Doc Hawk

My '72 has 3" street flares, and I love the look. The PO cut out about 3.5" from the stock fender well underneath the flares, but that still left about 2" of vertical surface under the flares, beneath the point that the flare mounts on the fender and starts kicking out. This left a gap behind the flare between the remaining length of stock fender and the back of the flare. The PO filled this gap with expanding foam from a can, which ended up killing the installation. I just had to tear off my right rear flare, which was heartbreaking. By putting the foam back there, he invited moisture to sit against the fender, which had begun to foster rust. If I had let it go, I would have lost the fender. I intend to re-mount a new flare, and fully seal the installation underneath with fiberglass so that moisture cannot collect back there the way it did with the bottoms left open. - David

The Home Depot NASCAR driver is slower than the Lowes NASCAR driver, so it goes to follow that if you apply a Home Depot product to your Z, then it will be slower than if you had utilized the Lowes product. Clear as mud! - David

Hey there Happynukes, Before responing to a thread, check out the last post date - it's in the upper left corner of the last post, right above the poster's name. This thread was last active over 2 years ago, so the folks involved have probably moved past the issue... David

A slightly different angle from me... I'm a believer in the "solid foundation" of a rust-free car. Down here in California / AZ / NV, you can find a rust-free Z's (seriously, I'm talking no rot at all, not in the floorpans, not in the fenderwells, not in the battery tray... no rust) for under $1000... under $500 in some cases. They won't be runners, but that's not what you'd be looking for. Anyway, if it were me (and I have the advantage of living out here)... I'd store the biatch, and wait patiently for a rust-free car to come up on Craigslist. And it would be a 240, so that I didn't have to deal with CA smog laws. Strip, blast, paint shop, and then transfer all my goodies into the good shell. They are simple cars and it ain't that hard to swap guts. - David

Sounds deeee-lightful. Photos of your experiments! (especially the Fiberglass Gone Wild ones)

Ack! Why would you ever want to swap out lower turn sig... ahh shoot, nevermind. To answer your question, are you talking about the "keepers" holding the wiring harnesses down? Those bend with the force of your pinky finger - just pry them loose and reroute to your heart's content. I assume you're going with an airdam or something to plug the lower signal holes? If the keepers are not what you are talking about, post up a pic, 'cause there's nothing I can think of that would prevent this mod. By the way, what are you going to do with your old lower turn signals? My buddy's set is all shot to heck. - David

Good luck with the 78... trading one set of projects for another? I know the feeling.

Yes... pretty widely available. See my car. - David

Nope - the floor was not structural in the first place, thus you got the buckling.

Can you fix that pic, John? I'm getting the dreaded red X on your photo above.

Is there such a thing as a weekly driver? I try to take my '72 to work or dinner or whatever at least twice a week. It hasn't happened for the past two months because I'm in the middle of an R200 swap gone wrong.

We got evacuated, and the homes over the hill in Rancho Bernardo were hit pretty hard. With 3 hours to go before it hit our neighborhood, the winds shifted and carried the fire just north of our house through the canyons.

Thanks Bart! I know it takes over an hour to get down here. I actually pass by your way pretty often - I manage sites in Rancho Cucamonga and Corona as well as in San Diego. Hopefully we can be of some service to you, and we certainly welcome your presence and experience. - David

For anyone in SoCal (San Diego), I wanted to let you know that we have a new Z club forming, with some pretty good benefits and a lot of potential. I just started a Yahoo mailing list, and I invite you to join at http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/sandiegoz/ We have great resources and connections for member support, sponsorship and discounts. At our last event, a Dyno Day at the shop that my buddy owns, we gave away almost $2000 in sponsor gifts and prizes, including a set of Crower cams. Another important aspect of the group is that we will be set up as a historical preservation association, which will allow people to donate to the group as a tax writeoff - this may bring things up to and including parts, parts cars, or even full cars as donations to the group. Please visit the site, and let me know if there's anything in particular that you're looking for out of a car club. I hope it's something you might be interested in, and if you know other Z folks, please spread the word. We need more talent, too, so if folks have web skills, mechanical skills, connections, maniacal plans to rule the world, or whatever, please bring it. Regards, David Chong

I'd be concerned, yeah - that just doesn't seem like enough engagement. BTW - what did you do with your stock yoke? I am hurting for a 280z R200 yoke to throw on my R200 going into my 240z. I guess the R200 I bought came from a ZX, so it won't mate. Thanks, David

Well, I finally got around to dropping my old R180 out and lined everything up to install my R200. I now understand the "companion flange" issue. I bought my R200 from a parts pile of a would-be Z fan (many parts, no progress), and it was represented to me as having come out of a 280Z. Well, he either didn't realize or didn't care to tell me that it must have actually been a ZX, because the flange on the diff does not mate to the flange on my driveshaft. After a search, I see that the yokes are apparently swappable between R200's, but not between the R180 and R200, so I am SOL. Does anyone have a spare R200 yoke? I'm in San Diego. Thanks to anyone that can help, David

That looks pretty trick, SKiddell. It would probably be spendy to ship it over to the Left Coast USA. Also, it wouldn't accomodate my velocity stacks. Still looks nice. How efficient is the CF at blocking engine bay (esp. header) heat? Also, I'd like to see what the back side of the intake looks like, where it mounts. How much do you charge for them? PM sent, Dan. Thanks for the invite. - David

Superdan, I like those a lot. What part # did you buy? I have written them for info; I'd like to see a diagram that shows the mounting points so I can figure out if they would bolt up to my Mikunis, behind the horns. It seems like a 6" assembly would clear my fender well, and provide plenty of headspace for the stacks. Thanks for the link! David

That'll do, thank you. Would I remove the velocity stacks to use those, or leave them on and use one of the longer ("taller") assemblies to incorporate them under the housing? - David

I have a 240z with triple Mikuni carbs and velocity stacks. Does anyone know of a source for an air filter box / intake system that will work with my carbs? I didn't receive anything with the vehicle, just the naked velocity stacks. Any advice appreciated. Thanks, David

240hoke, could you consider relocating your reservoir tank to the inside of the engine compartment instead of out front of the radiator? That would go one step towards de-complicating the airflow and sealing puzzle you have up there with your CAI and intercooler. - Doc

I like not only the intake, but also the cam in the DE-K. The only concern will be turbo suitability, as the high RPM intake opening may actually lose some of my boost (it could become a vent instead of an intake). If that is the case I can simply disable the solenoid while still benefitting from the better cam profile. All of this is still up in the air - if the standard DE cam will give me a flatter torque curve, I'll probably go with that. I need to see some dyno sheets, which are always a lot rarer than the guy saying, "I'm making 500 HP!" As for me, I'm more interested in a moderate boost that won't blow the engine after 10K miles. David

Thanks for the feedback and the welcome. I had really concentrated my efforts & research on the VQ35 since the original goal of the build was to do the latest engine in the earliest Z. However, with the 3.7 coming out soon, that will be a moot point eventually anyway. Therefore, I am focusing on the performance and cost aspects of the build (reality, she's a *B*). Based upon some good input and some promising initial research, I am now looking closely at a VQ30DE-K mated to a 350z 6-speed transmission. The VQ series offers the lightweight solution I am looking for, and although it is a sacrifice of a half liter displacement off my original plan, the engine is free-revving and strong. I need to confirm with more research, but as I understand it people have achieved reliable builds up to 450 HP with stock internals on the -K motors, which came in the '00-'01 Maxima and I30. These motors are available for about $500 retail, and perhaps cheaper via private part-out. That's a massive savings compared to the going rate on a long block VQ35. It would leave me a lot of room in the budget for the aftermarket TT kit. I have not looked into the kit yet - any suggestions? I will indeed be doing the turbo installation and tuning myself, so those costs are not significant. My friends at Rev'd Up Kustomz in San Diego are helping me with the build, and they are well known in the region for their turbo tuning expertise. Anyone seen a VQ30 swap into a 1st gen Z? I'll be doing a search next. Thanks, David

Custom crossmember, shifter fitment, and some minor oilpan issues and it fits. Search this forum, tons of hits. That's how I researched my build. If you don't drop it in yours, sell it to me and 'll drop it in my '71! I'm shopping for a 350z drivetrain right now. If I can't find one soon (under the $4000 asking price retail, ugh) I'll resort to a VG30DETT. - Doc in San Diego

I have started a build I've called Alpha Omega, with the idea of gracing the original Z car with the powerplant from the latest incarnation, the 350z. That means a VQ35DE in a 1970 240z. Money *is* an object, so I have to keep the use of the check-wrench to a minimum. My costs are primarily parts and finishing labor, as I will farm out the finishing body/paint work when I have the frame stripped for the rollcage. The goal of the build is to create a time attack car: good rotation through the turns and acceleration off the corner. I also want a 0-60 time under 3.5 seconds, as I will street the car and I look forward to accelerating up to the speed limit very quickly from a standing start. I have the car down to about 2025 lbs with an L28, and I'm anticipating some additional weight savings with the modern V6. I believe that 0-60 in 3.4 is not unreasonable in a 2000 lb car. The question for you experienced Nissan powerplant folks out there (this is my first Nissan build; my daily driver AE Maxima has a stock engine with your basic bolt-ons) is whether I should stay focused on the VQ35, or can I reach my targets with a built VG30DETT? VQ drivetrains (I am shopping for the engine, harness, computer, and tranny) are still fairly rare, and pricey. Complete VG TT drivetrains, on the other hand, have had more time in the hands of tuners, and have also been around long enough to have fairly stable populations in salvage yards (and side yards). I can buy a whole running 300ZX with a VG30TT for much less than I've found a VQ setup. That savings is significant to me, and frees up funds for the rear end, suspension, and engine/turbo upgrades. I had planned all along to go with the VQ35 using a twin turbo kit, and that is where my research was centered. I figured that I could get about 450 HP to the rears with a nice flat torque curve using a very reasonable boost. Obviously at that point the problem will be putting the power on the pavement, but in terms of output potential, how much would I be losing with the VG engine? I am concerned that I won't be able to generate the torque I am looking for that I need to slay snakes (Vipers, Cobras, and all those other dragons!). Thoughts and insight much appreciated. Doc Hawk / David in San Diego