ksechler

Cool! Hope I didn't sound bossy - just wanted to share something that worked well for me. I'm enjoying your progress. The project will really start to take on speed now.

I wouldn't use the RO sander. Too easy to create waves and ridges. I used a nice long block and did the whole thing by hand. If you get some real course sandpaper (#36) and use the shucking technique Kevin describes in the video you'll have good results without wearing your arm out.

Watch what he does at 1:18. It's brilliant and works especially well with the glass blend.

I think you'll be safer for it in the long run. My concern wasn't about whether or not the exhaust went first or not at all. The problem is if that fuel pump hits something like bottoming out over a speed bump, it will rip a hole in your tank which could very easily cause a fire and burn you up. I wouldn't attach it to the tank at all.

Nice work! Are you working the filler when it is just starting to setup and it's still a little soft or waiting until it's fully cured? That dark green stuff is hard to sand! Are you using the eastwood stuff?

Agreed. I don't know if I'd feel too good about that. The disaster potential is pretty high.

Which parts?! Are you going to have the motor built?

Terrific work. You're turning the corner. Think you'll be able to get it on the road this summer?

That looks really good. I'm assuming you have some good long blocks for that line. At this point you should put on a guide coat and see how things are coming. It's hard to pick up detail with all the fill lines and general blotchiness.

Dream on buster. My motor alone was $13K.

Makes me wonder what mine is worth...

You're going to end up with sand in places where you don't want it. You should strip the car down before you blast. What media are you using? Looks like beach sand. That doesn't work very well. I used aluminum oxide. From what I can see (other than the gas cap area) the car doesn't look awful. I guess you need to ask yourself what your thresholds are for pain and money. It's gonna take both.

That rust is bad. That is the inside of the motor compartment frame rail you're looking at. The rust will extend down into the frame rail under the floors even if you can't see it. The rockers will also have issues (and the dog legs). I don'k think the car is a good choice for what you're planning. Look at my thread and look at wheee's. We went through similar restorations although I finished last August. You'll be able to see all of the places these cars typically rust. This car is as bad as what we worked with and in hindsight I would have passed my car by and picked another. I just didn't know better at the time.

" 4. There are two small patches of rust in both front wheel wells. The rust isnt visible unless you peak in behind the wheel. It has been treated with rust proofing spray as a temporary fix. There is no rust on anything structural or on the exterior of the body or on the floor of the car. " This points to a larger issue. I don't believe that there is "no rust on anything structural..." There will be rust inside the frame rails and rockers. Doglegs are probable shot. This is probably a respray deal. You won't be doing the flipping, you are probably being flipped. I could be wrong... post pictures.

Agreed. My '76 had the cream colored primer too.

I think the car could have some potential, but I'd be concerned about the lack of pictures from the trouble areas. You need to see under the battery, passenger fire wall, passenger floor and frame rail, doglegs, etc. The two under car pictures are poor and the first one shows some trouble signs. I would not buy the car sight unseen. On a side note, people crack me up when they say "surface rust". Yeah right.

So...I feel like there's some urban legend associated with tire widths here. I did a lot of research for my project and got into the rub - no rub debate. I'm going to tell you - for sure - that 225's will rub in a 1976 280z and fender rolling might not be enough. I rolled my fenders and the tires still rubbed. Ultimately I added flares, but I really wish I hadn't. If I have it to do over again I'd just run some sticky 205's. Unless you are putting down stupid HP, 205's will give you what you need. I drove Eiji's white 240z (Datsun Spirit) with his latest motor and that car must be over 300 HP. It's sitting on 205's and wouldn't spin even with WOT. There was plenty of grip for a light car. Just some food for thought.

Thanks for the reply's. I think the heavy(ish) steering is a function of me not being used to manual steering and my "fat sticky tires". It's nothing to worry about. I just takes some getting used to.

Since "finishing" my car last August I've had time to make a few observations. In some ways the car has exceeded my expectations and in other ways it hasn't quite lived up to them. That caused me to wonder if my expectations were realistic. My car is a 1976 280z and in 1976 I was 5 years old. So I've never driven one in original condition. In fact my car is the only 280z I've ever driven. Mostly I drive my 2008 350z NISMO. So I thought I'd list a few of my observations in hopes that folks would comment on whether or not they seemed normal for the car or something that might need fixing. 1). At highway speeds there is a lot of drivetrain noise. The diffy and tranny are rebuilt and in good condition. I think I am just hearing a harmonic from the driveshaft. Is this typical? 2). The steering can feel a bit heavy during "aggressive" driving (hard cornering, quick transition from right to left, etc). If I'm really on it I need both hands which makes shifting a challenge! 3). The car smells! There are no emission controls and I elected to delete the fuel injection in favor of triple carbs. I think I just forgot about the smell of an old car. 4). The car is loud. I used a ton of dynamat and heat mat. I'm surprised it is still so loud. One other "unfortunate" consequence of finishing my 280z. My 350z seems slow now! My 280z is quicker.

Ditto, but something to consider would be adding another fuse box with a sub-harness for your accessories. You could use a relay and pull things in off the ignition. I took that route with my fans, vacuum pump, ignition and fuel pump. If you look it the picture below the fuse box is above the inspection lamp. The relays are all about dead center in the picture.

This is what I use... https://datsunspirit.com/shop/ati-harmonic-damper-kit/ Be careful what you use. I think you need a special bolt or something to make it work.

Nice progress. Will you be ready to paint be the spring? Have you given any thoughts to sequencing for your paint? I agonized over this quite a bit on my project. I ended up painting the underbody and engine compartment first and then doing most of the mechanical work before painting the outside. It worked fairly well for me. I didn't want to scratch the finished product during reassembly.

Second that. Sounds like an EFI issue to me too.

Nice work. I don't envy you welding under the car like that. I'll bet you're glad that's done!