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HybridZ

Mike Kelly's Zcar Project


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  • 1 month later...

Journey slowly beginning to come to an end... I am starting to amass the data, software and build records for the buyer, a member of hybridz. I am glad it's going to a good home far away from my zipcode so I don't have to see her with another guy.

 

Mike

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Mike,

 

I know its been an awfully rough project for you, but I must admit, it has been a real pleasure for me to follow along the ride. Thank you for sharing your experience and taking us along for the ups and downs of a challenging project.

 

-Mike

Edited by LLave
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Last of the parts are loaded into the car and the car is ready for transport pickup. 

 

I fell in love with Datsun Zs when I was 16 years old.  I saw my first on at a car dealership in the town I grew up in.  It was a 72 orange in color, black interior.  And I couldn't afford the insurance, so I bought a 1973 Celica instead.  Over the years my love of these cars went from stock to mild to wild transitions and those transitions took me further and further away from the roots, the true purpose of the original Datsun S30 platform.  The reason I fell in love with the car in the first place.  It was simplistic in nature and so much fun to drive, so lively to enjoy as it was, in stock trim.  Over the years I deviated from what was to what might be, and that journey took me far and away from the simple and wonderfully reliable nature of the car. 

 

I started with HybridZ in 1998 as one of the founding members.  I've had Datsun Zcars in my life since 1987 (22 of them).  Both have been like family to me, good and bad at times.  Roller coaster of a ride the whole of the time I was in this community.  This will be my final post here in this build thread.  It's been fun.  But I have to be honest.  This place isn't the same since John Coffey's passing.  I was going through some of my old notes from him on suspension setups and what he recommended, and the gravity of his loss really hit me.  I've come full circle on the Zcar, just shy of 30 years ownership of atleast one Zcar constantly, sometimes 2 or 3.  Hopefully the new owner can carry Sasha across the finish line.

 

See you all around the interwebs.

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  • 4 years later...

Figured I’d stop in... Catch everyone up on what I’ve been up to.  Since I sold the Zcar, I’ve actually been able to chase my dreams of racing cars.  I’ve been racing a Porsche 944 in spec series racing with NASA and PCA both.  I’ve been having so much fun that I got all competitive and stuff and won some trophies, the 944Cup in PCA and set the track record with NASA in 944Spec at VIR.  

 

This was the dream I’d hoped to achieve with the Zcar.  I found happiness in a Porsche 944 making 137WHP and weighing in at 2260 dry and empty.  I’m not here to piss on the Zcar.  I learned a ton over the years, and I’m thankful for all of it. 

 

That said, I’m here to relay if your goal is to RACE CARS, go out and buy a race car and race it.  If your goal is to engineer, tinker and have fun building, then this place is heaven.  

 

Rock on!  I’ll be racing!  

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Awesome update.  I traded off my "street/track" Z for a race prep Z many years ago, got my license, and never looked back.  Most fun you can have with your pants on and very addictive.  No real allegiance to the Z car, just happen to have a lot of parts lying around and know how to work on them blindfolded.  We had a little Toyota sports racer around for awhile and that was a blast too.  I can attest it is much much much easier and cheaper to purchase a race car than to build one.

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