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I marked everything, but expect it will be a pain to re-install... Still have a a few afternoons of dis-assembly before I'm ready to start work on removal of the drivetrain. Also got a care package from MSA today that included my rear spoiler, sway bars and new interior vinyl.

I recently got quotes at five different shops in the SF Bay area for a similar scope of work. Quotes ranged from $5,500 to $7,000.

WoW! Nice Job! You should be very proud of her.

Thanks! Had tried searching with no luck. Your search phrase worked. Looks like not too many have used this kit. If I do decide to go with the A/C kit, I'll let everyone know how it goes in a few months when the process begins. Since I'll have all new body seals, if I install the A/C kit I expect it will work acceptably.

It will be awhile before I post pics of the wheels on the car... With exception of the dash, the interor is now stripped. Within the next month, I plan to have the drivetrain out as well. Then the chassis goes to the paint shop. I'm now figuring t have the car back together by mid-June.

Just ordered my new wheels, (as well as a bunch of other parts), from Les at classicdatsun.com. I ordered silver 15x7 panasports. Had to go with silver because the graphites are backordered. I'll just paint them as soon as I figure out the color. Les has been great to work with so far and his prices are reasonable. He is willing to discuss what he sells and we had a short chat about the cost of paint jobs and full restorations. I'm certain I'll be ordering from him again!

My 1972 has 76,000 on it with good documentation. That's one of the reasons I bought it.

Does anyone have experience with installation and performance of the aftermarket A/C sold by MSA and Courtesy? I'm looking at the r-134a unit. Since I'm dismantling the car for painting and will have the dash out, now would be the time to do it. 1) Does it cool effectively? 2) How hard is it to install properly? (I'm a mech engr and pretty mechanically inclined). 3) Are there any issues with the design? The PO already installed the honda fan, so air movement should not be an issue. Thanks in advance for your input! Julio

I've now spoken with a total five local body shops and estimates are all in the $5,500 to $7,500 range. I could probably shave as much as $1,500 off the cost if I shipped the car out of the immediate SF Bay Area, but I'd prefer to have it done locally where I can monitor progress. Today I drove my 240Z to to Williams Auto Body in San Mateo for an estimate and spoke to William. His shop is literally wall-to-wall Z's, mostly 240's to 280's. Z-car parts and Z's in-progress everywhere! From what I saw, he does quality work. William was very strightforward and explained what he does when he paints a Z. He estimated approximately $6K and 2 months from delivery of the car to him. That includes stripping all the paint, bodywork, minor rust repairs, re-alignment of hood, door & hatch, weld-up of all the bump-strip rivet holes and a complete paint, inside & out. It's more than I want to spend, but it's clear William is "the guy" to paint my Z. I'm planning on two-tone paint, silver with a light charcoal rally stripe. Hope others find this update helpful.

I do appreciate all the support and input. Thanks! I actually have quite a bit of eBay buying experience. I usually expect to pay about 1/2 to 2/3 the new part cost for good, used parts on eBay. I purchased over 25% of the parts on eBay for my previous project, a 1960 MGA, and never had a single problem. (I recently sold the MG after 17 years). I'll be selling a few of left-over MGA items from that project on eBay soon, for much less than their actual value. Hopefully someone else can use them. FWIW, I do think the seller purposefully mis-represented the panels. I did ask the seller questions, just not the "right" question... Even someone not familiar with a specific vehicle should know such an obvious flaw needs to be disclosed. Regardless, I do intend to contact eBay, (tomorrow), but don't expect them to be of much help. As I indicated above, I've accepted that I'll either have to resell them for less than I paid or invest in new skins. All part of the "adventure" of restoring my new toy... Heck, I'm still grinn'n cause I got a Z !

I did contact the seller prior to bidding to ask about tears and chrome. I didn't think to ask about repairs...

I paid over $300 for them and knew they had no chrome. The drivers side is fine. I did not expect flawless items, but not someting with such an obvious defect. The seller should have disclosed it. The pictures in the listing cut that corner off, and showed detail on only the driver's side panel. Seems to me that she was trying to hide the problem. I left negative feedback, but the seller only has 3 transactions, so that's likely not a big issue for her. Regardless of what I think about it, I doubt eBay will do anything about it. I figure if I sell them, I'll lose about $100 on the deal. I'm not going to dwell on it and just move forward. The main reason for my posting was to warn others to be wary if she is selling any other Z parts...

I had a bad eBay experience this last week. Bought some used door panels that did not meet my expectations. The eBay item description read: "Set of Inner Door Panels for 240z in Great Condition". "This is a set of door panels from 1972 240z. They are balck and in very good shape. Not sure what other models they might fit". The pics in the listing did not show any close-up details, but I figured the "great condition" statement was accurate. When I recieved tham I found damage on the lower corner of the passenger side panel. (see pics). The seller, "Alana4675", refused to take them back. I feel she misrepresented this item and will be contacting eBay to mediate the case. I've purchased and sold alot of stuff through eBay and never had a problem till now. Guess that's why I'm surprised... Looks like I will need to either re-cover the panels, or re-sell them on eBay with an accurate description for less than I paid. So this is just a "heads-up" to be wary if you plan to buy anything from "Alana4675".

I was considering one of these before checking him out. Thanks to all here who warned me! I'm going to have Rebello Racing do my engine, though I may have to wait and save my pennies. The rest of the restoration is costing more than anticipated... (From past experience, I should have known that).

The chrome on my tailight lenses, while still somewhat shiny are heavly pitted. I've looked around and don't see these available as replacement parts, and the repro lenses I've found on-line don't have them. Are these available anywhere or can they be re-chromed?

A number of years ago I took a digital clock from a domestic car, (don't remember what), and mounted it into my 1971 Z clock housing. Looked and worked great! Even after the car was hit by a truck and totaled, it was still running. May do the same on my current Z's non-working clock...

I just ordered some of that trim vinyl today. Here's the link: http://www.customautotrim.com/products/moldings/rivet.htm

Wow! That was a good read. Looks like I'll be adding the rear spoiler to my list... Thanks!

Time for another newbie question... What I'm really asking is: Does the BRE rear lip spoiler offer any substantial down-force / stability at normal highway speeds? I never had them on my Z's in the distant past. I'm sure there is a cost in drag with the rear spoiler, which will probably affect gas mileage. If it's not that effective, I'll just stick with a front BRE type spook. If it really helps, I'm considering adding one to my project. Thanks in advance for the input.

I'm not planning any serious autocross, just fun runs at club events, etc... I'm more concerned with any negative effects of lowering the suspension, especially in terms of alignment & tire wear. Doesn't sound like there's too much to worry about.

My name's Julio. I've been posting on the forum, but did not do the introduction thing... I had two 240Z's when I was younger. I bought my first, 1 73' 240Z after graduating college in 1978 that I sold in 1985. I missed driving a Z and later on did a cosmetic restoration of a 1971 in the late 1980's. Sadly, the 1971 was hit by a truck while parked and totaled in the mid-1990's. In December of 2007 I bought a silver 1972 240 w/ 75K original miles. I drove it from Arizona to the SF Bay Area after the purchase. The car drives straight and the engine is strong. It's "almost" rust free, nothing a little some Por 15 won't fix. There is a small amount of moderately heavy surface rust on the drivers side floor where the floor turns-up to meet the firewall. There is light surface rust under the battery and some very light spots at a few exposed metal edges. Other than that, she's clean. I'm in the early stages of a cosmetic refresh of the car, with 85% of the interior removed and about 70% of the exterior chrome off the car. It has one repaint on it, but the paint is pretty oxidized, and the (mostly original) body rubber needs to be replaced. Attached is a pic of the car when I purchased it. She doesn't look that good right now... I'm hoping to finish the refresh project by mid-May.

Have spoken to several body shops in the SF Bay Area. Looks like they are all in the $6,000 range for a complete re-paint. (exterior, jams, wheel wells & engine bay). That's with me providing them a rolling chassis w/ no major rust issues, no interior or drivetrain! Looks like my engine upgrade to an L28 may have to wait a year...

As part of my refresh project on my 1972 240, I'm thinking of installing a lowering kit, either Tokico HP's & Lowering springs or Eibach's. I'll be running 15" wheels for 98% street & highway driving with the occasional club autocross. From the posts I've read, the Eibach's may be the better spring for my usage. 1) With the 1" lowering springs, other than cutting down the bump-stops, are any other suspension mods required? 2) I know the car will have to be re-aligned, but should there still be enough adjustability to align properly? 3) Should I be concerned about unplesant changes in suspension geometry? 4) Should I expect any change in tire wear? Thanks in advance for the input.

I live in San Mateo California and am looking for a good paint shop for my 240Z refresh project. The car is very clean and straight with no visible rust problems. (I've really looked). Does need minor door & fender re-alignment, treatment of surface rust (only) under the battery and has four small (1/4"- 1/2") dings. Plan to re-paint silver with a contrast stripe. Repaint wheel wells, engine bay and door jams as well. Car will be delivered to paint shop w/o drivetrain or interior, (but dash will remain in-place). All exterior chrome, lights, etc will be removed, as well as front, rear side and hatch windows. (Door windows will remain in-place). I'm looking to spend about $4,000 total. Is this reasonable? Any suggestions for where to take her? Anyplace within a 30 mile radius. Closer is better so I can monitor progress or answer questions, if required. Thanks, Julio _________________ 1972 Silver 240z

Thanks for all the input. I'm going with the Rebello Racing upgrade. Won't be able to pull the engine for about a month, so it will be awhile. More money, but should be well worth it!