Zetsaz

Yeah we've talked about the side drafts vs ITBs haha. Huge horsepower JZ engines are all the rage, but it's nice to see more out of the box stuff like this being more seriously considered. I think a lot of people get too caught up in numbers games and often don't even finish their builds or lose sight of the fact that modest engines with fewer issues and less $$$ can be so fun. Keep updates coming on the progress Chatapokai! excited to see it.

I've seen the exact Jalopy thread you're taking about probably, and other posts I've seen make me remain skeptical

I had just the ceramic and sound control on before I painted (no dynamat), and I drove from Seattle area to northern Utah and back in the middle of July. Was ALMOST better to have windows up the whole time until greenhouse affect started taking place and I rolled them down for circulation in Idaho after 6-8hrs of driving when it got to the hottest part of the day. Don't have any HVAC even now and it aside from a tiny bit of sweat on my brow it was dramatically better than I expected. Far more impressed with it's effect on heat than I was with sound, but if you're running resonators like I now am in my L28's exhaust, most of the noise is just from wind or poor aero. If you're concerned about weight and just want to get away from droniness and want to be able to have a normal conversation without raising your voice noticeably, I would recommend ceramic coating for heat, then a couple decent coats of their sound control OR dynamat, but not both, along with resonators. If you apply it properly in key areas that should take care of most issues. I will say adding a resonator was probably more noticeable than adding the dynamat on top of already having Lizard Skin SC, at least in the RPM ranges I was getting drone. If I'd had the resonator, and all my seals properly installed on the drive back, along with AC, it honesty would have been about as pleasant as you can get for a 13 hour drive. EDIT: Quick notes on weight, Lizard Skin ceramic control, pound for pound, will be more effective against heat than something like Dynamat. As far as sound goes, the Dynamat "megapak" shipping weight is a bit over 30 lbs, and I think the dry weight of 2 gallons of Lizard Skin Sound Control is somewhere in the 20's. Having experience with both, I think unless you're going for about 3 gallons of it, Dynamat will be the more effective sound deadener for the weight. I did 2 gallons of Ceramic, 2 of SC, and the Dynamat Megapak. Probably added 60-70 lbs total, but I also dropped however many pounds the original tar stuff weighs, on top of losing the heavy bumpers, emissions stuff, and moving to Vintage Air which weighs less than just the OEM fan unit, on top of getting rid of dated electronics/vacuum canister. I'd say I'm still ahead as far as weight is concerned.

I have lizard skin sound control and ceramic in mine. Definitely helps deaden the panels and reduces resonance of big flat panels dramatically, but it won't be "quiet" per se. Not like even modern commuter cars at least. For that you'd need carpet at a minimum on top of it and possibly foam materials. I now have Dynamat on top of lizard skin and even that isn't as quiet as I want. if I was doing things again (weight goals aside) I'd do Lizard skin ceramic to get full coverage against heat, top it with dynamat at least on large flat areas, then some closed cell foam on the floors on under carpet.

What you want is Kazuaki Kadowaki's build. It's so goooood. He was in an accident that totalled the car a few years back, but I've been following his progress on Instagram for a long time and it's coming back better than ever. You'd be able to understand some of his posts far better than I can, but I enjoy seeing his progress pics. https://www.instagram.com/kazuakikadowaki/

Despite the insanity of your current build, this one remains one of my all time favorites

I considered it, but between the cost and reflecting how I use the climate control in the Infiniti I figured for most situations I'm a "set it and forget it" person so this will be fine

First big arrival is here Everyone and their mom has seen the gen 2 mini so I didn't bother with photos. I'm excited about how much lighter it is than origin components, but I'm more excited about how nice the controls feel. The brushed aluminum look is nice but seems to suit American restomods more, and the old style levers I wasn't a fan of since they'd require a lot of work to fit. This should slot nicely right where the original controls were I opted for these as they're most in line with the OEM+ look I'm going for with everything. They have super satisfying motion and clicks between positions. Will need to figure out a good way to mount once the unit is in since the 280 controls were mounted directly to the original heater core and not to the removable plate on the dash.

I have a 3.9 rear with an '82 zx transmission. 3k rpm is right about 70 and I find that it's actually a very happy spot to cruise in. For an NA engine that hasn't had a ton of work done aside from megasquirt, I'd say the 1st-3rd gears are actually in great spots, but I can imagine they might feel too short in a turbo engine.

Recently purchased and soon to arrive: -Replacement U joints -Vintage Air AC and most dash side accessories I'll need (I hope...) -Adjustable rear control arms Pictures to come

Quietride.com seems to have some precut kits that match the original of that's what you're really aiming for. Unfortunately don't know if they only use Dynamat, or some mix of their own materials and dynamat in specific areas just resold as a universal kit. https://www.quietride.com/catalogpdfs/datsun_z_catalog.pdf

Vintage air under the dash, and then your lines will have to be custom. Same amount of work as anyone putting AC into a 240z.

I emailed because I am still interested in their control arms. For what it's worth, I did notice most people's issues and delays seem to be with the included axles and I got a response back first thing in the morning

Z car garage has some nice quality ones designed specifically to be bolt in but they're pricey. For a 240z without upgrading the stub axles, they'd probably break before the half shafts, but on my setup the bolt in cv axles would probably work well. The expense is probably not worth it now though. Will just go new quality U joints and call it good

I mean... if I wanted EASY I could always just get Z Car Garage axles that bolt in, but that's a $1500 endeavor and would cover most of the rest of what I'm looking at doing haha

Haven't done checks while prying, but I already have a rebuilt CLSD, with an RT style diff mount and double checked all mounting points and nuts/bolts were tightened. Noise is also happening if let off throttle at low speeds and go back and forth between coasting/loading the engine downhill. Can hear a bit of thunking every time I let off the gas or hit it again at lower speeds. Doesn't happen at cruise or if I only shift at higher RPMs. I had assumed that had to do with all the load already going one direction on the joints and them not having much slack on them to move back and forth at that point.

Appreciate the input! The big question with the U joints is, do I just replace them with more heavy duty new U joints, or spend the big $$$ on CV axles? I'm not running much power, but I care more about a smooth and reliable ride. EDIT: For the price of good CV axles that don't require modding or other mixing and matching, I can probably get new U joints, the interior vintage air stuff, and control arms which is making me rethink some things.

Looking for some feedback on what to prioritize next. Have a handful of "big ticket" items that need to be done before power is ever a concern. I can probably do 2-3 of these at once with the money I have set aside, but can't do all of them for another few months due to limited budget and my job's extra stipend money not usually coming in until November. These are listed in no particular order -Cabin side Vintage Air parts: This would allow me to finish up everything on the dash side and not pull things anymore, as well as get a bit of heating for the nicer days I might drive in the winter (nearly no snow in the PNW, so I'm not worried about salt and corrosion on days it doesn't rain) -Bumpers and rear speaker bracket: Would allow me to properly put together the interior plastic panels for the last time and the exterior would be complete (small paint bubbling issue that will be repaired for me if it's deeper than clear coat aside). Technically this is more to tidy things up making the car look "finished" and less for anything functional I need. -Rear (and maybe front) control arms: highest priority here is correcting the toe-in at the rear wheels to prevent wear. Both front and rear have slightly more camber than I want, but it's pretty close and less of a concern than the toe. -Front and rear strut bars: I've read from multiple people (with way more experience building stuff than I do, and more racing experience) that the front is especially helpful and can improve front traction dramatically. -CV axles (or just U joint replacement): Rear U Joints are making a lot of noise on shifts right now and on bumps. Cruising is smooth. Not sure if I want to just replace them, or go straight to CV axles.

Got on a one track mind and forgot to get more pics of the dynamat. I'll get some later on. Between that and the resonator, the car is so much more enjoyable to drive. Only downside is now I can't tell if it's slower because of a slightly more restricted exhaust, or if it's a placebo effect and only felt faster due to noise before haha. Only the rear corner where the original antenna used to be has some bubbling right now. I'm hoping it goes away, but fortunately most everywhere else that I thought was bubbling only looks like a tiny, needle point sized, "dent" in the clear and I should be able to buff things nicely. Hopefully, at worst, the bubbling I'm still seeing in the rear corner is something I can wet sand and fix with touchup, but at least now I know it's just a small area that might need to be blended in and I fortunately won't need to respray the whole exterior. Any other areas that may potentially be concern I'm honestly just going to let go. By the time it becomes even slightly noticeable I'll probably be wanting to color match some carbon panels or something else. Currently dealing with a short on my right turn signal. The wire on the switch has corroded near the original soldering. Ordering new soldering stuff now to hopefully repair it for good. It's amazing how many small things keep coming up now that I'm driving it regularly. I'm almost grateful for current circumstances allowing me to work on it more and really get things to the point where it could be usable as a daily.

Depending on where they're placed I might be interested in some select pieces. My car already has sound deadening and some other things, so I'm pretty limited in how much more I can do for chassis reinforcement if it involves welding under areas that have material applied,

Looks like my last response didn't post from my phone... I think I used either 1 gallon of each or 2 gallons of each. Can't remember which bucket I bought, but I remember when I was first applying it and talked to you about dry weight I concluded the lizard skin wasn't more than about 20 lbs in total. Having compared both now, Lizard skin was much easier to apply and probably took less time (not counting dry/cure time). If you're done the math then that actually sounds about right. I bought the "mega pak" which has about 96 square feet and it won't fully cover the interior, though it does get MOST of it which is more than you need for adequate deadening. If I were to do things again, I'd probably just use adequate coverage of the ceramic coat for full coverage against heat everwhere, then use Dynamat in all the large flat panels and tucked in key areas for the sound deadening. more coverage depending on how concerned you are about sound/weight ratio. Paint update for everyone else: mentioned to Dave yesterday that I noticed some tiny bubbling in the paint. Painter called me back a few hours after I sent him the same pic I sent you. He said it's too hard to tell how deep the source is from just the pics, so he'd have to see in person to properly advise, but admitted that ultimately the prep and spray was his responsibility and we'd see what can be done. I've inspected more of the car and a lot of the spots that looked like they were bubbling (so tiny I they don't even show up in pictures), were probably just off gassing solvents in the clear coat. I wiped down some of the areas and they actually left tiny streaks, but I could get the dots to go away even with just tiny wipes over them with my bare finger. That rear corner by the original antenna location is the only spot that has noticeable bubbling that's potentially deeper. I'm going to wash and wipe down the car later today to get a better idea of where it's happening. In the meantime, I was already scheduled at an exhaust shop down the hill from me, and a resonator (glasspack) is being installed in the center of the car right now which will make cruising even more comfortable.

I'm sure it's about as difficult to remove as the original deading tar (?) based stuff that came with it stock. My car is very much a street/cruiser car. As much as I've cut weight in heavy dated tech in some areas like the emissions and original heater core/fan, I'm not concerned about every last pound. I bought the "mega pak" to be able to do everything. Shipping weight was about 30 lbs so I'm assuming between this and the dry weight of the Lizard Skin I used, I'm not adding more than about 45-50 lbs of sound deadening/heat control. That is MORE than offset by losing the 280z bumpers and bumper shocks, vintage air will be lighter than just the original fan, original tar sound deadening is all gone, emissions stuff is all gone, hvac vacuum control stuff and solenoids are gone, original engine harness is way heavier thanks to the AFM and some other bits... it's a lot. I'm expecting about 150-200 lbs net loss in weight or more from stock. Will never get down to early 240z weight, but I'm okay with that in the sturdier 280 chassis with stronger parts than the 240z came with.

So close... So tired... Will post up some pictures when I'm mostly done and the seats are ready to go back in. Doors are already so much better, but hopefully it also helps with the large flat areas that Lizard Skin didn't quite do enough for

Bottom line is, everyone will always complain about something. I think for the most part it's a solid car, and the mostly understated styling will prevent it from looking dated too soon. -Twin turbo -RWD -6 spd manual All the sorts of things most people claim they want, bu most of those complaining couldn't afford it anyway.

Exciting things will be happening soon... But probably not until this weekend. I was tempted to leave the box closed and just caption this post "WHAT'S IN THE BOOOOX???" but the effect isn't there if people haven't seen Se7en with Brad Pitt haha