Boy from Oz Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 Hard to find the right forum for this but here goes. After much research I've decided to start from scratch - rotisserie, sand blasting, stitch welding and on and on. Can people tell me where they got things out of order. Things like, "wish I had built fuel cell frame before painting interior" or "regret I bought the wheels before I fitted the brakes" and so forth. I don't want to know how to do things, rather in what order they should be done. It's 3/72 240Z to be fitted with a 250 GTO body, an LS1, T56, Fuel Cell, Arizona Z race brakes, Dayton wire wheels and entire rewiring. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
260DET Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 You could write a book on that topic. Basically the most important thing is to do any body mods required to fit things like a IC, radiator, oil cooler etc etc before the car is painted. So you have to decide early on what major components are going to be used and what will be required to fit and use them eg holes for pipes, air flow for oil cooler and so on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 Build the rotisserie first. Then fix rust. Then do the rest of the stuff you're talking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boy from Oz Posted May 26, 2006 Author Share Posted May 26, 2006 Is there anything in particular I should do while it's on the rotisserie. I'm thinking of applying the thick stone guard stuff and paint, fuel lines, etc. It's a fairly standard build, i.e. no oil coolers. I'm also considering whether I should fit all the mechanical bits and run the car to check that it all goes together. Then stipping it down, do the body bits and paint and reassembling the mechanicals. Is all that process going to be worth it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerrari GTO Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 I concentrated on the sub-frame connectors and removing and replacing any rotten floor and body panels while my car was on the rotisserie. After I was finished I painted the bottom with Rust Encapsulator and then coated with bed-liner. I built the rotisserie in a couple of days and it really, really made things easy. I would strongly recommend using one. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=104151 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 Is there anything in particular I should do while it's on the rotisserie. Blasting and stitch welding for sure. Fixing rust too. After that if you get into subframe connectors and that great. Then paint the bottom of the car. Then do the rest of your stuff you want to do from the top. I used my rotisserie when I fixed rust in the cowl. I was able to turn the car upside down and sit on the leading edge of the roof with my feet out hanging out of the windshield hole. Then I could weld the cowl with ease from the bottom. Try that job without the rotisserie! I built my rotisserie because I was tired of spending hour after hour on my back trying to stitch weld the back end. On the rot it was easy. If you have all the parts, the welder, and the rotisserie, you could have the car blasted and take care of the rust and the stitch welding in a matter of a couple days, then coat everything and protect it. That's the way to go IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boy from Oz Posted May 26, 2006 Author Share Posted May 26, 2006 Just when I though I had it covered you guys come out with something new to me that sounds rather serious. This is going to sound dumb but what are subframe connectors? The name implies some kind of cross-bracing of the rails, am I right? Any photo would be appreciated. I tracked down jmortensen's post on his Bad Dog connectors but I just couldn't quite figure out the overall concept. It's probable a bit early in the morning down here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartman Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 Just when I though I had it covered you guys come out with something new to me that sounds rather serious. This is going to sound dumb but what are subframe connectors? The name implies some kind of cross-bracing of the rails, am I right? Any photo would be appreciated. I tracked down jmortensen's post on his Bad Dog connectors but I just couldn't quite figure out the overall concept. It's probable a bit early in the morning down here!Here's a link to a page from Pete Paraska's web site that includes a dimensioned drawing. If you search on this site you will find a bunch of information regarding subframe connectors.http://alteredz.com/structuralmods.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerrari GTO Posted May 27, 2006 Share Posted May 27, 2006 Boy from OZ- click on the link I put in my previous post; the steel rails running front to back with the blue tape on them are sub-frame connectors. They are straight from Pete's plans...thanks Pete! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boy from Oz Posted May 27, 2006 Author Share Posted May 27, 2006 Okay, think I've got it. 'Frame rails' are the frame rails and 'connectors' imply the spot weld points where the frame rails are attached to the floorpan etc. Right? The rails on the car look to be in pretty good condition with just a few dents from shopping centre speed humps, etc. I guess such knocks may have damaged a few of the weld points but I will be able to see after the sandblasting when it's on the rotisserie. The stitch welding should address that problem. So provided there is no rust I should be okay. Although we both claim to speak English it is quite interesting just how many automotive items have different names in different countries. I think the Hannes manual list USA and English terms but down here we sometimes have our own third names for specific parts. Pronunciation is another thing - I was in New York a couple of months ago and I asked the barman for a beer, he wanted to know if I wanted a grizzly bear. True! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubin Posted May 27, 2006 Share Posted May 27, 2006 not quite... the frame rails originally only supports a bit of the front body by making "connectors" you are simply extending the rails by cutting them up and welding in longer pieces to support more of the body so it doesn't flex under higher load Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubin Posted May 28, 2006 Share Posted May 28, 2006 after I thought about it i figured i was kinda wrong, you could just extend the rails but i believe the "connectors" are when theres one more piece which would connect the rail to the rear sub frame Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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