ToplessZ Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 I need to see some different angles for some ideas I have. I have searched the site over and cant seem to find any pictures of this kit. Im not talking about the IMSA flares that MSA sells Im talking about the huge ones. Any pictures or links would be awesome. Jared Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToplessZ Posted October 19, 2003 Author Share Posted October 19, 2003 Common guys I spent an hour wading through search hits and found nothing. Someone is holding out on me here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Washington Posted October 19, 2003 Share Posted October 19, 2003 Don't know if this will help, but I just spent a couple of hours updating my 280YZ page: http://www.reactionresearch.com/280yzgallery.html At least one car ran this same body in IMSA competition, but it may not be the traditional "IMSA body" for which you are searching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleek Z Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 Check link below at my ZPARTS.COM to see if this is what you are looking for. Photo in top left corner is of the Tildon flares that I believe were the basics used in an IMSA GTU kit design. Someday I'll get the rest of the the photo shoot of that car published. I brokered it for sale back in 1989. Back then the car sold for $15,000! It ran 15x12 wheels on rear and 15x10 on the front. Photo at http://zparts.com/gallery.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlalomz Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 I have not found any businesses selling real IMSA flares still. I bought a set of front fenders from an IMSA racer from the seventies. I also bought and cut up a 280Z with a street version of IMSA flares that is very close to the race cars. Any one is welcome to pull a mold off of the fenders in the Sacramento area. Doing it for resale might be a problem but I don't know the laws. I will try and get some pictures posted. If you just need IMSA pictures I can E-mail you some of the ones I have collected off the web. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Keller Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 I started my project a while ago and came across a few companies that used to make fiberglass body panels that allowed you to duplicate the black car in question. It also came to light that there were at least 2 different width rear (and front?) body panels - the really wide ones (like the black car) would handle 15" wide rear wheels. Evedently, IMSA changed the rules to force the Zs to use narrower (12"?) wheels in the rear so the Porsches could keep up! I found my body panels used (the "narrower" ones) and filed all the other source information away - I'll see if I can find the info. One was a guy that had the body panels (YZ and 940Z) John Washington now sells - possibly John got those molds as well? Another was Arizona Z. There was another that just faded away over the last few years - I gave him an order for all of the body panels but he never did anything. More than a year later, I found the used panels and they were made by this guy originally! Another set of molds belong to the guy that bought Frassille's 197? IMSA GTU champion car. Another was a fiberglass panel company that may or may not be in business now. I talked to the guy who has Bob Sharp's cars, but he wasn't interested in making molds. Again, I'll see if I can find this info. The set I've got are useable with a lot of body work so I'm ok. I would like to have another set that won't take so much body work though! If some one like John was interested in making molds, I could make mine available as masters. The front fenders are slightly wider than the G-nose and I do not have the air dam. Pictures of the GTU cars are hard to come by but the cars are getting more track time now on the vintage race circuit. Maybe someone has photos that they could share. Al Keller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlalomz Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 Here is a Bob Sharp car. http://ashautomobilia.photosite.com/Vintage1/85_Datsun_Away.html So it was a rule change to level the playing field! I wondered why the different rear flare widths in some of the pictures. Someone needs to start an IMSA website to chronical what little information there is about this wild series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Washington Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 Roger Edsinger was the guy from whom I got the 280YZ and 940Z tooling. He's in Campbell, CA. He didn't call them that, and I can't remember if he had some other designation or just called them "medium" and "wide." He was an SCCA GT2 guy. At one time I knew of at least four people who had tooling for the traditional IMSA kit, but don't know if they were "medium" or "wide," per Al's reference. If I were to pursue something like this, I'd try to buy the existing tooling first. To start with parts (thanks for the generous offer to loan them) is a difficult proposition. In order to do it right, the parts have to be mounted, checked to see if they need modification to make them fit right, braced up, prepped, and then molded. Very expensive proposition. Either way, I'd have to feel like I'd be able to sell more than two or three sets, and in a sense I'd be competing with products I already offer. At the time I made the decision to purchase Roger's tooling, the consensus seemed to be that the 280YZ was a better looking kit than the IMSA...particularly in person rather than in photos. So, how many of you want IMSA parts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlalomz Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 John, why dont you do just the flare part and not whole fenders like this racer from Canada did. Maybe you could sell it for less and there is less of a close tolerance fitting than a whole fender. http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=3412&size=big&password=&sort=7&thecat=500 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Washington Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 I appreciate the suggestion, Steve. It's a good idea particularly for the back. In the front, if you have to trim sheet metal vs. unbolting the fender and bolting on the replacement fiberglass the extra cost of the complete fender might turn out to be a wash. However, the overriding question is still economics; even if more folks want it that way, I still need to be able to sell eight or ten sets a year to make mold fabrication or purchase feasable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlalomz Posted October 23, 2003 Share Posted October 23, 2003 Here is one in the for sale forum. It looks like they have been radiused out for taller tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlalomz Posted October 27, 2003 Share Posted October 27, 2003 Another one in the Hybrid Z gallery. and another... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fcz Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 i would be interested in making molds for some quality Z flares such as the IMSA style ones. I can do them in carbon and Kevlar making them many times as strong as regular fiberglass. Steve, would you be willing to discuss that.? thanks. i will be needing a pair for my future Z car. i like the Prosche look it gives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilRufusKay Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 Steve, On that Bob Sharp car pic you posted. Do you know if the spoiler on that is the 3 piece BRE spoiler? If not do you know what kind it is? Thanks Rufus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlalomz Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 FCV I sent you an e-mail and EvilRufusKay, I don't know anything about the Bob Sharp cars sorry. It looks like the 3 piece spoilers you always see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 Love those pics!!! The IMSA flares were the inspiration for the blueovalz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlalomz Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 Too bad your car wasn't around for the IMSA folks to get some ideas, Terry. I also forgot about this wild street car from the 80's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Your Car is Slow Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 Id buy a set of the rear flares only if someone were to make them I dont think the flares I have are going to work with 12" rear tires Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Rototiller Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 Too bad your car wasn't around for the IMSA folks to get some ideas' date=' Terry. I also forgot about this wild street car from the 80's. [img']http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/zlalomz/1154IMSA_flares-med.jpg[/img] i too am looking for a wide body kit like the one in this picture...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z-ya Posted July 22, 2005 Share Posted July 22, 2005 Hear are more pics of Bob Sharp Cars: 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.