I used POR Putty to fill in the holes, sanded it all down, then used POR-15 products over the area.

Looks too nice to put a spare tire in

The reason why it got that way is from the collapsable tire & rim rubbing on the bottom.

The reason why it got that way is from the collapsable tire & rim rubbing on the bottom.

The car in question is a 1975 280z - Full Size Spare not a collapsable spare like on your 1978.

Note that in the first two pictures the imprint in the tar insulation clearly shows where the sidewall made contact (you can even tell that the maker was Bridgestone.) The rust appears to be located where no rubbing took place. It's just a common spot for rust on our Z's - like so many other places.

Any idea of where I can replace the tar mat? Better material to lay down instead, for maybe heat/sound dampening?

Suggestions?

I used a brand of material called ultimate from B-Quiet . Bought it on line. for just a little space like that , just go to a automotive paint supply. They should have some Tar Mat or some thing similar. The Ultimate has a sticky back and it has a foil face. Sandwiched under the foil is a matt of tar material. So you can cut it with heavy scissors or a utility knife, peal off the back covering and stick it on. It will not come off once pressed in place. Comes in 12'' wide by what ever length , up to 50'. I used two fifty foot rolls. But I covered most of the inside and inside the doors plus the back side of the plastic trim panels and inside the rear fenders over by the antenna and gas fill area. As escanlon said this stuff is for attenuation, the drum effect, and it does not absorb the sound. Gary

If you want it to be original, then buy some bitumen based sound deadener, make a pattern out or paper, trace, cut, lay then heat it a tad with a heat gun to make it easier to mould into the folds etc. Then you will need to prime it several times to stop the bitumen bleeding through the top coat.

If you aren't concerned about originality, then any sound deadener will do.

But for me, I doubt that that area will have much of a drum effect. I'm just going to cut some jute to fit, secure the spare. That's it. Once the deck jute and carpet are in place, I doubt you'd know the difference.

Here's a link to a pic of mine before the work was started (when I looked at this car to buy it there was 2" of standing water in the tire well due to a leaky hatch seal): Ugliness before fixing

Here's a link to a couple pix of mine after I completed it: Beautiful tire well after repairs completed

The car is a 1975 280z - Full Size Spare not a collapsable spare like on your 1978.

Not to hijack this topic, but do you think a 78 could be fitted with a full-size well for the spare? It would be great to be able to get that tire a little lower in there.

thxZ

Looks good Texasz, did you use black enamel to seal that? I was thinking of putting a sealer down over the rubberized undercoat I sprayed onto the well itself.

Nice job.

Not to hijack this topic, but do you think a 78 could be fitted with a full-size well for the spare? It would be great to be able to get that tire a little lower in there.

thxZ

Sure Tomohawk,

If you drop the tank three to four inches you could put the fullsize tub in, but I am not sure having one to two inches of ground clearance at the gas tank would make me want to do it

Will

Looks good Texasz, did you use black enamel to seal that? I was thinking of putting a sealer down over the rubberized undercoat I sprayed onto the well itself.

Nice job.

I don't remember off hand other than it was POR-15. I could look over the weekend if that would help you.