ksechler

Oops, you're right I misunderstood the A/C diagram in the manual. I see the engine pulls the vaccum on the bottle and then the valves do whatever switching is needed. I guess I'll have to find somewhere to put them. That irritates me a little because I already painted the engine compartment. Otherwise I'd just weld on another tab. As it stands my coilpack (aftermarket) interferes with the stock location.

I apologize if this is misposted. I thought about putting it in "interior" but that didn't seem quite right... Has anyone replaced the stock underhood vacuum pump and vacuum bottle associated with the heater/airconditioner box with something else? I would like to delete the stock units and install something hopefully a little more compact somewhere else. Recommendations would be welcome. Thanks.

This one: https://datsunspirit.com/shop/direct-fire-ignition-system-electromotive-xdi/

My 280's starting to look more and more like a car. I painted and installed the doors. Unfortunately, I'm not completely satisfied with the results. I missed a small dent in the driver's side, and I can't leave it be. I also noticed that the color doesn't quite match between the doors and the rest of the car. I attribute this to the fact that I botched the first attempt at painting the car and had to wet-sand and redo. So I have effectively two more coats on the back and roof than on the doors - easily remedied. I'm still getting a ton of orange peel. I'm definitely going to have to spend some time cutting and buffing.

Nice work. The second one will go more quickly.

Thanks. You're probably right. I was hoping someone had already don't it! :-)

Is anyone running a harmonic damper and A/C? I'm trying to figure out what my drive options are. I'm using the ATI Damper kit from Datsun Spirit. https://datsunspirit.com/shop/ati-harmonic-damper-kit/ I suspect my A/C days may be over.

Looks good. Keep at it.

Dropped the motor in last night. Quite a chore for one person.... How's it look?

This post made me think of something.... Save everything! Every hose you plan on replacing and every bolt you break off. I did and it has been a huge help in putting the car back together. I didn't realize it would take two years to get everything done and I would forget so much. By saving the old parts it is easier to figure out where everything went and then put in the new stuff like it's supposed to be. I actually used my rusted sorry old brake and fuel lines to reconstruct the routing prior to bending and installing new ones. I think it saved me a lot of time and frustration in the long run. I also saved the fuel tank vent lines. I'm using them now to remind myself what the routing is supposed to be as I try to put my tank back in.

Patcon and Sweaty, thanks for the help. I repainted today with good results. There's still some orange peel and minor imperfections, but overall things are looking up.

Thanks, looks like a good site. I started through the FAQ's. I also spent two more hours wet sanding. I have a good place to start when I figure this out. I'm almost there. The orange peel is the worst problem. The rest I can deal with. Frustrating at times....

Good news. Doesn't look too bad. Keep at it!

It's been awhile since I've posted any pictures. Mostly because I've been doing a lot of blocking which is labor intensive but doesn't necessarily show much in terms of progress. I started painting for real this weekend. i can honestly say that I did a terrible job and the finish as it is will never be seen in public. This might sound negative, but not necessarily. I learned a lot. I want to share some of the problems I ran into so I can get some advice. The paint manufacturer data sheet says to put 2-3 coats on. Um, yeah right. I can still see the primer and the finish looks uneven because the coverage is insufficient. Is the manufacturer being a little optimistic? I'm thinking 3 coats minimum maybe 4. I am spraying yellow single stage Urethane over the manufacturer recommended grey primer. Is this normal? I am experiencing, poor atomization and bad orange peel. What is my gun telling me? Do I need more pressure? I'm at 25 psi at the gun. I have mixed the paint exactly as recommended and am in the right temperature range. I don't think that the paint is too thick. I am also using the recommended tip (I think it's 1.3mm). I have adjusted the spray pattern to give me ~4" fan at 8" from the paint surface. Today I started sanding the orange peel and 2 or 3 runs I had out with 400 grit on a block. I go about 2/3 of the way done. I still have plenty of color and I'm actually optimistic about round 2. I'll probably try again late in the week.

Sweaty/Patcon I checked the product data and you were correct about sanding to 400 grit not 600. So thanks for keeping me from making a big mistake. I am doing what I hope is the final wet sand before spraying the color. I have found a few minor (I mean really minor) imperfections like pin holes, small scratches, etc. I really would prefer not to have to wet sand the whole thing again. Is it ok to fill the scratch or pinhole, prime just that area and wet sand to blend with the previous coat? Thanks

Will do, thanks.

No need to be sorry. I appreciate any advice particularly as it pertains to slowing down and gaining a little perspective. I've made some pretty big mistakes ignoring that advice.

I've been working on this car for 3 years. I wouldn't describe my work as fast. ;-) I spent 20 minutes last night blocking a 2 inch by 1 inch depression with 600 grit sandpaper. Believe me, I'm going slow.

Thanks for the advice, guys. It really is just trial and error isn't it? Pat, I've been using water to film the surface and look for flaws similar to what you suggest. I accidentally discovered that technique while wet sanding. I've also found that after blocking the primer with 600 grit it gets pretty shiny and I can look along the panels at a low angle for flaw detection. The parts that are causing me the most stress right now are around my fender flares (compound curve) and the detail line that runs from the front fender, through the middle of the door and into the rear fender. It'll be pretty obvious if that isn't straight! Hoping to be able to spray the finish coat by Sunday but it might push into next week.

All: I'm going to be painting my 280z soon and had a few questions before I take that leap. I have been doing a lot of blocking trying to get things just right. The lighting in my garage kind of sucks and since most of the work is done in the evening it can make for a challenge. I have several Halogen light stands and I put a fluorescent ceiling light in, but I'm worried I might miss some low spots and blemishes. I've tried shining a light at low angles along the surface and have found some trouble spots, but I wondered if anyone here might have some other useful methods. I bought some of the 3M dry guidecoat but I'm not sure I want to use it. Here's my question about guidecoating: Let's say you find a low spot where the guidecoat doesn't sand off. Do you then have to remove all the guidecoat before you fill, and if so, how do you know where to fill, then?? Thanks for any help.

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I hope things work out for the best. You might just want to let the car sit for now. There's nothing about it that demands a decision unless you're trying to raise some money. Then I get it. I bought my road worthy '76 280z for $6,500. It has some rust issues but it was running and driveable. As a buyer I probably wouldn't want to give you more than $4,000 for a non-running car. If I had high confidence that there was nothing seriously wrong with the motor and the car didn't have any rust I might go to $5,000. If the car was running well and rust free, I would expect you could get $8-9K. Hopefully, some of the more knowledgeable posters will chime in. This is just my opinion.

I don't know. That's part of the reason I was asking. I'd say the body on that car is a complete loss and I'll bet everything else is too. I looks like the rocker and dogleg on the drivers side are completely gone!

I found this one today: http://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/5542244331.html Would you consider that car "fair"? Is $1500 a realistic price? I'm just curious what your opinions are. Seems to me to be just another craigslist dreamer, but maybe I'm wrong.

Nice work. Looks almost new.