Original Condition and Wheel/Flare Installation
Matt purchased this Z off Ebay as a running and driving project from a fellow enthusiast. The hardware list made it hard to pass up and it had a great rust free (mostly) body from the midwest. The car looked great in the pictures and he had it transported back to NC sight unseen!
Some of the specs:
- 1972 240z
- Built Gen 1 Small Bock V8
- 6 Spd Transmission
- R200 CLSD w/ 300ZX CV axles
- MM Coilovers w/ Tockico Struts
- AZC Wilwood brakes in the front, 240sx in the rear
- Boze Wheels
When the car arrived Matt dropped by for me to look it over and go for a test ride, man was it quick! We quickly noticed however that it was a bit more of a 'project' then he had hoped, with many of the modifications being poorly executed. One of the worst problems was the electrical system which had been absolutely ruined through years of tinkering and modification. I'll get into this a bit later! here are a few beauty shots of the car:
Matt was OK with everything though and wanted to put some miles on it before doing anything further. Except for one thing; he wanted a more aggressive look and needed more tire with the V8 setup. He decided on ZG flares and Rota RBR wheels. The Rota's are 17x9F and 17x9.5R. I have always been a fan of smaller wheels on older cars and felt that 16's are the best size, however the widths are limited to 245 unless you are running race slicks. The 17" RBR's really open up your tire choice and are a nice look for the Z mixing the classic Panasport and Watanabe style. At 800 USD a set they are very affordable.
ZG flares were initially designed as 'over fenders' and many people install them without cutting the fenders, this limits the travel and tire width. It is always tough to cut into a rust free car like Matt's but we knew the result would be worth it.
The rear lips were cut and the inner fender was rolled out and re-welded to the quarter panel. The fronts were a much easier task and just required trimming. Nut-serts were installed in the rear quarter panels to secure the flares. The install was finished out with stainless hardware and rubber fender welting.
I need to dig out the in progress pictures but for now here is a picture of the finished result
I thought the installation turned out nice and the gunmetal/orange combo was stunning. It convinced me to sell my Wantanbe setup and do the same thing! 275's in the rear are really nice. The only real issue I have with the wheels is the front center caps can not be installed. There is not enough clearance between the center hole and hub. Custom Caps are in order.