veritech-z

Personally, I prefer your old ones. They look like Olderthanme's wheels, but since he's in ATL also, I can see why you'd want to change them up. I also like the mesh wheels to the left of those better as well, but that's just my opinion. My car has three spokes, so I know my wheel opinions aren't always in line with the majority...here are some pics of both my primary wheel, and the wheels I'm painting to match the car:

A lot of people seem to think the Z doesn't look like anything on the road except a z, but I have to say, more poeple that see my car ask me if it's a porsche, and generally have never heard of a Datsun...

I looked at the larger pic in your gallery, but it was still hard to tell what they were. They look vaguely like hooded license plate light fixtures, but they might be intended as some kind of a bumperette or something. A close up would be helpful.

We had a thread that went on for some time on this subject over at Hybridz. I'm a 26 year old Floridian, college graduate (studio art major), and a two time 280z owner. My first was a 78, current is a 77. I personally like the idea of the 350z as it sits, but I don't find it to be practical for me as a daily driver, and I don't make enough to support it as a second vehicle. Personally, I think that my interest would be in an entry level sports car, something light (under 3k lbs-light by today's standards since even a mini cooper is 3k lbs) with 200-250hp and rear wheel drive. Wheels no bigger than 16X8, preferably 15X8. I don't care for high offset wheels, so no more than say +25 offset to get a nice dish. I don't particularly care how that HP figure is achieved, whether it be 4cyl, 6cyl, turbo, what have you, but I think that would be a decent amount to start with. If we are talking Nissan, I think a QR25DE would make for a sporty engine in rear wheel drive configuration. Rear wheel drive because while FWD can be sporty, a sports car has to be RWD. Minimal options to save on weight and keep costs down, so power windows and locks would be optional, A/C would be optional, no navigation or backup cameras or heated 9 way power seats or any of that other garbage. I don't mind power steering, but if the car was light enough and the wheels weren't too rediculously oversized, that could be an option too. I don't like T-tops or convertables, but an optional sunroof would be ok. Hatchback styling is alright, but if there is going to be a gigantor strut tower brace, it needs to be removable (I'm looking at YOU 350z). Anyway, that's my 2.5 cents. Anybody else?

Here's something to think about: if you see a thread pop up about a particular topic (or if you are the threadstarter) and you can recall a similar relevant thread (or find such a thread in a subsequent search of your own), why not include a link to that thread so that it becomes easier to get to good information? That happens a lot over at Hybridz, where somebody will post a question, then immediately post a followup that says something to the effect of "ran a search, and found the answer. sorry." It would be much more useful if said answer was linked in the post, so if your thread comes up in a search, you can use the link to find what you need. Also, use accurate subject lines in your threads, so they look relevant right away instead of "thoughts on this" or "WTF?! is happening?" or whatever.

The most backspace you can get away with on a stock 280z is 4.5". As for front spacing without needing a flare, I couldn't say with any authority. I would guess that a wheel much bigger than 7-8" is going to want a flare to keep it from sticking out too much.

How about if you find an old thread, and the question was never fully answered? Is it ok to bring it up to see if a solution was ever properly arrived at? How about if some test/race/event was proposed, but never followed through on? Is it ok to bring it up to ask if that ever got accomplished?

I saw a set of the advan's that are on this car come up for sale once on ebay...this is the only other picture I've EVER seen of that wheel.

I had some build a nest on my steel braided fuel line just behind the diff. I just knocked the nest off with a 6" socket extension and was on my way. They were all dead, I guess the fumes back there are good for something at least...

Thanks for chiming in Alan, I figured if anybody would have seen it, it was going to be you. I'm really thinking this was a one off at this point. I never bothered with the Advan search avenue for exactly the reason you mentioned. That didn't look like a real sponsor to me. I was thinking that it was an exhibition piece more than a real race car (at best maybe a pace car of some sort), but it does look to me to have been based off of a production chassis and not a tube frame. I was thinking of trying to replicate it, and was sort of hoping that if it was commercially available I wouldn't have to. I'm thinking more that I would like to do some all the way around flares like on the white spirit garage car you've got in your album. this one for those who don't know:

Huh. That's a completely different Monza Corporation than I was looking at...I assumed it was the Monza exhaust company, since they offer a header for the early Z car and all kinds of exhaust stuff. This is who I sent the email to: http://www.pacesetterexhaust.com/ I guess I'll try those guys too. I haven't tried to see if Advan really sponsored that car, but I think that they probably just sell those number plates the same way B&M and others do to everybody in the series. I did try to PM Alan (HS30-H), but his PM box is full.

I just got an email from Pacesetter corporation (owners of Monza) that said they had nothing whatsoever to do with this car, and were unable to offer any help. At least they wrote back...

Yokohama/Advan have been involved with Japanese motorsports for a LONG time. I thought when you said pertinant, that you meant in as far as it was pertinant to the car in question. At Advan's homepage they have links to picture of their racing history by decade going back to the 70's, and there is nothing about our S30...I'd actually been hoping when I posted it up over here that HS30-H might know something about it, since he seems to be the keeper of the arcane lore so to speak...

So pertinant, in fact, that it wasn't worth sharing? What search term did you use, just Advan? Don't get anything that looks like this car in any of my searches...

http://www.z31.com/~morgan/nd/?z/awd1000hp240z.jpg

Photoshop on ebay makes me nervous...

I bet that car is in Japan. The whole style of the body kit itself is not an italian design aesthetic, it really looks like it was built to run in the old Japanese Grand Touring Cup (now Super GT). I can't be sure though, since there is no text in any of the photos to give any hints about who runs that shop. I sent an email to the tech support at Monza last night with links to the pictures, so if I hear back from them one way or the other I'll let you guys know.

That's the rumor, but nobody knows that for sure. The AWD rumor started because the car is on an AWD chassis dyno in the pics. There is an S30 that has that swap, and it's front structure is extrememly modified to allow the AWD to work. This car looks like it has a relatively stock radiator core support, so I really doubt it's all wheel drive. I wouldn't be surprised if its got an RB, but where is the intercooler? If you look through the hood scoop, you can see the intake tube on the drivers side, with says engine swap (or YZ head) to me, but as for which one? http://www.z31.com/~morgan/nd/?z/awd1000hp240z.jpg

That's the rumor, but nobody knows that for sure. The AWD rumor started because the car is on an AWD chassis dyno in the pics. There is an S30 that has that swap, and it's front structure is extrememly modified to allow the AWD to work. This car looks like it has a relatively stock radiator core support, so I really doubt it's all wheel drive. I wouldn't be surprised if its got an RB, but where is the intercooler? If you look through the hood scoop, you can see the intake tube on the drivers side, with says engine swap (or YZ head) to me, but as for which one? http://www.z31.com/~morgan/nd/?z/awd1000hp240z.jpg

No problem, Jon. (that was supposed to be the part where you were all like "I think camo paint jobs are pretty awesome" so I could then post pictures of my car without feeling like a showoff, but its cool...:classic: )

Here are some more pictures: The cardomain page these came from were the guy that started the thread on hybridz that got me interested in the car. He didn't know anything about it, just thought it looked cool and put it on his cardomain page.

you may have trouble finding the early non-resistor type plugs, I've got BPR6EY-11 in my 1977 280z. I just went and looked. B: 14mm fine thread P: premium platinum R: Resistor type 6: heat range (lower number= hotter plug with NGK) E:19mm thread reach Y: V-grooved electrode 11: 1.1mm gap (.044") You could get away with running a BKR6ES-11 if you don't want the platinum option. Ask them for '81-'83 280zx non-turbo plugs if they can't find you the right ones for your application at the parts store, the only difference is that these are resistor type plugs which helps with RFI suppression..

I think serious suspension and drivetrain modification done well and with purpose really gets me going. A 4-link live axle conversion, or like Jmortensen's million way adjustable sway bar and rear control arm setup. Also, tasteful interior and exterior mods are nice too. I wish I knew how to work with composites, so I could make good looking (and good working) aero components.

I think those are vents, it looks like it's recessed with a screen in place...I think what they might have done was take a stock replacement fiberglass fender, and extend the mounting edge in. Then they would have had to fill the area that would have contained the inspection lid. I can't tell if that is just a trick of the lighting, or if there really is a groove in that spot. The picture isn't the best, and this monitor I'm on right now is even worse...

Those wheels look terrible...