Arse Freezes 2021 - Early Prep (continues)

Work on the Z has continued, with some headway being made. We still have most of the major work still to finished before getting into the punchlist.  I am think in the next two weekends we should be able to complete these changes. Here is a review of the three major projects:

Front Bumper rework

The one area I have plugging away at for most of the fall is the front bumper area. It has been an ambitious project, and we will see if it is worth the endeavor. The general framing, ducts, and vents have been completed. Here is the front leftside view:

For a closer look of the vent system we have the side curtain vent (top), Brake duct (middle), and splitter diffuser (bottom):

I now need to add the crash absorbing elements, aluminum sheet flashing, and paint.

Brakes

Torch came over on Sunday and did a lot of work on the brake system. Repiping from the cut line was the main focus. With some scrounging the shop, enough 3/16 tubing was found. We are now one compression coupling away from closing the system. Also, the new brake boost was test fitted and found to not quite fit. Some extensions on the four mounting studs should correct the trouble. We should see the fruits of this labor this weekend, and I'll post another blog just on this brake up grade plans.

Fuel System

We have had a devil of a time with the fuel system since the installation of the VQ35. My earlier plan of connecting the two lobs with a line between the drain plugs is now scrapped. Finding the right check valve has proven elusive. I have thus gone full circle and now revisiting the initial OEM design setup.  In that design, Nissan used a Venturi Pump to aid in the transfer of fuel from one lob to the other.  Here is the general Venturi pump design:

The OEM Venturi pump failed when we increase the fuel pressure to support the VQ35 motor. At that time I looked, but could not find an adequate pump replacement. So, that led us down several other paths. This time, when I looked, I did find a company that produces a Venturi pump with a wider pressure range. A second factor is the name of the company, Radium. Now, how can I go wrong with this?

The second item we are fighting is the dynamic nature of the car. The OEM tank cause a lot of slushing of the fuel at low fuel levels. So, to control fuel movement, we thought of several plans. The one we liked to try is this swirl pot that Lugnut found:

The trouble we ran into is that literally that the pictured swirl pot would be fitting a square pot into a smaller round port. So, the search was on and what we found was a waste product out of the Hal-Life Racing HQ kitchen.

With some rummaging around the pantry, and some negotiation with Z-Chef, a Hunt's can of Crushed Tomatoes was procured (negotiation was made easier as the sell by date had elapsed.)  After emptying the contents (which turn into my dinner tonight), removing the label, and optimizing the form, I think we are in business. After some tinkering, we test fitted our new system.

Thus, we have a plan. So, this coming weekend, Torch is planning to return with his bore scope to aid us in the installation of our new fuel system. With a lot of hope, let's see if we can get the car to start again this weekend.