Phantom

Yeah, you can also go to http://www.b-quiet.com and find another equivalent product that is less expensive. This actually isn't "Dynamat" but a less expensive substitute. I just used the name like Coke or Kleenex.

Mine uses the tube from the late 90's Impala LT1 setup. Works great.

Oh My God!!! The guy working on my interior is absolutely unbelievable! I stopped by his shop today to check progress and he has gone beyond even my wildest dreams. The spare tire well area has been covered in dynamat, a layer of foam insulation has been put down, and that is all being covered by custom fit black naugahyde so the entire underneath area of the deck will be totally finished! Several years ago I also had modified the deck board so that it hinged in front so I'd have access to the storage wells like you see on the 240Z's. I had framed the areas using wood - he's covered the wood in red leather. He has covered the part of deck board that hinges up in front with red leather so bare wood won't be showing onthe underside when lifted up. I will post pictures of all this eventually but right now all I have are some rough, in progress, shots. I started getting a bit excited yesterday when I saw the car actually starting to go back together but I'm literally beside myself today with what he's been doing. Any of you guys in the DFW area definitely need to talk with him if you're planning any interior work. He is amazing!

What about seats out of an S30? Everyone seems to ignore the fact that they can be bolstered to improve lateral support and they obviously will fit. If the car is being raced on a crooked track and extreme support is required then I can see a racing seat and would definitley go in the direction of some of the recommendations above. Racing seats are not a good choice, though, if the car is more of a daily driver because of the difficulty of getting in and out of them. My S30 drivers seat has been lowered just over an inch (I'm 6'-4" and 240 lbs) and the bottom sides are being slightly bolstered (about 3/4" high). This will make the car, and seat, much more comfortable for me and give additional lateral support for my occaisional forays onto the track and still be easy to maneuver on a daily drive-to-work basis.

Who?

look at the hood latch/release mechanism attached to the firewall and ensure it is fully engaging when you push the hood down. Take about five minutes and stare at it and figure out how it works. Could also be a slight misadjustment in the latch pin position on the hood itself.

Personnally I'd opt for the 340 over either the 318 or the 360. Much better heads with more HP & torque. Having owned a 340 'Cuda I know that engine will get up and move.

My wife absolutely hates that commercial - but she does remember that its a commercial for a Burger King sandwich. It's better than the Quiznos rat.

Spot - yeah - I was really happy when I remembered those parts and then was able to walk right to the spot in the garage where I've been keeping them. They are as pristine as the day you gave them to me. It's probably 50/50 as to whether the car will be ready by the 14th. That is still over two weeks away. I'm thinking now I may try to get both the interior guy and the stereo guy to come to the meeting and be available to talk with folks about what they can do for us. If I can have my car as an example then all the better.

I went and exercised my visitation rights with the car at lunch today and the excitement is starting to build. The black leather headliner is in and the red leather panels on the sides and across the front that frame it are mostly in. The seats are done - even down to the red "Z" embroidered in the headrests. The hatch seals have been completely replaced with new and the hatch lid filled with foam. Also the quarter panel window on the drivers side is back in with new seals. The rear wheel well and strut tower on the drivers side have been covered in black leather - with red stitching - and the vertical area in front of the rear deck where the CD changer is installed has been started. I've got new outside door-to-window trim & seal coming from MSA on Wednesday and I found the inside door-to-window trim/felt that Spotfitz gave me over a year ago and it will get installed - THANKS SPOT!! As usual - the two week job is probably going to end up being a 4-5 week job but, in the meantime, I'm driving the wifes Z32 convertible and the weather is gorgeous this week.

Amen brother!

My car sits 6" off the ground at the edge of the body panels. I occaisionally drag the dual 2 1/2" exhausts just behind the tranny and they are the lowest point on the car.

The upgrade (?) has been underway for about two weeks now. I've posted some photos in my album that show the progress (?) - or should I say destruction. Car is pretty well torn up inside but I'm going to end up with some great befroe, during , and after photos.

Depends on the number of miles on the set-up. If it's under 20,000 and the car wasn't beat up in a way that it may have been damaged - and you can get them to throw in the radiator fans & shroud it would be worth making a counter offer on. That is more than I paid for mine and it had 3,500 miles on it. But then it was a '98 LS1 which is not as good an engine as the 2002.

I three. I went to a locksmith and for about $40 got everything to match my ignition key.

My 280Z with the LS1 & T56 is lighter on the nose than on the tail and that's with the battery still in it's original location, a 4 row Datsun radiator, and the spare tire and jack in the car with a full tank of gas. Even with the spare tire & jack out it would still be slightly tail heavy. If the goal is as close to 50/50 as possible you may want to look at the engine as the biggest option for lightening the front end.

You should be able to go to a local locksmith and find something. I've always just gone back with a stock unit that is keyed the same as the rest of the car. It would be nice to have the ignition key and hatch key be the same.

I have also heard of doing that - as long as you have no need for a spare tire. The sound guy I went to decided against that spot though and is putting a 10" Sub on the drivers side behind the rear strut tower (directly across from where the expansion tank is on the 280Z's) and is directing it to reflect off the back hatch. It's only going to have about 250 watts to it so we're going more for sound quality than 'thump'.

Most inspectors have no clue what the old Z's are supposed to have for bumpers. The MSA aero kit gives the 'appearance' of there being a bumper. I've never been challenged and the kit has been on the car for 7 years now.

I actually did a study on this for a senior year engineering project. You will see almost no benefit from ram air below 85-90 MPH. Above that it starts to come on pretty strong but it would be measured in inches of water - 27" = 1 psi - so it's never going to 'boost' by much. The biggest benefit of 'ram air" is that it is 'cold air" compared to pulling it from behind the radiator. A good "cold air" induction can be worth as much as 5% more HP.

Gary, Interesting - same MSA Aero II kit as my 280Z28 but with a different rear spoiler. It also looks like you're going with the window frame mount Sentra mirrors? That gives a nice look and is more aerodynamic than the door mount mirrors. Obviously I have to love it!!

I had a girl friend in college who had a 1958 Morris Minor. It had a 987cc I-4 with 37 HP. With 4 people on board it could only do about 65 on the level but it sure cornered well - and with enough of a running start you could pass almost anyone. Neat little car. If it had been built like this one I'd probably have been dead about 35 years ago!

Actually - my other son is looking for a decent daily driver 280Z now with that thought in mind - if he can't convince me to give him mine!

Lets see. My youngest son has a totally stock '83 ZX with a crappy paint job and a banged up fender. Maybe with a little detail work and the right camera angles???