Kuhnhausen Metal Concepts LLC

Creswell, OR View More Vehicles

1972 Datsun – InZanity

Vehicle Quick Facts

Profile ID: 30752
Year: 1972
Make: Datsun
Model:
Markets: Performance, Racing, Resto-Mod, Sports Car
Vehicle Type: American
Contact: Kuhnhausen Metal Concepts LLC

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Vehicle Story

My name is Kyle Kuhnhausen,

I’m a 27 year old bespoke fabrication specialist based out of Creswell, Oregon (Eugene area). I am the owner, operator, and sole employee of Kuhnhausen Metal Concepts LLC. My business (and life) is dedicated to applying functional racecar designs with an artist’s eye and an unrelenting dedication to craftsmanship. The cars I build become more than the sum of their parts; they have soul, and they create interest that transfixes beyond surface depth.

I organized KMC LLC in 2013 at age 22, fresh out of business school (graduated cum laude) with the sole intention of building a car to make waves at the SEMA show. Fueled by desire and will, I justify my decision to ditch a steady career path and follow my passion. My very first customer, Dennis, had a 240z chassis and I had a vision; the rest is history.

I have bootstrapped myself along the way working my fingers to the bone and making personal sacrifice for years to purchase the equipment necessary to build this car 100% in house. That’s right, a guy in his early 20’s working out of a humble two car garage built a car from the ground up with a relatively minimal budget at an extremely high caliber. I’m not talking about the conventional “in-house” either, I mean everything. From fabrication, to design, bodywork, paint, and tuning have all been done by myself with guidance from my father Cris in the finish bodywork and chassis wiring departments. It wouldn’t feel right not to mention my father as he is my biggest mentor and we have been hanging in the shop together for 24 years now through the most heated of arguments and strongest of bonding moments (only a few tools have gone flying, no direct hits).

I have personally put over 5,800 hours of blood, sweat, tears, and passion into the design and construction of this vehicle. I’ve worked nearly every day (weekends included) around a full time job in automotive collision repair to make this a reality. Every aspect of the car has been strategically plotted to accomplish the SEMA goal. Over the last 5 years of building, learning, re-building, and perfecting I now know my goal is in sight for entrance into the 2018 Battle of The Builders contest “young guns” category!

Everything I have mentioned is best demonstrated by my flagship build, “InZanity”. A 1972 Datsun 240z meticulously designed and constructed to shift the paradigm of modern car culture. I have meshed the timeless soul of this iconic Japanese sports car with: a modern domestic powertrain, cutting edge creature comforts, practical racecar aerodynamics, and workmanship that demands respect from all facets of automotive enthusiasm.

InZanity is hand crafted by me from the ground up between ages 22-27. Practically every component is modified or custom fabricated entirely. This car is meant to stop shows and turn laps alike; a no compromises attitude has been the common theme of this build. I will keep this section concise and provide a full spec. heavy write up upon request in the interest of your time.

  • Chassis: Fully Tig welded 10 pt. roll cage with integrated flared hole chassis gussets, fully seam welded uni-body structure, modified camber adjustable suspension points, tig welded rear fuel cell structure, reinforced main rails with exhaust pass through openings.
  • Suspension: Full billet aluminum adjustable Arizona Z-Car “track pack” suspension, Apex engineering quick steering knuckles & bump steer correction tie-rods, 5 lug alloy hub conversion, polyurethane bushings used everywhere.
  • Powertrain: 04 GTO GM LS1 Engine, T-56 6-speed transmission, ACT lightweight racing flywheel and performance clutch, custom driveshaft, Infinity Q45 rear differential.
  • Fuel: Radium Engineering FCST Surge tank retrofitted into an Aeromotive 20 gallon fuel tank, Radium Filter, Regulator, and Fuel Rails. Vibrant Performance –AN lines.
  • Brakes: Wilwood billet 6 piston calipers front, 4 piston rears with ASD Motorsports hydraulic rear handbrake, full sweep of Wilwood master cylinders, and proportioning valve with in-dash adjustment. Bespoke fabricated alloy ducting directs cold air on all 4 rotors.
  • Wheels/Tires: CCW LM20 3-piece 18”x11” rear and 18” x 10” front wheels featuring exposed 12 point ARP stainless bolts wrapped in BFGoodrich 315/30R18 and 275/30R18 Tires.
  • AERO: custom aerodynamics package featuring massive functional front splitter with ducting, rear diffuser, side splitters with exhaust vent and rear brake ducts, closeout belly pans, show winning body and paint work in “stealth grey” with custom vinyl accents.
  • Interior: Aerospace inspired hand shaped alloy interior with hexagonal bead rolling, hexagonally stitched suede door panels, carbon fiber accents, flared hole heel plates, Dakota Digital VHX1100 instrument cluster, and full MOMO racing amenities.
  • Noteworthy: Thermostatically controlled differential cooling system, Braille lithium-ion battery in rear sub mount box, fully integrated radar detection/refraction system, potentiometer adjustable EPAS electronic power steering, 167 piece pie-cut stainless side exit exhaust system with Magnaflow mufflers, gratuitous handmade fabrication detail throughout (over 1,000 components), 2700lbs wet weight with 50/50 weight distribution.

 

  • Chassis
  • ’72 Datsun 240z shell
  • 10 point fully tig welded roll cage featuring flared hole body tie in gussets
  • Lower jacking and towing points welded to bottom of main cage shelfs
  • Every unibody seam is fully stitch welded inside and out and seam sealed
  • All top strut mounts replaced with camber adjustable heavy duty plates
  • Pre-load adjustable tie-rod strut braces featured in engine bay
  • Tig welded fuel cell cradle with integrated rear center mount tow hook
  • Rear sub-mounted battery with remote charging points and kill switch
  • Custom tig welded engine and transmission mounts. Optimized center of gravity
  • 50/50 weight distribution
  • Bolt in aluminum transmission tunnel stiffeners/ driveshaft hoops
  • Integrated Scraping points for oil pan protection

 

  • Body Modifications
  • Trackspec Motorsports heat extracting louvers on hood and front fenders
  • Front Fender exit side exhaust with custom alloy diffusing louvers
  • Rear rockers clearanced for functional rear brake vents and lowered 1.25”
  • Fender and rear hatch emblems shaved
  • Antenna and side marker lamps shaved
  • CNC billet aluminum laser engraved KMC tail lamp insets
  • CNC billet aluminum quarter panel vent emblems featuring modernized “Z”
  • Rear bumper and mounts shaved
  • Symmetrical rear body pan recess, opposed to unsymmetrical stock recess
  • Front bumper shaved and swissed with dimple die punched holes
  • Reinforced rear hatch for functional spoiler mounts
  • Rear qtr. panel turbulent air extraction holes with alloy bezels added
  • Wide “ZG” style flares added front and rear adding 6” width to rear fender wells
  • All body gaps cut, welded, and staked.
  • Shaved hood springs and streamlined hinges
  • Show grade bodywork
  • One-piece front and rear windscreen gaskets

 

  • Powertrain
  • GM 2004 LS1 engine with T56 6 speed manual transmission
  • Modified and ported 1.625” primary headers ceramic coated in gold
  • Bespoke 2.5” Fully pie-cut and tig welded exhaust with front X-pipe (167 weld joints)
  • Dual 8” sectioned Magnaflow Corvette style mufflers mounted in front wheel wells
  • Improved racing 180 degree oil cooler thermostat with 400hp Setrab cooler
  • Holley Coil on Cover Valve Covers
  • Radium Engineering FCST Fuel Cell Surge Tank and full fuel system
  • Vibrant Performance –AN Fuel lines
  • Modified stock throttle body with Lokar stainless throttle cable
  • Custom 4” aluminum air intake with K&N filter outside engine bay
  • Aluminum crossflow radiator with 16” Flex-A-Lite electric fan and custom shroud
  • Modified Hurst short shifter with KMC integrated transmission fluid top-fill
  • Centerforce single disc clutch
  • ACT Clutch Prolite lightweight flywheel
  • Custom one-piece driveshaft
  • Infinity Q45 R200 Differential with VLSD limited slip unit and 3:54 final drive ratio
  • Nissan Armada CV axles

 

  • Braking
  • 6-piston billet Wilwood front calipers and 4-piston Wilwood rear calipers
  • Fully functional ram-air 3” brake ducting to all 4 corners with custom caliper hats
  • ASD Motorsports hydraulic 16” e-brake system with braided -3an lines
  • Wilwood billet master cylinder with modified vacuum booster assembly
  • Optimized pedal box with reduced weight and improved pedal placement
  • 3/16” Stainless hardlines and -3an braided flex lines
  • Wilwood proportioning valve with hidden custom mount
  • Remote Wilwood proportionating valve in cabin adjustment knob custom retrofit
  • Custom aluminum master cylinder heat shield

 

  • Suspension
  • Full Arizona Z-Car “Track Pack” Billet aluminum adjustable suspension
  • Arizona Z-Car Struts with coilover adjustable springs, modified for tire clearance
  • Apex Engineered bump steer adjustment kit and high steer knuckles.
  • Full polyurethane bushings
  • Modified front crossmember for improved roll center
  • Energy Suspension front and rear sway bars with polyurethane bushings
  • 5 Lug converted hubs with front wilwood spindles
  • ARP chromoly extended wheel studs
  • Stitch welded and reinforced front crossmember

 

  • Aerodynamics
  • Custom HDPE Adjustable front air splitter with alloy radiator and brake dams
  • Custom HDPE Adjustable Rear Diffuser with jacking point and air straighteners
  • Custom HDPE 6” Side splitters with exhaust vent and rear brake vents integrated
  • Aluminum tunnel underbelly, mostly flat under entire car
  • Pitch adjustable 3 piece rear deck spoiler with Ringbrother’s micro hinges
  • ARP Carbon fiber micro mirrors
  • Lexan headlamp aerodynamic fillers
  • 4 Piece aluminum radiator ducting with cabin air ducts integrated

 

  • Electronics
  • Street and performance engine wiring harness with reflashed stock ECU
  • Braille lightweight I25X lithium battery
  • Bowler performance phantom key with Honda s2000 push button starter
  • Fully custom KMC chassis wiring harness
  • Fully integrated Passport 9500ci radar detector system
  • Alpine double din 6” monitor with frenched backup camera, sat. nav. , and xm radio
  • Dakota Digital VHX-1100 Competition Dash with 16 digital readouts
  • Dakota Digital BIM 1 OBDII Gauge interface
  • EPAS Electronic power steering integrated into Woodward steering column with input potentiometer knob on dash
  • Custom carbon aircraft style switch panel with u-shaped toggle protectors
  • Quick Latch removable main electronics panel feat. Marine resettable circuit breakers

 

  • Wheels & Tires
  • 18” CCW 3 piece LM20 wheels with gloss black lips, satin black centers, and ARP bolts
  • 10” wide fronts 11” wide rears
  • BFGoodrich Rival S 200tw extreme performance tires
  • 275/35zr18 front 315/30zr18 rear
  • Gorilla extended race lug nuts

 

  • Interior
  • MOMO Super Cup FIA homologated seats and alloy brackets
  • MOMO 350mm MOD. 07 suede steering wheel
  • MOMO 6pt. Harnesses
  • MOMO Quick Release Hub W/ bespoke manually machined adapter to race column
  • Highly modified pedal box
  • Longacre 17” wide rear view mirror
  • Bowler performance billet shift knob and lever
  • Aluminum bead rolled hexagonal pattern fuel cell fire wall
  • Custom Alloy center console, and 3 piece alloy bespoke quick removable dash
  • Smoothed transmission tunnel
  • Bespoke Flared Hole heel plates
  • Flared hole fabricated dead pedal and geometry optimized clutch and brake pedals
  • Custom heater with 4 vents hidden under removable dash
  • Hexagonally stitched suede door cards with carbon fiber aircraft riveted inserts

 

  • Paint (All Axalta Refinishes Products)
  • Chromax Mosaic SBBC B9*01 – Color: Ford Stealth Grey
  • Imron 3.5 HG+ Polyurethane RH-3714 – Color: Gray 057
  • LF Epoxy DTM Primer Gray 2540S
  • Chroma Base “4 to 1” 2K Urethane Primer Filler Gray 7704S
  • Chroma Priemier Premium Appearance Clearcoat 72500S
  • Epoxy DTM Activator Medium Temp 2505S
  • Basemaker Medium Temperature 7175S
  • Activator-Reducer 60-70 Degree 7765S
  • Plas-Stick Flexible Additive 2350S
  • Chroma Premier Pro Normal Activator 14305S

 

  • Other Noteworthy Items
  • Rear sub-mounted SPA Technique fire suppression tank with 6 nozzles in cabin/engine
  • Two-piece removable front chassis mount tow hook
  • Proprietary differential snout oiling system with tilton commercial pump and Setrab cooler
  • Functional side hood winglet to integrated tig welded alloy coolant expansion tank
  • Dual “II Much fabrication” differential and fuel system vents with custom bracketry and aluminum hard lines.
  • Extensive use of ARP 12 Pt. Stainless Fasteners
  • Countless additional details and modifications available upon request.

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