Mike

Hi guys, sorry I haven't posted here in awhile. There has been a lot of things in my life going on recently. Since summer ended, the progress on the Z has been slow. Here are a few updates. I'll try to get some more picts soon. - Interior is complete. - Installed rebuilt wiring harness. - Installed new fuse box from MSA (old one was wrong model). - Battery tray welded in place and painted. - Headlight buckets repaired, painted and installed. - Received new airdam from MSA. - Painted and prepped airdam (still needs to be installed). - Rear panel finished paint. Needs to be mounted. - Ordered and received remaining electrical parts. - Soldered and identified most under-dash wiring. Still a few to go. - L28 engine & head sent to machine shop for rebuild & new cam. - Purchased and connected new sealed battery. - Tested electrical system. - Rewired turn signal switch. That's about it. In the last few months it has been going slow, but, it's still on the roadmap to be completed before next season.

Guys, I reopened the old thread and merged this one into it.

Yes, we've had our moments, but, this club has been very enjoyable over the years. I'm actually enjoying it more as it grows and new people come on board.

Man, I just looked further into this game. It's going to support 720p (high definition) and 5.1 surround sound..... sweet! Release date still says TBA. They sure do like the 350z because it's featured in both of their trailers and on the main banner. I'd like to see some more screen shots of the 240z. Dave, do you think you can ask the developers to send us some snapshots of the 240z ? -- Mike

Ok, I renamed the thread. It's awesome that your car will be featured in the game. Cool stuff! When does the game come out? I looked for it tongiht and didn't see it.

Try Motorsport Auto. I know they have NOS turn signals and I believe they have the headlight assemblies. http://www.classiczcars.com/banners.php?op=click&bid=28

Welcome Steve!

Dave, I merged your threads together. No sense in having two separate threads about the same topic.

Sweet article on the Forza site. I love the audio clips man... sounds great. I'm definitely gonna have to pick up the game just to hear your car.

Here are couple of shots of an early S30 with a bunch of 350z additions. http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=20807&cat=3316 http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=20472&cat=3316 http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=20469&cat=3316

Yea, sorry about the downtime... it seems that any of my little 'fixes' end up costing about 2 days of programming time. Here's some more information about the downtime: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?goto=newpost&threadid=23931

Excellent job!! Your dash looks great in the photos. Thanks for sharing with the club. You can get a dash redone for approx $400. New dashes, unfortunately, are around $1,500.

Nice find, Vic!! Sounds like she had a bunch of fun things already done. How much?

Actually, there have been a few members of our club with convertibles. I don't think it's fair to say that it's a bad modification. When done correctly, I think it's perfectly legitimate. True the car was not designed as a convertible and was never sold from the dealerships that way. But, there have been a bunch of designs floating around for this kind of mod. Take a look in the forums and do a search on convertible. There are also many pictures in our gallery of member-rides with convertible modifications. Here's a link to our gallery with the keyword "convertible".... check it out... (you might have to search past the 240k cars) http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=all&page=2&si=convertible

I'd have to say the entire car has weak points. The unibody design and the lack of rust protection was a huge miss. It is now very apparent the body design doesn't accomodate for sealed seams, protected panels, and rust prevention. The engine and the emissions were not designed properly and seemed to be a major "afterthought"... They should have designed the emissions into the car and created a powerplant that could handle that kind of government regulation. The electrical wiring was not designed for an automotive application. There are many problems with moisture build-up and corrosion that cause melt-downs (fuse block) and main fusable link. The engine compartment connections would operate a lot better if better components were used. Under-panel foam seals rotted out and long-term maintenance was not planned ahead very well. Rear spindle pins were not sealed units and 90% of any modern restoration will include replacing these parts. Suspension parts were not planned for enough adjustment. Oil-based shocks leaked and required waay too much maintenance. Rear drum brakes are a pain and why didn't they think to use disk in the rears? Stereo system was not sufficient for adequate sound or enjoyment. Who wants AM radio and a single speaker? Most of the items I listed above are due to the ERA the car was designed and built. The 70's was still a major learning experience for the car industry and it wasn't until the late 80's and 90's that car manufacturers started to get things "right" with these components. I'd have to say a major portion of that advancement was due to the computer and engineering processes moving in the direction of computer simulation and design. When compared to other cars designed/built in the 70's, I believe Datsun was ahead of the game.

Man, your bunny picture cracks me up. Nice find on the car.

It probably depends on the kind of racing you'd want to do.

I really enjoy the 350z. It's a nice combination of price versus performance. You can't find a car for under $30k that gives you what the 350z does. I agree that it doesn't follow the lines like the early S30 cars, but, it's a different world today. Nissan did a good job with promoting and selling the car. When you speak motorsports, everyone knows about the 350z. The only car I like better, under $50k, is the Infinity G35. There is just nothing else out there that matches it. Of course, I would love to have an Auston Martin Vantage.... Now that looks more like the 240z. Anyway, it's obvious Nissan didn't want to go back to their roots (like VW, Ford, etc). The 350z is a totally new design.

It will be done.

Close, but, not quite. I love the old Datsun art and would love to find a copy!

A few more....

More Halloween goodies....

I'm in the $6k range. I had the entire inside, outside, and underside painted. The car was completely apart. If you're budgeting for a similar color (so you can skip painting the door jambs, etc), then you'll save money. Budget around $4k USD and you'll be safe.

I just love the Aussie words. Thanks for the clarification. I need to come see you guys again so I get more practice. One of my aussie buddies told me that I still accentuate my verbs too much. Bugger.

What the heck is bogging?