LeMons 2008 is underway!
 

Interior has been gutted for a couple of months.

Got the full cage installed last week. Full intrusion bars w/a ladder bar on the drivers side.

Need to put in the tranny, a "better" used clutch and shocks, diff with better gears, mount a speedo, tach, oil pressure and water temp gauges, and heat the springs to drop it down a LOT.

Still need to find a set of 15x7 wheels to mount the Azenis or Hankook's.

The victim:
http://gallery.ricerocketracing.org/.../Img_0752a.jpg

Pics will be posted at:

http://gallery.ricerocketracing.org/2008-lemons-sf-amp/

Another 280zx bites the dust. Have fun! :D

But what a way to go out eh?! I expect lots of pics L-Dub! But not TOO much carnage. :D I get woozy at the sight of crunched Datsun metal.

datsuns are made of metal? wierd, i thought they were made out of rust.

how much HP does the Oreck add?

Dude! Mad "Electric Turbo Power"!

Got the suspension finished last weekend along with the "new" tranny, pulled all the extra "smog" gear, plugged all the vacuum hoses and did a VERY short test run just to make sure the battery was good and the motor would fire after sitting for 3 or 4 years...

The original tranny was a complete failure. Got it all installed and went to change the fluid and when I pulled the drain plug, half the bearing cage came out with it! Dead tranny. Unfortunately, the 5-speed out of my 240Z was the nearest victim and got kidnapped to replace it. Fortunately, thanks to Apollo, a suitable replacement was obtained from the Oakland Pick-n-pull for $19.99! That one will go into my 240Z when the engine compartment is completed and it get's put back into action...

Got a lot done this week. Got the Kirkey seat installed on the factory sliders (you have no idea how much of an engineering feat this was), got the MOMO steering wheel with quick release installed, the engine is now purring like a kitten after some basic "electrical" clean-up, got the drive-shaft put in and the exhaust installed. It was great being able to "drive" the car up the driveway and to the side of the house under it's own power!

I did a quick little dash around the block and the thing runs like a cat with it's tail on fire! Power steering is about dead though... I may swap my manual rack into it...

Corner weighed the car and with the cage installed and a full 21 gallon tank of gas it tipped the scales at a featherweight 2452 lbs. Unfortunately, the weight distribution is about 65%/35% F/R. Gutting the interior and pulling all the glass and rear hatch really put the weight on the front. Ended up with some pretty bad positive camber on the rear because it's so light now. I'll be heating the springs to drop them about 2.5" and get back some of my negative camber before putting it on the track this Friday for it's "maiden voyage".

A friend and his roommate came over to borrow my trailer so he could move his G35 to the shop and finish the install of his fully built TT motor (480rwhp). The roommate owns a 240Z he's recently finished rebuilding and was totally irritated when I fired it up and this $350 crap can ran smoother than his 240Z!

Let the games continue!

any chance of the car possibly being for sale if it doesnt end up a crumpled beer can?

Why, for Christ sake, would you want to buy this car? Dude, it's TOTALLY stripped out.

hoov, you're desperate for a Z aren't you?

If you were in FL, I'd give ya my old one for free because I won't be able to keep it.

However, gonna try to find it a home here in Orlando where I know it wil be taken care of.

I appreciate "The Need for Z" hoov, but if/when it survives the LeMons race (most sheet metal will likely be crunched) it will be used as a track "beater" until I get kicked out/refused entry or the motor gives up the ghost with some kind of internal failure and even then, I'll probably salvage the P79 and most everything else that's re-useable.

what did you do for suspension? how do you prep these cars for the apparent cheapo lemans? lol.

I hit the JY and picked up all four corners with "NEW" shocks, possibly new springs and a $19.99 5-speed tranny with a BRAND NEW CLUTCH! ;)

That's how you stay within the $500 limit... :armata_PDT_03:

"Safety" equipment is exempt from the price cap, so you are free to spend whatever you can/want on tires, wheels, brakes, cage, seats, harness, etc. as long as you meet the minimum safety requirements.

so you basically have nothing truly upgraded. thats the wierdest race EVER! but super cool lol

That is correct and part of why it's so bloody fun! Take a $500 crap can and see if you can make it run "competitively" for 18 hours where it's going to be punished harder than it was when it was brand new!

when/where? That's ""my" manual rack going in, isn't it?

"when/where?" what?

Yes, it is your manual rack! It may come out of this with a "legitimate" racing history... ;)

Since my turbo STILL isn't out of the body shop, I'll use it temporarily on the LeMons entry.