Thread: Does this qualify as a Hot Rod?

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Finally finished the bonnet mods. A lot of work for a few subtle changes.


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Moving on to more mechanicals, fuel system and, ugh, wiring.

Progress on several fronts over the last couple of weeks.

First I wired up the dual speed radiator cooling fan with the help of this thread...

http://forums.hybrid...__1#entry921201

...and it's associated links.


I got all of my parts at the local Pick N Pull.
Dual Speed Taurus Fan $35
Volvo Fan Relay w/plugs $10
BMW Temp. Switch w/plug $ 7

Total $52

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Next I went to work on the hydraulic clutch system.

The Tilton .850 master cylinder, ($85 from Summit Racing)...

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...connects to the Camaro slave cylinder ($35 at O Reilly Auto) with a blue -3 an coupler ($2.45 Summit), a 32" -3 an 90 degree hose ($17 Summit) and a 'GM clutch cylinder to -3 an' adapter ($32 Summit).
Total cost about $90.

Very clean when installed.

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Ordered the Le Mans style gas cap from Factory Five Racing today.


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Fuel pocket will be modified to produce a tight factory-like fit.

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The hydraulic slave cylinders for the clutch make for such a neat installation, way better then trying to get all the mechanical linkage fabbed up for custom installs!!! Nice job!

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

The hydraulic slave cylinders for the clutch make for such a neat installation, way better then trying to get all the mechanical linkage fabbed up for custom installs!!! Nice job!

The secret to making this setup simple is the GM slave to -3AN adapter.
I did virtually the same setup ten years ago for my TR7, using a GM slave mounted in the bell housing, and the stock Camaro master. No adapter available at that time, so I spliced two Camaro hydraulic lines (each with the proper end fittings) together using -3AN fittings. Quite expensive!! And the Camaro master cylinder doesn't mount to a vertical portion of the fire wall. The mounting plate sits at a 45 degree angle to the cylinder, so I fabbed up an adapter from a piece of galvanized pipe. Looked like crap, but worked perfectly.


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I'm in for hotrod....may not be an old school hotrod,.....BUT......it is being built the old school way....in your garage on a small budget and IT IS or WILL BE a mismatch of parts.....Its a modern day HotRod to me......beside....you'z the one havin the fun buildin it and will definately WILL have the fun ridin it.
COOOOOOOOOOOOOL Project.

Nice.I have been watching this thread for awhile.Could you back track alittle and post the fitting of the kit body??.Some details of that would be very good too.Pictures??.

Just curious.Do you have a finished wt of the car??.I would guess it is very light and it wouldn't take much to make it very fast.Cornering it has to be like it is on rails.

Originally Posted by 1gary

...Could you back track alittle and post the fitting of the kit body??.Some details of that would be very good too.Pictures??.

...Do you have a finished wt of the car??.I would guess it is very light and it wouldn't take much to make it very fast.Cornering it has to be like it is on rails.

I have a lot of pics of the body installation. I'll divide them up into a few posts. As for weight, I have no idea. I'll look into finding out.

Here are a few pics of the donor body prep.

Starting with the original 260Z...
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...enlarging the rear fender openings...

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...and removing the roof.

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The VR body kit came as nine separate fiberglass pieces:
1 Rear Tub
1 Tilt Front End
2 Front Quarter Panels
2 Door skins
1 Trunk Lid
1 Windshield Cap
1 Le Mans gas Cap pocket

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My son Nick helped me attach the header cap first. It slips over the cut roof and gets glassed in.

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Next, we attached the tub with a combination of short strand fiberglass adhesive and expanding foam.

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The fiberglass is used to attach the tub to the door jams. The expanding foam fills the gap between the old Z sheet metal and the new fiberglass body making it impossible for the tub to shift.

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The door skins were glued on using more short strand fiberglass. I know a lot of people prefer to use a two part epoxy adhesive for this, but that becomes very expensive. I've been told by people who are in the business of making high end prototypes, that the short strand fiberglass is more than adequate for automotive purposes.

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A nylon rope soaked with resin, fills the gap between old metal and new fiberglass..

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...and makes for a good hard smooth finish.

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That's the basics of the body fitting. The cheek panels and front bonnet bolt on. The bonnet takes some trimming to fit right around the doors and windshield and I did some reworking of the cheek panels to get a little better fit, but everything else is just basic bodywork... fill and sand.

Panels are all on, before trimming the bonnet.
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Thank You for the body build part you just posted.I need time to digest that.It has turned out just so nice........well I am kind of speechless.

Hey, no problem... I just covered the basic process. I've got a lot more pics for specific mods, like the rear vents. I there's something specific you want to see, let me know.

Some areas of the Velo Rossa body kit just don't seem finished... especially the front inner fender wells. I've seen several finished cars that leave the under hood headlight area and the back of the cheek panels visible through the tire openings.

TACKY!!

A couple of removable, curved fiberglass inner liners for the bonnet should do just fine.

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The rear of the opening will be trickier, as it will also entail screening for the two side vents.
I'm considering alternatives to these vents. Something like this, maybe.

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More chin scratching to come.

Reshaping the fuel pocket for a tighter fit to the LeMans gas cap.

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