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Nelsonian 240z


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No problem. After looking at all the regular places, local Craigslist, Ebay etc... and finding first series, garbage 350Z versions improperly labeled as Cd009's and even a very few legitimate used CD009's with a steep asking price and a long distance away for shipping, I decided to spend a little more for a brand new one. I purchased it new through Z1 Motorsports in Georgia and had it shipped to my place of work saving $50 on the shipping for a total of $1900. Company was very easy to work with, answered all of my questions and sent it out in a timely fashion. Eventually the next move will be to either cut and weld the shifter arm bracket to appropriate placement or look into Hokes nicely made re-locator and finally get a short shifter arm. 

 

https://www.z1motorsports.com/manual-transmission/nissan/new-oem-cd009-6m-transmission-p-3342.html

Edited by Nelsonian
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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Anybody recall seeing a picture of a gusset that ties the hub and shock tower?  Keep them from flexing?  I thought you had one Nelsonian.  Can't seem to find.

Just getting around to seeing that question. Did you ever find the pics you were searching for ?

 

Small update as I have been patiently awaiting my front fiberglass Rocket Bunny bumper that I purchased through Greddy Performance back in the beginning of November. I was  happy with anticipation as I unwrapped it from the bubble wrap last Tuesday. That was until I completely removed it and held it in the light to see just how unfinished the end caps were with what appeared to be missing material in some spots and non sanded areas in others. I first thought it must have been damaged on route from Japan to Greddy, but have decided it must be the process of adding the end caps last and not putting much effort into smoothing. Either way it is the most unfinished fiberglass piece I have ever bought out of a full Subtle Z kit, Jim Cook racing rear low profile spoiler, three piece IMSA spoiler and lastly a MSA BRE style spoiler. I sent an email with pics to Greddy on the following day with no response, so I called the next day. I was told that they receive so many spam emails to that address so I tried the direct address from my invoice with again no response on their part. I took a chance on this bumper fitting up with the front Subtle Z from Ztrix.com, and will have to fill in some areas to get proper gaps all around. I really like how the pointed wedge shape of the bumper hints at the G-nose look.

 

The only other thing I have been working on was getting some Volk wheels spoke stickers in red as I had seen on the FuguZ car. I ordered some 17" red stickers from the TE37 SL model only to find out they were too long for my TE37 V models due to the stepped lips on the V's. After some more research I discovered the FuguZ was using a 2015 limited edition model (Te37 VSL). I had the company ACG automotive whom I purchased the wheels from contact Mackin Industries to see if any were still available for purchasing. None were left and the helpful suggestion and actions of ACG's sales staff, (Emily Taylor) helped me with having some identical stickers made by neighboring company Zero Paint for much less than the original Volk stickers.

  

I plan to fill in the excess indention's of where the Subtle Z fenders and lower air dam meet at side profile. I will also add more fiberglass to the inner area of the bumper where it curves on the ends to keep an even gap. Pics of the bumper and wrong size spoke stickers included.

 

Counting down the days until Feb 23 as I have an 11 day surf trip planned to Costa Rica , so car progress will slow as a result due to low funds.  

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Edited by Nelsonian
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  • 1 month later...

Just a little bit of a progress update with rectifying the first Rocket Bunny front bumper that was in dire need of finishing. I received an email from Greddy stating another bumper was on it's way on Feb 22 the day before I was to leave for Costa Rica. Not sure what was the deal as no one from Greddy had gotten in contact with me prior to this odd email.

 

I went on my trip and saw big iguanas, Capuchin and spider monkeys, parrots, heard howler monkeys as well as a big toucan in one jungle house we rented down the southern end of CR at Pavoni's just above Panama. Stayed on the North Pacific side at Camaronal, then Pavoni's down south and finished off the trip at Playa Hermosa with every spot delivering good quality surf.

 

So coming back home I see no box had been delivered and called once again to Greddy to explain my situation with the messed up bumper. I finally got a hold of Greddy and with the help of Mike in sales sent my pictures to TRA Pandem in Japan to which they made me a new bumper and sent it for free to my business address. I just picked it up from Fedex today and upon inspection was happy to see a more finished piece. I was told by Mike on Friday that they were rushing to get it done and sent out to me so there is the smallest amount of sanding needed on the middle line of the front facing wedge which is no big deal at all. I am happy with Mike from Greddy helping me rectify this and keeping up good communication after we established my problems. So now I have the original one that I will add fiberglass in the low spots and sand then paint black and put up for sale. That's about it for the current new parts, but am working on getting HKS 264* cams and all Ferrea valve train for the next items to mark off the "to get list". 

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Edited by Nelsonian
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Yeah, one of the few times it all worked out. On a non Z related note. A short while ago my father had been cleaning out his garage in NC and sent me this new, unused Moto Meter in all it's original box with literature that my grandfather had packed in his garage of auto goodies from many, many years ago. He was a mechanic for Buick and had a 1920 Buick which I wonder if this part was intended for. Thought it was cool and a nice reminder of my Grandpa none the less.

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  • 1 month later...

Well today was a good day as almost the last box delivered today brought me so much closer to completing my engine refresh/upgrade. Earlier this month I placed an order with Dusty at MVP Motorsports in Bridgeport, Texas for a set of GSC Power Division S1 269* cams and all new Brian Crower valve train. I contacted about five of the most prominent JZ parts suppliers to ask opinions and preferences for all these parts. It was a great experience dealing with MVP and Dusty in particular as he did not try to sway me to any one brand as some of the other JZ parts suppliers did which I somewhat expected of some of them. It came down to Kelford or GSC and I chose the GSC for the cams. It was nice to buy online without having to pay CA tax and also pickup in person from Brian Crower as they are very close to me, so also saved on no shipping fees. The only thing I'm in need of now are OEM Toyota valve seats and my ARP rod bolts and main studs. I went with BC +1 mm oversize ss valves and single springs with titanium retainers. Going to have the head lightly ported to improve flow.

 

I later called back to MVP and also placed an order for ACL main and rod bearings and thrust washers to round out the bottom end. I still plan on using the stock crank , rods and pistons after having them inspected and cleaned. The other parts I am waiting to pick up are the group buy in from member (Woza01) for rear caliper bracket to accommodate Wilwood MC4 parking brakes calipers, (Which I still need to get). I am having my set of brackets powder coated in the closest shade of red to somewhat match the Arizona Z anodized pieces. Won't get those back until this Friday at the earliest.

 

I also met with Stuart the body and paint guy in regards to my fg front Rocket Bunny bumper and we decided to use the first one sent and I will end up selling the remade second one as opposed to original plan. I have also been coming back to my original idea of fender venting and am still pondering my initial plan to use the Hyundai gills or go with a current BMW X5 inspired single vent closer to the front wheel well. I hate having OCD  and bound by details so much all the time.

 

That's about all for now as I still need to finish paying for all this crap and start saving for the next items.  

Pics of mentioned topics included.  The last four are of conceptual ideas for venting, but by no means permanently set to size or placement....  

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Edited by Nelsonian
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  • 2 weeks later...

Finally received the rest of my engine parts, consisting of  ARP rod bolts and main studs and OEM Toyota washer plates to complete my order. The only two items left to build the whole engine would be to get forged rods and pistons. Don't think my power goals necessarily demand this as well as my wallet telling me that I can't afford them.   

 

I also got my Wilwood custom rear MC4  parking brake caliper mount back from the powder coaters. I had it done in the closest red color to the existing aluminum anodized red brackets from AZC. Not a complete match but it will do. I still have to lightly paint the areas which I had taped off as not to build up the powder coating on them. I also will need to get the MC4 calipers, but in no rush on them for now.

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  • 9 months later...

As usual it's been awhile since last updating, but not a whole lot to update on currently. I just received my new rear YZ quarter panels from Ztrix.com and did a quick mock up for visual sake. After switching wheels from the 9.5" Rota RB's to the wider Volk Te37's at 10" I wanted to stuff the widest performance street tire that I could and the old Subtle Z rear quarters would not have let me do that. Today I ordered a set of 275/40R/17" BF Goodrich Sport Comp 2 tires and will have them in and mounted mid next week. I also picked up a mint condition, barely used Ford 8.8 IRS posi trac differential 3.55 gear ratio from an '02 Expedition whom the seller said only had between 50 to 75 miles on it. He is or was a Ford tech and said the then new expedition still under warranty was misdiagnosed as having a bad rear diff causing a shimmy. After the new one (this one I purchased) was installed and driven for the said 50 to 75 miles it was clear that it was not the root cause. The diff was then purchased by the seller and he held on to it until today when he put it up for sale and I snagged it. I am patiently waiting for the custom mounts to materialize in another thread so I can get some and continue on with the other parts needed to put all on the car.  I had my body/paint guy Stuart come out and look at the new quarter panels in preparation to starting back working on the car, but he wanted me to have all parts on and ready before going down the guessing route with body mods and fitment. Makes sense and I should have known better by now after having something built before a major component is in it's place for fitment purposes.

I started cleaning out some of the light surface rust in my stock 240Z gas tank with Evapo-rust and have it soaking from last Thursday. I had it boiled out a long time ago and put into storage, but you can't hide from the damn rust demons. I am also now committed to removing the rear spare tire well and going with a fuel cell and surge tank set up and when the time comes to resume will commission  that work to Stuart. I am also putting the remaining "to get" engine parts on hold (forged pistons and rods, fluidamper), to focus on the body work. Tomorrow I will pick up my 2JZ engine from my planned engine builder Mark and put it into my storage garage for a bit. Mark has had it in his garage for a few years now and has moved into a new house with a smaller garage and has another three engines and tons of other parts. That's about it for now. Pictures show the quarter panels loosely taped on and over the existing Subtle Z panels along with the custom blended spoiler protruding into it's intended spot of application resulting in it pushing out a good inch a the top and back. Basically just excited when the box arrived and had to get a quick and dirty visual look for motivation......

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Edited by Nelsonian
I'm old and can't spell any more
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Had to meet with Mark my previously planned engine builder and pick up my engine to bring down to the storage garage today. This is the closest my car a has come to it's new intended heart transplant so far. Just a few pics and finally bagged it up for a little more hibernation .....

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The new tires came in and had them mounted at the end of last week. This has me motivated to make some progress with the build. I called my old friend Tho Chung who has previously done the majority of fab work on the car, to see if I can get him to finish up the stitch welding in the front and rear of the car as well as cut out the rear floor with the spare tire well. Still waiting to hear back and plan accordingly. 

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It looks like you are pursuing the same basic vision as I am...you are just much further along.  Looking really great.

 

What do you think of the basic quality and fit of the Ztrix parts?  I am torn between the IMSA kit, the YZ kit (like yours), or the Pandem kit.  I like the looks of the pandem kit the least, but being Japanese it is probably of very high quality.

 

Do your strut tower bars tie into the dash bar, or ?  And do they eliminate the possibility of using wipers?  I still haven't decided how I am going to handle doing that portion of the cage.

 

I admire the dedication of your fab guy doing the stitch welding for you.  I did it on my own car and thought about killing myself a few times.  It really is a sucky job, particularly if done thoroughly.

Edited by Ironhead
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I am happy with the overall quality of the Ztrix parts, but as with any fiberglass parts there are some finishing touches needed. John Washington is a great guy to deal with and responds and answers any and all questions in a timely fashion. As for my front chromoly tubing, the shock towers just connect to a flat plate footing on the fire wall so the wipers still function. I intend to stitch weld the firewall next. I only have a 4 point roll bar as it will primarily be a street car with intentions to occasionally autocross, canyon carve, maybe non competitive fun day run at Willow Springs, etc... I just got in touch with Tho Chung of Time Machine Race craft who has the time and has agreed to finish all the stitch welding. We also discussed the removal of the rear spare tire floor area in prep for a fuel cell and mounting cage. Hopefully next weekend I can get the car up to him to start. Tough decisions on how to go about it with the widebody  choices. I would agree with you and say the Pandem kit would be my last choice of the three, just my opinion there...

Edited by Nelsonian
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Nelson, do you have any estimate as to how much of the flares will be filled up with the 275s?  I suppose without your drivetrain mounted it is pretty hard to guess....

 

I am "thinking" (still a ways down the road) of running 315s in the rear....and I was wondering if the YX flares would fit them....or if I would have to go with the IMSA kit....

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3 hours ago, Ironhead said:

Nelson, do you have any estimate as to how much of the flares will be filled up with the 275s?  I suppose without your drivetrain mounted it is pretty hard to guess....

 

I am "thinking" (still a ways down the road) of running 315s in the rear....and I was wondering if the YX flares would fit them....or if I would have to go with the IMSA kit....

I could only guess at this point as to how the final fitment will play out. I will be using a Ford 8.8 IRS diff, custom Driveshaft Shop axles for my rear set up. I called and spoke with John in regards to the possibility of making the rear quarters a half inch narrower. He seemed to think it could be done, but in the end I decided to just order standard size. I still like other wheel options out there, (Work VS KF, or VS XX, BBS RS GT, or SSR Professor SP1R) all in 2 or 3 piece and wide width's.  

The YZ rear quarters will accommodate up to a 12" rim and house 315's. Case in point would be Darius' 240Z here...

 

http://www.superstreetonline.com/features/1412-1972-datsun-240z-chevrolet-small-block/

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  • 2 weeks later...

Finally got the old project moving in gear and loaded up for a little 45 mile drive up to Tho Chung's garage at Time Machine Racecraft for more stitch and spot welding as well as some fabrication. I also got a chance to see his '74  Mazda RX4 that I love in that green color. Also snapped a few pics of the front upper engine bay structure that was crumpled in the previous owners wreck. I am on the hunt for a replacement piece if anyone has a clean non rusty/crusty piece on the passenger side.I am planning on having the new Ford 8.8 lsd vapor blasted to remove the years of oxidation and leave a clean even sheen. That's it for now....

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Edited by Nelsonian
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  • 2 weeks later...

A few pics of the initial front end stitch weld progress from this past week. The Endura brand epoxy primer has been a real challenge to remove and prep for the stitch welding. I have been super stoked that it has lasted as long as it has since it was applied several years back, but it has slowed down the welding with pre prep. I am in the process of breaking down the diff to bring up to Anaheim and have it vapor blasted, but have been contemplating having it dry blasted then powder coated instead. Not quite sure which path to take just yet. More to come. 

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Edited by Nelsonian
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