scott19

I'm agreeing with what ezzzzzzz is saying. The top of the car is acting like a wing, pulling the rear of the car up. So the S30 has no problem getting air to a rear spoiler. However, while helping with downforce, a rear spoiler doesn't significantly move the "fume cloud" away from the car. I've seen posts that state a whale tail helps, but doesn't eliminate the problem. And vortex generators would only aid already good adhesion, increasing the lift effect, which is what you want on an airplane wing, but not a car. Getting the air to separate over the hatch would decrease lift and (hopefully) create turbulence behind the car, aiding in reduction of the fume cloud. This is evidently what Nissan did with the little bump above the hatch on the S130's, and we're not hearing fume complaints from S130 drivers, are we? Obviously this is oversimplified, but without a wind tunnel, it's all "shadetree aerodynamics". Sorry I haven't done further yarn tests yet as I promised. I've had other issues, as well as getting ready for SEZ, to deal with. But stay tuned!

Did a preliminary yarn test today with the standard hatch. Pretty much as expected: down and toward the rear of the car. Not even much side to side. I'll fabricate my spoiler and we'll see what happens.

Yeah, I was thinking the opposite: breaking the air loose to dispel the fume cloud following the S30. I'm gonna go buy some yarn today and do some experiments myself. I've got part of a set of louvers from a 280ZX that I'm going to take apart into separate pieces. If I can think of how to attach it temporarily, I'll try my makeshift wing/spoiler in diffrent spots and see how it affects things, if at all.

Hmmm. Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems that Vortex generators are NOT the way to go, because the problem with the S30 is lack of separation, and vortex generators essentially ( if I'm reading right) promote adhesion of the air to the surface on which they are mounted.

Chewie, would the "V" shape be pointing toward the front or back of the car?

There was a bit of discussion on an earlier thread concerning the vortex generators sold on http://www.airtab.com , but I think they be too large for our use. If you're right Ezzzzzzz, these ( or any vortex generators) wouldn't work on the roof. However, what about a spoiler on the rear deck lid with generators affixed on the upper surface? Any chance they might dissipate the invisible cloud following a S30?

I had thought that adding a spoiler or small wing (similar to the 80's Supra) at the top of the hatch would be beneficial, but TonyD ripped me a new one over at Zcar.com when I posted my intentions to do so. Still don't quite understand why it wouldn't help break the air away from the hatch, but oh well. Ezzzzzzz, can you do a yarn test on your idea when you do it?

What TonyD was talking about was to drill holes in the fenderwell area underneath where the battery (passenger side) and the slave cylinder (driver side) reside. To my knowledge, he never actually did it, since this was for his Bonneville car and it would have been illegal in his class. I think your idea would work, to a point. But my thought is that the low pressure zone in front of the windshield would only bleed off a small amount of air from the engine bay before it equalized with the high pressure flowing above it. Also remember that wiper area is also where fresh air can get drawn into the passenger compartment. I don't think it would be a good idea to have engine air flowing into there, hence it's separation from the engine bay. But this is a layman talking. Any engineers wanna chime in?

Just my $.02: It is my understanding that it does no good to vent the hood for aerodynamics, since there is high presssure below (in the engine bay), and high pressure above (air flowing over the hood). It is argued that the vents installed by Nissan are for heat removal, not aerodynamic flow. What is needed is a vent to a low pressure zone, such as the fenderwells. I've joked that the S30's have "self correcting aerodynamics", since the battery box rusts out, providing holes to vent to the fenderwell. I believe TonyD had the idea to drill/cut multiple holes into the fenderwell for ventings sake. A personal experience (that may contradict what I just wrote above): My first 240 had a fiberglass cowl induction hood on it. It would pop open completely (meaning it would clear the release latch also) ever so often, usually around 50-70 mph. When it did this, it would float 6-8" above the engine bay until I slowed down below 30-40 mph. This is with about a 2x20" cowl induction hole in the rear. Take from that what you will.

Concerning the Wangan movie (the 650mb file), is it just me, or is that only part of the movie? Seems to be only 30 minutes or so. Or was it a series?

I think the 280zx Turbo's have an emblem with "Turbo" on it. Wanna be different? Got a 240? Get the 240 emblem off a Volvo 240 and slap it on there. I've never seen a Z done that way, but I always thought it'd look cool.

I'm digging the "panda" look.

To me, the 240 style is distinctive, while the 280 style seems a bit generic.

Good enough for me. Thanks Guys!

Ok, been searching, but I haven't seen this mentioned (probably because it's a dumb idea/question), so I figured I would ask: Instead of cutting and sectioning the front strut tube assembly, why couldn't you put a spacer ON TOP of the insert (between the insert and the gland nut)? When the strut bottoms out, isn't it the insert that's bottoming out, or is it the actual top of the strut assembly hitting the bump stop? If it's a stability question, couldn't you use the old gland nut (shaved down to fit inside the tube, along with a spacer, topped with the new gland nut)?

Here's some pics, better late than never. Compare to the pic above: A good bit of improvement. The lustre is back! There's work still to be done on the finish, but I think it's gonna have to wait until spring. I'll fine tune it then. As of now, I'm happy. Thanks Vintage-TechZ for your remarks. Every little bit of advice makes the result that much better. And, of course, thanks to everyone who contributed their wisdom along my journey.

Sorry for the lack of pics, but it's been either gloomy weather, dark, or I've had the car apart every time I've been around it lately. I'll get some up as soon as possible. Mom'sZ, thanks for the mention of the hand waxing. There is some slight swirliness if the light hits it just perfect.

Ok, it's been 3 weeks since my last post here. In that time, I broke down and bought a varible speed buffer from Harbor Freight (only $29, and it's lasted long enough to do the car, still going strong...good enough!). I also went and bought some nice 3M foam pads from the body shop store. What a difference it has made! I've now done the whole car, and it's back having the luster it did before. Sorry for no pics, but suffice it to say the whole car looks like the fender does in my 3rd picture. The buffer was rated from 300-3000 rpms, and I used it at it's lowest numerical setting, which was a bit more than it's absolute lowest speed. For anyone who looks at this in the future, heed the advice above, it's the good stuff!

Well, I did the roof this weekend, and it looks pretty good, a lot clearer, but the sanding scratches remain. My thought is that I need to work the compound with the foam pad a bit more. we'll see what next weekend brings.

I hear you, Mom'sZ. I've already learned the value of clean water ( and checking the paper often). I agree with you about the "straight out the booth" look. It's so pure, like a field of newly fallen snow...but I digress. What I've got is what I've got. I'm trying to look at it as a testbed. I learned a lot in the painting process (mostly that I don't want to do it again anytime soon), and now it's time to learn the "post paint" stuff. Experience begets wisdom.

I went to the paint store a couple of days back to get the 05937 glaze, but they didn't have it ( 3M sure does have a bunch of products that all do almost the same thing), and to make a long story short, I bought a bottle of finishing glaze made by another brand (Body Magic), that seemed closer to what the 05937 is supposed to be. It's been getting dark before I get home, so I haven't really had a chance to try it in good light yet. However, I did try it on half of my decklid, and the result is promising. The side I did with the glaze is clear and shiny ( although there are still fine swirl scratches), while the side I haven't done yet looks hazy and stained, like it's been sitting outside for 5 years. I'm attacking it on Saturday, so I'll update when I get finished with a panel or two.

Thanks for chiming in Racer X (sorry for the erroneous "X" last time!LOL!). As always, what you say makes good sense. I'll try what you said, and also look into getting some of that 05937 glaze, too. One way or another, I'll whup it! I've put to much work into this to let go to crap at the end! Thanks to everyone! See you soon with the results!

Done a little looking in on the 05937 glaze, and it might be what I'm looking for. According to 3m.com, it's the next stage after the extra cut compound. Oddly enough, I can't find the swirl mark remover 06064 on their site, though I saw it on another site, and it promised a high gloss finish. I don't think so! Raxer X, I could use your 2 cents here! p.s. Metallicar: I did start initially using an electric buffer rated at 2500rpm. I'm now using a pad setup attached to my DA sander, set to the absolute lowest speed. This, combined with the small compressor I'm using, gives what I believe is a good, safe, slow speed. If I'm in error, somebody yell at me.

Hi folks. When I last checked in, I had just painted the Z. Here's the pic to remind ya: Well, I've been trying to colorsand her, because I got a lot of orange peel. My process has been this: 1)wetsand with 1000, then 2000 grit sandpaper 2)Apply 3M Perfect-It 3000 (part #06060) Extra Cut Rubbing Compound with a buffer using a wool pad. 3)Buff with 3M Perfect-It 3000 (part #06064) Swirl Mark Remover using a buffer with a yellow foam pad. These are the results I'm getting: As you can see, less than stellar. The colorsanded sections have none of the luster that you can see on the fender in the second pic. They all look silvery and hazy, not to mention having lots of scratches. Any idea what I am doing wrong? I feel like there's a step I'm missing,a step I'm not doing long enough, or I'm using the wrong compounds, or something! I am at a loss. PLEASE help! BTW, the paint is PPG Deltron bc/cc.