cbudvet

I will try to post this again with a picture of my key.

Darn it! I will need to figure out how to post the pictures. Apparently I didn't do something right. Carl

Hopefully I will do this successfully but my key looks slightly different. I don't know if it is an age thing or not but my key is more squared off. It is original to the car and I have both sets. Carl

I just picked up my gas tank from being restored. It was the original 69 240z tank so I shelled out 375 big ones to keep it. It had extensive rust inside with numerous small pin holes in the bottom. I used a certified GAS TANK RENU place south of Indianapolis. It is interesting, I was expecting a powder coat kind of process but the exterior looks like it was sprayed with a thick tar like substance. It is not smooth but you can see where the substance ran and wrinkled a bit. The inside is a rust colored coating. It has a lifetime guarantee so I imagine it should last. I will post pictures of before and after as soon as I can find them. Carl

I've got #333 and of course I can't find the door plate. I'm sure its somewhere safe but I've moved twice since taking it off and now I'm not sure where! The plate in the engine compartment looks machine stamped (very clean and neat) vs. hand stamping. I don't know how that affects the door plate. Carl

You may know this but to save weight, Datsun used thin sheet metal and did a poor job of rust proofing this metal. Areas out of the line of sight are often not painted with anything more than some primer. Be sure to pull up the carpet in front of the seats and REALLY check the floorboards. There is a thin soundproofing material adhered to the floor and I found the rust under this (although you can't peel it up when looking before you buy). Bring a flashlight and crawl around and look at the floors and frame rails from beneath. The good news is that many replacement body parts can be found but the bad news is you can have rust where you don't know. Good luck! Carl

You got it back! How is it? Unfortunately I can't help you with the weatherstrip but am anxious to see how the car turned out. Let us know! Carl

Well last night I was looking closely at the inside of my gas tank and noticed "a thousand points of light". Crap, I was hoping my tank would be a simple clean and coat and that would be all. I am going to take it to a gas tank Renu place south of Indianapolis this Friday. Hopefully they won't gouge my wallet too much. I have taken pre-pictures and will take and post more pictures when I get it back. Carl

Thanks again for everyones input. I am planning to work on the smaller projects (gas tank, etc). and wait on the major body stuff until I am better prepared financially to do it all at the same time. Carl.

I have another question. I would like to keep my stock radiator but its obviously over 30 years old. I have heard of boiling a radiator to clean it up but when I checked into it (at a place in Indianapolis) I was told that they may not want to boil it because in older radiators it could make things worse (ie. it may be better of in its current state). Its not in bad shape but it does have the usual corrosion when I look inside of it. Externally a good cleaning and new coat of paint would do the trick. And advice? This may sound weird but would soaking it/rinsing it with some of those calcium lime deposit cleaners work? Thanks. Carl

Thanks for the information. I am pretty sure the dipping is an electrolysis process, at least I am pretty sure he mentioned something about it. I was going with the chemical bath vs. sandblasting because I was told it was easier on the metal and wouldn't deform the thin sheetmetal. I do really appreciate your responsed because it sounds like I should wait until I can save the money and try to get it done all at once. I am going to take the gas tank to them because it is small enough for me to handle. Thanks again. Carl

I am planning on having the shell of my 240z chemical dipped to remove the paint, rust, etc. My question is: when you are down to bare metal, what is the best way to prime the metal? I have seen cans of self etching primer at Autozone, etc. but have heard that many primers are actually porous and won't save the metal from rust. It may be some time between the stripping and the painting. I don't have the money to go straight from the dip to paint. Also, there is some body work to be done. So, can I buy a bunch of cans of primer and slap some on to protect it until the eventual paint or is an epoxy primer (that someone else has to do) the only way to go? Thanks. Carl

Thanks for everyones advice. It came with an inline water catch but I will look into the other water seperator. I guess I need to do little more preparation and not get too anxious. Phooey, I want instant gratification. Carl

Thanks, I will have to give it a try. Carl

Help! I have purchased a pressurized sandblaster from harbor freight and I cant get it to work consistently. I also have been using black beauty media (fine) and it was working great but now all I get is air from the tip. My thought was some sort of clog but when I take it apart, the media poors from the bottom. I am not sure where the hang up is. Does anyone have any advice. I have also tried yelling at it and kicking it but no luck. Carl ( I am trying to clean up my series one gas tank that has 30 plus years of crud adhered to it.)

For years, I have purchased my SUV tires from the Tirerack and had them intstalled locally. I can save over 100 dollars by doing this. I have never had a problem with bad tires or service. Carl

The guy on ebay sells 2 different ones for the 240z. One is labelled for the 69-70 series one and the other is for 70-73 240z. You might keep an eye open on the bay for them. Carl

Yeah, thats what it looks like. For the 240z it is all on one 11 x 17 page but that is exactly what it looks like. I would imagine that the person I purchased it from has copied them vs. selling an original like those. Carl

I guess it would be more a schematic? The wires are roughly in anatomic position (ie, headlights are to the left, tail lights to the right, dash in the center), but not exactly. Some of the smaller switches are placed to the top and bottom, out of the way. I can scan in some of it to give a better picture of it. I will try to post it later today. Carl

There was an add on ebay selling Konig Rewinds that were supposed to be the "new" 16 x 7 size. Interestingly, like Victor said above the Rewind web site does not mention this size. Hmmm.... Carl

I guess I should clarify my situation. I do have a pretty significant "rust" issue that even with a running drive train, a seat and a steering wheel would still prevent the car from being road worthy. I suppose my point was, for me, a 500 dollar purchase in rural Ohio has turned into a significant financial undertaking. From what people are saying, the car may not be in that bad of shape. I might have a spare gas tank from my 71 parts car but I have no idea of when I will be at a point to remove it. Don't let me talk you out of it. Carl

Welcome, I have been researching this exact thing for my old z car for tha past few years. I say years because at this point in time I cannot afford having someone do the work for me. I have been quoted from between 10,000 to 20,000 big ones. These are based on a series of estimates for "minor" body work, paint and engine work. The upper limits maybe being more inclusive with interior etc. but overall, I have found that due to rust issues, most body shops won't get more specific without the car sitting in front of them where they can inspect every inch. I am trying to do as much as I can myself but my experience in the midwest has been less than frugal. I still think it is worth having a z car so don't let this discourage you. Carl

I just received a wiring diagram I had purchased on ebay. I am sure everyone has seen them for sale. Full color, laminated, etc. The one I purchased was advertised for the 69-70 240z and I am not sure how much it differs from a 71-73. I ran to the garage to compare with my wiring harness lying in the cardboard box and it seems pretty spot on (green and white, blue with red etc.). I haven't done a complete head to head comparison but think it was a good buy. It gets a little busy with everything on 1 page but the color is really nice. It is a lot easier to follow than the black and white ones I have looked at before. It even has the wiring for foglights (see earlier thread), although it is labelled as red/green but mine is actually red/blue. Hope this helps people who have been curious. I am very pleased with the purchase. Carl

As always, you guys are a wealth of knowledge. I had never heard of the fog lamps. It always seemed a little weird to have the indent there with no apparent use. I have learned something new. My brain is full so maybe I can go home early from work. Carl

If you had a cigarette lighter in the console in front of the shifter, that indentation is just that, in indentation. The early 240zs had a spot above the flasher switch that (as far as I know) served no purpose. The cigarette light was then later moved to that space. Your dash appears to be a series one dash. There does not appear to be a small "bow tie" indentation beside the flasher switch. I have a 70 and a 71 parts car and they are both the same. I would agree with the assumption that someone punched a hole through the plastic. Maybe there was something added on to that spot but nothing was there originally. Carl