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

[chevyz240]

January 05, 2008. A view of the dry sump tank with the tack welded stiffening flange in place. Later, I will seal the tank to this cylindrical flange with weatherstripping.

IMG_3308liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr


And this is what it looks like in the engine compartment. The breather tank mounted on the fire wall can be seen as well. If I’ll go ahead with the plans of widening the whole car, I will try to mount the breather tank in the wheel well as well, as I think it’s kind of ugly!

IMG_3313liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[chevyz240]

June 15, 2008. For the 2008 track day season, I bought this Lotus Seven replica. The Porsche 944 Turbo was sold last fall. The car has a centrifugally blown BMW 540 V8. It weighs 2100 lbs with a full tank and me in it. The power-to-weight ratio is better than what I am expecting for the Z. This means I will probably make the Z less track oriented, and use the Seven for heavy duty track work, while the Z will be a quick street car used occasionally on the track. Considering the amount of time I have invested in the Z, it is probably wise not to hammer on it too mercilessly at the track. We'll see how things will turn out...

IMG_3500liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[chevyz240]

August 12, 2008. I am once again winching the Z up on the street.

IMG_4227liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr
IMG_4230liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr


The car will probably sit a bit higher than this, but it’s close to what I am shooting for. It’s always good to see the car from a distance.

IMG_4236liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[kbscobravert]

I sure wished we could see a sneak peek at what it looks like today!

[chevyz240]

I sure wished we could see a sneak peek at what it looks like today!

Unfortunately it looks less like a car now! Bodywise, more or less the only remaining parts are the quarter panels and the roof. The current state of the car will probably be posted within a few weeks. Have patience!

[chevyz240]

December 05, 2008. This is the start of a cold air intake system I am creating. A large conical air filter will sit beside the radiator in the grill area, feeding the engine cold air. Hopefully there will also be a ram-air effect. I am making a plug out of Divinycell foam. After finishing, the fiberglass intake tube will be molded directly on it. This means that the inside of the intake tube will be nice and smooth. The outside will be hand-finished to a decent appearance.

IMG_4610liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



Several sheets of foam are glued together in place in the engine compartment to try to utilize as much of the available space as possible. The inner fender is the part that is limiting an optimal shape of the intake tube the most, but the radiator and one of the cooling fans are also in the way.

IMG_4608liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[V8-190E]

The overall side profile of your car is stunning - they way it should have been from the factory.

[chevyz240]

The overall side profile of your car is stunning - they way it should have been from the factory.

Thanks V8-190E! You've got a pretty sweet Mercedes project going!

[chevyz240]

December 06, 2008: The process is iterative, and after a while I find that I can enlarge the plug in some areas.

IMG_4612liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



The Divinycell is very easy to work with. It is stiff and rigid, but still easily sanded, cut and sawed.

IMG_4614liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr


Most of the rough-shaping has been done, and I start to apply filler to fine-tune the shape. I use a very easily sanded filler with microballons, intended for drywalls.

IMG_4615liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[mitch_04]

It's projects like this that remind me anything is possible and that I should never limit myself! Love it, truly amazing.

[Auto Rod Technologies]

Very cool project!!! Keep at it!!!

[knuckleworks]

i love the Z cars,brilliant project

//Janne

[chevyz240]

i love the Z cars,brilliant project

//Janne

Thanks Janne! I like your avatar. Can I have her phone number? ;-)

[chevyz240]

It's projects like this that remind me anything is possible and that I should never limit myself! Love it, truly amazing.

Thanks Mitch,

comments like yours really help me in keeping the spirit up in the darkest moments!

[chevyz240]

Very cool project!!! Keep at it!!!

Thanks,

I must say that I think you have very good metal working skills when I look at your projects, especially the 61 Buick!

[knuckleworks]

Thanks Janne! I like your avatar. Can I have her phone number? ;-)

yeah if you sign over that Z to me :P :D

[chevyz240]

yeah if you sign over that Z to me :P :D

I'll have to think that over a bit...

[R32Jordie]

[/URL]

How do you plan on removing the foam buck once the fiberglass is applied? Im assuming you'd use some sort of solvent to dissolve the foam.

I am asking because I am currently working on a "ram air" piece for my skyline.



Im interested to see how yours turns out. Love the car by the way!

-Jordie

[chevyz240]

How do you plan on removing the foam buck once the fiberglass is applied? Im assuming you'd use some sort of solvent to dissolve the foam.

I am asking because I am currently working on a "ram air" piece for my skyline.



Im interested to see how yours turns out. Love the car by the way!

-Jordie

Hi Jordie,

the foam was removed by carving it out. This type of foam widthstands most solvents. Pictures will come shortly. Thanks for your comment on the car!

[chevyz240]

December 07, 2008. Here, I am turning a piece of particle board to act as the part the air filter will clamp on to. I have decided on making the fiberglass tube 3 mm thick, so this wooden piece needs to be 6 mm smaller than the opening in the air filter.

IMG_4617liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



I have glued the wooden end piece on the foam plug, showing that quite a bit of foam needs to be removed to get a nice, smooth shape.

IMG_4624liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



The air filter I will be using is an AEM piece that is designed to be run dry. I like that feature, since it prevents the risk of oiling down the MAF sensor, creating sensor problems. I chose a filter with a 6” inlet flange diameter to try to keep restrictions as low as possible.

IMG_4618liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



The intake tube runs parallel to the radiator. The MAF sensor will sit directly before the 90 degree silicon hose.

IMG_4620liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr