markrolston@mac.com

March Update: Things have been slow for the last 2 months. Lots of parts on order. But the Nismo Fiesta in San Antonio in April is my new excuse to get a lot of work done. We are hoping to get the car running by then. So far a few things are moving along: - Seats are on the way. - UpRev is reprogramming the ECU so we can start the engine. - The CAD for the valve covers is done. It'll go to the printer next week. - The fuel rails are in. Looking nice. - The splitter had to be fixed. It was previously mounted too low so it didn't align with the airdam. - The front engine cover just got back from blasting. It looks nice but we think we'll sodablast the rest of the piping. This is too matte. - We are creating a lap-joint for the join between the hood and the front fenders so the two parts stay aligned.

Thanks. So where can I see your build?

The plenum would not be easily repeatable. It was very labor intensive. It would be a 5-10k part to try and recoup time and materials. I doubt people would pay for that. And I'm not in this process to sell parts. But I'm happy to share as much advice and photos for those who want to build one themselves.

I am hoping to finish this thing in the next few months. I took inventory of what still needs to be done: - fix splitter height - IC and Radiator shrouding - valve covers - engine front cover - piping blast - fuel rail - injectors - belts - hood inner CF surface - wheel wells - hood to fender alignment fixtures - wiper design and install - install front windshield - side sills - interior CF/klegicell panels - order and install seats - dashboard gauge install - interior roll-bar pads - seat belts - center console cosmetics - system switches (lights, power…) - ECU mounting - reverse lockout - turn signal stalk - inner door panels - under-body skin - rear diffuser - B-window glass (plastic) - B window frame - window track & mechanicals - rear area tray - rear wheel wells - rear hatch - wing - headlights - side markers - tail lights - exhaust (muffler, valves, piping) - driveshaft - door and hatch insulation - paint it!

I considered it. The frame on my new VQ based tubeframe Z would have fit the needed front diff but the complexity of a second axle setup and tuning the resulting drivetrain seemed like a nightmare. I'm not sure you'd end up with a faster car than simply keeping a 2wd car light and well balanced. http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/79649-progress-on-my-insane-vq35hr-240z-project/

sure. Current plans are to have the engine working by the end of February so a visit in March would be best. Right now we're working on the much less exciting job of wiring.

nice to see so many RBs out there.

Yeah, it's killing me as well. I had a lot of back to back travel that got in the way, and my first Z needed a lot of attention so my free time has been spent working on it. The electrical work is hard stuff. By the next major update I will have the car running and making all sorts of noise. I can't wait.

Separately to the effort to get the car running, I'm working on a few other custom parts. The dashboard of the 240Z has always been one of the most beautiful parts of the car. However, it's cheap plastic. I bought a fiberglass reproduction and it's a good shape, but I'm challenged to figure out what material to leave it. I've tried to find someone skilled or brave enough to try a carbon fiber version, but most people say it's too complicated. I've also investigated leather or Alcantera. Both are completely possible but don't look so elegant with so many seam lines. But after looking at the new Ferrari F12 Berlinetta's dash, I think I've come up with a new idea: The idea is to take the current FG dash mold and cut off the round pods so the dash is a left/right symmetrically simple shape with the center stack. Now, where the round gauge pods used to be, I would cut holes. That whole shape would then be covered in smooth black leather. It would not need many seams at all. The holes where the pods were would have smooth leather wrapped edges. Then, I will take foam cylinders and shape those like the pods that were removed. Those would be covered in carbon fiber. These parts would then all be combined back into a dash that has the same shape as an original Z, but would be made of two materials, with the pods clearly accentuated by the material change. thoughts? It might look something like this rough PS render (ideally a lot better)

We're still working on the exhaust. But we've also started on the wiring loom. We have the original stock loom to start with. We'll route all of the wiring to a plug on the firewall so the wiring can stay intact with the engine assembly.

Here's another update on the exhaust. We're using pre-bent segments of pipe, cut, and welded together. It's stainless steel. The pipes look nicer because these particular ones don't have the typical stretching associated with bends. I'll likely ceramic coat them as well. I should also clarify the way this car is being designed and built. I'm a product designer. I have a day job. So to build this car, I'm working with Andris Laivins, who builds race cars for Mazda. This is a side project for both of us. I have some reasonable skills myself, but Andris- he's a phenomenal craftsman. And I can only work on the car in my free time. So together we're building this. I do much of the design and mockup, either by rendering plans on the computer, or sketching on paper. Andris gets the credit for the beautiful handiwork. Just about the entire car has been designed and built through this collaboration. Coming up soon is the build for the rear part of the exhaust. We've designed (on paper so far) a really trick solution. The twin exhaust pipes will pass through two electrically controlled exhaust cutouts that can close off this straight pipe path. In the path just before this cutout will be a T that directs flow to a muffler that has a single exhaust outlet. The whole setup allows both a straight-pipe path or a nice, quiet operation. The back of the car will have three tailpipes in the center.

Working on the exhaust.

Sure, that was a big part of the plan. However, the car is also only 1800lbs right now, and expected to come in at 2200lbs making the overall dynamic very different. And The new one is much stiffer and not an old tinfoil body like the old Zs tend to be. Lots to look forward to.

Andris Laivins. Great guy. Solid work. Collaborative. Patient with all my crazy designs.

It's a completely new car. I still drive the rbz.

before the end of the year. Since we're past Wekfest, all focus is on plumbing, wiring, and exhaust. Springtime will be for interior, body, and paint.

thanks. The more Z's the better.

Wekfest last Sunday was interesting. It was fun to see the various reactions to my car mid-build ("uh, what kind of motor is that?"). Here are a few pics:

Wekfest Texas. In Austin. 1-6pm. Palmer Auditorium.

Ready for the show on Sunday.

Nope. Not even thinking about that yet.

The cosmetic layers for the first plenum is done. The fit and finish is amazing. It looks better than I imagined it would. Once we finish the second plenum and bead blast the aluminum it's going to be perfect.

Giant update! It's getting close to the Sunday 30th Austin Wekfest and we are trying to get as much done as possible. The radiator and intercooler are getting mounted. The plenums are getting their final fit, cosmetic CF coating, and polish. The dry sump plumbing is done. The splitter is partially finished. It will later be integrated into the front airdam as a single piece. Right now it'll stay as a separate part. Lastly, the shift knob is installed and fits perfect.

This week are working on the last 2 cosmetic layers for the plenums and Andris just finished welding up the intercooler. We also hope to have the splitter, diffuser, and engine plumbing done by the end of the week- all in time for the Austin Wekfest on sunday the 30th.

We're making a lot of progress in our attempt to get ready for the Sept 30 Wekfest show in Austin.