Pillar

I heard of someone 3-D printing gauge bezels to fit aftermarket gauges like Autometer into the S30 dash. That way people could just bolt them in without fitment issues or having to cut any of the stock pieces.

http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/94550-fender-vents-general-aero-questions/ This is the thread I was thinking of. It starts out as a discussion about splitters, but moves on to cover venting built up pressure under the hood through the fenders and hood/cowl area. On page 2 it gets into the possibility of venting through the cowl, but was stated that it is a high pressure area (the idea is to vent to a low pressure area to maximize airflow) and thus would not be the best place to vent the engine bay. the post at the top of page 3 also has photos of a Z with vents (not stock) placed further forward on the hood (in keeping with the idea that it is a better position for airflow). http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/56546-hood-vents-ideas/ This thread also goes into some detail about the high pressure buildup in front of the windshield. Worth a read.

I am not sure where the topic was exactly (some searching will turn it up I'm sure, and I will take a look to see if I can find it) but I recall that it was discovered that having the vents placed further forward on the hood was best for relieving the built up air pressure and increasing cooling. This is due to the fact that there is actually a high pressure area right at the cowl where air piles up in front of the windshield. This high pressure area actually minimizes the amount of air being "sucked" out of the vents. I dont remember anyone actually posting a specific location with measurements, but it seemed the general consensus was that the best placement was about 1 foot further forward than where the stock vents actually were.

I also wonder how they went about capping the old skin with the new one. In my mind, I would think the CF roof would be built to the same dimensions as the metal roof. So I would think it would have taken quite a bit of effort to get it to "clip" over top of the old roof (especially up front). I would have worried about some amount of deformation as a result. How does it look up front along the windshield?

Yeah, that is a bummer. Hope it works out for you though. I think you should be able to blend it in no problem as long as you feather it far enough down (looks like you are already getting good results). Are you planning on painting over it entirely, or were you planing to just paint over the first few inches of the roof panel, and then clear over everything (so the CF is still visible)?

Yeah, the front like that actually matches the S30 rear end in profile surprisingly well (somewhat sharp angle up top, nice curve at the bottom). Very interesting concept for sure. Pulling it off well would be a bit of a challenge, but I think it could be done.

The profile is not as bad as I expected, but still feels a bit awkward to me. I think part of it is the front is a bit too "boxy" looking. The way the lower valance juts out throws it off. Maybe curved back like this, sort of like the stock S30 lower valance?

Not terrible looking, but I think it will be very difficult to meld the two together in a way that it wont look like you took the front and rears of two very different cars and put them together. The Z front end has a nice gradual downward slope to it that matches the sloping back in the rear, where the GTR has a very "flat" top fender profile. Seeing a profile view of your rendering would show this difference very clearly. I think your rendering will look pretty good from some angles (where one of the two "vehicles" is not as visible) but just wont work from other angles (where you see the two different vehicles clearly). But, everyone is entitled to their likes/dislikes.

As NewZed stated, they snap in and out. There should be some little slots on the top (about the width of a flat-head screwdriver blade) that is there for the purpose of popping them off. Just stick a flat-head or other similar tool/object in there and pry gently. Once it starts to come out, you should be able to get an additional flat object behind it to spread out the pressure.

Looks great! I'll be interested to know your thoughts on the coilover kit once it is all done and back on the road. I plan to do coilovers soon and was looking between those and the BCs.

Man that sucks. What did they charge you (if you dont mind saying)? Definitely want to see pictures.

Indeed it is. My Z is doing good. Finished rebuilding the motor and it is running smoothly. Slowly hacking away at the long list of things I want/need to get accomplished. Just got done fixing all the cracks in the dash, made a new aluminum fuel rail, and I'm about to install a new exhaust and swap to a 5-speed. Next on the list is to do some serious upgrades to the suspension and reupholster the seats. Also thinking about painting it this winter, but we shall see.

Looking good man, keep it up! Funny enough, I bought the Xenon front valance from your old 260 from you! I remember seeing the 2JZ at the time. Glad to see it is going to good use! Cant wait to see the finished product.

Nice. Cant wait to see the results! Be sure to post pictures when the work is all done

Cool, thanks! Definitely keep us updated on the install. I would really like to see how it turns out. I assume they will be removing the old metal skin and bonding the new CF one to the roof frame?

Very cool looking! I would be interested to know where you got it as well. I have a sunroof unfortunately, and though it is not leaking now, I would eventually like to get rid of it before it causes issues.

I would say that the plug being really wet when you pulled it is because the cylinder is not firing due to there not being sufficient gap on the plug. You said it runs good at idle. Is this after you changed the plug, or have you not run it with a new set of plugs? Were you the one that installed the last set of plugs? If you are, and you are sure they were gaped properly before putting them in, then there was obviously something inside the cylinder that hit and smashed the plug. Being as your plugs do not move at all, I would say there was either a foreign object in the cylinder, the plug was smashed before it got installed, or if that plug was somehow longer than the others (wrong plug maybe) then it protruded too far into the cylinder and the piston smashed it when it was at the top of its stroke.

Thanks, I'll check them out. Interesting that they are sending cars to Japan rather than bringing them to the states.

Do you mean to say that your car is producing boost at idle? Also, I would suggest cleaning up your post a bit, as the lack of puncuation makes it quite confusing. This will make it difficult for the people to help you because they will not be able to clearly understand the issue. Pillar

Any major rust should be addressed immediately, or it will only get much worse and will cause more issues the longer it is there. These are unibody cars, so areas like floor pans, frame rails, etc. are structural and continued (depending on how bad they are) driving on damaged ones can cause alignment issues and at worst, allow the chassis to twist out of tram. As for the brakes, these cars are very easy to work on. New replacement parts can be had for dirt cheap, and the stock brakes are more than adequate for just about any type of driving you will do. Like RebekahsZ said, due to their age, any shop will charge a mint to do the work, even though it will take them less time and effort than your average car. And this will only get much worse as you start getting into work like engine diagnostics and the like. Mechanics like newer cars that they can plug a computer up to and find out exactly what is wrong in seconds. These older cars actually require research and time to diagnose. However, they really are very easy to work on, but most mechanics are just trying to turn out as many customers as possible in a short amount of time, so they will overcharge you quite a bit. (Disclaimer: that is not to say that reasonable and dedicated mechanics that would love to help you and not overcharge you don't exist, but they seem to be far and few between). Even the shops that specialize in Z cars will charge you a lot (because they are the SPECIALISTS and can do so sine no other shops want to do the work). Unless you have a ton of money to throw at things like simple diagnostics and repairs, then it would be best to take this opportunity to learn about your car and do some repairs by yourself. Good luck with your project! Pillar

Has anyone dealt with jdm-car-parts.com? Was thinking of ordering some parts from them but I have never really heard of them and wanted to make sure they were on the level, or if there were any reviews about them. Thanks! Pillar

Yeah, when I swapped out my booster, I put the boot into the firewall first, and then installed the booster with a light amount of grease. Works much better that way usually because the boot won't bunch up on the booster.

Glad you were able to find the spacer! By rubber, do you mean the cup/boot that goes around the input shaft at the firewall? As Miles stated, you can try running a die down the messed up threads to clean them up. However it may be hard to start the die if it is the very first few threads that are messed up. It then becomes imperative to start right at the right point Otherwise once it seats itself and you get to the good threads, it could potentially cross on them and re-cut them if it isnt just so. Still, worth a shot. Pillar

There is supposed to be a spacer that goes between the MC and booster. It is an aluminum spacer with 4 holes (two of witch match up with the MC bolt holes. People often do not realize this spacer is a separate piece from the MC because both are aluminum and they often get 'fused' together a bit after decades of sitting. If you still have your old MC, grab the mount and give it a good turn. Might help to tap it a bit with a hammer to brake up the 38 years of corrosion. You can also rest the center bore of the old MC on a piece of wood (MC standing straight up) and tap downward around the mounting plate with a hammer (not too hard though as you don't want to brake/bend the plate). If you no longer have the old one: These spacers are hard to come by, especially since so many people have returned their core MC with them still attached and they end up who knows where (probably the trash). Nobody that I know sells them, so you will likely need to find someone with a spare, or hit a junkyard and hope for the best. I had the same issue where the previous owner lost the spacer when he gutted the engine bay. Luckily I was able to find one at a local Z yard. The spacer is 10mm thick, so if you can find a 10mm thick piece of metal stock, you may be able to make one, or have a machine shop cut out the mounting holes and center bore. Good luck! Pillar

First thing I would do as soon as you get the car would be to put it up on jacks (or a lift if you are lucky enough to have access to one) and take EVERY exterior panel off. Rust on these cars has a nasty habit of hiding in the nooks and crannies between panels. This includes hood, fenders, tail-lights and their bezels, front cowl, access hatches, and even the doors if possible. The areas under and around all of these are likely to have rust, and unless the car was garage kept and never driven in rain (and even that is no guarantee) expect to find your fare share. If you plan too and are able too, I would remove all the suspension, brakes, and drivetrain downstream of the transmission at a minimum. This will allow you to access/inspect tight areas up in the rear arches as well as any mounting points for the suspension. After you have done this, there are a number of areas on the interior that you should inspect as well. Floorpans and spare tire well are prone to rust and rot. It is worth taking the seats out (4 bolts each) to inspect underneath. This will also free up a lot of space in the interior to do any restoration you need. Remove the door cards and check inside the doors. If the car ever got wet, there is a possibility that some moisture got between the glass and weatherstrip and dripped down into the bottom of the door causing the inside to rust. This should give you a decent start to identifying any major rust issues. Check the underside of the car THOROUGHLY. The rails are one of the most common problem areas for these cars. Even if you dont notice any holes or rot, there could be some lurking underneath any undercoating. Once you have Once you have checked the whole car over (paying extra close attention to the above listed areas) you can move on to checking mechanicals. If you have removed all of the suspension/brake/drivetrain components previously, I would inspect all of these for structural issues or major rust. I would replace all bushings and things like ball joints/tie rods whether they appear to need it or not. They are likely old and worn to begin with (unless the previous owner has replaced them recently) and it is very easy to replace them at this point. Even stock replacements will be better than old worn items. This also applies to wear items in the brakes. I make it a point to replace brake rotors/drums and pads/shoes immediately after purchasing ANY used car (especially one I dont know the history of). Brakes are something that isnt worth taking the risk on, and brand new stock replacements (and even some upgrades) are not even all that expensive, so it is best to start with new. There is plenty more to be done when starting any restoration or restomod or simple refresh of a vehicle, but this should at least get you started. Good luck! Pillar