OldAndyAndTheSea

Dash plug is done. I'll begin the process of making the mold in the next couple days. And a final weight on the revised console. 420 grams. more to come.

The untrimmed consoles could act in that same way, should one not want an insert. Mounting to the rear of the transmission tunnel becomes slightly more challenging however.

Because it would be physically impossible to have the twill weave pattern behave, while asking it to conform to really tight corners, and spaces. The first console I ever made was one piece. A quick look back as to the quality of that will answer your question. You'll even see that on the FuguZ. Even they didn't make the storage compartment exposed carbon, it's blacked off. I wanted to have the piece be entirely visible carbon. Making the inserts separately allows for more customization, and simpler layups. If that makes sense.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10102950180426955&set=gm.950521171649688&type=1&theater

Equates to about 600 dollars per piece, which for the materials is fairly steep.. They're most likely hand laid polyester parts, which is essentially the cheapest/weakest fabrication route. What you're paying for is the tooling cost, and the time to produce. Six parts takes some time to make, and subsequently trim/process. I bet they want 12 grand for carbon. I'd also bet they would still be using polyester resin and chopped strand mat. Although I hope not..ugh...

Thanks Kurk! Been busy at the shop, so I've fallen behind with my Z stuff.... That said, I finally made the revised insert for the V2 console. It's got a couple flaws, but for the first one, and being that it is for my car, it will suffice. There's always a learning curve. Laid up Freshly popped Trimmed Mock fit This keeps me emotionally motivated to finish my dash. The plug is close. So so close.

Man, these things are neat. My 260 may be getting some of these - when I get around to getting to that car. In the meantime I'm buying the hand brake slip cover for the 240. Some very affordable alternatives - I can dig it.

Hey Keith, where did you get your Z31 CVs shortened? I'm contemplating sending my stockers out.

You Cali guys and your "rust" Look forward to the build. This surely will be one to watch.

Worked for a moment this evening. Prepped the plug for the final spray/fair - no pictures of that, cause by now, we all know what it looks like. haha. A few other odds and ends. Since I am using the Nissan coolant temp sensor now, I finally got around to swapping pigtails in the harness, and calibrating Megasquirt to the OEM sensor. Oil temp sender (and adapter) installed. Last Whaler ride of the year. Always a solemn time. But it is time to make some improvements. The mahogany needs some attention, and I have a few modifications in mind.... So I have spent the last day pulling the boat apart. So this will be a fun winter side project. Not that any of you care, though...boats and such. I digress...

Thanks guys! The diff came out of Arizona. Bought it from Cody Ethridge. Was sourced through the Datsun Parts and Needs group on Facebook. Fairly boring update in the meantime. Aside from fairing the dash plug, I've been slowly removing/inspecting the new differential. Removing the no longer needed half shaft flanges. Definitely need to order some new seals. Needs a general basic refresh before it can be mounted to the car. Overall condition looks nice though. Destroyed seal - Cause determined. I'll test breakaway torque when it is in the car. Can't wait to clean everything up, and mount the finned cover with all new rubber and fluids. Mmmmm...But I'm getting ahead of myself... ...'Til then, I need to order some parts.....and continue sanding....ugh - Although the end is very near. I foresee one more spray before the final fair. Then I layup the mold. Then results happen quickly! Fun fun fun.

Composites update: Turned the failed first attempt into a new master plug. Deleted the vents this time. Also, decided to put a flange on the plug. This will make many aspects of the build much easier, it just takes much more time. After some time, I finally got to spray the plug tonight. Now the real fairing begins. In other news, I received this tote today - via Greyhound What could it be? A factory Nissan 3.70, 2 way, CLSD out of a 1987 300zx turbo, that's what. A little freshening up, and into the car it'll go! I now own all the mechanical components necessary to drive. Yes. Yesss.. Yesssssss...

I installed Autometer's programmable fuel gauge (only comes in 2 1/16") about two weeks ago. It works beautifully... Much better than the 0- 90ohm gauge with the common resistor modification. I only got the gauge to read accurately once like that. It left lots to be desired.. After I calibrated the new programmable gauge, I finally get a much more accurate (about as accurate as possible given the gas tank shape) reading than my previous attempts at an aftermarket fuel level gauge. Taken from my build thread Confirmed each quadrant of the gauge works. Appears to make sense, based on the sender position. Very cool. Full Moved the arm down a little. A little further.. More still... And empty. And a random position - just to be sure. I'm finally happy with this setup.

It's all Techno Toy Tuning suspension Zed29l

Depends on condition. Lots have broken fins. 300 is within the average range I have been seeing. I bought a very nice, near mint, one for just under 400, shipped to my door four months ago.

^^ seconded. Gabriel has excellent customer service. Extremely satisfied.

Got some packages this morning. The latest thermostat housing. And here are the past sacrifices to the Speed Gods...Each one had a different, unique, failure. Well I've changed plans, once again, and won't be attempting to modify the latest. I'll be using (and calibrating to) Nissan sensors. I should have done this from the start, or like 4 housings ago...haha. I'm stubborn... This will be lucky number seven. Powder coated. Oil Temp gauge 2-5/8" this will replace my current fuel level gauge mounted in the dash. The current gauge has never read properly, because I attempted to "hack" it with resistors, trying to make it agree with the Nissan sender. Needless to say...Didn't work. Well actually it did, once. It read correctly once. That was it though. I will then mount the new 2-1/16" programmable fuel level gauge where the stock radio would go, in the new carbon dash. Upon initial testing, I found that my fuel level sender was out of spec. It also had a couple dead spots in the range of motion. Years of wear took its toll. So I bought a new one, and proceeded to calibrate the gauge. Confirmed each quadrant of the gauge works. Appears to make sense, based on the sender position. Very cool. Full Moved the arm down a little. A little further.. More still... And empty. And a random position - just to be sure. Sweet! Now to put everything back together....

Forged pistons wont guarantee anything without a proper tune. You'll just end up breaking MORE expensive stuff should catastrophe happen. I'd skip that step, and focus heavily on a reliable, tuneable, engine management system. Throw that on the engine you have. Tune the piss out of it. That's what I'd do. The money you save on, unnecessary in my opinion, forged pistons will help immensely on other aspects of the build. My humble .02

He's lucky to have you. Going at it completely alone can really suck sometimes.

Yeah, you got it. I wasn't implying that fender flares affect suspension, rather that based on the renderings - being super low - it's hard to gauge what the kit will look like overall when at an appropriate ride height. It could change the look for some people, that's all. I should have been clearer.

Some composites updates.... I totally pooched dash attempt #1. The infusion failed. It only wet out about 15% of the total part. I made a careless mistake with my process stack and it impeded flow significantly. Failed to realize until it was too late... So this left me with the a couple options... 1. Pop the failed part, as is, and throw it away, then try again. or 2. Attempt to wet out the laminate, by hand, to test the mold and see if the geometry works. I picked the latter. Instead of just throwing the carbon away, I decided to turn it into a tool instead. Since the original plug was destroyed making this mold, the failed part will become a new master plug. Should a seriously catastrophic failure occur, I'm not out both the mold, AND the plug too. This is a checkpoint, if you will. So here it is. I've won the chance to play again! hah! Bask in its glory. Bask damn you. :lol: :lol: My findings. -The mold does NOT have to be destroyed to pop the part. That's HUGE. You just need to get a little creative - that's all I will say about that. haha. -The twill for the most part was very acceptable. I now know where to be more careful on the next layup. -The extremely resin rich laminate weighs 4 pounds. This means the actual good, infused, part will weigh in at around 3 pounds or so, and will be significantly stronger than this part, which happens to already be stronger than the OEM. Awesome. So in conclusion, the mold survived, and I now have a new replacement plug shape to tweak as I attempt to try again this upcoming week. Not the result I had hoped for, but I made it an educational experience in spite. Seeing bits of potential in the failed laminate makes me realize how cool this is going to look, once completed. I've tasted the sacred waters; No way I'm backing out now.

Honestly, I can't get behind the design. There are a couple areas that I don't care for - Mainly, the grill opening transition leading to the air dam, the rear flares going into the doors, and the overall lack of functionality (at least from the ultra low renderings) I can see the appeal though, and it does look like it's going to be well made. Just not my cup o' tea.

FIFTEEN HUNDRED?! Yeah, definitely nice to us, more rust privy, folk. Slicktop too. That's a beautiful canvas - it is an ideal 280zx to start from in my opinion.

Fantastic project! Looking great! I want your rear differential.

It's a lot of work, that's what you're paying for - the labor mostly. You could do the work yourself for much cheaper. Personally, I'd turn your current hood setup into a plug. Then splash a mold from that to make your 100% composite part. There are so many different ways to do this, and so many variables - like resin type/processes involved, so it's hard to gauge what is "fair"