chrisunknown

I didn't have the compression issue though.

I had the exact same problem. I could drive it all day long, but if i turned it off, it would not start for several hours. The problem went away when i replaced ECU. I've heard that you can open the computer and hit all the solder points with a really good soldering iron. I didn't try that though. Someone gave me a computer.

I started cleaning up the front and rear bumpers. I spent about 5 hours covering it with bondo then sanding it down. I still have some areas to smooth over. I sprayed it black because I still drive it everyday to work and didn't want blazing white bondo to be the first thing you can see. Once the bondo work is done, i will probably coat it with a layer of fiberglass as a precaution for cracking. This is my very first time using bondo so I'm not 100% on what i should expect. I filled one of the rear tumor voids. First a couple fiberglass layers, then several layers of bondo-glass. Not quite done there either.

I trimmed the back of the metal bumper with a grinder. Took about 1/4" off.

I did the rear just now. I didn't mention it before but I had to drill holes in the shocks to get them to compress all the way. I left most of the trim on the back. Just cut out the where the square things were so I don't have to use so much fiber glass. I'm really satisfied with how it turned out. I'm posting with my phone, so hopefully the pics attached....

It's so smooth!

Sorry, i didn't realize the third pic was going to be HUGE.

I did a bit more work to my bumper. I took off the cover, then removed the square rubber things, sanded the metal bumper, sprayed it with some black bed liner i had laying around (temporary and not the rubbery kind), and mounted it. Then, i cut the middle out of the cover at the turn signal holes, then screwed the ends back on to cover the huge gap. Re-attached the side trim, took some pictures, and drank a beer. I will be smoothing the cut ends of the cover to be less noticeable. Not sure how....maybe glazing the whole bumper with FG? This weekend, the car will begin to be prepped for dent fixing, gap smoothing, and paint. The color will be the color of the hood. We tested the mix on the hood about a month ago. I plan on doing exactly the same to the rear. Maybe tomorrow...

The front lip is a xenon dam with brake ducts. Its not my favorite, but it was extremely cheap from a local guy who had sold his ZX. My stock air dam was crumpled, rusty metal and shattered plastic held in place by zip ties. -Now i'm curious about the look with stock parts. My least favorite thing about the ZX is the nose. I love the open front end on the Z and i would love to have one, but they are quite rare here in the south. I think a 79-80 ZX would have a much better look than mine. The trim that continues around to the wheel well looks bad. But without it, the bumper stops too short and leaves gaps and screws and joints uncovered. I intend to do a little fiberglass work to make it look more 79-80ish around the ends of the bumper. I have tried going without the bumper and i think with some foam and fiberglass work under the light buckets it could look great, but i don't have the patience or skill. I haven't had time to work on the rear. Maybe Monday....

I think I will. The short bumper look is growing on me. If anything, it will thwart my son from climbing into the hatch every time he sees it open.

MSA and G-nose seem to be very popular in zx forums... I just recently bought this car and it is my first z. It was very inexpensive so I don't mind experimenting with its looks. I can across this thread and thought if no one else has tried...why not?

I accept your apology, go in peace.

Profile.

I did it this week. I pushed the bumper in about 3", cut off the plastic "ramp" piece between the hood and the bumper, then trimmed about 1/4" off the back of the bumper so the hood would close.