Drax240z Posted May 15, 2001 Share Posted May 15, 2001 I should pipe in here too. Terry I love the look of that car, I noticed you had it up on zdriver.com and really liked it there. It just looks "mean" somehow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted May 16, 2001 Share Posted May 16, 2001 Thanks guys. That was my very first Z, and it was the "experimental" car. After enough glass work on it, I got my nerve up to do the blue beast. Then I let my boy have the red Z for school in Memphis. I got 235K miles out of it, and he only got 11k before he ran it out of oil (front seal was gone, and my mechanical skills somehow refused to osmosize (is that even a word?) to him from me during all his growing up years. "I was wondering why there was oil all over the engine" he said, when I picked him up 100 miles out of town, stranded, with my beloved, innocent, and violated Z sitting on the side of the highway. Oh well, you can lead a horse to water, but..... Anyway, the car was then gutted for spares for the blue car, and the body was sold to a fellow Z-car enthusiast here. I saw it on the road the other day finally. When I saw it, my face looked like that old indian in the 70's commercial about littering. A single (but very manly!!!) tear emerged from my left eye as I saw the car drive by. This is why my wife talked me out of selling the blue one a couple of years ago. Heck, she knows me better than I know me (what a woman!!!!!). I did finally have to hog-tie her down to a chair and make her sit through the chase scene in "Bullit". When it was all done, she looked at me with that "deer in the headlights look" and said "why did they have to pass that VW bug so many times?"........... AAAUUUGGGGG! First my boy, and now you!!!! That's when I went out and laid prostrate across the hood of my blue beast and then knew all was still right with the world. Hee hee, tomorrow night I'm renting "Ronin", and this time there will be no mercy. Good Night all. Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted May 16, 2001 Share Posted May 16, 2001 Terry, you are a man of many talents. My wife just came in the den to see what I was laughing about (read your post above and couldn't help it.) I was picturing your disgust and hugging the Z . Thanks, better than Benny Hill, Eddy Murphy, and Monty Python rolled together! So, was the Red Z still it good shape externally? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted May 17, 2001 Share Posted May 17, 2001 Yeah Pete, the Z was, and still is, good on the exterior (and interior too). A couple of cracks in the front dam from curbs, but everything else is still there and in good shape. The Z found a good home. Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted May 17, 2001 Share Posted May 17, 2001 Haaahhaahahahaa!!! Man, Terry, I have "manly" tears coming out of both eyes after reading that! That wasFUNNY! David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike kZ Posted May 17, 2001 Share Posted May 17, 2001 What would be cool, is a bolt on version of that rear spoiler, I bet you would sell alot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted May 18, 2001 Share Posted May 18, 2001 I talked to the owner yesterday. The original pieces I made are bolt-on, and we are currently discussing the making of some molds?????? I'll let you guys know if anything progresses. Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 18, 2001 Share Posted May 18, 2001 i like the side skirts on Terry's Z. they give the car that look of a vette from the side. are these custom or store bought? Jake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted May 18, 2001 Share Posted May 18, 2001 Terry, if you do...I'm interested. I like that look a lot! David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted May 18, 2001 Share Posted May 18, 2001 Damn, too late - my car will be in the paint shop Monday.... If this comes together soon, let me know, I'd love to yank that one-piece Jap spec spoiler off and use yours, Terry. Thanks for initiating this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted May 18, 2001 Share Posted May 18, 2001 I made the side skirts too, but they are siliconed on (permanent me thinks) and I'm pretty sure they would be just about destroyed in any attempt to remove them, but the other parts are simply unbolted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest needwaymorespeed Posted May 20, 2001 Share Posted May 20, 2001 count me in on one of those rear spoilers if you do this?? I realy want to do the same thing to the back part of my car get rrid of the bumper and fill it in but am concerned about the legality of it. would I git pulled over for no rear bumper?? what you think? Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted May 21, 2001 Share Posted May 21, 2001 I also think that the 240Z looks alot better without a bumper, if the body is smoothed in that area. But I don't like having a calling card for being pulled over, so I still will have one. I took a 240Z bumper, and cut 3/4" out of the top horizontal "depth" of it. (BTW, it's so thin, I cut this off over teh entire legth of the middle portion with tin snips!) This makes the bumper shallower and it won't stick out as much as stock. Of course, the brackets need to be shortened (easy) or make new ones (easy) to mount it close to the body. Also, I'm having it painted the same color as the car to help "hide" it. I cut it off one each side of the car and I'm making ends for it to taper it down to just reach the corner at the 1/4 panel and rear panel. I used 280Z 1/4 panels and had the bumper mounting hole filled. I don't like the "wrap around" look of the OE bumpers either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted May 21, 2001 Share Posted May 21, 2001 Pete, the early 240Z bumpers look like they have a tight fit to the car. MSA sells fiberglass ones (probably as strong as the metal ones ) but I'm wondering if your mod actually pulled them in even closer to the body for an even tighter looking fit? Good call on painting them body color BTW. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 21, 2001 Share Posted May 21, 2001 Guys, I just picked up a 74 260 after only owning the later 280s for 10 years. I haven't even touched the car yet but it has the early bumpers with the u-bracket BUT also has shocks in the rear. Can it be that this is the best of both worlds? It looks like the shocks simply rest against the inside surface of the bumper as there are not bolt flanges on them. Alas, the rear bumper was not on the car so I am guessing at this point. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 Craig, it might be the best of both worlds, but I'm NOT mounting fiberglass (or even the metal bumpers) to provide any significant amount of protection. Really, what I'm after is looks--the tighter the bumper looks in relation to the body the better! I'm hoping that the 8 point cage will provide protection along with the entire front and back ends being the "crush zones." David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spotfitz Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 quote: Originally posted by idealz: Guys, I just picked up a 74 260 after only owning the later 280s for 10 years. I haven't even touched the car yet but it has the early bumpers with the u-bracket BUT also has shocks in the rear. Can it be that this is the best of both worlds? It looks like the shocks simply rest against the inside surface of the bumper as there are not bolt flanges on them. Alas, the rear bumper was not on the car so I am guessing at this point. Craig Both front and back bumper brackets that came on the 260 are actually shocks. I think this was the first year of them. I have already eliminated the rear bumper and shocks on my Z(very dented and rusted and had a bracket on the inside for mounting), but kept the bumper on the front and let the air out of the shocks. I plan to run a bolt back through it once I have it at the right spot in relation to the body. Has any of you 240 owners with 1/8-1/4" clearance had some rubbing of the paint on the wrap around part of the bumper. I know mine would wiggle up and down when hitting bumps. As I have yet to remount the bumper and will be installing it when I get the Z painted I would really hate myself if I suddenly had some whiskers on my new paint by the bumpers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 DavyZ/All: I was not even beginning to imply that the bumpers have a chance of looking better than a Z car without bumpers. What I really meant was "the best of both protection AND small bumpers". I, too, think the car looks awesome without any bumpers but I will be doing a lot of street driving and need the protection; if from nothing more than grocery carts Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 Yeah, the stock 240Z bumper is very close usually 1/8" to 1/4" from what I've seen. Since grinding chrome off is SUCH a PITA, and I couldn't find a place to get it stripped off electro-chemically, and my attempts at electro-chem stripping were horrible, I really wished I'd gone the fiber glass route. Trimming the depth down would be easy as well. One thing I thought about doing was to weld a tube inside the bumper to add to its strength and stiffness. You could incorporate it into new brackets on the fiberglass bumper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 Craig, I totally understood what you meant. Yes, it is the best of both worlds! But, my 260Z bumpers are made of such thin sheet metal, I really don't think they'll stop anything larger than a shopping cart (as you said )!!! I'm deciding now that if the 240Z I get still has the metal bumpers, I'll yank them in favor of the fiberglass ones since I want them body color and without rust. Of course, if they are really nice, like my 260Z bumpers were, then maybe I'll flip a coin in favor of them. Who knows...I just need a car! David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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