Matthew Abate

I got a chance to get my head behind the front rims today. It turns out they are Shelby 14x6 slotted mags. Not sure if I can get the busted hub cover screws out without ruining them, but if I can I will be able to salvage them. I didn't see any real problem spots and I should be able to polish out the intense patina. I am glad they are at least a name people recognize. Maybe I'll be able to get something for them when I'm ready to replace them. ... I've been thinking a lot about the drive train, and the one thing I'm 100% solid on is that the #1 upgrade I need to do is a 5 speed. From what I can tell, the model number for the easiest swap is FS5W71B (Long extension housing) and came in these cars: * Datsun 200SX (S110) with Z20 engine * Datsun Maxima (810) with LD28 diesel * Nissan 720 with SD diesel * Nissan 200SX with CA18ET engine * Datsun 720 long tail * 1977-80 Datsun 280Z * 1979 280ZX (non-Turbo) * Datsun 810 * Datsun 620 Obviously, there were different ratios depending on the car and year, so I need to match it to the rear end ratio I will end with and figure out what works best with my driving style (aggressive, lead footed, and sharp).

I guess I better stop with the wire then.

I would put some rectangular rally lights there, personally.

I might have that same goo in mine. I found a chisel and small hammer kinda got under it and popped chunks off without too much trouble. Plastic wheel and not a metal twisted wire wheel?

Not much to report as I've been spending the week trying to lock down a new job. Here's where I am as of tonight: Took the remaining dash components out, along with the heater and paper trim pieces. I think all that's left is the steering column, paper firewall insulation, pedals, and wiring. That stuff needs to stay in until I pull the suspension and engine, so I'm moving to the back half of the interior after I box all of these parts up. Also, what's this called? : ... In other news, I'm starting to talk to places about the welding and paint. I have a guy coming in two weeks who is in Boonton, NJ and will give me a quote on fixing the wholes, stripping, epoxy coating, and painting everything. That will dictate a lot of how I move forward (what I do myself and what I farm out). By the way, he told me definitely not to media blast the car and use aircraft stripper instead. Anyone have experience with this? /M

Which one did you get? I'm doing some light research on them and don't really know where to start.

I don't think we got the choice in NJ. I could be wrong, but I remember reading something about the lobby killing it in the NJ legislature.To get back on topic, I'm just going to use my gas cans we keep in the garage for the generator. Either that or use the trick I used on my motorcycle, which was to just do it myself anyway and stare daggers when they went to argue.

Widened steel Datsun wheels specifically? Do you have pictures of them?

I was looking for feedback on how close it is to the original (can you tell its a replacement or is it just like the NOS part?) more than that people like them. As in a product review, which I can't find in this forums search.In other words, is replacing the whole thing better than trying to fix the original. It's only $100ish, which to me feels like a deal if it is indistinguishable from the original and doesn't break when you breathe on it. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I was looking at some photos in a JDM gallery the other day and saw a roadster with stock steel wheels that had been painted gold. It looked damn hot, so I am considering doing something like this. But... I also want wider and larger diameter wheels than the stock rims. I know people widen domestic steel rims for American muscle cars, so I am curious if anyone has any experience with this. I've seen huge (12" + wide) 14" diameter Datsun wheels on stance and drift cars, but nothing closer to what I see around here. Can you take the stock win up to 15x7"? Is the cost close enough to the cost of buying new rims or is it crazy expensive to do this? Ideally I'd end up with 15x7" up front and 15x7.5 or 8 in the rear with 0 offset all around. I'm intending to have a stock suspension without flares and dropped 1 to 1.5 inches.

No opinions on the full covers at zstore I mentioned earlier? /M

So I take it the replacements at MSA and various other places are frowned upon? http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/CTGY/classic08d04 They're only $100. Are they really so different from the originals that people don't recommend them? /M

There, I fixed it for you. /M

Me too. Most of of the delay for me was going back and rereading the instructions to make sure I wasn't skipping a step. FYI, you'll need some long socket extensions for the heater and some very short or 90 degree screw drivers to get the heater control wires separated to get the center plastic piece out. The hardest part is separating the damned plugs on the wiring harnesses. /M

Urg. Yeah. Sounds like match panels are the way to go. /M

Can anyone tell me the right way to fix this? Ideally, I want to source a new wall from a parts car if I can find one and have it sent to me, but I have a feeling it might be cost prohibitive. /M

About an hour. Here are the instructions: http://www.classiczcars.com/topic/5934-removing-dash-and-interior-for-paint/ The only hard part was finding where the heater controls connected on the right side near the firewall and getting a screwdriver in there. Just be careful with the dash. I didn't realize they are that fragile. :/ /M

I think I might like the shape of the Xenon one the most, but I want it in carbon fiber or aluminum, which does not exist, because it's stiffer and does its job better. The only CF one I've found lacks fog-light/air-duct holes. /M

Well, you could watch the Garage Squad Z episode, but I had to turn it off when they started talking about putting tons of carbon and drilling on the 89th car imported to the states: https://youtu.be/M2UIIj4B6xQ /M

Okay, I'm back. Sorry for the silence. I got laid off in the middle of August and the car had to go on the back burner for a minute while I figured out a plan for that little issue. I've done a small amount of work on it since my last post; mostly taking a wire wheel to the floor to see what the story is there, but also pulling the dash. The dash project was a piece of cake except for one thing. I got a little over zealous with the ratchet and smacked it with the handle while I was pulling the bolts under the windshield. Of course I put two little dents in the dash that are big enough to be a problem but small enough for me to not know what to do about it. I'll see what it looks like after I clean it up, but I have a feeling it's going to need repairing. Major bummer because it was perfect before that. Here's the damage:

Anyone find an online source for watching this? Haven't found one myself.

Well, I weigh 172 pounds and started hitting the gym pretty hard recently. Also, the car can lose more than 30 lbs just by switching to a lithium battery, plus I'll get whatever the difference between a stock radiator and an aluminum one saves me. The one I have is leaking so I'm going high performance on that front. However, I'm sure the sound deadener I intend to instal will suck up some of that. Any other quick and easy weight savers out there? CF hood? Plastic gas tank? Nitrogen in the tires? As far as power is concerned, I saw somewhere on this forum that triple Mikunis supposedly bring an L24 up to 190HP and an L28 up to 200HP. it looked like manufacturer's documentation, so who knows how realistic that is, but if a carb change can do that, then I'm sure the other plans I have can get me over 200 without trouble. But the above target is a P:W of ~10:1; better than a Porsche 993 or a BMW E45 M3, not that this ratio is everything, but it's fun to think about.

Nothing to report other that I finished pulling the rivets out of the floor and the floors are in pretty much the same condition on both sides. I was thinking about where I want to go with the car and have figured out what my baseline goal is to try to beat the specs on a factory 1973 Porsche 911RS. A stock 1973 240Z supposedly makes 171 hp and its curb weight is 2301.6 lbs. A 1973 Porsche 911 RS weighs 2150 and makes 210 hp from a 2687 cc engine. So I need to find 150 lbs to lose and 39 HP to gain. And I need to think about torque and gear ratios. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's not the same. Note the shape of the vents and that the license plate area is recessed. The one in the original post protrudes and the vents are wide and short. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Did some work on the right side floor board. Pulled the sheet metal (those rivers were a bitch and here were something like 20 of them), scraped up all the black goo (bed liner? tar? heroine?), and hit it with a wire wheel until my drill battery died. You can see the damage better now. Holes along the right side, which killed my fantasy of just welding up the holes, but not all the way up against the edge of the car, which is a relief. You can also see how banged up the floor is. I think they went off reading regularly. Time for a beer. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk