Namerow

I've been playing recently with de-rusting parts by electrolysis (12VDC battery/battery charger, sacrificial steel anode, soda bath -- lots of write-ups on this technique available on-line). This approach won't harm the rubber (polymer) bushing and I have a suspicion that it may be more effective in getting to the concealed rust than something like penetrating oil or naval jelly. Just a hunch, though. Used in combination with thermal shock and a slide hammer, it might just work. In the end, it's no more likely to damage the parts than a torch

Nice job, great results. Your attention to planning and detail has really paid off. I'm curious about the extent of coverage this cap provides on the ends of the dash (i.e. the surfaces visible only when the doors are open). If you get a minute, what you mind posting another photo or two? Also: 1. As you know, there's conflicting advice about where to apply the adhesive. Which approach did you choose? What adhesive did you use? 2. Do you think the cap installation clearances would have tolerated a layer of 1/16" open-cell foam between the dash and the cap? I'm thinking that the foam might provide a bit of cushioning for areas where the dash and cap don't actually meet. Maybe just use in the broad top surfaces?

Burlen Ltd. in England operates a group of carburetor-related business enterprises under the umbrella of The Burlen Group ( Burlen LTD Home page ). They appear to have purchased the manufacturing and brand name rights to the three principal (but long defunct) British carburetor companies: SU, Zenith and Amal. While looking through the latest edition of my favourite Brit car magazine this weekend ('Buying - Restoring - Repairing Classics' - worth checking out if you can find it in your area), I found an article on updating carbs to accommodate ethanol-cut fuels. In it, there was a picture of a recommended upgrade float, trade-named 'StayUp' (no viagra jokes please). I've now checked the Burlen website and find that this is one of their new ventures. There are currently only three or four offerings in the 'StayUp' float lineup, but one of them (the 'T1' model) looks suspiciously like the Hitachi SU item found in our Z's. It goes for 21 Pounds Sterling (about US $30 if I did my math right), plus shipping. That's for one unit. If anyone wants to roll the dice and order one, I'm sure that the rest of us would be interested in finding out whether it fits the Hitachi SU clone. It might end up being something that MSA or Bruce Palmer at Z Therapy would be interested in stocking. Have a look at: Home Page - StayUp Floats Co.

Should have read, "240Z Series 1 dash. No cracks. Includes shipping case on rollers. $1,000."

Your Z is going to be a real showpiece by the time it's back on the road. Hope to be able to take a look at it at Whitehead's sometime before you pick it up. Can you comment a bit more on the parts-plating work that was done... Is it cadmium, or something else? Do you know how the price was set... flat-rate for the batch, $/lb, or ___?

I'm in the final stages of restoring the Heater Box for my 70 Z. I measured all of the factory foam (intact, but badly aged) during disassembly so that I could duplicate later with new foam. Sorry, no pix, so I'll try to explain in words... The job involves a total of 8 pieces of foam. Six are applied to the Core. The other two are applied to the inside of the Heater Box side plate (driver's side only). Pieces 1 & 2: To start, you'll need 1"-thick foam, cut into long, 30mm-wide strips. It needs to be quite 'crushable', so use open-cell foam. I found a package of scotchbrite-type sanding sponges that were perfect (after I cut off the abrasive layer). You could also try the foam from a cheap floor mop. Cutting foam this thick is easiest with a long, hook-shaped X-acto blade. Just press down hard with a steel ruler along your cut line, then run the blade two or three times along the cut. First, you'll need to apply strips along the upper half of the left (driver) and right (passenger) sides of the Heater Core, filling in the depression between the edges of the header tanks. Cut two strips of 120mm length. Glue in place. Pieces 3 - 6: Next, cut four short lengths (35mm length each; again, all are 30mm in width). Glue two of these onto the ends of the header tanks on the driver's side of the Core. These will butt up against the fixed side plate of the Heater Box. Then glue the other two pieces onto the inside surface of the side plate (driver's side, of course) of the Heater Box, to line up with the pieces you just glued to the Core header tanks (i.e. you'll have a double-layer of foam cushioning in these two locations). Pieces 7 - 8: The last two pieces are a bit trickier (if you want to match the OE installation). These are specially-shaped and holed in order to slip over the supply and outlet tubes of the Core. They're also vinyl-faced (on the side that will face outboard and butt up against the passenger-side side plate of the Heater Box (i.e. the removable side plate). I used the same 1-in. -thick foam as before. Glue thin flexible vinyl sheet onto one side before you cut the pieces to shape. Now: Cut two rectangles (57mm x 37mm for the rear Core tube location; 43mm x 35mm for the front Core tube location). Now you need to make a hole in each piece so it can slide over the Core tube. The hole in each piece should be 15mm diameter. In each case, it will need to be positioned quite off-centre... For the rear tube's pad, the hole will be biased towards the upper rear corner of the pad. For the front tube's pad, the hole will be biased towards the upper front corner of the pad. To locate the hole centre in each pad: From the top outboard corner of each rectangle, measure in 15mm and down 15mm to locate/mark your centre). Once marked, it's easier to punch out the holes rather than trying to cut them out. Make a punch from a suitable-diameter piece of thin-wall tube (sharpened by chamfering one cut end). Once finished, just these two pieces over the Core tubes. No glue here. The long dimension of each piece runs horizontal. I had great results using 3M 80888 sprayable contact cement. Requires a lot of masking off off the Core and the Heater Box in order to avoid getting it in the wrong places. Do NOT use this glue indoors (it's really hard on the lungs -- probably explosive, too). If you follow the directions, this glue gives you a ~5-minute grace period where you can adjust your positioning before clamping. Before you slide the Core back into the Heater Box, apply a (very) thin smear of white grease on the surfaces of the 'shelf' brackets so that the Core slides in nice and EZ. Hope this helps.

Bf2x4?

The dash in my 1970 Z has the usual cracks (although not so extreme as some examples I've seen other owners post on this site). I'm in the middle of restoring the car's interior and, at this stage, the dash is only a few bolts and connectors shy of being ready to pull out of the car. I've already removed all of the instruments for service and they're now refurbished and ready to go back in. Same for the heater box, radio and centre console. The issue is that I already have a full dash cap ready to be installed. I'm torn between going that route (cap) as opposed to pulling the dash and doing the foam-and-bedliner refinish. I don't expect that I'll ever get this close to pulling the dash again (and I know it would make re-installing the instruments a heck of a lot easier, too), but after reading what seems like dozens of postings on the dash refurbish process, I feel like I'm detecting a little bit of 'good-but-not-great/your-results-may differ' sentiment. It's also hard to get a good sense from the pictures posted about just how close to OE appearance the end result really is (i.e. surface texture and gloss). I know that caps aren't a 100%-perfect solution either, but at least I can see what the end result will look like because it's sitting right in front of me (and it looks ok). So: Can anyone offer a compelling reason for (or against) either of the two options?

Sometime, somewhere I recall reading about a wood repair of this type being done using a paste made up from sawdust and a binder. I can't remember the application (it certainly wasn't a Z steering wheel) and I can't remember what the binding agent was, but maybe this will jog someone else's memory (seems like a repair that might be appropriate to musical instrument). IIRC, the Z wheel's rim was made in a somewhat similar fashion (i.e. composite, rather than 'real' wood), so it might just work. I would certainly expect the sawdust paste to take woodstain better than just pure epoxy. Maybe worth experimenting on just one of the cracks?

Re timing chain wedge: Use a piece of hardwood this. I found 2' lengths in the cabinet-wood section of the local Home Depot (1-1/2" x 3/4" IIRC). I scaled off the dimensions from some photos of the 'official' Nissan service tool. It's a symmetrical wedge: 35mm W at the top, tapering down over 185mm to a width of 22mm at the bottom. Add a couple of inches of additional length at the top, then drill a hole and run a loop of heavy cord/string through the hole to use as a pull-out aid. Don't use wire for this, because it may snag as you're lifting the head off and pull the wedge out (don't ask me how I know this). I was able to push the exhaust manifold off to the side without having to un-do the flange connection at the top of the exhaust pipe. Jam a length of scrap wood between the manifold and the block to hold it in position before you try to lift off the head.

What kind of garage heating are you using? (and what's your definition of 'warm enough to work'?)

Is the throttle knob produced as a repro of the OE piece (i.e. mirror-image of the choke knob, and with engraved 'throttle-plate' graphic)? If so, I'm definitely interested. Anybody else? Maybe Datsun 240z rubber grommets & parts would like to take a shot at this? Not a trivial task, though, because I don't know of any easy way to produce a mirror-image mold of the choke knob. Not to mention the need to cast in a mounting slot and a recessed set-screw hole. And then there's the graphics. A 3D printer could produce it easily, and maybe that's the way this is going to get done. It will depend on figuring out how to get a set of x-y-z coordinates off of choke knob. Anybody got access to a contact profilometer? On the other hand, a good tool and diemaker could probably knock off a master in an evening. Volunteers?

My understanding has always been that the U.S. dealers and/or distributors (or more likely, their lawyers) were concerned about safety issues. The hand throttle -- cool as it is -- doesn't have an auto-return feature. It also has the potential for (variously) linkage snag, cable freeze, lever bind, etc. from poor maintenance or poor adjustment (remember the million-car recall a couple of years ago for 'floor carpet' issues? And the other issue -- same manufacturer -- for 'run-away' vehicles due to owner not understanding how to turn off a car fitted with a push-button starter?).

I have the same twin-lever set-up waiting to be installed on my '70 when I finish the interior resto in the spring. What do you plan to use for a throttle lever knob?

As luck would have it, I was working on the fuel gauge from my '70 Z yesterday (I have all the gauges out of the dash as part of my on-going refreshtoration). While cleaning the painted gauge face, I noticed that the script, '60L' appears in a tiny font right next to the 'Full' mark. Never saw that before. Sixty litres equals 15.85 US gallons.

FWIW, Eastwood offers a liquid sealer that has received a lot of good reviews from customers (a couple of whom have specifically mentioned using it to treat cowl areas). Positive comments about ease of use, coverage, and final appearance. Perhaps worth looking at - provided you're not dealing with corrosion to the point of needing to replace metal. Eastwood Brush on Seam Sealer 30.4 fl.oz. - Item #51657ZP

pm sent

I have also worked with Mackie Transport c/o their Oshawa, Ontario h/q, for both car-hobby transport and special-events business purposes. They are a large, sophisticated and experienced outfit whose owners also happen to be fans of old cars/trucks and motorsports. Quality-of-service will be A-1, pricing will be realistic.

By my count, there are currently seven '77 Z's and one '76 listed (along with a number of ZX's, etc).

Also available in Canada from Home Hardware stores... '6 Piece Snap Fasteners Refill' INNOVAK Item #5472-927 Model #041107 6PC

Scary rust. Impressive fab and repair work (makes it all look so easy). This is another great photo reference guide for all of us who are contemplating sheet metal repairs. Thx for posting!

OK, after another search of the site (there seem to be a LOT of different ways to spell 'speedometer') it looks like I may have found the answer my question, c/o Captiain Obvious. In case anyone else is trying to deal with this issue for the first time, here's what he had to say: "Yeah, that trip odometer cable... Barring complications due to a dash cap, pulling the speedo out would be half the job if it weren't for that trip odometer cable. The speedo is pretty much designed to be able to be removed with the dash in the car. In typical Japanese fashion, they set everything up such that it's supposed to be relatively easy to remove the speedo. The electrical cables have significant extra length such that the speedo can be pulled generously far from the dash before you run out of length, and so does the trip odometer cable. Yes, I said it, "and so does the trip odometer cable". The PROBLEM is that they wrapped the trip-o cable around the HVAC ducting so that it didn't hang down on your knee or get tangled up with anything, and because of this, it's tethered too short to get to the screw to release it. My solution was to reach up and unhook the fresh air duct hose above the drivers knees and untangle the trip-o cable from the duct. Once that is done, there is enough length to get the speedo far enough away from the dash to get to the release screw. I think I also pulled to steering wheel just to get more room in there to work. I was pretty frustrated by the time I got the end of that job, so I may be missing some of the details, so YMMV."

Reviving this old thread, since it deals with an issue that I'm facing right now... I'm in the process of removing the gauges from the dash of my '70 Z so that I can clean up the clear-plastic faces and get rid of some body shop dust that seems to have settled inside some the gauge cans. The dash is still in the car (I don't really want to pull it unless it's absolutely necessary), but the heater panel (and the heater assy) is out. I've been working from right to left as I remove the gauges, and all that's left now is the speedometer... I'm pretty sure I can free up the two wing nuts (I've made a slotted socket to do this). Unthreading the speedo cable sleeve shouldn't be a problem either. However, I'm not sure how I’m going to get a screwdriver onto the little retaining screw that holds the trip odometer cable in place. The FSM (I have the 71 and 72 editions) says nothing about this. Someone posted part of the BE section for a later model year (not sure which one) and here the recommendation is to reach through the tach hole to undo the set screw. Problem is that, in my car, the set screw is facing towards the driver’s door, so I don’t see how I can get a screwdriver on it by reaching through the tach hole. At the same time, the space available to get at the screw from under the dash looks ‘challenging’. Does anyone has any tips or tricks (e.g. some magic tool or combination of socket extension/U-joint/driver tip) for getting this done?

For DIY-ers, some good pix and info available here... K-D #2400 or K-D #3087 Valve Spring Compressor Photo Gallery by Ralph Scott at pbase.com

I just did this cleaning process a day ago using Windex, a soft cloth, light pressure and a couple of repeats. Just use normal care to remove surface grit/dust beforehand, and don't over-scrub. My results look fine. Recommend that you do not use anything with either solvent or abrasive content when cleaning these gauge faces. FYI, my auxiliary gauges (my Z is a low-VIN, low-mileage MY-1970) are missing what appears to have been glue-faced tape coverings over adjustment ports on the back of the metal instrument housing 'cans'. These ports were part of the OE housing design, allowing the gauge supplier to do final adjustment of the indicator-needle positioning. Once the tape fell off in service, the inside of the gauge became open to back-of-IP dust intrusion. As evidence on my gauges, there's a clearly obvious dust/grit build-up on the surface of the green illuminator bulb hood (which I plan to clean off, first with a computer-type aerosol air-blast spray, followed by Windex on a Q-tip). Also FYI, on one of my aux. gauges the little glued-on white-plastic discs that retain the clear plastic gauge cover had dropped off their peg mounts. This caused the clear-plastic gauge cover to 'lean' on the indicator needle, which in turn caused the needle to rub on and put a light scuff mark on the painted gauge face. Typical, detail-level issues for a 43-year-old car! If there are any places where the industry has really made significant advances since our Z's were designed, it's in materials (esp. plastics) and adhesives. I also used Meguire's plastic polish for the gauge clear-plastic lenses. I used a small buffing attachment on my Dremel, set at lowest rpm. Results were very good. Again, common sense prevails. Don't over-do it. BTW, I've read a few commentaries about the illumination benefits of painting the inside of the metal gauge 'cans' with white paint. FWIW, my gauges housings already have what appears to be a factory-applied (i.e. incomplete and microscopically-thin) coating of white paint.