Guest ON3GO Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 Okay im not trying to act all wise and sh*t, not at all. i just want to tell ya dont be a moron like me. lol.. take some notes. 1st off dont try and build more then one car at a time.. might sound fun but really it isnt. Its a TON of work and it takes all your time. if your like me and you want to drive your cars more then work on them, then start with the basics. do things to your Z's (or any car) that can be done in a day or a weekend. ENJOY driving them, see what each mod effects the car and your driving style. when something big needs to be done like swap in your SBC LS1 or L28ET in your 240Z, have ALL the needed parts at hand and ready. it makes things alot easier. ALSO.. this is a big one because i mess up on this all the time. DONT open up your parts as soon as you get them and start fiddling with them, i mean inspect them and then put them back in the box or wrapper. you can loose key parts from that part and then when it comes time to install that part 6 months later you cant find this and that. IT SUCKS! BUY good parts the 1st time, dont skimp out just because you dont have the cash now.. wait a few weeks or months to buy the good version, it will save you lots of time in the long run. ALWAYS research the part and or swap you want to do before you just jump right into it. You might find (just like me and prob alot other people) that it might not have been what you wanted to do really, they can be cheaper/better ways to build your dream Z car. respect and listen to the older/wiser guys on this forum, its AMAZING how much they know. And its not because they know everything and there saying your dumb, its because they have done EXACTLY what your doing now and have gone through the same problems you are now. so listen up! Always remember that just because somebody hasnt done it yet (or atleast you dont think somebody has) that its always do-able, but respect and understand how much you can do and will do. dont try and do something thats just simply out of your league.. it will just piss you off and ruin the whole car building exsperance (sp? i cant spell for shat). Simple most the time is better, dont try and go over board all the time. i mean its nice to just go crazy at time, but if your young and this is your only car and dont have crazy money then stick to simple. you can build a FAST Z car with simple and easy mods. dont exspect that you can build/paint/modify a crazy fast and nice Z in a few months.. unless your chip foose it just wont happen. if more so if your young and only have little income. like i said before, take your time and read up. your gonna change your mind 1000000000000000000 times before you really do the mods/swap. and the biggest thing i wanna say.. HAVE FUN.. thats the reason your building a Z anways right. sorry to rant just wanted to say a few things. mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v8dats Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 sweet write up mike. sounds like u just aged like 10 years overnight!j/k but i have to agree with what u said especially on buying the quality part even if you have to wait a little longer. i too have learned this the hard way and im always reading up on old posts and others past experiences. im sure that mike is not just targeting the newbies(he told me i should read this). there are other members that do the same and ask questions that have been discussed 3 posts below theirs.there isnt a day that im on here that i dont use the search function. i hope this helps some of you guys out so u can get out there and ENJOY THE RIDE! i sure need to. good looking out mike. juan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 Shoot, I almost want to make this a 'sticky.' Excellent advice, Mike!!! Davy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ON3GO Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 sticky it... might help some guys on here. mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myplasticegg Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 Don't forget the double the time triple the budget if you want it done right thing... yeah... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violacleff Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 Experience Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ON3GO Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 Don't forget the double the time triple the budget if you want it done right thing... yeah... Yep.. pretty much double the amount u think you want to spend or want to spend on your project. I know for a fact on that. mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett76Zt Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 unfortunately not all of us have the "problem" of too many project cars/money pits . . . haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsommer Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 Well said Mike!! With age and busted knuckles comes....... WISDOM? Hahahaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ON3GO Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 ive been wanting to type this for along time.. i think its because im about finished with my 1st Datsun Z project that im starting to see where i went wrong and see right things i do also. even though the blue Z will be driving again in the next few weeks and runing great at that, it will never be done. im going 5 lug on it and big big brakes, 18in volk wheels, better suspension, and re-doing alot of the interior. it never ends but atleast i can say its running again! mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wagz Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 Well said Mike! I learned almost all of those things the hard way myself. Most of the knowledge came with experience and age. The only thing I would add would be that in addition to not being cheap on parts, don't be cheap on tools. Good quality tools will save a lot of time, effort and frustration. There were so many jobs I've done over the years that I made so much more difficult and frustrating because I bought cheap tools or didn't buy the right tool for the job. Sometimes it seemed like a waste of money to purchase a specialty tool for jobs that I would be rarely doing. Experience says otherwise! It's amazing how many times I've had to re-learn the lesson that the cost of the RIGHT tool for a job is sooooo worth the time/knuckles/frustration saved!! The other thing I've learned is that a little patience goes a long, long way in making most jobs a lot easier and more tolerable. Patience (at least, for me) only came with age... -Marc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 ..."But dude, Chip Foose builds cars in like one hour man! I saw him do it myself last night!" Good write-up Mikie! Now move to Virginia and become one of the flock! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunar240z Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 As you take everything apart, label it, even better, take pictures of everything too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie05 Posted December 6, 2005 Share Posted December 6, 2005 As you take everything apart, label it, even better, take pictures of everything too. Yes, this was the only way I was able to rebuild my sis' 4g37 with NO manual!! All I did was find the torque specs, and because everything was in bags and labeled THOUROGHLY I was able to put it back together easily. Mike... what are you doing with those wide wheels you came accross? you know, the 15x10's and 15x12's or something like that? If you're going with volks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ON3GO Posted December 7, 2005 Share Posted December 7, 2005 im keeping them for another Z ill build. there fricken wide lol. mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted December 7, 2005 Share Posted December 7, 2005 It's official, this is now a sticky---to be read by every newbie to the forum...at least Mike's first post anyway Davy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators SuperDan Posted January 19, 2006 Administrators Share Posted January 19, 2006 BUY good parts the 1st time, dont skimp out just because you dont have the cash now.. wait a few weeks or months to buy the good version, it will save you lots of time in the long run. A rule I live by is something my grandfather once told me: "Never trust an Irishman who doesn't drink or a horse that doesn't fart" No, that's not it. "Wars and paintings are best viewed from a distance...." No, wait wait wait, I got it. "Buy cheap buy twice" That's it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ON3GO Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 another thing.. MEASURE everything 1st before you put it in the car, like measure up ur new flywheel to ur old one, even more so when putting a engine together. measure 3 times just to be sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Here comes trouble Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 In this day and age there has to be some kind of psychotropic medication available for this z malady. Mike....find and try some medication and let us know the results... maybe a group buy for a special run of a specfic medication that showed promising results Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweakinZs Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 Great post you guys, If I may say, Id like to mention that everything you guys have said is 100% true, I am on car number 6 in two years of having a license and have realized through my own experience to buy right the first time, mark and label everything, but I have never thought of taking pics of progress, dissasembly, ect... I have looked at others projects hough to follow up on if Im doing thing right or not. If I may add, a great way to prevent problems, confusion, or wrong parts, try and get a Chilton or Haynes manual for your car, or if possible a factory manual for it. Everything that has been discused falls into a catagory I like to call CSA. (common sense assembly) or put it back together the way it came apart. -Mario 76 280Z 2+2, bone-stock L28 w/ 5spd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts