redneck1545

LOL, if we all just bought parts then this site wouldn't be neccessary and we wouldn't need a "fabrication" section now would we?

cept my original is fubar'd so i really cant go off of what i have. all the junkyards around here dont have early model z's so i cant cut one out or go measure one up either. my only option currently was either making one from scratch or buying one off MSA. Right now my time costs less than the money it would take to purchase the repair panel so I was looking at making the panel myself but since I have nothing to measure up I was asking if anyone had a CAD drawing of it. If not, the only other thing I can do is set back some funds to buy one off MSA if they are even in stock.

no the rear valence piece in autocad...i was actually looking for a cad drawing of the panel but if i cant find one im just gonna measure things up and start fabin from scratch...orrrrrr pony up the funds and buy one.

I used the tried and true beat the piss out of it with a hammer method. First side took the better part of 10 mins, the second side took me about and hour and destroyed two 3/8" extensions as thats what i was using for my punch as stated before, lube up with penetrating oil or some type of lubricant or else ure just wasting your time. as far as the post ^^^^^^^^ there using threaded rod is definitely a BAD idea, no go, and should not even be considered. Believe it or not there is a reason behind why these things cost $70.00 bucks for the pair and a typical all threaded rod from the hardware store is only a few dollars.

thanks zip! im thinking of making all the parts that bolt to the car like cross members, steering rack (painted), strut housings and stuff going mirror black...the springs, tie rod ends, front control arms, TC rods, and real control arms going gloss silver or that metalic silver look...thought about the super chrome and giving them a " machined billet look to...but either way something silver to contrast the black cause im gonna have entire under side of the car painted in zero rust's black so i GOTTA have something to contrast all the black. what do you think about that?

one would think with 400# springs and a 1" swaybar it wouldnt be very dramatic! cool vid...might try some different angles with the camera next time to get more of the dramatic video ure trying to obtain.

there hs been much debate about this topic alone... I've heard that spring rates would not be affected or if they were it would be neglible (2-3lbs difference). The reason most people think it would be affected is due to the fact your heating up a spring and essentially "heat treating" it but powder coating is only on the surface of the spring and therefore only the surface temp would be affected and for the most part the "internal" metal retains the spring rate. The springs are only going to be in the oven at 450 for about 20-25 mins anyways. so again, not enough time for the internal or meturalurgical properties of the spring to change significantly. Although all this is hear-say and it would be very intresting to see the actual results instead of guestimating at what would happen wouldnt it??? now you guys got me pondering a trip to the good ole suspension shop and getting before and after measurements of the actual rates! thanks for the tips 240zip!

thanks for the info man! im hoping if i blast all the stuff myself it will bring the cost down considerably. im still wanting to do some contrast and im willing to pay a little money to have those parts done in silver...even a sleeper deserves a little POP ya know haha what other parts besides the steering rack would you not recommend powder coating?

did you sandblast all the stuff yourself or take it to them straight after being torn off the car and left all the blasting and prep to the coaters for that price??? thanks

maybe i should have made this a poll thread... Your expertise is infinite jonh! I cant even recall the amount of info i have referenced from you on here! Im starting the blasting process this week so I guess ill make a decision after im done with all the peices but if i go paint i gotta get me another quart of silver paint...gotta have some contrast ya know OH yea...I GOT THE SPINDLE PINS OUT TODAY!!! not really as much of a pain as i though it would be really...bout 30 mins for both and two 3/8" extensions destroyed...not to bad in my mind..and no the pins are not re-usable just in case u were wondering. Im thinking all the a-arms, control arms, TC rods, springs and doglegs in silver and all the cross members, sway bars, struts, brake backing plates and rotor hats in black ... im gonna have the whole underside of the car painted in zero rust black when its all said and done...any comments or suggestions?

looks like everyone is leaning towards powder coating! do you have to completely dissassemble your steering rack to have it powder coated or will taking the boots and tie rods off do just fine? thanks

Im no pro when it comes to CAD stuff so im sure me making a drawing from scratch would take quite a bit of my time...BUT i may start working on it soon in my free time...which i dont really have that much of at the moment. but ill keep ya posted if i can.

I dont think im gonna go that route as im trying to just do a budget build for the moment....funny thing is i say budget build and right now she's getting the full up rotissirie treatment. honestly, is it even legal to say budget and ground up rebuild in the same sentence??? haha but really i was just trying to get opinions as to which option to take right now...i could paint them as i have the paint already $80/gal or i could get them powder coated for who knows how much...but he did tell me they are competitively priced at $3.00 per sq ft which i think is very reasonable...im figuring i could get the sway bars, crossmember, a-arms, control arms, struts, springs, upper hats, hood torsion bar, and various brake parts done for under $200.00 course this is me estimating costs and u know what happens when we try to ball park prices in our head. But either way im blasting all the peices and then deciding what to do. Im figuring i got a couple days before they start gathering surface rust so even if i took a week to blast all the parts and some got surface rust building up on em it wouldnt be that much for the powder coating shop to re-prep the surface before coating. my question is which road is better to take considering this will not be a trailer queen and will be driven regularly. Is the $200.00-300.00 bucks on powder going to be wasted money a year or less down the road when the coating starts to flake or chip and there is no other alternative other than strip and re-coat?

Ok so ive stripped all my suspension down to nothing...cept for the dreaded spindle pin...BUT i have access to a shop with a hydrualic press that will hopefully be up to the job. Now with that being said i have a bunch of parts that im blasting an going to be either painting or powder coating. I have a shop next door that does powder coating for $3.00 a sq ft. i will be blasting all the stuff myself so that will cut down on the $60/hr labor they charge. My question is this, would you powder coat or paint suspension parts??? I have a gallon of black zero rust that i was planning on using for the interior and undercarriage but im not at that stage yet so Im wondering if it would be better to paint the parts right after they are blasted to aid in easy touch up down the road or to pay the money to have em powder coated now??? I've heard mixed reviews...everyone says powder coating is the way to go as far as durability but if you get a chip or a scratch in it you gotta start all over if u want it looking good again whereas paint would just be a scuff and a spray away. any help and opinions would be appreciated!

im actually lookin for a CAD drawing of these parts...if no one has one already made ill probably make one up my self to share with the z community though!

Does anyone happen to have a CAD drawing or specs for the rear panel or the rear panel repair insert? im trying to help fab one up and a CAD drawing would make like much easier. this is what im looking for http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/SBC1C02/30-7240 thanks in advance

ive been busy...srry for not giving an update. pictures can do the talking better than i so here goes!

I finally got my rotisserie built...then had to chop it up again cause i didnt get everything perfectly square. fixed all the issues and she flips all the way over without the stands wanting to push towards eachother! CG is still top heavy but going out to the garage an seeing a flipped 260z on some engine stands put together in a few hours is a sight to behold!!!

pm'd

pm'd

still have diff available if your still intrested thanks

I have two diffs from the Q45 i can sell you. Right now I have one with 2 cv's and one without any cv's...Ill be making another trip to the junk yard and can pick you up a diff setup with 4 cv's if u need that. PM and ill shoot you the prices. thanks

just putting the "feeler" out there to see if anyone has some of ross's parts they want to sell. I need a set of the custom axles and machined end stops as well as the 280z companion flanges that he makes. The flanges can be either the billet ones or the ones he fabs up from the original companion flanges. basically this kit http://www.modern-motorsports.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=32_53&products_id=57 or this one http://www.modern-motorsports.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=32_53&products_id=65 Thanks!

ill be moving this thread to the "members build" section soon. but as far as an update goes HERE GOES! Since the last post I have built a rotisserie from engine stands ended up costing me a days worth of work and about 150 bucks. WELL WORTH IT and purchased the following- 15gal aluminum fuel cell w/sending unit valued at 250 brand new...I paid 125 for a never been used one from a guy who bought a truck accessory shop techno toy tuning Q-45 front mount. Paid 150 Arizona Z car Q-45 rear diff mustache bar. Paid 220 a pair of sandblasted and painted 280z stub axels/companion flanges with brand new bearings thnx to hybridz! a set of coil-overs and tokico HP struts from another member on here one gallon of ZERO RUST! for 70 bucks I think. after exhausting my search for a t-5 transmission and finding out that people want WAAAAY too much for a "world class" t-5 with xxx,xxx miles on it i ended up finding a t-56 out of a 95 camaro for 350 bucks! the guy was open and honest and said it needs syncronizers but hey for that price i couldnt pass it up. Bought a stock camaro shifter for 25 bucks and today the steal of the century goes toooooooo....drumroll please. A BRAND NEW fidanza conversion flywheel for my 2 piece rear main seal block and a brand new stock clutch for a 150 bucks from a guy on craigslist!!!! about an 800 dollar value for 150 bucks...cant beat that in my mind...both are brand new never been used parts! so thank you to all the honest hybrid z members out there who ive sent my money to and who have come through in supplying me quality used parts! Much appreciated!