She Followed Me Home, Honest
05-06-14, 02:24 PM
#1126
The FC has been on a death watch for the last 7 years/70k miles...I expect she'll be needing attention sooner rather than later.
If it makes this thread more relevant, right now our top candidate for the Z's motor/tranny swap is an FD turbo motor.
If it makes this thread more relevant, right now our top candidate for the Z's motor/tranny swap is an FD turbo motor.
05-06-14, 07:17 PM
#1129
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so the chances of a dealership stocking FC stuff (for a 25 year old car) is fairly small, although they can order huge portions of the car and have it show up in a few days
05-06-14, 07:59 PM
#1130
I've had one in my FC for years (well, a few...) and like it's layout and clarity.
We'll be hunting for a NB dash so we get the electronic speedo.
I'm really excited about the rocker trim also, too bad it'll be a while before we get to see it. I can get the rear ends in shape but need the front fenders on before going much further.
It isn't going to be like most skirt setups, I'm not interested in adding a bunch of visual weight to the bottom of the car. It was mostly a response to Datsun's lackadaisical styling department. The Z body curves/rolls in quite a lot at the bottom (XKE's are a great example of the same thing) and that's a cool styling approach, but from 5' away, when you look down there the crappy pinch weld is completely visible.
Hiding the pinch seam was the original goal, the Honda trim does that and adds a nice bit of detail to the rockers without radically altering the look. The protection they'll afford that vulnerable area is an added bonus.
Both the rocker trim and rear wing will be painted to match the body, hope to blend them in and let the shapes speak without the amplification of color/texture contrast.
05-06-14, 10:09 PM
#1131
NA-BOOSTIN
So don't remember if you said it or not . But the last pic of the spoiler . That's the Saab trimmed down ? . As for the rockers . I see what your sayin bout the pinch weld .
05-11-14, 09:19 AM
#1134
Yesterday's work session was one where all we did was lay groundwork for the future, nothing actually got completed.
The side glass, which we are treating as a single design element, was the project that got the furthest. We're almost done with construction but final install must wait for the body repaint.
The Honda Civic window garnish was a great idea that needed some tweaking and after some experiments, the pieces were cooked in an oven at 225° for 1/2 hour and then clamped in place to aircool.
That worked and the trim now lays perfectly and looks absolutely OEM.
Almost by chance I figured out how to mount the mirrors, a finicky job way more trouble than one would imagine. Unlike a car originally designed with a corner/window mount mirror (like the FC, for instance), the Z mirrors were mounted on the door skin...this means our glass rises behind the mirror and the mount/hardware must allow for this to happen.
The mount must be sturdy but at least potentially removable, position the mirror to maximize the visual field and finally, look like it belongs there.
I think we've covered all three concerns but again, final install waits on paint.
The window issues were the only ones we made actual, physical progress on, everything else was blue sky theoretical.
The FC gas filler neck (which allows for a screw in cap instead of our original camlock style) can be made to work, I'm just not sure it's worth the effort and we're thinking about it.
Sigfrid spent more time working with the end caps of the rear wing.
It's not yet certain we can "adjust" them to fit and look any nicer than what we already have, so again, we're thinking.
The final, and actually, most important, thing we did was make the decision to go with the Miata dash.
We've measured, compared and tried to imagine the install sequence and cannot find any dealbreakers...I think it's completely possible for us to pull it off nicely.
S. is now actively hunting for one to buy.
We took stock of where we are and firmed up plans on how to move forward efficiently.
Although visual proof is scant, we're pretty much right on schedule.
The side glass, which we are treating as a single design element, was the project that got the furthest. We're almost done with construction but final install must wait for the body repaint.
The Honda Civic window garnish was a great idea that needed some tweaking and after some experiments, the pieces were cooked in an oven at 225° for 1/2 hour and then clamped in place to aircool.
That worked and the trim now lays perfectly and looks absolutely OEM.
Almost by chance I figured out how to mount the mirrors, a finicky job way more trouble than one would imagine. Unlike a car originally designed with a corner/window mount mirror (like the FC, for instance), the Z mirrors were mounted on the door skin...this means our glass rises behind the mirror and the mount/hardware must allow for this to happen.
The mount must be sturdy but at least potentially removable, position the mirror to maximize the visual field and finally, look like it belongs there.
I think we've covered all three concerns but again, final install waits on paint.
The window issues were the only ones we made actual, physical progress on, everything else was blue sky theoretical.
The FC gas filler neck (which allows for a screw in cap instead of our original camlock style) can be made to work, I'm just not sure it's worth the effort and we're thinking about it.
Sigfrid spent more time working with the end caps of the rear wing.
It's not yet certain we can "adjust" them to fit and look any nicer than what we already have, so again, we're thinking.
The final, and actually, most important, thing we did was make the decision to go with the Miata dash.
We've measured, compared and tried to imagine the install sequence and cannot find any dealbreakers...I think it's completely possible for us to pull it off nicely.
S. is now actively hunting for one to buy.
We took stock of where we are and firmed up plans on how to move forward efficiently.
Although visual proof is scant, we're pretty much right on schedule.
05-12-14, 08:41 AM
#1136
I find those taillights more intriguing than the wing.
Although they look very similarly shaped to the earlier cars, there must be a dealbreaker because I've not seen them grafted on a 240/280.
As I predicted a few weeks ago, we just got 5" of heavy wet spring snow.
More like rain with pretensions of grandeur, it'll melt away in a few hours but leave the junkyard a morass for a day or two.
I need the yard to provide a power distribution block to base the electrical system on.
According to the guys at Grassroots Motorsports, every GM car/truck has just what I need, so I'll be venturing into areas of the yard I rarely visit.
It'll be an expedition!
Although they look very similarly shaped to the earlier cars, there must be a dealbreaker because I've not seen them grafted on a 240/280.
As I predicted a few weeks ago, we just got 5" of heavy wet spring snow.
More like rain with pretensions of grandeur, it'll melt away in a few hours but leave the junkyard a morass for a day or two.
I need the yard to provide a power distribution block to base the electrical system on.
According to the guys at Grassroots Motorsports, every GM car/truck has just what I need, so I'll be venturing into areas of the yard I rarely visit.
It'll be an expedition!
05-12-14, 05:08 PM
#1137
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05-14-14, 08:48 PM
#1140
I think that's more "coincidental" than "ironic" but we can consult with Alanis to confirm.
I waded into the junkyard today ( only two days after a big, sloppy wet spring snowstorm) to take more measurements of the Miata and make sure the dash swap is viable.
Everything still points to yes.
I also snagged two GM power distribution blocks and we'll begin wiring this weekend.
Two more Honda window trim pieces as well, this time from an Insight.
I've been hoping one would show up and my prayers were answered as a Porsche 944 appeared yesterday. They have some rubber bumper trim I'm interested in but this car was surrounded by ankle deep water and will have to wait a few days before I can get to it.
Saturday, we plan on sealing the windows ( car leaks like a sieve) and beginning to wire in the power network.
If all goes well we may get her to turn over...maybe do a compression check.
It might be useful to know if this engine is any good or not, eh?
I waded into the junkyard today ( only two days after a big, sloppy wet spring snowstorm) to take more measurements of the Miata and make sure the dash swap is viable.
Everything still points to yes.
I also snagged two GM power distribution blocks and we'll begin wiring this weekend.
Two more Honda window trim pieces as well, this time from an Insight.
I've been hoping one would show up and my prayers were answered as a Porsche 944 appeared yesterday. They have some rubber bumper trim I'm interested in but this car was surrounded by ankle deep water and will have to wait a few days before I can get to it.
Saturday, we plan on sealing the windows ( car leaks like a sieve) and beginning to wire in the power network.
If all goes well we may get her to turn over...maybe do a compression check.
It might be useful to know if this engine is any good or not, eh?
05-18-14, 09:55 AM
#1142
I never see Z's in the wild (or FC's for that matter)...lots of real crappy ZX's but few Z's of any calibre.
Yesterday Sigfrid and I had a 12 hour work session where an incredible amount of detail work was accomplished and we saw the side window treatment come to fruition.
Among other things.
The ironic aspect to this window work is that it is all designed/intended to be invisible, as OEM-like as we could make it.
I have tried before- and failed- to describe my objections to Datsun's original approach/execution to the window trim...it was crude and amateurish and didn't even serve it's main function (wind/water sealing) very well.
My original intent was to address the sealing issues but that grew to a whole makeover.
In fact, this particular project is an excellent example of why S. and I collaborate so well.
The concept was all mine and I'm the one who roamed the yard gathering parts to build with, Sigfrid spent the time to make them fit and make it look OEM.
Hours of minute adjustments- grinding, sanding, filing, heat forming to shape...he did it all.
Two things to bear in mind when looking at these (totally underwhelming) pics...the glass will be heavily tinted and none of the new stuff has been final painted yet, so color/texture doesn't match as well as it will.
Doesn't look like much does it?
Excellent, that was the whole idea.
Although we spent most of the day on this project, we also managed to get through stage 1 of the inevitably long glass sealing process...our newly installed windshield and hatch glass has several leaks.
This was to be expected with gasketed glass and it's simply a matter of chasing down the ingress point and gooping the **** out of it. We're using Permatex "flowing silicon" windshield sealant and did a full treatment on both windows.
It has a 24 hour cure time so we'll have to wait a few days to see how we did.
I expect we'll need a few rounds to get her all buttoned up but I'm confident we'll get there.
The original Z leaked right off the showroom floor, so there's a lot of remedial work to be done.
Funny thing is, the side windows weren't even really on the schedule for yesterday, originally we were going to begin laying the power grid down (more about that in upcoming posts) but that is the beginning of a long process and Sigfrid craved a job that he could see finished...sometimes it's not enough to know your work will ultimately pay off, you want immediate results.
This is a hobby and supposed to be fun, so why not indulge ourselves?
I had acquired the power distribution block from a GM truck and as S. worked on the windows, I played around with positioning and potential harness routing. Came up with some ideas and concepts...we'll see how it goes.
I also scavenged parts for two more future projects, one cosmetic, one mechanical.
I grabbed the bumper rubber trim from a Porsche 944, hoping we can use it to dress up the rear valence of our car. Unfortunately, I only got the front trim and I think the rear may work better, so I'll have to go back for it Monday.
That is the cosmetic thing, the mechanical is meant to address a really odd Z build problem.
Our front mounted hood hinges use torsion bars for springing, these bars span the width of the car and completely obstruct the otherwise large empty nose in front of the radiator.
Although at this point I have no real idea of what I want for the space (cold air intake, driving lights...?), I do know those stupid torsion bars are going.
I'm really surprised this hasn't been addressed by others before me but by far the most popular solution has been removing the torsion bars and relying on the hood prop rod...which works, but lacks elegance.
Now, the original design still required you manually lift the hood, the torsion springing came into effect as the hinge went "over center" and served to keep it open. The prop rod was a safety device to keep wind from blowing the hood shut, our car didn't have one and we never had a problem.
Anyway, I want to see if I can't use gas struts on the hinges and because I'm an idiot, it's easier to visualize with hard parts instead of drawings, so I'd also grabbed what looked like a possible solution, a pair of struts from a Hyundai ( I think).
With hard parts in hand it is much easier to see what's going on and my struts were surprisingly close but not close enough.
I now know exactly what physical size/stroke I need (as well as preferred mounting system) but haven't a clue about pressure. I'll just see what happens.
Research required.
I transported all my electric stock over to Sigfrid's, as I prepare the assault on the wiring.
Man, I have a lot of crap.
It was a beautiful day, we even got a pleasant spring sun shower around six.
It may not look it (by design!) but we got an enormous amount done.
Yesterday Sigfrid and I had a 12 hour work session where an incredible amount of detail work was accomplished and we saw the side window treatment come to fruition.
Among other things.
The ironic aspect to this window work is that it is all designed/intended to be invisible, as OEM-like as we could make it.
I have tried before- and failed- to describe my objections to Datsun's original approach/execution to the window trim...it was crude and amateurish and didn't even serve it's main function (wind/water sealing) very well.
My original intent was to address the sealing issues but that grew to a whole makeover.
In fact, this particular project is an excellent example of why S. and I collaborate so well.
The concept was all mine and I'm the one who roamed the yard gathering parts to build with, Sigfrid spent the time to make them fit and make it look OEM.
Hours of minute adjustments- grinding, sanding, filing, heat forming to shape...he did it all.
Two things to bear in mind when looking at these (totally underwhelming) pics...the glass will be heavily tinted and none of the new stuff has been final painted yet, so color/texture doesn't match as well as it will.
Doesn't look like much does it?
Excellent, that was the whole idea.
Although we spent most of the day on this project, we also managed to get through stage 1 of the inevitably long glass sealing process...our newly installed windshield and hatch glass has several leaks.
This was to be expected with gasketed glass and it's simply a matter of chasing down the ingress point and gooping the **** out of it. We're using Permatex "flowing silicon" windshield sealant and did a full treatment on both windows.
It has a 24 hour cure time so we'll have to wait a few days to see how we did.
I expect we'll need a few rounds to get her all buttoned up but I'm confident we'll get there.
The original Z leaked right off the showroom floor, so there's a lot of remedial work to be done.
Funny thing is, the side windows weren't even really on the schedule for yesterday, originally we were going to begin laying the power grid down (more about that in upcoming posts) but that is the beginning of a long process and Sigfrid craved a job that he could see finished...sometimes it's not enough to know your work will ultimately pay off, you want immediate results.
This is a hobby and supposed to be fun, so why not indulge ourselves?
I had acquired the power distribution block from a GM truck and as S. worked on the windows, I played around with positioning and potential harness routing. Came up with some ideas and concepts...we'll see how it goes.
I also scavenged parts for two more future projects, one cosmetic, one mechanical.
I grabbed the bumper rubber trim from a Porsche 944, hoping we can use it to dress up the rear valence of our car. Unfortunately, I only got the front trim and I think the rear may work better, so I'll have to go back for it Monday.
That is the cosmetic thing, the mechanical is meant to address a really odd Z build problem.
Our front mounted hood hinges use torsion bars for springing, these bars span the width of the car and completely obstruct the otherwise large empty nose in front of the radiator.
Although at this point I have no real idea of what I want for the space (cold air intake, driving lights...?), I do know those stupid torsion bars are going.
I'm really surprised this hasn't been addressed by others before me but by far the most popular solution has been removing the torsion bars and relying on the hood prop rod...which works, but lacks elegance.
Now, the original design still required you manually lift the hood, the torsion springing came into effect as the hinge went "over center" and served to keep it open. The prop rod was a safety device to keep wind from blowing the hood shut, our car didn't have one and we never had a problem.
Anyway, I want to see if I can't use gas struts on the hinges and because I'm an idiot, it's easier to visualize with hard parts instead of drawings, so I'd also grabbed what looked like a possible solution, a pair of struts from a Hyundai ( I think).
With hard parts in hand it is much easier to see what's going on and my struts were surprisingly close but not close enough.
I now know exactly what physical size/stroke I need (as well as preferred mounting system) but haven't a clue about pressure. I'll just see what happens.
Research required.
I transported all my electric stock over to Sigfrid's, as I prepare the assault on the wiring.
Man, I have a lot of crap.
It was a beautiful day, we even got a pleasant spring sun shower around six.
It may not look it (by design!) but we got an enormous amount done.
05-20-14, 08:02 AM
#1143
Well, look at this:
1993 mazda rx7 chevy v8 conversion
That's our swapped FD, up for sale yet again.
(Last time she made Jalopnik's NPOCP and won a NP!)
Looks like they've dipped it but otherwise made no changes.
The interior is a mess.
It won't sell at that price.
Meanwhile our new project rolls along nicely.
I revisited the yard and grabbed the rear bumper rubber from the 944, it might fit better than the front pieces I got last week.
I spent time searching for an appropriate gas strut for the hood but had somewhat of an epiphany and am reevaluating my approach. I still like the concept but the execution may change.
Meanwhile, our compression test- which we'd planned for last weekend but delayed- has risen to the level of "must do".
I'd mentioned before that we decided to use a Miata dash and S. had begun a search...well, he found a whole running car for a ridiculously good price, but it only makes sense if we also use the engine/trans, which we've discussed previously as well.
In our powertrain discussions, I'm Colin Chapman and Sigfrid is Carroll Shelby.
I advocate for less weight to achieve the desired performance, Sigfrid likes big power.
My position is that as we pass the 250hp level, we begin to expose the inherent weakness of the brakes, suspension and tires...all fixable but at great cost.
Better, I think to keep the horsepower the same (our "smog" NA motor is probably sitting @ 130hp right now...assuming it runs at all) and lose a couple hundred pounds, which is exactly what the Miata 4-banger would do for us.
So it's now become a time sensitive decision, if we need a motor as well as the dash (and potentially, the seats), this would be an excellent candidate and we would hate to let it slip by.
We're arranging a mid-week work session to check the engine, make some decisions.
This could get interesting fast...
1993 mazda rx7 chevy v8 conversion
That's our swapped FD, up for sale yet again.
(Last time she made Jalopnik's NPOCP and won a NP!)
Looks like they've dipped it but otherwise made no changes.
The interior is a mess.
It won't sell at that price.
Meanwhile our new project rolls along nicely.
I revisited the yard and grabbed the rear bumper rubber from the 944, it might fit better than the front pieces I got last week.
I spent time searching for an appropriate gas strut for the hood but had somewhat of an epiphany and am reevaluating my approach. I still like the concept but the execution may change.
Meanwhile, our compression test- which we'd planned for last weekend but delayed- has risen to the level of "must do".
I'd mentioned before that we decided to use a Miata dash and S. had begun a search...well, he found a whole running car for a ridiculously good price, but it only makes sense if we also use the engine/trans, which we've discussed previously as well.
In our powertrain discussions, I'm Colin Chapman and Sigfrid is Carroll Shelby.
I advocate for less weight to achieve the desired performance, Sigfrid likes big power.
My position is that as we pass the 250hp level, we begin to expose the inherent weakness of the brakes, suspension and tires...all fixable but at great cost.
Better, I think to keep the horsepower the same (our "smog" NA motor is probably sitting @ 130hp right now...assuming it runs at all) and lose a couple hundred pounds, which is exactly what the Miata 4-banger would do for us.
So it's now become a time sensitive decision, if we need a motor as well as the dash (and potentially, the seats), this would be an excellent candidate and we would hate to let it slip by.
We're arranging a mid-week work session to check the engine, make some decisions.
This could get interesting fast...
05-20-14, 08:42 AM
#1144
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that trim turned out really nice around the windows. If you didn't know how the original trim looked, you would be none the wiser that it has been updated.
Dual cam KA24DE are a dime a dozen, but iron block and a tad heavy. Another Nissan candidate would be the non turbo SR20 from the sentra se-r.
But I like the miata idea. simple
Dual cam KA24DE are a dime a dozen, but iron block and a tad heavy. Another Nissan candidate would be the non turbo SR20 from the sentra se-r.
But I like the miata idea. simple
05-20-14, 09:12 AM
#1145
As I evolve my car building skills/ethos, I've turned from "Look what I did!" to trying to erase signs that I did anything at all. The less obvious the mod, the more successful I consider it.
Relatively simple, yes.
The engine mounts would be completely custom of course, but that's par for the course.
Potentially a bigger issue is the tranny mount as the Miata (like the FD) uses a PowerPlantFrame (PPF) instead of a more normal arrangement.
That could be tricky to overcome without some fancy fab work...maybe.
Once the drivetrain is mounted though, yeah, it should be pretty straightforward to hook her up and get running.
05-20-14, 06:31 PM
#1147
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it looks like any new car... i wish i had kept it, but there was a hot rod magazine from like 89 i had, that had a little black and white blurb about this 69 firebird chip foose had in college.
its actually very much in the same vein as your Z, it wasn't stock, but it was REALLY hard to tell what he did. they did the window moldings, like you, removed a little chrome, the paint on the bottom was darker than the top (i think it was gold)
anyways, you're in rarefied air
its actually very much in the same vein as your Z, it wasn't stock, but it was REALLY hard to tell what he did. they did the window moldings, like you, removed a little chrome, the paint on the bottom was darker than the top (i think it was gold)
anyways, you're in rarefied air
05-23-14, 05:55 AM
#1149
Interesting day yesterday, quite wild weather.
I was at Sigfrid's all day, there were a couple of things I wanted done before our normal Saturday session and they were more easily accomplished alone.
For about three hours in the afternoon, the weather just went nuts- two rounds of hail, torrential rain and the civil defense sirens were on for about a half hour...I guess there were twisters sighted somewhere.
There is a yard maintenance company that does several of S.'s neighbors lawns and they were there during this biblically epic weather...never stopped working.
A lawnmower cutting hail covered grass makes a very interesting sound.
Kind of like gravel in a blender.
Anyway, despite staring bemusedly at the spectacle, a few things got done.
I mounted the rubber Porsche bumper blocks on the rear of the Z and they are perfect.
They need a bit of loving attention and adjustment but they'll be great.
Pics on Saturday.
Also made some decisions on the wiring and went ahead and mounted the power distribution block.
There were a couple of options for this, they each had advantages/downsides and I just picked one and went with it.
I'm committed now.
Because the car is now (beginning to be) powered, it was simple to hook up the starter and run a compression test.
Um, not great, Bob.
We'd like to see @145 psi/cylinder, what we have is:
0...130...130...40...30...135.
She's kinda dead.
As you might imagine, we're not happy.
But not really surprised, either.
We meet again tomorrow and we'll hash out options and see how to go forward.
I was at Sigfrid's all day, there were a couple of things I wanted done before our normal Saturday session and they were more easily accomplished alone.
For about three hours in the afternoon, the weather just went nuts- two rounds of hail, torrential rain and the civil defense sirens were on for about a half hour...I guess there were twisters sighted somewhere.
There is a yard maintenance company that does several of S.'s neighbors lawns and they were there during this biblically epic weather...never stopped working.
A lawnmower cutting hail covered grass makes a very interesting sound.
Kind of like gravel in a blender.
Anyway, despite staring bemusedly at the spectacle, a few things got done.
I mounted the rubber Porsche bumper blocks on the rear of the Z and they are perfect.
They need a bit of loving attention and adjustment but they'll be great.
Pics on Saturday.
Also made some decisions on the wiring and went ahead and mounted the power distribution block.
There were a couple of options for this, they each had advantages/downsides and I just picked one and went with it.
I'm committed now.
Because the car is now (beginning to be) powered, it was simple to hook up the starter and run a compression test.
Um, not great, Bob.
We'd like to see @145 psi/cylinder, what we have is:
0...130...130...40...30...135.
She's kinda dead.
As you might imagine, we're not happy.
But not really surprised, either.
We meet again tomorrow and we'll hash out options and see how to go forward.
