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HybridZ

1978 Datsun 280Z RB25 Restomod


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On 12/30/2018 at 3:57 PM, Jethoncho said:

Is anyone else going crazy with S30 vendors?  Retro-Spec Carbon is driving me crazy, my parts were suppose to ship 12/21 (after over 4 month of waiting)...they didn’t, Techno Toys Tuning orderedrear end swap kit, shipped me incorrect axles and CV boots (after 2 months still waiting for correct axles).  Apex Engineering, promised two weeks on their cross-member with RB mounts after 4.5 weeks still waiting...

 

These guys are niche companies so I guess they can get away with these kind of shenanigans.   Seems to me they would quickly go out of business if there was greater competition.

 

I hear ya man.  I have dealt extensively with all three of these companies over the past year or so, and I have had at least moderate issues with each one of them.  Not just them....but other Z suppliers as well.  Misquotes for delivery, quality problems, you name it.  I think it's like you say....niche companies with little or no competition.

 

I am currently waiting on parts from Carbon Signal (Dubai) and Restored.jp.  I was QUOTED several months for these parts, so needless to say I am a bit apprehensive as to when they might arrive.

 

In contrast, I have recently been fitting out my LS3 for the car, which has meant dealing with Summit Racing.  What a breath of fresh air.  I get 90% of the stuff I order from them next day with ground shipping, returns are quick and painless, and nearly everything is in stock and ready to ship.  Probably not a fair comparison though....Summit being a giant, state of the art retailer.

 

Your build is looking great BTW.

 

 

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2 hours ago, Ironhead said:

 

I hear ya man.  I have dealt extensively with all three of these companies over the past year or so, and I have had at least moderate issues with each one of them.  Not just them....but other Z suppliers as well.  Misquotes for delivery, quality problems, you name it.  I think it's like you say....niche companies with little or no competition.

 

I am currently waiting on parts from Carbon Signal (Dubai) and Restored.jp.  I was QUOTED several months for these parts, so needless to say I am a bit apprehensive as to when they might arrive.

 

In contrast, I have recently been fitting out my LS3 for the car, which has meant dealing with Summit Racing.  What a breath of fresh air.  I get 90% of the stuff I order from them next day with ground shipping, returns are quick and painless, and nearly everything is in stock and ready to ship.  Probably not a fair comparison though....Summit being a giant, state of the art retailer.

 

Your build is looking great BTW.

 

 

Thanks for responding to my vent session...I appreciate your feedback!

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Today’s project was to fabricate a new windage tray for my modified oil pan.  The oil pan is now complete except for leak check of all my welds.  I ordered an extra pan gasket today, once that arrives I’ll bolt the pan down to the aluminum slab that I have then pressurize it through the drain hole and soap check the welds...once that’s complete I can finally close the lower end on my engine.

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1 hour ago, Jboogsthethug said:

Man I'm happy to finally see some pics of someone actually going through this process, thanks for the great documentation! It all looks great! Are you going to swap the fins on the shallow pan to be the opposite direction? Or did you already do that?

The windage tray I attached to the previous post from yesterday is a completely new fabricated part.  The louvers are reversed from the original to compensate for the pan/sump being reversed.  I’m gonna try to be a little more active with my post cuz I think it helps keep me motivated!  Thanks for following my thread!

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This morning’s project was the last bit of sheet metal work on the left side of the car.  There was an area of damage/rust on the driver’s floor board.  The area measured 11”x7” it it was right in the middle of the contoured pressed into the original floor board.  This meant if I wanted to match the existing structure I would have to recreate these.  I bought a bead roller from Jegs but since I’ve never used one before there was a bit of a learning curve.  All in all I pleased with the results...

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Yesterday the boxes from Retro-Spec Carbon started to arrive.  The first box contained my rear hatch.  I unboxed it and was happy to find it undamaged.  The quality of the construction is very nice with on two very small areas noticeable in the weave where the cloth overlapped.  Today’s delivery included the balance (hopefully) of my parts: hood, fenders, headlight buckets, front and rear BRE spoilers and wiper cowl.  I’ll unbox on Friday when I return from work trip.  I also received photos of my new calipers that are being color-match painted.

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46 minutes ago, grannyknot said:

Any idea how much weight savings you'll get with all those panels?

Haven’t weighed anthing yet bet the Carbon hatch is probably 15-20lbs lighter than the steel hatch.  I’m guessing a total weight savings of 50lbs

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Today’s project was to build up my axles. After waiting a good length of time T3 got me the correct axles and CV boots for my differential conversion. I dismantled everything about two months ago. I painted all the parts yesterday...I also took the stub shafts out to the airport today to deal with the hammer damage from the hacks that removed the axles prior to my purchase. I put the stub shafts on the lathe and turned down the ends where the hack hammered them into submission. Then I returned home and assembled them.

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