Heavy Duty frame rails and connectors

toolman · December 26, 2019

Just returned from vacation in Tokyo. While travelling the rural area, I manage a get a picture{not a good one though} of a Japanese Snap On Tool Truck.

I think it is only about 12' long box van. Tiny in US standards.

Snap On Tools in Japan sell for double of US prices too.

However, when I returned home. there was a Big Surprise for me. The Greddy S30 Rocket Bunny Full Body kit was waiting for me. The shipping box was about 18" x 24" x 8 foot long thick card board. It was packed very well also. These kits are only manufactured when you order it. It

took 9 months before I received it. But as the pictures show the quality and workmanship was top notch.

The Rocket Bunny Kit consists of one- Front Lower Panel, one Front Bumper, two

Front Fenders, two-Rear Fender Flares, one Rear Spoiler and bag of Miscellaneous Mounting bolts/ Fender Gap Inserts.

I am including detail pic of the individual fiberglass parts so their quality workmanship can be seen.

Front view of parts

Rear View of Parts

Inside of Front Lower Panel( note-the smooth figerglass layout and finishing

sanding of the edges.}

Backside of Front Fender

Inside of Rear Flares

Outside view of Front Lower Panel

Note-very detailed with Turn Signal mounting holes.

Exterior view- smooth and detailed

Inside view 0f Front Bumper

Note- Front Bumper Mounting insert

Top View-Front Bumper

Rear View-Rear Spoiler

Front view-Rear Spoiler

The real test of a good body kit is its fitment. Those cheap Chinese kits usually require a lot of manhours to make them to look decent.

Front bumper and lower front panel

Left front Flare

Right Front flare

Left rear flare(note separate door flare

Side view of Rocket Bunny Body kit

Front view of Rocket Bunny Kit

The Front Flares only require trimming the fender to make it work. The rear flares will require more manhours to fill the gap between the inner and outer quarter panels and the outer flare.

Edited December 28, 2019 by toolman
photo correction, text cprrected

toolman · January 11, 2020

Left Front Fender modifications for Greddy Flares.

After placing Rocket Bunny flare against the fender then mark the area to be removed with a black marker pen.

A Electric shears was used to cut the major removal cuts.

Always cut carefully to prevent "over cutting too much".

A Hand Nibbler was used in the Finishing Cuts.

The Finished Product

Rear Wheel Housing Modifications for the Rear Flares-

Like the Front flare. the Rear Rocket Bunny Flares are mocked against the existing quarter panel.

The Outer edge of the flare is marked

with a Black Marker Pen.

In my case, I had already removed the original wheel opening edge when I constructed metal flares previously, there was a little less

of the quarter panel to remove.

Bottom view of the wheel well(looking upward from the ground)

As the photos show the gap between the quarter panel and wheel housing was only about 3/4". So I could have just squeeze both panels together

and mig welded them together. But I decided to cut an additional 3" higher to give more tire clearance and allow more body drop. Better to do it

now instead of later.

Side view of additional cutout.

But now, the gap between quarter panel and wheel housing increased by about 2 1/2". So fillers had to made to fill these gaps.

Patch being mocked up.

The Sheetmetal Roller was utilized roll the metal to match the wheel housing.

making gap fillers

Overall view of the gap fillers

An Air Punch/Flanger is used to flange the edges of the fillers to make the filler surface smooth and stronger.

Cleco pins and vise grips hold the gap filler plates in place for welding.

The front of the Left wheel well housing needed a patch so a paper template was created.

Note- the bottom of this patch had to be

"rolled over" by making a slit on the bottom then hammer welded the slit closed.

The patch started as a flat piece of 20 gauge sheet metal that heated with a torch to soften it.

Then was hammered with a Shaping Hammer on a Leather Shot Bag to shape the patch.

Additional pounding with a Ball Peen Hammmer.

The Patch fitted into place then tack welded in.

The inside portion of the wheel well patch was covered with Fusor Seam Sealer.

Inside of the wheel housing, EverCoat Epoxy Seam Sealer was applied over all welds and all seams. Polyurethane paint will be spray painted over all of the repaired areas. The inside wheel well areas will also be covered with

Urethane BedLiner for additional protection.

Nelsonian · January 11, 2020

Excellent progress!

toolman · January 13, 2020

Thank you Nelsonian, Here are additional pics of flaring modifications.

After sealing the inner top section of the wheel housing, area was painted with polyurethane paint.

Bottom view of wheel well housing after

painting.

Overall view of rear flaring modifications

Exposed · January 13, 2020

great job! really enjoying this build

toolman · January 25, 2020

Replicating the Left Rear Wheel Housing to the Right Side.

To do this task, will require making a paper template of the newly modified Left Rear Flare opening. A large piece of paper was placed

over the L/R flare opening. The major reference lines to be traced are: #1 The Front Edge of the Rear Quarter Panel. #2 is the Wheel Well

Opening Edge.

The distance between the Top Center of the Wheel Opening to the one of

body holes for mounting the Rear Quarter Glass. The measurement will be the height of the flare opening.

You may have to darken your Guide Edges if their ink is not visible on the opposite side of the template. Remember you have to use the opposite

side the template for the correct orientation. Using the edge guide line and height measurement to align the template on the Right Side.

Make sure to securely tape the top edge of the template to the quarter panel as you don't wanted the pattern moving.

The Orange Lines in this closup show the areas to must be filled in because overcutting from previous flaring. This provides pattern

for the filler panels.

Creating the Rear Filler panel. Note- guide lines help to keep filler aligned.

The Front Filler Panel being created.

Pic of the Inner Wheel housing to Quarter Panel Filler patch Template.

To make this Flare Opening a little easier to weld the quarter panel and wheel housingtogether, 3/16" Steel Rod from Home Depot( $13 for 8Ft)

was used. The rod would weld between quarter panel and wheel housing filler. It prevents burn through especially with .023 sheet metal.

On the Front Side of Quarter Panel (Dog Leg Section), there are some curves in the panel so you must bend the rod to follow the curves.

That task is accomplished by holding one end of rod with vise grips and using a torch to soften the 3/16" rod. Then bending the rod until the

required shape is obtained.

Note-I have used this technique of welding round steel rods around flare opening on many cars. You can use 3/16" to 3/4" steel tubing or even brake lines to outline the tire openings. But solid steel rods don't kink like fuel lines would This method really reinforces the edge and prevents tire damage in case there is contact.

For those of you who are tired of getting burnt by hot sparks while welding in confined areas, I would recommend getting this welding gear.

The Tight Fitting Welding /Grinder Automatic Darkening Hood Gear. Regular Welding Helmets were never made for tight confined areas.

After trying this welding gear at the Sema Show, I ordered one for myself.

The Rear Filler Patch mig welded in place.

Pic of the Front Wheel Housing patch template.

This patch was created using Left and Right Cut Tinsnips. They make cutting curves

easy.

Front patch after hammering and metal shaping.

The area to be filled in. Patch test fitted.

Top Wheel Housing Filler patch

Rear Wheel Housing Patch

Rear Housing Filler patch

The Next Thing to do is spray Raptor Bedliner over the inner wheel housing for extra protection. Then Top Coat it with Single Stage Polyurethane paint.

Edited January 26, 2020 by toolman
add more infor

Richard Oben · January 25, 2020

Nice work on the fender filler panels for flares. In all the threads on flares not one has done as nice a job documenting the process. So thanks very much.

This is going to be a killer car, really good work. R

toolman · February 10, 2020

Richard, Thanks for complement.

The cowl area was masked for seam sealer spraying for added protection.

Sem Products Sprayable Seam Sealer Using Sem Sealer Spray Gun

Central cowl area sprayed

right side of cowl

Left Rear Wheel Housing interior area sprayed.

Seam Sealer was sprayed in between the quarter panel and wheel housing area( the patched area) too.

Note-the 3/16" steel rod between the quarter panel and wheel housing can be seen.

This view shows seam sealer coverage on the inside of the front of the wheel housing.

View of the bottom of the fuel filler area sprayed.

Upper area of the fuel filler area. Note-the back side of the fuel filler compartment was also sprayed.

The Right wheel housing was sprayed with White Raptor Bedliner after Fusion Seam Sealer was applied over all patch seams.

Front view of Right Wheel housing sprayed.

Right rear Wheel housing sprayed.

Pic of my garage work area.

Suspension parts painted with Gloss Black Single Stage Polyurethane Paint on my driveway.

R200 differential was also painted.

Rear Strut housing painted.

Next thing for me to do is replacing bearings and bushings suspension parts and the reassembly begins.

Edited February 10, 2020 by toolman

toolman · February 24, 2020

Rear Suspension Overhaul:

A Threaded Steel Rod with nuts and assorted washers were used to install rear control arm outer bushings.

This method was used because although slow, it has less chance of damaging the

steel metal bushing housing on these control arms.

Ordered ZDepot 50mm extended wheel studs and Muteki extra long wheel lug nuts from EBAY. They maybe necessary to gain proper wheel fitment later.

The old wheels studs were removed by hammering them into the large metal tube.

Hub parts were powdered coated.

Lisle Tools Wheel Stud Installer only requires a 1/2 impact gun and lug socket to install the new wheel studs.

The Hub Outer Bearing was pressed on the hub.

The Outer Hub bearing was then packed with grease. The whole assembly was pressed into the strut housing.

Now, by looking into the inner bearing bore-check the two casting cutouts to determine if the bearing is properly seated. After

which. the bearing cavity and spacer is packed with grease. I used a paint paddle to spread the grease into the cavity.

The Inner Bearing(non sealed one) is packed with grease.

To install this bearing, you can use the old bearing to tap the new one in. Don't worry the old one won't get stuck in.

Keep tapping it until a solid feeling and sound occurs for proper seating.

id

Coat the inside of the seal with grease especially the seal lip. Tap the seal with hammer( can use old bearing also) to about 3/16" below edge.

Then, the flange. washer and locking nut are installed.

A Dial !/2 Torque Wrench was used to torque the Locking Nut. Specifications call for 180 to 250FT LBS. The reason of the range is the Bearing Preload cannot be determined by Foot Pounds alone. So you slowly torque to 180 ft lbs then check turning torque and keep doing this till everything is right. The Hub Shaft nut turning torque is about 4 inch pounds. The shaft endplay is 0 to .0059. You will need a Dial Indicator to do this but not necessary. So you try to achieve all these parameters to get a accurate bearing preload.

1/2 Dial Torque Wrench

A Dial Inch Pound Torque Wrench checking Turning Torque( about 4 inlbs)

A Dial Indicator can be utilized to check for 0 to .0059" End Play

After completing Bearing Preload, I flattened the Locking Nut tab to prevent the Hub Nut from loosening.

Next, the Rear Flares will be attached. The Wheel/Tire Fitment Tool will be installed to check fitment issues.

Edited March 12, 2020 by toolman
text corrections, pic placement, text added

toolman · March 9, 2020

Sorry for the delayed reply. My 87 HONDA TRX350 ATV transmission shifter was jammed in gear. As it required me to split the outer left and right cases, the repair took two days to complete.

It had to be repaired as it occupies the garage opposite of the 240z and there would be no space to work.

This Front Loader Conversion to my Honda ATV was done before I started the 240Z restromod. I scratch built on a 87 HONDA TRX350

ALL WHEEL DRIVE ATV IN about a year ago. It can lift 400lbs in the loader bucket and has a 30 gallon water tank in the rear for ballast. The conversion was made to be Bolt On Accessory and can be removed in about 30 minutes.

Now back to the Z Project.

All Four of the Flares were painted inside and out with Polyurethane Primer.

Had problems removing silicone from the mold release on the flares. Had to use Wax and Grease Remover and HD Water base soap several times to get the silicone off.

Due the Windy conditions, I had to paint the parts in garage so had the cover the 240z with Plastic Sheeting to prevent overspray.

The Plastic Sheeting can be gotten from automotive paint suppliers.

Wheel Fitment Tool

Finally get to use the Wheel Fitment Tool that was made coupe of months ago.

This was the closest size tire that I could find to use-225x 45x 18. The wheel that I will be simulating is Rota RKR 17 x 9 1/2 with 20mm negative offset. As the sample tire is not large enough, it will be used with the majority of the tire will be facing outward to check fitment. As I running lowered coilovers, the inner clearance with strut is not a problem.

First, install the Fitment tool with two lower legs set to 18 " diameter and third leg retracted. Now, adjust the two lower legs tire width adjustors to fit securely.

Now, Adjust the upper third leg to obtain the 18"diameter and adjust the tire width adjusters for a snug fit.

The only wheel that I found that had specifications came close was ROTA RKR 17 x 9.5 with -20MM offset.

I put its specifications on a wooden paint mixing stick.

Remember that this tire is only 18" so the 9 1/2 tire will stick more inward.

This stick show the wheel offset. The "C" line indicates the center line of the Rota wheel.

The inner end of the stick indicates the width of a 274/45 tire.

Front tire clearance shown

Front to rear view

Side View of the Wheel/ Tire Fitment Tool on the car. As the car is on a dolly and there is almost no weight in the car, something had to be done

to set Ride Height. So I removed the upper strut spring section to allow upward movement of the suspension. I set the ride height setting the center of the wheel hub to the lower body line of the car. From most pics of street driven lowered 240z cars, the center of the rear hubs were in line with the body line.

This is not perfect way but I think it is close enough to demonstrate ride height until I can actually load the suspension after the complete swap.

For those of you, that wanted more tire fitment information, I bent a 1/8" wire shaped to match the tire cross section that you wanted to check.

In this case, a 274 x45 tire cross section was created and bolted to one of the wheel legs.

.

You just rotate the simulated tire cross section to check any clearance issues with body and strut.

Check Front Clearance of the flare.

This rear view demonstrates what a 274 tire would look look like.

Remember the 275 tire would extend to the end of the stick or about a inch more inward.

The next thing to do is to put the Tire/Wheel Fitment Tool on the front suspension and see what tire/wheel combination

could work on there.

Edited March 20, 2020 by toolman
text corrections, pic placement, text added,number correction

EF Ian · March 9, 2020

Yet more great work. Nice progress.

toolman · March 24, 2020

I had planned to work on installing the front suspension parts on my Z but I discovered that my supply of Gold powder was almost gone.

So while I waited for the Gold Powder to arrive, I decided to finishing cutting the Right Front fender for the Rocket Bunny Flares. Like the Rear Flares, I made a Template of the already completed Left Front Fender.

Note- I use almost all the fender edges( top, back, front and bottom) to create the

template. The more reference points that you use, the more accurate the template will be.

Side view of template

Put template on the Right fender then

Transfer the trim lines using a Black Marker pen.

A Tin Snips was used to trim the fender. It was used as cutting thin metal like the front fender, vibrates a lot and making it hard to control.

Note- make sure to grind all trimmed edges to prevent future sheet metal cracks.

Next thing to do was to clean all of the Front Suspension parts in preparation for painting or powder coating. The rear stub axles were prepped at the same time to conserve paint materials.

All the parts were first cleaned with cup wire brush on a 4 1/2 electric grinder to remove the heavy grease, dirt and paint. Then a Heavy Grease Removal soap ( was used straight without dilution) was used. First, with the parts cleaning brush then with a air solvent gun shooting the degreaser( now diluted) to get those hard to get to areas.

Blasting away

Stub axles after paining with Black Polyurethane paint. Note- the rubber joint

boots were masked off otherwise the axles would have been disassembled to remover them.

The other suspension parts after Polyurethane Painting.

Before Powder Coating

After Powder coating

A flange bolt powder coated

Front crossmember mounted

Note- new Camber adjusting bolts were installed.

Front to rear view of Front Suspension. Note -The Powder coated parts gives

a nice contrast with Gloss Black suspension parts.

Side view of the Right Side Suspension

It took a lot of cleaning, grinding, painting and powder coating but I think it was worth it.

Next, installing the Wheel/Tire Fitment Tool on the Front Suspension to check it out, is next.

Edited March 24, 2020 by toolman
add text

toolman · April 14, 2020

The Left Rear Flare was mocked on by creating a template of the completed Right Rear Flare.

The Rocket Bunny Front Valance Panel mocked on the car,

.

Pictures of the Greddy Rocket Bunny Front Valance Mounting points.

Note-the original holes were only 3/16".

It was at this point that I decided to add additional mounts from the car frame to fiberglass front valance panel. Otherwise, it would not be

strong enough for even a street vehicle.

The mounting brackets would be constructed with 1/4"solid steel rod and 1/8" steel plate.

Center mount was mounted to the frame extending to center of Valance Panel.

Mig Welding of the side Valance Mounts

The Valance mounts would extend to both L/R sides of the grille and marker lamp areas.

Left and Right Mounts before Powder Coating.

Left Valance Mount powder Coated installed

The Front Flares were mocked on using Cleco Pins.

Inside view of Left Flare

The Grill was disassembled for sand blasting and powder coating.

The Grille consists of 6-Horizonial grille blades, 4-Vertical mounts and 4-3mm x 8" Long Bolts. So I took a lot of pics so I would not

forget where everything went.

As the Grille is about 4 feet wide, it would not fit in my Powder Coating oven. So I constructed 2' x 2' x 4' box out of 3/4" plywood.

It was lined inside with Aluminum Foil to retain the heat.

A 2000watt Infared heat lamp provided the heat.

Powder Coating the Grille parts.

The Grille was powder coated with Flat Black Powder then assembled.

Edited April 20, 2020 by toolman
text added

EF Ian · April 22, 2020

Very Nice, its coming on well.

toolman · May 1, 2020

A Reinforcement was constructed for the Front Rocket Bunny Bumper. It was made of 1" x 1/8" square tubing with 3/16" bumper brackets.

First, a template of the reinforcement was made out of cardboard.

Bumper Brackets were made 3/16" Plate Steel and cut out with a 4 1/2 Angle Grinder.

Pics of both Front Bumper Brackets

Pic of Bumper Reinforcement Bar

Reinforcement Bar mounted.

Attempts to use Insulation Foam to attach the Fiberglass Bumper to the Reinforcement Bar failed. The problem was the difficulty to

get the Foam evenly between the Bumper and Reinforcement. Because the Corona Virus, the solution to this problem will have to wait

until more stores open up.

Unsuccessful for now!

I constructed Four Flat 16 Gauge plates of 16 gauge Sheetmetal to fasten the Front Flares to the Front Valance Panel.

Note: The Plate is folded on the outside edge of the the Plate. This Fold

greatly increases the strengthens the Plate.

A Right Angle Die Grinder and a Tight Fit Drill Attachment were used because of the tight space.

Inside Front Wheel Housing, pic of the Reinforcing Plates "sandwiching" both fiberglass parts together.

Outside View of the "sandwiched" parts

The Roof Rail Gutters were seam sealed with Fastline #FS2SL. It is a self leveling sealer and made for car rain gutters. Working Time is 10 minutes so you got to rush. It can be painted in 30 minutes and fully cures in 2 hours. It flows like water so don't forget to "dam" both ends of the gutter.

The next day, the sealer flowed so much that I had to apply a second coat.

If necessary, you can sand the sealer smooth.

The Front and Rear suspension were removed to prevent the parts from overspray even with masking. The plastic curtains opened up

and work area was cleaned in preparation for car painting.

But, there is a lot of preparation(a whole lot of sanding and masking) before actual car painting.

Edited May 7, 2020 by toolman
duplicate pic, added text, spelling

Marco · May 1, 2020

Hi I’m new to all this and I’m looking for someone to show me where I can purchase some 280zx cv axle adapters to 280z 27 spline thank you !!!

Nelsonian · May 1, 2020

Hey Toolman, nice work with the reinforcing brackets. I have the Rocket bunny front bumper and will most likely end up doing something similar to your setup, but will have to adjust it to fit into the front of the Ztrix "Subtle Z" fiberglass kit. A suggestion of using surfboard blank foam which is more than readily available up country side in Haleiwa. It is very easily sanded and shaped. Great work and look forward to seeing more progress.

toolman · May 18, 2020

Nelsonian, Thanks for the tip. I will post my solution when it happens,

Here is a pic of the Right side Rain Gutter finally primed.

Came out real smooth.

I had constructed a frame to hold the Spray Booth Exhaust Flilters but got rid of it as it took up too much space. So I came up with a much

more simplified method to the filters. I just screwed a dozen clothes pins to the garage door.

Inside view

Simple and but Effective.

Outside view of Exhaust Filters.

Now, Back of Body Work: I utilized Black Primer in a spray can to locate Low Spots in the bodywork.

Only a Light Coat of Black Primer Spray is necessary,

Use Sanding Blocks( short and long) Long one is for large areas (roof and hood). Start sanding in a Diagonal Direction then sand over the cut

in Opposite Diagonal Direction to create a "X" Pattern. Using this method, the low areas will show up as dark spots.

Hood with the Low Spots covered with a thin layer of Body Filler.

To Restore the Body Lines on the Doors, Apply 3/4" Masking Tape with its Lower edge run the new tape top on the Body

Line. When you finish sanding along this edge, you end up with a nice straight body line. The 240z body line have a sharp edge so

you cut the sharpness with the sanding block.

creating a Body Line.

The Cowl Panel sprayed with Low Spot Finder,

Cowl Panel masked to prevent overspray.

Cowl Panel with Low Spots filled.

R/Quarter Panel and Door Sprayed.

Right Fender ready for more sanding.

This fixing low spots and spraying HD primer filler can go on for a couple of times. The 240z thin Sheetmetal (.023") body lends itself

abundance of small dents.

As a lot of you are "stuck at home " during this Pandemic and can't work on your 240Z, here is a solution:

Hot Wheels 71 Datsun 240z Rocket Bunny car.

Hot Wheels has several versions of Datsun 240z -completely stock to Radical Race Cars. Collect them or modify them.

I will modify mine and post my progress.

Edited May 20, 2020 by toolman
PIC PLACEMENT

toolman · June 14, 2020

The Whole car was recoated with the Final Poly Primer then completely block sanded again.

After the Final Sanding, masking of the car was next. As the car had no front windshield, door glass and rear hatch installed, there was nothing

to tape to as in regular masking. So Back Masking was utilized. Back Masking is masking from the rear or from the inside out.

To begin with, 3" Masking Tape was applied around the edges of the Front Windshield Opening(from the inside) so the sticky side of the 3"

tape protruded outward about 1". Two or Three Vertical 3" Back Tape were added to provide support for the Masking Paper.

Add 3"Horizontal stripes of tape on the

Vertical Tapes to make them tight as possible to support the masking paper.

Masking Paper was added from the top edge of the Windshield to the bottom edge of the windshield. Make the masking paper a little larger. Lay the masking paper to the tape on the windshield edges and the vertical tapes. Don't press the tape and masking paper together yet. Using a new razor blade to cut the excess paper allowing for 1/2" of sticky 1" tape exposed.