Oldestzguy

Hi Mike. I understand your comments. That is why, given the circumstances, each step was completely orchestrated to the letter; We only take calculated risks. For example, while in the mountains, we would go very slowly and pull off many many times at a snail's pace with the flashers on, etc. (Other people were doing the same thing). Nothing had a chance to even get warm, much less overheated. Don't think we barreled down the mountains and then hit the brakes suddenly, at speed, while eating cheetos, or did not stay away from people on the straights. We handled it in such a way as if we were going to sneak a car on a trailer across town very carefully (we have all done that). We just did it for many many miles on a few occassions during the trip. Actually, on the flat surfaces (99%) the car handled exactly like it was engineered to haul it, which was a surprise. The Z had no motor or trans in it, so that helped, and it was steady because it was centered over the wheels on a four wheel trailer. The risks we took were not so much about safety(Atlanta was a bitch); we had that covered; it was about taking so much time and being in other people's way, worrying about the little motor or transmission, and the fact that there are better ways to do it. As it worked out, those ways were not at our disposal the week before school started, etc. I would do it again. It worked out much better than was expected. We conquered this time oriented situation together as a family and will never forget it. Great start for the Z family project. Don't worry, there is a chance that I love my family as much as you love yours, and it probably even shows in my thread.

By the way, how do you donate to this site, and what amount is considered respectable?

Just received an email from Eric Bernstein. He is very tied up with work for many months and will not be able to accomodate us concerning the flares. Very nice guy, very nice email; just very busy and traveling as well.

Good point; I will admit, I really don't have any idea how to do any of the mold work; I was just remembering years ago when some other parts were made with visquine or something between the original part and the mold material. Maybe he has already made some somehow.

I think it is time to make someone a collective offer to build these flares for us or it is never going to happen. I also think we should work out, as a group, some creative shipping arrangements because of the very serious cost of shipping these items also. For example, I live in Orlando, bought another Z car in Minnesota recently. Just before I left to go pick it up, I sold a rebuilt motor and a bunch of new parts to a guy in Ohio. Believe it or not, I left Orlando, last wednesay night 9:00pm with a car trailer (pulled by a Ford escort - don't ask) and the motor and parts with me. The Ohio guy met me in route and picked up his motor, etc. in his pickup and I went on to Minnesota, picked up my car and arrived back home Sunday night a 1:30am. It only worked because it was a very minor road trip for the entire family and we all took turns driving. (We don't get out much) I made enough money on the other parts I inherited in my first Z group purchase to pay for the trip, the Z I really wanted, etc. and kept $2,000 extra. Free Z, free trip and made some money for four days. Next summer I am planning a long road trip from Orlando to Ridgecrest California (where I was born), tour old route 66, etc. and goof off a little in Bakersfield etc. (we like country music). If we can talk Eric Bernstein into making us all sets of flares off of his georgeous car before he sells it; I would be willing to take a trailer, bring a whole bunch of prepaid kits back along my return route where you guys could make little trips to meet me and pick yours up. I don't want to make any money; I just want to get someone interested in making these flares; and the only way that is going to happen is if we order a lot of kits at one time and holding the shipping cost down for ourselves would help us do that. Chipping in for a little gas is a lot cheaper than shipping giant boxes thousands of miles. Let's cut out the middle man. Does anyone here know Eric very well?

For those of you who are interested and have a lot of money; the black IMSA Z featured above on this thread (I believe Eric Bernstein's) which is a supercharged V8 is now for sale on this website under classifieds: hybrid Z's, for $35,000 Happy motoring.

Well, for what it's worth, I also am a 58 year old wannabe motorhead / bodyshop groupie that could not even figure out how to post my own photo on the site with a computer. Someone had to do it for me. However, prior to that, my first post/thread (Old IMSA Z flare / body kit) explains how I felt about the site then and certainly now. Later, I messed up my first classified ads, etc. and was very frustrated; but learned quickly that it was because I DID NOT READ THE CLASSIFIED RULES before I posted them, like I had read for the generic posting forums. Naturally, I goofed them up. MY fault, end of story.

For updates on this situation; see this thread here: Old IMSA Z Flare / Body Kit

I would like to see a picture of Bob Lapp's old race car.

Dudeboy, you have a great idea that ranks right up there with the flares we are all hoping for. That yellow Z car looks fabulous. If you don't mind, let me ask you this: Are you talking about steel or fiberglass for those flares that match the bumper? What width wheels fit underneath the widest flares avail for the 911, both front and back? Do you have any more pictures of these applications? This might be the best way to go for the factory look. Thanks for any information, John

Well, after a holiday and a computer crash; I finally talked to Les at Classic Datsun. He said he does indeed, have the flare body kit based on the no. 47 Frizzelle car shown in these photos. He has not dealt with the molds or had anything to do with them for about eight years. The last time it came up was for a Japaneese guy and he quoted him 5,000 for the kit. When I got back up off of the floor, I asked him to detail the kit for me. To the best of his recollection, it consisted of rear quarters, flared front bolt on fenders, something like a g-nose piece that matched, hood, rear hatch, and maybe even a whale tail. I told him I felt like most people would just be interested in the rear flares and flared front fender kit because we could get most of the other stuff elsewhere and maybe he might want to come up with a quality assessment and cost for just those separately. He seemed like a busy man but he promised to find out from his fiberglass guy what condition the molds were in, etc. and that if I continued to email him, he would try to answer the cost, availability questions. I told him that we could probably put together an initial order of about 10 sets based on the posts here and elsewhere. My plan is to continue to email him, but the reaction research kit is looking pretty good about now; especially if you blend the rear quarters on with a two inch extra spacing of fiberglass (and maybe a fender vent in the tail) to make them wider. It does not appear that the cost of the ones I really want is going to be any less.

Sorry, I actually had to work today (scary-bad planning) so I did not have the time to communicate with the Les guy yet. I am going to limit my conversations with him to the flares like I had on my old car. For me, reason one is that they look best by far, the molds exist and we know who has them (him), they look more like factory products than any others, and because of these things, probably more people will want them. As far as the G-nose goes; it blends directly into the flares (see car #47 front shot here in this thread) because they were made to fit it. I don't care for the 'g-nose myself, so I am going to mold an air dam into the front flares as if it was going to stay on forever, then cut it apart carefully at the proper "joining" point at each end, groom the ends, then add hidden brackets from the rear to make it removeable. Simple, looks perfect, just like I did years ago.

Thanks, Tim, Sounds good to me. Will do.

I am in, and in stone, if everything I am now assuming serves to be true. I guess tomorrow I will contact this Les at Classic Datsun and see where he stands with the molds. Maybe Tim can help us "line people up" here somehow in a more sophisticated way than waiting for them to stumble over this thread. Possibly there is a "mass mailing" vehicle to all members concerning a particular subject or something of that nature. I am in! John

Well Tim once again bails me out with info. He makes everything so easy. However, I am not interested in the Arizona Z flares anymore if they are sloped down and then out. I don't particularly go for that added on "stuck on the side" look. I prefer an outrageous look that looks as if it was a factory race or experimental car, or something. Also, Drsideways must have received his PHD in flares as I agree with absolutely everything he is saying. I looked at this new picture of the #47 car, and then went to page one of this thread and looked at another photo of it from the rear (I had been wanting to see the front of it for some time) and have come to the conclusion that the #47 car flares are exactly the same flares I had on my old Z car thirty years ago as shown in my old picture here. As I stated earlier, I bought these from Z Accessory Products (ZAP) like the other member did per his recent comment in this thread. The reason I think these are the same is that they are the only ones that have the upper factory door line flowing onto the rear quarters, as well as, onto the fiberglass "already flared" front fenders. Also, they were supposedly created with the Gnose which I don't like. Also, mine had a complete rear lower door jamb attachment wraparound that made installation very nice, easy to line up and strong. When you added custom fiberglass wheel well arches you could almost jack the car up on them. As far as I am concerned, if Classic Datsun (Les) has the molds for these particular flares, provides the quality you guys describe, and they don't cost anything like the YZ kit, then the search is over and I am going to sign up to get a full set. Like I said earlier, my wife only has two jobs now so cost should not be a problem, she could easily get a third. At any rate, if he already has the molds, the sets should not cost much anyway. Sure, sure, and then I woke up. Where do I sign?

Oh yes, it is all coming back; Bob Sharp Racing, Bob Lapp, Paul Newman, Peter Gregg (Porsche - Suicide ?), Daytona, etc. About NINE months ago I had actually seen a picture of a set of these IMSA flares on the Arizona Z website. I called him (Dave) and he told me that he had the molds for them as well. I did not make a decision to go ahead and start my hybrid Z project until a month or so ago so I called him back and he told me he had sold the molds (and a boatload of other stuff) to a guy named Dan who has a powdercoating business who he thought was a member of this site and might be Canadian, I don't know. This Dan should not be confused with the Dan that has a set of these flares on the rear of his own Z car, has posted on this actual thread, and has a body shop in Arizona (who, by the way, has said he might also be able to make the rear flares for other people if enough customers were interested). If we could identify this other "powdercoating Dan" guy again, we might be able to find out if he is going to do something with the molds he bought from Arizona Z.

That yellow Z with the Porsche flares looks very very classy. These flares are a viable candidate. I also, have researched the steel, as well as, fiberglass Porsche flares and was almost sold except for the rear valence/bumper area, etc. I would love to talk to the owner of the yellow Z to see if he could explain exactly how he accomplished the rear valance area.

What he said! It's times like these that I know for sure how far over my head this stuff really is. I did follow it, but had to concentrate, and now I have a headache.

Is it just me or are the rear quarter panel flares on this Z merely Ford stepside pickup fiberglass stock fenders (maybe dually). Kind of outrageous whatever they are. If they are Ford pickup, or GM, etc. that would make them about $100 for a perfect set in a salvage yard. They could be done like the old Jim Cook Racing type squared off flares (in back) that had the vent screen at the rear of them. I also think the JCR set with the front squared off flares were just additional Z metal fenders welded on the original front fenders of the car leaving a space to the rear for matching venting with the rear ones. I think the kit was made from molds of these. Maybe another set of these "Ford" flares would work for the front as well. I don't know if I like this look yet, but it is starting to grow on me because of the price. Lose the wing might help. If you know what these are, let me know. http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=3556&cat=500&page=2 My thanks to zlalomz for these pictures, as well as, many others.

Everybody check out the completed IMSA flared Z car from Tennessee that is for sale on Ebay under: Datsun Z (ebay motors) . These are the flares we are all looking for. It is just like I wanted except for the Z engine. Hope someone here buys it.

Are you the Scott that gave my son and I Z T-shirts at the last Z club meeting at Tony Roma's?

By the way, I see that you have the little Z insignia on the rear sides of the roof removed, which is what I want to do. Did you switch to an older hatch so the air could escape a different way when you close the hatch. I understand the later Zs had the little opening built into the Z roof side insignias and the earlier Z's had the big grilles at the surface/bottom under the hatch glass for this same purpose. Are any really necessary?

I want it, and I want it now! Congrats on the exact look we are looking for. As far as copper goes. Is it the new GM metallic color? I painted a car with that color with white around the bottom and white wheels and it looked fantastic. By the way, would you mind telling me what wheels and tires are on the car in that last picture? Thanks, John

I checked out the parts cars I inherited; Lots of good stuff, but sorry, the fenders are garbage.

zlalomz, I would be interested in front and rear sets if you make them also. I have five Z cars now, (three are actually only complete parts cars), but I am even thinking about two Z V8 cars now. One for me and one for my son. Let me know if something breaks on this as I have to drive from Orlando to Minnesota with a trailer so maybe you could ship them to a middle spot (hybrid member) and I could pick them up on that trip. Thanks, John