Mike W

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If you want some recommendations on a couple of GREAT mexican (not TexMex) restaurants in San Antonio, just let me know or send me a PM. My wife was born and raised in San Antonio (actually China Grove - remember the Doobie's Brothers song??) and so knows the area really well. Really looking forward to seeing everyone this coming week! Mike.

At the moment I think that we have about 5-6 cars for the proposed drive on Thursday. I suspect that we get a few more takers before then and so will plan to circle back with everyone at or around the judged car show time to lock down the final details. Looking like a "GO" right now. Mike.

Yes it is going to be hot in Austin next week. 90+ every day but humidity should be low. Fortunately the local CZOT club will be providing iced down bottled water at each major event and I believe sunscreen as well. See you all next week!! Mike.

Yes that is correct. Matsuo-san will be there along with the designed of the Z32 as well. Both will be giving presentations on their design concepts for the S30 as well as the Z32.

Zup, Fortunately I know the roads around Austin a little better than I do the ones around Branson, so very little risk that we will be on another African Safari!! How's the Flat Top project coming along?? Mike.

To all of you that are planning to attend ZCON in Austin this year, I am strongly considering putting together a local drive and would like to get some idea as to how many people / cars might be interested in joining in on this. The drive I am considering is one that I've led numerous times as part of our local club events and it seems like the best day to do this would be on Thursday. The drive is not super long, only about 80 miles or so to the destination and then about the same distance back to the hotel. The destination is a local steak restaurant call Murphys in a really small town called Winchester. There are some great driving roads getting out there and some really good Texas beef once you arrive. I would plan this so that we would arrive at the restaurant in time for lunch and be back at the hotel by mid afternoon so there would still be plenty of time to get ready for the InvaZion event later that evening. Please ping me back, either as a response to this post or a PM to let me know if you are interested in joining. Once I have a better idea of the number of interested parties, I will report back with more specific plans. Looking forward to seeing everyone in a few days!!! Mike.

ZCON registration closes in a few short days!! It's not too late! Time is running out to register for ZCON 2017. The final day to register online and guarantee yourself a spot at this year's events is June 12th. Walk-up registrations are welcome pending event availability and capacity. Events with availability include: -Judged Car Show at the scenic Oasis -Downtown InvaZion -Uprev Open House -Designer Tech Talks -Parade Laps at Circuit of the Americas -Autocross at COTA -People's Choice Car Show at COTA Meet the designers of the 240Z and the 300ZX Z32! Matsuo-san, designer of the 240Z, and Yamashita-san, designer of the Z32, will be at the convention through the week. They will also be hosting a tech talk on car design on Friday! Our sponsors did a great job in donating about $15k in raffle items. Make sure to buy some raffle tickets to enter to win some of these fantastic prizes! Volunteers are a big part of ZCON. Volunteers will receive a free t-shirt! If you are interested, please sign up here: http://signup.com/go/17JfE5 Visit www.ZCON.org to see about complete schedule information. Have any questions? Please reach out to us at info@zcon.org. Z'ya at the convention in just under two short weeks!

Personally I do not like the straps that go through the radiator vanes for a couple of reasons. First is that you risk damaging the very delicate vanes. Second I am not convinced that they provide adequate support for holding the fans, especially for the high power Spal versions. Finally I had to remove a fan from the radiator for some maintenance and when I cut the strap off I accidentally cut into the radiator vane and created a very bad leak. Admittedly my fault, but it shows that these are prone to accidents. I will also tell you that Wizard Cooling will not warranty their radiators if this fan mounting method is used. Guess that tells you something. Yes they are easy and straightforward to use but you get what you pay for. I've seen pictures of your other builds and they are all immaculate. Given what I believe is your drive to perfection, I would not skimp in this area and recommend that you go for some sort of a mounting shroud. Mike.

Guy, I believe that Z Car Depot is at least one source for the fan mounting shroud. You can find some additional info here: https://zcardepot.com/engine/cooling-heating/fan-shroud-for-electric-fans-radiator-240z-260z-70-74.html https://zcardepot.com/engine/cooling-heating/fan-electric-fans-with-shroud-radiator-1970-74.html I'm sure there are others but this was the first one I ran across. Here's a few pictures of my installation with the Wizard Cooling radiator as well as the dual Spal fans. You can see the mounting bracket they designed for me as well as how the fans mount. I've also included a drawing they did for me so that I could approve the design and dimensions before they went to manufacture it. M Wodopian 260z(drawing) (3).pdf Finally, I personally like the thermostatic control as opposed to just an on / off switch. It gives you more control over the fan operation as well as some additional features like running the fans for X number of minutes after the engine has turned off. Let me know if you need anything else. Mike.

So I can probably help you out on your electric fan question. First, what radiator are you planning to run? If stock 240, I believe that they make shrouds for electrics that will use the OEM mounting holes. My setup is different and so I can't help a lot on the mounting if its an OEM setup. On the other hand, I have tried several radiator / fan combinations and learned quite a lot from each. 1. First, if you are to go aluminum, I would stay away from the Champion brand, although a few Z colleagues that I know have sourced them recently and the finish and build quality looks to have improved significantly from my first two experiences. My colleagues' installs are also using the mechanical fan and seem to do a reasonable job of cooling. 2. Both of the champion setups I purchased came with cheap 11" no brand fans and they were not very good at keeping my engine cool (in traffic in 105 degree weather in Austin) and so I was not very happy about that. Also the fan mounting systems were very cheap and possibly damaging to your radiator. They basically used round tie wraps that were pushed through the cooling fins of the radiator and secured on the end with a plastic "button" that went over and locked onto the round tie wrap. 3. I ended up finding a radiator outfit in up state NY that basically specialized in after market, high performance, radiators with everything made in the USA. They were called Wizard Cooling. They ended up custom making a radiator for me using their own cores. Superb build quality. They even had it polished for me. They also custom made a fan mounting system (out of aluminum) that bolts to the radiator and the fans mount to it. Excellent design. 4. On the fans I ended up going with Spal, which I believe are made in Germany. They are a partner of Wizard Cooling and so they already had all of the necessary dimensions needed once I picked out my fans. They are 11" and are pullers. I believe that I also had to go with a low profile version so that I had sufficient clearance between the fan and the pulley that attaches to the water pump. These things are amazing. When they turn on, they sound like jet engines spinning up. Now I can be in 105 degree traffic and my temp gauge never goes over mid way. Needless to say I am extremely pleased with this setup. 5. Finally you will need to source some sort of controller for the fans themselves. These typically include the relays you will need to turn them on and off. Also, depending on the controller, you will need to find a place for a temp sensor, so the controller will know when to turn the fan on and off. The cheap sensors are probes which are pushed through your radiator fins. Personally I do not like these and so found an alternative place to install a sensor. I use a controller from Dakota Digital which I really like and it comes with a sensor probe that is calibrated to their SW. I ended up mounting the probe in the hole on the drivers side of the block that came from the factory with a plug in it. I believe this is used to drain the block of coolant if required. I can set the on temp, off temp, run time after engine turns off, etc and it is all electronic. I actually have it mounted in my glove box so it stays out of the wet and is accessible from the cockpit. Let me know if you need anything else. I certainly have lots of pictures of my setup so let me know if there is something you specifically want to see. Hope this helps. Mike.

@7tooZ, I also did this job some time ago. I primarily used the U Joint tool from Harbor Freight along with my large bench vise. Although they call it a ball joint tool, it works equally as well on U Joints. You can find it here: https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-motorcycle/steering/ball-joint-service-kit-for-2wd-and-4wd-vehicles-63279.html You basically need to remove the C clips so the joint if free to move in the yoke. Use the pressing tool to press it out from one side, remove the bearing cap, and then press in the other direction to remove the other bearing cap. Once you have both of them off the U Joint will just come out of the yoke. I used Spicer U Joints as replacements, and although a little more expensive than some others, they were really good quality. I used them on the half shafts as well as the drive shaft. Installation is basically the reverse of removal. You need to be very careful that the needle bearings in the bearing cap stay in place. The Spicer joints I purchased had a reasonable amount of grease in the to hold the needles in place, but you may want to add a little more just to be sure. The other thing I found is that you need make sure that when you start to press the bearing cap in place, that it is very straight. If you start off crooked, they will not go in and you run the risk of ruining a bearing. Ask me how I know!! Just make sure to install the C clips when you are done to ensure the joint stays in place in the yoke. Also the Spicer joints I purchased were greaseable, so you will need to install the grease fittings and thoroughly grease the joint before re-installing on your car. That's about it. It's not a hard job but a little tedious as you have to be very careful on re-installation of the new joint. Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. Mike.

I have the bluetooth version of the Retrosound radio and it will play over bluetooth as well as through USB. It does not need an external player. I am very happy with the performance of the Retrosound unit as well as the classic look that it provides. Don't think you can go wrong with this. Mike.

No noise from the Fidanza in neutral. Mike.

My engine is not a stroker but I am running a Fidanza aluminum flywheel which comes in around 10.5 pounds. I was a little concerned that it was going to take some getting used to when I first installed it, but it has been great. Feels pretty normal as compared to the stock setup, but the engine definitely seems to spin up faster / easier. Would definitely go this route again in another build.

So I run 225-60's on a late 260 / 280 with Eibach and Tokiko Illuminas (no coilovers). I did need to roll my rear rear fenders and will get the very occasional rub when going over large bumps but other than that have had no issues what so ever. No problems on the front at all. Mike.

Same here Steve. And Alex will definitely be here for at least a part of it. By the way, I really do think at this point that you should go for the 45's. You still have plenty if time before ZCON to get them, install them, and get them tuned!! Mike.

Zedy, I agree with you. I too cannot wait to get my car on the COTA track. Once in a lifetime opportunity. Yes we do plan to have a photographer at all of the major events. I will have to check and see if he plans to take individual shots of the cars on COTA as well as the availability of those shots. I will look into this and post an update shortly. Mike.

As far as I know this has been a part of the registration from the beginning. I just posted this now to ensure that people know that parade laps at COTA will be a part of the overall ZCON event and we believe that this is a pretty unique opportunity given the proximity of the track. Just a little PR to try and attract more people to ZCON this year! Mike.

Register today for ZCON 2017 parade laps at Circuit of the Americas! Circuit of the Americas awaits you at ZCON 2017 June 20-24 Circuit of The Americas is more than a race track – it is the only purpose-built facility in the United States designed to host the premier motorsports championships in the world, including Formula One, MotoGP, the FIA World Endurance Championship and the Tudor United SportsCar Championship. With a blend of sweeping, fast sections and tight, technical corners, Circuit of The Americas has challenged the world’s greatest drivers and riders. Circuit of The Americas — The premier destination for world-class motorsports and entertainment in the United States. Set on 1,500 acres in the rolling hills just outside downtown Austin, Circuit of The Americas has hosted the biggest names in racing, action sports and music since 2012. At its heart is a 3.41-mile racetrack that was designed to challenge the world’s most exacting competitors while providing a thrilling spectacle for audiences. The 20-turn, counterclockwise circuit takes advantage of the naturally undulating landscape, including an intimidating 133-foot hill at Turn 1 that must be seen in person to be believed. Take your Z out on this incredible circuit! ZCON 2017 has secured the facility for three hours of continuous ‘spirited’ parade laps, followed by a group photo on main straightaway from atop the legendary turn 1. Don't miss out on this incredible, once in a lifetime opportunity to take your Z out on one of the premier road courses in the World. For more information or to register visit zcon.org!

I had the exact same problem as djwarner although I run triple weber sidedrafts rather than a down draft. I ultimately concluded the same thing which was gas evaporation. My car is a late manufacture 260Z which had both the mechanical pump as well as the electric pump in the back, but the way it was wired from the factory did not allow the electric pump to actually start operating until the engine was running. So I removed the mechanical pump completely and rewired the electric pump so it turned on when my key was in the "on" position. This allows the electric pump to prime the carbs after sitting for a few days / weeks and my car now starts right up. My concern in the way I configured the system was that in the event of an accident the fuel pump would keep running and the risk of fuel being pumped all over hot engine components. So I did also install an inertia switch which will kill the power to the pump in the event of an accident.

I just tried it and it worked for me.

Here's a link to some better pictures. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10212759827574737&set=gm.1545999082108940&type=3 But if you still can't make it out it is a custom insulated drink mug. I suppose you could machine off one end and turn it into a custom exhaust tip if you wanted as well!! Mike.

Here's a sneak preview of some of the merchandise that we will have available at the ZCON convention store this year. You have to be here to get them so don't forget to register at zcon.org.

Zedy, Really looking forward to seeing you at ZCON. I actually do run a 160 thermostat in my Z and the Webers don't seem to mind the lower temp at all. Having said that, I can't say that I've run them at a higher temp for any significant period of time so perhaps I should try going higher as well. Regardless, with the 160 thermostat, the Wizard Cooling radiator, dual 11" Spal fans (which sound like turbines when they turn on), I can sit in 110 degree temps at a stop light in Austin in the summer and never see my temp gauge go past 1/2 way. Very pleased with this system. See you in June. Mike,