My second Z

[cygnusx1]

I have owned and been completely modding my "high-tech" 76 280Z since 1989. It is so close to being finished that I thought another project would be timely.

I picked up this 12/71 240Z from GA. It was pretty much an original owner car with complete paperwork. Zero rust, and pin straight, except for a dent in the drivers door. It has an immaculate dash. I bought it as a roller because the engine bay had been vacated to repair it's peeling paint from 1987. I received all the parts to get it back on the road plus some extra parts. I forfeited the engine because it was on the ground in GA and had been opened up and sat out in the rain for several years. In my garage is my original 1976 280Z motor that will be equipped with triple Webers, and headers to propel this new project.

Here are the basic plans:

New Carpets

New Seat Belts

New Seat Upholstery

New Steering Wheel

16" Panasports

New Struts and Springs

Poly Bushings everywhere

A full repaint of the drivetrain and suspension

All new seals, hoses, gaskets.

Touch up of the existing "OK" paint job from 1987.

Photos:

Day one in GA:

In my garage in NY:

Epoxy coated floors! Thanks P.O.

I restored these:

Getting Better:

Cleaning Up the insides:

...and the front end

The rear end is getting painted and restored now, It will be going in by the end of this week....I will keep you updated.

Edited December 16, 2009 by cygnusx1

[Carl Beck]

Looking GREAT Dave....That does it - I'm going to go pull my Webers off and refresh them...!

FWIW,

Carl B.

[kcc0234]

First off, great project! What was the process/cleaners/paint used to restore the Webers and manifold? Also, what undercoating did you use? Sorry for so many questions..just awesome results in both cases! Thanks

Casey

[cygnusx1]

Well, thanks guys.

The Webers were dismantled almost completely, and the bodies were soaked in a gallon can of carb cleaner overnight. Then they were brushed with a stiff nylon paint brush and rinsed with water. I then chased all the ports with compressed air, and then prepped for paint with brake clean spray. Once they were dry, they were painted with Duplicolor Aluminim Brake Caliper Paint. I love that paint for anything aluminum. It looks like fresh cast aluminum, takes heat, and chemicals. It also keeps the Webers from pitting.

The intake was soaked, brushed, and coated with another one of DupliColor's products. Cast iron high temp finish. Although I love bare clean aluminum, I can't stay on top of the pitting up here in the moist climate. Paint is the solution. I used Weber rebuild kits from Redline for the replacement parts.

I was specifically looking for a THIN undercoating that goes on like paint. I hate the thick gooey stuff and I don't need it since my Z's are fair weather cars. I found that CarQuest rubberized undercoating fits the bill perfectly.

[7T1240]

In a recent interview, the red 240-Z was asked how it felt on the day of it's adoption by Dave Cerutti, and subsequent resurrection:

"I felt like the luckiest Z on the East coast. Being adopted by Dave was like going from the outhouse to the penthouse, and it just keeps getting better every day! I love my new home. :love:"

And on meeting Dave's 280-Z:

"Well, I certainly was intimidated at first. But the silver car put me right at ease, saying 'Listen kid, you may feel a bit like Clark Kent right now, but Dave will have you feeling like Superman in no time!

Looking great Dave, thanks for the update. Please continue to share photos, tips and tricks as you progress.

Gary S.

[cygnusx1]

I am laughing out loud.... :laugh: If I could talk to my Z's I would tell them to clean themselves up and make themselves presentable....fix your hair, put on some makeup, and stop spending my money!

Edited December 17, 2009 by cygnusx1

[cygnusx1]

Here are a few more photos of the progress.

I am waiting on the gas tank now. I pulled it yesterday and it had been sitting since 1987 with gas in it. I had to poke the screwdriver through about 1" of sludge to get it to drain. I think I might be better off finding a clean one than trying to de-sludge this one.

Meahwhile...EvilC, Clive gave me a first gen steering wheel that needed a lot of help. I spent a few days restoring the wheel. It was my first time messing with a steering wheel so it took me a few tries to get it nice.

...and so on.

Edited December 17, 2009 by cygnusx1

[Bonzi Lon]

I did the gas tank myself and it had been sitting for 26 years, like yours it was full of sludge and smelled awfull. Stunk the shop up for a week. I even had to throw away the plastic gas can I stored it in waiting for disposal. It will take accatone or MEK, both very flamable, so be careful if you do it yourself. Some radaiator shops will do it also. Have the rust removed by using muratic acid then have it lined. Finding a new(er) tank may be costly. Mine turned out great.

Bonzi Lon

[cygnusx1]

Good idea...I called a local radiator shop to see if they can boil it out for me. If they can, I can probably do the internal coating with a POR-15 kit or something like it. The tank is in nice shape other than the sludge and possible internal rusting.

[cygnusx1]

Radiator shop took a good look at it and said it would require too much work to restore the tank. I was able to round up a better tank here locally.

I finished the worse part of this job. Laying on my back with a steel prush and scraper, scrubbing the bottom of the car clean of all loose dirt. I also inspected for any loose undercoating, paint, rust, and found no rust. After making a pile of dirt on myself and the garage floor, I proceeded to spray on a thin, fresh coat, of undercoating. I am glad that step is over and done.

I wish I had enough space for a rotisserie.

[cygnusx1]

Been a while and I have some more progress. I shared pics at other sites. I'll post here too for the non-crossovers. ;-)

The interior is almost complete. The engine bay is almost fully dressed. The car is ready for wheels. Once it's rolling, I will back it outside and build the motor for it. I polished up the paint on the drivers front fender. Lots of "age" on the paint. It came out really nice though. I hope the rest of the paint comes out as nicely.

[cygnusx1]

The eagle has landed....but when I got to the tail feathers I found some rust. This car has no rust except for the tailgate sill. It looks like a long time ago, someone stepped on the sill, bent it dowm, cracked the seam sealer when they straightened it up. The water got in and the rest is history. I scraped it all out, treated it, painted it, and re-sealed it. It should hold off for a few years while I lok for a job and save up for a full paintwork.