A while back I fell in automotive love with Nissans R390. Not only a fantastic machine but IMO a great design:

 

 

As an arty-farty type I used to do a lot of sculpture and although I mainly paint nowadays it crossed my mind that maybe it would be cool to sculpt a custom front end loosely based on the R390 for the Zed. Thankfully I have no sense of reality whatsoever and went at it. TBH I never intended it to go on my own car as there's already some great custom work being done to it by someone who actually knows what they're doing (Steve at Bodywork Plus), I really just did it as an excercise to see if I could. Below is a very rough work in progress shot of whats been done so far (very rough indeed as I'd just put a fresh layer of filler on and hadn't smoothed it back when I took the photo!):

 

 

It's still a very rough shape but it's getting there...slowly! Seems to be going to plan as well. It will retain almost all of the original mounting points and will have the same recessed fog light and plastic cover (though I'm in two minds whether to include the "blade" that runs across the two main openings). If all goes well it will also be made from ABS plastic rather than FG...a nice halfway house between FG and PU that I can cast myself...more flexibility than FG and it's easy as pie to fix if it gets a ding.

 

If it does work out I've drawn up some designs for a complete R390 inspired wide arch kit...but that would be waaaaaay off down the line.

 

All good fun and it keeps me out of trouble ;)

 

Leigh

i like that buddy. nice to see something completely original

cant wait to see the finished results. hope it all gos to plan

That looks smooth and still keeping the lines of the front to some extent.

 

Post more pics so we can see how she goes.

it looks like a micra bonnet grafted onto the zed bumper lol

looks promising, nice one mate! :bow:

wish i could do something like that, hows it done

it looks like a micra bonnet grafted onto the zed bumper lol

Lol! Bugger off! ;) :D [damn...I can see your point... :rofl: :rofl: ;) ] Hopefully it'll take on a different look when I've cut the fog apertures out and the bolt on covers go on (will be picking them up from Demontw@ts when I'm next over in Wrexham sorting out V8 stuff)

looks promising, nice one mate! :bow:

wish i could do something like that, hows it done

Er... very Heath Robinson but I built a rough shape in polystyrene over a stock bumper (it's still under there!) to get the lines right and to keep the mounting points. Then drew up some templates from my initial designs for the main openings, built up a negative of them in wood about 2" thick, fibreglassed around the edges and fixed them into position. Also used a lot of thermo-plastic (an absolute godsend) to mould edges and curves more exactly. Once it's finished I'll take a mould of it all, make a copy, graft it onto a better bumper to again keep the mounting points (the one I used I had to repair as it was almost in two pieces and some of the mounting points were fVcked), cut out the unecessary bits of the OEM bumper, do some fine tuning and take a final mould of it all again. When I write it down it seems a helluva lot! Lol! :D

sounds well clever, im well impressed, id love to have ago at something like that myself, but i wouldnt have a clue were to start, gettin a headache just thinking about making a fan shroud lol.

Wow! Looks good Leigh, top work :cool:

looking good mate, really like that - i take it youre going for an fmic?

thats a great idea Leigh, good luck with the project!

 

btw is the R390 based on the Z at all (obviously the headlights suggest this)

Very interesting Leigh, keep it up, I'm intrigued to see how it ends up :)

It's different Leigh and I must sat not what I expected. A little more conservertive than I imagined. i'll have to study it for a while. The jury is out I'm affraid. I honestly don't know what to make of it.

looking good mate, really like that - i take it youre going for an fmic?

Er...an NA V8!

But for a standard set-up it would be fairly easy to make up some ducts to channel the air over side mounts.

 

Skyline Dave: TBH mate I don't know! The similarities are certainly there in places.

 

markzx: The jury came back while you were having a whizz and ruled in my favour. (Ain't bribery great? Lol!) But seriously [ahem! ;)] it should take on a whole different aspect once the fogs are in. Thinking of making up a removable front spoiler to go with it as well...

 

Cheers for the encouraging comments chaps! :)

Don't let them put you off. Go for it, play around with it. It's nice to see someone haveing a go.

Don't let them put you off. Go for it, play around with it. It's nice to see someone haveing a go.

The last time I was told to go for it and play around with it, it was SO a totally different situation...and she didn't walk straight for a month... :rofl: :o :D ;)

The last time I was told to go for it and play around with it, it was SO a totally different situation...and she didn't walk straight for a month... :rofl: :o :D ;)

Naughty, naughty :rofl: :rofl:

I think it would've actually been illegal if I'd missed that double entendre opportunity... :rofl: :D

I think it would've actually been illegal if I'd missed that double entendre opportunity... :rofl: :D

LOL She says as she wipes a tear from her eye :rofl:

Well, she's coming on slowly but surely:

 

 

Managed to get a fair bit done on it today as had some free time and the weather was perfect (managed to burn my back though! Bugger! :D).

will be interesting to see the final result!

 

good to see someone trying something totally different

Great thing to be doing mate. Very nice. Dave

Er...an NA V8!

But for a standard set-up it would be fairly easy to make up some ducts to channel the air over side mounts.

 

Skyline Dave: TBH mate I don't know! The similarities are certainly there in places.

 

markzx: The jury came back while you were having a whizz and ruled in my favour. (Ain't bribery great? Lol!) But seriously [ahem! ;)] it should take on a whole different aspect once the fogs are in. Thinking of making up a removable front spoiler to go with it as well...

 

Cheers for the encouraging comments chaps! :)

 

 

sorry forgive my momentary lapse of concentration!!!

 

fook knows why i came out with that comment when i knew full well what you were up to!!!

 

 

looks good whaever!

I had a play with your new bumper and monster front arches and conclude that together they will look very good, but on a relatively standard car it will be too concervative. With the sod of spots its going to need the sod off wheel arches again.

 

So for your car I give it the thumbs up ( Cheers for the cheque it'll come in very handy) :rofl: :rofl:

Have to say the front end you're create bears a striking resemblance to the Bugatti EB110:

 

Which is a good thing in my book :D

 

Cracking job so far grommit, keep it up :D

Ooo now had a play in photoshop and see what came out... i'm in lurve! :wack: