Hayden's Cars- Annual update!

[Hayden]

My god, how quickly things can change in just three days! The edit in the post above (which I've quoted here due to new page) shows the train of thought that got me to this stage.

Edit: I'll leave this here. Big wall 'o text ahead.

So, today I finally lashed out on the centre caps for the Z's wheels. There was two types, flat and standard. I went with the second option and they should be here in a couple weeks...
View attachment 111033

Feeling motivated, I then rang my Z mechanic and talked to him about the TT and manual swap that I want to do in September. He said that it's a very labour intensive task and as such would cost me $15000 to get it done through him. For refference, I paid a fair bit less than half that for the car! He went on to mention that value for money wise, he would certainly not recommend the TT route and said getting a manual swap, ECU tune and new exhaust at around $5000 would be the better option. He also mentioned that he was unsure of the legality of driving a twin turbo convertible 300zx on the road in South Australia. That wasn't what I wanted to hear.

I can be a pretty stubborn person, so I wished him good day, dialed up transport SA and asked them directly If it could legally be done. The guy on the phone was pretty sure there wouldn't be any legality issues or need for an engineer's certificate, just an engine number check (to make sure it wasn't stolen) and a basic inspection of work done. But he told me to fill out a form for the beaurecrats to run through before turning any spanners.

With that side looking positive I researched what twin turbo, manual 300zx's are bringing at the moment and tracked down a decent donor car for $3000. I figure that saving up and setting aside $5k would guarantee finding a decent example when i'm ready for it.

So that leaves the oily bits involved in turning two cars into one car... or actually two . The plan is that i'll buy a road registered donor car in late August and with the power of free beer and BBQ, get some mates on board to help with the swap.

We'll drag out all the bits from both cars that need changing*, put the TT stuff in the Vert and slide the NA equipment into the donor car. Being road legal, I should be a able to sell the NA equipped donor for around $2000 without too much trouble. That way, I'll have gotten all the bits I need without wrecking a Z just to satisfy my crazy dreams . My rough guestimation is that the swap should take us about 4 weekends, cost me $200 in beer and $300 in sausages. There are full guides for the swap online and i'm fortunate to have some mechanically inclined friends. I reckon i'll surprise the lads that help and divide the sale price of the donor equally between us as extra thanks.

So my maths says I'll save about $9500, spend some time with my mates, get the pride that comes with tackling and conquering a big project, own a one of a kind (in Aus) car and make a couple friends $500 richer. The only problem is the lack of warrantee on the engine. Which, being a turbo powered, cheap, manual RWD car that's probably been thrashed is a slightly scary thought. I think however that value wise against the suggested manual, tuned NA for the same price, it's a risk I'm willing to take.

*There are a lot of parts that will be switched including the engines and gearboxes, tail shafts, shifters, heaps of interior pieces, gauge clusters, brakes, the trim above the taillights, air con systems, some wiring, the ECUs and some other stuff i'm currently forgetting. The intercoolers and spoiler will go to the convertible and if the donor has a decent stereo, or speakers, or any miscellaneous goodies they'll be switched too.

To answer the question of 'what happened to August?' I'll just say that this was a deal that could not be ignored. Even though I tried really hard to do just that.
Without further ado, Ladies and gentlemen I hereby introduce you to project Paddlepop!

Source of the name ....

This is a twin turbo manual which is pretty rough on the outside but oh so sweet on the inside. Few more than 100,000 original K's, well looked after and with all the parts to execute something i've wanted to do since owning the convertible.

I just negotiated an awesome deal on it from a lady who bought it a year ago in this exact state for twice the money as an intended project. Life got in the way and it never happened for her.

The car was costing her money in storage and she needed it gone, so she was just as happy with the deal as me!

So to cut to the chase, project Paddlepop is the donor car for the Vert. It's actually happening! I'm going to own the only known twin turbo convertible 300zx in Australia and one of three RHDs known in the world!

I'm sad to say however that moment is a long way off. I won't be picking it up on a trailer for another month or so. Then it's going to take some work to get the Paddlepop to pass it's police inspection and get it registered as it's been off the road for a while. From what the seller says it should just be a case of putting the interior back together and doing some minor bodywork.

Once it's registered, i'll cancel the rego straight away, park both cars next to each other in the shed and the real work will begin. It's a list so long that i'm not even going to try putting in this post, but be assured- it's gonna take a loooong while.

After it's all said and done, the vert will be a turbocharged manual and the Paddlepop will be a NA auto, which will be registered again and sold to supply monetary thanks to the guys who help me.

So there we go, I bought yet another car! I've already put down a sizeable deposit and i'll sell some stuff and be super tight with money to get me the rest of the money ready for pickup day.... And yes, I know the colour is worthy of the questionable modification thread

 

[Punknoodle]

Very exciting stuff mate. I can not stress enough though, please don't rush this - I don't know anything about these engines or their common problems but I would look at doing a little overhaul on the engine while it is out of the car. This will ensure you don't put it in and discover something like an annoying leak 3 months down the track that requires the engine to come out again.

I don't mean a complete strip down, but things like the main seals, oil pump, water pump, engine mounts, timing belt (if it has one), tensioner, any hoses that look old, get the injectors flow tested, change the spark plugs, check the clutch and potentially upgrade while the engine is out, anything you can think that you may need to upgrade when you ultimately end up pushing more power, do it while the engine is out. It will add time and money to the swap, but will make it so much easier later on.

Judging by the pics it would be an absolute nightmare to work on, so doing anything like that while the engine is out will be so much easier.

Also, on the actual car when it has no engine in it, it's a good opportunity to check things like the power steering rack, bushes, anything that is a complete pain or necessitates an engine removal.

 

[CarBastard]

Leave. The Paint. As. It is. PERIOD!

Congratulations on the new car, it's definitely something with loads of go-fast potential!

EDIT: Durrr, just read the full post: Even better, if slightly less colorful . It's awesome to have a car that's unique and custom built for your tastes. Plus, all that new-found twin-turbo speed will be awesome sans roof!

 

[Hayden]

They are notorious for just that @Punknoodle. Every local mechanic I took the convertible too when I wanted to get it's 200k service done told me straight away that they wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole. It's just too tight, everything is in weird places and none of them had worked on one before.

Cheers for the very good suggestions too, mate. I forgot to mention in that post that I still won't be able to drive it until september, so getting this car early and cheap should prevent any mad rush, penny pinching or corner cutting. A new clutch, a full going through of everything on both cars and replacing anything wrong with either is definitely on the cards. It'll certainly be worth changing the belts on the TT engine just to be safe. These motors are interference engines so if a belt snaps, you've got a boat anchor

As for getting it ready for more power, I'm not sure that I'll go very far on that front. I'll probably get it mildly tuned and call it a day. Too much power would be dangerous for a 20 year old and his license

Edit: @CarBastard The paint will not be changed, just cleaned, buffed and polished when it's time for it to get a new owner. 👍

Twin turbo engine + manual gearbox + soft top down + this book =

 

[Nismo34]

Looking good Hayden. The events in the R32 look a bit of fun, half contemplating turning my newly acquired R33 into an event car when shes running a little better . Not sure on the paint on that 300zx though, good thing its only a donor then. Keep it up 👍

 

[Stavingo]

Looking good Hayden. The events in the R32 look a bit of fun, half contemplating turning my newly acquired R33 into an event car when shes running a little better . Not sure on the paint on that 300zx though, good thing its only a donor then. Keep it up 👍

Oh my gosh where have you been the past few months

All the old timers are back

 

[Hayden]

You bought a R33 Geti? Great choice man! Still got your bike?

Crikey, it's a reunion! all round!

 

[Stavingo]

Feeling pretty loner with my Honda at the moment Need to join the Nissan crowd

 

[Nismo34]

Oh my gosh where have you been the past few months

All the old timers are back

Now now, lets not jack Haydens thread with a reunion


Yea I bought an R33 GTST, pretty sure theres a photo on my facebook somewhere. And I pick up the new bike in a couple weeks

EDIT:

 

[Stavingo]

Now now, lets not jack Haydens thread with a reunion


Yea I bought an R33 GTST, pretty sure theres a photo on my facebook somewhere. And I pick up the new bike in a couple weeks

Man rolling in the automotive assets, I like it haha 👍

 

[Nismo34]

Man rolling in the automotive assets, I like it haha 👍

Compared to Hayden? Dont think so Not yet anyway


Haydo, how much was that Nistune ECU business if you dont mind me asking?

 

[Hayden]

I can't quite remember man, It was a little while ago now. I want to say that it was about $250 over and above a standard tune. I think

I've got no problems with a hijacked thread at all, but I'd really like to see a "Geti's sexy Skyline" & "Stav's humble Honda" thread in due course.

 

[Nismo34]

Once the new headlights get here, I'll start one up tracking the progress of work done to her. 👍

 

[Stavingo]

I can't quite remember man, It was a little while ago now. I want to say that it was about $250 over and above a standard tune. I think

I've got no problems with a hijacked thread at all, but I'd really like to see a "Geti's sexy Skyline" & "Stav's humble Honda" thread in due course.

My autotragic Honda doesn't deserve a thread round here maybe when I get a new car end of next year I'll consider a thread haha

 

[Aquarelle]

Is this thread becoming a Skyline CJ? if so I want in

 

[Korza]

Feeling pretty loner with my Honda at the moment Need to join the Nissan crowd

Soon I'll be the only Honda owner around here.

 

[Ibonibo]

Looks awesome. Is that one of those cameleon paint that change?

 

[Hayden]

Is this thread becoming a Skyline CJ? if so I want in

Pull up a chair Husky, all are welcome

Looks awesome. Is that one of those cameleon paint that change?

It certainly is. I've done some research and it was probably a $10,000+ paint job when it was done. I'm hoping all the scratches and little issues buff out because there is no way I could afford to get colour shift paint touched up. Apparently if you need a stone chip fixed, you need the whole panel resprayed and even then, it probably wont match the rest of the car

On to some more Z news... My bumper arrived!

Here's what it looks like on the car...

Whoops, wrong one . If anyone ever tells you the rear seats in an 86 are useless, tell them they're wrong. They fold flat and leave enough space to do this...

So, here's what it looks like in front of the correct car. As I expected, It didn't come with indicators or intercooler ducts but I can get those from overseas trouble free.

I love seeing a plan come together

 

[Punknoodle]

I know the feeling

 

[Ibonibo]

The Backseats are one big Hatrack. But an awesome way to save a bit of weight if ever needed. Cheapest tuning ever.
The TT is the same. Only Umpa lumpas can take a seat there


Nice, and yeah that paint is very delicate. A big scratch or clipping usably means painting a whole side. A panel alone will be too flashy afterward.
And stuff like "in what direction did he paint" is important. It's crazy. But one hell of a paint and all so fitting for a old ZX 👍

 

[Hayden]

I got a package delivered from Japan today...

My centre caps have arrived!

It took me a while to figure out how to put them on, but they seem to just push on. Seems strange but i couldn't pull them back off so it must be how your meant to put them on. They weren't cheap and I'm a little paranoid that they'll fall off and roll away
Here's a before pic of the wheels...

And what they look like now...

And a close up...

I'm not entirely convinced that these were the better option over the flat style, a bit more shiny than I thought they'd be, but i'm pretty happy with how they fill in the gaps


There's a car cruise i'll be taking it on this weekend and my older brother wanted to take my 86 for a drive, so hopefully i'll get some pics of them out and about together.

 

[Aquarelle]

I love those rims way more than I have any right to.

 

[Hayden]

@UrieHusky
They were a nightmare to get a hold of, so I always love hearing people say they like them. i wonder what your Skyline would look like with a set of LM GT4s

So yesterday, I went on the car cruise in my convertible and had a great time. I caught up with some old friends and it was a good, sunny day to have the roof downe. My brother didn't end up taking the 86, so no nice photos to share with that but I did get one with some of the other cars that attended.

The 300zx runs out of registration next week so it's likely that yesterday is the last proper drive it will have until after all the work gets carried out. I should hopefully be going to pick up the donor car the weekend after next, when the big process will commence!

 

[Aquarelle]

@UrieHusky
They were a nightmare to get a hold of, so I always love hearing people say they like them. i wonder what your Skyline would look like with a set of LM GT4s

As sexy as the day is long, but stop teasing me!

*kicks my Advanti rims over the fence*

Definitely gonna keep an eye out for them though.

So yesterday, I went on the car cruise in my convertible and had a great time. I caught up with some old friends and it was a good, sunny day to have the roof downe. My brother didn't end up taking the 86, so no nice photos to share with that but I did get one with some of the other cars that attended.

The 300zx runs out of registration next week so it's likely that yesterday is the last proper drive it will have until after all the work gets carried out. I should hopefully be going to pick up the donor car the weekend after next, when the big process will commence!

Very sweet cars! 👍

Good luck getting the Z sorted!! I'd offer to come give you an extra pair of ratcheting hands but y'know - distance.

 

[Hayden]

Sit rep- It's looking like I may be picking the donor car up either this weekend or next, so progress will be starting soon! The Skyline has now got adjustable camber with plenty at the back and a pretty good amount at the front, (hopefully) goodbye understeer! The 86 is ticking up the K's as my daily and the Z is sitting in the shed.

Now to get a little bit nerdy. I love the roof that @Heldenzeit has on his awesome Miata and I've been wanting to get something similar for the convertible for ages. Unfortunately they don't exist, so using my sketchup skills (CAD program I haven't used for a few years) I've been spending the last few nights getting creative.

The first problem I encountered was the lack of a convertible 300zx on the Sketchup warehouse, so I downloaded someone's tuned twin turbo model...

Then I cut off it's roof, built a roll bar, boot, decklid and wind deflector. I didn't bother with measurements. I also made a set of LMGT4 wheels because there was none on the warehouse and nothing else would do .

I decided that the first thing I could try is to make a removable hardtop with a 911/Supra style removable targa top. So I did...


Then I realised that the targa wouldn't fit in the boot and making a convertible into a targa is kinda pointless. Then i made a solid roof, it's literally not possible to make quarter windows look any good on a roof this shape. Remember- It needed to fit over the roll bar but not be so long that the boot wouldn't work.

I was pretty happy with that so I decided to get a bit silly and see what a 300zx shooting brake would look like. It turned into a panel van / hearse somewhere along the line so that's what it ended up being.

Finally I decided to have a crack at a roof while ignoring the fact that the boot existed. I call this design the Daytona.

Sorry for putting this in this thread but it does lead me to a point. After doing the design work, I think I could actually build something like these from fibreglass. It would be a huge amount of work and I am in no shortage of projects, but don't be surprised if In 3 years time I start putting up photos of fibreglass moulds.

These models took quite a bit of work so any comments or insults are more than welcome

Edit: Ever wondered what a 300zx would look like with 350z style Nismo stripes? I did. I also rendered it.

 

[Korza]

Would you be able to put the LMGT4 model on the warehouse for me to 'borrow'?

I'm designing a car for the 'Design a VGT' thread and hate trying to do wheels. Appropriate credit will be given of course.

On topic, I like the shooting brake concept, but my favorite is the brown one.

 

[Hayden]

Sure thing champ, I'll upload it right now. I like the brown one too, but having the top down while the car is stationary, outside a shed while it's raining isn't really an option. I like the idea of having a removable hard top And I just wanted to see what I could come up with.

EDIT: Aaaand it's Done! Here's the link. Please ignore the other models in my warehouse. Like I said, It's been a couple years since I've done this stuff and I'm still using the same email address

 

[Heldenzeit]

Lemme know if you need pics of the inside of the roof for ideas.

 

[Hayden]

@Heldenzeit Thanks for the offer mate, If I ever go this route for real I'll certainly take you up on it.

So, paddlepop news! After weeks of over the phone dealing with the least trusting seller I've ever met, I've finally managed to get the car picked up from her storage shed and taken to a transport depot in melbourne. I work in freight so I can have it brought home from there on the back of a semi truck for free. I've just gotta wait for a spot to open up, which could take a while.

My brother was there yesterday, had a close look over the car and took it for a quick drive around the yard. Here's his report of it...
- Front and rear bumpers both 🤬
- Paint is in desperate need of cut and polish, heavy fading near where the spoiler should be.
- Interior tatty
- Engine has been modified, boost turned up, but turbos seem to be standard
- Seems to run well, but engine feels slow to react (I think that's normal because my convertible is the same)
- Battery is in the boot
- Has a cassette player and a 6 stacker CD player
- Some rust in the front subframe
- Aftermarket boost gauge has been installed and is broken
- Has a shift light
- No sign of sticker indicating belt changes have been done, no service history, rego papers or import paperwork

Overall diagnosis: someone spent a lot of money on this car a long time ago and it would have been pretty cool in it's day.

I've since spoken to the seller and as it turns out, that 'day' was a long time ago. The car hasn't been registered since 2007, meaning it's been off the road since I was 12 years old . Overall, It seems fit for purpose but the engine modifications have me scared. I'd be much more comfortable with a standard engine. Buying a car sight unseen from a long way away is always a gamble, I'm just hoping that It's going to pay off for me.

 

[mustang fanatic]

@UrieHusky
They were a nightmare to get a hold of, so I always love hearing people say they like them. i wonder what your Skyline would look like with a set of LM GT4s

So yesterday, I went on the car cruise in my convertible and had a great time. I caught up with some old friends and it was a good, sunny day to have the roof downe. My brother didn't end up taking the 86, so no nice photos to share with that but I did get one with some of the other cars that attended.

The 300zx runs out of registration next week so it's likely that yesterday is the last proper drive it will have until after all the work gets carried out. I should hopefully be going to pick up the donor car the weekend after next, when the big process will commence!

Oooh. I see a 1969 mustang there.