geezer

There are a few threads pertaining to the early balljoints. The 11mm balljoints were still available not long ago. I can help you out if you want a set of the later steering knuckles, if you can't find them locally. Have you removed the old ones yet? I would be interested in having you measure them, once removed. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8715

One thing that will certainly be better is underhood temperatures, with a ceramic coated header. That is my hope anyhow. I also planned on building a wafered heat shield for my triple Webers but that might not even be neccesary. We only get a handful of 95 degree plus days a year here and on those days the Z can stay cool in the garage. Wow, a NOS 10th Anniversary Compe steering wheel, sure is sweet! Did you convince the Missus it was absolutely necessary for the project or for the betterment of mankind or something? I understand, I sometimes have to justify my purchases with headquarters as well.

That worked out really well Dan. Do you have a knob or a plan to duplicate one? I was admiring a friends early Z a few weeks ago that he just dug out of long term storage for restoration. It has and originally came with the throttle control. I have been jokingly trying to convince him to sell or trade that throttle control for years. They sure are tough to find, pricey if you do find one and definitely add a few cool factor points to an early Z.

I didn't think I was the right guy to answer your question but may be able to help point you in the right direction. I don't know which is better. In my case I aquired an old mid '70s Trust header (didn't know what it was at the time), as part of a package deal when I bought my Z. I did send it to JetHot and had it ceramic coated on the inside and outside. Since this thread started, I changed my ideas/plans several times, but did finally buy the Fujitsubo stainless muffler system to go with the Trust header. I'm still waiting for it to be shipped, since they are not built until ordered. If you contact RHDJapan, they will be better able to locate what you are looking for. They deal in new & used. I appreciated the nostalgic aspect of preserving the Trust header. I wasn't looking for any performance gains over any other commonly available header. The Fujitsubo muffler system finally became too irresistable for me. Their stainless header is a beautiful thing as well. You will have to decide for yourself if they are worth the asking price as well as the hefty shipping charges. Or, you could put an ad in the classifieds. I'm sure there are a few old Trust header pipes being stored in peoples garages, or should I say sheds? :)Cheers!! http://www.rhdjapan.com/

I think Guy's white '70 is absolutely beautiful in 904 white and yours surely will be also. The 15" American Racing LeMans wheels will be the icing on the cake! I don't even want to guess how difficult it would be to find a set of those wheels, They are amazing! I also used the spray on bedliner in exacly the same manner. I sprayed the inner cowl with it after repairing the chimney rust damage as well. It is a very tough and durable material with an appropriate texture too.

OK, I know you listed this as an item checked... "New cusco strut brace bars (noise was there before them)"...but I think this might be worth taking another look at. I have seen strut isolator studs that have been bent out of shape enough to damage the threads to the point that the required torque value was reached before the nut was properly seated. The sound you describe is exactly the sound made when the stud rises up & down in the hole ever so slightly. Just something I have seen and heard several times.

This one is moving along at a pretty quick pace Mike. It looks like it is being taped off for undercoating or bedliner, before paint. What are you using? I use those cheap foam earplugs for keeping paint, etc. out of threaded holes. Next obvious question...what color have you decided on?

Nice work! That repair turned out very well indeed! That is one of the most common rust problem areas on these cars. You are a good fabricator and make it look easy.

This is so true in most cases, especially when we are talking about "hobby" cars that get worked on in spurts when we find the time. I know my car has been approached as a series of individual projects. It just wouldn't have been sensible in my thinking, to blast an area larger than I could do any needed metal fabrication, welding and prep work before covering the bare metal in a timely manner. There is nothing more frustrating to me than not getting the bare metal covered before rust starts forming again. It happens to all of us; we bite off more than we should, until we learn better. A few thoughts come to mind. The pic below was taken when I first started scrapping the undercoating from the underside of my Z. Much of the original silver paint was still intact but there were many areas that needed to be blasted to remove the rust. I should have left the intact paint alone and spot blasted where needed and then used a product such as Por 15 on the bare metal. It would have went much more quickly, but just starting out on the project, what did I do? I used paint remover then blasted the entire underside. It wasn't easy getting that paint off. I should have just left it. Lesson learned. Just remember that Por 15, Rust Bullet or epoxy primer serves no purpose if applied on top of intact paint. Whatever you decide to use, just apply it to the bare metal since you want to finish with body color anyhow. I like the idea of using Por 15, then getting the color applied while it will still adhere, but I can see that could sometimes be hard to do. That was one of the reasons that I used Rust Bullet. I could allow it to completely cure, then months later lightly sand with 220, then coat with epoxy primer. This is helpful in areas such as hingside door jambs, as an example, where a transition to finish paint is made. I'm just trying to give you a few of the options you seek. Another area that I have finished is the inner cowl/chimney. It was downright nasty and rusted out badly. After welding in the repair pieces, I experimented somewhat, by brushing on PPG epoxy primer, Permatex 2 part epoxy adhesive/sealant and then topped it off with Rust Check spray on bedliner. I think this repair will outlive me for sure. I plan on following Enrique's example of draining water away from this area as well.

I am in agreement with this statement..."As far as bare un-rusted metal goes, i still believe epoxy primers to be the strongest and best product over a rust encapsulator"...but only if the bare metal has been properly etched, either chemically or mechanically, as well as properly cleaned/prepped. A good epoxy primer will be a two part formulation and is quite different than an "E-coat" used in production paint operations. The E in "E-coat" refers to the electric current used to make the coating flow into, onto all bare metal surfaces when submerged into the tank, similar to the principal used for electrostatic spraying or powdercoating, except using liquified materials. There is no better method that I know of than "E-coating" for high volume production but for our restorations the next best is a two part epoxy primer but only as stated earlier, the metal being properly cleaned and prepped. Also myself, I don't like using my expensive two part epoxies in areas that are not going to be seen or finish painted. A two part epoxy will not be as effective as a product such as Por 15 or Rust Bullet or other products designed to adhere to bare metal or converted rust areas. The areas these products are best used will not be seen or finished painted for the most part, but I have used Rust Bullet, lightly sanded at a later date and then blended in with my DP90 two part epoxy. I guess what I am trying to get at is, each of these products have a definite advantage depending where and how you are going to use them. The rusty Eastern car I am working on now has Por 15, Rust Bullet, PPG two part epoxy, spray on bedliner and several other materials used on it. I think the most important thing is good adhesion and compatibility of the materials used.

Wow, that yellow really pops! I really like that color. It looks great! Considering the do it yourself spray booth you have to be very pleased with the results!

Looking great! I bet there aren't many examples of well running flat tops in such presentable condition. My hats off to you. I remembered reading about two different types of insulating wrap that was used in the "Modification Plus" manual, so I looked it up. I have a couple of them in storage that I am keeping just for reference.

The kit I described in this thread has the valve cover fasteners in an allen head. Contact John or Nancy to see what else they could provide. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40653 The entire kit is well thought out and complete with the exception of the front & rear suspension/chassis fasteners.

You may be able to find a pair of 5020R for sale, but a single could be difficult to find. Did you try contacting Tokico customer support? They may be able to help if you explain the circumstances. At least you can go ahead and install the fronts, until you get another rear. Is your 260Z an early car that uses the same kit as the '70-'73 Zs? If so, make sure, as Andrew pointed out, that they are not just mislabeled. Tokico Kit #251 should have front progressive springs 5020F and linear 5020R rear springs.

Grafting the front clip on where you did worked out really well. Those are really good photos Mike, showing how the alignment was achieved. Very nice!

I always thought that our Zs fit into the "timeless beauty" category quite well. Its reassuring that guys accustomed to XKEs feel this way also. I bet that smile is still on your face!

Check out this product. It might be useful in the clean up of rust inside the doors before coating them for future protection. The videos are impressive to say the least, especially the ease in which the rust encrusted gas tank was cleaned. I haven't seen this product for sale here or tried it, but thought it was worthwhile sharing with you guys. http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?p=metal+rescue+rust+remover Another product that seems to work well protecting aluminum from corrosion is called "Sharkhide". Sorry no link. I watched a demo on Speed Channel. It was just as impressive.

There isn't any method of preventing the water retention, is there? I wonder if some type of water proofing treatment such as used on canvas tents would help?

Welcome Z dreams. Please put up some pics so we can see what degree of rust issues you are dealing with. I possibly can help you source a shell or the parts to repair yours, not too far from your location. Yep, we all know about rust around here.

Bummer! I know the feeling. I watched helplessly as my granddaughter's bicycle fell over and a silver dollar sized divot was chipped off my windshield that was leaning up against the wall. The piece was floating in mid air in slow motion, while I stood there thinking how stupid I was. I was the only one in the garage at the time, moving things around. PS - This car has a few chips on it too, but the owner uses a little creativity, so they are not so noticeable...feel any better yet?

Nice find Mike. I couldn't help but read the entire thread once again. I'm sure that the comparisons made over the years referring to the Z as a "poor mans version", varied around the world. I know XKEs were seen more often than any model of Porsche around here, at the time. Keep an eye open, we might yet find similar references in print from the early 70s to Porsche or other manufacturers.

HaHa! If you want a vid, I'll have to play it like the alpenhorn in the Ricola commercials, 'cause the car isn't ready for it yet. I'll post up some pics though, then put it on top of the pile, until needed. I've actually been considering an OEM replacement from Nissan or one of these for quite some time and this thread just helped me decide which way to go.

I ordered the Fujitsubo Legalis-R from RHDJapan.com. It totalled $1291.08 to me here in South Western Ontario so that's comparable, considering the extra shipping distance. It was $938.92 on sale with $352.16 shipping. One more thing crossed off the list.

They have the best price I have seen, so far. I think the sale price expiry date is coming up fast. Oh the pressure is building....my forefinger is quivering uncontrolably! Edit: I couldn't help myself, its on the way!

That is why I have been hanging on to this piece, in the hopes of eventually replicating the entire system...but I don't think that is going to happen. That particular project got put on the back burner. With the availability of the Legalis-R system and the fact that it is so much better than what I could hope to replicate, I agree about it being a viable option. The original isn't stainless, doesn't have nice mandrel bends. Can you tell I'm trying to talk myself into it! My finger was hovering over the "add to cart" button until I figured I'd better give it some more thought. I'm just too darned impulsive. Thats why I've got a dedicated stock room for Z parts.:stupid: