting 400+ horsepower. An interesting read. www.grmotorsports.com Nate

Personal best on helicopter game 684 Nate

Quoting the Dictionary... so simple yet ingenious! Nicely done Carl. Here, here. Nate

Now you guys can see what I have to deal with Nate

As I'm reading through this I decided I've just got to jump in. Yup, here it goes... "Why the Z is a Classic according to a guy who's been searching for the right one" Seriously... I'd hate, yes hate, to see the Z grouped together with automobiles of the likes as Fords Model T, Buggati's Type 43, and (sorry Carl) Dusenbergs. The deal is, these are all great cars and made their mark on the industry in many wonderful ways but if they had their choice they would not hang out with the Z on the weekend. Putting it to music, these cars are listening to NPR and the Z is cranking the local Classic Rock stations. Both stations are classic each in their own right but one rocks out a whole lot more than the other. From the moment the Z was put up for sell she bacame a classic. Damn near impossible to obtain, more demand than supply, Affordable, smooth sexy sleek lines, a stout engine, rock solid manufacturing, and a simplicity to be reckoned with. Not gawdy in any way. Over 34 years later they get looks comments and recognition any where they go. Ever been in a Z pulled up to a light and the fellow next to you in the Mustang GT or Z28 gives a rev and a nod? This guy does this out of pure recognition of the Z as a true sports car. People know them. "Hey that's a Z." , "Look at that Z car honey." Classic? Lines, power, performance, recognition, quality, and a following that stretches continents. My 2 cents Nate

Great idea but i'm only alloted so many days for travel and reservations have already been made... I thought about it before too! If I don't have one by years end then I'll be taking a road trip out that way. Nate

owenk I was in California back in 98 for about 5 months. While I was there I managed to make it out to Sears Pointe for the Annual Good Guys car club show and drag race. A lot of beautiful american iron there... too bad no Z's I'm only going to be in town for 12 days but if I get a chance I'm going to try and do a little snowboarding in the mountains. Last time I went to tahoe and when I got there I'm like heck might as well check out Reno too. Had a great time at both! Take it easy, Nate

Hey Carl, I fly in to SFO Monday afternoon and will be going directly to the base in Petaluma. As it stands now I plan to rent a car on Friday or Saturday to keep for the weekend so if we can get together for some wrench turning, bs'ing and/or a pint or so that would be great! You can PM me a number and the best time to get a hold of you and I'll give you a call. Hope to hear from you. Nate

Thanks Chris. Yeah, I'm starting to really give a 3.1 stroker some serious thought. Heck, if the cars gonna look mean it better deliver. But, back to the bumpers. I've also been searching some previous posts and it's starting to sound like the bumpers are interchangeable as long as you swap the brakets too. If you swap the bumpers and brakets what else will need to be swapped? Will there be huge holes left in the body where the old brakets came through? The final outcome of my Z will be a not 100% original car but be better than they came from the factory. Not a Concours de' Elegance winner but a concours winner at any Z show... look out guys here I come. Even if it takes $30,000 and 10 years to complete! Thanks again, Nate

Well I've found a Z and the wife says okay if it's in decent enough shape. But there is always a catch. It's a 73. I've been looking for a 70-72 because I know they are everything I want and i know that all cars in 73 in the USA had to meet certain crappy guidelines. Now the carbs don't bother me because the end result won't include stock carbs anyway, but the bumpers do. How much do the bumpers differ between 72 and 73? Can pre-73 bumpers be used on a 73? What other differences were there in 73? I love the look of the slim bumber with the two bumper "guards" was it the same in 73 with just different mounts? How much is the price of tea in china? Thanks for your time and patience. Nate

Dan, It was nowhere in my original plans at all, but you may have just talked me into building a stroker! Great, now I've got even more parts to track down. What head are you running? Did you shave any on your head or are you running it at stock height? Also, what route did you go on your cam? Stock? Or aftermarket? Any lifts / durations that you suggest or have heard work well? Thanks, Nate

By the way I'd like to award Dan Baldwin with 20 points for using the word "metalurgically" in a sentence! Nate :beard:

Jeff, Hey if you want to give 'em up I'll defintely take them both, and I appreciate the offer. I'll PM you with my question though. Dan... I am definetly impressed everytime I see your rwhp number. I don't think I'm looking to go stroker right now, but....hmmmm. I appreciate everyones input on this as I am compiling a small database of this info, opinions and other misc. wordings. I have also been creating a quite the links page. and damn, 15:1. that's pretty high, do you think avgas would do the trick?!? By no means am I trying to end this thread, I am still very interested in everyones knowledge and opinions. I might just be in the market for a LD28 crank now:beard: Thanks again, Nate

You guys are great! Thanks for all the input. Right now I'm having problems loading the Z garage, but I do rember seeing it before and noting the amount of info kept there. Let's talk rods. Were all L28 Rods '75 all the way to the turbo ZX's the same? Were any heftier or were they all the same? Is the L28 known for any bottom end problems? It's alway nice to keep rotating mass down so if there were lighter stock l28 rods that can put up with the abuse of a hefty right foot and 225-275 HP I'm sure that would be the way to go. Thanks again! Nate

Thanks guys. It's always good to hear from you Zmefly! How's things up in PA? Drinking plenty of the Yuengling to stay warm? Alright so hear it goes... again. Did all ZX's, turbo or NA, have the F54? And how about heads? Am I correct in assuming that the P90 was a turbo head? So wouldn't it be a lower compression head? Personally I'm subscribing to the idea of squeezing it as tight as possible to make power... as of yet I'm not wanting to boost...yet. Was the N47 the stock 75-78 L28 head? Was the N42 the L26 head? Does anyone have any links that may give the whole breakdown on this? Thanks Nate the Confused:stupid:

HMMMM, Looking for info... I will probably be building an engine before I get a Z do to the fact that I have pretty much decided to go with a 2.8. I MUST have a 240... but do to the power i want I feel it will be better to go with the L28. Now falling back on my shadetree small block Chevy days my thought process is... no replacement for displacement, and make her squeeze tight (10.5:1) slight overbore on the block ~.030, Shave the head a bit ~.030ish, Flat top pistons. I used that handy dandy lil' program from our Aussie friends (damn that's cool) and what I gather the L28 came with the N47 head, dished pistons, and about 8.3:1. So I start adjusting and get L28 block, crank, rods, N47, FELPRO gasket, .060 over and Flat tops with 10.4:1. Which is where I want to be, I think. Now on the chevys .060 could start to be a culprit of high running temps. Is that true here also? Where does one get .060 flat tops from? Is the chamber big enough on the N47 to run 10.5:1 with large twin carbs or even triples? I plan on going mild to aggressive cam, plenty of carb, and headers. I'd like to have 200-225hp. When it's all said and done it'll have a 5spd, LSD, and hopefully pull high 12's if not better. What do you guys think? Am I on the right track? Aren't there multiple L28's out there? I assume the turbo blocks were different. Are they better for building? How about heads? N47 E31 E88 P79 P90 What's the deal? Biggest quetion is Am I on the right track? Whats worked for ya'll? Thanks, Nate:cross-eye