mlaw7

After several weeks of debating this, I've decided to leave the trim off and fill in the holes. The side molding is going back on but the rear piece is being cut to 12"' so that it only extends to middle of the rear wheel well. A cleaner look IMO. This weekend I pulled out the entire interior and started cleaning everything. It's amazing how much better everything looks and smells without 30 years of dust, mildew, etc. Here are a few photos from last Friday and this afternoon at the paint & body shop ...

A photoshoot this spring sounds awesome! The more the merrier!

I may not be able to make it this month as I'm working a lot to pay for this paint job!!! The things we do for our Z cars ...

Good question. At first I didn't like that trim at all, but it really has grown on me over the last year or so. At this point I'm inclined to clean them up and keep 'em. What I would like to do is find two shorter rear pieces of the side moulding that only go back to the front of the rear wheel well. That's a beautiful '77 you've got there!

I bought my '78 burgundy 280Z coupe in August 2008 after she'd been sitting for about 11 years. Sound familiar?? Since then I've had the engine rebuilt (with OEM Nissan injectors - a DEFINITE improvement over after-market injectors, but that's for another time and another forum), new clutch, brakes, struts, front end, wheel bearings, black Energy Suspension bushing kit, differential, 5-speed transmission and starter. Also had the gas tank cleaned and coated after super fine silt that had accumulated in the tank ruined the fuel pump, a few fuel filters and the injectors. There were also numerous electrical issues, mainly due to corrosion from 11 years of neglect. Amazingly though, the body is in great shape. Only a couple of very small dents and relatively little rust. Other than a cracked dash, the interior is really quite clean. The clock, antenna and OEM Hitachi radio even work. But as you can see in the attached photos, the paint is an eyesore! With a few exceptions, I've been driving her almost daily since January and daily dreaming of the time when I could get her repainted and back to her original glory. Well that time has come! I dropped her off at the paint shop this afternoon. Rust spots and dents will be fixed, the after-market sunroof replaced with a solid panel and body seams redone. She's going to be repainted in her original 611 burgundy with all new weatherstripping, POR-15 on the floorboards and chassis, soundproofing and carpet. New drivers side front bumper trim and straight rear bumper bar. I'll post more pics as the project progresses. There is definitely something special about a Z car!

I'm looking at a set of Yokohama Avid tires for my bronze '78 coupe. OEM 14" steel wheels with OEM "mag" wheel covers. Any thoughts or comments on these tires in general or specific to Z cars?

Arne, I bought a replacement mast a few months ago from MSA and it worked fine. Almost identical to the original. Michael

I'll second that. I replaced all of the original bushings on both of my '78 coupes with the Energy Suspension master poly bushing kit. Replaced the front sway bar bushings with poly too. Just make sure you get the right diameter sway bar bushings as I believe Datsun used three different diameter front sway bars on the various S30 models. Or maybe it's just the 280z's. Someone more knowledgeable on this please correct or clarify if necessary. Although driving on rough roads can be a little bouncy and even slightly harsh, overall both cars feel and handle very tight and nice. On the freeway and good roads, the ride is smooth as butter. Well almost . Surprisingly quiet too. From time to time I do hear a small squeak or two from somewhere up front but it's really not bad at all. IMHO, its a small price to pay for the huge improvement in handling and overall feel. Something else you may want to consider: using poly bushings will most likely accentuate any pre-existing rattles, loose or ill-fitting parts, etc. For example, the driver's side window on my burgundy '78 is a little loose on its track, so that's sometimes more noticeable. Think of it as an additional incentive to fix all those little things like that!

I stand corrected - simple is beautiful! Good luck!

A leaking heater control valve is another possible suspect. While you're at it, check the small rubber vacuum hoses behind the console under the passenger side of the dash. There are about 4 or 5 down there that are part of the heating/ventilation system. I had a similar problem on one of my '78's and discovered that if any of them are cracked or not properly connected, the system is compromised and you won't get any heat.

How noticeable is the difference before and after?

There are two on ebay right now. Zs-ondabrain is correct. I had a similar issue in one of my '78's and we traced it to a faulty hazard switch. The circuits are definitely connected. Switched it out and problem solved. Good luck!

Other than checking for references, reputation, local BBB, etc., does anybody have any thoughts on how one can properly evaluate an engine rebuilding shop? What do you look for and what questions should you ask? Thanks!

JimmyZ, Zs-ondabrain and 7277 - how long did it take you to do this?

How long did it take? I tried some chrome tape from a hobby store that modelers use for bumpers, etc. on model cars. Did not look right!

Has anyone had any good results replating or otherwise restoring peeling chrome plating on interior door panel plastic trim strips?

Very very nice! Which Dupli-color paint did you use for the final coat?

I am planning to have the engine rebuilt in my burgundy '78 280z. She sat for at least ten years and although she runs quite well, she's burning a lot of oil and has some significant exhaust leaks. The shop told me this will take about 7-10 days. While the engine is out, I plan to clean up and refresh the engine bay. There is a little bit of rust that I can see around the battery tray and although the floor pans and rails are amazingly rust free, I can also see what looks like some surface rust around the drivers side rail underneath and behind the engine. So I want to have these rust issues fixed before they become major problems and then repaint the bay in the original burgundy color. I plan on having the rest of the car properly repainted with new weatherstripping sometime next year. Although I can see removing some components like the emergency light, carbon cannister and definitely the ID plate, I'm not planning to remove the harness, master cylinders, etc. like we did on my bronze '78. My thought at this point is to have the body shop mask all that and spray the engine bay after the rust is addressed. I know it's way better to remove everything but simply don't have the time to do it again this time around! It won't quite be show car quality but that's not my goal for this car. As the interior is very clean and we've already redone almost all of the mechanical components, my intention for this car is to be a beautiful, dependable and fun daily driver for as long as I'm able to drive! So my question is, does anybody have an idea of what this should cost? I may go with the same paint shop that did my bronze '78, and see what we can work out as a package deal if I hire them to do the rest of the car as well early next year. Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Here's a photo of the heat/sight shield mounted over the rear driver's side bumper shock near the antenna drain tube. The other two are the small pieces that secure the front trim piece to the bumper shocks.

Hey Marty, Sorry to hear about your '73. That really hurts just thinking about it! Your blue 240z is sweet! How long did it take you to restore her? Here's a few more pics of the work in progress.

My plan is pretty simple. I am going for a 100% stock look and am using an OEM Hitachi AM/FM stereo unit in the console. The OEM Hitachi speakers actually sounded pretty decent but I decided that two-way crossover 4" speakers would be the best way to preserve the original interior look and styling while upgrading the sound quality. The other upgrade I am planning is to install a universal CD changer behind the passenger seat that will work off of FM modulation. I'm still looking into which unit to get as some seem to work better than others according to the reviews I've read. Not the most sophisticated system by any means but the interior will still look original and the sound will be decent. For me it's the perfect compromise. After reading a lot of reviews on various 4" two-way speakers, I bought a pair of Infinity Reference 4022i 4" speakers to replace the stock Hitachi speakers in my bronze '78. Before I bought them I measured the depth of the speaker cavity and made sure their depth (1 15/16") was a bit less. I added bullet-type connectors so that they'll just plug right into the existing speakers wires - piece of cake! After I removed the interior panels and speakers I test fitted the Infinity speakers in the speaker holes and it is a perfect fit. The magnets don't touch the body of the car. They fit pretty flush so the interior panels will fit over them just fine. I'm not planning to use the Infinity grilles under the interior panels as they don't seem necessary in this setup and will just add another layer of material between the speakers and the cabin. The only other thing I'm planning to do is install RAAMmat sound proofing as much as I can on the inside of the body inside the speaker areas. I'll let you know how it all works once I've got the car back together.

Your yellow '73 is beautiful!

Thanks! Your 240z is a beauty - a very nice find!

Absolutely! They are not happy unless we're driving them and respond very nicely to loving care and affection.

Both '78's have factory A/C. I bought a Nissan replacement receiver/drier from Courtesy Parts a while back. Even though their system showed it to be the correct part, the fittings are placed differently from the original that was on the car so I couldn't use it.