icapture

The right and left tail light panels on my 280z are not in a condition that i can proud of. The finish has come off some areas, and there is evidence of someone sanding it with rough paper and then giving up. What did the original finish on these look like? I cant imagine it was a glossy paint but rather a flat black or something. How would you guys recommend that restore this panel? Shoot it with primer then a few coats of flat black paint? Maybe in the future I'll pick up a new one, or a CF replica piece. But for now I want something cheap that will make it look acceptable.

definitely into these seats because they are actually at a price that makes sense. Im athletically built and 5'6 so I'll definitely be looking for one on the smaller size, I definitely want something that fits well. But I cant seem convince myself to buy a non-reclinable seat, the idea of not being able to move my seat forward or backward frightens me, especially since my Z is probably gonna be my daily driver shortly. Was looking for some Recaro's out of an older BMW 325is, but I'm liking what I'm seeing.

You need to bring this hoe out to Cali so we can all drool over it.

poor little g nose

I will be installing some BMW 325is seats in my 75' as soon as I can get some cash in the datsun account. Will post install pics.

maybe he made it to Lambo spec. i'm sure that info is on the web somewhere if you look hard enough.

I would buy this guy a beer. My link

haha. that sucks. All i have to say is fu<k mexico, that place is shady as hell.

waste of $$$ IMO - could have built something way cooler with that amount of man hours. But hey, his cash...his decision.

I saw an exhaust like this on some corolla featured in some performance magazine and really liked it. It was dual pipes side by side pointing upwards. The only difference between this one and the Corolla was the AE86's exhaust was kicked out to the left side. I also may do this, but I was wondering if anyone had pictures of an exhaust similar to this on a Z. i think with the rear shaved, and the little exhaust cut out filled in, this could look kinda cool. But I'd like to see actual applications if possible.

Here is a photo of some Smart buckets. http://www.richhelms.ca/richhelms/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/s-smart-seats.jpg

mind if i ask what you picked the S2000 seats for? They look sick, but no harness cut-outs mean they wont work for me. But they look great in your car.

I'm sure most of us have seen this Z on flickr before, but I have always been fond of this color. Its kinda looks like the factory broze/brown but with a touch of "look at me" with the gold added into it. I am still a while from painting my Z (Suspension, brakes, seats, ect are all above paint on the list) but I always like to keep it in the back of my mind. I have seen a cool gold on the top secret cars before, but this Z for whatever reason looks like it has more orange in it. The top secret cars look almost pure gold. As of right now its either a color like this: Or something off white. I'm not a huge fan of white cars, but I think older Japanese sport cars look great dressed in it.

thanks for the info hugh. I was definitely concerned with the idea of using a MAF that didnt come off the car, especially it being a turbo car. I am going to follow your advice and go with a SR MAF PM'd ya

Definitely a sick dash. But it just shows you how important it is to have a PROFESSIONAL cover your dash. If the stitching is anything less that perfect it will look cheap. For instance if you look at the Leather dash that was linked on the first page you'll see the stitching isnt perfectly parallel, and subsequently looks cheap. but if you look at Rovdriver's dash all the stitching is perfectly spaced from eachother. Ive seen guys do the whole suede covering w/ french stitch themselves and it looks like crap. Yes its gonna cost you an arm and a leg, but if you can't do it right dont do it at all. Flocking is for the DIY'er. I was thinking I might do something with leather on the top of the dash, and having the part that faces you in suede. I will also incorporate leather and suded into the center consol. Door panels will be CF (doing those first) - the dash and consol will be in the distant future.

This is some good info, and I thank you for the write up. I am definitely a G nose lover, and would definitely consider taking the knife to my baby in order to give her a better looking nose. But I am aware that it comes at a cost, and might possibly have a shop do it for me.

I believe Super Street did a story on it a while back Its got an SR, its got a pretty sexy suede interior, Cobra seats, carbon fiber bumpers and flares, stupid watanabe's, pretty much pure sex. Although if I had the kind of cash that guy obviously put into his car I would go with a much rarer wheel than that. I'd go with a classic japanese wheel that is rarely seen on a Z. Pretty much every Z out there has Wat's on it (not saying they aint sexy as hell) Personally I dont like the blacked out look on Z's. Personally I like a little retro left on the car, and the chrome accents IMO are retro. I love the chrome around the window.

Um yea, those win. But those are soooo out of my price range. I dont even wanna know what the leather/suede one's cost.

damn man, talk about "built not bought" - gotta tip my hat to you.

DarthZ, man talk about going from zero to hero in the second to last and last pic. Great looking car man. JandJdragracing, thanks for the pics man that helps a lot. Its nice seeing pics like that, just reassures me to do this. BTW these were the indents I was talking about. Question though, if I would like to mount a 240z bumper on this thing sometime in the near future would it be a bad idea to fill these indentations? Isn't this where the bumper mounts are on the 240z?

Thanks guys, I will look into those markets. I agree, and perhaps the example I gave was too much of an extreme. But I definitely want something in that style.

I always see those classic Japanese sports cars with the deepest old school wheels imaginable. Then I start looking for wheels here in the US and find nothing, wth? I check ebay but rarely do you see a sick pair of deep dish smaller wheels. I would think someone would be rummaging through Japanese junk yards, auto shops, ect. in Japan, finding these old wheels, and importing them to the U.S. and turning a nice little profit. Is it just that they are equally as rare in Japan? I am planning on faking it a while with the XXR 513's, but eventually I wanna go deep dish. I love the look of slammed datsun's on a smaller wheel and a smaller tire. Something like this: (are these indians?)

I am in need of a new maf sensor and I was wondering if I could use a MAF from a 240SX. Reason being because without one my car wont get above 2500 RPM and this is one of the last things I need to replace before I can take it out on the street, but money is tight and I have a junk yard just down the street. My concern with using one without researching it first is that I am afraid the air/fuel mixture may be a little low since its coming off a N/A car. I also don't have a air/fuel gauge yet, so I'm kinda driving blind in that area. But I hear its an important one to keep watch. Thanks Adam

I have decided to fill in the holes in the rear from where the bumper shocks went. I have started fitting pieces of sheet metal in the holes, but there are two little indentations back there. I dont have a picture, I can get one tomorrow. But I was curious if I should fab up a piece of sheet metal for it, or just fill it in with bondo. Its not horribly deep, but this is my first time doing body work, and i am just wondering what an appropriate amount of bond is - in terms of depth. 1"? 1/2"? 1/8"? even less?

I love how small jap cars look with step lips tucked just underneath the fender. I dont care if it hinders performance slightly, it looks sexy imo.