Sleeper-Z

well i've done my fair share of research on welding 4130 and most people (air craft builders) that do tig and gas-weld 4130 don't stress relieve. keep in mind, if these welds break, they are in the air, and they will die. your best bet for research on welding 4130 is through a air plane hobbyist/fabricators forum. the reason why people don't recommend mig'ing chromemoly is it is so hard to manage heat; whereas tig you have your foot pedal and gas welding you can remove the heat source. my question is: if one were to mig weld chrome-moly by doing a penetrative tack, quench it with water to let is cool down, and repeat until fully welded, would that generate less heat on the metal and therefore not make it weaker? just somethign i was pondering in the back of my head.

the existing cage in there is 1.5 but not sure on the thickness. have to research more on rules and see what's the thinnest and safest i can go but .095 sounds good. i'll be using SAE 1020 DOM tubing. do you have any pictures of your car? (not going to copy it but would like more ideas. BTW' date=' is 1640 including motor, drivetrain? maybe i should be aiming for 1450-1500 lbs! when i searched around before this z you were my main inspiration for tubing. great pics. yeah triangulation is key for strength, or that's what the motto is for tubing my car. 50 lbs under stock and stiffer sounds great!

just doing a little thinking and it is possible that i'd go ahead and tube the front and mid-sections of the car. i've searched various race sanction rules but all goes towards the thickness and diameter for roll cages. my question is, what would you [the educated reader] would recommend (as far as mild steel 1020 DOM tubing width and diameter) for a fairly low torque, about 225-275 ft. lb., non-neck braking 280z. keep in mind i have all fiberglass panels (fully gutted with a 14-point cage), no dash, nothing except for steering shaft, seat, gauges, and fire system; and will be using an engine/transmission setup lighter than stock. car is non-street driven. i am aiming for 1700-1800 lbs if not lighter... note: everything is going to be tied into each other correctly and is going to be done right. i was thinking of matching the cage diameter, but if i could get away with using smaller diameter tubing (weight purposes) safely i will go ahead and do that. 4130 is not an option because a. don't have a tig welder b. not cost efficient. but it would be nice to get the weight benefit of using 4130 over mild steel, maybe later in life. thanks! steven m.

yeah paint and body is a easy, but a looonnnggggg process, shouldn't be too much. going to try to have her repaired and in primer in about 3 months (sucks when you have school, but hey, winters almost here), paint can go on later after motor mock up and what not. just gotta get more business and more money! hopefully be done and racing in 2-3 years.

when checking the above places for rust, make sure to hit it a little bit (especially the frame rails and floor boards) sometimes rust can be covered up with undercoating and paint. you also might want to bring a magnet to check the panels for body filler and what not. steven m.

forgot to add, i like pickle x (use to use it when i use to powder coat stuff), but i think zero rust would be a better alternative since i don't have to deal with ordering from pickle x and then order from somewhere else for primer. thanks for the input.

zero-rust seems like the right thing for me. I don't want her to rust anymore! (i know with a well prep'd car i shouldn't worry, but with as much rust as my Z has i won't take my chances!) i guess ill be PM'ing those that have used it and construct a little interview. now my only gripe is, why the heck is steel upwards of $1.75/lb~~! looks like i gotta see if i can trade some 400 lbs. of scrap for some square tubing tomorrow or wednesday. rotisserie time i go! Thanks guys, Steven M.

So i've decided to sandblast my entire shell, including the underbody once i get some scrap for a rotisserie (minus roof and what's left of the body panels on the shell, unless i decide otherwise and go ahead and blast it...) with black diamond media (it's cheap and no silica, Northern Tool has it). My question is, right after i blast it and get all the media out, what should i prime the bare metal with? I was reading up on Por-15 but this should be "paint on rust" and it is said that you will not get a nice topcoat over this (i will be blasting the inside of the cab and roll cage which i will want to be painting the body color). Keep in mind after i blast, and coat/treat, i will be cutting and replacing/welding; and adding in new sheet metal where needs to be. So i guess the real question is: What is a good primer that can be used on bare, untreated metal; will prevent rust; can be sanded off in some areas; welded and recoated without having to coat a whole section; and... can also be used later on to paint a topcoat on. ALSO, it must weather well, the car will be kept outside. I was also looking into PPG dplf epoxy primer, but it says after 7 days i will need to sand it off and recoat (note: it must not be sanded and then painted over, but it must be uniform). I'm a little confused, but i'm trying to be cost efficient and not have to coat the car twice with primer. Any suggestions? Eastwood's Aluminum Bloxide (weldable primer)? Thanks in advance, Steven M.

oh man that's awesome. anyway to save it?

haha, my house/neighborhood is 80% of that! oh well a couple of good things about living in the ghetto. can do whatever the hell you want, work on cars, have misc. crappy cars sitting around on the street (except for one time my old 4runner got towed), have a air compressor/welder/shop in the garage and neighbors dont complain. but you always have those guys that come around at all times of night blasting and bassing their music. although i did have one neighbor complain about my old z, she said i was revving it and making noise. little did she know, i was just trying to get her to keep an idle without dying. it should be a cycle though, back in the day, it was a nice neighborhood, now ghetto, maybe it'll be nice again! one day...

Update: Added daytime pics (see first post). Also added pic with the e30 (customers car) and my bros mini. Plans for this month are to blast to bare metal and prime with aluminum based primer (weldable primer), build a rotisserie, and replace sheet metal. Bought a Miller 175 with tank today just to take on the project, also to do more work and get more money! Hopefully by the end of the year she'll be prepped, then to Fab the subframe, hopefully be able to afford a tig to fab control arms, and to save up for brakes and suspension. The drivetrain, including motor and/or transmission on this part will be something totally new on Z's (as far as documented ones are) but will be a secret until it is in and running. I'll also be updating you guys on the process in their right sections on this forum. Thanks and happy driving! As far as purpose of this car, SCCA Solo 2, Unlimited class bumper to bumper racing (possibly NASA), and maybe drift events for fun and to get recognized (business-wise). Looks like i need to polish up my driving skills, driving a truck for a year+ isn't the best thing to strengthen my techniques! Going to take this day-to-day as money is tight and going to college to be a pharmacist is really killing me. Hopefully be done with everything minus drivetrain in a year.

kia rio is like 6800 brand new and i think they get a 100000 mile warranty as well! you can always buy a civic (early-to-mid 90's). those are pretty reliable and get good gas mileage. if you needed to make payments take a bank loan for the cost of the car which should be around 2000-4500.

oh yeah, she's on the rotisserie for sure. just gotta make or buy one. i've had a shaved head for 6 years so this is long for me . thanks for the comments guys.

the one on the page you referred to says being optimized? any more links? would love to see it.

yeah man, i'm so excited about this one. as for the FG parts... not sure where they are or what source, the buddy of mine that sold it to me had it for 12 years, and those parts are older than that. They are amazingly straight and are not even warped! Sorry couldn't help you out, would have loved too though. this will be a great project for me and my bro. Mike, just message me or whatever and stop on by. Maybe we can have a BBQ at my place when it gets colder. (us houston hybridz'rs).

the big shell thing.

not sure what the chrome rims do for camoflouge? on another note... interesting shift knob...

HybridZed'rs: Well, recieved my calling once again. This time i'm keeping her for good. As for those who don't know me, i bought Jason's 9.90 silver Z, played with it, but then couldn't afford it and couldn't justify it at the age of 18, sold it to Whiteboy. Now i'm 19 and have since missed working on a project and dreaded the day ever since i sold the old one. Let's see... specs on this one... 75/76 280z (no vin plates) nascar style cage done right (roof cut off, cage dropped in, roof back on), fuel cell, race-type steering shaft and removeable steering wheel, ATL Fuel Cell... and the good part... fiberglass everything! 2 hoods (one with vents one without), a pair of front fenders that are flared, 2 pairs of rear fenders one flared, and the other flared alot more (look real awesome), 1 pair sealed headlights, 1 pair of doors (very awesome, very lightweight; see pic of my brother holding it up with his pinky), and one hatch with lexan window (if it is found). as for the plans, not releasing yet as i haven't decided, but i will try to get sponsored. POR-15 please! *note, i'm the one with the long hair which i will be doing all of the rust handling as well as driving, bald guy is my brother and mechanic. Thanks, Steven M. Link for intensive pictures... http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=8456004&uid=3266090&members=1

thanks for the excellent advice everyone! it really helped and the advice will give me more motivation to do better in school. hopefully, in 6 years (pharmacy), i'll have enough time and room for a toy again. thanks, steven m.

Alot more pictures available here: http://www.picturetrail.com/sleeper-z Well, I never got her going 100% and had to let her go. This will be a good bye for now... I'll start a project later on in life. This has been a very good experience for me and I've learned all or most of my car knowledge by tackling this project. Thanks everyone for the help that you've given me. It's just too much for an 18 year old (me) to handle with school and money problems. Thanks everyone, Steven M.

come down south to houston/baytown, they're tons of stock bore 010's.

congrats on the great deal!

forgot to say thanks for the replies guys!