Namerow

Did you clean the bonding surface of the weatherstrip samples with alcohol (or similar) before applying the adhesive?

It would be fascinating to know the how Skinner-Union (way back in the middle of the last century) came up with the bendable-tang-with-a-curved-ramp solution for closing the float chamber outlet valve. Maybe they adopted it from the shut-off scheme used in somebody's toilet tank? 😄 It would all be so much easier if there was an adjustment screw. An external screw would be nice, but even an internal screw would be an improvement. I've often wished that someone would do a plot of the geometric relationship of gas level vs needle valve displacement, so that the effects of bending the tang at its fulcrum could be properly understood. One might also take a look at the effects of changing the tang's radius of curvature. Any volunteers?

Sorry, but... a new set of exterior panels does not solve your 'slightly rusty' Z problem.

I can attest to the fact that the Kia Sportage weatherstrip requires no adhesive (even at the top rear corner of the window) to conform to the shape of the window opening. That's because it uses a more modern design, wherein integrated metal Z-coils replace the need for adhesive or a separate gripper strip. The Kia design also uses a 'lipped bellows' design that provides a more effective seal than the Z's old-fashioned (sorry) cantilevered-lip design. The recent arrival of Z Store's retro-design weatherstripping (i.e. cantilevered-lip design) presents a bit of a dilemma to restorers, because they (apparently?) don't also offer a repro of the gripper strip. If I've got this right, it means that you have to use an adhesive to make the weatherstrip not only conform to the window shape, but also stay that way for some reasonable period of time. If your definition of 'reasonable period of time' is 20+ years, then use just use epoxy and be done with it. Otherwise, I think that 3M's 'old-fashioned' weatherstrip adhesive will do just fine (provided that you read and follow the instructions). It will also offer some forgiveness if you happen to; a) screw up during the installation, or; b) decide, a few years later on, to try something 'more better'.

IIRC, there may be something funky about the the cabin light's wiring and switching logic (even one of the terminals is 'different') that requires a special testing procedure. I'm thinking about how the lamp is controlled not just by its integral switch, but also by the door P/B's (wherein toggling the integral switch can override Door Open/Closed). Bottom line: You may not have a problem at all (emphasis, however, on the word, 'may') Perhaps we should ask CZCC's designated electrical expert (Steve ____? ) for some guidance before you add yet another cabin light to your collection.

I also think it's for the AC (compressor motor switch). Nissan supplied a similar, blue-colored wire (with a bullet-style connector) for that purpose as part of the Z's mini-harness (Item #13 in the diagram above).

I think that adhesive is the only way forward. However, you could always try it first without glue and see whether it can adopt to all of the door contours and then stay in position... especially in the areas of tightest bends. I'm pretty sure that it won't.

My all-time favourite Bondo Queen was a Ferrari 275 GTB that appeared on the FerrariChat website several years ago. It looked so-o-o-o pretty (and cost the new owner about $1.5 Million at the time to make the pivot from 'just shopping' to 'proud new owner'). Nevertheless, he decided to commission a shop to make it 'even better' (including new paint, of course). Unfortunately, when the shop started to prep the body panels for said new paint job, they discovered evidence of filler in places where it shouldn't have been. Digging deeper (literally), they found that the entire nose was nothing more than Bondo. Up to 1" deep in many places. More exploration (excavation?) found deep pockets of damage that made one think that the car had fallen off the top level of an auto hauler and landed on its roof. The shop was stunned by quality of the bondo slinger's work, calling him an artist. When we made the transition from horses to autos a century or so ago, the method of transportation may have changed but the same shysters stayed loyal to the cause and moved from 'horse traders' to car retailers without losing a step.

Interested -- if the price is manageable.

Refer to the figure below (taken from the FSM), which shows how the inner and outer rockers and the floor pan come together. The arrow on the outboard flange of the floor pan shows how the flange aligns with the inner rocker. Note the horizontal rib (with the 'hockey stick' shape at the forward end) that's pressed into Inner Rocker ('Inner Sill). The top of the Floor Pan's outboard flange (designated in the figure by the small black circle) should align with the lower edge of the rib. The line of spot welds that joins floor pan to inner rocker sits about halfway up the floor pan's outboard flange (see photo).

Also: Please discuss your technique(s) for separating spot welds.

How did you close that .25" gap?

Nice-looking property. Definitely what every buyer hopes for when they read, 'Treed lot'.

I'm not convinced that this is 'the real deal'. Consider what KF Vintage offers in the way of replacement panels. It's a pretty extensive list, but when you put them all together your still missing (rough guess) 33% of a complete unibody structure. Is anybody really going to tool up to produce the Z's (complicated) A-pillars? And what about the rear floor and rear frame rails? And the (complicated) front cowl structure? And the (complicated) rear hatch sill structure? My guess is that we're looking at a KF Vintage-like collection of replacement panels being bannered as a replacement unibody structure.

The 'rotisserie' set-up is intriguing. It looks like it may do a better job than conventional units when it comes to keeping the unibody structure unstressed as it goes through rotation, but... it looks like a right PIA to cut and install all of the necessary support links. In addition, the roll-over hoops are in the way all the time, whereas a conventional rotisserie has no such blockages.

It's a remarkable bit of production. Kudo's to Nissan Canada for financing the project, and to the Canadian ad agency for designing and realizing a killer advert that properly and expertly recognizes the significance of the Z's role in creating Nissan's worldwide market presence (notwithstanding Nissan's Japan's efforts throughout the 1970's and 1980's to throw it all away). Additional kudos to Nissan Canada for providing its corporate facilities in Mississauga, Ontario as the venue for the annual show-and-shine meeting hosted b y the Ontario Z-Car Association (look it up). I'm really proud of Canada's (continuing) role in supporting the Z legacy. Here on CZCC, I would draw your attention to the importance of our Canadian members in making this site such a valuable Z resource. Those who come immediately to mind are 240/260/280Z (who's written a complete library of Z rebuild articles), along with Grannyknot, CanTechZ, Wheee and zKars (some of the best restoration build contributors that this site has enjoyed). I should also mention that, for years (dating back to 1994), Charlie Osborne at Zedd Findings in Kingston, Ontario, was (I believe) the only source worldwide for decent replacement Z floor panels and front frame rails.

The ad was produced for Nissan Canada to celebrate the 60th anniversary of their entry into the Canadian automotive market. Stunt driving was performed by Kiwi rallycross driver Rhys Millen (son of Rod, nephew of Steve), using the airport at Lillooet, British Columbia for an action shot that was then blended into the primary road footage (shot on a nearby highway). There's a short feature on the video shoot available on Facebook... https://www.facebook.com/nissancanada/videos/781763657583093/ The actual video can be found on the landing page of Nissan Canada's consumer website... www.nissan.ca (scroll down on the landing page to find the video). I don't think it's available on YouTube yet. Nissan Canada's corporate media website has some nice feature articles and photos built around the 60th anniversary celebration... Official Canada NewsroomNissan Celebrates 60 Years of Innovation and Excellence i...Nissan Canada Inc. is proud to celebrate its 60th anniversary, marking six decades of innovation, growth, and commitment to the Canadian market.

Fascinating. I wonder if it's real.

I've just re-visited this 2020 post. In hindsight, I think this may be the definitive photo essay on the design and construction of S30's 'dogleg' structure. I wish they all looked like this but, as Inline6 notes, the structure is completely missing on far too many Z's (replaced by bodge and newspaper, topped with a Tabco panel). If your Z isn't sound in this area, don't count on your lower seat belt mounts (yours and your passenger's) if you're involved in a collision.

We need more, and better, pictures to answer your question. I have a couple of theories, but I'm going to wait until I see better photos.

Worked for Grannyknot using zero-forgiveness sheet metal. I don't see the problem.

Even though Grannyknot made his gutter extensions out of sheet metal and welded them into place before applying his the final paint coat, you could just as easily fab up something similar and just glue them in place. Make them out of 'L'-section plastic (hobby store) to address rust concerns and paint them body colour before gluing to the hatch body sill.

I'm hoping that you acquired this car on the cheap ($2000 or $3000). If that's the case, I would respectfully suggest that you write this one off as a learning experience and go back into the market to find a better example. This one looks like it's going to be a long, painful and costly experience to turn it into a vehicle that you'll enjoy. Without looking too hard, it's clear that this car is going to need: floors, seat supports, inner and outer rockers, rebuilt dogleg structures (seatbelt mounts), underside floor rails, rebuilt inner fenders, rebuilt lower doors, rebuilt lower front fenders, and rebuilt inner/outer rear wheelhousings and rear quarter panels. I suspect it may also need to repairs to the front cowl area (complicated and challenging) and the rear hatch slam panel area. It may even need front frame rails. And the A-pillars could be rotted out at the top and/or bottom of the windshield. After that, you'll probably need to put $2K - $3K into the powertrain and another $2K into the suspension and steering. Add at least $5K for paint. With all this in mind, you're probably at least a year away from having the car on the road. Or longer. Or you can go out and buy a decently restored 260Z for something in the $20,000 range and start driving it right away.

Not quite a unicorn... but pretty close. Current bid is $205. I predict it'll take over $750 to buy these.

Hmmm. Not sure if this will help, but: OEM weatherstrip often makes strategic use of 'rubber stuffing' (technical term -- I just made it up) at locations where the strip has to make a tight bend. It's put there to keep the hollow section from collapsing (which would possibly lead to unwanted wind noise or water ingress). You can't see it. You'll only know it's there by doing a pinch comparison at selected locations along the length of your the weatherstrip. I found it in both the Kia Sportage and Nissan Altima weatherstrip that I experimented with. The 'stuffing', as used, was ~ 4" - 5" long. I wonder if the aftermarket suppliers are doing the same thing? p.s. I used the front-door weatherstripping from a late-1990's Kia Sportage for both my doors and hatch. Very happy with the results.