"Mechanix Menace": An LS7-motivated, chopped and heavily modified 1973 Datsun 240Z

[driveit]

Wow. Awesome build. Can't wait to see it finished.

[chevyz240]

Wow. Awesome build. Can't wait to see it finished.

Thanks! It feels good to hear that from a pro!

[chevyz240]

December 08, 2008. A wooden adapter to the 90 degree hose is also turned.

IMG_4631liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



The second wooden end piece is glued on.

IMG_4634liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr


With both wooden end pieces in place, final shaping of the plug can be done. In order to optimize flow, I make cross section area measurements, to try to get a smooth transition from the 6" diameter entry to the 4" diameter exit from the tube. When airflow enters a turn, it is beneficial to reduce the cross section area throughout the turn. This reduces the risk of airflow separation. That is one of the reasons I chose an air filter with a big inlet flange.

IMG_4637liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Bad ass build man keep the pics coming..

[chevyz240]

December 25, 2008. The entire plug is covered with filler to create a nice surface.

IMG_4788liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[dangina]

hmmm...for some reason the link for a bunch of your pics is broken - missed the last couple weeks, was hoping to see more!

[chevyz240]

January 1, 2009. After sanding the filler down, the plug is painted to show any surface imperfections and to give a better surface for the fiberglass molding.

IMG_4819liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[chevyz240]

hmmm...for some reason the link for a bunch of your pics is broken - missed the last couple weeks, was hoping to see more!

Yeah, obviously I have reached my bandwidth limit at Photobucket. Now I am moving all pics to Flickr. As I understand it, they don't have that limit. Give me a few days and I hope it will be fixed!

[2ndroundko]

I remember seeing this build on car domain and have to manually close my mouth simply amazing work. I noticed the dates on the posts have you started it yet is it on the road yet.

[chevyz240]

I remember seeing this build on car domain and have to manually close my mouth simply amazing work. I noticed the dates on the posts have you started it yet is it on the road yet.

Thanks 2ndroundko!

No, I haven't started the engine yet, and it's not on the road yet. Due to different reasons, the project has been dormant for several years, but I'm at it again. There has been progress this winter. I will post this in the not to distant future!

[slammedwhitec5vert]

Looking from the side this car has sick attitude, has got top be one of the coolest rides on this forum....... Can't wait for updates....

[chevyz240]

Looking from the side this car has sick attitude, has got top be one of the coolest rides on this forum....... Can't wait for updates....

Thanks, slammedwhitec5vert!

[chevyz240]

January 3, 2009. The paint surface is sanded smooth and the plug is waxed several times and covered with release agent. The plug is now ready to be covered with fiberglass and polyester.

IMG_4839liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



Next on the agenda is the sticky and smelly job of laying on fiberglass and polyester.

IMG_4840liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



The air filter side of the intake tube is cleaned of surplus fiberglass.

IMG_4843liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[HellPhish89]

...im curious as to how you are going to get the plug out...lol.

[R32Jordie]

...im curious as to how you are going to get the plug out...lol.

My guess is he'll cut it in half and glass it back together...

[HellPhish89]

My guess is he'll cut it in half and glass it back together...

i asked because: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rS7...V16bPO07O#t=39

[chevyz240]

i asked because: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rS7...V16bPO07O#t=39

Hi HellPhish89 and R32Jordie,

I carved it out. I will post this in few days.

[HellPhish89]

interesting. should be neat to see how you did it.

[chevyz240]

January 04, 2009. To get a nice outer finish of the tube, the surface needs to be sanded smooth. This is easiest to do before the polyester is fully hardened.

IMG_4846liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



First thing to do to get the plug out is to get the wooden end pieces out of the way. This is done by the means of sabre saw, chisel, and hammer.

IMG_4849liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



The Divinycell foam is removed carefully to not damage the inner surface of the tube.

IMG_4850liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



Finally, there is just a piece of the plug left in the middle of the tube.

IMG_4851liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



With some mild violence this last part of the plug is extracted.

IMG_4858liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



This is how the intake tube looks rough-finished on the outside.

IMG_4859liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[R32Jordie]

the "mild violence" made me chuckle a bit haha. Looks good.