1976 280Z Restoration Project

[wal280z]

5 hours ago, wheee! said:

 Looking forward to having this popped open over the engine bay at car shows!

Does this mean we are going to see you at ZCon 2020???? ?

[wheee!]

Is it in western Canada this year??!

.... didn’t think so... [emoji3525]

[ConVerTT]

5 hours ago, wheee! said:

Love it or hate it... I don't care! I have wanted to do this to my hood since the first day I started this restoration! The Rising Sun image has a faded linen background which is perfect for the colour scheme of my car. The "dirty linen" background should also hide any dirt or engine grime pretty good too.

I purchased the rights to the image last fall and finally got the image printed and installed last week. Looking forward to having this popped open over the engine bay at car shows! 

 

Do you ever do anything  half-a$$ed?  - I love it!

[Mark Maras]

 I like it.

[wheee!]

Well the worst of the body panel work was between the import fender and the headlight bucket on the passenger side. I did the best I could getting the panels to match and then resprayed the fender end before getting them bolted back together. Moving on....

[the_tool_man]

21 hours ago, wheee! said:

Love it or hate it... I don't care! I have wanted to do this to my hood since the first day I started this restoration! The Rising Sun image has a faded linen background which is perfect for the colour scheme of my car. The "dirty linen" background should also hide any dirt or engine grime pretty good too.

I purchased the rights to the image last fall and finally got the image printed and installed last week. Looking forward to having this popped open over the engine bay at car shows! 

You didn't ask...but I have mixed feelings, honestly.  I like the idea of adding an image to the underside of the hood.  But that particular image, used for the Japanese War flag (Jyūrokujō-Kyokujitsu-ki), would seem to be a bit controversial, given its history in WWII and other conflicts prior.  Personally, I'm not bothered by it.  But I know some people who probably would be.  And I wouldn't want to offend them, not out of fear, but out of respect.

As an analogy, I'm from the southeastern US, where the old "Stars and Bars" confederate flag is still flown in some places.  But knowing how many people perceive it as a symbol of racism (rightly or wrongly, not looking to stir up a debate here), I'd never consider using it on a car (unless I was recreating the 1969 Dodge Charger, "General Lee" from the "Dukes of Hazzard", lol).

It's your car.  Do what you want.  It's executed beautifully.  But be aware of possible negativity at shows.

[wheee!]

5 minutes ago, the_tool_man said:

You didn't ask...but I have mixed feelings, honestly.  I like the idea of adding an image to the underside of the hood.  But that particular image, used for the Japanese War flag (Jyūrokujō-Kyokujitsu-ki), would seem to be a bit controversial, given its history in WWII and other conflicts prior.  Personally, I'm not bothered by it.  But I know some people who probably would be.  And I wouldn't want to offend them, not out of fear, but out of respect.

As an analogy, I'm from the southeastern US, where the old "Stars and Bars" confederate flag is still flown in some places.  But knowing how many people perceive it as a symbol of racism (rightly or wrongly, not looking to stir up a debate here), I'd never consider using it on a car (unless I was recreating the 1969 Dodge Charger, "General Lee" from the "Dukes of Hazzard", lol).

It's your car.  Do what you want.  It's executed beautifully.  But be aware of possible negativity at shows.

I understand that you see this in a way that might hurt some people's feelings. I understand that there are some who may feel upset at seeing a flag from an "enemy" country on our soil being displayed as a point of pride. 

As a soldier, I bear no malice towards the enemy soldier. No hate or love. He is merely doing his duty same as I am. If we meet on a field of battle, our lives are of no consequence to the meaning or reason for war. We are responding to the call for duty from our leaders, in their job of guiding our country and making these types of decisions. We are but meat in the machine.

Therefore, I have no ill will towards the Japanese people or their symbols of a bygone era. The symbolism of the "Rising Sun" is an honourable tribute to the birth and creation of a nation with hopes and dreams of creating a better place for their people. What I draw from this, is that I have created a "rebirth" of my car in tribute to the original nation that invented this incredible machine. And in that rebirth, my hopes and dreams of where this car will take me (physically and spiritually) are represented for the world to see every time it sits at a car show for others to admire (and criticize!).

I hope that no one is offended in the way that you describe, but I am pretty sure I will not be displaying my car at car shows hosted by WWII veterans of the Pacific. If so, I will gladly close my hood and offer my apologies along with an offer to buy them a beer (or two).

[the_tool_man]

45 minutes ago, wheee! said:

I understand that you see this in a way that might hurt some people's feelings. I understand that there are some who may feel upset at seeing a flag from an "enemy" country on our soil being displayed as a point of pride. 

As a soldier, I bear no malice towards the enemy soldier. No hate or love. He is merely doing his duty same as I am. If we meet on a field of battle, our lives are of no consequence to the meaning or reason for war. We are responding to the call for duty from our leaders, in their job of guiding our country and making these types of decisions. We are but meat in the machine.

Therefore, I have no ill will towards the Japanese people or their symbols of a bygone era. The symbolism of the "Rising Sun" is an honourable tribute to the birth and creation of a nation with hopes and dreams of creating a better place for their people. What I draw from this, is that I have created a "rebirth" of my car in tribute to the original nation that invented this incredible machine. And in that rebirth, my hopes and dreams of where this car will take me (physically and spiritually) are represented for the world to see every time it sits at a car show for others to admire (and criticize!).

I hope that no one is offended in the way that you describe, but I am pretty sure I will not be displaying my car at car shows hosted by WWII veterans of the Pacific. If so, I will gladly close my hood and offer my apologies along with an offer to buy them a beer (or two).

Well said!  Carry on.

[grannyknot]

6 hours ago, wheee! said:

We are but meat in the machine.

That's a good one.

[Pop's Z]

Mark, As a Vietnam veteran Marine I thought you hit this one out of the park. "Ours is not to question why. Ours is but to do or die." Once the s*** starts to fly it comes down to you and your buddies. Politics are a long way away. If you survive then you can take the time to think about it.

Cheers, Mike

[wheee!]

Mark, As a Vietnam veteran Marine I thought you hit this one out of the park. "Ours is not to question why. Ours is but to do or die." Once the s*** starts to fly it comes down to you and your buddies. Politics are a long way away. If you survive then you can take the time to think about it.
Cheers, Mike

Thank you for your service Mike. Your generation inspired mine to serve in your honour and footsteps. My combat tour with the Taliban in panjwaii will never compare to the hardship and loss you endured in Vietnam. I lived in a concrete bunker on a reinforced mountain with internet, hot food and showers. Yes we were surrounded by enemy at all times and were attacked daily, but were supplied and defended by incredible modern weapons. As a current Warrant Officer, I remind my troops daily of the sacrifices of previous generations and the current “day care” mentality of the military.
Again, hats off to you and your generation.

[wheee!]

Somewhere a hundred pages back or so, I said I was looking forward to the bodywork.... was I on glue?
The long block is amazing but it is tedious on vertical surfaces. I need more sandpaper and more of the “icing” filler that goes on so nice.