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HybridZ

Dans '71 240Z


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Well I've been lurking here for a long time. Everything seems to move so quickly so I have been scared off from posting as it's a slow build but I'm now at a point that I can show you all what I've been upto...

 

I'll copy post this from another site...

 

So, after searching long and hard I finally found the perfect Datsun to replace my 380hp Golf GTi with......

The day she arrived:

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And stripping her out ready for lots of new metal (LOTS!)

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After one day:
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Next job was to take the dash out:
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Some really bad rot on the front 'air tubes' as they are known. Fortunately they are not structural and its not too bad a fix when you know a good panel beater.

The engine is now out, just need to drop the gearbox subframe bolts and disconnect the propshaft to pull that lot out. Then I need to remove the diff to see whats in it.

Welding should hopefully commence next week!

 

Some pictures!

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Floor pans are all here to be welded in, will need to weld some of the front bulkhead up also, due to where the battery is orignally located I guess some acid leaked and corroded it, fortunately a flat plate... unlike this one I need to fab up:

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Both front upper legs are pretty bad - you can buy them but I think they are salvageable! They arn't structural, they are known as the air tubes as this is where the cool air from the front of the car is fed into for the so called air-con on the original Z! Still has the little flapper things also!

And a rear inside shot:

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Started work on the passenger side - floor pan and front bulk head out - got some strength in that before the sill was cut out so the car didn't fall in half [:$] Waiting for that sill to come from America - I do have the other side...in hindsight I should have started on that one....but I was a bit eager!

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When doing the lower bulkhead I noticed some patches coming through where the battery tray would originally have been...not needing a battery tray in the front anymore decided it would be best cut it out...

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Then started work on the front passenger chassis rail and front sill area- its pretty rotten but the main structure is still there so no need to replace the whole leg - if I had a jig already made it might be worth it...

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The worst bit:

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Will finish off the passenger side next week and start work on the drivers - the passenger sill will hopefully be here early next week...

Drivers to be done:

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My new light weight doors came and the complete front wings will be here next week aswell so I can line the sills up properly...

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They weigh LITERALLY nothing....just need some poly carb windows making up! Can leave that till last though...

 
And after that...

Both sills are now on, floor pans in, some work to do on the drivers front floor pan/bulkhead and trans tunnel...

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Fiberglass wings and doors lined up roughly, passenger wing needs some work as its too far 'in' towards the door..

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Next job is the rest of the frontal floor pan area and the start on the front chassis rails and airtubes I guess...waiting for the inner rear arches to arrive fro mthe states... Nearly 300 quid for 2 half inner arches!

 

OK, ordered a radiator to make brackets up too and had a trial fit...

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New inner panels fabbed up and spot welded in place to look orginal.

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Upper leg fabbed up and welded in to get rid of all the rotten parts

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This was the start of today 15/10/2011 - had a heavy night the previous night so not feeling the greatest!

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Jake as usual doing all the hard work ;)

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Just getting is all down to bare metal ready for primer.

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Primer finally hitting the bodywork - yes there is more welding up front to be done but I wanted to get it in primer to stop the clean metal getting rusty.

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And thats it for a bit. Going to line up an engine and box to see if everything fits ok with the trans tunnel how it currently is next.

Then will continue welding the rest of the car up and make it again into a rolling shell to dissappear for a month to have the cage fitted. I'd love to start getting bits powder coated but with all the work that needs to be done it would need doing again after.

 

Had a look at fitting a spare block and gearbox however I decided against it - the 5 speed chosen here probably wont be man enough to take the power I intend to run so im going to wait for the one I want.

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Brakes are partly done now for the front - just got to make up a bracket to fit the caliper to the hub:

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The brakes are complete - not on the car yet as I need to order the coilovers and order all the parts to make the R200 diff fit in the rear of the car which is very costly - £2500 easily...Not including the quaiffe and T56 transmission.

The welding is getting there now. Hopefully within the next 8 weeks the car can dissappear to have the cage welded in.

Just needs the roof welding and some more of the rear end now and the shell is complete.

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Both rear quaters have now been welded in with the new inner arches...shame that most of them will need to be cut back off when putting the rally arches back on but it needed some metal there rather than filler to put them on too...

All the rear tail light panel had to be cut out and replaced which is all done - just not taken any pictures...I didn't realise how bad it was. Should have taken some pictures of it before hand...so many panels have had to be made...but it will be worth it im sure.....

 
And there will hopefully be some more pictures after this weekend! (07.01/12)

 

 

Some updates from today...

Boot floor made and put in...plus the new side parts fabbed up and welded in. Can get some paint under her now. Just rear shock towers and roof to finish the shell...then on to the cage.

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Worked out that when the cage goes in the rear storage compartments will be in the way...so out they come (Pre '71 Z's didn't have them anyway!):

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One side of the door sill fabbed up and fitted...the bottom of the roof was barely attached to the rest of the body.

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Underneath painted to protect it...lots of the paint will be coming off again when the plates are welded in for the cage but didn't want it all left bare:

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Layed it back again and messed around while cleaning all the crap out of the garage...put some SE37k's under it for a laugh...

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Ignore my friend he's mentally retarded.

 

Been getting it back to the metal today and yesterday to put on some seal sealant and undercoat on to protect it before the cage etc...

Unfortunately I forgot to take any decent pictures of how I finished today - pretty much all done on the outside...some inner work to be done at some point this week. My friend came over with his camera and took a few pictures!

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Had a trial fit of the extra wide ZG flares that will be going on...

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Pretty wide!

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Getting the roof back to the metal!

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Pedo bear?

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And a sneaky shot of another car that is waiting to be restored...

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And an updated from last friday...I want to get some of the inside painted too. The roof should be finished this week and I can get it strapped to the trailer to disappear to Warwick for a month or so...

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Some updates, I'll let the pictures do the talking. Haven't really done much - had a bit of a break from it but back on it full speed now (as far as funds will allow anyway)...

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And the block dummy fitted with gearbox and HEI (probably wont use a HEI distributor but I wanted to make sure the engine was far enough forward for me to use one should I ever..)

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Managed to get the camber plates welded in (Thanks Johny for the these). This weekend I'm going to try and bolt all the old running gear back on so its a workable rolling shell to go off for the cage. Also need to fit the seats in the correct points for the plates to be welded underneath and the cage to be fitted around them.

Quick picture!

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Once the cage is in I can really motor on with the build which will be mega exciting!

 

Some updates at last...well not much of one but Frank finally got the materials and space and we took the car to his workshop today...

Notice the Chevy in the background [;)]

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Some of his projects...

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Updates! Cage is almost done. Few more bits to add and she can come home.
 
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NOW going to skip a load of the build... If you want to read head on over to uk-mkivs.net

 

Managed to get the car on wheels at last and roll it outside to give the workshop a clean out...

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Moved it back in...waiting for the engine and gearbox to be placed in now and mounts made up...

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Reluctantly then started to take the engine out of the Camaro - was an absolute blast to drive around for a month in. Honestly - these do handle pretty well in standard form considering its 14 years old! Thanks to the besties for helping out this day... Impossible job to be done on its own. You literally have to take the engine and gearbox out with the cradle whilst the car is in the air - the cars are built around the engine...stupid design and poor engineering..

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Then it was time to start on the wiring loom. Lots I didnt need with my conversion so pulled the whole lot apart and cut out all the bits I didn't need....quite a lot of wiring can be thrown away...

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Once I had cut it out I could drape it around the engine to get it roughly how I wanted...

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To be able to start and run the engine I needed to disable VATS (known to us english folk as the immobiliser system). This is a bit of a trick really, you can either buy a $700 program to do it or a small black box that does the trick...fortunately for me someone had already bought one of those box's in american and decided to strip it down... so I nipped to Maplins...bought all the parts and made my own...

I could then...start the engine [;)]

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All my parts ordered yesterday (gearbox/flywheel/fuel pump/mastercylinder etc) but the clutch was on backorder so got to wait a wee bit longer for that...Hopefully will have everything but that next Tuesday... so can get mocking up in the car.
 

Edited by IbanezDan51
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The reason for keeping it was its an original RHD shell which are hard to come by now.

 

Rhd has meant it's nearly impossible to get headers in though as the steering shaft and starter motor are tight!! Ill get some picture of my mounts up in the next few days and the headers when they are finished.

Cheers

Dan

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  • 3 months later...

So the car is up and running.

 

Brake lines just being made now - waiting for my rear calliper adapters which is taking an age...

 

All electrics working now except I need to wire in the reverse lock out (not sure which route I will go down yet - I would wire it in to the PCM but the PCM is for an auto car so think it needs reprogramming first?) and the reverse lights.

 

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Dan

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