rturbo 930

Half a finger length wouldn't be too bad, could probably make up the difference with stretched tires, if that's your thing. I'm thinking another option would be to have a shop take a few inches out of your outer lip. There's companies that provide the same service to widen/narrow one piece wheels. But there may be issues with that method too, since this is mostly done with steel wheels. If you ever plan on upgrading your rear brakes to something like the AZC kit with Wilwood calipers, you may have clearance issues if you shave down the hub. I'd be a little hesitant to adjust your wheels in an inch with adjustable control arms. I could be wrong on this, but my gut feeling is that you'd be messing up your suspension geometry, and possibly causing issues with your CVs or halfshafts binding. Is this a rare set of wheels? Might be worth getting another set in a more appropriate size.

Are you saying the wheel will still stick out 3" past the flare? If so, that's not going to be a good look, at all. I hate to be a naysayer, but if you can't get them resized, I just don't see them working for you. And at nearly $4k, it would be easier and cheaper to order from a place like CCW, although I know CCWs just aren't the same as a vintage wheel, aesthetically, so I can understand why you wouldn't want to do that. But 17x14 is just too damn big. Unless you want to move up to something like an IMSA widebody? But if your wheels are sticking out 3" past your bodywork, it's just going to look ridiculous.

Looks good. What are those mirrors off of?

Doesn't really look that well made...

I check in on your thread on classiczcars from time to time, good to see you posting here too!

Awesome!

And that is why I absolutely hate buying cars. Such a pain in the ass, and so many potential problems. My car has a bit of rust, but no accident history or bondo issues, thank god. Hope it's not too bad underneath the filler.

Wow, you're ambitious. That's a lot of rust! Is 'earth' located in Canada? I've never seen rust like that in the strut towers.

Maybe mount it in the sun visor? Maybe not the ideal place to put it but at least that way you can flip it up out of sight when not in use.

Thanks for the responses guys. I wasn't planning on using sand, since everything I've read suggests that sand is too harsh for sheet metal. I'll probably use walnut shells or plastic. I just want to get the paint off. I've heard some bad things about residue from soda blasting ruining paint jobs, so I don't really want to go that route.

I've seen a few others on this forum mention that Rebello's dyno might be a little optimistic. Edit: Johnc beat me to it while I was typing.

Looks just like my Z did when I first got it - also a '76 280z. Looks pretty solid - but so did mine, lol. Hope it's not too bad.

Sorry, but I gotta agree. That Civic is too nice to drive in the salt. Get a better (read:worse) winter beater. I cringe any time I see a nice old car out in the salt.

About this awesome, give or take?

It wasn't a great video, I thought the thread was better off without it. I found it just as I was replying, and figured I'd post it. Should've watched it first. Just for the record though, I think he's Australian. And there's nothing wrong with not being very knowledgeable. I certainly wasn't when I first got into Zs. My impression of Rocky Auto is that they like to take a car that's already finished, do a few things to it, and call it their own. That could be totally wrong, but that's the impression that I get. Yes, once you sell your car, you have no say over what happens to it, but that's just bad practice, taking credit for other people's work. Although I think it may have been the article that made the claim, not so much Rocky Auto themselves. Regardless, there's something about their business that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I know what you mean. We had a thread on here that went into that with the yellow V8z that sold here a year or two ago. But although it seems a little cheap that they just copied his setup, it would be the person who wrote the article that made any claims as to who did what.

Found a little more on that blue Z. http://www.speedhunters.com/2014/02/nostalgia-rules-at-japans-best-vintage-show/#chapter-the-japanese-restomod And it's for sale for just $90,000. What a deal.

How quickly does that blaster work? Would you recommend using it to blast an entire shell?

That's not a Z though. My E30 has 315/570 springs rates, and it's fine, but it has a completely different suspension design (mainly in the rear), and a stiffer chassis. Zs don't need such stiff springs. Do some research - JohnC has a lot of posts on the subject. And if I remember right, the chassis is only good for something like 300-350 without reinforcement, and going up in spring rate doesn't actually make the car handle any better since the chassis is flexing. And then of course, your shocks need to match your springs. This thread might be useful: http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/109172-77-280z-ground-control-coil-over-conversion-question/ And read through the FAQ: http://forums.hybridz.org/forum/80-brakes-wheels-suspension-and-chassis/

I hope they're not going to scrap his car. It's may not be pretty, but he put a lot of work into it. To me, it looks more like they're swapping the engine over to a nicer shell... Looks like there's another HybridZ in their lot:

350 is way too stiff for a Z. Depending what you want to do with the car, somewhere in the 200 to 250 range should be about right.

Let's see what they look like after you clean them. I like the pattern, but I'm a little worried they're past the point of fixing - mostly that one seat bottom. I can understand that you want to build the Z for yourself, which is why I mentioned making your own, since it would be your own personal touch on the car. I didn't really get what you meant by 'elbow patches' at first, but I think I've got it now. Kind of like what's on this seat on the bolster, right? That could be a clean way of patching them up. Give it a shot.

Honestly dude, I think I'd try to reupholster them. It looks like someone pissed themselves in the one on the right, and if you have any hopes of getting a girl to ride in your Z, that's gonna be a show stopper. I don't know what your budget is like, but MSA sells kits for ~$250 that will do both seats. If that's too much, get some automotive fabric you like, and try doing it yourself, if you have a sewing machine available. You can use the old upholstry as a guide to cut out the new fabric. Your first try may not fit great, but IMO it'll be better than what you have. BTW, are you driving it on salted roads? Your pic of the Z out in the snow has me worried, lol.

I don't think he updates his cardomain page much anymore, but I did manage to stumble on his thread on pro-touring.com. http://www.pro-touring.com/threads/107091-quot-Mechanix-Menace-quot-An-LS7-motivated-chopped-and-heavily-modified-1973-Datsun-240Z

^ A fully carbon fiber hood and hatch would be awesome. Appreciate you taking the time to post the whole process on here, I had no idea it was so involved!