Successful skin graft (roof skin, that is)

[Arne]

I know my 280 didn't come with gaskets. Arne, how much of the yellow car is left? I need some replacement panels that I'd potentially like to come cut off like the part of the frame rail in front of where the radiator core support is located. I've got about a 6 inch round whole there that needs replacing on the Drivers side. Still got that?

Yes, but I think my 240Z is different stampings than your 280Z, Christian.

[conedodger]

I had this done at a one man custom shop in Sacramento about 10 years ago. I forget what the quote was but when it was done the guy said if he was ever going to do another he would charge 4 times as much. Not an easy process I guess. It also turned out beautifully.

[Arne]

It's more than an itch. Now that the car is back home, I'm going to strip it the rest of the way down and deliver it to my local paint shop week after next. I would have let Scott do the whole re-paint, but he said he is so busy that he's not taking in any full repaints right now. But he said squeezing in a roof skin job was no problem. So I'll have the rest of the paint done locally.

Just got off the phone with my local painter, he's ready for the car earlier than I had expected. I deliver it late tomorrow afternoon!

[Arne]

Delivered the car to my local painter this afternoon. Two to three weeks, he says.

[Goose52]

Going with the same color Arne ?

[Arne]

Yup. Not painting under the hood as that is still great. Same with the interior. The painter is going to start with commercially available matches for 905 red, and then fine tune by matching the underside of the tool bin lids.

[=Enigma=]

Looks great Arne. I have to admire your determination. My car has a sunroof as well but the original paint is in such good condition (at least above the rocker panel stone chip damage), and the weather so nice here in Santa Cruz, that I don't think I could bring myself to performing this even if the sunroof bothered me. I can't wait to see the final result.

[Arne]

It was a hard call to make. I didn't care for the sunroof from the beginning, to the point that I initially was going to pass on the car because of it. After thinking about it, I decided the rest of the car was too good to pass up, even with the sunroof. And my wife even kinda liked it.

Since the sunroof was in good shape and didn't leak, I probably wouldn't have done this if the paint was OK. But my car -- while it looks great in pictures, or from 10 feet or more -- has many small flaws. A couple of scrapes to bare metal, lots of rock chips on the nose, and 37 years of very small door dings. Not to mention that the 905 red has faded so much that it really looks like 110, the later orangy-red. There was no question that I'd get it painted at some point. Now that the failed yellow car project is behind me, this was the time for paint. And obviously, if I was ever going to do something about the sunroof, this was also the time.

[bigoak]

Great work. There is hope for molested Z's with the bald spot on top...

Note to self...find a great Z body shop that is as cheap as Arne's...

[cajunz]

Arne, how much for the old sunroof? I've got the same one on my '78 but not in very good shape.

Brent

[Arne]

The old sunroof is already tentatively spoken for. If that changes I'll put an ad in the classifieds.

[Arne]

More pictures. The donor...