rxsleeper

Did someone say rain? How about one from Road Atlanta last year. GZTO0QavdoQ

Looks like 12 at Road Atlanta....

I saw her in person at the 24 hours..... Thanks for the reminder

Thought I would add a little. You can never build too large. Mine is 24' deep and 32' wide. I used a "lifted" scissor truss and created a High Bay side and a low bay side. Upstairs I have a ~16'x12' space with 6' riser walls. I could have added some more space using shorter risers but hate having to bend over to store something. I went ahead and wired for everything. Cable, phone, ethernet, alarm and put in a 100 amp service to handle welder and compressor. Hope to add HVAC this year since it is fully insulated. I picked up a used lift and it has been the best "tool" that I own. I used roll up doors so I didn't have to deal with tracks. I will disagree slightly with JohnC. I used a high grade epoxy on the floor and it reflects enough light that I rarely need light under the car when on the lift. I built a compressor shed and plumbed with black pipe for air. I no longer have to listen to the compressor cycle and it has been GREAT. I had to deal with a homeowner association so make sure you don't have any issues there. Good luck. I spent the evening in the shop swapping the diff over for the track I am headed to this weekend. I really do enjoy the shop and currently have a '70 roadster, an old Honda V-4 bike I am restoring along with the race car. Only drawback has been I didn't leave enough space around the lift to walk where it is close to the wall. In hindsight, I would have given up some upstairs space for a little better config downstairs. Excuse the mess in the photo's. Paul from the outside before I finished the inside

Short answer, Yes some bolt in cages are good. What are you going to be doing with the car and why do you need a cage? I would suggest you look to the rules of whatever sanctioning body you intend to run with before investing in a cage. What works for NHRA may not work for SCCA, NASA, VARA, HSR, etc., etc., etc. Good luck with your choices. I don't car who you are, that's funny!

Hi Christine, glad you found your way over here. You will find lots of good advice and help on restoring an old Z. It will not be the same as driving an RX8.....it will be better From one RX8 and Z owner to another Paul

Nice to know you are looking for a radiator. Getting close to being done!! Paul

Depends on which class/sanctioning body and class you are racing with. In my case, I must weigh not less than 2430 at the end of the race. Last time I rolled over the scales (including my fat butt at 200+ lbs ) I was at 2437 and I had about 2 gallons of fuel left in the cell. I have a friend with a tube frame Z that weighs around 1900 lbs and he still has a lot of steel body panels. He adds ballast to make minimum weight. Paul

Here are some pictures of my brake setup. 2 3" lines to each shroud. Excuse the dryer duct, this was done by the previous owner and has been corrected. FWIW, I run hawk HT-10 brakes in front, and OEM drums in the rear with carbotech shoes. My brakes don't work well until I get several laps on them in a session/race but then work very well, for even the longer races. I do burn out the caliper seals after about 2 races. I check them after every race and rebuild/replace the calipers as needed. JohnC said it best. The only people that are breaking stubs are usually running a welded diff. I haven't broke one yet but I recently picked up a quaife and I am still looking for a clutch LSD (R-180). Heat management is the key. Redline in the gearbox and diff. Coolers for engine oil and if legal for your class the diff. I have only had problems with engine cooling when a thermostat failed closed. Now for the pictures: A better picture of my current set up FWIW, this setup was used on my car to win several endurance races on the "left" coast before the car migrated East

What/\ said but I suggest you invest in one of these: http://www.handsontools.com/KD-Tools-2424-Go-No-Go-Feeler-Gauge_p_6113.html# A go/no-go feeler gauge. Then you can set clearance spot on with no worries. Good luck!

Coop, Nissan comp has them in stock, or at least did earlier this year. Call the folks at Nashville. The "A" cams were in stock and on closeout as I recall. I think they were less than $50.00 Paul

Welcome Chicago, I guess I will the the ogre for today. I have read this post and the other post(s) about head work on a race car and about I suggest you decide what sanctioning body(ies) you will be racing with and then located the rule set for that group. Sometimes what is legal for one body with regard to tranny's and head work, doesn't translate well to another sanctioning body. Otherwise, all of the options listed above will work well. For what it is worth, I use 2 gears at Road Atlanta with a 3.90 rear gear. If I drive like I should(which doesn't happen very often ) then I rarely drop below 5700 or so and see ~7100 just prior to entry at 10a. At Barber, I use a 4.11 and try to only use 2 gears Good luck with your quest and your racing. You have been given some very sound advice. Paul

Thanks guys. I was slow and left a lot of time out there but hey, it was my first time driving RA since 1976 and then it was in a Cadillac Ambulance! I had fun and for me that is what matters. Skyhook, I chose not to go out for second qualifying Friday Afternoon because of the rain and sleet. You know what they say, if you listen closely during a rainstorm you can hear a Datsun rusting...........

A couple of short clips for your enjoyment from the American Road Race of Champions held at Road Atlanta last weekend. It was my first time to drive the track since 1976. I had absolutely nothing for the fast guys but I had fun and I will be back. First clip is of the start and Jose forgetting that his tires were still cold at turn 2: This is just a couple of laps near the middle of the race. I am pretty much by myself as the field was small this year. Only 23 on track. Hope you enjoy them. I had a lot of fun!! Paul

What wheel width/offset are you using? It may be that your rubbing issue can be corrected by changing wheel offset. FWIW, Jon's advice is spot on and will be the least expensive route to install coilovers. A 10" spring with the adjusters should provide you with all of the lift/stock ride height you might need. From your description, you already have EMI camber plates to adjust things after the coilover installation. Good luck....

Carl, please tell Bill and his son hello from me. I will be at the ARRC at RA along with a couple of other Z's. Also ask Bill to come back to Crow Mountain. We missed him this year at the hillclimb. You guys have fun. Paul

Pull the cover, I will bet a cup of coffee that you popped a rocker off, maybe even two. I routinely take my Z to 7k rpm, the rev limiter is set to 7100 and occasionally I pop a rocker off. FWIW, at my last race I spent most of the time between 6200-7000 in 3rd or 4th gear. While it is certainly possible you may have damaged something, it is unlikely. If you haven't driven it, the lash pad(s) is probably lying in the head. Re-adjust your valves, factory settings, and I will bet you will be fine. I ran 13 laps of a race on 5 cylinders, I popped #5's intake and exhaust rockers off. They were lying in the head and the lash pads made it to the pan. Replaced everything, re-adjusted the valves Compression test and leakdowns were good enough to race the same engine another 6 months. YMMV, Paul

FWIW, a well prepped Miata will be tough in EP. I know in SEDIV there are a couple that are running ITS and dang they are quick. They make speed in different places Bruce. More of a momentum car than a point and shoot. Greg will be a handful for them and Steve should be! Go get 'em guys! (makes note to call Bruce at 1:28 Friday September 24 to discuss carb tuning ;) ) I checked the weights, looks like #2075-2179 depending on which gearbox, etc they are running compared to #2200-2310 for Z's

FWIW, I use Hawk HT-10 in front and Carbotech Green shoes. If you can change to discs all around, you should. Aluminum drums are unobtanium these days. Get as much air as you can to the fronts Here are a couple of pictures of my "shrouds" for the front. Ignore the ducting the previous owner was responsible for the dryer duct. As it looks today: Also ventilate the rear drum backing plates. What John said is critical. Flush and change fluid after every race weekend. Adjust the rears as needed, usually before practice each day, and then use the handbrake for in race adjustments. YMMV Paul

Ron, Sorry I missed you but I every time I came by your car I couldn't seem to find you. Hope you had fun at NSS. Fun little track and a lot more technical than people think at first glance. Enjoyed spending time with those that I met. Will, your Z looks great and hopefully I can make Savannah. Congrats to all of you that made it to the track day. I KNOW you had fun...... Paul

Probably not since I have to be in New Orleans that afternoon. You probably don't need to know this, but if you run the track day, stay off the rumble strips coming out of the infield, especially drivers right. They will put you on two wheels, also, there is a hole just outside the strip on drivers left that will eat a wheel. Finally, the transition from the oval to the pit out area can be evil if you try to go too deep on the banking. Hope to see you there.

Congrats on your purchase. It IS a nice car and Russ did a lot of work on it. I ran a hillclimb against him a couple of years ago. Some of the pictures of the car are from the Crow Mountain Hillclimb. Hopefully we will see it back in SEDIV and on the track. Are you headed to the ITfest at Mid Ohio? Paul

Hey Ron, I am going to try an make it to Nashville Friday and/or Saturday. I have to travel to New Orleans for work on SUnday. I am pretty sure 240ZDave(another ITS racer) will be there with his street Z. Sure would like to meet some of the west coast guys! Paul

Depending on the track, brakes can be very important. I recommend a complete flush with DOT 4. Motul, Castrol, ATE your choice but a complete flush before the event. Hawk Blue pads will probably be fine but make sure you have some heat in them before testing too hard If you are still running drums in the rear, be sure to adjust the rears before you get to the track. Pull up the handbrake a time or two(with the button depressed) if needed to re-adjust during a session. DO NOT use the handbrake at the end of a session. Hot shoes have a tendency to bond to the hot durms. Don't ask me how I know thiat. You might be ok with DOT 3 fluid but why take a chance. Make sure to have enough fuel in the tank to prevent starvation during high G turns and and try to glance at your oil pressure in some of the turns. You might see it drop under G loading. Look ahead, look ahead, look ahead and remember slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Take full advantage of the instructors and listen closely to what they say. If you don't understand what they are saying, ask, and ask again until you do understand. Most of all, HAVE FUN!! Track days are great fun and are a generally safe environment to find the limits of both the driver and the car. Go have a good time and come back and tell us about it.

+1 more arrived safely. Thanks Arne. I will certainly get pictures up after install. Thanks again!!