69 Z/28 Day II Project (Air Force Brat)

[Chuck_Burg]

LOVE the shifter Graeme, and your install... real nice! I agree with Steve though, most kids back then would've done a hack job so they could get to the races the same night they installed the shifter. I like your approach much better. Slow and steady wins the race, at least the clean install race

I thought about doing the same shifter but ended up with a boring old Competition Plus so I could keep my original console and not cut my virgin floors.

[NorCam]

I figured...I have time right? It was -30 to -40 here a couple of weeks ago and the shops heated so I might as well do something that looks clean versus hacking a big ol' hole. I'm so happy I did this now as the standard Comp Plus is just so sloppy when compared to how this shifts.

Now if FedEx would just deliver the frame mounts to me. (lol)

[Chuck_Burg]

It was 81 in Long Beach today

[NorCam]

I really like mechanical gauges for their accuracy so I decided to install a couple of Stewart Warner gauges with a mechanical temp and an oil pressure gauge rather than the Sun gauges. Jason's hunting for a matching Green Line tach for me, and if I can find suitable gauges and chrome cups for the cowl, I may add a vacuum and fuel pressure gauge later on. Also picked up another pair of engine frames so I can get the motor installed later today. The headers are wired up out of the way and I'm headed back after my coffee to get the gearbox filled and make some final adjustments before everything goes in.

Boogity boogity.

[big gear head]

Use that oil for break in and then put this in it. https://www.amsoil.com/p/manual-tran...AaAj9iEALw_wcB
I had an oil related failure in my M23 when using the Driven oil. The synchronizer engineer from New Venture Gear, who is also working for AutoGear as a consultant, told me that they had done a lot of testing and the Amsoil MTG was the best that they found and recommended that I use it. So far it's working great. Also pay attention to AutoGear's oil capacity recommendations. Don't fill it to the bottom of the fill hole like you would a Muncie. If you plan on running it hard then you will need to modify the vent or you will have oil running out. It's best to fix it now before it's in the car. Use a 90 degree fitting in place of the vent and run a hose toward the front of the transmission with a vent in the hose. Under hard acceleration oil will come out of the standard vent.

[NorCam]

Engine and transmission are both installed. Headers are in place and I am headed back out now to button them up and wipe down some greasy handprints. Still need to install the trans cross member and will then start on everything else including the ignition, starter, and wiring.

[big gear head]

I was looking at the picture of the engine and transmission and I don't see the vent in the top of the tail housing. The AutoGear transmissions must have the vent. They don't vent through the front bearing retainer like the Muncie transmissions do. They have a seal in the bearing retainer and must have a traditional vent. If you already installed the vent then disregard this.

[NorCam]

Morning Freddie...

A couple of things on this trans case if I may? Firstly, it has a 10 spline input with a nut and does not have an internal oil seal input, therefore it vents through the threads of the nut and has no need for the addition of a rear vent. It has 1 quart of driven gear oil for break-in and in talking with Nate at AGE last year, he schooled me on the approved oils for their gearboxes. He also gave me a list of which oils they were sold on. Amsoil MTG was on that list as were other ML-1 rated GL4/5 synthetics including Royal Purple Max Gear, Redline MT-90, and some others.

FWIW...my preference (much like Nathan's) lays with petroleum-based oils such as Joe Gibbs and Brad Penn and I would offer that it is all relevant to how you are going to use a gearbox, or should I say...how you plan to punish it. Different oils shift better at higher RPM, while others don't work well when downshifting from 4/3, and some are friendlier to bronze and brass than others are but are also subject to change when they add or delete friction modifiers and formulas from year to year. There's no one magic bullet IMO.

At present, I'm OK with the Driven gear oil for the break-in but may change to something else when that's complete. Thank you for the cautionary warnings. It's all good information.

[big gear head]

OK, sounds great. I didn't know that you had the input with the nut and no seal. I noticed that the vent was missing and wanted to be sure that you had something in place to vent the transmission. As you know I abuse my transmission a lot. 7000 RPM clutch dumps with 14 inch wide slicks on the drag strip is kind of hard on it.

[NorCam]

No tracks around here anymore unless I want to drive up to 3 hours away...and even then, it's not like anything you guys still have in the US (although I see many US tracks closing up now). Nowadays, if I were to end up at a track event, it would likely be a one-off thing just to see what the car is capable of between the poles.

Any intended abuse that this car will likely see includes me stopping on a remote strip of two-lane blacktop (amidst the Rocky Mountains) to drop the clutch and buzz the car through 4 gears. In fact, most of what I do now is two-lane blacktop cruising between 3500 to 6500 rpm while rowing up and down the box in hills or twisty terrain. If I'm lucky enough to find someone to run against, I'd maybe stop to bang it through 7500 once or twice and that would likely be about it.

It's more about building it to be capable of a high 11.0 - low 12.0 ET in street trim than to satisfy an urge rather than go to the track every other weekend. I do like drag racing, but those types of events are just not in the cards anymore. And I'm ok with that too. I like driving them and it's always nice knowing it's built to handle the clutch being dropped whenever I feel the need to stop and smoke the tires.

Yes...I'm impulsive that way.