mikewags

Whats up with the intake? This is fuel injection right? No filtration?

Any tips on removing the complete dash? Is this a major hassle? I figured it would be best to sound proof the firewall, since the engine is right in front of it... Thanks!

sweet, ive always liked the fender mirrors. I'm sure they are a lot more functional than the american door-rear views.

- don't think so...that's a magical wii that plays backups! :tapemouth

ugh, 200+ for the seat kits @ Motorsport Auto...

Anyone know of a good place to get a 280z drivers seat kit? Is it worth getting the seat kits? If it's outrageously expensive, i might just think about having my upholstery guy do it (try to match it)... The base of the seat is the only real problem (what you sit on) - the back is fine, with a few stitches on the seams.

I ended up going with 30 square feet of the EDEAD stuff. It was a good thickness, and a decent price ($1.60 per sq ft.) I just couldn't justify spending 200+ on dynamat for something like sound insulation. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=370065229905&Category=18803&_trksid=p3907.m29 Would you consider this "Fatmat" stuff a cheap knockoff? It's pretty cheap (cost wise)

I'm going to lay dynamat down in the passenger area of the car, and maybe the cargo area as well. I want to get this done before my carpet arrives, but I need to order the stuff. How much should be enough? Has anyone sound insulated their car lately? Any feedback would be great, so I don't purchase too much/not enough. Thanks!

Any recommendations on a company?

My car's color is #305 (metallic blue) - Am I better off getting a paint company to match the color (with chips) or can I get original colored paint from an aftermarket company/dealer?

great job, way to show those restoration skills! so, are you ever going to use the thing? :lick:

So the ports on mine are square shaped. If i decide to look for a header, i should find one that looks pretty much exactly the same as the one I listed above, but with square ports ... right? Thanks

Thanks for the timely response. I was doubtful it would fit, after looking into the service manual. The stock header for the is comprised of 2 tubes exiting from the engine.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-280Z-Ceramic-Coated-Round-Port-Header-77-78_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33631QQihZ019QQitemZ290242982125QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW I think I have the stock header installed in my Z, will upgrading to something like this provide better performance? Will I get worse MPG? Is it really even worth doing? Current snapshot:

Here are some photos of the car with all carpet/seats removed and cleaned out. The rust is minimal, but I will be sanding it away; treating it with rust remover; then covering with an undercoat/rust paint. http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a369/mikewags/Car/backview.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a369/mikewags/Car/driverview.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a369/mikewags/Car/flooroverviewdriver.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a369/mikewags/Car/rustdriver.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a369/mikewags/Car/rustpassenger.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a369/mikewags/Car/driverview.jpg here is the Naval Jelly working its magic on the Master Cylinder. It works extremely well actually, ive covered little spots here and there around the car with it...Eats up rust very quickly..10-15 minutes; the rust is gone! http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a369/mikewags/Car/navalgellyMC.jpg The little gem I found in the passenger floorboard area...Covered in dirt, looked amazing after I washed it off. Would of preferred to found the whole knob, but oh well!

I'll post a few photos when I get home...these arent bad patches of rust, more like powdery rusty areas. One is around the hatch opening. The other is just inside the gas tank filler door, and one on the inside door jam of the drivers door.

There isnt much rust there, and I will be cleaning up the floorpans before I move forward; although I just wanted general access to the bare metal for the future...maybe in case rust ever becomes an issue down the road. After some research though, tacky/spray is the best bet to block sound since it does add that "layering" effect to the thin metal; not making it so transparent to sound. Having just a layer of material over it won't do much. I'll think it over. Expense is a factor as well.

A few spots on my car, have very minor hints of surface rust. I want to deal with this without sanding since the car was recently painted about 8 months ago. Is there a way I can apply chemical that will eat the rust, but not harm the paint? I've been considering "Naval Jelly" which is supposed to be awesome at dissolving rust, but I'm not sure if its the best solution for around painted areas. The best feature of the jelly is that it is easy to apply on awkward areas, and I can leave it sitting on the affected area for however long I need, to dissolve the rust. Has anyone had any experience using this stuff? http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?jspStoreDir=hdus&catalogId=10053&productId=100371819&navFlow=3&keyword=naval+jelly&langId=-1&searchRedirect=naval+jelly&storeId=10051&endecaDataBean=com.homedepot.sa.el.wc.catalog.beans.EndecaDataBean%40667227c7&ddkey=Search http://www.amazon.com/Permatex-81756-Naval-Dissolver-Bottle/dp/B0007TQW5G

Well, I went ahead and ordered the black 80/20 loop from Auto Interior (http://www.auto-interior.com/datsun1.html#about) - With shipping it came out to less than $140, which is very reasonable (i just needed the passenger area). I will have to have the carpet cut for the seatbelt buckles/stick, but I figure it won't be that bad. I might have my upholstery guy do it, since he is very reasonable. My cargo carpet is fine, although if I add more I will go about buying/cutting it myself, since it isn't nearly as complicated a space as the passenger area. The only thing I am considering now is putting down Sound Dampening material, but I don't want permanent material down (spray/super-tacky material) so I can access the floorpan if need be. Any suggestions?

Wow, that sucks...Makes me want to just clean up my current crop of carpet and just toss it back in there! I'm surprised you can't buy pre-cut OEM carpet for the 280.

Today I went ahead and removed both car seats, and proceeded to remove the passenger compartment carpet. Rust is very minimal underneath the carpet (good news); although I was surprised to find a few of the rubber seals unplugged. Removed all carpet and under-material (not sure what its called...) I am planning on buying a carpet kit and redoing the interior, although I was curious if buying the cut and molded carpet comes with the premade cuts for such areas as the seatbelt buckles, center console clips for the e-brake; and then additional prepared area for the seat buckle mechanism itself. I am just looking to make the carpet installation pretty hassle free, and i want to make sure that buying it from these online companies; it comes as a good fit for car (not needing a lot of additional work)... Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! Example of Carpet for sale online: http://qualitycarinterior.com/1976-datsun-280z-carpet-passenger-area.html

Thanks for the advice guys; when I start to work on this, i'll post a few photos up if I get stuck; but I think rolling the window/up and down with the guts in view will reveal the issue.

Has anyone replaced the driver's side window regulator? One of the things wrong with my car, is that the window regulator needs to be replaced. The window will crank down, but then getting back up is impossible without moving the actual glass physically. I suspect I will need to remove the door panel then replace some parts; are these parts (regulator) hard to come by? Special Order? Thanks!

This really looks great. I will want to eventually try this with my black vinyl interior; The back of the seats/shock covers have a few scuff marks that i'd like to address.