spitsnaugle Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 (edited) Just received a set of "240z ZG flares" from an ebay seller: "specialcarbonfiber" They have a perfectly flat mounting surface and dont match the width of opening of the fender towards the bottom, is this correct? I thought these were molded with the bodyline and a close-to-oem curve? Have I just been hoodwinked into a set of universal ZG flares? I can take photos after work if need be. Thanks- Joel Edited November 4, 2011 by spitsnaugle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z-ya Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 They should conform to the shape of the body. From the listing: ATT: REQUIERE CUTTING ***AND USUALLY TAKES NO MORE THAN 20 MINUTES FOR INSTALLATION. Huh? How they can require cutting and be installed in 20 minutes. I'd ask the seller. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spitsnaugle Posted November 4, 2011 Author Share Posted November 4, 2011 They should conform to the shape of the body. From the listing: ATT: REQUIERE CUTTING ***AND USUALLY TAKES NO MORE THAN 20 MINUTES FOR INSTALLATION. Huh? How they can require cutting and be installed in 20 minutes. I'd ask the seller. I saw that, I figured there was a tad bit of trimming involved as some people have noted about the MSA flares. I should note I already sent a message to the seller and have been waiting on a reply from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z-ya Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 I don't how you could trim them without messing up the mounting holes. Are they flexible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamH Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 You should be able to bend them into the proper shape. This is required for MSA flares as well. ZG flares DO NOT follow the shape of the original fenders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamH Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Also, after looking at this again, the 20 minutes thing is pretty funny. I think I spent 3 or 4 hours measuring the flares on my car PRIOR to cutting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS30-H Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 ZG flares DO NOT follow the shape of the original fenders. Genuine Factory HS30-H model Fairlady 240ZG overfenders DO. Tenth generation copies of copies probably do not...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RB26powered74zcar Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Genuine Factory HS30-H model Fairlady 240ZG overfenders DO. Tenth generation copies of copies probably do not...... I have a pair bought new on my car, and they in fact do fit like a glove.... You can just set them up against the body, and see no daylight between. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS30-H Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 I have a pair bought new on my car, and they in fact do fit like a glove.... You can just set them up against the body, and see no daylight between. Which ones are you talking about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RB26powered74zcar Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 I'm just referring to the great fit of my ZG's. They are regular size ZG's that came from Nissan. I'd have to remove them to get the part number off them. Each flare has a Nissan factory part # tag embedded in the gel coat underneath the bottom side. I do not know the proper name for them, just that they are Nissan ZG's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS30-H Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 I do not know the proper name for them, just that they are Nissan ZG's. So we agree that the factory items fit well. The point I was making was that there's factory, and then there's everything else. Non factory stuff ranges from excellent ( EG Marugen Shokai's deluxe items - which are at least as good as factory ) through to total garbage ( no names, no pack drill ) with a wide spectrum in between. Items like those bought by the OP would be more correctly named "ZG style". In many cases they are absolutely nothing like the genuine item. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RB26powered74zcar Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 So we agree that the factory items fit well. The point I was making was that there's factory, and then there's everything else. Non factory stuff ranges from excellent ( EG Marugen Shokai's deluxe items - which are at least as good as factory ) through to total garbage ( no names, no pack drill ) with a wide spectrum in between. Items like those bought by the OP would be more correctly named "ZG style". In many cases they are absolutely nothing like the genuine item. I'm sorry. Yes! That is what I was trying to agree to / back up what you said. I went through exactly the same thing before when I bought a set of CF ZG's from Motorsport Auto. They fit so badly, I returned them, then luckily found the set I now have. You are right on about the "ZG Style" bit.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spitsnaugle Posted November 6, 2011 Author Share Posted November 6, 2011 So we agree that the factory items fit well. The point I was making was that there's factory, and then there's everything else. Non factory stuff ranges from excellent ( EG Marugen Shokai's deluxe items - which are at least as good as factory ) through to total garbage ( no names, no pack drill ) with a wide spectrum in between. Items like those bought by the OP would be more correctly named "ZG style". In many cases they are absolutely nothing like the genuine item. It appears that way. These things dont fit the length of the fender opening, they're all identical widths (i though there were front and rears?), and they're perfectly flat. Needless to say these are going back. I've already put them back in the box. So, rumor has Les makes better quality? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meph Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 I got a set of ZG's from Bangkok, they wernt a perfect fit but they bent to the correct shape after bolting them down. They were something like $100, 2 years later they are still holding up fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spitsnaugle Posted November 6, 2011 Author Share Posted November 6, 2011 I got a set of ZG's from Bangkok, they wernt a perfect fit but they bent to the correct shape after bolting them down. They were something like $100, 2 years later they are still holding up fine. Would this be from the yahoo japan auctions or how do you find this? I'm interested in some better quality flares as long as the price isnt outrageous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamH Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 There is no way you can mount ZG's with no gap in the front! There's a crease in the body line on the fender, and there is definitely no crease on any ZG flare! There ends up being a tiny gap on either side of the crease. On my car, I bolted on a thing strip of rubber on underneath the flares and they seal fine with no gap. MSA ZG's and other knock offs have to be bent to properly follow the line of the fender, it's not that big of a deal and they hold up to it fine. Fiberglass can be bent pretty far without breaking. My flares have been on my car for about three years and I have no issues with them cracking or anything. You guys also may be right about some genuine Nissan ZG's from the early 70's fitting fine, but this is 2011, and I think you'll be hard-pressed to find some NOS flares. Anything at a reasonable price range is going to be a knock off, and they are fine to use! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS30-H Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 There is no way you can mount ZG's with no gap in the front! There's a crease in the body line on the fender, and there is definitely no crease on any ZG flare! The factory items fit just fine. And that's why I'm saying that people should be careful about what they are attaching the "ZG" name to. Clearly there's factory, there's equivalent to factory ( EG Marugen Shokai's best ) and then there's - well, everything else on a case-by-case basis. Non-factory should not be called "ZG", as it implies factory. The words 'replica' ( itself implying a required degree of accuracy ) or 'copy' should be used. On my car, I bolted on a thing strip of rubber on underneath the flares and they seal fine with no gap. Factory HS30-H model Fairlady 240ZG cars didn't use any kind of sealing strip or welting between the overfender and the car's body, and Nissan never recommended the use of such a seal either. There should be no need for it. You guys also may be right about some genuine Nissan ZG's from the early 70's fitting fine, but this is 2011, and I think you'll be hard-pressed to find some NOS flares. Anything at a reasonable price range is going to be a knock off, and they are fine to use! Nevertheless excellent quality, accurate, properly fitting replicas of the factory items are available. I suspect the problem here is something to do with your idea of "reasonable price range" differing from mine. If I pay peanuts I expect to get monkeys. Don't know how much the OP paid, but I suspect it was the market value for ill-fitting, inaccurate copies of inaccurate copies produced to cash in on a current fad... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 I bought a pair of ZG flares from Japan that fit like a glove when we got them in... There was minimal "bending" required, and the flares indeed did contour to the lines of the fender. I have no clue why the seller in the OP's link would sell a product that would require that amount of trim/fab work. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spitsnaugle Posted November 6, 2011 Author Share Posted November 6, 2011 Don't know how much the OP paid, but I suspect it was the market value for ill-fitting, inaccurate copies of inaccurate copies produced to cash in on a current fad... Paid 160. Cheap, didnt expect the best, but didnt expect this bad. Perhaps I am just cheap, but I'd be willing to pay 200-250 for a fitting set. So, if so many of you guys have NOS/OEM ZG flares, why not make a mold off of them and sell it for some good cash? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mal_tiempo Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 ^Or just tell us where/how they got them, whether it be through connections in Japan or some other way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.