240z rebuild / restoration right down to the shell

[grannyknot]

I didn't want to start a rebuild thread until I had done enough so there was something to see, so here goes.

1970 240z, 4 owners before me and apparently none of them were mechanically inclined as I have hundreds of bills and receipts going back to 1978 for the simplest of jobs. The car also has had some

really poor body work done on it that will have to be removed and repaired.

Here she is the day I brought her home last March, it looks pretty good but there are all sorts of sins being hidden by roof tar and under coat.

Pulling the engine, mechanically the car is in excellent condition with only one wheel bearing and the slave cylinder needing replacement (I'll be doing all four wheels though)

Here is yesterday, finally got it up on the rotisserie a month later then planned but there is no rush.

There is probably a month of spare time needed just to clean the layers of undercoat, waxoyl, tar, oil spray and all the sand that has been picked up over the years.

Here are some pics of the layers of patches on top of patches with tar in between,

This one is the drivers footwell, you can see that the first patch was actually riveted over top of the horse hair insulation.

I have a set of Z Findings floor pans and a set of Baddog rails are on the way. I was kinda hoping I would get all this done this winter but not sure now.

Anyways, I love a challenge.

Chris

[madkaw]

You have a challenge if you are looking for one-

The floors are a big job and you will have to work them new floors to get them to fit.

PM me if you want any helpful hints - if you need any. I have lots of pics of what I went thru

[GregP]

I will be following you restoratiom with interest, thanks for posting the start. Do you have any photos of the rotisserie and how you attached it? What kind are you using? I am thinking of using one when I start my resto.

Greg

[grannyknot]

My rotisserie is quite crude but does work well, my Z is an early car so is the lightest of the series. I found a couple of sources that put the shell at about 700lbs. Once I get all the patches, tar, sand, crude and 6 layers of paint off it should be a 100lbs lighter.

The cast iron plumbers flanges and nipple are 1.25" seem plenty strong to hold 350lbs and if they are not...... well I'll have even more body work to do :]

This is my assistant Ted, he's very good at helping when I don't need it.

I was removing the brake lines this morning am wondering why they used two distribution blocks,

the one on the right doesn't seem to do anything. Anyone know?

[jonathanrussell]

The "one in - one out" is a proportioning valve. The "one in - two out" is a distribution block.

Very interesting rotisserie. Never seen one made with wood. Is it sturdy? Does it rotate easily?

[grannyknot]

The "one in - one out" is a proportioning valve. The "one in - two out" is a distribution block.

Very interesting rotisserie. Never seen one made with wood. Is it sturdy? Does it rotate easily?

That makes sense, yeah it is sturdy and takes one hand to rotate. I didn't know where the centre of gravity was so just guessed, as it turns out the front bar needs to be mounted 4-6 inches higher to get it neutral. Mine is a bit top heavy but not enough to make me want to re-posistion it.

[fuzze]

Granny knot , r u from the west coast a few years back , Pitt Meadows to be precise ?

Chris

[grannyknot]

Granny knot , r u from the west coast a few years back , Pitt Meadows to be precise ?

Chris

Well I was born and raised in Van but haven't lived there in 23 years and haven't been to Pitt Meadows since scout camp in 74.

[Reverend]

Good thread! Ted looks like he could not care less

[grannyknot]

Good thread! Ted looks like he could not care less

He's kind of pissed at me right now cause with the car on its side he can sleep on the roof anymore, his favorite spot.

[grannyknot]

double post

Edited January 17, 2013 by grannyknot

[grannyknot]

Here is some more rust porn, I got bored of cleaning off tar so treated myself to tearing into it.

This pic shows five layers, four patches and the original steel, the pinkish panel to the right covered them all from the bottom,

This is about ten hours scraping, I know it still looks a mess but this I can wash down with solvent.

Very little rust back here, something to be said about leaky engines.