2ManyZs

Bout time Enrique...... Funny, you don't look like the "old fart" Gary said you were..... He sent me a pic of you once, but you don't look anything like that pic either..... :cheeky: Let's see, who else is missing here... Daniel, MikeW, Arizona240Z, 240znz, 240Z, the list is getting smaller little by little.....

Yup, all of two so far there Alfapuppy... still doesn't get you off the hook though.....:devious:

That's how I got started in racing... pit crew. Seat time will help more than anything.. learning the car as well as the track. :cheeky:

Since you are using an F54 bottom end, using a cam with its RPM range over 6K won't do you much good as the longer stroke won't want to rev as high as an L-24. I'd use one of the mid range cams that has its power range in the 1500-5000RPM range or 2000-6000 range, as with the F54, you will be gaining a lot of low RPM torque over the L-24. Which one you choose will depend a lot on what transmission and rear diff ratio you will want to run, and how much high RPM driving you plan on doing. Personally, I'd go with the 1500-5K, if it is going to be a mostly street driven car. Don't forget, with a new cam, you will need to run new rockers, and make sure you get the correct lash pads for your set up to ensure proper rocker arm geometry and contact patch on the rockers.

Yup, since you already have the better distributor and ignition, about the only thing you would need to do is to make sure the air gap on the reluctor is set correctly, kinda like setting the gap on the points. FWIW, if you do a major tune-up, and your carbs are synched and mixture adjusted properly you ought to be pretty close to passing the smog test. Perhaps a tune up with a new hotter coil, new high performance wires, new plugs of at least equal to original or perhaps one heat range hotter, and making sure the timing is set correctly and the valves are adjusted properly will give you what you need.

Open track days are similar to an SCCA Drivers School, there will always be a few out there with little to no experience driving a car at the limit, not enough commom sense to slow down to go faster, or listen to what others are telling them in order to improve their driving. Best thing is, when you get near one, slow down, let them pass and avoid whatever kind of trouble they will eventually cause, or speed up and get away from them. The last person that lost their life at Summit was at a FATT (Friday at the Track) which is what our "open track day" would be. Going too fast, with a hopped up Mustang (supercharged and all) and at the end of the 3000ft straight, lost his brakes and barrel rolled 5 or 6 times. Why did he lose his brakes you ask? All that money to make big horsepower, and left his brakes absolutely stock, right down to the rubber brake hoses......hell of a way to learn a lesson....:disappoin Chino, if you are getting half the straight before you run out of RPM's, I think a 4:11 would be just about right, without losing out in the corners. Should be fairly easy to find a 4:11, since, with the 50 series tires, a lot of the IT racers have had to go to a 3:70 or 3:54 with their 4 speeds.....:cheeky:

Hmm, with a 1/2 mile straight, I'd try a 4:11 with the 280 5 speed. Should still give you good drive out of the turns and you shouldn't run out gear on the straight...With a 4 speed, you'd probably be better off with a 3:90 or 3:70. Guys at Summit still run a 3:90 with the stock 4 speed but are turning some serious RPM's on the 3,000 ft long straight, 7K plus. But many have gone to either a 3:70 and some even run a 3:54 with the stock 4 speed. My old 280 had to put a 5 speed in with the 4:11 with the 50 series tires as he was running out of RPM's before the end of the straight, course, the L-28 won't rev quite as high as the L-24 either, at least, not in ITS trim. Or, you could try a ZX 5speed with the higher overdrive with your 4:62, might make just enough difference. With that combination, you ought to come out pretty close on your final drive ratio as you would with a 4 speed (1:1) and a 3:90 rear.... I'm just guessing at that one as I don't have the formula handy....Tranny swap would probably be a bit cheaper in the long run, plus, you'd have the benefit of quicker accel out of the turns. Depends on lot on how tight the rest of the course is.... As you can see, Summit isn't a really tight course except for in the Carousel, which can slow you down on a a mahor portion of the track. http://www.summitpoint-raceway.com/SPR.HTM

First question is Chino, what trans are you running? What size tires? Most of the road racers that I know, run anything from a 3:70 to a 4:11 with the 4 speed, and 3:90 to a 4:37 with the ZX 5 speed in this area. But, I don't know how Willow compares to Summit Point or VIR as far as track layout. If you are running the 4:62 with a 4 speed, and if you can, you would probably pick up quite a bit just by going to a ZX 5 speed. If you run the 280Z 5 speed with the shorter overdrive, try a 3:90 to a 4:37.

Maria,you could remove the EGR, but it would be better to replace it with a new one, otherwise, I doubt you will ever get it to pass. If the engine is in proper tune, you should be able to get it to pass without too much trouble. But, you'll have to make sure everything is in working order (smog pump, EGR etc...), the carbs are tuned correctly and the ignition system is in top condition as well. If the HC levels are a bit too high, you could always try leaning out the carbs a bit just for the test. You could also try an electronic ignition or an upgraded ignition if the car already has electronic ignition.

Nah, you are just turning into a wino.... time to join Grapes Anonymous..... I sold that car over a year ago Steve.... it always did run, just needed a few rust spots taken care of and put back on the track. Of course, after 5 Drivers Schools of 3 hours track time each, and about 15 races (not to mention the 7 years of sitting without being started), the ATK motor finally got a little weak in the compression, and he's gonna have to rebuild the bottom end this winter.... not bad if you ask me eh?

Hmm, this is already the second most replied thread and is in the top 10 in views already..... See what you started Rick? Your gonna be responsible for knocking Alan's thread off the top of the list if it keeps up like this.. BTW, your hat reminds me of the hats the guys wore in the movie "The Thornbirds"..... no, not the ones on the sheep station, the ones they wore in NSW on the cane plantation.....:devious: figured I'd better clarify that statement a little.....:cross-eye

Still would be a good idea just to check the pistons....if the car still has the original calipers, you've only got 4 pistons total, so if one is seized, or just gummed up with corrosion, it makes a big difference..... As for the power assist, did anyone have the vaccum lines off the intake to the booster? I'm wondering if the check valve might have gotten installed backwards, which would give you no power assist...don't tell anyone, but I did it once myself, that's what I got for being in a hurry...:stupid: The arrow should be pointed towards the booster, and double check your lines just to be sure you have no leaks. Oh, and make sure your rear shoes are adjusted correctly too, that will prevent you from overheating the fronts. FWIW, my old ITS 280 is now running with the Toyota 4 piston calipers on the front with a set of cut down RX-7 pads... he says the brakes are no problem now... not that he's running up front yet to get protested in ITS with them... Do a search for Toyota calipers and you should find many threads concerning them so you can pick up a set off Ebay or a junkyard... I bought a set for 45 bucks and for another 20 for a rebuild kit, they are cheap insurance.....

If the car sat for a year with racing brake fluid in it, it has probably drawn a lot of moisture in it, and you may have a seized piston. I used to flush out the racing fluid at the end of the season and replace it with regular (cheap) DOT3 fluid to prevent this...... Or, you might have pads on it that require a lot of heat to work properly and you just never got them hot enough....

Wonder how many of them will go back and change their photo now.....

I was trying to outlast ZMeCruise.... but then, I figured if I did, it would force him to post his mugshot...... Oh, and by the way there 240znz, where is your mugshot eh? Feeling a little "sheepish" there Kiwi? :devious:

Define "normal" in the new millenium....:cross-eye

If I had SpeedTV, I wouldn't be on this darn computer so much.... except when they play those Nascar races and shows over, and over, and over......:disappoin

Not much of a fan of Nascar anymore, unless they race on a road course that is... I'm a fan of road racing that has more passing and competition... and the drivers don't make millions a year to do it.....in other words, SCCA and others.... Most of the FI races I've seen in the last few years put me to sleep almost as fast as a Nascar roundy-round....:sleepy:

If MSA has it, you should try Chloe at MidwestZ, as she can probably get it also and give you a better price since she is one of our sponsors. The one you want is the inlet hose, which is the one to the air cleaner base. I'm just guesssing, but I think one end is possibly 1/2 while the other end is either 1/2 or 5/8...... been a while since I even had a car with a smog pump still attached.... If at all possible, you probably will want to use the original if you can, as it does have some twist and turns in it that would make it hard to replace with a standard hose.

We're not old, we are experienced.....

Watch him try to PhotoShop his pic now... :cross-eye

Well, actually she is getting some grey hairs... :disappoin I tried to put her on my lap when I took the pic, but couldn't get her to pose before the timer on the camera snapped the pic..... she kept hiding her face, I guess she's even more camera shy than I am....

Here... now stop bugging me and go bug ZMeCruise..... This is me at my "work station"... and no, the cabinet over my right shoulder is not my mini-bar...... It holds all the dogs goodies....and an overflow of video tapes. Now Rick, do I get a hat like yours so I can hide my "solar panel"?

Well, I can't find it....:stupid: I've gone through every issue of SportZ and ZCar magazine page by page for the second time and don't see it....so now, I don't know where I saw it.... What ZMeCruise posted is pretty much what I was looking for, except the article I read told which viscosity oil was the best to use....