Help designing rear skirting for my Z

[MOTORHEAD427]

Thanks for the comments.

If you need custom parts designed, just PM me and we`ll talk.

And, I think I have a few Z body kit ideas.

 

ERIC

[OlderThanMe]

sent you a PM...

[MOTORHEAD427]

I think you should do something about the airdam. Your car looks very modern and so should the airdam.

Here`s my idea.

Thanks.

ERIC

[blueovalz]

This is only an idea. You'll need to change one side to blend around the muffler, but it should cover the tank, and look nice when done (just remove (photoshop) the vent and the two exhaust bezels.

[ZR8ED]

Thanks Eric!

 

You weren't too late. I took the pics with me and showed the guy. He liked the idea, and it followed very closely with what he had been working with. Mine won't be blended in completely to the rear. It is actually going to have a slight lip before continuing down with the same curve. I'll have pics this week of the progress.

 

I really like the ideas of the side skirts. In speaking with the body guy, he suggested to save money, it would be easier to have something to modify, as opposed to creating something from thin air. (cheaper, less hours to produce)

 

I am now looking for sideskirts for other cars that I can use to work with. (I am currently kicking myself for selling my old MSA side skirts)

 

I also liked the idea on the front. My rubber strip around the front is now looking a bit too "bolt on" for the rest of the car. It will require a redesign as well. But that will be another time..

 

I really appreciate the ideas from everyone. It is amazing sometimes. All the years and all the Z's I've seen, and sometimes I can just draw a blank, when trying to personalize the car, and try to visualize changes to it.

 

Thanks,

Scott.

[alexideways]

 

 

I knew that'd look good, thanks Eric for that nice rendering.

[ZR8ED]

As promised. Some update pics of the progress as of today. Hmm who woulda thunk that custom bodywork was not cheap! Progress is moving along nicely, but so is the price. Lots of details being worked out, and some rework of the flares themselves to remove some unevenness.

Won't be long now...

 

 

 

[OlderThanMe]

You are still going to respray the car black right?

[zero]

so umm......whats the deal with the primered lambo in the background.

[blueovalz]

Very nice. I like the design.

[thehelix112]

Aesthetically it looks quite nice.. aerodynamically, it looks quite not.

 

Dave

[mason4300]

so umm......whats the deal with the primered lambo in the background.

 

it's a fiberglass kit car.

[big-phil]

You might want to consider side skirts also.

Here`s an idea.

ERIC

 

how the heck do you do that? Photoshop?

[MOTORHEAD427]

Mainly photoshop:-)

Been using photoshop and others since early nineties...

 

ERIC

[ZR8ED]

I pretty happy with the work so far. Still lots to do. I'm not sure if I will continue with the front and sides skirts this year. I'd like to get to work on some electrics, and hopefully some new rear brakes.

 

Thehelix112: Yea. styling won over function. I will still do a bellypan in the rear. The bottom of the skirting doesn't come any lower than the bottom of the bellypan that was removed, so I think I can still make it work. More measurements will be required. The original use of the pan (for me) was to reduce fumes getting in the car by keeping the air under the car moving quickly, and taking the exhaust with it. (It didn't really work) It looked cool, and it didn't negatively affect the handling of the car or hurt my cruising mpg, so the experiment was not a total failure. Ohh and I didn't die during high speed runs, so that was a plus as well.

 

Olderthanme : Yup the car will be repainted black..I didn't like the idea of a red rear skirt on the car.. hehehe just kidding motorhead427 (I understand what you were illustrating)

 

 

Zero :Yes the lambo in the fore and background are lambo kits. There are two other cars, another lambo, and a ferrari kit car in the shop, in various stages of completion... Boy are those Lambo's wide! and LOW!

[240hoke]

that side skirt looks absoulutly awesome, would look even better with a similar design to replace hte garden trim in the front.

[blueovalz]

My opinion on side skirts (yeah, I know what opinions are like) is that they make the Z car, one that already has height/width ratio appearance issues, worse. The Z is not known for having a wide and low visual appearance. The addition of side skirts, in my eyes, tend to make the car look even taller and narrower than it already does, and does not promote it's sports intent. I installed skirts on a previous Z, and later realized that I would not do it again. Skirts, in their own right do add a degree of uniqueness to any car, but for the above reason, the Z just doesn't "accept" them well.

 

I feel this also goes for the additions to the rear of the car as well. ZR8ED stated that the new addition will not extend any further down than the OEM panel did, and I think this will look better this way. I know that his diffuser will be re-attached under it, but the separation of the two as two separate parts may mitigate much of the effects of "stretching" the car vertically.

 

As with any body "design" discussion, it is mostly subjective and ultimately, the owners viewpoint is all that matters.

[veritech-z]

Hey Zr8d, if you are looking for a donor car to snarf some skirts off of, I got mine off of an early RSX-typeS:

I had to shorten the front a bit, that's why the mud guards are there (to cover the raggedy cut line), and there is a lip I had to trim off the top to get them to fit snug up against the car. They don't actually go any lower than the original bodywork, so they don't make the car look appreciably taller in my opinion.

[Bartman]

I don't want to hijack this thread, so I'm going to create another one for side skirts.

 

Veritech-z and others be prepared to show and share your thoughts and ideas.

 

Here's a link to a new side skirt thread:

http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?p=715202

[Gollum]

I think it would look fine if the gas tank just wasn't so exposed, but at the same time I wouldn't want to raise the tank thus raising a decent source of weight over the rear. That would make a noticeable impact on skidpad figures for the rear.

 

And about the side kit. Well call me picky, but I really like for wheel well edged to stay consistent and stick as close to the tire as they should for their given height. Example:

 

Notice in the front highlighted area the front kit makes a funky jut out to the front of the car then the chin spoiler tries to bring it back. Then on the front wheel side of the side skirt (wich I like the design of motorhead427) it tucks in nice but at the back it's symmetrical to the rear side of the tire, with the way it curves out. I think it needs to look more the like the front of the kit.

 

This is of course personal preference and I think the round type shape has a more "classic" shape to it, wich I'm not against (though I think consistency is the key factor here) but I feel the S30 has an ability to morph into many different looks, and I just like the more modern look better I guess.

 

Oh yea, and the progress looks great zr8ed