lol okay, pm me. Maybe I could give you feedback and help you get up to speed quicker. I made some sample welds of sheet metal to .125" plate. That would simulate the baseplates to the unibody, this should be the most difficult welds you'll do on the cage.

 

Did you ever solve your coolant/bleed issue? If not, read this.

https://my350z.com/forum/engine-and-drivetrain/280274-z-is-overheating-after-coolant-change.html

 

His cooling system is not stock. Most of his "extra" cooling system has been removed so it is a bit different but several pages back he mentioned that he was able to get the air bleed out after exchanging his thermostat.

 

Yeah, I remember he removed the HVAC. I didn't recall if he resolved the bleed issue. I just put here regardless.

 

Hey bud! Sorry for not answering, ive been away on a work trip and its been pretty hectic... the system is pretty much gutted so the bleed procedure you linked isnt really applicable. Thanks though! I did manage to get the system bled after some serious black magic... i jacked the front of the car waaaaaay high , undid the top t-stat housing bolt and filled the system up until it was leaking out of the tstat housing. At this point i tightened the t-stat housing down and filled the system the rest of the way, lowered the car in stages, continuously making sure the system is full... I havent given it a proper beating since but I have had it around the block a few times and did a few WOT launches and everything seems to be OK but some track time would be the ultimate test. Got some pretty serious looks from people... maybe b/c the rear hatch is still raw fiberglass and I had no hood They were probably thinking "look at this ricer idiot...o well.

 

lol, I definitely wouldn't put you in a ricer class... hahahah.

When are you planning on finishing your rear hatch? I definitely would like to see the finished product on it. Also when you get around to doing your column please post up some pics. Would like to see how it looks.

 

The hatch is primed, just need to put the wrap i bought for it. It should have been done long ago but i keep gettting side tracked, i will definitely post up some pics when its done and ill be sure to weigh it too.

 

Ha, good to hear on the cooling issues. I couldn't recall your solution so I thought it would be a good idea to include the tread I came across.

Sadly, most people don't understand the difference between a Race-car and a Rice-car.

 

Be sure to include your steering column and hatch on my thread for fab,welding and etc. I'd love to keep that one going and get other people involved.

 

Will do!!

 

For those of you who haven't visited my thread...Come and share.

https://my350z.com/forum/the-lounge-...and-so-on.html

 

^^^^ DO IT!!! Good thread, plus he's a nice guy

 

Haha, thanks man! I may have some Ak-47 parts to share soon. I've been working on some new components for improve ergonomics. It may be a future 3Gun completion rifle. Well see, I need to focus on one project at a time!

 

Story of my life... if I were a kid now, I'd surely be diagnosed with A.D.D. lol. I blame my wife for a lot of the distractions.

 

We'll see***

LOL

Ut Oh, I'm newly engaged. I better get my projects sorted out now.

 

So finally got back to working on the car, pulled the dash bar, steering column and wire harness out. Got to weigh a few parts while i was at it. So:

- OEM rear hatch without glass is ---------->50lbs
- My fiberglass hatch with lexan window --> 15.5lbs
- Dash bar -----------------------------------> 8lbs (not as much as I hoped)
- Upper part of steering column ------------> 10lbs
- Gutted doors --------------------------------> 36lbs each

Definitely going to back some fiberglass doors once im done with the cage... there is probably 50lbs to be saved there.

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/...psas8dbtgn.jpg

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6e6b0cne.jpg

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/...psyowmlbwt.jpg

 

The harness was so dang heavy in my 240sx. Its pretty amazing how all that copper and rubber adds up.

 

I feel like this is a commonly overlooked area for weight savings... if you gut a car there is a ton unused wiring thats just dead weight... the Z doesnt have an extremely extensive harness but when I worked at nissan and had to do a Frankenstein harness for durability testing on a dyno the CVT/engine harness alone would weigh 10+ lbs.

 

That's so true. Northrop Grumman actually conceptualized using conductive structural components to relay signals across the airframe, rather than wires. A weight saver for aircraft that could be in the auto industry in the future. That's how it usually trends. I.E. carbon fiber

 

I know it's not much but finally broke ground on the cage. First 2 bends on the main hoop.