Derek

Yea when I saw the price and the fact that it's a drop in for the G25 I was right on it. I haven't seen anything written up on the G27 that would make me switch. In fact the prices will probably drop on the g25s. Got some interior work done. That wheel look familiar? Derek

Do you run rFactor? I'm not sure if this fits the G27 or not but I just put one on my G25 Huge difference on the braking. Feels close to the real thing. http://www.apelectrix.com/index.html $65.00 with shipping. Derek

And here I thought I had another admirer! Derek

Well I can't afford a car to race like Bill's But I can afford this! I"m probably hosting the next club meet at my shop and I have 2 driving stations set up so you can give it a try if you like!. No Z yet though. All ready on it. The mod guys were pretty impressed with that data. I'm going to be bribing Pete for some info with a set of cam shims I made up. The 3d model is pretty but the driving experience is all based on the physics file. These guys are all about quality. They are trying to get three other cars done so I'm going to be getting as much data as I can to make their job easier. On the plus side my drawing skills are really improving! Derek

Hi Phillip The nice thing about building your own rig is you can set it up the way you want. The wheel, seat and pedal placement on mine is the same as the Z. Hanging the pedals and adding a load cell on the brakes was a huge improvement. I would say the historic GT mod is the best one out there. But I may be playing favorites. Right now I'm driving the Capri 2600 as it probably going to be close to the Z When The mod comes out in beta would you be interested in working with us on dialing in the physics? Someone with actual track and rFactor experience would be invaluable. Derek Edit: Anyone thinking of buying a racing seat don't get a seat with center bar like the playseats evolution. It's near impossible to work the clutch and brake. You want an open loop one like in the picture.

All right this is a little wordy so please stick with me! I have a driving simulator called rFactor. It's an awesome program. This driving SIM is the same one that's used by some of the F1 teams to train on. The physics engine is very advanced. Plus there is a huge amount of user support in the way of add on cars and tracks. These are called MODs for you old dudes like me out there. I bought the program so I could improve my driving skills since I don't have access (money) to a track. I built a driving rig out of an old seat from my 240 and a logitech G25 wheel. The G25 is nice in that it has a clutch pedal and a shifter. I did a mod on the pedals and hung them and added a load cel on the brake pedal for a more realistic feel. My driving ability and especially heal toe ability improved greatly. There was only one thing missing. An actual 240Z to drive on the track. Well being an idiot I decided I would make it my mission to make it happen. I did some checking around and and contacted one of the top mod groups to see what I could make happen. You know its just amazing how much interest you can get when you mention that you own a 3D laser scanner to a bunch of volunteer game developers! So now that I was their new best friend we hashed out a plan of action. I'd handle all of the 3D modeling work and they would take care of the physics, sounds, and other assorted mumbo jumbo that makes the thing work. Now this is where you guys come in. I need data. Lots of data. It's mind boggling how much info can be programed in. The one that really caught my eye was size and location of fuel tank so that it could factor in the weight of the fuel. Now that's thorough! This is where you come in. I'm going to looking for as much accurate info as I can get. I know some things may be averages and some will be educated guesses. But your guess is going to be a hell of a lot better than my guess. The physics guys on the team are really into creating cars that are accurate as possible and will use as much data as we provide. Here is a snip from the physics file on an old Mustang What's in it for you you might ask. Well nothing really unless you plan on getting a driving setup. In that case it might be a good too to keep you sharp in the off season or tune up a little before going to a new track. Or we can all meet up online for some awesome Z car racing. Some of you guy's followed me along as I went through the madness that was casting my own EFI manifold so you know I finish what I start out to accomplish so this won't be wasted effort on your part. Here are some shots of where I'm at in the modeling process on the Z. The exterior is mostly done and I'm starting on the interior. Right now it's going to patterned after the BRE car but that is just for style. All the handling and aerodynamics is done with the physics definitions. The shaping isn't perfect but it will get the job done. The 3D model is there to hang the skins. If you go on youtube and search on rfactor you can get an idea of what it's all about. Don't hate me just because I'm insane! Derek

Hi Will Great to finally meet you and finally return that mirror base:) Hope I didn't chew your ear off too much! Derek

I emailed Rich Lewis about uploading his pics but I don't think it happened. Maybe a little prodding by you would help. Derek

Great pics! And thanks for blanking out my plate! Do you mind if I link your pictures to the thread over at hybridZ? Derek

I wasn't happy with my stock vent either. I'm adapting a 5 series BMW vent. Here's a link to the discussion. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=152457 Derek

I have a Rostra unit installed in my Z. Makes those 3 and 4 hours drives much more enjoyable! The Rostra unit is repackaged under a few different brand names. Google will be your friend. Derek

Thanks It's a 73. It's basically stock looking on the outside but I've upgraded the interior and suspension pretty extensively. A ton of sound deadening. Power windows,central locking, 350Z seats. The car is really comfortable compared to stock. Of course with all that added weight is slower than Sh!t right now but I'm working on that as well. Derek

Thanks Will Right now they're just prototypes. I may go into production at some point but that is still very much up in the air. I have a build thread over at HybridZ. It's long but shows you what's involved in the process. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=129941 ITBs are tricky to tune but the rewards are worth it. Derek

Hi Guys Been a while since I updated on my Cast intake manifold. I just uploaded a new video. It still doesn't do it justice sound wise but it's the best I can do for now. I have over 3000 miles on it and it runs like a top. There really isn't that much valve noise. The mike just seems to pick up the highs better than the lows. Thanks for looking Derek

Harbor freight taps are good for getting the grease out of a hole and that's about it. Derek

Well the carpeting was aftermarket and it was in 2 halves so that wasn't a problem. Stock vinyl could be an issue though. I did the same treatment to my rear shock towers and the vinyl has a bit of a "sausage" look to it. I thinned the area out just below the dash so that the console would fit. Derek

Raammatand Ensolite are really sound deadners. I used a layer of rammat then ensolite. Then a layer of the aluminum bubble wrap stuff from lowes then a layer of aluminum backed jute from pep boy's. then the tunnel cover. In my case it was carpeting not vinyl. My tunnel is cool as can be no matter how long I run it. Derek

Well a lot has happened since my last post! I figured I'd throw up the latest pictures. If you want to see how I got to this point you can check out the post over at HybridZ. Although there's 21 pages and over 400 posts! First off my engine compartment is really ratty. But making the manifold has kept me pretty busy. The manifolds aren't permanently installed yet but I hope to have it running this week. Art shot 1 Art shot 2 Which looks strikingly similar to this historic photo! Now I didn't set out to copy Bob Sharps turbo manifold but it kind of worked out that way! After I started designing my manifold I posted some early renderings on this site. Jeffrey directed me to a post on the atlantic forum about a manifold they were trying to build. This was one of the pictures they had posted. I perused the thread and promptly forgot all about it. The other night I was revisiting some of the early posts and decided to have another look at the thread and saw that shot so figured I'd have a little fun. I'm in no way comparing my manifold to Bob Sharp! But it's nice that it has the right feel for the era. Here's the unedited shot which I really like. Sorry for the long gaps in updates but it's all I can do to keep 1 thread going! Thanks Derek

Shipping was almost as much as the bumper. Also the picture he has up is so cheesy you have to wonder about the quality. Derek

oops didn't see the post above

Mine sits out front in the driveway where 6 day's a week I flip a switch,push a button and have the best drive to work I've had in 10 years. Derek

I second Carl's recommendation for Fantasy Of Flight. That place is awesome. This was the first time I saw Bill running the Z and it was quite impressive I must say. I had a great time at Roar N Soar and highly recommend it. Derek

I saw a post by Carl about Roar N Soar and checked in to it. Looks like a blast. I entered my car in the "corral" http://www.fantasyofflight.com/roar-n-soar/applications/classic_vintage_car_show_app/ This is great deal as $35.00 gets you admission for 2 for both days as well as great parking for your ride! They're looking for more cars so if your thinking about it you should enter soon. Derek

The timing is perfect on this as I'm getting ready to upgrade my amp and add some front speakers. Right now I have 2 6x9s in the back in custom enclosures. I plan on adding 2 4" 2 way speakers in the front kick panels. I'm not running a head unit as I'm putting together a carputer with a 7" touch screen. I'm only going to have 2 channel output with a Griffin DAC. I was planning on running a 4 channel amp with some built in filtering. I'm thinking something along these lines http://www.crutchfield.com/p_489AP740/Profile-AP740.html?tp=115 I'm not going to buy from Crutchfield as they're kind of pricy. Any thoughts on this combo? Thanks Derek