CruxGNZ

In a 4 lug, they will not go any bigger than 8 inches wide. I know this for a fact. !M!

I couldn't put a cross brace in the main hoop, because I would not fit in the car if it was there. That's why the brace that goes between the two sides of the main hoop was pushed back. John C. said it would be best to put an "X" between the two bars coming down from the main hoop to the strut towers, but after thinking about it, this car is still going to see the street, so I decided to not put them in because of visibilty. From what I understand, NHRA doesn't require a diagonal bar, so I'm okay there. SCCA I believe does require one, so I might miss out on some fun. I can still hit Road America twice a year, take it to the 1320, and have a ton of spirited driving on the street. So, I'm happy. !M!

I'm excited that it is all finally finished, so I had to take some pictures. Everything was cleaned with Marine Clean, then washed down, then painted with POR-15. This was my first time working with POR-15, and I have to say that stuff is EVIL! I'm glad I wore an old longsleeve shirt (which happened to be a stupid black turttle neck... did I mention is was 73 degrees today!), because I got a bit on my arm. When I went inside to wash up, I looked up into the mirror, only to see a black dot right above my right eyebrow. My jaw dropped. I didn't have any cleaning solvents around and I didn't want to scrub the crap out of my forehead with steel wool, so I grabbed some Astringent from the bathroom closet and a cotton pad. It came off with about a dozen wipes! Man, am I lucky or what? My forehead is the only spot I got some of that POR-15 on my skin. Still don't know how it got there. Anyways, here she is all pretty: Picture 1 Picture 2 Picture 3 Picture 4 Picture 5 Picture 6 !M!

I'm impressed! On a side note, whiskey is one of my vices, especially Makers Mark (ahh, whiskey and a fine cigar... )

Here's another to add to this. FibreGlast.com I like the carbon fiber intercooler pipes one guy made, pretty cool. !M!

So, how did you try to bribe the judges? !M!

Worked for me, cool video. It looks like you are babying that thing off the line, then nailing the throttle !M!

Wisconsin Jackstand Racing... begins !M!

The mirrors are real JDM fender mirrors. They are spring loaded which I was relieved to find out when I strted to look at them, because I was concerned about them getting busted off by some little punk. They are very easy to adjust. You just lossen a philips screw and turn the mirror clockwise or counter clockwise to find the angle that suits you. I guess I should worry about little rocks and what not hitting the intercooler. My last airdam was folded under my Z by a racoon that wanted to see it up close while I was driving. I was thinking of something along those lines made out of fiberglass. The tunnel would wrap around just the intercooler core. I'll probably have to make it out of 3 pieces. A piece on each side, with a lower piece attached to the airdam. With those on there, maybe I can fit a mesh grill and it won't look to much like I'm trying to fill in that area. !M!

I know there was a few threads about headroom in the S30, but maybe the search feature still isn't working properly. This might not help, but I'm 6' 3" and fit just fine in my '73. With the stock seats kicked back a little, I can fit with a helmet on, although the hemet touches the headliner just a little bit. !M!

I'm lovin' these interior updates, because mine is down to absolutley nothing inside right now. I need to figure out a plan of attack and quickly, the inside sounds like a tin can. It's looking really good . Keep the updates coming. !M!

Hitting the junkyards, reading through the classifieds on a Sunday morning and browsing through eBay will net you a decent interior for that M3. Get the engine running "good". Do the bodywork and prep it for paint, then take it to Maaco for thier craptacular Ambassador paint job. You will make more than you stuck into it and then some. You started with $400, work smart! !M!

Haha! No, I'm just your everyday Joe that has been putting together this car for a few years. Thanks for the compliments though guys! I would LOVE to get a G-nose! But, then I'm not sure how well air would flow to the intercooler. I'll take your idea into consideration 2126. Maybe a fiberglass front bumper painted a satin black with a 432 grill painted the same? I'll scetch it out and see how it looks. Eventually the Z will get painted a gun metal grey with satin black accents, no shiney stuff. !M!

It has to be a photoshop picture. The engine is pushed to the drivers side, the driver would be sitting almost on the transmission, and lastly the stock Honda radiator will not cool that V-10 lump. !M!

After seeing this here (post #3) and seeing that the two stub axles are identical except for that the 280Z has 2 more splines, as seen here , (CAD drawing, 1/4 the way down). I know it is said that 280Z stubs are stronger, because more splines equals stronger connection, but how much does .080" diameter give you strength wise? Also, each stub axle I have seen has broke at the base of the splines, weather it's a 240Z stub axle or 280Z stub axle. I know John Coffee has said the stub axles also have been know to break at the fusion weld. Just thought I would throw a little discusion out here. !M!

Rufus, Mike really is mentally handicapped Cool ride! !M!

Visibility is a 7 out of 10. If the mirrors were more convex, it would be great (they seem slightly convex). I installed the mirrors per Alan's measurements. I figure the Nissan guys put them there for a reason and if I put them anywhere else, it might look kind of odd. When your sitting in the drivers seat, you just need to look with your eyes to see the passenger side mirror, you don't need to turn your neck at all, which I found really wierd. It will take some getting used to. So far, I like it. As for the grill... *huff* I like the way it looks with the intercooler in your face, you know, all business. BUT, I think the front end lacks that "something"... but I don't know what yet. I have saved pretty near 100 photo's of different grills, airdams, ect., but none appeal to me. This is actually the first time I have been stuck on something that would be aesthetically pleasing to me. I've done very good in the "looks" area of my past vehicles, but this big open area is just so difficult for some reason. Mesh... no, small horizontal bars... no, small vertical bars... no. I think this area needs more help, like forming a sculptured area out of 'glass. But the more I think about it, the more I think the Shelby Cobra looks great without a grill covering its "mouth". The time has come for my ideas to be put to paper and see if I can do something. My friends idea was to make some carbon fiber fillers for where the bumper was, between the headlight bucket and the front airdam, and I thought that with this modification AND leaving the grill open (but clean it up a bit, make it more smooth), it might look good enough. Heck just playing around with colors in the front end could have a profound effect. We'll see... !M!

I'm hoping a month or two Lots of little stuff I need to finish up. !M!

The ones from your passenger footwell look similar to mine. I checked my engine compartment and I still have a 4 wire plug. Here's a picture of it click here It is a relay for the ignition... I think. It clicks when you turn the ignition key to "start". I can't help you out here. I took out half a paper bag full of wiring I didn't need last year and my memory is horrible. Sorry. !M!

These fender mirrors are cool! I got help on the measurements from Alan (HS30-H), who has them on his car installed from the factory. Thanks again Alan! It's wierd, the mirrors aren't symetric as I had first thought. Here's the thread that he pointed me to: click here If anyone wants to put these mirrors on, go to that link and use those dimmensions. !M!

I was rooting for you too! I was waiting to hear what happened tonight! You have to get the 10 second time slip before you leave or else! !M!

I also have a '73 and my wiring looks nothing like yours. Your connectors are very different from mine. Just for conversations sake, my Z was built on 5/73, when was yours? !M!

Ah, that's why I couldn't login for a while! !M!

Jacked up the car under the retractor pocket and the whole passenger side of the car came up off the ground. I was able to open and close the passenger door with ease! Do I even need subframe connectors? I was going to do them Pete Paraska style, but if this cage is enough, should I bother? I did search on the subject of subframe connectors with a cage and the answers were mixed. !M!

Here she is, all done. The guy that did it does a GREAT job! If anyone in the area needs a cage, any kind of cage, this guy said he can do it. You should see his 7 second race car! . $800 for a chromoly 6-point cage, you can't go wrong. If you want the guys number PM me. Picture 4 Picture 5 Picture 6 Picture 7 If you're wondering, the passenger seat isn't bolted in, that's why it looks crooked. !M!