04-30-2008, 12:16 PM
I am continuing to make slow progress on the Z, which is always encouraging.
I have removed the stock gas tank with the intentions of cleaning the exterior, re-lining the inside, and potentially replacing the fuel level sender while I'm at it. I am also in the midst of planning out my fuel delivery options for the future, so I may be having the tank cut open to put in baffles and a sump. The stock tank is known for having fuel-starve problems on long LH turns at high speed, which would be a recipe for disaster once I get the turbo motor in. Since I have the tank out now, I might as well plan for the future. Accordingly, I am also researching fuel pump needs for both motors and devising a plan for both engines. I'll share more as this develops.
As stated in my previous post, I was going to replace the fuel lines as well. However I have discovered that they run along the very top of the trans tunnel, which would be extremely hard to get to without dropping the trans, driveshaft, and diff. For now I'm going to see if I can work around this until I *need* the 3/8" fuel lines. In the meantime, I'll be running some fuel cleaning agents to get any crap/buildup that may have accumulated in the past 35 years :-)
As part of the stock fuel system, there is a rather large steel tank located in the rear of the passenger side of the cabin that collects gas fumes and allows them to condense and flow back into the tank (I think). This will be eliminated in the process of my re-vamp/modernization so I share the before and after of this:
![[Image: gasvaporcanister.jpg]](http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e274/93anthracite/240z/gasvaporcanister.jpg)
![[Image: gasvaporcanistergone.jpg]](http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e274/93anthracite/240z/gasvaporcanistergone.jpg)
Finally, the last significant work is my first aero mod. I picked up a spare set of inspection covers (the flaps sitting next to the hood) for cheap with the intention of cutting out the center section to give an extra place for air to vent out of the engine bay. This should help to combat the front end lift that the car gets at higher speeds as a result of the firewall serving as a parachute b/c it can't evacuate air fast enough to get rid of the air that the giant frontal opening catches (yes, that's the root of the problem and it will be addressed in my future mods :-p). I have retained the stock mounting and functionality of these (except for keeping out the elements), while also cutting out a significant amount of weight from the stock peice.
A comparison of the before and after:
![[Image: inspectioncovercompare.jpg]](http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e274/93anthracite/240z/inspectioncovercompare.jpg)
And how it will look on the car:
![[Image: inspectioncoverinstalled1.jpg]](http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e274/93anthracite/240z/inspectioncoverinstalled1.jpg)
It's going to get a black mesh center section to give it a finished look and will get sprayed with the rest of the car when it gets a paint job. I may still cut out a little more meat on it, but I'm pretty pleased with it and feel I was able to match the outline pretty well (it couldn't be exact due to the mount and clasp at the front and rear.
I have removed the stock gas tank with the intentions of cleaning the exterior, re-lining the inside, and potentially replacing the fuel level sender while I'm at it. I am also in the midst of planning out my fuel delivery options for the future, so I may be having the tank cut open to put in baffles and a sump. The stock tank is known for having fuel-starve problems on long LH turns at high speed, which would be a recipe for disaster once I get the turbo motor in. Since I have the tank out now, I might as well plan for the future. Accordingly, I am also researching fuel pump needs for both motors and devising a plan for both engines. I'll share more as this develops.
As stated in my previous post, I was going to replace the fuel lines as well. However I have discovered that they run along the very top of the trans tunnel, which would be extremely hard to get to without dropping the trans, driveshaft, and diff. For now I'm going to see if I can work around this until I *need* the 3/8" fuel lines. In the meantime, I'll be running some fuel cleaning agents to get any crap/buildup that may have accumulated in the past 35 years :-)
As part of the stock fuel system, there is a rather large steel tank located in the rear of the passenger side of the cabin that collects gas fumes and allows them to condense and flow back into the tank (I think). This will be eliminated in the process of my re-vamp/modernization so I share the before and after of this:
Finally, the last significant work is my first aero mod. I picked up a spare set of inspection covers (the flaps sitting next to the hood) for cheap with the intention of cutting out the center section to give an extra place for air to vent out of the engine bay. This should help to combat the front end lift that the car gets at higher speeds as a result of the firewall serving as a parachute b/c it can't evacuate air fast enough to get rid of the air that the giant frontal opening catches (yes, that's the root of the problem and it will be addressed in my future mods :-p). I have retained the stock mounting and functionality of these (except for keeping out the elements), while also cutting out a significant amount of weight from the stock peice.
A comparison of the before and after:
And how it will look on the car:
It's going to get a black mesh center section to give it a finished look and will get sprayed with the rest of the car when it gets a paint job. I may still cut out a little more meat on it, but I'm pretty pleased with it and feel I was able to match the outline pretty well (it couldn't be exact due to the mount and clasp at the front and rear.