We're bringin' back the Flat Tops!

[Gav240z]

I have a more important question, how do you keep all your bolts / fasteners organised before and after plating? I've put them into separate bags but not all platers keep them in the order you sent them to them in. I was going to photograph them with a sheet of paper giving their specification in terms of thread size/pitch and where they go.

Example of what I do with SUs here.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ewb1ZWYoF5QJH7ey2

[narth327]

9 hours ago, motorman7 said:

The cost is $140 for as much as you can squeeze into a Large USPS shipping box.

can you share who that is? 

thanks!

[motorman7]

7 hours ago, narth327 said:

can you share who that is? 

Sav-On plating in Phoenix.  I put all the parts in large zip-loc freezer bags and use two large USPS boxes.   Yellow zinc and silver zinc need to be bagged separately and are processed separately (and charged separately).  Minimum lot charge is $140 so load up the bags.

[theguppies]

Hello @motorman7, Thank you for your honest feedback. We tried to leave an extra vinyl piece for the glove box but with the wide range of skill set from DIY clients to Professional restorers. We were concern about the DIY users not using the sharpest blade to cut the vinyl and could possibly ruin the brand new dash by cutting more than they needed to so we had to come to a conclusion not to leave any vinyl behind.

[motorman7]

13 hours ago, Gav240z said:

I have a more important question, how do you keep all your bolts / fasteners organised before and after plating? I've put them into separate bags but not all platers keep them in the order you sent them to them in. I was going to photograph them with a sheet of paper giving their specification in terms of thread size/pitch and where they go.

Example of what I do with SUs here.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ewb1ZWYoF5QJH7ey2

Wow, that is very organized.  I do not record things to that extent.

Typically, when I take off a part, I will photograph the item with the fasteners.  That way I know what fasteners hold which parts.  As a last resort, I always have my '70 as a reference.

Typically, since the plater will mix all the parts together, the only thing I take care to do (besides the pics) is to put the yellow zinc in one box and the silver zinc in another box.  

I do take quite a few pics of the disassembled parts with fasteners.  I probably only post about one-tenth of all the pics I actually take.

[motorman7]

I assembled the front shock struts today.  Interesting thing about the '73 Z is that they have a rubber bellows assembly that goes over the strut, inside of the spring.  I have not seen these before.  The original bellows were toast so I ordered some new ones from Rock Auto.  They are a bit hard to see since they are inside the spring, but they look real cool.  Also got new lower ball joints and sprayed those with a clear coat along with the threaded studs at the top of the strut assembly.

[motorman7]

Put the dash harness and instruments (minus the clock) into the 'Vintage Dashes' dash.  The fit was very good.  Now I need to get the clock fixed in addition to adding new holes for the flasher switch, cig lighter and dimmer.  LED dash bulbs have been ordered and should be here in a day or two.  

Had a friend join me during the assembly.  You don't see too many  Praying Mantis's out here in CA. 

[calvinhg]

Praying mantis, we get them all the time over here in Central Texas. Makes a fancy treat for the dogs [emoji39]

Sent from my OP 3T using Classic Zcar Club mobile

[motorman7]

Got the trip reset dial in, dash light dimmer, flashers,and cigarette lighter in.   All were easy to install except for the cig lighter.  There was some foam in the area that needed to be removed, otherwise it was all pretty straight forward.  I also installed the super bright LED bulbs.  We will see how those work.  I figure with the dimmer switch we can always turn those down if they are a bit bright.  Still haven't sent the clock out yet.  We will go with the quartz mechanism on that as it is very accurate and reliable.

[hiyabrad]

19 minutes ago, motorman7 said:

Got the trip reset dial in, dash light dimmer, flashers,and cigarette lighter in.   All were easy to install except for the cig lighter.  There was some foam in the area that needed to be removed, otherwise it was all pretty straight forward.  I also installed the super bright LED bulbs.  We will see how those work.  I figure with the dimmer switch we can always turn those down if they are a bit bright.  Still haven't sent the clock out yet.  We will go with the quartz mechanism on that as it is very accurate and reliable.

 

Can you share how you are handling the VIN tag? Thanks!

Edited October 16, 2018 by hiyabrad

[w3wilkes]

Just guessing here, but since the VIN tag is riveted my money says it's part of the dash frame that the old dash is removed from and the new dash is attached to.

[motorman7]

16 minutes ago, w3wilkes said:

Just guessing here, but since the VIN tag is riveted my money says it's part of the dash frame that the old dash is removed from and the new dash is attached to.

Yes, the VIN tag is part of the frame.  The edge of the new cover tucks under it nicely.