Patcon

The last 240z I had stripped cost me like $900. I would do that all day long before I would spend 40 plus hours in paint stripper. I found my blaster by asking at my local automotive paint supply. They gave me a list and I started calling people and seeing where they work. This particular blaster does work for the local Mopar restorer who is doing 6 digit cars. If they trust him with that expensive iron my Z will be ok.

Find a vendor in your area that supplies media to the local blasters. I know my guy locally and he has products like Amber blast in multiple grits. That guy will be the best resource for finding the right media for your project and equipment. Just remember even with a booth the dust goes every where, sort of like drywall dust. Let us know how it goes...

Normally the number engraved on the car is the most important VIN number it supersedes all removable plates. I agree with CO on what happened. Leave the DMV alone, don't beat on that hornets nest. Get plates that match the title and move on.

I can't take credit for that. I have the Kevin Tetz videos and that is how he recommends fitting panels. Rough cut them, then overlay and screw in place then when you finish cut them they are the perfect size and ready to weld in

I would pull the front fenders so you can look for rust at the inside bottom where they collect mud also the front of the rockers can have holes too. I would remove everything from the engine bay. The lines can be unbolted and pulled to middle so the engine bay can be painted. Don't disassemble more than you have to. Take the straightest path to a nice driveable car...

James I would love to now what you think of the before and after effects of the sound matting..

Cudos Steve and everyone else involved. Jai I hope you have a great time!

I bought a 90# pressure pot from Bad Dog/Boy Blasters?? works pretty good if you do it in an area where you can broom up and recycle the media. Get a media screen so you can filter what you reuse. I also have a 3/4" hose from the compressor to the blasting pot with quick releases. Dont blast straight at any panels always at an angle. Remember the media is gonna go everywhere!!! Stay covered up and a dust mask or you will feel the sunburn...

I used a small air powered body saw and a die grinder with a cut off wheel. Take zip screws and screw the floor pan where you want it. cut a section so the old panel and the new panel are cut at the same time. Butt weld that section then work around the panel skipping from side to side and end to end. This also allowed me to take a hammer and dolly and work the edges of the pan so they matched the transmission tunnel shape. After a little grinding and some primer the repair is invisible.

3 psi shouldn't overwhelm the float valves. Makes sure the floats are set properly and seal when shut. 1st things 1st...

These guys were all hauling salvage cars so there was little to mess up but I will get you his info and you can touch base with him. Texting works good because he has a thick accent.

I have done cars with aircraft stripper and with media blasting. There are problems with both. Media blasting work hardens the metal and does make it thinner as well as leaving a fairly coarse texture. If the blasting guy doesn't know what he is doing he can ruin the car, cut holes in it and oil can the panels. Aircraft stripper works good and will eat anything on the car, paint, filler caulk all of it. I used a twisted wire brush to dig through the softened filler that was on that car. If you messed up and slung the stripper all over you it wasn't long before you realized it. It gets hot quickly on your skin. If the temperatures are hot outside the stripper dries out and quits working. It takes several gallons to do a whole car and it can be difficult to get all the residue out of the cracks and joints. Most good paint shops have it. It is a time consuming process but for a limited budget is effective and the metals is perfect when you wipe the last material off. Also the fumes are very hazardous. respirator is highly advised especially for you and your young family. If I do another car I will use my blasting guy but he is very good and very careful.

I have a guy who transports cars for me. He post it on a loop and then truckers look at the post and pick up the ones that have enough money in them. I can PM you his number if that is something you are interested in. I don't know if his email loop works that far West...

I would be interested in horn kits. I could "careless" (sorry for the pun) about the smog pump. I have owned a number of 240z and don't think I have ever had one with an intact pump. I don't miss it and am not required to have it, just something else to break. So no on the pump...

Chuck, Great looking work space. Lot's of light!!! Love it... I even love the color. Got one on the rotisserie about the same color and close to needing lines and suspension.

MIG is easier than TIG because you just set it and pull the trigger, no foot pedal and no feeding material by hand. TIG is much better for delicate work. If you are careful MIG will do everything you need to do for panel repair. Tabco has some of the panels for the doglegs and such. Charlie Osbourne has the best floor pans. Bad Dog makes good frame rail upgrades. The other panels, like tail light and rear apron, from who ever you can get them from. I would buy pieces cut from a donor car if I could source them because they fit better. This is especially true under the battery tray as no one has that sheet metal and making it by hand is a PITA, been there done that. The color inside the passenger door is probably the original color and is very desirable for this year car. Best of luck. Stay after it and you will have a nice car..

60 gal 5hp compressor is really not big enough to properly blast a car and you will use lots of media. I always have a professional do my bulk blasting it is easy to ruin these cars if your technique is bad. my 2 cents

Serviced in Fletcher NC, that's my back yard

I agree with Zed. Try to find the person. Use some of the online sites that track people. You know his name and where he lived at some point in time. That should narrow it down to 4-5 people. Start there, call them all till you find your guy...

But if the head is fully assembled the springs are in place so doesn't that mean if it spins freely untorqued it will only get better as it gets torqued and flattens out?

You could always file a police report, that will put the VIN in the system and it may turn up somewhere.

I have several dashes that are cracked and I plan to try my hand at repairing them based on the dash repair thread floating around here somewhere. Maybe some one can post the link here for you...The leather cover kit sounds even harder to install than repairing the existing dash. It seems crazy to me to pay a ton of money that is likely to crack easily anyway. There are also several companies (one is in California I believe) that will re-vacuum form the dash cover for about $1500. If you want it to be perfect and aren't a do-it-yourselfer that is probably the way to go. Somebody will remember them for me too, probably. My memory is not what it use to be

My question for Zed Head is this, with the warped head laying on its side will the cam still turn with out binding. I suspect it will. I would think the combined bearing tolerances from the middle tower and one end or the other easily exceeds the .007 warped. Plus when its bolted down most of that warpage goes away. So even if you just shave the bottom of the head to dress it flat the cam would still operate properly once it was bolted down

Was the crack to the right of the small puncture there earlier???? If so why are you worried about the tiny screw puncture? As for a NOS dash, good luck with that, they are pushing $2000 and they are 40 years old if you can find one.By the time you ship it to Panama it won't be undamaged any more. Lastly I wouldn't let any mechanics shop that isn't smart enough not to run screws up through the top of my dash, repair it for me!!!

Nomukin, Did you mark the pulley red? Also did you scratch the timing cover and mark it red too? It looks like an added reference point for lack of timing marks. Also I find white on the pulley mark works better than red for visibility.