blueovalz Posted March 9, 2003 Share Posted March 9, 2003 Well, I finally found time today to actually work on the blueovalZ. I had an exhaust installed this morning (this guy was great in that he dedicated 3 hours to putting in what was basically a straight forward exhaust), I brought it home and then installed the exhaust tips to fill up the 4" outlets I had made last summer. This Z therapy has been very satisfying. I hope I can find another day to work on it before summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted March 9, 2003 Share Posted March 9, 2003 Looks Great Terry! How about a picture of more of the rear of the car? How does it sound? What size pipes and what mufflers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synlubes Posted March 9, 2003 Share Posted March 9, 2003 Come on Terry, I saw the pics leading up to this. Show it all !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted March 9, 2003 Author Share Posted March 9, 2003 I finally got both sides finished. Parts used were some better (but not great) quality aftermarket "turbo" mufflers. With the 2.5" tips temporarily tacked in place to get me home, the sound was a little louder than I would like if I drove it all the time (but I'm not), and with a nice tone. Surprisingly, when I put the tips on, it produced two new characteristics. First, the tone was a bit sharper in that it did not rumble as much, like before. Secondly, when I would blip the throttle, a raspiness appeared at the peak rpm. This was accompanied by an increased sound level as well at the peak rpm. Quite surprising being the only thing changed was the last few inches of the exhaust tip from a 2.5" pipe to a larger 4" tip (with the 2.5" pipe still inside the 4", but recessed into the tip by about 3". Who wuda thought?. Overall, I like the slight change due to its "sharper" sound that emphasizes the cam's lope that was slightly lost in the previous "rumble". Here is a pic of the rear as it sits tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synlubes Posted March 9, 2003 Share Posted March 9, 2003 Super Sweet I hope I get to see it in person one of these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsumner Posted March 9, 2003 Share Posted March 9, 2003 Hi Terry . The car looks great. It's nice of you to give the competition somthing nice to look at as you fade from view. Where did you find the exhaust outlets that you used? Later, Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted March 9, 2003 Author Share Posted March 9, 2003 I cut them out of 1/8" aluminum. The trick was getting them to look round from a rear view because of the angle and curve that they must conform to. To do that I used a small-filiment light bulb (placed several feet behind each exhaust opening) to light up the area, and then placed a perfectly round template between the panel and the bulb (just a few inches from the panel) to cast a shadow onto the panel that could be traced (this is how I made round head light tunnels on my sloping fenders too). Once this was copied to the aluminum I simply cut it out (on a flat surface, these are kind of ovate-egg shaped before the curvature is put into them), hammered it into shape (some compound curves here), gave it a "brushed finish" and then clear-coated them. Even after all that, one of them still did not come out perfectly round (as viewed from the rear) after being attached to the car (I think I may have stretched it too much in one direction with the hammering). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhaTTy Posted March 9, 2003 Share Posted March 9, 2003 Hrmm... where did you get the rear skirt from or was it made? Also love the lights.. how about a detailed tutorial on how to do this.. The thing looks aewsome and I want to do it to my 83 280zx! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie-GNZ Posted March 9, 2003 Share Posted March 9, 2003 Simply AWESOME! Lets see. I-40 to 78 to 280 to 96. Thats not a bad ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 damn! that is freakin' SWEET! i want to do that! i've been looking for a good looking exhaust that would help compliment the Z, and everything that i've been thinking of just doesn't seem to look right. but that looks AWESOME! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 Terry, you are the master at fabbing cool stuff!!! Beautiful work; I love it!! You saved me an email by letting us know the 'secret' to doing the front lights and rear cut-outs. I had pondered this before and I could not come up with a decent way of doing it....until now! Thank you, thank you, thank you... Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 just an OT question, but do those tails that you're using have reverse lights built in them? or are your reverse tails somewhere else that i'm just missing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synlubes Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 esyip, Ck with your state inspection person, reverse lites may not be required to pass a state inspection. In Virginia reverse lites are not required to pass a state inspection. On my 260, I moved my turn signal lites to where the reverse lites were and used amber bulbs. Then where the turn signals use to be I added another brake lite bulb to increase the brake lites. I wanted to add a 3rd brake lite (and still might) so dumb a$$es (I mean other drivers) would see more brake lites shining at them. Take a look at the rear pic and you can get the idea. http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/valubes/lst?.dir=/74+Z&.view=t Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted March 19, 2003 Author Share Posted March 19, 2003 Good thinking. Here in Arkansas we no longer (knock on wood) have ANY inspection. This is the ONLY reason I've got plates on my Hybridz at this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slownrusty Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 Wow that is ultra cool...beautiful fabrication! Regards - Yasin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 20, 2003 Share Posted March 20, 2003 wow. you don't need reverse lights for inspection? but then what about street/daily use? wouldn't that be illegal since no one would know that you're backing up or how do you work around that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synlubes Posted March 20, 2003 Share Posted March 20, 2003 esyip, check your states inspection laws In Virginia, reverse lites are not required for state inspection. Don`t know what the recourse would be if you had a fender bender and the related issues along with that. I don`t use my car much for street duty. I wanted MORE brake lites for folks behind me to see. Plus, my car is registered as an antique so it doesn`t have to be inspected anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dot Posted March 21, 2003 Share Posted March 21, 2003 Nice job Terry…Thanks for the tip on for projecting the oval on the curved body panel. I have been trying to come up with a similar idea but couldn’t think of how to do it…thanks…:::Glenn PS: reverse lights are not required in Ontario ether. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 Hmph! Send me your junk pile (leftovers)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 Esyip, IT depends on personal taste and local laws... To each his own. I personally think it works for both Doug and Terry's cars, and gives me ideas... Doug, Your car is clean. I like the stance... Nice low slung look and looks good on the track... Will look better with my control arms on it! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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