Dan Juday

That's to make sure all the motor rumble makes it to the drivers seat. Nice build BTW.

Makes sence. Stick your ear down there.

Good catch! I'm not a Vett-a-phile. Are those the super rare ones that some companies are making knock-offs of?

I know the feeling Alex. Mine has been sitting under the cover in the garage so long I was seriously wondering if I would ever get back to it. Then this wonderful Memorial Day weekend came and I found myself with absoluely nothing to do. We can celebrate together actually working on our Z's again!

Brandens pictures are turned 90* guys. It's not a differance in vertical clearance that is the issue. Branden, do a little searching. It was quite a while back but there was a thread about how the front wheels have a built-in fore-aft stagger. This is based on my falty memory, but I believe this is a standard practice in car design. It has something to do with solving tracking issues by placing one of the front wheels slightly farther forward than the other.

Whether you go SAE or metric is not that important. The differance is negligible. What is important, as you seen to indicate that you already know,is that the shank be unthreaded where the flange and yoke meet. If you need to get a slightly longer bolt and cut it off, as kj280z did, that's fine. If you have a driveline shop nearby they should also be a good source for these bolts.

You can go all the way to about 1/4" below the top crease line on the fender. I'd leave about an inch of metal below that though so you can make a flange to attach the fender to, either bonding or dzus fittings. If you're not going to install fender liners you might just want to flange the whole opening and go bigger, like two inches or so. Without liners small rocks that get kicked up onto the backside of the fiberglass will leave star chips in the paint on the top side. But either way you should have your over-fenders and test fit before you start cutting. JMHO.

It would be nice if there was an alternative to the big bulky rubber. I bet a crafty professional windshield installer could find a way to mount the glass using modern materials to get a more flush install like on new cars. Any pro glass guys out here in hybrid land?

That's because every tire and wheel combination has different clearance requirements. Even the same tire size can vary from manufacturer. And when you talk about those tire widths there is very little clearance left in the wells. You need to pick out the spectific tires and wheels you want and then do some very carefull measurements on your own car with the suspension parts and ride height you run, and consider tire and bushing flex. Tire to body clearance is way too complicated on these old modified cars to just give pat answers.

You can do what some of the Europians have done and paint it on the nose. Just kidding, that won't pass the local LEO's anyway. Don't put a plate on it. I haven't run a front plate on any of my cars for 30 years now. I keep it in the trunk or under a seat. I've been stopped twice in all those years for no front plate. I show the cop the plate and tell him I'm waiting for the mounting bracket to arrive in the mail. "O.k., get it taken care of ASAP." I've never been cited. And I live in California, the land of aggressive auto regulation enforcement.

Compared to the lump of clay 350Z? Now I'm the offender! Tony, I don't see the Z31 in the Saturn. Maybe the Z32 headlights. but not the Z31. As far as the "Dust Buster" theme, I think you have to go back to the TR7. "The shape of things to come." How true was that marketing slogan?

Doing a plate recess would be easy compared to what you have already done. I've always thought the VR/GTO has too flat of a rear surface. A little depth adds more character. If I wasn't so freakin' busy right now I would suggest we get together and talk about it over a cool drink. My gas tank came out of a Suzuki Samuri, first generation that we got here in the states. Keep in mind that it only holds about 10 or 11 gallons.

Those taillights look really sweet Wes. Nice work. And from every picture angle they look perfectly aligned! See, it pays to measure twice, or three times, or seven... I see pencil marks where the license plate goes. Are you thinking of doing a recess for it? DO IT! You know you want too.

I don't want to steer anyone wrong. It was several years ago when I had mine made and my info may be out of date. I brought the shop (Drive-line Service of Concord, CA)my JTR adapter and they smiled and told me it was an off the shelf part (might have been at that time and now no longer). Sure enough, he went in the back and came back with an exact match. They also told me that they made drive shafts for Scarab back in the day, so maybe it was an of the shelf item for them only. Either way, just want to make sure I'm not causing more confusion while I'm trying to help.

Come on, look at that nose. It's a straight rip-off http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1965-AUSTIN-MINI-MIDAS-/250798544602?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item3a64c216da

If you're going to use a driveline shop to section/phase/balance the driveshaft they should have everything you need, the adapter too.

I think it follows the current Japanese theme of car design more closely than any Italian themes. More Mazda than Maranello. Not a fan personally. Lets not forget the Jensen (not Healy) GT (wagon/shooting brake) of the seventies. That was a good looking car. It technically had a back seat. But with the front seats slid all the way forward the rear passengers had about four inchs of leg room. http://www.justacargeek.com/2009/10/1976-jensen-gt-jensens-last-gasp.html

These are Reaction Research parts. Weighted with calibrated scales accurate within 1/4 oz. Parts as delivered before any fitting or trimming. Fenders will lose a couple of ounces when the holes for the headlights are cut out and the edges are trimmed for exact fitting. SubtleZ front fender 9 lbs. 8 oz. Stock replacement fiberglass headlight buckets 1 lb. 5 oz. "filled" style fiberglass headlight bucket 1 lb. 6 oz. I also confirmed the weight of the steel headlight bucket at 2 lbs. 8 oz. So you can take 10 lbs. off the front of your Z with just fenders and headlight buckets. Or just stop eating so many burgers.

Oh if that would solve Alex's problems. Alex has been griping about his neighbors here for as long as I can remember. And he has moved a few times since. This is a recurring theme. Remember guys, we've only hearing one side of the story. (All in good humor ribbing. Still, Alex, just so you know, there are no places available for rent in Rio)

Absolutely second that. Punch/knock-out tool works great on curved metal. I've used them on formed metal on my Z for holes through the radiator core support. Nice clean hole. A bit will often times grab or jump on a curved surface because one side of the outer edge hits the surface before the other does. After doing it a few times now, a knock-out tool is the only way I would approach putting a big hole in thin metal. Hole saws are good if you want to "texture" the surface of the metal... and your flesh.

Not my cup of tea on a styling level. I believe they also made a S130 version. I'm curious about how moving the front axle that far forward affects handleing. The Z is already close to a 50/50 weight distribution stock. This would transfer a lot weight to the rear wheels. I'm guessing they just moved the stock suspension forward but maybe they transplaned a different suspension in there. Looking at the fenders I don't think they could fit the struts in there. Anybody know?

Can't talk, big secret. Come help and you will part of the small crowd in-the-know.

Looking good Wes! Keep changeing your mind, it makes me feel better. I've got to get you over and help me with a little glass project.

I don't have the SubtleZ rears but Johns YZ's on the back and SubtleZ fronts. John’s quality is very good and he is a professional when it comes to customer service. If this is a race car I'd suggest mounting them with DZUS fasteners. It makes installing them (and removing them for better tire and suspension access) a lot easier. If you want a seamless look you can bond them. The shop I used years ago used a 3M adhesive formulated for fiberglass to steel and I've had no cracking or separation, but I don't race the car. John uses a modified (improved) recipe for his resin now then when mine were made. They will give you about 2" more tire width room. If you just need a little more room and you don't want "the big flare look" I would think they would be perfect for you. If this is a race car then add the convenience of the DZUS fasteners and it seems to me like a no-brainer. I can't imagine you would be disappointed.

Short bed or long?