rxsleeper

If you choose to purchase a rebuilt caliper, get the Beck Arnley rebuilt from one of the normal channels or one of the vendors that support this forum. You can also get the Beck Arnley rebuild kit. I would rebuild the originals as long as the piston(s) are in good condition. I have been using the BA kits and calipers on the race kar w/o any problems. IIRC, the calipers run less than $100 "semi" loaded for a pair.

Forgot to include a poor photo but you can see the difference in strut length.

FWIW, you will need to still grind the lower "corners" off of the strut nut so that it will seat properly on the monoball with the GC set up. They will send you an instruction sheet for a BMW that details the same thing. Preith, I am running the exact same set up as you but w/o a rear bar on newly built struts. No spacer needed in front and a 1 1/4" spacer in the rear to get the insert up high enough for the gland nut to lock down. I dropped almost 2 seconds at Nashville last month on 3 year old, rock hard hoosiers. Corner weights were great and with my fat A^% in the car got cross weights to 50/50. I am going to add a little more toe out to the front of the caras 1/16" wasn't enought for the slower sections. Otherwise the car felt great without the rear bar. Coop, neat way to get your travel back.

Great fun for the Z's all weekend. Mike did great for his 1st official race since driver's school. He has got a heck of a car!! My race had a 20 minute black flag while they cleaned up after a Miata holed his block. Here is a video of the restart and my brain fade while having cold tires and cold brakes. 1st lap went fine then you can see I chose to drive off instead of being a target for the Miata train that was coming behind me. We had Spec Miata's in our group for the race........

As of right now it could be an all Z podium June 27-28 at the SCCA double SARRC at Nashville Superspeedway. 2 240's and 1 280Z are entered. Come on out and watch some close racing at a great facility. Last year Z cars took 1st and second on Saturday and 1st on Sunday. More info at: http://www.rivergate5speed.com/scca/race/nashville.html Great fun at the Heart of Dixie double SARRC!

A little late here but I think Carl said it best. Check the bushings and alignment. Tires can accentuate what is going on but generally bushings and alignment will cause "tram-lining." My RX8 is set at 0" toe both front and rear along with significant negative camber in front. It will "wander" a bit depending on the road surface and is "twitchy" at speed. Just the way I like it. Will, thanks again for your help this past Feb. Tom is hoping to be on track soon at RA. I race in two weeks at Nashville and will be testing an entirely new suspension set up. Paul

I ran into this problem mounting an Optima Red Top in the RX8. Dummy me didn't realize that the plastic attached to the top of the battery was meant to be placed under the battery to raise the top so it could be tied down with the OEM battery hold downs. Jeff's solution is very nice!!

Hey Tony, No go from me. I looked high and low but did not find any with the right dimension. I did find one that the shaft collar opening was more oval than round though Sorry, Paul

Tony, I am not sure where they are at, but I know that I have two gland nuts for Mullholland that I removed from one of my parts cars. I will look and see if I can find them. I was suprised to find Mullholland inserts. What size (diameter) is the shaft of the Mullholland insert. That will help me as I have OEM, Bilstein, and other gland nuts that I have removed form parts cars. I also think you will find that the shaft diameter is the same as the Tokico (or nearly the same). Paul

FWIW, I would have them rebuilt and use them. Rebuild only because they are out and I would hate to install them only to find out after a week one or more needs rebuilding. Curiosity has got me now. Could you measure the insert tube, shaft length and overall length? Just wondering if they would fit into a shortened housing. If Bilstein does not want to rebuild them, let me know. I have located another company that will rebuild/revalve/dyno a Bilstein for a little bit less than what they charge for a revalve. +1 on Jon's recommended reading at hybridz and Farnorth. More than you will want to know!

Has anybody got a picture of the Dzus style fastener that attaches the lower latching point to the louver? I am guessing it is Dzus style as I haven't seen the correct fastener. I have a set temporarily mounted on my ZX but the PO appears to have lost the proprietary fastener. If I can visualize the fastener then I should be able to fab up a replacement. Thanks, Paul

Underdrive pulleys and bolts.

Panasports or Enkie's. I use both and the Panasport is a little lighter. You can find them on ebay or some of the racing sites at a reasonable price. IIRC, I bought 4 15" panasports, used, from another racer for $400 BTW, I hate the Toyo's even though others like them. I did not have mine shaved and use them only for rain tires. Under dry conditions the tread squirm was more than I liked and they were not nearly as sticky as the Hoosiers. Check with your local racers for used Hoosiers. You can usually get those at a bargain and they should last 1 or 2 track days, or maybe even more.

I am going to offer up that it is the carbs, and most likely the throttle shafts or an air leak at the carb isolator. I chased the same problem on the race car. Replaced everything in the fuel system from the cell, FP regulator, lines, and then went to work on the ignition. Replaced MSD, Pertronix, swapped dizzy's, wires, plugs, caps, rotor, timing, etc. I am not the only one to have this problem and I conferred with another ITS Z that was having almost the exact same problem. We chased this for several months and I even thought it was related to bad engine ground since I could make it quit by hitting the rumble strips exiting a couple of turns at Carolina Motor sports park. Even then, it would come back in 2 laps or less. Long story short, rebuilt carbs from Z-therapy and no more problem. I can easily rev to 7k and even more. Of course, when you do that you will pop rockers off in a race. Don't ask me how I know that. If you haven't replaced the carbs with some known good ones, I would try that before investing an enormous amount of time in other things. I will not comment on the "new engine" builder. I think enough is already known about their "quality parts." EDIT: Went back and checked my notes. One of the other guys with problems found that his float levels were too high. No fix when I lowered my float levels but it did gain a few rpms. Also, my buddy saw "cold" EGT's from the front carb (measured at the header) when he was chasing the problem.

Congratulations Greg!

Here is one that is not quite as old. The checkerboard Z is the builder/driver of my toy.

Quick update. My student made it just fine through the weekend thanks to the parts Will brought to the track. I think his fastest lap was 1:28 but the bottom line is that he was able to finish the weekend. That wouldn't have happened with out Will's help. Thanks again and Will, the next time I start that way I will let you know so we can plan a time to talk Z's and drink a few cold ones!! Paul

Thanks Will!!! Just to let you guys know how great the Z-car community is. I got to meet Will his wife, and boys when they BROUGHT THE PARTS TO THE TRACK for my student. THANKS a bunch. THis will allow another Z driver to get his SCCA Competition license. Will is A+ and a great guy!!

One of my students at the SCCA drivers school has broken the front diff mount on his series one 240. Will, or anybody else in the Savannah area that might have one can call me at ...........Thanks in advance!! Paul

email sent Andy! Thanks. Paul

^^^^ What he said You forgot the most important question Chris, How much $$$$ have you got :stupid:and use that as a baseline to figure out how fast you want to go. J/K Seriously, what are you going to be doing with the Z? Is it dual purpose? Street Driven? lots of variables that require a little more info before trying to help you make some good choices on set-up. Paul

Hey guys, If you find any info about my car, I would appreciate a shout. It was raced in the same places as yours Red-Eye and I actually have a photo of it from '93. (see below) It is car #66 and it had a checkerboard green/black paint scheme. IF anyone knows how to get in touch with Michael Scott, I would like to talk with him about the car since it is still being raced but in Sediv instead of the west coast. Thanks, <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/S9Vao16QwbpS-nqMpVdlOA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_5FuQ_K7PwLs/RvnSmCPn1kI/AAAAAAAAAUU/hqZSoeAmgDU/s400/Scott%20-%20Laguna%20-%20Aug%201993.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/ITSa240/LagunaRace?feat=embedwebsite">Laguna Race</a></td></tr></table>

Take these suggestions with a grain of salt as I am by no means an expert. A factory Z has no means to adjust camber. I use both the eccentrics in the lower control arms (front and rear) and camber plates. I do not remember what the FSM specs for alignment settings should be but I will give you what my settings are on a track only car. First, heed the advice given above by the other ClassicZ members as some of them are experts, IMHO. Poly bushings all around. Does this include the T/C rod? You may want to search around here or over at hybridz about the problems using poly on the T/C rod. FWIW, I use the old "Kontrolle" style delrin/aluminum on the T/C rod. The bushings are available from MSA. Make sure your ride height is equal, or close to equal at the front and rear. Too much rake, front to rear, WILL change handling. Corner weigh the car, with you in it, and get it as close to balanced as you can. Then add 2.5 to 3.5 degrees negative camber in front and about 1 degree less in the rear. Set the front toe to 0 or at the most 1/32" toe out. For the the rear, try for 0" toe but it would be ok if you had just a little toe in, 1/32" or less if possible. The rear of a z will "squat" under acceleration and tend to toe out slightly. Get as much caster as you can in the front. JohnC's suggestion is spot on. Tires: use a low profile tire. I run 225x50x14 but the tires are not street legal. Sway bars. I wouldn't change your bars until you try the other suggestions. Bigger front bar does not always translate into better turn in or handling. Are your shocks adjustable for both rebound and compression? Some changes there can also effect how "crisp" the car will handle. I hope this helps and hopefully some real experts will weigh in as well. Good luck

What shocks are you using and did you section the struts before lowering the car? COOP, I like your yellow Z!

While not completely finished, I moved into the new shop over the weekend.