Bartman

Sounds like a great deal. I'd be all over it if it would fit under my stock rear fenders. Good luck.

Pulling front fenders off and putting them back on a Z is pretty easy. I see a little bit of rust there, but if it's just surface rust I would think you could pull the fender and pound most of that dent out with a hammer and dolly. If you're not comfortable with fixing it, or the rust is too much, you can always replace it. The only problem is finding a good one to put in its place.

It looks like a good plan, and the work you've already done on the center console looks great. One question, based on your drawing isn't the speedo and tach going to take away alot of the drivers vision out the windshield...they seem kinda high. Either way, keep up the good work and keep us posted.

I have four passenger side fenders for my car...and I don't want to use any of them. I have a pair of brand new fenders that I bought over a year ago, and after a bunch of work...I still can't get them to fit right. The one from my parts cars works great, but it has too much rust on it. The one that came on the car has damage, and the one I have installed now is a little bit too short for some reason. Does anyone in the SoCal area have a good passenger fender or know where I can find one? Maybe someone has seen a Z with a good fender at a salvage yard recently?

Looks good Guy! I was thinking of doing exactly the same thing with a rear spoiler on my car (and using one that looks like yours). Do you have any tips or suggestions for anyone attempting this and do you think there's going to be any problems with cracking in the future?

A shot of my engine made it into that video as well.

You can get 225/45-17 tires for less than $80. Here's a link to 5 pages of tires from $79 up to $185 a piece (if the link works) http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/searchTiresBySize.do?sw=false&cs=225&ar=45&rd=17 The more expensive tires are generally going to have higher speed ratings and softer compounds..which translates to better performance but they won't last as long. If you want the most bang for your buck, you can go with an H speed rating.

As Mike stated, you need to think about the specific purpose of your car and use the search function. If you dont know about JTR, go here: http://www.jagsthatrun.com/Pages/Parts_DATZX_MountingInstructions.html

I think it looks great, and it will look better with headlights installed. Are you putting lights in the other openings as well? P.S. - What's all that white stuff?

No problem Warren, I was under the same misonception when I bought the Optima in the first place. I'm still at a loss an the best way to move forward. On my installation I don't have room for a battery to be installed anywhere else than in the passenger compartment. My PC680 Odyssey was mounted behind the passenger seat without any kind of ventilation. The problem was that it didn't have enough cranking power when needed. I thought an Optima would give me the extra power I was looking for, but it takes up a little too much room behind the passenger seat, and it would take even more if I need to put it in a vented container (not to mention cost). The PC925 Odyssey provides addtional cranking power, and could still possible fit behind the passenger seat...especially if I don't have to install it in a vented container. Does anyone have any experience with this battery? Here's some spec's: 925 cranking amps for 5 seconds 870 cranking amps for 10 seconds 765 cranking amps for 20 seconds Short circuit current over 2400A 28 amp hours 50 minute reserve capacity with 25amp load

I realize the Optima can be mounted in any position, but it still needs to be vented when installed in the passenger compartment. I called Optima to ask them about this, and they recommend to vent it because it will give off gas if it is overcharged. I think that getting an NHRA approved vented container that can be used in the passenger compartment is around $100 or more. As I understand it, the Odyssey is a true dry cell and does not require any venting.

So I don't have any room to mount the battery anywhere but in the passenger compartment. When I bought it I thought it could mount like my Odyssey did without needing to be vented. Now I'm thinking of getting a bigger Odyssey (PC 925MJT) and getting rid of the Optima.

I would be really concerned with why the frame rail could distort with less than 18 ft-lbs of turning pressure exerted on a bolt going through it. Shouldn't a stock frame rail be more than capable of handling that type of pressure? How much rust is on the car? Could the frame rails be rusting from the inside out?

I decided to switch to an Optima from my Odyssey battery for better starting. The Odyssey mounted nicely behind the passenger seat, but if the engine didn't start right away it didn't have enough power to keep cranking. At first I thought I would just put the battery in the same spot as the Odyssey, but it's a little too big and the passenger seat has to sit farther forward then I would like. Then there's the issue of venting that is discussed in this thread. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=88259 My Odyssey was not vented, but it appears that I should vent my Optima. So I have a battery box that I bought a while back but never used, or I could try and build something that would fit under the car. Is any part of the tool bin structural? I'm thinking it is. It might be neat to somehow enlarge the tool bin behind the passenger seat so that the battery would fit in it (extend it rearward if possible). Then if I ever need access I could just open the tool bin lid. My LS1 tank pretty much takes up all the room behind the rear wheels (including the old spare tire location). Any ideas?

The lights ran me around 2 bucks each and they are the 4 led bulbs. I think a single led wouldn't give you enough light, and the one's with more led's would be difficult to mount.

I've got serious garage envy, but here's my little sanctuary. Since this picture, I've added added the missing concrete and it's full of cr@p. It's not much, but it works good for me. If I get too hot, I've got a rock pool with a grotto, rock slide and jacuzzi on the other side of the yard. Here's a pic of me about to take a refreshing dip by diving off my roof.

It appears that the hinge goes down farther then it normally likes to sit. I readjusted the hinge so that everything lines up properly with the hinge sitting in it's normal riding position. Raising and lowering the hood as well as driving the hood stays lined up. You could push down on the hood around the hinge area and have the hood too low, but it will eventually come back up to it's normal position. I don't know exactly why the hinge works the way it does, but I would imagine it has something to do with the hinge on the other side. When the hinge on the drivers side is pushed all the way down it is probably a little lower than the hinge on the passenger side. With the hood installed the rigidity of the hood will probably even out the position of the hinges. Well, at least it's a theory.

I slotted the holes for for and aft adjustment similar to the stock hood. I've been playing around with it, and it still looks like the movement is in the hinge assembly itself.

Here's a couple of pic's to show what I'm talking about. The first picture is of the hood pushed down. The gap looks pretty good (there's a small dent in the fender just behind the headlight bucket and next to the hood, so the fender is a little low there). The second picture is after driving for a while, you can see a considerable gap now. It goes away if I push the hood down.

Sure, I'll get some picture later today or tomorrow. Thanks.

I actually think it looks great the way that it is, but it's your car so you you need to make it look the way you want it to. You have a pretty blended in smooth look going already so maybe it could use an MSA type 3 skirt design for the top and then just keep it straight on the bottom (instead of kicking out).