A to Z

08-25-2026 ATLAS Z UPDATE: I had a few minutes this morning, so I went ahead and prepped my new front brake calipers, by mounting the brake pads in and getting them ready for install. I got the calipers and pads from Z Car Depot.

08-23-2026 ATLAS Z UPDATE. Today was another tough one. 4+ hours in getting the clutch master cylinder rod screwed in to the custom clevis on the pedal arm and then everything bolted back up, adjusted and set up. VERY hard for me to get in there, and I am old, so it is a ball breaker. I knew it would be and put it off for months, today I did it. I managed to get the trim piece I mentioned yesterday painted silver and then after the clutch, I tackled the next issue. I don't know how, but there is no bar from the brake pedal arm to the switch so the brake lights will come on and go off. So, I simply took some sheet metal, bent and hammered a 90 and then with a sharpie and my angle grinder cut and formed a piece that I am bolting to he brake arm, that will stick out and push the brake light switch closed when the pedal is released. I drilled 2 holes through the arm and this sheet metal bracket It's hanging up painted and will be install with 2 1/4X20 bolts and nuts. After it was done it was time to relax a bit with a couple Coors and look around, I taped one of my atlas emblems to the front corner of the hood. I don't know If I will use it there or not, I can either paint it flat black to contrast on the gloss powder coat, paint it datsun metallic blue like the engine compartment, or I don't know, any ideas?

08-22-2026 ATLAS Z UPDATE: Work The Punchlist. Decided to switch it up a bit today and work a punch list of little things I just let pile up working on the bigger ticket items. Started with getting the horn installed, wiring my dual fans in, finished the clutch master cylinder in the engine compartment, topped off the transmission with some redline MT90, then finished the intake pipe, getting the air filter on the end and getting it in there good....ended up having to trim a tad more on the hood, but went pretty easy. Installed the new modified gas pedal finally, and yep....had to mod the corner of the pedal surface a tad but this time it works...Installed my combo turn signal stalk/headlights/horn and got the wires ran over to the other side to terminate later....and started on a small sheet metal cover to cover an ugly spot on the side of the head. PICS:

08-19-2026 ATLAS Z UPDATE: I got my intake tubing back from the polisher today. I like it. PICS:

well, you could look it all up on their website plstics4performance. The hatch glass actually isn't flat, it has a crown to it. It isn't just plexiglass. it is Polycarbonate, with a special hardened coating, and the vents and everything are a custom deal. I wanted it professionally done. I waited for you to volunteer to do it for me, but you never did, so.... Yes it is made in England. Cheers.

08-15-2026 ATLAS Z UPDATE. I went ahead and "restored" or rather just rebuilt the rear brakes with parts from Z Car Depot, and then installed my Techno Toy Tuning (TT3) axle shafts. As all these cars settle and move in the 50 odd years they have been around, I had to do some grinding / clearancing. I also grabbed the new rubber sway bar end link bushings I had and mounted them on the sway bar, and did so, so there is clearance from these BIG axle shafts. Inside these beautiful alloy pieces are Porsche 930 Turbo CV joints which will take more horsepower than I will ever throw at them. Dirty work, but surprisingly fun day. Progress is happening. PICS.

08-14-2026 ATLAS Z UPDATE/. Plastics 4 Performance has sent the final draft for my polycarbonate rear hatch "glass" for my approval. It is ready for production! The vents are to give the car an even more open air feel, which is what I want with this build. should look pretty cool. 8/32 bolts will be around the edge with a thin rubber layer between it and the lip on the hatch. Ferrari uses the vents for engine heat.....I used them because I like the look and as I said the open air feel.......no glass at all looks too unfinished to my eye. PICS:

I didn't like where the intake was sitting so I did what I wanted with it. It's not for cold air, my intercooler and water/methanol injection provide plenty of cool. The entire build is done the way I want it......no thought has gone into doing what other guys would do honestly. If someone wants me to do something a certain way, that can be done, via monetary donation.

Someone mentioned steering shaft clearance? I can't see how....tiny engine in a big bay.......

08-09-2026 ATLAS Z UPDATE: Ok, so I was able to get the wheel bearings in the hubs, and decided to just finish up the front wheel bearings today. I didn't have enough grease, so a quick trip to O'Reilley's and I got a tube of Valvoline Hi-Temp "Red" grease. It worked very well! The Lisle wheel bearing packer I grabbed off of Amazon for about 15 bucks did its job as well, and the back seals, I found went pretty well with a coat of grease on them. I lightly used a screwdriver to get it past the inner lip, then used a socket and tapped it with my hammer to make sure it was down and flush. Then in tightening them down I simply found the sweet spot where the play was gone and the nut keeper was aligned for the cotter pin then dropped them in and bent them up. I then quickly threw the front wheel spacers on and held the wheel on to get an idea. I think I am going to have to take a few measurements and have the spacers milled to get them exactly right for my application.:) Cheers! PICS:

08-08-2026 ATLAS Z UPDATE. Brakes! I spent a couple hours setting my ride height. It is very tiring.... putting the car up and down..... over and over, and taking it apart, adjust, drop it, raise it back up ....over and over. I think it's pretty good. After that I jumped on the brakes. I ordered the parts I needed from Z Car Depot. New front calipers and pads, TC rod bushings, end link bushings. Rear drum pads, complete drum rebuild assy, new drum wheel cylinders, new front wheel bearings and races/seals.....So I pulled the rear drums, cleaned them all up with the wire wheel in the drill and then smoothed out the pad contact surface with some 40 grit sandpaper. they were smooth and no grooves, so just this roughing is sufficient. Afterwards I cleaned up the face on them and gave them a nice coat of Duplicolor Silver engine block paint.... and they are drying. Then the front rotors. The bolts for the calipers I wire wheeled them back to nice condition, then I used a long screwdriver and a hammer and knocked the old races out, and cleaned up the hubs and got all the old grease out. Messy! Because the front rotors have no grooves at all and just surface rust, I went over the contact surface with my DA sander and 40 grit sandpaper and got them to a nice surface that the new pads can break in on well. I dropped the new races in the freezer and cleaned up some of the rest of the rotors with the wire wheel attachment in the drill. While the rotors were off, I cleaned up the splash shield behind the rotos and gave them a layer of clear also. entire braking system is now new.....DOT 5 fluid maybe? Real progress. PICS.

Plastics 4 Performance | Lexan, Makrolon, Polycarbonate Motorsport Windows

passenger floor. 1/4 X 20 nuts and bolts through the floor. Have to get a fire extinguisher over there as well. This car is more race car than street car. Strictly a street car, but it's pretty gutted. Yeah, I have door panels and panels in the rear, but no door windows, plexi rear glass ordered, no wipers, no heater, no vent air, racing style turn signal and lights stalk I have to bolt on but have it.....Just the rollbar and rear strut bar added any weight, most has been getting weight off of it. I had to reinforce the subframe to handle the power. Id like to get it under 2500.....might be hard as they have thicker sheet metal than the 240's do.

08-02-2026 ATLAS Z UPDATE. I went ahead and worked on the front end today. I dropped the struts and turned them all the way in, tightened up the cross member to shell bolts with the spacers, and did a bit of wire wheel cleaning. Then I dropped the car to get a preliminary look at where I am. It is LOW. LOW, LOW, LOW! The rear quarters are on the tires, so I will have to bring that up at least an inch and then fine tune from there. I will probably do that and then drop the axle shafts in at the same time. In the front, I have about 2 inches of clearance ground to K member, and my exhaust is less than an inch. So, now I know where I am at, and can make adjustments. I might space the front wheels out an inch. I also remade the electric panel....the old one I didn't like, so I did a layout and mounted it all up. Much better. Intake pipes go in for welding and sanding, then the polisher. Click on "MOV" for short video. PICS: IMG_4592.MOV

08-01-2026 ATLAS Z UPDATE: Today I dropped the rear struts, adjusted them and set the ride height. While there I wire wheeled the area to do more cleanup for the eventual clear coating of stuff. After that I finished the intake tubing project and got everything marked for welding, sanding smooth and polishing again. I laid out the PTFE braided brake hose and installed it, with jsut the rear remaining to be done. At the rear splitter the factory fittings just wouldn't budge, so I cut the old lines, took the splitter out and fixed it and reinstalled. It's made of brass....old school facotry stuff, very cool. I will have to order more from "Finishing Lines". I also got the right size serpentine belt from DAYCO and it is installed for my custom setup. And then I finished the day cleaning up the cutout on the hood. A bit of paint touchup and buffing and it will be great. PICS:

07-29-2026 ATLAS Z UPDATE: I went ahead and ordered up some 4" pipe from Silicone Intake Systems (SIS). marked out where I wanted the turn down and the filter to sit behind the grille and jumped in and cut the path! I then cut the 45 degree offset piece into the shape needed. I ran out of time today and material actually also....I need some straight pipe, but good progress. Next is the sweeper 90 and some straight piece to put the cone filter right where I want it. You can also see I began the process of a new layout for my electric panel. Once the piping is laid out, I will once again, have it welded , sanded smooth and polished. PICS:

07-26-2026 ATLAS Z UPDATE: Today I switched it up a bit and worked on some other items first. I cleaned up and interior painted my rear view mirror with the SEM Landau BLack interior paint, then started the install on the Snow Water-Methanol pump in the back. I have it loosely hanging there for now as I have a few other items to finish before final install. Then I decided to install the Dealer option fluted aluminum rocker trim. I had it powdercoted in flat black, and now was the time to install. After getting it on the way I wanted and getting the bottoms of the fenders tied down, I decided to try out the serpentine belts I got to see which one will work. Well, my measurements were off, and I decided the best way to fix the problem was to just cut the belt I had on there and pull and measure it to get an accurate measurement. 78 1/4" with the tensioner relaxed. I think I will try a belt at 78" length and see how it goes. After doing all of this, I decided to push the rear diff under the car and get an idea of how much work was waiting for me.....well, it went right in! very nice to have it done and glad Jesus let me have it go well! PICS: SportsCars

07-25-2026 ATLAS Z UPDATE: Today was brutal. Some days on the car go easy, some so so and some bad. Today was a tough one. I wrestled and wrestled and finally got the R180 to come out amidst scraping and banging fingers, etc. and leaving bruises. I then had to do a cleanup of the area, and the 50+ years of dirt, dust, grime, you name it left me with a black face like a coal miner.....but I got it cleaned up and ready to stick the R200 in. After I get it in, I will then do some detailing. When putting the mustache bar in for the R200, you have to put it in a certain way, and in my case it required unbolting and lowering the factory "box" of steel bent pieces to get it in. and I ended up having to do it twice, because the rubber pucks that go on before the mustache bar goes up and on the end before the nut....the hole diameter is not the same.......the stud is TAPERED, and the top puck MUST be flush to work....after the second attempt I was finally able to get it all up except the last puck wouldn't go....I finally opened up the hole a tad and then everything went back together. That leave me with putting the main differential carrier in later. At any rate, once the old carrier was gone ...cleanup of the entire area began........some cutting and chopping brackets etc. off......some wire wheel cleaning and some light angle griding to get it to where it can be finished after center diff install. I bought Techno Toy Tuning axle shafts (Porsche 930 CV's) earlier, and they will go in at a later date.....but it is ready to proceed. I was also able to take some measurements and drill and cut some 3/16" thick steel plate to mount the pump for the water methanol system and got it painted. PICS:

fresh coat of flat black powdercoat on my rocker trim for the ATLAS Z:

Well, this car is akin to an AC Cobra. Sunny day only....around town hot rod. I want it as open air as possible. Mostly gutted out except for some interior bits to make it look nice. Also the exhaust exits right behind the front wheel!

07-20-2026 ATLAS Z UPDATE: my rocker trim I got from Ace King arrived and another ATLAS Z badge I ordered showed up as well. Z Car Depot sent me a set of hood spacers as well. PICS:

07-19-2026 ATLAS Z UPDATE: I started by color sanding and buffing the tops of the fenders and the sail panels with 2000 grit, 3000 grit and 5000 grit and then used Meguires Premium Polish with my foam pad on the buffer at medium speed. Then I re-installed the side view mirrors, and re-installed the emblems and plug for the antenna hole. Then I finished the door panels by putting the latch surround trim under the door release latches on both sides. Then I took some rope and measured out the length for the serpentine belt and the remaining brake lines, which will also be PTFE braided line form "Finishing Lines". All of this took longer than it sounds. PICS:

07-18-2026 ATLAS Z UPDATE: Today was Doors Day. I put this off for a long time, because it is just no fun. I deleted the windows for the car to lighten it up and keep it in the mindset of being basically a 4 wheeled motorcycle. I gutted the doors out except for the door handle mechanisms, leaving the locks in....and then vacuuming the bottoms of the doors out and then taping the holes off, and then I installed my repro door "cards" I got from Hung Vu. the Arm rests I got from Ebay and the holes left for window crank and door lock I filled with some push in plastic plugs I got off of eBay as well. I then started on the layout for the rear window. I am replacing the glass with Clear Polycarbonate from a company in England called Plastics4Performance (.com). I am getting the rear window in clear, with the special hardened coating, and making it a custom order, having slots cut into it like they do for the Ferrari 488 cars (see pic). The weight will be easily half of what the heavy glass weights, and I will lay down a layer of rubber int he window well, drop the glass in, and then with holes already drilled, bolt the window down into the hatch itself. It should look great! I also installed the door weatherstripping and the threshold plates. Seems to have made a big difference looking at it after I was done today. PICS:

07-15-2026 ATLAS Z UPDATE: Today I finished sanding the first coat of gloss clear and then prepped and applied a second coat of poppy's patina. Now 48-72 hours of cure time before color sand and buff. I also finished the work on converting the hatch lock pushbutton to a hood pin setup. PICS:

07-12-20206 ATLAS Z UPDATE: Well I started today by wiping down all the sections to be cleared with the Poppy's Patina Wax and Grease Remover. Then I went ahead, got my mrespirator ready and glove for my wiping hand and mixed the gloss clear and started wiping. It goes surprisingly quick...and I found that I was sicking the applicator into the paint and then then I LIGHTLY squeezed it out so that I had a lot of the applicator, but not dripping as much. As expected, there is a learning curve. After I was done and the hours went by, I could see spots I had missed. Normally you want until it is completely dry, at least 24 hours, but since I know I am sanding and adding a second coat, I mixed up, a small amount and went over the spots that were missed. Sure enough, it changed the appearance......so don't do it unless YOU KNOW you are adding another coat, which means sanding or at least using the grey scratch pads they send you to rough up the surface a hair before laying on a second coat. I wanted to get a coat of the stuff on there so the second coat later will be a true second coat everywhere. But, I am impressed. It is my intention to get a second good coat on, let it sit 24 hours, and any spots missed to then add where needed and let it sit for awhile....maybe a full week, before I sand it with 2000, 3000, 5000 grit sandpaper, and then use my buffer with the foam pad and some compound to bring it up to a smooth shine......then a good coat of wax. PICS: