Rafe's Z project

[datsun723]

Hey all. I've had my Z for a year now and thought I'd throw up a project thread. I've got one over on hybridz so most will be a copy and paste ordeal for all the older stuff. I'm going to be updating this one more than the other though because I find myself on ratsun much more than hybrid these days ;)

 

Here we go! I got this Z back in September of '09 for $2400. Here's what she had going for her:

 

-Straight body, clean titled 280 that's always been in Cali.

 

-P79 head, N42 block that's been rebuilt at some time in it's life. It smoked...it still smokes.

 

-5 speed from a 280zx. Still has the r180 from the factory to my knowledge.

 

-Reupholstered seats and came with a new carpet kit. Loop style cut but it was new so I didn't care :D

 

-3-2-1 headers and came with a magnaflow exhaust.

 

-Tokico springs and struts.

 

-It ran pretty crappy.

 

 

Some pictures from when I first got it.

 

Here's one of the Z I had before this one. It was pretty schweet.

[datsun723]

Anyways, time went on and I sold the '78. The first thing to get done on the 75 was to get it running right. I added new plugs, cap, rotor, air filter and tweaked the afm. It ran soo much better! Then I decided to get some twice pipes and ditch the magnaflow and cat along with it.

 

Here's a link to the vid.

 

You can hear an Integra in the background lol.

 

I also got rid of that horrible body kit.

 

Much better ;)

[datsun723]

At this point I really wanted to get some sound deadening because the exhaust is so LOUD! I got a sound/heat deadening kit from quietride.com. They make kits tailored to Z's! How cool! The price wasn't bad either.

 

The first step was to make sure I didn't have any rust underneath the factory rubber sound proofing.

 

So there's what I was dealing with. I got some dry ice, a rubber hammer, and went at it :lol:

 

And this is what was underneath all the rubber. Some significant rust! Nothing that went through but still, I got my grinder, went at it as best as I could and "sealed" it with some krylon rust proofing. It'll do until I get new floor pans and frame rail upgrades down the road.

[datsun723]

At this point, Feb '09, I hadn't done much to the Z. I got some 6X9's in the MSA speaker box amped up and wired with an Alpine cd deck. I also got the carpet and sound deadening in but I still to this day have no pictures! Haha. I don't have a camera besides my cell phone so bear with me.

 

I got a new 3 row radiator when my current one decided life was too hard and exploded...literally. One day, peachy...loving life and keeping the good ol' L28 cool...next day, utter death as it poured it's guts out in my parking garage.

 

Still running the stock fan without a shroud and it seems to be fine. I've ran it in 100 degree weather without a problem so I'm keeping it that way until something tells me to upgrade to electric fans.

[datsun723]

Here are some pictures of me and my roommate's '69 GTO and some from Cars and Coffee.

[datsun723]

This past July I finally had a 3 day weekend and decided to go to my parents place and get the Z down to one color.

Original paint! It was still smooth :P

[datsun723]

And then this last weekend I finally got new tires and wheels! Also with the help of 240Z_Master got my 240 front end conversion done.

[Gary]

looks awesome man, that green suits good

 

makes me want a zed :(

[datsun723]

Thanks. It's a fun project.

 

You could always import one from Japan! ;)

 

How is the Z selection in Australia?

[Gary]

pretty good :) the problem is i dont have room :( i nearly had a zed before i got my 510

 

maybe someday. keep up the good work :D

[datsun723]

Definitely will. Thanks :cool:

[datsun723]

Pictures as of 9/19/10. Nothing really new. I need to install a new slave cylinder and am planning on going with a keyless ignition in the next couple weeks. Other than that, I'm saving up for an E30 to daily/backup duty for the Z. I haven't really had that many issues with the Z but since I don't know the mechanical history, I'd like a second car for a backup. Plus getting groceries in the Z SUCKS. I miss having a trunk :D

[MegatherioN]

What kind of wheels are those? Nice progress BTW!

[bonvo]

they look like konig BBombs i could be wrong though

[Skib]

new wheels = win Rafe :lol:

[datsun723]

15X7.5 Konig B-Bombs :cool:

 

Thanks Skib and MegatherioN. Slowly but surely haha.

 

Like I said I need to install my new slave and am going to install some contoura switches

 

 

Something similar to that. Probably will be mounting them somewhere on the center console but no idea where yet.

[aplyedmind]

Rafe looks sick. Love the b bombs . Was gonna get a set my self how much those set u back?Are the switches gonna do what they say on them or will there be secrets like passenger eject button? And go go gadget Rocket boost :D . Coming along nice/

[datsun723]

Rafe looks sick. Love the b bombs . Was gonna get a set my self how much those set u back?Are the switches gonna do what they say on them or will there be secrets like passenger eject button? And go go gadget Rocket boost :D . Coming along nice/

Thanks dude! I originally wanted Rota Rb-R's but Rota sucks at keeping up with their demand and I would have had to wait 3 months. I got these within 2 weeks and they're bitchin'! Only 13 pounds each too ;)

 

I got them through a friend who vendors for Konig. Let me know if you want his contact information and I'll pm it to you. That also goes for anyone else here! I got tires and wheels for $750 but I can't say if he can get the same deal. Depends on the tires you want.

 

No, that's just an example lol. I'll have 3. One for ACC, ON, and a temporary start. When I get electric fans I'll get another switch :lol:

[datsun723]

Just picked up a camera that does HD video...I'll have a video on here within a couple weeks. Hopefully it'll be a mix of drive by's, walkaround, and such.

 

But in the meantime...for anyone who hasn't seen my current videos.

 

Youtube

[Just Joel]

What steering wheel are you running?

 

Thanks

Joel

[datsun723]

I believe it's this one. It came with the car.

 

The Z Store

[datsun723]

New videos are up! Click the link in my signature!