Just bought our first Z (240Z)

Woody928

Events Officer
Staff member
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What thickness of sound proofing did you use? Silent coat do a 2mm and 4mm i believe.

They have a whole range but I just went with the regular 2mm stuff. There's so much conflicting advice out there about how much coverage to do and which product to use but this seemed like a reasonable option. I'd still like to do more another time but its much more satisfying closing the doors and hatch now!
 

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
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Site Administrator
This sound-proofing is quite a personal choice thing. I suppose it depends on what you do with your car. I love the noises my Zs make, they are part of the buzz I get from driving them.
 

uk66fastback

Club Member
Having the header now installed Mark, I can't think this makes much difference to the soundproofing at all from experience with my Mustang. The tinniness of the panels, yes. They won't drum as much, that's for sure.

Rob, it's not like a modern car, where you get in and close the door and can barely hear what's going on outside!
 

IbanezDan51

Well-Known Forum User
Having the header now installed Mark, I can't think this makes much difference to the soundproofing at all from experience with my Mustang. The tinniness of the panels, yes. They won't drum as much, that's for sure.

Rob, it's not like a modern car, where you get in and close the door and can barely hear what's going on outside!

Have you driven a modern electric car yet? They obviously have no engine sound, and really have to focus more on the NVH issues with body hole sizes, sound proofing, seals etc. They are infinitely quieter than your average hatchback. Its actually extremely nice and when you get back in a vehicle that is powered by an ICE its bloody horrid :D
 

toopy

Club Member
They have a whole range but I just went with the regular 2mm stuff. There's so much conflicting advice out there about how much coverage to do and which product to use but this seemed like a reasonable option. I'd still like to do more another time but its much more satisfying closing the doors and hatch now!

Yeh agreed, Ive looked into different products before, but conflicting recommendations make it hard to make an informed choice, it's not exactly cheap stuff if you're buying more than a couple of squares either!

Looking at your pics, there's plenty of space left to cover, but go's to prove you don't need to smother a car in the stuff for it have a marked effect :)
 

uk66fastback

Club Member
Have you driven a modern electric car yet? They obviously have no engine sound, and really have to focus more on the NVH issues with body hole sizes, sound proofing, seals etc. They are infinitely quieter than your average hatchback. Its actually extremely nice and when you get back in a vehicle that is powered by an ICE its bloody horrid :D

No, I haven't, although I was nearly run over by my mate camping at the Silverstone F1 this year when he returned from the water tap in his gi-normous Mistubishi Hybrid thing and I simply never heard it and walked in front of it without hearing it coming ... okay, he was only doing about 5mph, but still ...
 

Rob Gaskin

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Ok my last post on this (I know I can be a PITA).

I've been out in my Samuri this afternoon (after shopping with my wife Jayne in my Volvo XC60). It was escapism and I loved it! The induction roar (triple webers), the exhaust (Janspeed one silencer) the gearlever buzz (S14) and the suspension crash and rattle all told me I was alive and driving a super classic sports car. I'm 67 and still got a thrill from it. Just like my old trackday car - no way am I fitting sound deadening pads or ear muffs! Bring it on, this is why I love my Zs. Ask those old guys racing this weekend at Goodwood what thickness sound deadening they have!
 

MaximG

Well-Known Forum User
Ok my last post on this (I know I can be a PITA).

I've been out in my Samuri this afternoon (after shopping with my wife Jayne in my Volvo XC60). It was escapism and I loved it! The induction roar (triple webers), the exhaust (Janspeed one silencer) the gearlever buzz (S14) and the suspension crash and rattle all told me I was alive and driving a super classic sports car. I'm 67 and still got a thrill from it. Just like my old trackday car - no way am I fitting sound deadening pads or ear muffs! Bring it on, this is why I love my Zs. Ask those old guys racing this weekend at Goodwood what thickness sound deadening they have!

Yes but they aren't driving 2,3,400 miles in them.
 

Woody928

Events Officer
Staff member
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The tinniness of the panels, yes. They won't drum as much, that's for sure.

This was one of the big reasons for doing the job, all the panels sounded awful closing doors.

Looking at your pics, there's plenty of space left to cover, but go's to prove you don't need to smother a car in the stuff for it have a marked effect :)

It's a hard one as to how far you go, I've seen it done both ways. This way is certainly cheaper and lighter while providing huge benifits, I'm sure total coverage would enhance it further but where do you stop...

Ok my last post on this (I know I can be a PITA).

I've been out in my Samuri this afternoon (after shopping with my wife Jayne in my Volvo XC60). It was escapism and I loved it! The induction roar (triple webers), the exhaust (Janspeed one silencer) the gearlever buzz (S14) and the suspension crash and rattle all told me I was alive and driving a super classic sports car. I'm 67 and still got a thrill from it. Just like my old trackday car - no way am I fitting sound deadening pads or ear muffs! Bring it on, this is why I love my Zs. Ask those old guys racing this weekend at Goodwood what thickness sound deadening they have!

:rofl: Missing the point I think Rob, I love all of those things mentioned however when you're cruising for hundreds of miles then interior rattles, road rumble and drone don't make for a fun experience.... I still have the some induction, exhaust noise etc however the cabin is slightly quieter, less wearing and more able to allow for conversation. It's well worth doing, I'm sure a car with full coverage would be amazing and still allow for the same exciting experience, just in more comfort!
 

Ian

Club Member
:rofl: Missing the point I think Rob, I love all of those things mentioned however when you're cruising for hundreds of miles then interior rattles, road rumble and drone don't make for a fun experience.... I still have the some induction, exhaust noise etc however the cabin is slightly quieter, less wearing and more able to allow for conversation. It's well worth doing, I'm sure a car with full coverage would be amazing and still allow for the same exciting experience, just in more comfort!
Yes, for a car thats used often its nice to not have excessive unwanted noise.

You don't need panels fully covered for this to work, 50% is all you need as its just there to stop resonance and booming of the panels. After this you want to use foams and heavy vinyl layer.

I'm going to do mine as light weight as possible using 40% coverage per panel with the buytl mat and a combined foam and mass loaded vinyl in places like around the gearbox. Hopefully I can make it nicer for long trips without adding much weight. Being a 78 mine had a good amount of tar layer anyway before I removed it for restoration.
 

uk66fastback

Club Member
I know covering panels completely (as I did) will add extra weight, but unless you're racing the thing, does that really matter? I'm sure most people who've had the car a while probably weigh more than they did a decade ago when they got it - have they noticed the sluggishness of the car after they've piled one a stone or two - I bet not! Obviously there's the extra cost as well though of the extra material.
 

Woody928

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Well I'm a bit behind on here but having found five spare minutes I thought I'd at least update this thread so that its left in correct order.

We took both the 240z and my dads Austin Healey 3000 to Europe as planned and several of you followed last summer. Both cars covered 3700 miles across France, Switzerland, Monaco, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria and Germany in just over three weeks before finishing up at the Bicester Heritage Sunday Scramble where we had a cracking turn out.

The cars tackled the French Alps, undertook a rally with Petrolicious, went over Stevlio Pass and we made it down to Modena with both cars to do all of the major factory tours. The trip was the trip of a lifetime and has so many good memories associated with it.

Petrolicious event written up here ;-)

https://petrolicious.com/articles/drive-tastefully-lago-maggiore-is-the-best-way-to-experience-italy

The car didn't miss a beat, the only maintenance was the odd oil top up with a slight leak. With my driving style, the car was thoroughly thrashed throughout and driven to the limits so it really is a testament to the engineering and how far the build has progressed.

The only thing that was lacking was the engine, the car certainly struggled more as we went up some of the mountain passes. The lack of oxygen really showed up the limitations of an engine only putting out 150bhp. There are future plans to resolve this though

My last act with the Z before leaving the UK was to purchase an L28 (N42 - F54) from another club member on here (Huge thank you). SGS Engineering make an awesome engine crane and engine stand which have been commissioned. It's currently in storage however there are plans afoot to build it fresh when I return and aim for a power output of approx 200bhp with a 7k rpm limit using all of my current bolt on mods. I feel this will allow me the extra power I crave to assist with overtakes without making it a car that is too fast to be properly enjoyed on the road.

My journey overseas continues though and for now my dad will be the one running the Z in my absence, I'm told its still going strong on the various outings it's had. My current motoring fix has come in the form of two wheels now. Having acquired my full bike license just before leaving the UK by the skin of my teeth, I've spent the last three months journeying across Vietnam by motorbike. A 127cc Honda Win Detech isn't a Z but its given me other life long memories and completely transformed my idea travel and touring. More motorbikes will no doubt feature.

I'm going to have a gap for a while with no transport but there are now plans to buy an adventure bike in India and tour the country for 6 months to resolve that come the summer. Who knows when I'll return to the UK (possibly 2022) but the car and engine will no doubt be waiting.

DSCF8892 by Mark Woodrow, on Flickr

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Woody928

Events Officer
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Woody928

Events Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Great photos Mark,

Am enjoying your travel blog - must be due another update if you get another spare 5 mins EXTRA:)

Thanks man.

Really pleased to hear you're enjoying it. Sadly that one is much more than a five minute job! If you have a look there's a lot of recent content I just don't update the thread on here due to time. I've spent the last couple of days alone in a cafe just writing and editing content....

Fantastic shots!

Glad to see the 240 used like it should!

Cheers dude, there's still hundreds more to choose from, that's just a small selection. In my mind there's only one thing to do with anything mechanical and that's use it as intended!
 

johnymd

Club Member
Great pictures. Look like your having the time of your life.

I remember the first time I drove to Val de'sere I took the wrong roar up the mountain and couldn't get past that peak in your picture due to heavy snow. I had to drive all the way back down the mountain and up the other way. Superb roads and I would always look forward to the drive up and down the snowy mountain roads to the ski resort.
 

Woody928

Events Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Great pictures. Look like your having the time of your life.

I remember the first time I drove to Val de'sere I took the wrong roar up the mountain and couldn't get past that peak in your picture due to heavy snow. I had to drive all the way back down the mountain and up the other way. Superb roads and I would always look forward to the drive up and down the snowy mountain roads to the ski resort.

It's hard to complain ;-)

That's awesome, its pretty staggering up there. We were fortunate enough to drive both sides with no obstructions, Septembers weather seemed like the perfect time for this trip.

By far my favourite is still Col de la Bonette, I still maintain that driving up the West side the Col was the best road I've ever driven! A completely exhilarating experience...
 

Woody928

Events Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Looking at the last date stamp of January 2020 it seems rather crazy to think how much has changed, I obviously updated this during my last few days in Vietnam before heading to Malaysia and Myanmar before everything changed. I didn't imagine I'd be updating this thread again so soon and from England as silly as that sounds over a year later.

A bit of a personal and non car related update first but my world trip is on hold indefinitely while the world sorts itself out, my plan is still to return to my trip as soon as it is possible though. It is however clear that this isn't going to be a five minute fix so I realised that employment was sadly a good idea again while I wait.

I've taken a total career change having well and truly left the city behind and currently training as a Joiner (working with a childhood friend). It's incredibly refreshing working locally and much nicer to work with my hands however it does now mean that I don't sit at a computer all day and I can't just browse through the forums all day and contribute while 'working' :rofl: My presence on here has therefore totally diminished compared to that of before.

My mental health also took a massive hit at the end of last year for a variety of reasons with the perfect storm sending me well of course with a mental breakdown. Thankfully I have a lot of good people around me and sought help. I've since got myself back into a much better place than I ever was before, however as a consequence I've stepped back a lot from a lot of places including forums and social media as part of it. Hopefully I'll be adding plenty more content on here as and when I can though, it certainly looks like there's plenty of exciting projects on the go in my absence.

Anyway back on topic and here goes, the car is continuing to evolve and we've taken huge strides towards the next evolution which will be quite radical and I hope will happen this summer. With some spare time on my hands and looking for projects I dug out my old BRE spoiler from storage which was damaged when the car originally shipped from the US and decided to have a go at fibre glass repair.

This was certainly a new challenge having never attempted it before. Cutting out the damaged areas I spent some time patching over and filling in several damaged locations. In hindsight I should have preserved the gelcoat finish and done more localised repair however the entire piece got sanded back, prepped and reinforced before being painted Satin Black. It's not perfect however its a chin spoiler that'll get plenty of stone chips so I decided to try and be less fussy for once.

This means that I've been able to refit the original metal front valance back onto the car with new stainless hardware and remove the fibreglass piece fitted which was certainly showing some use and abuse after the 20,000 odd hard miles I've put on the car over the past few years. I'm yet to get the car back out in the wild to see it properly in the light of day however it certainly gives the front end of the car a much more aggressive feel.

Whilst in there my front indicators are were disintegrating due to corrosion and age so are being replaced with new Blem units from the USA, equally some time was spent treating a few areas of rust with RC900 and more dinatrol to try and preserve the chassis and keep the tin worm at bay.

Finally I also took the opportunity to swap out the front number plate, I've never liked the aesthetic of the full size plate fitted when the car arrived which takes up a huge amount of space. I've therefore swapped across to something more low key and slightly more modern. Overall I'm really pleased with the facelift!

IMG_3775 by Mark Woodrow, on Flickr

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648E3533-7B72-4C6F-BF10-83671ED9BBFC by Mark Woodrow, on Flickr

The next instalment will be on the fuel system which has been totally overhauled and upgraded in anticipation of my new engine setup coming this summer. I'm just buttoning up the final details now to get the car roadworthy again.
 
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Pondo

Club Member
Looks as always like your doing a Stirling job, hopefully we’ll all have time to enjoy our cars a little over the summer and maybe even get to meet up again. I’m looking forward to see what your doing with the engine.

Sorry also to hear you’ve not been well but glad your in a better place now.......Couldn’t of chosen a better time to enjoy some Carpentry as there seems to be plenty of work for tradespeople at the minute.
 
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