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This car is shaping up to be quite epic bro. So about when should this thing be more or less.. figured out?



cool simple star tats, to whoever that is...

Well it was *supposed* to be finished march. With any luck the bulk of it will be very soon. It should be mechanically set up pretty much exactly the way I want it by the middle of next month (was sposed to be in march, but ah well)- With the little final touches (few cosmetic bits, etc) being finished by the remainder of the year. Cross the fingers I spose

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Wow what's up with the gap between the ends of the fender flares and the body? Shit needs to get molded properly, my nugga.

If you dig around hybrid youll find its pretty common sadly. Unless youve got some genuine OEM Zg flares most flares you can get readily take a bit of finaggling to mount "flush". The rear side is usually the worst because of the body lines. Its not something you tend to see too often because most people want to take pictures of their cars from the front.

Its generally because almost all flares you can get are copies of copies that someone copied from a copy that someone once copied. Ill work them a bit when im with the car and try and work out a way to keep that corner down. Theyre pretty flexible so it shouldnt take toooo much effort to make something to secure the edge down a bit better.

For now im just happy to have them mounted on my clearanced/cut fenders so my rims/tires fit without rubbing/cutting in.

Back from the land down under! And who did I find waiting for me?

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Fired right up, which is always a great feeling. With any luck Ill have quite a few changes being made over the next week or so (Weather allowing, its well over 100+ outside, so ill probably bitch out and do most of my work at dusk)- Ive been collecting quite a few bits and pieces since I was home last..



And these are just some of the packages. Ive got my work cut out for me it seems.

First on the list? Out with the old carpet bits, in with the new. The car had no carpet when I got it- As just a temporary hold me over (And mostly a "something to do" project), I purchased a black area carpet from walmart for 20 bucks and cut my own- I have to admit i was pretty pleased with the results all things considered, buuut the proper kit is still vastly better.

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Youll also get a glimpse of my roll cage in this one. I didnt get much updating done last time I was here, mostly because I didnt get nearly as much done as I was hoping..

But as a quick update: The mechanical (think torsen) lsd is in, the cage is finished, the rear brakes are done, poly bushings are in, and the sways/camber plates/coilovers are installed (Already been aligned as well). Mechanically speaking the car is back together and runs/drives beautifully. I havent had a chance to really test out the suspension, so I cant really comment on how good it is or isnt, but I can say it is *vastly* better than my 40 year old blown out shocks/springs, and definitely feels far more nimble than it was. Also got my running lights and turn signals installed which really finished up the overall look.

This post has been edited by sideways on Jun 11 2014, 11:28 AM

Aw hell yeah!! Can't wait to see the progress on this. You should totally come hang out and have dinner with IDW in Torrance on July 5th!

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Boo!! I leave in 2 weeks!

Edit: Front bits.

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You can just see the edge of my fixed bucket in this picture, but its only in there temporarily- The 2 big boxes in my previous picture are the reclinable seats I got for the car



I intend to swap to the bucket whenever I do track days- Its nice but it goes without saying that its not the most comfortable thing to sit in for long periods of time. Plus due to the width, the narrowness of the Z, and my being over 6 foot tall, it has to be mounted far back and nearly up agaisnt the transmission tunnel (Or else the lumbar supports hit into the door panel)- which sits you off center to the right quite a bit.

The new seats still offer a bit of lumbar support, but by no means squeeze you. And while theyre a bit on the firm side, theyre still far more comfortable than the bucket Ive got in there now.

This post has been edited by sideways on Jun 11 2014, 11:41 AM

I like it very much. Make sure to keep us updated.

Matt should let us know when you're out of nevada. Lets plan out that meet.

Yay! Looking good, sir.

Few more pictures to drop off

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Image size reduced, original size: 3264 x 2448. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

Image size reduced, original size: 3264 x 2448. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

Image size reduced, original size: 3264 x 2448. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

Image size reduced, original size: 3264 x 2448. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

Image size reduced, original size: 3264 x 2448. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

Again, mostly been cosmetic bits ive been working on- In particular ive been attacking the interior. For me its finally starting to come together and look like a car inside. Its novel to finally have an actual shift boot (Previously it was a shop rag, and then a bit of black fabric that had a hole cut in the center). Coming up next will be installing those new seats and my harnesses, fixing the mechanics of the doors (Window regulators, door locks, striker plates, dove tail alignment pieces, making it so the passenger door can be opened from the outside, etc), and installing a radio.

Are you doing hood or A-pillar mounted mirrors?

My girlyfriend acquire a set of fender mirrors for me to use- Those are on the to do list as well.

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same ones as these

Ah, perfect. I prefer those over the pillar ones.

As someone who had those mirrors, you'll be wanting to do some modifications to them. They don't adjust nearly as well as the factory mirrors, and they have a habit of flopping about horizontally at the point where the 'mirror pillar' attaches to the 'mount'. They're cheap, so you get what you pay for.

Fender mirrors are pretty awesome though. Definitely going with a pair of OEM mirrors for my next car.

Price to me was free so I cant complain Thanks for the warning though ill have to keep that in mind!

Edit: Minor update. The father-unit had made note of how much work id been doing to the car. He used to have one when he was younger (Its a large reason I got one), and wanted to take it for a "drive around the block". So we get in, and he starts the car- I tell him because of the antiquated ecu it has to warm up before we can drive it. He starts the car, and were waiting/talking for a bit as the car warms up. A moment later we both comment huh, is that smoke coming out of the hood? and about 2 seconds later the cabin starts to fill with electrical smoke. He immediately shuts the car off but Im pretty sure I already know whats happened, and have him pop the hood.

A few seconds later I confirmed my concerns, the starter had burnt out. In particular the wire connecting the solenoid to the motor itself. Yep, the starter got let on. Now this isnt his fault- the ignition is 42+ years old, and when you let go of the key from crank, it returns like 7/8s of the way back to the "run" position. I without thinking about it return the key straight up/down.

9 times out of 10 for other people its fine, but that 1 in 10 sometimes it doesnt go far enough to kick the starter off. Yes, this has happened before with someone else. Thankfully the starter has a life time warranty and will be replaced for free, buuuut, still sucks.

This post has been edited by sideways on Jun 15 2014, 01:18 PM

great progress! i have an original '73 Z, the clutch slave cylinder keeps blowing out, replaced unit about three times, they are cheap enough ($12). any suggestions?

The easy possibility: Are you getting the same brand every time? Its possible theres a flaw with them (Bad batch of seals in construction, faulty work, etc). If not:

Harder possibility (and the most likely candidate in my experiences with this): Check the work. It may simply be sitting improperly, or worse, might be slightly bent. If the fork isnt in the right position for whatever reason- Its possible that youre over-extending the clutch slave, which can pop out/tear the seal. If you have a buddy who can help you, have someone work the clutch while youre under the car- Check and see how far the slave is moving and make sure its not over extending. If you find something out, feel free to let me know

Not too many major updates with the car. Ill spare the details and give the short version, as the story kind of speaks for itself- But at this point, Im not returning to australia. For obvious reasons for anyone who knows me and my situation, this is why I havent been working on the car much- And have only just started again tinkering with it.

Biggest contributions as of lately is that Ive finally installed my radio, and ive been working on cleaning up/rewiring a few things. Boost controller is now properly wired to a power post which is on a switched source, up until now ive just attached/powered it by an alligator clip Also did a quick fab on a proper battery tie down. Until now its just been tied in place with some bailing wire.

This post has been edited by sideways on Jun 30 2014, 04:07 PM

MOAR Updates!

(THIS POST WAS REMOVED BY REQUEST)

Nothing too exciting gents, just lots of little creature comfort touches.

Got around to putting in the bits of my carpet kit I wanted

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Got tired of having an exposed/rusting roll cage so I cleaned it up and painted it (Half assedly mind you with some 99 cent paint, its not a show car but i got tired of seeing raw rusting metal)

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Image size reduced, original size: 980 x 735. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

Removed and painted the center console

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Replaced my shift boot and hand brake boot, installed my release hub and momo wheel (from the rolla) and got the rest of the interior relatively back together

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Finished getting the last bits of the radio in, and got my speakers installed.

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You also might note some odd switches by the radio. The light switch in the Z broke (yay for plastic bits that are over 4 decades old!), I can still use it to turn on the headlights, but the bit that works the running/interior lights crumbled into pieces. As I "dont really care as long as it works", i couldnt be bothered to blow the money on a replacement switch assembly for the lights, so I spent a few bucks on a switch (the silver/metal toggle) and soldered up a to the back of the unit so I could turn them on manually myself.

The little black switch controls the interior blower motor. With it turning into winter finally here I decided I wanted heat in the car. This turned into an amusing project. The PO, wanting to turn the car into a drag toy, gutted most of everything behind the radio console. Cut all the actuator cables for the vents, fan, gutted the control switches out, etc. Again due to my "dont care as long as it works" attitude, instead of spending the money on a replacement switch, I simply dug up another toggle from my tool box and wired it up directly.

Also had to re-plumb back up the heater core. The core had simply been bypassed during the turbo conversion as the hoses are a bit different between the l28et and l24. Theres T on the back of the block that runs to the core, and to the carbs to keep them warm. Not having carbs anymore all of this was simply bypassed and the coolant ran straight back into the block. So I flushed the hell out of the core and then proceeded to get what I needed to plumb the heater properly to the water pump and dump back into the block. To my surprise (and relief) the core didnt leak when I finally ran the car.

However the blower motor, once I finally turned it on, protested to being awoken. The shaft the fan blade assembly sits on had major play in it and was clunking/thrashing about. So I decided to pull the motor and replace it. However to get to the motor I had to remove the glove box to get at the upper screws. The glove box also protested, and proceeded to disintegrate into a bajillion little dusty pieces. Turns out the glove boxes in these cars are simply constructed from bits of cardboard stapled into shape. And in the midst of removing the glove box, the glove box door itself also decided to protest, and broke as well. Turns out the "hinge" on the glove box door, isnt actually a hinge. Its a few pieces of crimped plastic that simply flexes as you open/close the door. I guess after 40 years it decided to call it quits, and all the flexy-tabs broke to pieces. Joy.

Still determined not to spend money "If i dont have to", I set about fixing all of this myself (big surprise, i know). My solution was laughably cheap, but im actually fairly happy with the final result. I made a shell out of a piece of scrap metal from the garage, simply bending it into a C shape. Using this shell as a template, I cut out some cardboard and hot glued it in place to fashion the sides, lining the outside with ductape for easy reinforcement:

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Id already started in that picture, but I began coating the inside with glue and lined it in felt. Voila, new glove box

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For the glove box door I simply tore it apart and attached some leather inside it, anchoring it to where the hinge normally goes so it stays in place. Again stupidly simple, but its been working great for me. The final result:

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Image size reduced, original size: 980 x 735. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

Holds all my junk just fine.

And no pictures of doing it, but FINALLY got around to installing my window regulators (A huge thanks to Starion for finding those gems in the junkyard for me). Its novel having windows that i can roll up/down, and *STAY* up. Previously my drivers window would just fall, so id resorted to wedging it "up". Also installed quite a few of my weather strip bits, the biggest being the door and trunk seals. Can finally drive the car around without the fear of giving myself lung and crying like a little girl from exhaust fumes burning my eyes.

Im currently helping case finish off his rx7, and with any luck well be going to the track together. So hopefully Ill have some interesting footage to share in the near future.

This post has been edited by sideways on Nov 22 2014, 03:15 PM

Nice job man, creativity wins!

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