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Showing content with the highest reputation on 10/07/2022 in Posts

  1. Stepping into the mosh pit here, I'll second Alan's thoughts that no system is likely to be 100%-bolt-on-with-no-mods-required, especially on an already custom car. I'd expect that whatever you may end up purchasing is going to need some massaging in order to fit properly, with ground clearance being a limiting factor. As far as pricing goes, I can also virtually assure you that whatever price you are paying now will feel like a bargain in a few years, because prices are only going up. I myself had the need for a stock-looking exhaust for a show/driver car I was restoring. I initially wanted a Speed Shop Kubo system, but as it appeared I'd be waiting a loooooong time for it, I elected to purchase a Spirit Garage system in mild steel, that I could get in under 2 months. Not only was it less expensive than stainless, it looked the part, sounded great, and fit in nicely for my purposes. In fact, I liked it so much that 4 months later I ordered 2 more, which ended up costing an extra 30%, because they could only get me the more expensive stainless at the time, and their listed prices had gone up by 15% on their web site. I've attached a photo so you can see the clearance around the differential. Circling back to required mods: this system needed to have diff mounts tacked on by us, so we effectively had unlimited leeway in setting the tolerances and clearances at that location. This is where the mild steel material came in handy, as it was a dirt-simple job to do. [EDIT: note for clarity - I didn't have correct mounting brackets in my possession, so we opted to tack on a bracket instead] FYI, there's no real point in me measuring clearance for you, because we set the tolerances ourselves by welding the brackets where we wanted them to be. You'd place them differently anyways, based on your application. I'd venture to say you'll always be able to tweak the split pipes to make it fit around an R200, but perhaps you'll need to be prepared to suffer a little in ground clearance as a side-effect. Knowing nothing about the Fujisobo system, I can't speak to it's quality as compared to the Spirit Garage system. Just visually, I'd say I personally prefer the more original look of the Spirit Garage rear section over the rear-flange-style assembly of the Fujisobo, but that distills down to personal preference. That said, I'll offer this thought: if you are concerned with clearance and tolerances for your custom setup, you'd potentially be better off with a Spirit Garage-type system, because I'd imagine you'd have an easier time positioning the split pipes and their mounts to fit around your diff than you would with the more closed Fujisobo setup. [EDIT: just a gut-check on this - I took a look at an R200 vs R180 on my cars, and I think no matter which system or routing you select, it will likely have to hang slightly lower on an R200 vs R180. It'll either hang lower because you are sending both pipes to the left of the diff, or it hangs lower because the R200 is slightly wider at it's base.] Hope this helps you in some way.
  2. Also.... we DRIVE our cars.. because they always work, only need some maintenance.. If i want to always be in my garage complaining that the bitch is stalling/broken down again.. THEN i buy ITALIAN.... have a nice day!
  3. I sanded most of the car with 600 grit today. I have been working most weekends on the body since my last post. A few areas look to have "moved" to me. Not the areas shot in this video, but a few other spots. Perhaps some shrinkage has occurred over the last couple of months. Body work is difficult and time consuming.
  4. I found the guy who made these pictures, his name is Fabian Oefner. I was mistaken, as to how he did it. He actually did it with real, physical scale models, then photographed them. In other cases, he did it with the actual cars themselves and all their physical components dismantled, then compiled them in post. Crazy awesome stuff! Still, I think it could be done with 3D modeling. At any rate, read about how he does it here: https://www.madgallery.net/geneva/en/creators/fabian-oefner A video on the process:
  5. I like Ferraris, some awesome cars. But. Did you happen to notice the brand and model of car this discussion group is focused on? Datsun, 240Z. Japanese cars. I doubt you will generate much business here, eh?
  6. Just a little weekend fun tucked away in the garage…
  7. We just gotta find someone with their z in pieces and we could do it ourselves - they shouldn't be too hard to find! Ha!
  8. I like it! This is how I imagined it was done. Having done considerable post processing and other photographic work in Photoshop I can see how it can come together. Now where did I leave that camera?
  9. Thats a good point. I'll give you that one! I must say, the UK importer has been great and they've sent the replies from Fujitsubo, who have answered. It seems some importers aren't asking the right questions. The interesting thing is how they track batch and prod numbers so they know exactly what batch might have been developed further. I think its the other way. for such a big setup to offer something custom is pretty slick. Spirit Garage make a nice setup.
  10. In principle, I imagine it's similar to the exploded views you find in a service manual, except this is beautifully rendered with CGI and with an artists touch. Compare it to this (the Ferrari one is artsy, the z manual is pragmatic): Theoretically, someone could make one of these renders for any car - the 240, too... It would take a lot of know how, and it'd be expensive to hire a guy to do it, but it could be done. Maybe there's a 3D modeler in the community who'd do it of his own passion....
  11. Undercoatings of the 1970's were variously described as, 'oil', 'tar', 'asphalt', or 'wax' ('paraffin' if you're a Brit). If you investigate further, you'll find that each of these terms is somewhat generic and not really precise from any chemical engineering perspective. For automotive purposes, 'oil' meant sprayed-on and could be anything from heavyweight used crankcase oil to purpose-blended lightweight stuff. 'Tar' meant 'thicker but still sprayed-on', while 'asphalt' translated to 'thick and usually brushed-on'. 'Wax' was typically interpreted to be 'less oily', sprayed-applied, and suitable for internal body cavities like doors and rockers (Zeibart and Wax-oyl were two of the better-known wax-type aftermarket undercoating treatments). It's hard to say what kind of material Nissan used for the underside of the Z's. Obviously, it bonded well to the metal and skinned over nicely so that the paint spray adhered (for fifty years). I wonder, though, whether Nissan's objective may have been sound deadening as much as corrosion protection. Like many others, I remember using brush-on undercoating on the underside of my first Z after the first rust blooms appeared. I think that we all hoped it would 'seal off' the underside of the car from further exposure to winter road de-icing salt. It certainly looked the part. Alas, it didn't work.
  12. Asking questions and expecting clear answers to be able to compare two components that are ostensibly the same is reasonable. The retailers who sell the Fujitsubo kit are inconsistent in the information the provide. The O2 boss is a great example. All of the Super Ex + Legalis kits are advertised as working on a 280z, which would require one. Only one retailer I found mentions it. Fitting on a left hand drive car is another great example. One retailer says one model fits, another says the same model doesn’t fit. Maybe it’s not Fujitsubo’s fault the information isn’t out in the world in a way that makes the choice easy, but I was pretty set on their system being right for me until I started really looking at it. They’ve also changed it twice in that time. It’s better than it was when I started looking at it, but you can still get the old ones and making sure you’re getting what you think you’re getting is key on a $3,000 part. I also know more now, and while it may be great, I understand what I should be looking for and am moving in another direction for my setup. But the reason I’m continuing to post on the topic is I’m trying to do the group a favor and get these questions answered so someone coming up behind me can be informed. I still don’t feel like the information someone can access is clear. They should fix that if they want people to buy it. And yeah, I’ve been posting since 2017 and the information is only more convoluted. I will take as long as I please to make my choice in a way that fits with the circumstances of my life, which you don’t have insight into and can’t comment on.
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