rossman

The tail lights looks pretty cool. What's your plan for the center opening? You mentioned air flow. Where is the air coming from and how's it going to get there?

Thanks for sharing! I just ordered their "REAR HATCH SLAM PANEL DATSUN 240Z." I will let you guys know what it's like.

I got it fr msa. It works but certainly less than perfect. If I were to do it again I'd buy an Auto Panel Solutions panel. As I said earlier in the tread shipping from the UK will be expensive but the panel quality is likely to be better.

Well, I stand corrected! My first s30 was a 76 with a 4 spd manual. I don't recall a top gear switch but that was a loooong time ago!

The only manual transmission switches are neutral and reverse.

The panel I'm using was unlabeled from MSA. In hindsight, I should have got the panel from Auto Panel Solutions. I have their rear lower valence and it seems high quality. It appears to have with the correct exhaust cut-out and the correct curvature, unlike the Tabco panels. The problem with them is the shipping cost from the UK. But anyway, like you I can deal with it...but I probably spent 3 hours or so just getting it close to correct and it still needs more tweaking. The 3M adhesive has a rust inhibitor so it should seal the interface to prevent further corrosion. That said, it will always be garaged, at least as long as I have it. I recall reading about others on HZ that have bonded this panel before and it seems like a good candidate.

Here are a few pictures of the work I did this past weekend. Making slow and steady progress. I forgot to take a picture of the ground down spot welds before test fitting the top plate. I'll get it next time. I flip-flopped on the top plate. I think I am going to use the new panel. While it doesn't match perfectly and definitely has it's flaws it's cleaner than the 280z one and doesn't have any rust on it. The 280z one would need to be patched up. Anybody have experience bonding the top panel with 3M Panel Bond? Here is the patch panel cut to shape fit up. Panel clamped... Spot welded Test fit the top plate after grinding down the spot welds. It's just sitting there, not lined up properly. I had to spend considerable time re-shaping the replacement panel...lets just say it was a little...off.

Yes it is a pain in the butt. There is not a straight part in the assembly, including the seal interface - the hatch is actually curved higher in the center than on the sides.

Did a little work on the s30 this weekend. Between family, work, and cycling (in that order), there is very little time left for the cars - including helping my son with his s130 project car. Anyway... I welded/tacked on the right side corner piece. I am thinking more and more of going with the 280z donor piece even though it's full of holes and a few dings here and there. The aftermarket panel just needs to much fiddling to get right. Here it is clamped in place. I still need to make the left and right lip that holds the hatch seal. I also temporarily mounted the tail lights and rear tail light surround to check alignment. I had never noticed but the surround top lip was previously installed incorrectly, with the lip under instead of on top of the hatch panel. The tail lights are just sitting in there, not mounted yet.

Yes, exactly. Torque is primarily what prevents fasteners from backing out. Loctite is a decent secondary back out prevention. Love my Speedhut GPS speedo gauge. Definitely pricey though.

Interesting that the wrenches are SAE, weird.

Great progress and the car is looking really good! I may be one of the few people that think that the front crossmember/diff mount actually doubles as a stiffener for suspension loads. I also have the RT style mount but also still have the crossmember there as a stiffener. Anyway, it's just my $0.02...

Congrats Ironhead!

Yessir! And the reason I kept my stock fan and shroud. In the win tunnel testing thread they determined that only a small opening in the front is actually needed to keep the engine cool and avoid front-end lift.

You are correct. The CD009 has a 3.78 first gear vs. 3.21 for the RS5R30A. I have a 3.7 diff which is the same as the z32. For me, the gearing is good, no real complaints. Regarding weight, yah, it's heavy, weighing in at around 150 lbs (2x stock 4spd) but it fit in the tunnel of my 240z with no mods required - at least that I recall, and I'm reusing the existing transmission mounts.

It's a new 1998+ RS5R30A z32 gearbox. The ones with improved synchros. The one I have installed now is Japanese export, supposedly with less than 30K miles but it's been crunching 1-2 and 4-5 gears since I got it. I figured I'd grab an new one before they're gone. Going with the CD009 would cost more than this one, plus I don't really feel the need for another gear.

I decided to bite the bullet and purchase a new gearbox for the car. It's only money, right?

Thanks @AydinZ71! From one novice welder to another, I truly appreciate the you taking the time to share your experience.

Yes it's 3d printed out of PLA on my new Anycubic Chiron printer. I want to print the final version out of ABS but I'll need to build an enclosure for it first and fine tune the printer for abs. I'm new to printing on inexpensive printers which need lots of setup and fiddling with the settings to dial them in. I'm spoiled at work by Stratasys printers that just work right out of the box.

Here is a little preview of something I've been working on in my spare time. It's still in work. The geometry is close but the mounting needs to be figured out. It's just sitting there in these pictures so the alignment is off.

Another old school option is cavity wax. It seals out moisture and never hardens so it won't crack and it constantly reflows into joints and seams.

I thought the exact same thing but it's clear that he doesn't call himself @MetalMagoo for nothing.

Don't forget it will cost another ~£400 to add the cam timing components. There are online CR calculators. You could also go custom flat-tops to get the CR where you want it.

Get a Kameari Engine Works (KEW) timing chain setup (tensioner and adjustable cam sprocket) and you can avoid shimming the cam towers if you want to shave the head. There are several HZ threads on the subject. Oh and get the books that grannyknot recommended

Gotcha, also budget is a factor. If you have $2k to spare I would consider at Garret g25 series. Garrett has guidelines for selecting a turbo for your engine. For my ported and high lift cam 3l L6. Turns out that the g25-650 is a good match. I currently run a first gen gt35. It works ok, boost hits around 3.5k but only because I'm running a .64 a/r turbine. The small a/r chokes the engine at about 6k where torque falls off.