Chino 240Z

I lied, one more good laugh! Let's see here....the count is: Criminals: Mrs. Chino (don't tell her) Mr. Chino e-racer1999 240ZX (Rebel without a cause) ZMAN525 (Shove it if you don't like my damn noise!) ZRUSH (must be with a hot rod like that! ) 1972ZED panchovisa (especially you!) sblake01 (retired) INF (Boggled U.S. Citizen) Alfadog Go240Zags (I live in a Van down by the river!) jmortensen (Breakin the law! Breakin the law! TRD) Ed (lurking deep inside) beandip (Not Gary) Pennyman (most likely) DatsunZGuy (the root of all evil, just look at my avitar!) seerex (if it's fun count me in too!) Bambikiller (it's my name and killing bambi is my game) Non-Criminal: TomoHawk (Innocent until proven guilty) :stupid: how is that 240ZX? :rambo:

Back pedaling Tomo. NO charity point was being made. I was just pointing out the fact that a normal everyday driver is now put into an illegal activity group because of vehicle preference. And it is people putting constraints on others because they can... is it okay? What's next? You have to stay involved so your freedoms aren't taken away. Good point sblake01, crazy battles every day! Done with this thread, gotta get back to the everyday battles I can win. :classic:

You've got to be kidding me Tomo! You've just put my wife in your classified group. Mrs. Chino donates her time to elementary schools classes, attends church weekly, is a registered nurse that gives care to all types of people (one day maybe you). She's white, blonde, cares for all animals, children, intelligent dressed people and not so intelligent dressed people (like myself), AND she once a month races the wheels off a 240Z as a hobbie. But guess what? she has race stickers on her Astro Van, and the hood of her Pontiac Formula has a fuel pressure guage sticking out. NO she doesn't street race, and all the mods to our cars have only help our vehicles live past any factory warranty. People with ideals like you want her vehicles impounded, hassled, and hey lets all dress like a Tomohawk so we look smart, what ever the hell that looks like? YOu know what? You are lucky I don't make the laws and run this country cause your type of character is the type I would have to put up with the most. Until I got tired of it and put a sticker on you and have the police ship you out! Funny thing is, I don't expect you to even understand why? Do all cops know the difference in an illegal street racer and a dedicated NASCAR fan with race stickers? If I send you a sticker would you be brave enough to put it on your vehicle? It reads "RACERS AGAINST STREET RACING". You just don't get it, do you? You can't put a label on the street racer, because it is all types of people, in any types of cars, with mods or not. There are 2 facts here. 1) There are people who break the law using a vehicle. 2) There are people who want more control of you and I, and are trying to do it by controlling what you drive! PAL, this is not freedom! I'll be DAMNED if I let some yahoo take such freedoms away as these! It is insane not to think so too! What's next? They don't like the color you paint your house, so they cite you or arrest you? Hey buddy, it's happening! Chino

I have ARP up front with wheel spacer. I think Summit had them for $15-20 a set, or something. Still have stock length on back but was able to push replacement through hole made for cooling duct. That method worked for me.

Yahoo! Here comes some fun seat time. Looks sensible to me!

I don't have alot of experience with vapor lock, but did run in 105-110* temps then pitted and turned off car, thought I boiled fuel in fuel bowls from the sitting heat. Little later wouldn't start? Went home early that day thinking floats out of whack, possible vapor lock. But silly me, while I was working under the hood I accidently pinched the fuel bowl vent closed and learned that it no likey! With out a good vent to the bowls the fuel comes pouring out the carbs down all over the hot exhaust. (no flames, I was lucky) Guess getting too hot could possibly be a fuel problem but while moving fast should be enough air flow under the hood and fuel consumption to not let new fuel get too hot to vapor lock it? It can get pretty hot, July 2nd at WSIR we measured 112 to 115* in car temp on the Ultra lap timer. :eek: We started and stopped the car a dozen times making driver changes then right back out again, and again... no problem with the heat. Craig Just to be sure no heat issues, I have installed a heat shield the entire headed area, a 3" air duct directed into header area under the shield, and the original NISMO header is getting JetHot coated right now, better safe than sorry.

Hot spots developing there, do you notice chatter as you release your clutch peddle? Need to get it resurfaced and cleaned up. Someone is holding the car from rolling at a stop light using the clutch, or there's a new manual shift driver in the family using the car or someone is getting those tires to smoke a little too often? Hmmm, we all have been there done that at one time or another. :tapemouth Gotta get that clutch fully engaged before your on the gas so hard, it's slipping and building up heat. Hot enough to burn the disc, blue the plate and flywheel... look into a performance set up with little higher spring pressure and disc material?

Marty, I had simular issue, and found fuel pump was starting to go bad. Had a Holley Red, always looked dry, but you know how fast that race gas evaporates, finally had my head under the tank & pump area while Cindy was running the car and noticed fuel residue out the weep-hole! Fuel pump worked 95% of the time but started to give me starvation issues more & more often. Your car ran fine with your set up (so you know it works, right), and now more and more it is happening. You haven't changed fuel line diameter, pressure regulator settings, fuel bowl float levels, needles or jets, clean fuel filter, no kinks in fuel line, clear fuel pick-up line in tank, clear vent line in tank, clear vent lines on both carb fuel bowls... so how is your fuel pump? it's the only mechanical piece of the puzzle that is most likely to change or wear out? Just me remembering my fuel issue... Craig

If a local radiator shop can mend it (usually they can) great. You will have more work than us 240 owner, but like sblake01 says, a little bit of time and you can do it yourself. We just replace our 2-row for the MSA 4 row ( alittle more expensive). I say we, because when I got home from work that afternoon Mrs. Chino was already putting the new one back in. So I think you could do it too. Cools great now. http://www.zcarparts.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=PCLC01

All right George, good job! Worked for me, now I'm motivated to get back into the garage!! Thanks bud! :classic:

That's one way to put it. Both ways you get that adrenaline rush, I just prefer the longer lasting "30 minutes at a time - 5 times in a day" drug :eek: It's all fun! Just say YES!

Fun reading of the WSIR track from a 240Z driver. "A Willow Springs Hot Lap" A Driver Who Knows the Way, Shows the Way By John Morton (edited by Don Knowles) In 23 years of racing, John Morton has driven virtually every type of road-racing machine, from tiny production sports cars to proto-types to Indy Cars; and he has accumulated two SCCA National Championships, two Trans-Am 2.5-Liter Championships, and several SCCA Divisional titles. After attending the Carroll Shelby Driving School in 1962, he began competing in SCCA Nationals in a Lotus Super 7 in 1963. The following year, he co-drove a Cobra prototype with the late Ken Miles at Sebring. Then, in 1968, he won his first SCCA Divisional Championship. He won his second two years later, along with his first National Championship, driving a factory Datsun 240Z. In 1971, he repeated as National Champion and took his first Trans-Am 2.5-Liter title, qualifying on the pole in every SCCA r.ace. The Trans-Am 2.5-Liter Championship was his again the next year, and he competed in Formula 5000 as well he continued driving the F5000 series for the next three years and also kept busy by winning in IMSA's RS and GTU series, moving up to the GT classes in 1977 and winning the GT class in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1979. Morton has been a frequent Can-Am competitor since 1977 and has done a great deal of endurance racing in recent years both in Europe and America. Last year, he also drove an Indy Car to a ninth-place finish at Long Beach, and was a regular in IMSA's Camel GT Series, competing in the top-level GTP class. He teamed with Yoshimi Katayama and John O'Steen to win Group C2 at Le Mans in one of the BF Goodrich-Mazda Lola T-616s. "Willow Springs has been languishing in the Southern California desert since 1953, which makes it the longest surviving road-racing course in America. The track's layout, which starts on the desert floor and roams into the adjacent foothills, makes it not only challenging to drive, but provides nearly a 100 percent view of the track from any vantage point. Even the sound of a race car in a test session is unobstructed, making it possible for an astute crew chief to evaluate his car and driver's performance with his eyes closed." Turn 1 -Turn One is a rather steeply banked 90-degree left, which ends the longest straight. It is a deceivingly fast turn taken in one gear below top in most cars. Late apex and get back on the gas very early remember it is banked. The right edge of the road is not visible until you pop out of the banking at the exit, making it tricky to use the entire road. This is a very important corner and an excellent place to pass on a late brake. Turn 2 - A short straight precedes Turn Two: a fast 450-foot radius 200-degree right. Some banking and a slight uphill raise aid adhesion until the exit where the banking ends and the road levels out. Most cars like to run slightly inside of the middle of the road, apexing gently about three-quarters of the way into the corner. Spend some time balancing the car for this turn because a large percentage of your time is spent here. Too much under steer and you'll scrub speed and have to lift to apex; too much over steer and you'll have to ease off the power. Turn 3 - In most cases the same gear is used from Turn One until downshifting for Turn Three the slowest turn on the track. Braking deep into Three is important because can you overtake here. An uphill well-banked 100-degree corner, Turn Three is again faster than it looks. A late apex and early throttle squirts you up the hill and into the difficult right-hand double apex Turn Four. Turn 4 - Climb the hill and hug the right until the road starts to level. Now allow the car to move to the left side in preparation for a late apex because the turn tightens and heads steeply downhill. Turn 5 - The right-hand jog preceding the left-hand Turn Five complicates the braking zone of Five. No matter how deep you go into five, the car is still loaded from the jog and traveling steeply downhill. Be willing to forego the perfect line into five; you can't get to the extreme right if you've gone in really deep. You can make up some of this lost ground by hanging a left front wheel in the dirt at the apex. At the exit the road starts uphill; you'll get some stick here so get on the throttle early. Turn 6 - On the short uphill run to the right-hand Turn Six, don't bother getting to the extreme left before the entry. In a fast car, it is difficult and in a slower car completely unnecessary. In the middle of this fast turn, the road goes from uphill to downhill so you have to deal with an almost complete loss of stick for an instant. Short shift up and apex early to get most of the work done before the car goes light. In a faster car, it may take some time to gain confidence, but lose time here and you'll suffer all the way into Turn Nine. Turn 7 - Seven is no more than a gentle bend in the straight. Stay left for the entry to eight unless you are trying to block someone's inside line into eight. Turn 8 - In a fast car right-hand turn eight is one of those places where your right foot seems to have better sense than your brain. In most cars it is a no lift comer, but it's kind of scary at first. Enter Eight early and drive around the inside with no pronounced apex. Before the road straightens, let the car drift to the outside of the road. Turn 9 - Leaving Eight you just have time to glance at the tach to check your top speed before entering one of the world's worst Turn Nine. This turn is very hard to get right, but essential for good lap times. It is a top gear turn in most cars, a 90-degree decreasing radius right turn with an exit you can't see until you get there. Enter from the left, but move right slightly in the early part to give yourself some room for error. There is a strong tendency to apex too early because it feels safer. Try to avoid this because you'll have to lift at the exit. Pick a reference that identifies the apex for you. You should be approaching full throttle before the apex in even the fastest car. The exit brings you to the outside of the pit straight and the end of your lap. Like any difficult track, Willow Springs requires lots of practice. But remember, your crew can see and hear every mistake. ------------------- We there Sat. July 2nd to have some more fun. :classic:

The best $20 you'll spend with your Z... ZTherapy sells a set of video tapes that you and Dad can watch and rework those SU carbs, tune, and teach others how too. Check em out under videos. "Nothing but SUs" http://www.ztherapy.com/ Mrs. Chino sets up our SUs too! They're rather easy to understand and not much can go wrong with them once you get them back to par. Good Luck.

We'll be running with Speed Ventures for an opentrack day on Sat. July 2nd at Willowsprings big track. Trying to get one more track day in before it gets too hot this summer. So if you aren't already going out, you can come do some testing there! Yep, still lookin good after 35 years... Cheers!

Well, what ever the reason I'm glad to be here on earth enjoying life, kids, and the Z car. Oh and Mrs. Chino TOO! I was a little depressed this morning thinking I was turning 45, but I calculated it again and I'm only 43!! So the way I see it is I'm getting younger!!!! Cheers to all you other June Babies!

Hey Ron C., we're thinking of reworking the E31 in the future, where is Slover and would you use them again? Thanks Craig Each of the cars I've heard have it's own character to them. Lov em all!

I'm sorry but killin cones in a parking lot just won't cut it for me. But if a road coarse track wasn't available I would probably give it a spin. I think alot of us have put rubber down in local parking lots when no one is watching. ! jmortenson is correct! I do know that a book is perfect way to educate yourself with what autocrossing is, preparing your car and yourself for the day, how to act around the event, question you should ask and might not want to ask, what to expect from your car and tips to help improve your best time. I also like reading the book "Secrets of Solo Racing". I think I found mine at Borders book store, but MSA sells it for $14.95. Now that is under $20, and when you start reading this book the writer makes you feel like you are there at an event, and puts the learning techniques in away that is easy to understand. I applied ALOT of things from this autocross type book, to driving on a 2.5 mile track with speeds of 80 to 130mph (for a Z). I swear! books worked for Mrs. Chino240, she has been reading a new one the past couple months that she found and she won't let me see the title yet. Keeps it in her work bag so I never get to see it. In 2 track events she was able to improve her time by 10 seconds at Willow Spring Raceway, and is only behind my time by 0.26 of a second. After she beats my time she said she'll turn the book over to me... so here I would say "Reading is Fundamental" or maybe "Reading is Fun on da pedal" What SJGreen71 said about riding with an experienced driver will help give you benchmarks of what you should be trying to achieve with your car. Mrs. Chino remembers one ride with an instructor where he would be braking before going into a turn at 140mph and have her body lifting completely out of the seat pressed hard into the harness then gently resting into the seat again and then having g-forces pinning the hemet back into the seat. Way cool feeling when everything goes right. You'll be pulling those harness straps down tighter before the next turn! NO Lie!

Happy Birthday- It's a great day for a Birthday, and a good day to be alive! So it's a most excellent day to be alive and kickin for your Birthday! Cheers O-Tanjobi

You might want to spray those screws on the back of the light buckets up in the fender wells to get them ready to bust loose. They maybe little dirty, rusty and you may even break them if you try to bust them loose dry? Couple squirts of that PB rust spray, or WD40 a head of time should help.