Jeff G 78

Steve, That style compressor works great on "normal" struts, but on a Z, you'd have to take apart too much of the suspension to be practical. In the rear, you'd have to either remove the spindle pin or wrestle the whole corner assembly into the compressor.

It all depends. I have seen cars with that size have no clearance issues and others rub in the front or rear or both. I think tire brand and model contribute more than anything. I run Hankook RS2 tires on zero offset rims and I had to do a lot of cutting in the rear. I trimmed somewhere around 8mm off my flanges. Others have run the same sizes, but different tires with no rubbing. I run badly in the front when turning and backing up. It clears fine when sitting still or going forward. +4mm will certainly help compared to zero offset, but the 8" wide rims might give a bit of that back. The shoulder of the tire probably won't be much different between a 7" and an 8" rim, but I haven't tested them back to back. I argue this point every time someone asks about lowering... Lowering a car does not change the tire clearance at all. The tires still need to be able to travel all the way through suspension travel without rubbing. Lowering a car only changes the starting point, but the path stays the same. Check this thread http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/thread35079.html for pics of my trimming and clearance tests

A plasma cutter?

I have used my 25+ year old strut spring compressors more times than I can count and they getting really worn out. The threads are worn and I have sheared the roll pins several times due to binding. Mine have only a single hook at each end with no safety pins or anything else fancy. Even my simple compressors have trouble fitting between the coils. Is there a brand that fits our coils while still on the car (swung out) and is made well? I looked around the web and there are many styles, but none like the ones I have been using since the mid-80's. I'm pretty sure that anything with a double hook will not fit well. Some of them also have a safety pin that holds the coil. That too seems like it wouldn't fit on a S30 spring. Others have a secondary hook at one end. Here are some examples of what I have found. Do any of these work well on a S30, or does anyone have a favorite brand that fits well on a S30? EDIT: I can't seem to delete the blank attachment. Ignore the last one.

Nice videos Chris. That track looks like a lot of fun.

I have no idea what you mean. I wouldn't know anything about throwing magnesium auto parts on a campfire and then spraying it with water. Nope... I had no idea magnesium even burns.

I've had to do that on at least three different cars. Once the aluminum and steel corrode together, no amount of heat or force will break them apart. Even after the face of the drum is broken in two, the remains are still tough to separate from the hub. In each case, it was a parts car, so I just needed to get the wheels to roll so I could move the car without dragging the rear tires.

If I re-theme my race car, I might just have to copy that.

Assuming it isn't corroded together, you just need to back off the brake adjuster and slip the drum off. If it is REALLY corroded, nothing short of destroying the drum will work. I've had to cut many parts car drums in half when the car sat for many years in a damp area. :tapemouth Be sure to ALWAYS apply antiseize to the hub pilot prior to reinstalling the drum.

More pics please!

Nice to see you back Norm!

Double zombie thread!!! It was first revived in 2007 after three years and now again after five more years. What we have here is a Zombie Apocalypse!

It's easy to do like the others said. Use several feet of 3/8" rope and a KD3087 valve spring tool. You can do one retainer in a matter of 30 minutes total.

Nice car, but I wouldn't pay that much for a basket case. He's probably being honest, but without being able to test drive it, you couldn't tell if the rest of the car is sound. The trans, diff, and suspension could all need work. Also, he doesn't say much about the body or paint. I see a crease down the driver's side that would need to be repaired and repainted.

Rob, that looks like an adult-size Matchbox case. Very cool!

That is a seriously bad-arse car Brandon!

^^^hee hee^^^

Are you really running 215/65R16 tires? Those would be over 2 inches taller than stock.

Wow, awesome car Christine! That paint is phenomenal.

Listen to Mike. Go find a rust-free Z and use the rust-belt ones for parts. Been there, done that. Starting with a Z that has any visible rust will turn into a never ending disappointment. If you want though, post the pics and we can try to help value the car.

Hey Blue, Thanks for the diagram. I need to do this to my race car's flywheel over winter. Do you have any idea what the weight is of the one in the sketch? I assume that the pics in post #4 do not go with the sketch in post #3, so it would be nice to know how much is removed.

Looks great Rob!

That's the one! I couldn't remember which thread it was in and searching wasn't working either. Thanks Phillip!

Sometime in the last several months, there was a forum post detailing the design of a wood engine stand. Does anybody have the link? I searched, but couldn't find it. I need to build one today since I'm buying a F54 engine tomorrow from a forum member in Canada and I'm transporting it on a flatbed truck so I want it to be stable. I don't have an engine handy to take measurements.

Story of my life Guy. Being in Michigan with a Z car is a lonely place to be. There are three Z racers I talk to regularly online about engine and chassis setups. One is in Georgia, one in Texas, and one in Washington state. I'd love to be able to get all of our cars together on a track so we can really see what does and doesn't work, but we're just too far apart.