boodlefoof

Thanks for the reply SBC-400. That is basically how I planned to build mine (out of car with repeated test fittings). I had thought about trying to make the body removable from the frame. How do you plan to go about doing this? I was thinking of something like dzus fasteners... Also, how do you plan on sealing out the elements with the removable body? Weatherstripping at the contact points between frame and body? One last question... did you get a change to weigh your frame? I'm estimating that my frame design is going to come out to somewhere around 350 pounds. Hopefully I'll be able to offset some of the weight by removing some of the unibody reinforcement sheetmetal. The frame should be plenty stiff that the body won't be flexing.

Looking good! I'm planning on building a full space frame myself. I've pretty much finished up the design and am just looking for a car to build it for! Just curiuos how you went about designing your frame and what material you made it with. I've been using a 3D design software called GRAPE and will probably be making most of the chassis out of mild steel. The main rails will probably be 2x3x.120 (as well as all suspension pickup points) and the hoop and top roll cage will be .134 wall tubing. Non load-bearing pieces will be made of thinner wall materials. Also, did you build the frame inside the car, piece by piece, or did you measure carefully and build the frame outside of the car, then lower the body onto it?

Very true! Also a good rule of thumb is that for a pump-gas iron-headed engine you want a maximum DCR of around 8:1 while for an aluminum headed engine 8.5:1 is doable. Pump gas compatibility is attainable with higher DCRs, but it requires more attention to quench and the combustion process.

blueovalz, I got your email, but it is a .dat file. I can open it, but it is indecipherable. I tried to respond to your email... don't know if you got it. You mentioned something about a Word file. If you have that (and see this) I'd appreciate seeing it. Thanks

a good read. Might have to post that over at zcar.com. They wouldn't believe me when I told them that anti-squat is a good thing. They were of the opinion that the more the car squats, the better the weight transfer and the better the hookup. I suppose it is true to some extent... but the best case scenario is to get good anti-squat and good weight transfer... possibly resulting in an impressive wheel stand (also not the best scenario, but it will wow your friends). ; )

I've never seen one that wasn't a one piece hoop. I'm not sure what kind of racing rules you might be interested in following. On my '68 Camaro I put in a bar that complies with IHRA drag racing specs... If I remember right, that requires that the hoop have a wall thickness of at least .125'' at all places... which most people read to mean .134'' because it will thin out a bit at the bends and the extra wall thickness keeps you in spec.

Quoting Turbo Meister: "The tough part is supplying enough fuel to match the boosted airflow." That is what I meant about the blow through carb and high boost pressure. I've seen many blowthrough applications (mostly with ProChargers) that have run well... but not at that high a boost. Most end up putting an extra injector or two inline with the carb to richen up the mix. What kind of carb is it you're running and what jetting?

Blazer406: "I hope I have a safe car that runs on pump gas and easily runs low 9's at the track.... and can be driven to work every once-in-awhile" You and me both! I've seen some of the other cars you mentioned on the web. Those were what first caught my eye with respect to turbos. Then I bought a 300ZXTT and started reading about the amazing potential that turbos offer. Now, I'm hooked!

blueovalz, If you didn't get my email, please email me at boodlefoof@hotmail.com.

just incredible! Congrats on putting that monster together. Blow through carb and 30psi?!?! Was that tricky to get to run right?

well that answers that question! Thanks!

That is wondeful. I applaud you for your big heart! I try to get the local kids interested in my projects whenever I can. Much better for them to be spending their time wrenching on old cars than spending money on drugs or whatnot. On another note... I love old muscle cars and the Cuda is one of my favorites. Although I suppose it is technically a pony car. Cheers!

Awd92gsx, I found some rear quarters you might be interested in. They look sort of similar to the job done on the car you posted the links of above... I found them at www.showcars-bodyparts.com They sell tons of parts and I've looked at their site on numerous occassions... but don't think I know of anyone using their parts! Anyway, you can find their Z parts at this link... http://www.showcars-bodyparts.com/240z.html If you scroll down to the bottom half of the page they have pictures... the first line of pictures has pics of the "240wideracekit." Looks sort of like it... Any of you ever use parts from these guys?

blueovalz, You've got an email (I filled out the online form on your website to email you). Thanks a bunch! John

Wow! Great information! Thank you guys! Blue Oval, I checked out your website and the pics are awesome! Question... how difficult is it working with fiberglass? Did you make a mold or template of the shape and then lay the fiberglass on it? Did you bond each section together (say the raised part of the quarter panel to the sail panel and tail panel) or are they attached in some other way? I think I mentioned above that I was considering fabbing something out of sheetmetal (as I've never worked with fiberglass). But, if it is comparably difficult... perhaps 'glass is an option. Sorry for the abundance of questions. I'm really excited with what I've seen posted back on this thread!

The only thing better than a 302... is taking a 400 block, sticking in a 3'' stroke crank and having a big bore 302 that is actually about 327 cubes! Awesome! If you want another high-rpm rush... check out this video of Hans Stuck tearing it up! http://www.ddurrelltech.com/bmw/ It is the second one... aww nuts! Dead Link!! That was an adrenaline pumping video if I ever saw one! Anybody else got this? Or, does anyone know how I can post the file? I saved it.

Is it just a transmission or is it a transaxle? I'm not sure about the Maserati ZF... but if it is the same transaxle the Pantera ZF this is a very desirable gearbox for people building mid-engined kit cars like the Pantera or the GT40.

awd92gsx, I like those fenders too! Very nice looking. If you find out who makes 'em (if anyone does), please post back. sparks280zt, Thanks for the compliment! The pearl white is my favorite for the Z32 as well. The Camaro is just about done (for now). I'm planning on building a killer early Z and then completely re-doing the Camaro. With all that I learned the first time, there are a few things I would like to do just a little differently.

Anybody have more pictures of rear fender flares of various styles? Always open to more ideas.

Interesting to see this post come up! I just joined the forum and I'm thinking along similar lines... still looking for a 240-280Z candidate at present. Here is the plan though. I will be building a complete custom space-frame chassis out of mild steel. I found a lot of useful information on how to build one from a member over at www.corner-carvers.com who has built a killer old Mustang. You can see some info on his car at this link.... http://www.carter-engineering.com/preston67compcoupe.htm I've been using a freeware program called GRAPE to design the chassis. This program was recommended by the guy who built that Mustang. I'm still getting the hang of the program and testing deflection with loads. Here is a link to some info on using GRAPE... http://corner-carvers.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6919&highlight=chassis As for suspension, I plan on running a Satchell link rear setup. This is like a parallel four bar except that the lower links are angled in towards center at around 45 degrees. Up front I'll be going with an unequal length A-arm suspension with coil over shocks. Body will be somewhat customized. I hope to go with some sort of custom quarters out back... I've been looking at the Reaction Research YZ option... but my inspiration was Nick's 240Z which can be seen here... http://album.hybridz.org/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=8277 I'm also thinking about lowering the roofline a little bit, and smoothing together the front sheet metal to give the car a real smooth look. As for the drivetrain... I'm hoping to run a twin turbo small block Chevy backed by a manual trans (Tremec TKO-600 possibly). Interior will be minimalist... I look forward to hearing your ideas.

A lot of good auto transmissions have been mentioned that will handle the power, but if you want a manual you could look into the Tremec TKO-600. I think it is rated somewhere around 500# torque... but I have seen these last behind some pretty nasty engines! I know a guy with a TT V8 '69 Camaro who is putting about 900 horsepower through one without problems yet... then again I don't know how hard he beats on it. Personally, when I finally build a V8 Z I'm going with an LS1/6 (or LS7 if I can afford it by then!). But, you could do a Gen I small block much more cheaply and make very respectable power.

Thanks for the info guys. I figured that front piece was a one-off. Dan, your YZ looks great! If I may ask, how difficult is it to attach the 'glass to the surrounding sheet metal? I'm not very well versed with fiberglass... I'm worried about cracks at the seam where it was attached. Also, do you happen to have a pic that is straight on from the rear so I can see precisely how wide these bulge out? My idea for the rear fenders had been to make wooden templates and simply beat some 20 ga. to shape over it with a metal-shrinking hammer and cutting and welding at a few stress relief points if necessary. But, the YZ might be an option. I'm not sure that it might be a little too wide for my taste. As for the front end, I suppose I could weld up the seams in the sheetmetal easily enough. Then it would just be a matter of finding or fabricating a similar air dam and attaching it. Again, thanks! If anyone has anything else to add I'm all ears (or eyes I suppose...).

Hi all, I'm new here. My name is John and I've been a fan of older Z cars for years. I have never had one though! Currently I have a 1990 TT 5 speed daily driver and a '68 Camaro project car. Well, the Camaro is almost "finished" and I've been poking around for a 240-280Z to be my next project car. So, my first question... I've been considering doing some cosmetic work to a Z and I came across a very nice looking one on Ebay the other day. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6187&item=4534370454&rd=1 Anybody know if this is a kit front end or a custom job? I think it looks pretty sharp. On another note... my second question. I'm interested in fitting some fatter tires out back. I don't like the look of big fender flares, but rather a quarter panel that has a gradual bulge across its entire length. For example, I saw Nick's car in Sport Z magazine and think it looks great! See pics at... http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=5357&sort=1&cat=500&page=1 That is the kind of rear flare I'm talking about... I recently found something similar in a kit form... it is called the "YZ" kit from Reaction Research. See pics at... http://www.reactionresearch.com/280yzgallery.html So, anybody have opinions on rear quarter options? Any other kits I missed? I was thinking about custom forming some with sheetmetal... but if there is a nice one that I can simply buy it would save a lot of labor! Thanks for any help or comments.