mlaw7

I think you'll be very pleased with their work. Just picked her up from the paint/body shop this afternoon and drove her home. No dash or interior. Just a driver's seat and seat belt. Enjoyed watching the speedo cable spin and hearing how happy she sounded to be running again as I drove!! Here are a few more photos. Now it's time for me to get to work on the POR-15 treatment for the floorboards, transmission tunnel and spare tire well. Then QuietCar soundproofing on as many interior sheet metal surfaces as I can reach with a brush. Doors, floors, roof, rear quarter panels, hatch floor, inside the hatch lid, behind and around the speakers, etc. Then reinstall the dash. I lubricated the speedo cable with white lithium grease and replaced all the bulbs with the brighter kit from MSA. Looking forward to seeing how much of a difference they'll make. Then new carpet and headliner, followed by the rest of the interior. Whenever my budget permits, I also plan to have the seats recovered as a final touch. May our Z cars rule the road for another 30+ years!!

That is a very nice 240Z you've got !! The shop is Master Auto Paint & Upholstery on Harwin near Fondren in Houston. They do excellent work, are super to work with and I think their prices are very fair for the quality. Call David or Victor at (713) 785-6533 and tell them I referred you. Or feel free to shoot me a PM! Michael

That is beautiful! Very nice wheels. I hope mine comes out that nice!

Rear bumper is re-chromed and the front is after about an hour or so of polishing. One area that often seems to be neglected is the back side of chrome bumpers, which can rust pretty badly. Mine had a pretty good bit of rust on the back sides. So I decided to POR-15 them, which took a couple of hours using the full 3-stage treatment and brushing on the POR-15. The rear bumper was done by Superior Chrome here in Houston - very nice work. And here are a few more photos from this afternoon at the paint/body shop. I just got my door and hatch locks back from the locksmith. He cleaned and lubricated them as well as tightened the little arms in the back of the door locks. They had way too much free play, even for their "lazy" design. This, I learned, is what causes the door locks in our S30's to stop working correctly when you try to lock or unlock them with the key. I imagine that many of us have experienced the frustration of not being able to lock or unlock our cars with the key. If you can find a locksmith who's familiar with these old locks, it is probably a much less costly alternative to buying new door lock cylinders. Mine were so bad that for a while I had to climb in through the hatch to open the door! You can imagine the looks I got doing that downtown! I'd love to see some photos of your car!

Huge difference! Much nicer! How did you do it?

I hope this isn't a dumb question but what is SPT?

I would say absolutely this should be the first thing to check. These little shims are 100% essential and for some reason often seem to disappear over the years. If they're not there, your brakes will sound horrible! I had the same problem on my '78 coupe, even with new pads, rotors and calipers. Without these little shims, the brakes sounded so bad I almost started hated driving my car! Then I found out about these little boogers and bought a set from Z Car Source of Arizona. Put 'em in and voila! no more screaching!

That's what I'm carrying in my '78 coupe. Got it at Wal-mart for about $10. I still have the original air bottle and it feels like it's full but would not want to rely on it if I ever have a flat tire! Has anyone ever actually tried using a 12V air pump with the space saver tire? Or what about simply testing it before you need it? Anyone ever reused your space saver tire? Am I correct in assuming that it can be reused by simply deflating it? Any guidance or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Awesome!!!!!!!! That is one beautiful Z! Very very impressive and inspiring!!! I hope you can enjoy her for many years to come. Michael

Thanks! Yes, it is the original Nissan 611 paint code. Four coats of base then three coats of clear.

Carl, Did he say what areas he needs to work on? Please post some photos of your car when you have a few minutes! Here are a few from this afternoon ...

Thanks Carl! Here are a few from this afternoon.

More photos from this afternoon at the paint & body shop ... won't be long now!

I know many of us here don't care for the dealer-installed aluminum channel side molding on an S30. I personally do - as long as the rear piece doesn't extend past the rear wheel well. Just my personal preference ... Either way, I know we both agree Z-cars are beautiful - whether the view is from the outside or from behind the wheel! From the passenger seat it's pretty cool too ... Anyway, here are a few more photos from the paint & body shop. Looking forward to seeing your photos!

Yep. The (non) original aluminum channel molding's going back on, so we'll just use the existing rivet holes. Only change will be to fill in the holes for the longer rear piece and maybe drill 1-2 holes on each side for the shorter pieces. How's your '78 coming along? Pics will be great!