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HybridZ

Progress on my insane VQ35HR 240Z project


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another small update:

 

engine arrived. Mitch, who was doing the build on the engine, started the work here in Austin but in the middle of the project decided to move to Colorado. So he finished the job there and shipped the motor back to me. Funny, it doesn't look different :wink: We'll now start building the intake, dry sump, and headers. We have flanges already for the I/O so there's no need to modify third-party products. That's more work than it's worth. A fresh approach allows us to do it clean and tight.

 

The other picture shows samples of the powder coating material choices. The the two colors I am using are seen in the rings on the left of the picture. The light silver will be used to coat suspension parts and the darker metal grey will be used to cover the entire frame. Both are matte metallic coatings that look as natural as possible for a coating.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

The entire car needed to be disassembled into separate pieces to take to the powder-coaters. It will get us the chance to assemble it back carefully and with the right fittings. We are also making the carbon fiber fenders today. attached here is a pic showing a rear fender bagged and vacuumed. It's so incredible to see a datsun fender in CF. beautiful!

 

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Ooooh! CF Fenders! that's sexy, I thought your wheels were hot. now I'm really liking the CF body parts. How much do you think a set of CF fenders would cost? likely more than I have to spare, but Ballpark?

I'm not sure you'd really want them. They are nice but not nice enough to leave naked. There are bubbles in part and flaws in the mold that don't matter to me because we will paint over them. If that's still interesting, then I'm happy to get you a price on the materials plus the few hours it takes to make a part.

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Awesome work, but it looks like you can see where the gas cap door was fairly clearly on the CF fender. Will these be body worked and painted to cover that up or will they be left as bare carbon where that will be evident? I'd hate to see that on a build this awesome and clean.

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Awesome work, but it looks like you can see where the gas cap door was fairly clearly on the CF fender. Will these be body worked and painted to cover that up or will they be left as bare carbon where that will be evident? I'd hate to see that on a build this awesome and clean.

I know, we just covered that with tape to make the mold. I always planned to do bodywork and paint. Raw CF is cool, but I don't want that look for the Z. It's also a significantly greater effort to do a flawless body in CF. However, the insides of the car will be full of exposed CF surfaces. Those will be more carefully made.

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I gotta tell you, that CF really looks awesome. I can't wait to see how the car turns out with it. Internal body parts made from CF, how awesome will that look. So jealous right now, but not jealous of the cost. You're definitely not cutting any corners. Save your moulds. I might be really interrested in buying some CF reproduction parts from you. In the Fenders a few bubbles is fine, those can even be drilled and filled with resin. I don't know how well CF sands though, or how hard it is to get back to a glossy sheen once it's been worked. It looks awesome though. I guess I need to learn a lot more about CF before I do too much. What do you think a CF center console might run?

 

 

Your Powder coated frame looks really good now that it's all one color. Very pretty, you're getting a lot closer to getting it put together. I'm still very impressed, even if it has been a while since you started.

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Its too bad that your interior pieces will have nothing to do with the stock Z setup given the rather *ahem* different chassis that you have crafted. I'd love to pull a few fiberglass pieces off of your molds once they are done to do my own interior work off of, but no joy. I'll be doing similar work, but I won't be crafting for bare carbon, just old fashioned fiberglass.

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  • 1 month later...

I just read the entire thread from start to finish. I am definitely a fan now! I found this topic sort of by accident. I just got my 3.2L Rebello racing engine running with its TWM throttle bodies and SDS efi and have been working on tuning it. It has kind of been a pain. In the end I should have a bit more power than a stock VQ35, but I was wondering if it might have been a better choice to have similar power, but the reliability of a stock motor. I have to build my dreams with a teacher's budget, so reliability is important. What do you do for a living if you don't mind me asking? After seeing your project, I may have to consider a career change!!! :)

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I just read the entire thread from start to finish. I am definitely a fan now! I found this topic sort of by accident. I just got my 3.2L Rebello racing engine running with its TWM throttle bodies and SDS efi and have been working on tuning it. It has kind of been a pain. In the end I should have a bit more power than a stock VQ35, but I was wondering if it might have been a better choice to have similar power, but the reliability of a stock motor. I have to build my dreams with a teacher's budget, so reliability is important. What do you do for a living if you don't mind me asking? After seeing your project, I may have to consider a career change!!! :)

I am a designer. I do ok. This project is expensive but altogether not a whole lot more than a nice car payment when you stretch the costs out as I have. It's all a matter of priorities.

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