Vintage-TechZ

Cool....your going with the Cobra hood ? That will be a nice touch. Yeah, I've got to make full CF doors( CF hatch,cowl, fenders,ZG flares,bumpers,on and on.) to go onto the Widebody RB-Z...so I might as well do a production mold while I'm at it ! Vince

Jamie, Are these from Ebay or did you get them through a dealer ? They look real nice. Have you been "bench racing" with your toddler ? lol. What is your waist size ? That would help to get an idea of the squeeze. .................Vinny

Hey Jamie, I'm 6'1" about 225lbs. What are you ? What are you comparing them against ? I really like the looks of those and had considered selling my new Recaros' to go towaeds a set of the Brix. Is the material on them very durable looking ? and finnaly........any pix ! What do you think about CF valve and plug covers for the RB's ? ........................Vinny

Go Greyhound on large box items, as long as your not too lazy to pick it up when they call you ! Most Bus lines drive straight through making it sometimes faster than any other carrier ! I've done a lot with them (1800-231-2222) Always arrived with less box/carton damage than any other. Vinny

My suggestion is to NEVER graft/bond full body kits to a unibody car. Even welding steel to steel for a "smoothy" look can cost you a second ,third or even bi-annual paint job unless the the car never leaves a climate controlled level floor ! In fact, one of my best friends is suffering the fate of this as we speak,and opted to simply sell the car at a loss in order to avoid the expense of redo/repair. And he's admitted to me he feels like a FOOL for not listening to me. The sad fact is it WAS a beautiful Z ! Cracking all to hell now. Go back and re-read my instructions again for the body kit parts FLANGES ! It describes quickly how to eliminate your gaps and have a PRO fit ...EVERYWHERE on your fiberglass parts ! No permanent BONDING other than your choice of hidden fasteners (totally removable/repaintable ). Always sweat the BODYWORK and epoxy primer ! MAke those perfect and the painter will follow ! If he's worth his SALT . But alas......this IS why I do alll of the work on my Z's myself. No guessing about others capability and BS ability. Learning curves burn on both ends...choose. Vinny

I agree that a fresh motor will make a big difference. But Mike, is the throttle plate ACTUALLY sealing /fitting well ? HAs it been EVER so slightly been dicked with in any way ? Or perhaps its been dissasembled and cleaned...out of adjustment. NOT closed or SEATING perfectly ? Did anyone try to port inside the T/body and buzZ a few spots near the plate strike zone ? This will indeed make an effect. I ALWAYS go to the most simple screw-ups/changes of late with subtle changes like these to figure them out . I could be way off and TOO simple minded here (easy for me lol.) So don't be too mad at me for guesstimating ! ......................Vinny

Mag, Where the inner and outer skins/sheetmetal meets is about where the minimum area is to properly trim out . Best to lay your flares against the body in position and tape there temporarily. Then take pencil and trace the outer edge line (marking the holes for the flare too) ....then remove. You'll have a good idea then of where its safe to remove material freehand with my favorite too " the Sawzall" !.Full speed and smooth,one cut too. Then ..either weld the lips completely shut or use Duramix and Epoxy them sealed or abit of both (personal fav./waterproofed and strong) Properly undercoat, mount flares and fatty's and burn some rubber with your renewed enthusiasum !! ...........Getalife,Vince

I've done Chemical dips and sandblast. Sandblasting/Media blasting at the hand of a hired gun has run from 300-500.00$. Renting a big mobile unit and doing it yourself for 2 days and all the extra crap you can STAND to hit costs about 400.00$ including fuel and media (walnut,silica )with rental. That should include Engine bay,fender wells, undercarriage, bolt-on parts including any suspension bits your going to have powdercoated later and of course door jambs, spare tire tub and floorboards (if you've stripped the car down properly....which means "gutted"...or shell ! As in ALL DIY jobs, how good a job is done ,is entirely up to the individual using the Equipment and they'er fammilliarity with it !! I have NO warping when I do it. (NEVER USE SANDBOX SAND) Takes several days of running powerful vacuums and air hoses to get the dust completely out of the crannys ( in actuallity,it NEVER comes clean ) Chem dip is becoming ever more rare due to environmental laws and regs regarding waste disposal fees and penalties to the vendors. About 500.00- 1000.00 $ with the strip and Zinc sealer. But what a nice job those big tanks can do ! Still some clean up left to do. Six of one ....half a dozen of another it seems ! if it's going onto a Rotisery after the stripping/blasting ....prepare for some irritations visiting you for months....or every time it rolls over or upside down ! Got to make em' Ugly before they're Beautiful !! ....................Vinny

Joel, your just being cocky cause' yours is close to firing up.....you,you....jer,ass...er...uh.....Whaaaaaaaa,whaaaa !!(mock crying) lol. OK,ok,,,,I'm jealous as hell. If I wasn't so buried making all you guys Carbon Fiber parts,I'd be head down on the Widebody RB-Z thats sittin' in my shop staring at me like a sex goddess saying " whats the hells wrong with you boy ?" Oh well,at least I've got mine on the works and all the parts on the shelf ! GEEZ ! Sounds pathetic.lol. Hey Cajones240...what part of the midwest are in ? Vinny

Exellent Jamie. ...........And Welcome to the wonderful World of RB-Z's !! You were properly priced and should have no regrets. After you get it installed and on the road, Stony will have to ask you to stop sending him "dude ,this is awesome" emails ! lol. ..............Vinny

Hey Joel and James.....are you making "Upswept" versions ?? If so PM me with the cost.....I'd like to see if I can afford a set ? I can "water-jet" a set of flanges to help the course of things. Your Red covers look cool Joel ! ...............Vince

You want to "mount her V '? huh,wha' ? Michael,tsk.tsk.. Thats actually a little flatter than I'm doing mine in the Widebody RB-Z but close ! ........Vinny

I've got a set Of TENZO-R Rally seats (5-point) in the early 260 and I'm 6' 1" @ 225lbs 34-36" waist. They are perfectly snug for me. The leather wrapped(custom leather upholstery)in the 73' turbo Z are from a (cough) Honda 89-91 and adapted really well and are very comfy ! I've also got two sets I'd sell ( 125.00$ set).SHAMELESS PLUG!sorry ! The Recaro's that are going in the Widebody RB-Z AWD car are the newer style and are definatly in a higher class of construction IE: comfort/distance heated/cooled blah,blah,blah. The Tenzo's were around 450.00$ and the Recaro's were around 2,800.00$ ! I think price should reflect how much seat time you plan on ACTUALLY doing in the ride,and of course that pesky thing called "Budget"."frickin' thang". lol..............Vince

Looks like they did a smooth effort on the port job !??? Have you looked up inside the ports with a pen light to inspect ? Look at the areas that sweep up to the valvestems too. I ALWAYS love it when I have a fresh F54/P90 ported and waiting for Daddy to spank i..er,uh I mean ...ready to rock ! Looks great Mikey, I hope you were able to square up the bill with your machinist ?(the greedy bastard) Now relax and take your time so as to enjoy this new Z birth ( don't be a whining pussy about the deadlines,for crying outloud !) .............................VinnyZ

I bought the 20 gal Sol tank at HRBR FRT., and have actually NEVER (6 years)changed the solvent...only dumped the bottom build-up onto newspaper and then let it dry out thoroughly (few days) and to the trash can it went. The best trick for dirty parts is the solvent in a 5 gallon can that comes with a handle strainer inside ! I bought it at a Auto supply (O'reilly's) out here for 15.00$ or so. just drop your parts in that fit....wait a few days or weeks(whatever the nasty bugger requires) and THEN take it out and scrub and rinse in your sovent station.The worst of the mess slides right off ! That way the really bad Crud doesent go into your bath tank. Just my way,maybe not for everyone.!? I do alot of this before I inspect,store or sandblast. .....................Vince

I don't mean to come across "SMARTY" or anything,but a "paint job" for the guy doing it....is masking the car after only a thorough inspection has been done for final flaws....then spending 5-8 hours doing nothing more than mixing and spraying sealer,base then clear ! That is IF the car is totally dissasemled and bolt on panels/parts are hanging or on saw-horses.(doors,hood,hatch,cowl,fenders,etc.) If done with experiance and providing the bodywork is first rate(by most likely someone else) the" paint job" should be around 450-1200.00$ for materials alone (using good stuff) and the Painter might get 000.00$- 2,200.00$ for his troubleshooting perfection with the materials and HVLP guns. The fella who you choose to do the final wet-sand of the Clear or topcoat and make the paint as slick "above and below" literally like glass or better might charge as much as 250.00$-1000.00$ depending on what the painter and bodyman have left him with. It could take him a day to a week ! The only reason I know this stuff is that I owned/operated my hometowns best known service for this type of work for 23 years. When I sold it some years later I STILL had my very first customer coming in. My point in all this is.....Choose the level at which you KNOW your car is at or going to be...and since 97% of bodyshops rely on Insurance work for their staple income ....don't expect their laborers to have the Mastered pace that a restore requires or to charge you anything but "shop hourly".IF they even agree to do it. Unless your lucky enough to find the "dieing breed" of professionals that can take the project on from the top (unlikely to happen in REALITY) you'll need to do ALL the prepwork of pulling the car down to the bare cabin/chasis yourself,since it would be YOU to put it back together properly anyway. The body work (all rust welding,grinding,sanding,body filler,epoxy primers,etc need to be done by A SEASONED PRO ! Or I guarantee you a less than perfect straight/unwavy product. And by seasoned I do mean well versed in the latest eurothanes and epoxies that ACTUALLY last. Body work is an ART in its self,the rest is aplied knowledge of product. OK ,the rest of you can wake up know if I put you to sleep ! LOL. Daily drivers don't really have to fall in this level/catagory......the real world is too cruel ! ...........Vince

Very nice ! Are you putting this in a Race car,( no glove box ?) ? Does it come with a mounting frame of any kind ? Or are you supposed to strip the old padded dash and adapt the steel shell to it ? .............Vince

Mike,my friend.............take a moment and sit in a decent chair with NO noise in the background,close your eyes and think of when things were great......when you feel yourself begin to relax take a really deep long breath...as big of one as you can,then as slow as you can begin to release the air to the bottom of your lungs. Repeat this for at least 3 times.Every time you START to feel anxious.Just like the signal your bladder says "take a leak NOW!". Now understand that even the hereditary state of health that your family is in can be GREATLY altered by their behavour today and while growing up. "You can only lead a horse to water". But YOU can make the steps occur and make quality in your health/makeup as you go "by choice alone" In most ways we can control our heart rate and stress by breathing,diet ,exercise and sleep/relaxing. Do these things and BE THERE for your family with a cool,even head . Because you'll need too. Let the stress build up ,absorb their stress too and you'll die long before your time.So there are indeed times to have no conscience in saying "Fuckitall" ! So I say take control of your head and heart,it is afterall yours,not anyone elses. Now go and use the truths to straighten up the Bullshit going on with that machine shop Mgr.Confront what you fear and be free ! God puts us through no more than we can actually handle. ........................Vince .................Vince

Man........Somebody is gonna' get a great deal for that RB package ! It doesent get any more plug and play than that ! Believe me folks when I say"If your considering an RB swap...this is the ONE" ! You could be up and running "super strong" in 1 weekend !! NO FURTHER FABBING ! Think about that as they say ...GOING ,GOING, GONE !(hopefully to someone in the HBZ family !) ..............Vince

OMG........thats TERRIBLE ! I had admired that car as sceen wallpaper for a long time being an GT-R enthusiast. Thats what happens when someone is saying "show us what'll do "!! C'mon, don't be chicken". At least he just killed his friends ..instead of other innocents,like the 3 kids who killed my Fiance' (themselves too ) An instant of thrills for a lifetime of loss ! God bless their families. ................Vince

HEY ,hey....now !.........Thats somebody's mom ! And DAMN tough too if those arent "IRON ON" !! lol. hahahaha !,,,Vince 8) 8)[/img]

hey John...ya' know that thing dogs do when they hear a sound that they are not real sure of when they hear it ??( tip head to side and whine ) .......... :?Kind of like what I do when a used car salesman oversells a piece of shit worn out Buick,but it WAS a GOOD effort ! lol. Anyway....thats what I'm thinking .......lol. ...............Vince 8)

CRAP ! .....I'd love to put a Vintage-Tech Z Cf dash in there ,just NO WAY I can push this many jobs aside (your panel too !)and set-up up for dash's right now, I certainly hope you understand ? I'll be just coming offf the CF Tail Panel run after your deadline ! Can I see some pix anyway ?? hehe. Sounds like a beauty ! ...............Vince 8)

Mike I wish I wasn't so burried with the Carbon Fiber Tail Panels or I'd set you up with thE CF dash. Perhaps PDK can pull one off for you ?? You'll just have to work out the mounting points somehow with theirs. Still do-able with your skills ! Are you putting it in a Track car or a Combo/Crossbreed Z ? You could always get a Flabbyglass one and sell it later when one of us gets our CF dash runs going ? (just mumbling) ....................Vince 8)