Hi guys,

 

Hopefully I'll not have to bother you all too much on here over the next few days as my mechanic has collected the car and gearbox conversion kit (thanks Keith) so by Monday, Ill have a very nice na manual to drive with all done, bodywork completed and ready to put some mileage on it. It was getting some stares over last weekend about town, as the younger boy racers hadn't seen one before, hehe.

Good luck Derek :thumbup:

thanks Gary, steering wheel ordered and boss, new gaiters got from Si (thank you) , and a new gearknob from the z centre and I believe its mint inside. Just under bonnet cleaning and detailing in the winter to do. But first, get some miles clocked up.

Glad it's on the right track now Derek :yes:

Nice one Derek.

Looking forward to seeing the finished result.

Be sure to get some pics up!:thumbup1:

Well the gearbox is in fitted and all going well. :cool3:

 

Then as normal the issues started.:crying: The prop with the conversion gearbox is out of a tt, and mine is a na rear end, wont fit. So spoke to Mark on here (thank you very much).

 

So by calling with this mechanic (whom builds rally cars, for a living), to lift the props and send them over to Mark, Sean had the prop already in a local engineering company to get it converted to a one piece using the correct ends. From there he sends it to another company in Ballymena to get it balanced.

 

They do all the flywheels etc for the rally cars so he has used them for years and says they are excellent. So the prop wont be back until Monday now but at least its sorted. The rest he says is straight forward and has nearly all the wiring done. Just to make up new oil pipes for box and make a bracket so they aren't fouling underneath as they are different to the auto set up.

 

Interesting watching him build a engine for the rally car and everything gleaming even down to washers. His garage is like something out of the American hot rod programs with lathes, grinding machines everywhere and the place is mint where he does the building. All tiled and the bench hasn't a drop of oil on it. Some amount of lub used to build one and precision tolerance that is needed, never mind patience and knowledge. He has some amount of clients coming from everypart of the uk and Ireland. He was saying he had to change a Honda engine from running clockwise to anti clockwise and that took some work for some Swedish rally. Think Im in good hands, or my 300zx is.

Edited April 22, 201411 yr by derek

Nice one Derek, your nearly there so! There's always going to be a few problems doing a car like that for the first time. Don't forget to ask can he do mine/ price? Cheers fella

Will do. are you tt with tt equipment or have you got your conversion kit yet

Ya iam twin turbo with twin turbo kit have everything I think.

All sounds good Derek and hope to meet up soon to see your new Z

good luck - mine has grown an extra pedal today :thumbup:

good luck - mine has grown an extra pedal today :thumbup:

Having 2 brake pedals won't help........ lol

Having 2 brake pedals won't help........ lol

 

:biggrin: you must have heard about my mechanical expertise

just an update for all. Visited my mechanic guy who has been working on her and to date has the gearbox in and a lot of the wiring done. Behind the dash clocks some idiot has been in there fecking about and as he used the wrong boss for the wheel, had cut into the loom to create a horn button on the side of the cowling where the cruise stick is. So that's all fixed and put back to original.

 

He (the mechanic) did however make a very silly mistake and with the guidance of a very helpful person on here (MARK DERBY) he eventually it right after some advice and has it resolved. It was very funny afterwards but I'm so glad I called with him to see the problem he thought he had yesterday lunchtime. Thankfully with Mark's advice this was fixed before he made a complete ass of it. Thanks again Mark.

 

So now its on the home straight. All pedals are now fitted, ecu sorted, reversing lights working, new gaiters all round {(thanks MONDO-SI) for those, look great in situ.} so just the vacuum pipe and master cylinder to make up a pipe for and I get her back :clap:

 

The downside suppose will be the bill now :whistling: but sure we all have to make a living.

 

Next job is to fit the 99 spec tail lights, change the side repeaters to clear, fit the new steering wheel and boss, fit the new scuttle panels, get the cill repair done and fit uk spec rear bumper. Would love an exhaust for her but that's another thread!!

That sounds like a lot of work Derek but good to hear it is all coming together. This will be an awesome Z when finished and with Stephen doing a lot of work to his we will have some very nice 300zx's in the provence :dance:

another snag now. the brake servo has had an incident and have had to buy one. To be fair it was the mechanics fault so he has paid for it but its getting a little annoying now waiting on the return of my car. Feel its time to give him a deadline as at this rate, it'll qualify for the 40 year tax exemption before I get it back :no:

Edited May 13, 201411 yr by derek

Glad its getting close to completion for you now, however your updates have highlighted the difficulties that non zed garages can encounter and the how the time scale of such jobs can run away, no offense to your guy but it really is a one day job with a couple of hours finishing the next day, hopefully you not paying on an hourly rate!

 

Good luck

 

 

Jeff TT

Glad its getting close to completion for you now, however your updates have highlighted the difficulties that non zed garages can encounter and the how the time scale of such jobs can run away, no offense to your guy but it really is a one day job with a couple of hours finishing the next day, hopefully you not paying on an hourly rate!

 

Good luck

 

 

Jeff TT

 

Took me 6 months from start to finish lol

 

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

Hi Jeff.

He doesn't seem to be pushed about it. He has a workshop behind his house with a machine room behind that and a one man band. His problem seems to be his better half, as he is forever having to go here and there with her {and she can drive}. He only seems to get late afternoons in the garage but the guy who was to be doing it, hasn't been doing anything except helping Sean in and out with the gearboxes. He said last night that all is running and finished underneath. Just to do the pin 49 wiring and wait on the replacement servo that he broke. Haven't a clue about the bill as the other mechanic who does my work got the job, so I'll be caught in between I suspect. But would agree, if he'd have kept to it and not closing up regulary, it would be finished in 2 days even to the non z mechanics.

 

Anything issue that could arise, did, and he just didn't know how to resolve it. The prop for instance 2 weeks until he advised me that he cant get it resolved and with your help, it was sorted that evening. Things like that have held it back a lot. Just wish he'd tell me as things happen. The servo was broke a few weeks ago and he tells me last night......:mad2:

49 wiring ??? is that pin 44 for the Neutral switch you mean? if you use a manual ecu you don`t need it and even with an auto ecu its a base idle timing concern that`s all, leaving pin 44 grounded all of the time is telling the ecu the car is not in gear? saying that maybe you guy has wired the switch in and its that he has left to connect.

 

Jeff

Took me 6 months from start to finish lol

 

 

4 days in total here. Operation performed by two absolute n00bs to the Z32. A few phone calls to Luke at Z Centre and a couple to Baz as well.

 

It's obviously not helping Derek's timescales if the mechanic has to keep shutting up to do things with his missus! :( Keep the faith though, chap - it'll all be worth it when the conversion's complete, I promise!!

Funny he's just phoned me there, so was waiting to hear what else is broke, but he was asking me would I sell it, as one of his customers was there and was looking around her on the lift etc and thought it was a good clean one. But told him not for sale.

 

Sorry jeff, pin 44. I downloaded info of forum and various threads about it. Keeping the auto ecu in at the moment so just to earth in out. He reckons Monday now as he has a wedding Saturday.

yepee. got a call tonight to say my z is eventually ready and now a manual. He has all done with the conversion, wiring completed, gearbox oil flushed through and refilled, timing belt changed, serviced and brakes stripped cleaned and rebuilt as one was sticking a little. All done for less than £375. He done the timing belt for nothing and the brakes due to the mistake he made and the extra time he has the car. To be fair he then told me to deduct the cost of the servo and postage of this as he broke it.

 

A fair guy in my opinion and he is delivering Thursday evening as that's when im back home.

That is an amazing price by no stretch of the imagination. £375 is one days labour at least. Brilliant deal there mate and you have done well for that total cost.

 

Now go and enjoy!!

yepee. got a call tonight to say my z is eventually ready and now a manual. He has all done with the conversion, wiring completed, gearbox oil flushed through and refilled, timing belt changed, serviced and brakes stripped cleaned and rebuilt as one was sticking a little. All done for less than £375. He done the timing belt for nothing and the brakes due to the mistake he made and the extra time he has the car. To be fair he then told me to deduct the cost of the servo and postage of this as he broke it.

 

A fair guy in my opinion and he is delivering Thursday evening as that's when im back home.

 

So happy for you its done :biggrin: but some of the prices I have been seeing here and hearing about elsewhere are getting ridiculously low, you have done well Derek but I fear for the knock on effect of such :no:

 

 

Jeff TT

Cheers guys. I think Jeff, he was feeling guilty for making a few major mistakes and hence he reflected it on costing but wouldn't have been that long in total at it if he'd have stayed at it. First one to do so he has learned a lot.

 

But I'm happy with it and hes put the additional wiring into the loom as much as possible so looks very neat and tidy.