ArnieTX

Sorry gents for no recent updates. Long story short I haven't had time and let my projects go. Life with 4 young kids just got in the way. Arnie

Whatever you do don't let them keep your car. Keep it yourself, there is still a lot u can recover and reuse.

I've got a series one body that you can have the front end on if you want to chop it at the firewall to fix yours.

Get back to work on my Z's. My wife and I are trying to get a business off the ground and it's taken all of my time since October. Almost there though. Happy New Year! Arnie

Do you have pics? How do you know it's beyond repair?

Sweet. My Z will be silver now. Just beautiful!

Nice looking Z. My first Z was a 78'. It flew.

Awesome job bud! Looking very sweet.

great photos

Update: I went to a buddy's house a week or so ago and tried out his MIG with gas. It was superior to my Fluxcore. I received my Gas Conversion Kit and converted my fluxcore Lincoln Weldpak 100 to gas tonight. I purchased a tank of 75/25 from the local hardware store and played around with it. The difference between how easy the gas is versus fluxcore is night and day. With the fluxcore at the lowest setting for power and and different wire speeds I could not bridge the larger gaps in the panel and I would blow through the metal quite often. With the gas set between 12-15lbs , I could crank up the heat all the way to C (A is minimum) with a wire speed of 5 and weld the larger gaps. I found B-5 to be a pretty good setting. The "A" setting was too low for this particular piece I'm welding in. It's good to know I can turn the power down if needed. With Fluxcore I couldn't turn the power down any more. If you have a fluxcore welder you should seriously consider converting it to gas for thin sheetmetal apps. I'm happy with this setup. All I have to do now is figure out the best way to grind welds down like a pro. I'm getting there! Thanks for everyone's input.

The shift arm is connected to a switch on the tranny. There is a test that can be done to determine if this switch is bad or out of adjustment. Involves an ohmmeter. My chilton manual showed how to test it. It's not hard. Check your hardware to make sure nothing is bent on the tranny or connected to it.

Great job

Nice!

My worst was a brand new 2005 GMC Yukon XL. Burned a quart of oil every 3K from day one. Dumped new vehicles once and for all and bought a used Ford Excursion V10 and used F250 Diesel and have never had any issues with either. No more GM for me.

Hi Bob - I received your PM. Thank you. I confirmed this radio works fine and will take best offer. Thank you to all the folks who asked about it. I am amazed at all the interest. PM me if you are interested. Thanks

I've been reading the heck out of the welding forums, that's what pushed me to the Hobart gear. + I like the fact that I can buy parts and supplies branded by them out here in the sticks. Good advice on talking around though, I know a few locals who weld for a living and I'm going to see if I can run a few beads on their gear. There's an almost brand new Miller TIG on craigslist locally. He only wants $800 for it. I'd like to have a TIG. I hit the car a little more last night. I can spot weld with the flux okay if the panels have a tight fit. But it's messy looking.

Thanks Geezer. The more I read the more it appears that gas really helps on thin sheet metal. I'm debating on whether I upgrade my little Lincoln Weld Pak 100 to gas for $150 bucks or buy a better welder. Where I live it's hard to find Lincoln parts but Hobart is everywhere. And Hobart seems to have some nice machines. Living on a farm I could use a heavier machine anyway. Thanks

AJM I bought small gauge a while back, 18 I believe, and I butt welded it fine. The metal in the back of this Z must be a lot thinner.

Scott I did, see this thread - http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38738 I also learned a little thread etiquette about keeping a thread on topic........ That lesson learned the hard way. I bought a copper tool from Harbor Freight today to see if it will help in the welding process. I'm also looking into a gas setup for my welder. More to come and thanks for the advice so far. I'm still enjoying the process.

And thanks for all the advice. I've been reading a lot about welding thin metal and I've come away with a better understanding on gas,wire size and heat-sink type tools to aid in the process.

Part of the problem is my lack of skilled cutting. When I cut out the original panel I did a poor sloppy job. It wasn't very straight in places and it made it hard to cut the patch to the same form. I'm still learning how to use my cutting tools. So far my big dewalt 18V sawzall was the easiest to use and keep a straight line. It just doesn't fit everywhere. Patience and practice, it's only metal right?

OK - Back to working on Car #3. Today was my first attempt at replacing sheet metal on my car. The back right area next to the spare tire well was rusted through. I decided to cut a piece out of car #1 which is now an almost stripped to the bone donor car. Bad area I cut out: Donor Car Shot Install into car #3 Underside view Welding thin sheet metal is very hard. Welding this together was very very hard to do. I am using a lincoln turned down as low as it will go. I experimented with different settings and angles on the gun but to no avail. Things seem to work out the best when the panels were really close together and I could just "spot weld" for a second or so. When I tried to run a little stitch it would blow a hole in the metal. I'm running fluxcore wire. I don't know if I need to go with bigger wire or smaller wire or get a kit to run gas shielding with it. I know one thing, I definitely could have uses a small angle or die grinder. I have a flange and punch tool but didn't use it. I tried to butt weld the pieces together. Maybe next time I'll double up the metal with the flanging tool. All advice is welcome. I didn't think it would be this difficult. I'm not that bad a welder! First time, I'm sure I'll figure it out. Those dudes on TV sure make it look easy!

Carl PM'd you on the floors and frame rails.

Sweet

Maybe after I get done with my orignal project my skillsets will be good enough to tackle this monster. It is kind of cool. I had a hard time finding any for sale on craigslist nationwide. It's unique. This is the second one I've ever seen in person. The first was in 1988 when I was getting my first Z, a 78 280Z. I was a military kid and was always on base for this or that. I saw 2 Z's one day while driving on the base and I stopped to talk to a guy working in the yard of the duplex the cars were in front of. I asked him about them and he said his was the 78 and the other belonged to a different person that lived in the complex. The other was a white fairlady 2 seater that looked like a 240Z. He told me that one came over with his neighbor from Japan and that dude loved his car. The 78 was for sale though and I bought it for $1500. Haven't seen another fairlady since and this is a big military town so I know there has to be a few hiding somewhere. I kind of had some wood in my shorts to try to build a hot rod after my Z. I know where a lot of model A and model T stuff is hiding. I'm still working on car #3 when I get time. Hopefully I can post an update this weekend. I'm about to replace my first piece of sheet metal on it after much study. Who knows what will happen to it? It's in a better place today than it was yesterday. Maybe another Z can be saved...... Or maybe parts of it anyway.