280Z-LS3

And by original I mean the first axle designed for this swap by D1t

Not sure the exact length. I think mine are a bit longer (0.125”?) than the original to help accommodate for T3 adjustable control arms. Invincible Extremes (aka Vlad) will know since I purchased the axles from him with my kit. I assembled the axles into the cv joints otherwise would measure for length I will be getting back to working in the Z soon. Life has been slammed busy with house remodel the last year

https://www.jdmfenderflares.com/ The owner's name is Jendoza. I suspect he had few different websites build over the years.

Also, it's best to have the flares on car (taped on would suffice) so you can accurately measure offset because flares brand/models differ in size. You can always go conservative with more positive offset then dial fitment in with wheel spacers. You will find that the Japanese made flares fit better than knock offs.

Below is a wheel offset guide I found on HybridZ Under stock fenders you can fit 15x9 with a 0 to -15 offset. Regular zg flares you can fit 15x10 front 0 to -15 offset Rear 15x10 0 to -35 Wide zg flares 15x10.5 -15 to -35 Rear 15x11.5 -20 to -35 Coilovers allow for more positive offset. I suggest at least a 10" rim to run 275 tires. My current build is getting 10"x18" rim/275 tire for front and 11.5"x18" rim/315 tire for rear. The offsets are -12mm both front and rear (5" bs front and 5.75" bs rear) which should give flush fitment with extra wide rear and standard front Marugen Shoukai flares by my measurements. Wheels are being made now so will know in a few weeks if I nailed fitment. I am using 2015 Mustang hubs so my fitment most likely is slightly different than stock/oem Datsun

No pics yet of flares installed. I have them taped to the side of the car. Just ordered up wheels/tires and will install flares after they arrive in a few weeks. "Standard, deluxe and special" refers to the thickness of the fiberglass from thin to thickest. I went with the wide version in "special" for the rear which is about 3" wide per flare. I believe they only offer one size for the front which is about 2" wide per side and think it's standard thickness. The flares were in stock when I ordered them so they arrived in like two weeks. RHDJapan was great to work with, then sent numerous emails keeping me informed of transaction progress.

Upon second look those flares could be just modified standard ZG style flares. Mold studs into the rivet dimples then cover with bondo or fiberglass

Wow, those look nice! You going to sell a few sets to cover the cost of making those jigs? Also, what are your plans for front flares?

The issue you will run into with molded fiberglass boded to metal is cracking at seam. The fiberglass and sheet will expand and contract at different rates which creates the crack. Some guys claim to bond fiberglass to sheet metal without cracking but was not worth the risk for me. Either run with the bolt on or fabricate the flare out of metal. I too wanted the smooth look at first but settled for the bolt on type from Marugen Shoukai, extra wide rear 3" and regular front 2". The shipping was as much as the flares, doh! Well worth the price to get them here because the fitment is precise. https://www.rhdjapan.com/search/model/nissan_fairlady-z/car/nissan/brands/marugen-shoukai/category/exterior_fenders-and-doors

I placed a Sanden SD-7B10 A/C Compressor where you put the alt. Made similar 1/4" plate mount brackets. Have yet to make my spacers to align compressor and idler pulleys. Nice work as usual.

Those are the first flares i purchased. They should work for 275s all four corners by my measurements. The rears are too small at 3" for 315s. Build quality is fine but not as good as the Marugen Shoukia which were purchased from https://www.rhdjapan.com/marugen-shoukai.html Marugen Shoukia flares fit better than JDM but cost twice as much due to shipping cost from Japan. No pics yet. Still a few months out at least because have not even ordered wheels yet.

I would look for other tune solutions too if the SoCal guy's tune day would cost $5K. Full disclosure I have never tuned or had a EFI motor tuned but interest in doing so led me to research the process over the years. Your previous experience with other race car puts you miles ahead of me. Does your engine ECU allow for data logging or real time monitoring of timing, air/fuel and other engine parameters? Not saying the GM tune is inadequate but just double check that things are working per spec. LS1Tech.com is a great resource with plenty of brilliant people willing to help.

Another thing to consider, if not already done, is a dyno tune. Sub-optimal ignition timing curve can make engines run hot. Finding a good LSX engine tuner can be a challenge but in NorCal you should not have to go far.

No wheels yet. Ordered and took delivery of some Marugen Shoudkia front and rear flares. In the process of redesigning the rear strut tube to allow for more inward wheel fitment so I can use the Marugen flares. Hoping modifications will allow for fitting 315 tires on 18x11.5" wheel with these flares, it's going to be tight! The section tire width of 315s are around 12.8" and actual rim width is 12.5". The Marugen extra wide rear flares I have measure 3.5" total width not added width from existing stock flare. My build is unique and the pinch points are the strut tubes. Most likely the same pinch point for stock Datsun suspension with coil overs but not certain. You should not have any problems fitting 275s on all corners. Just triple check offset with a jig or set of wheels. One thing to consider is the offset front and rear. The "look" some people go for is having more "lip" on the rear compared to front which necessitates wheels with different offsets thus making it near impossible to rotate tires even using spacers.

I know! House remodel has garage play time sidelined. That said have little time right now so started installing the Griffin 1.25" dual core radiator and C7 Spal fan. Will post up some progress photos soon. The basic Super 8.8 swap kit is Invincible Extremes. You can find him in the vendors section. D1t is the guy who designed my front end and new rear knuckles. He responded to this thread a few posts back, private message him.

Please report back with results after you seal up all the alternate air flow paths in the radiator core support. Your cooling equipment choices are almost identical to what I have sitting in the garage waiting to be installed. Way back when building a 1969 Camaro (should have kept that car...) called up Ron Davis for the radiator. Went with an with a unit with an integrated oil/water cooler. Worked well. One thing he did stress is sealing the radiator core support holes, radiator to core support gap and also the fan shroud to radiator (for low speed cooling) so only path for air to travel is through radiator.

What radiator design are you using, single or dual pass, tube size, overall core thickness? Does the fan shroud allow for air flow when fan is not active? The location of the oil cooler is very common, there must be an easier solution than relocating. And as others have said, ducting more air toward the radiator seems like a good idea. Maybe some light aluminum or stainless sheet metal could be formed into a polyhedron (big word, had to Google that one) to funnel air to front of radiator. The C7 fan I plan to use has 7 flaps which are pushed open when air pressure rises and get sucked shut when air pressure is low enough when fan is needed/active.

House remodel has me stalled in the garage, ignoring work on the Z. With the arrival of the new rear knuckles/up rights today getting super motivated to get back at it. Noah's work is top notch as usual! Really have to see these in person to appreciate the design. Going to get them on the car ASAP for some measurements. The rear strut tube mount flanges will have to be redesigned to move the strut deeper into the strut well for 315 tire fitment using Marugen Shoukai extra wide flares. More on that soon...

Did you ever figure out the soft pedal issue? A friend mentioned bleeding dual masters is a real challenge while discussing my brake setup. What method did you use?

Good to here. These car builds take an enormous amount of time and life does/will demand time spent else where. I had some good momentum but stalled as of late with a house remodel. As soon as I get back into the house will answer the 280Z longing to be finished.

Does the 4.5" resonator have a built-in x-pipe or just an open chamber type? Honestly, I don't know if it makes any difference with your design. Beautiful work!

Have a look at my build. I choose the LS platform because it's well supported by the aftermarket industry for power upgrades to get into the N/A 500-650hp range but still powerful in factory spec, light with alum block and heads, compact, great trans options, etc. $50K seems like plenty till you start buying new parts so be mindful that "car parts" add up quickly. Sanchez and I discussed the VQ platform for turbo to make the power levels you mentioned. There is a guy in Florida who makes turbo kits for the VQ which are between $10-15K. At time of researching could not find anyone else reputable who hacked in the OEM ECU for custom tuning. So available engine management systems may sway you away from a particular engine swap. I like the VQ, my wife had a Infiniti G37 rated around 320hp from factory and it was a blast. If you can get a complete engine/trans pullout with all computers/wiring and choose to stay N/A then the VQ is a good choice. For me the $/HP and ease of swap the LS platform just can't be matched.

Honeycomb aluminum plate is your salvation! I have no idea where to get it (unobtainium?) and sure it's ungodly expensive. Read an article about a hill climb/time attack car that used it. Their real job was in aerospace and had a piece "sitting around". So stiff that a 200 lbs guy could stand on the splitter. Back to reality... I like the idea of home made sheet of fiberglass. Too increase stiffness one could mold in some 1/4 or slightly larger plastic tubing. Watched a Aussie old racer guy on YouTube who makes race car body panels (I spend way too much time on the internet...) and his trick is to add various sized hose depending on panel being made to resist bending and torsional loads. If I understand correctly the hose creates a rib in the fiberglass increasing cross section.

Yes, absolutely right. Summer is the down season for Cali, I stand corrected! Here in SLO county it gets into the triple digits for weeks on end during summer. Without A/C it's brutal. I had the opportunity to drive a friend's right hand drive 1966 Ford GT40 in July a few years ago. Such a rare iconic Super Car couldn't pass the offer up. After 20 mins with outside temp of 105F had to call it quits hoping for an ice bath while pulling into the garage. As I pulled in literally soaked with sweat he asked me to take his nephew who couldn't drive a stick for a spin. Kids these days, lol. I almost declined it was that hot in the car. The 2006 GT my wife got to play with is much more refined being fitted with the modern convenience of A/C. Two years ago worked on his application (yes applications to buy GT cars are mandatory now because of speculators purchasing cars then flipping) for his newly delivered GT. Covid has pushed back the promised piloting of that car which will surely be a blast!

While talking with Noah the other day I mentioned something about bolt sizing and strength in shear. I think it was for the 10mm bolts I used for my trans mount. He said there is a common misconception on how things are "held together" with fasteners. It's the friction created between the surfaces the fasteners are connecting which provides the vast majority of the apposing force in the shear plane. So I think the carefully shimmed play between the rod end and upright and having the through bolt torqued to spec for diameter will solve the chatter you are experiencing. "Finished" is a relative term right, lol. I say get the car sorted, have some fun then tackle a few "quick and necessary" upgrades during winter months. I thought while prioritizing the next build task it was to be the DIY headers. While examining the driver's side area noticed that the OEM steering coupling bushing needs to go, it takes up too much space and need all the possible space for header tube routing. Planned for a Saturn Vue EPS column to swap in case I needed assist after test driving with 275 front tires. Well, looks like I should tackle the EPS first since your opinion is effort is high with that wide a front tire.