Jesse OBrien

I may very well be wrong, but I did feel a bit misled. I'm over it, and just won't buy parts from anyone unwilling to send pictures from now on.

I too am interested in this project. I've been researching the best way to effectively stiffen my chassis while adding as little excess weight as possible. There's a fair amount of info on it here, but the answer I generally receive is "build Mull's cage" which kind of kills the quick-daily-that-looks-tame image that I'm going for. If we can get something decent together in a cross-platform format I can run it through my physics testing plugin in Blender, and maybe we can determine the technical "best" chassis modifications possible for the s30. It would also help with designing a killer suspension setup. Where are we headed with this project? Do we want to make it an open-source model? If so, I'm in all the way.

Where are you routing your exhaust? I took a few good looks at the way the frame is shaped, and couldn't come up with a sane place for the exhaust to exit back there. Are you running it inside the cabin? Or routing it back to the axle, then back forward? Or are you just hacking apart the little storage bins behind the seats and running it through there? What's the plan?

It's weird how the littlest things cause so much effing inconvenience (and pain, I guess). Just the other day, I was lighting a wooden strike-anywhere match, and the sulfer ball decided to slip up under my fingernail and wouldn't leave until it had burned a round chunk of that fingernail off. I imagine both affect your hybridz-typing-skills equally.

Unfortunately, the BRE-style (Xenon, if you're looking through the MSA catalog) front air dam I drove two hours to pick up was just a duckbill. Ended up driving home last night empty-handed in the driving rain. Along the way, a car had been hit and rammed into the median, and was stalled sideways in the middle of 80 (if you don't know 80, you don't know traffic). Helped the girl out of her car, got some cops there, and we even managed to roughhouse the tiburon out of the road eventually. I don't see myself taking the drive to Stockton again any time soon. Most boring drive ever. Other than the accidents, of course.

You totally slipped under my radar. I'm going to drive it for awhile, at least. I'd rather take my time and do the l28et install properly rather than rush it in just to get the car on the road. Hopefully spark is the only issue I run into while building it up. I'm quickly falling in love with the simplicity of the l24. The carbs are beautifully simple, the engine has nothing to it, the electronics are almost non-existent... it's just a dream to maintain.

Time to update! Those of you following my thread on Ratsun.net need not apply over here, this is a big old update that should keep everyone current-ish. Wheels are on, with old tires. New tires will be mounted when it's street-worthy. This is before settling, but they're 205/60-14 series tires, rather than the stock-sized 195/70-14s. It'll change my speedo and give a slightly shorter final gear, but I can deal with that. We'll see how it sits after it settles. My front end was a little messed up, so I took it off. I'm picking up a non-vented BRE front air dam this weekend to replace the stock valence and bumper. Do you guys think I should bend the bumper back to straight or just ditch it? I test-fit the roll bar and one of the seats as well. The roll bar is going to require a little bending to fit properly, and I definitely want to expand on that. I'm just not sure where to go with it, exactly. Run another tube up the floors to the firewall? Add a diagonal crossmember to it? Connect it to the floor behind the seats (right now it just bolts to the wheelwell)? The plan is definitely to weld it in, but not until it accomplishes something. I replaced the starter, battery, plugs/wires, worn distributor rotor, and coil. I'm fairly certain that the coil is the reason it's not starting right now, since it specifically says "6v, no external resister required" but the manual specifically states that a 12v coil is absolutely required. I don't have a resister on-hand, so I'll have to either source one at Radio Shack or find somewhere I can order one. I also cleaned the carbs. After that, I believe the only problems left to address are a bent clutch master cylinder rod (I have a 280ZX master cylinder, will that fit my s30 pedals, anyone?) and address a couple minor rust issues... There's another bad spot on the passenger's dogleg, but they're all going to be relatively straightforward welding jobs, and I'm happy with this so far. Fresh, uncracked dash on its way here in the near future.

Hey, that's my project, cool! You kinda just made my day. However, that's changing from 195/70-14 to 205/60-14 so it may not JUST be a settling difference. I'll get pics up after I've moved it a mile or so, and we'll see how it really sits after settling.

I think that shape for the lights would work MUCH better on the rear of a Z, as a brake light panel rather than a front end. It definitely does look remind me of my Celica fastback though.

I like this new guy. He's all right. ... says the only slightly less new new-guy.

I have a set of them around here somewhere, but that's the only one on-hand. I was really anxious to have the car and get started on it, so I painted that wheel to see what it'd look like. I like my current wheels much more (mostly because they're wider and lighter) and plan to black them out too. I've got a heaping update coming as soon as my photos finish uploading, so stay tuned... !edit! current wheels:

You had me at hello. This is a near-perfect project. Keep it going in the exact same direction!

I'm inclined to agree. I'll have to put some more thought into the exhaust setup. Right now, I have a locked drum brake to loosen, tires to get mounted, seats to install, and a starter motor to ... get working? Oh, and pics to take.

I love the smell of exhaust fumes in the morning You do have a good point, but from what I've seen, the rear hatch sucks up exhaust fumes just as much. I've never been in a Z that doesn't smell like exhaust fumes or a fuel leak. Either way, you smell like a "serious driver" after being in a Z. I like the dash and center console, but that's about it. The whole vinyl-style rear is just hideous, if you ask me. I like having it down to metal, since it resembles an old fighter plane cockpit. I've even been toying with the idea of putting switches on the roof to enhance that feeling. In other news, I picked up the wheels that are going on this car. I think they'll be flat black by the end of tomorrow. I've been toying with the idea of leaving the lip polished aluminum, but I think they'll end up solid black. They still have the old crappy tires on them, and I hope to get the good tires mounted+balanced tomorrow. Pics to come tonight/tomorrow. My Z should be here around 10pm PST or so. I'm sure I'll be excited then. Hopefully the rain quits sometime tonight. I hate working in the wet, almost as much as I hate getting my garage wet because I moved a wet car into it.

I've had my eye on Memoryfab's s58 and s68 seats for awhile now. Once my current seats wear out, I'll probably go to those. The s58's are very very comfortable (I'd never have considered them until I sat in one). Worth checking out, I'd say: http://www.memoryfab.com/products/detail_accessories_2/ http://www.memoryfab.com/products/detail_accessories_1/

Those headlights are h4's off ebay. 35 shipped, and I'm not about to complain (they even have the little directional lights in them... sweet!). It's definitely a project... whenever it shows up. I'm hoping for today, but we'll see how that pans out. My interior has been long gone, and anything that's still there is going to have to go away. I just sourced a fresh dash with no cracks or bubbles, so I'm going to take advantage of that and have it shipped out here sometime soon. My old exhaust on my v8 240z had two side-dumps, and was mounted up in a pretty funky way. If you aren't going through the fender, you have to go under it, and that gets kind of messy no matter how you approach it. I don't have any pics, but I'll get some from the current owner (helping him put everything back together with a new motor) the next time I'm over there to illustrate what I mean. The cage won't stay bolt-in for long, but I'd rather have it bolted in than bouncing around in the cabin. I'm going to expand on it before I actually weld anything in anyway.

I purchased an s30, which was supposed to be delivered today but has been postponed due to technical difficulties. It should show up tomorrow, if all goes well. Basics: 72 240z l24, bad starter (at least) stock 5spd stock r180 stock brakes flat black (except for rust spots) a pair of rust issues bolt-on roll bar 4 flat tires no seats broken headlights stock wiring no title (no information at all in the DMV database for the past 7 years) Immediate plans (this week): Install this pile of parts: with different wheels for those tires (you'll see) Install my new(to me) l28et (anybody have suggestions, threads I should read, or sites I should visit before diving in?) Inspect the clutch and address the immediate problem of it not engaging Inspect the brakes and address immediate problems Inspect suspension and address immediate problems Change all the fluids everywhere Bolt down the roll cage Get a Xenon/BRE front end for it (if you know someone who's selling one, LET ME KNOW!) Re-route the ignition wiring so I don't have to have a key made. I don't like keys, by and large. I've been thinking about exhaust, and would like some input. Should I do a single side-dump through the driver's side fender or run something all the way back to a motorcycle can or two? If I do the side dump, it'll have a plate and be something like this: only in front of the door, not behind it. Pics of my $500 project to come as soon as it's here. (yes, this was in the members projects area, but I forgot other people can't post there)

I purchased an s30, which was supposed to be delivered today but has been postponed due to technical difficulties. It should show up tomorrow, if all goes well. Basics: 72 240z l24, bad starter (at least) stock 5spd stock r180 stock brakes flat black (except for rust spots) a pair of rust issues bolt-on roll bar 4 flat tires no seats broken headlights stock wiring no title (no information at all in the DMV database for the past 7 years) Immediate plans (this week): Install this pile of parts: with different wheels for those tires (you'll see) Install my new(to me) l28et (anybody have suggestions, threads I should read, or sites I should visit before diving in?) Inspect the clutch and address the immediate problem of it not engaging Inspect the brakes and address immediate problems Inspect suspension and address immediate problems Change all the fluids everywhere Bolt down the roll cage Get a Xenon/BRE front end for it (if you know someone who's selling one, LET ME KNOW!) Re-route the ignition wiring so I don't have to have a key made. I don't like keys, by and large. I've been thinking about exhaust, and would like some input. Should I do a single side-dump through the driver's side fender or run something all the way back to a motorcycle can or two? If I do the side dump, it'll have a plate and be something like this: only in front of the door, not behind it. Pics of my $500 project to come as soon as it's here.

No worries, I was just tossing ideas out.

I have to agree here. The l28et is a decent motor, but it's heavy and a little gutless for what it is (stock... of course we've all seen them built to the moon as well, but that's expensive). I just spent $500 for a parts car that I'm using most of for my s30. However, NC may be a different story. Parts availability varies widely from place to place, and in some places the deal you got might be a steal.

It certainly could. With hydraulic lines, if there's a pressure buildup anywhere, you really won't be able to budge the pedal (unless the blockage has some play). Bleed the system and refill it. It's worth it, especially if it's been sitting. If that doesn't do the trick, drain the trans oil and replace it. Check for flakes or chunks of metal in the oil. If you find either, it's likely that you'll need to tear the trans down to find out the offending piece of metal. If it STILL won't budge, you're going to have to detach the trans from the engine and take a look at the clutch assembly. I'm not familiar enough with the little Nissan transmissions to be able to say for sure, but I see plenty of misaligned clutches that refuse to move. Like batou said, you may need to dig a little bit deeper to check on the clutch fork and throwout bearing. Everything else should be fairly easy to inspect.

I'm going to guess they're for fog lights or running lights of some sort. The other lever though, I've no idea.

I'm just happy that you have windshield wipers that work (mostly) now. Let's see a project thread start up from you, I'm sure everybody will love all the "custom jdm fab work" you had done... ...

I completely agree that staying active and productive keeps me happiest. Some days it's harder than others to stay positive. I had a snowboarding accident a few years back that tore the tendons on my lower hamstrings. After a year of physical therapy, something healed wrong and if I stand still for a long period of time, I end up with excruciating pain. Some days the pain gets bad enough that I can't walk, but I generally stay focused on a task and just get through it. After I've finished that task, I feel better than if there were no pain, because I had overcome something that seemed completely insurmountable. Oh, and happy birthday!

That looks great for only having spent $150 and some time! Focus on the rust and getting an engine in there, and it really looks like a great place to start from. It actually looks as good (if not better) than the one I just bought (with cashy money) and spent a weekend checking out