My Datsun 280Z "Rustoration"

[HaZmatt]

Thanks Leon!

[EuroDat]

Top quality workmanship and plenty of bling bling. Your Zed will look better than when it rolled out the factory.

[rossiz]

gorgeous (drool....)

i've got a set of sway bars, springs, struts & tc ball/socket kit waiting to go in - just need to carve out a few hours to do it. unfortunately, now the rest of my parts are starting to look mighty scruffy in comparison!! you're gonna need permanent rotisseries mounts to roll your car for spectators to see the underside

[HaZmatt]

Yea unfortunately things like this tend to snowball quickly. Once you replace one part you have to replace another to match etc.etc. When I bought this car I just planned to put on some new wheels and maybe a quick paint job.

[HaZmatt]

Rejuvenating my rubber!

Most of my rubber insulators and grommets were salvageable but some I had to toss and i'll replace. I dont really have any before pics but they were pretty nasty.

Here was my process;

1. Soak overnight in jar of degreaser

2. Remove and scrub with stiff bristle brush

3. Then soak in Dawn dish soap

4. Rinse with hot water

5. Soak in jar with rubber rejuvinater overnight

6. Wipe down and coat with rubber protectant.

I know this may seem a little much for just some rubber pieces but it beats the hell out of paying to replace all of them.

Degreased:

The rubber rejuvinater I used. Made to clean and soften rubber.

Good as new (almost)

My Fuel / brake line insulators

[CG240Z]

The insulators came out great. Mine were looking a little rough, with a little black spray paint they came out good enough for me to stick under the car and hopefully never see again.

[EuroDat]

That stuff certainly cleans up the insulators well. Impressive results. Love the neat yellow zinc:love:

Mine were too far gone to do anything but replace. Since they are NLA, I ended up making them. With a little bit of trial an error the results look great.

First trail runs:

Chas

[Mikes Z car]

Chas,

What trash can did you throw your rejects in? Just kidding.

What did you make them out of?

Mike

[HaZmatt]

Chas, those look great! I was planning on buying a set from you if these didnt clean up.

[EhlersRS]

Matt,

I finally had time to catch up on your thread and your restoration looks great! Your car had a lot less rust than my "midwest" Z so I'll be replacing a lot of sheet metal, but seeing your progress gives me hope! Look forward to seeing your car come together!

Robert S.

[HaZmatt]

Thanks Robert. Funny, I'm actually from Cedar Rapids.

[Jay_Z]

I see you retained the original sound deadening around the transmission hump, are you planning to remove this or just keep it as its a rare rust area?

Did you have any rust issues or worn out wire harness ties that run above and along the engine bay frame rails? If so, how did you repair/replace these?

I know its not going to be seen or affect anything, but I see Silvermine sold you a pair of brake calipers with mismatching hardware, is this normal for them?

You've accomplished a great deal in a short time, keep the updates coming!

Edited May 25, 2014 by AdreView