280z LHD Conversion & VQ35 Build

OwainIJ

Club Member
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Just starting a build thread for my 280z. Currently in the process of stripping the car down and will hopefully be pulling the engine out in the next week. Brief plans for the car are:

- RHD conversion
- Full bare metal respray (still not decided on colour)
- Install VQ35HR Engine & 6sp Manual box from donor car. Leaving engine as standard. HR spec is 310hp so should be a good start for the car
- Refurb suspension components (sandblast and refinish and fit new bushing kit all round)
- Cut and weld on adjustable coilover kit to existing struts
- Rear disc brake conversion
- Refurb existing seats but new leather interior panels with sound deadening underneath
- New RHD dash ( have a beaten up 240z RHD dash that needs repairing/combining with 280z dash. Hoping to keep original gauges) & new radio & air con/heater
- New Alloys
- New/Refurb exterior trim
and a whole lot more!

First job after stripping the car will be some small metal repairs in the floor, converting the bulkhead and fitting the new engine and gearbox mounts so will post some updates during this. Appreciate any tips or advice!

Owain
 

AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member

Russell

Club Member
It depends on your budget but by the time you have sourced all the parts to put a Subaru one in you would probably be looking at the same amount as a quaife.

All my money is going into getting the 1jz in and running at the moment. I will be running standard suspension, Diff and brakes to start with whilst I save up (driving carefully).

I will likely do brakes, then suspension with diff lower down the list. Unless something breaks which would then be upgraded.


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Ian

Club Member
Plans sound good, you have a lot of work to do, good luck.


I would be looking to run an R200 with an LSD, The quaifes are good but I have to say my OS Giken Superlock 1.5 way CLSD is the best LSD I have driven with, its so smooth when driving normally but can lock up nicely when required for serious driving, its very quiet for a CLSD, night and day difference to my mates Nismo CLSD in the R200 in his Skyline.
 

Jay.

Club Member
Hows the progress going? Have you figured out what you'll do with the heater pipes/matrix etc?
 

OwainIJ

Club Member
Quick update. Car is now stripped and ready for shot blasting and priming. Found some small patches of rust and some old repairs that will need dealing with (the cars has had a new roof put in at some point) so some extra welding added to the list of things to do.
On the diff front I'more likely to put an LSD into the existing diff case than replace it.
I think the most likely option with the heater matrix will be an aftermarket kit of some kind. The old heater/ac unit is bound for the scrapheap. I have kept the sliding switches and fascia though as it might be pretty nice to try and keep the look but with a modern system behind. I am tempted to see if i can transfer across the heater/ac system from the 350z I have as I'm planning on taking the wiring harness from that car. Might be a bit too much work though and I have no idea if it would actually fit.

Next step when the car is primed is the repairs/bulkhead modifications/VQ engine & gearbox mounts

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OwainIJ

Club Member
Next update on the build....

As the 280z is away being shot blasted I've cracked on with stripping down the 350z. Its taken the best part of a week and was an absolute nightmare of a job but the engine & gearbox are out along with the various harnesses. Have a couple of options going forward on the setup of the 280z. I have taken out and kept all the parts needed (IPDM/BCM/NATS Antenna e.t.c) to get the VQ engine running with the anti theft system working. Or I can get the NATS removed. Horsham developments charge £250 to flash the ECU to take away the NATS. Not sure which avenue is best to go for. removing the system would make the install into the 280z way easier but would be usefull to have some sort of immobiliser on the car. Any thoughts or advice?

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AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Can't recall if you found a RHD bulkhead but I saw this the other day pop up on my eBay suggestions and thought of you ...

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/292550023400

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OwainIJ

Club Member
Got the body shell and panels back today from shotblasting, along with a few nasty suprises :( Car seems to have had a tough time over the past 41 years... Thoughts on repair against replacing the rear quarter panels? Looks like I'veIMG_20180522_152121.jpg IMG_20180522_154202.jpg IMG_20180522_154209.jpg IMG_20180522_154231.jpg got a bunch more work to do...
 

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Albrecht

Well-Known Forum User
Got the body shell and panels back today from shotblasting, along with a few nasty suprises :( Car seems to have had a tough time over the past 41 years...

I reckon that's been rolled at some point in the distant past. Might be worth getting the unibody on a jig at some point and seeing if it is twisted or not.
 

Ian

Club Member
Why do you reckon its been rolled? thats quite extreme. Could just be heavy side impact damage on that rear quarter from an non flat object.
 

Albrecht

Well-Known Forum User
Why do you reckon its been rolled? thats quite extreme. Could just be heavy side impact damage on that rear quarter from an non flat object.

Because it has similar damage on the other quarter, and it's had a new roof.
 

OwainIJ

Club Member
My gut tells me its been rolled which is a bit of a nightmare. Have found someone in Canada who will make the full rear quarter panel. Doors/front fenders/Hood don't have any matching damage or any filler so either they were replaced or somehow not damaged. All panel gaps/doors/hood and boot lid all fitted fine when the car was together. When would be the best time to get it on the Jig? Before putting in any of the repair panels?
 

Albrecht

Well-Known Forum User
Doors/front fenders/Hood don't have any matching damage or any filler so either they were replaced or somehow not damaged. All panel gaps/doors/hood and boot lid all fitted fine when the car was together. When would be the best time to get it on the Jig? Before putting in any of the repair panels?

Well if everything seems OK and you don't suspect that the body is twisted or distorted in any way, then perhaps you could 'proceed with caution'. However, I'd make sure to assess it as thoroughly as possible. Some of those slide hammer-pulled dents seem to have been fairly rudimentary and it must have had a ton of filler over them...

If it was a fairly light roll then maybe it will have got away without a twist or bend, but the fact that it's had a roof panel change makes it hard to judge how bad the roll was. If it was my car I'd want to ensure it was actually plumb before doing any body repairs. If it needs any rectification it's much better to do that before anything else.

If you can get it onto a good flat surface you could do a lot of checking with plumb bobs and a measuring tape.
 

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
Blasting certainly reveals hidden horrors - it's happened a few times on here.

I would echo what Albrecht advises - get it all measured now and go from there. No point in doing any repairs at this stage.

It has some rot but is very sound from the pics. US body-shops seem to bodge things from the limited knowledge I have.

I'd be cautious of reproduced major panels like rear quarters, especially when you can't go and see their work beforehand.
 
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