Guest polarity Posted October 23, 2002 Share Posted October 23, 2002 I asked this in the body forum but didnt get an answer. maybe some of you guys can tell me. I want to take off the back bumper on the ZX and do the rounded rear end (vette look) How would you guys do it? I've been told 2 ways. Either mig weld a piece of sheet metal on then sand downt he welds and paint.. or pop rivet a piece of sheet metal on, then use fiberglass to cover and make it look good. then paint? Any suggestions? Billy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Z-rific Posted October 23, 2002 Share Posted October 23, 2002 I'm planning on doing the same thing. I have a 78 280, so the first step is that damn bumper. The bumper comes off easy. It's the shocks that can be a pain. The left side isn't too bad. You have to open your hatch, pull out the sidewall plastic thing, and unbolt those three bolts to drop the shock on that side. I believe on the other side, you have to lower the tank to get to most of the bolts. What I did instead, was take my Sawzall (reciprocating saw) and saw through the shock just behind the rear piece. One day later, if I have to do gas tank work, I'll finish removing that shock. Then you have to chisel or cut through the spot welds that hold the rear valance. From there, I took a grinder and cut down all those tabs. There is bound to be some minor surface rust. So sand these areas or get a steel brush to them. Then paint over all this with sealer/primer. You want to do this right and stop any future rusting. I plan on going the sheetmetal route. I love working with fiberglass, but I think in this case it may be easier to bend/curve the sheetmetal to get a nice clean rounded look. I haven't looked for round tailights yet. Mybe you have. I think one red and one orange per side would look nice. Another body modification I am working on is covering the gas door area and installing a flush fuel cap. When i get further into it, I'll post that procedure. Please understand, I am NOT a body expert. This is just the way I'm going. If somebody knows a better way, please come clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted October 23, 2002 Share Posted October 23, 2002 Guys!!! It's a lot easier!! Take a drill and drill a hole into the center of the shock. That will allow the oil to drain out and you can collapse it back to the rear body panel. Saves having to remove them, drop the fuel tank, etc. Takes 20-30 minutes. I did this on my '77 to install the MSA Aero II kit - see link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280Zone Posted October 23, 2002 Share Posted October 23, 2002 I removed my bumper shocks so I could enjoy the reduction in weight. Here is my car during the welding process. I am doing a 75 and they have the most holes and indents to fill. If I were to do it again I'd cut the rear panel out and weld in a new one with no holes or indents. http://zdriver.com/rides/spec/pix/280zone_1025393754.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudge Posted October 23, 2002 Share Posted October 23, 2002 If you drag the picture link to the address bar they will show up, then you can hit the back button to get back (or alt left-arrow). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Z-rific Posted October 23, 2002 Share Posted October 23, 2002 I was actually looking for something more like the grey cars on the bottom.... http://www.zparts.com/showcase/taillight_showcase/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted October 23, 2002 Share Posted October 23, 2002 I did the sheetmetal thing: Something like this? Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Z-rific Posted October 23, 2002 Share Posted October 23, 2002 Looks nice to me. Did you just measure up the size sheetmetal you needed and had a local shop cut it out for you? Since I have rust in my rear left deck, this would be a great solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted October 23, 2002 Share Posted October 23, 2002 There are a couple of pics on my site, on the bodywork page (see signature for link). I did all the work in my garage. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted October 23, 2002 Share Posted October 23, 2002 Un=less you are going to do a full body fiberglass wrap like Blue Oval Z use mig welded sheet metal like Tim's and stay away from rivets and fiberglass. I have a an Origin convertible kit that I am doing the full fiberglass body wrap on with full flared fiberglass fenders and a flat rear end in fiberglass like Tim's steel one.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest polarity Posted October 24, 2002 Share Posted October 24, 2002 I dont know how many of you know the car but I'm trying to go for a look like Vinh Vu (sorry if I spelled it wrong) car. He did the pop rivet and fiberglass route. Billy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest polarity Posted October 24, 2002 Share Posted October 24, 2002 eww.. sorry tripod doest like me posting their pics I guess.. so i guess I'll just put links to them.. err as per preview post, linking to them doesnt work either.. so I'll just post the URL and hopefully you'll look haha http://vvu.tripod.com/carpix/rrear.jpg http://vvu.tripod.com/carpix/z9.jpg Billy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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