I'm looking at getting the showcars widebody kit for my ZX but I'm a bit skeptical considering that every person I've talked to about showcars says steer clear. Unfortunately they are pretty much the only thing going. So I guess I'm stuck. I'd like some opinions on this before I drop the money.
Thanks in advance.

http://www.showcars-bodyparts.com/280zx.html
(bottom of page)

 

you might want to take everyones word for it.. i dont think ive ever seen that body kit on an actual 280ZX but then again most people cant afford the $5,000 to $8,000 in body and paint to get that body kit to fit and look just right... dont forget your gonna need some pretty big wheels to fit inside those big wheel wells.. thats another $2000 plus... you might want to ask the company if they have any pics of the kit on the car... and if you do post them on here... i wann see how they blend the rear quarter pannel to the doors.... but if it were me.. i dont think id spend my money on that kit..

 

Do you know of any other kits that resemble stock panels when installed? That's the look I want and this is the closest I've seen so far. I'm tempted to just make my own, but that just means more work for me and longer wait before I get to drive it. If I can get a kit that's close to what I like it will save me a TON of time. I'm going to either call or e-mail them today. I'll let you know what I can turn up.

 

How about just buying the large fender flares for the 280ZX? Then you can put on big wheels. I think Motorsport auto sells some for the ZX and Z.

That would be a simular look but with the stock body sides. They also sell a front a rear spoiler that has just a small flare to it; close to stock but with some added style.

 

And what if I dont like the look of those flares sticking out on the sides? What if I want a nice smooth integration on the flare into the side of the car. You may like that style, but I dont. and since its my car, I'd rather have it looking the way I want it to. I know you would too.

 

I've never seen add-on fender flares for the 280ZX, only for the 1st gen Z's. They don't seem to be in my MSA catalog.

 

This is the only other wide body kit that I like(bottom right) and I got in contact with the company and traded a few e-mails but I havn't seen any reply in a week or so. So I'm not very inclinded to send them my money. From what I've heard, show cars is very helpful, but its just that the fit and finish takes a bit more work than other companies. Not to mention that their prices are fairly low.

http://www.mjpauto.com/280zx.html

 

thats the kaminari wide body kit in that picture.. they dont make that kit anymore and i think the old molds to make that kit were either destroyed or lost in a fire... what you could do to keep the look of the body lines but still make it a wide body is to cut above the body line and pull out the rear quarter pannels about 4" or so and weld a strip of sheet metal to fill in the void and voila! you got a wide body ZX... some day when i get the money and some extra time i plan on doing that exact same thing to my car... im only going to do the rear cuz i think the front of the car looks good as it is...i think the car would look so much more agressive if the rear were just a lil bit wider....

 

I sent an e-mail to show cars a while back and didn't get a responce so I put it off for a while. But I called them tonight and talked about the kit for a while. They said that the rear flares are about 3.5" and the fronts are about 2.5" The rear was designed to replace the stock quarter ...One way to avaid the rust problem I guess. He said he'd sell a complete kit to me, rear quarters, front fenders, and front airdam for $995 plus shipping, but he's fairly close so I'd go pick it up. I'm not prepared to buy yet, I need to know how much rust I need to fix first. I would fab my own parts but to tell you the truth, I'd rather have something to modify, than to start from scratch. I know this wont be a quick project, which is good because I need something to occupy my time ...and money. Oh, and he said that he's sold about 10 kits but no one has sent any completed pics back to him, which is less than encouraging, but citing the lack of options out there, I'm kinda stuck between this kit and starting from scratch.

 

His website says he ships next day air and he is located in the UK! How much would that be to ship that huge kit... $3000?

 

That sounds like an awesome project. Where are you located btw?

 

No, he's located in Toranto! not exactly in the UK! I havn't heard of anyone getting the kit shipped that fast, maybe a small part but not a whole kit! He usually makes you pay, then he'll make it, then ship it. or so I've heard.
Where I'm located depends on what day it is but most of the time I'm at my appartment in Lansing Michigan. But I have to go to Three Rivers Michigan to work on my car. If I order the kit from him I'm going to go pick it up. I'm not about to let him screw me on shipping, the number one complaint other than fitment.