HomeBuiltByJeff

This week I continued work on the head and the got back into body work on the rear end.

I am slowly getting a better feel for the car, but it sucks not having access to the ghost option. Linking a perfect lap together is difficult, and particularly when I come off on the previous lap so the next lap is not counted. My best so far is a 2.34, but there is a lot left on the table. More practice is in order

You may get a better response with a more accurate thread title.

It does have iso, you are correct, but you don't want to be breathing in Acrylic either. No matter what you are doing you need to have a proper painting mask, but it doesn't need to be air-fed. I worked in at least 100 different panel shops over 13 years and only remember 1 that used air-fed masks.

I am beginning to see why!

The Datsun engine is back!! This week I give body work a rest and I get stuck into porting the head.

I always think you should avoid acrylic. If you are going to go to the effort of painting a car, then just go 2-pack from the start. 2 pack is easier to paint, and comes out 10x glossier off the gun. Acrylic always looks like crap, sad but true. In your case you could just paint it in 2k solid. Basically where the hardener is in the colour, so you don't have to clear it. Painting a car, even a 'quick' paint job, is a lot of work. For a relatively small amount extra, the results FAR outweigh the cost.

This week is all about the rear end and who doesn't like a nice rear end.

I have just painted the internal parts with a zinc based primer at this stage, but I plan on adding some sort of extra protection in there as well. Not sure if I am going to try the spray wax or something like that. I have to do some more research.

Looking good. Very nice patch piece

Old cars are definitely harder to drive, slower, and less comfortable than new ones, but that is not why we drive them. It is because they are so much more involving, with different sounds and smells. Every old car drives so much differently to the next, where as most new cars are so easy to drive, it doesn't make much difference what you are in. My daily driver is an Audi S5. It is so much faster, more comfortable and more capable than my Z will ever be, but it won't be anywhere near as much fun, and it doesn't turn my head when I walk away like an old Z will. One of the other reasons I got interested in old cars, is that I like making them my own, and I was sick of pouring money down the drain. So many newer cars, you can spend so much on to make them your own, and then when you go to sell it, it is worth less than what you paid for it in the first place, forget about the money spent on mods. Classics you can buy, drive, enjoy, and when it is time for the next experience you can often sell it for what you have into it or more. Classic cars are so much better for me all round.

This week I have finally gotten to primer the inside of all the panels, and I get on to tackle the fuel flap.

I am already looking ahead to that Alfa, I that will be getting dipped.

This week I get to see how my wing came out, and it was not as great as I hoped.

I looked at using those mounting holes, but one of the issues with my particular wing, is that the fibreglass was quite thick and the captive nuts would have prevented the wing to sit flat when I was trying to mount it (if you get my meaning). I also only thought it necessary for mine to have 3 bolts (I had no idea how many the original had) and those holes you point out were too far inward for my liking. I see the original has outer bolts in similar location to where I placed mine as well.

Haha, i have bought plenty of stuff off of ebay that is fine, like the front lip, but the wing is very poor (and I used to own a body kit company so I have seen it all).

It is pretty solid now, so the wing won't flex, but it may push down the whole hatch. I thought about it after I had done it that I didn't allow for the 'click' of the hatch, but I can sort that out later without too much hassle.

I did, but I prefer it in the silver at this stage. One of the reasons, is that bugs and rocks will keep messing up the black which will look crap, where the silver is more likely to stay that way.

I am just repeating what I have read. I don't profess to be an expert. You should move to change Wikipedia. "...Nissan was a relatively small automaker when it entered the international market in the 1960s and partnered with Yamaha to design a new sports car prototype to update the Nissan Fairlady. Nissan executives saw the prototype as a halo car that would improve their company's image in the minds of consumers. By 1964 Nissan realized that Yamaha's DOHC 2.0-liter engine was not meeting Nissan's expectations and the project was scrapped. Yamaha later finished a prototype and took their design to Toyota, resulting in the Toyota 2000GT..." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Z-car

I was well and truly oversimplifying of course, but Mrs Jeff covered it in more detail in one of her fun facts. I am in no way dismissing the 2000GT. It is an amazing and beautiful car, and I would love to drive one. What I am saying, is that for many reasons it did not sell well, and that makes it a rare car today. If they made as many 2000GT's as they did S30's it would probably be similar money to buy either of them today. Many have said similar things, comparing E-types to 60's Ferraris. E-Types are amazing cars, and if they were as rare as Ferrari's they would probably be worth similar money (just look at what you have to pay for a D-Type).

As someone who has most of the above, ('74 911, 71' S30, '73 105, all bought as rusty piles of junk), and I tend to agree. The Z's are no where near as cheap as they once were . The Porsche's do have the cache of the brand, which will always prop up the prices, like it or not. They were also over 3 times the price of the Z's when new. I think the main issue is that the Z's were too popular. There were just so many made that they don't have the scarcity. Look at the 2000GT. That was originally going to be the 240Z, but was rejected. The designers then eventually sold it to Toyota and it flopped. That, more than anything else is why it is so sought after now, because it is rare. It is a beautiful design, but I think the S30 is even better.

That looks much better than the junk I got, although it is interesting that the ends are still open.

This week I planned on painting the epoxy on the inside of all the panels, but I ended up getting side tracked by more panel beating and trying to fit a really dodgy wing.

They look pretty nasty for something I would have to ship from Japan. For that I think I would just make some

As the title says, I am looking for a pair of the vertical panels that go inside the front guards behind the front wheels. If someone knows what I am talking about and what they are called that would help. If someone has a wreck around (I am assuming a 2+2 would have the same panels) let us know. If I have to I will fabricate some, but it is a fair bit of stuffing around. Let me know, Jeff