Thursday, October 29, 2009
Exhaust goes in today!
So primary goal is to get the exhaust on today. I called Rising Sun and they'll have the diff mount and the replacement motor mounts so I'll have Kristen pick those up today and then we'll go later this afternoon and put everything on. Pictures will be up soon :)
Friday, October 23, 2009
The new windshield and the sway bar bolts
Well very exciting Friday. I dropped the car off at the shop last night with JG where I'm getting a serious hook up on a brand new windshield installed and a couple of sway bar bolts added on
so that both Kristen and I can cruise up and down Highland Valley and get a feel for the car's handling characteristics at speed. For those that don't know it's kind of a intricate mountain pass that connects the suburb of Ramona from San Diego. It's got everything from fast straights to complicated S-curves and high speed corners. Although we're not going to go all out, we are going to put the car to the test and see how it performs without a tune and exhaust and see the difference with the system and JG's tune. It's an exciting time! I'm hoping that we can get the exhaust done by early next week so that the car will be ready for the meet, but it also depends on JG's schedule considering we also have to put in the motor mounts and the transmission mount.
I spoke to JG for about an hour last night with the car's ability to haul ass and all kinds of other things I'm experiencing after driving the Z. For one, I'm seeing that because the Z is so raw and untamed, any other car you jump into after that becomes extremely easy to drive. I took my Spec V out for a spin yesterday and I figured out the car a lot quicker and was able to drive a lot smoother than I did when I daily drove it. I have a theory that might explain that. When you're driving a 40 year old car, all you have is you and the car's mechanicals. There are no electronics, no computer systems keeping you in check, no ABS to save you if you mess up, so as a driver driving on the roads of today you have no choice but to sharpen your senses, think that much more ahead, and anticipate things even more. You also have to pay attention to everything constantly: temperature gauge, volt meter, oil pressure, RPMs, is the car sounding like it normally does at a certain RPM, is the engine response the same as it was a minute ago, etc. With newer cars a lot of things of the aforementioned are just taken for granted because it's newer technology. As such, I am going out on a limb here and saying that you can indeed become a better, faster driver, if you drive an old bucket like this one.
In other news, I hear that my igniter module is coming in sometime soon so we'll see what's up with that and if finances agree with me, I'll probably pick up a new set of stiffer sway bars from MSA or something.
That's it for now! Stay tuned for a picture later on tonight with a new windshield in all it's sexiness!
so that both Kristen and I can cruise up and down Highland Valley and get a feel for the car's handling characteristics at speed. For those that don't know it's kind of a intricate mountain pass that connects the suburb of Ramona from San Diego. It's got everything from fast straights to complicated S-curves and high speed corners. Although we're not going to go all out, we are going to put the car to the test and see how it performs without a tune and exhaust and see the difference with the system and JG's tune. It's an exciting time! I'm hoping that we can get the exhaust done by early next week so that the car will be ready for the meet, but it also depends on JG's schedule considering we also have to put in the motor mounts and the transmission mount.
I spoke to JG for about an hour last night with the car's ability to haul ass and all kinds of other things I'm experiencing after driving the Z. For one, I'm seeing that because the Z is so raw and untamed, any other car you jump into after that becomes extremely easy to drive. I took my Spec V out for a spin yesterday and I figured out the car a lot quicker and was able to drive a lot smoother than I did when I daily drove it. I have a theory that might explain that. When you're driving a 40 year old car, all you have is you and the car's mechanicals. There are no electronics, no computer systems keeping you in check, no ABS to save you if you mess up, so as a driver driving on the roads of today you have no choice but to sharpen your senses, think that much more ahead, and anticipate things even more. You also have to pay attention to everything constantly: temperature gauge, volt meter, oil pressure, RPMs, is the car sounding like it normally does at a certain RPM, is the engine response the same as it was a minute ago, etc. With newer cars a lot of things of the aforementioned are just taken for granted because it's newer technology. As such, I am going out on a limb here and saying that you can indeed become a better, faster driver, if you drive an old bucket like this one.
In other news, I hear that my igniter module is coming in sometime soon so we'll see what's up with that and if finances agree with me, I'll probably pick up a new set of stiffer sway bars from MSA or something.
That's it for now! Stay tuned for a picture later on tonight with a new windshield in all it's sexiness!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The weekly car gtg was dead....but eventful!
Swung by the shop to get the coolant reservoir installed with the help of JG's tools so I don't end up spilling freaking coolant everywhere every so often and pissing off the EPA lol. The car is running really strong and we just started looking over the car yet again to see what else needs to get done to it. On the way to the meet I actually ended up running out of gas because I don't have the fuel gauge hooked up because of a bad connector. I need to get that fixed, but I found out the range amounted to roughly 175 miles on a full tank.
Get a fresh oil change, install the exhaust and tune the carbs with the wideband and get a new windshield. I can't pass tech like that at any motorsport event considering there's a fat stone chip in it and the rubber that's holding the windshield in place is completely destroyed and cracked. YIIKES. That I will end up getting done fairly soon. The SDCR (http://www.sdclubracing.com/forum) is starting in a couple of weeks so we need to make sure that the car is as ready as can be.
I'll need to also install the 4point harness soon so that we'll have full flexibility on strap adjustments for any driver.
Getting that much closer to getting done. I'm looking forward to that sexy exhaust too :)
Once I do get the exhaust on, I'll do a before and after vid. I may also convert to HID's sometime soon providing I can fix the fuse box (aka find a better one).
Get a fresh oil change, install the exhaust and tune the carbs with the wideband and get a new windshield. I can't pass tech like that at any motorsport event considering there's a fat stone chip in it and the rubber that's holding the windshield in place is completely destroyed and cracked. YIIKES. That I will end up getting done fairly soon. The SDCR (http://www.sdclubracing.com/forum) is starting in a couple of weeks so we need to make sure that the car is as ready as can be.
I'll need to also install the 4point harness soon so that we'll have full flexibility on strap adjustments for any driver.
Getting that much closer to getting done. I'm looking forward to that sexy exhaust too :)
Once I do get the exhaust on, I'll do a before and after vid. I may also convert to HID's sometime soon providing I can fix the fuse box (aka find a better one).
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Ordered a Pertronix 1761 Ignitor Module & Coolant Recovery System Resevoir
Just placed an order for this:
http://performanceparts.com/part.php?partID=209989
Looking forward to it coming in :)
And I had Kristen pick this part up for some excess overflow from the radiator -
http://performanceparts.com/part.php?partID=209989
Looking forward to it coming in :)
And I had Kristen pick this part up for some excess overflow from the radiator -
Monday, October 19, 2009
Kairi goes to the beach!
One of the few things I'll miss from Southern California when I move away from here is definitely going to be going to the beach during lunch time. The weather was perfect, I had some extra time on my hands so I decided to take some time out get Kairi's tan on :) Even got a thumbs up from a guy driving a Viper today. I can't wait till she sounds better with JG's old custom Flow Master Exhaust and we can then tune the carbs with the wideband.
Here's a picture from this afternoon!
Here's a picture from this afternoon!
Almost over a month with no update...
Sorry folks, things have been really busy over here. In short I'll recap everything that's happened so far:
Timing chain done and valves adjusted
Brake problem figured out (little disc in the master cylinder was loose and had fallen off the from the proportioning valve causing the brakes to either be 100% or nothing).
Car has been Seafoamed
New Battery
New Brass Battery Terminals
New electric fan and internal 30amp override switch.
New Water Pump as the old one was leaking
Oil change done
Motor & transmission mounts bought and ready to be installed
The exhaust is going to go on sometime this week I hope, but she's running pretty healthily now. No problems in traffic and the radiator fan works like a charm. :)
More later :)
Timing chain done and valves adjusted
Brake problem figured out (little disc in the master cylinder was loose and had fallen off the from the proportioning valve causing the brakes to either be 100% or nothing).
Car has been Seafoamed
New Battery
New Brass Battery Terminals
New electric fan and internal 30amp override switch.
New Water Pump as the old one was leaking
Oil change done
Motor & transmission mounts bought and ready to be installed
The exhaust is going to go on sometime this week I hope, but she's running pretty healthily now. No problems in traffic and the radiator fan works like a charm. :)
More later :)
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