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Well also might be the lighting and my bad pictures, but in reality the shell and subframe aren't too bad

Had a little time with the fairlady again today and after an hour of disconnecting cables, wires and hoses i finally got the dashboard out: here it is: and had some time left so i also removed the blower and started to remove the heater:

Well yeah i put stuff like screws into small plasticbags and tie them to the holes they belong to. I plan to replace most of them anyway but this way i know which screw belongs where. i also have a box with screws where i document where they belong.. should make it a lot easier later. tho i still think i will need to do a lot labour when assembling stuff again

Spent some time in the garage today and had some nice progress: 1) Removed the wiper motor and windshield squirter stuff: 2) next adress was starting preparation of the dashboard removal, so started with the wiring stuff, and screws, dashboard is loose now but still need to disconnect a few wires and the speedometer-cable, etc.. Oh and also removed the shifter boot **: this is how i ended up today:

haha yeah, it's damn unmotivating when it rains all the time and is cold, that's probably one of the main reasons progress hasn't been to big this year, but im happy we now have sunny and warm so i keep going to the garage whenever i can

thanks man, always appreciate feedback

Spent two hours at the garage today and got a lot of stuff done: 1) finally got the stuck scews at the trunk lid out: 2) Then started to prepare for the dashboard removal, so started with the glove box first. On the glove box liner there are three japanese katakana characters (ス イ ス) which means Su-I-Su and stands for Suisse. So this is the proof it's a swiss market car and not an import vehicle: and out the glove box lid is: 3) then removed the steering rack coupler: which finally allowed me to remove the complete steering column :-)

Finally winter is gone (well yeah, in June!!) and summer arrived so motivation and weather is back to get some stuff done. Worked with the fuel tank today: Removed the Fuel lock thingy: And all the hoses and stuff connected to the tank: and after an hour of work i finally got it out: also started at some other areas but need to soak a few bits in WD40 before i'm able to remove them completely, see next update And yeah, had birthday last week and my good friend danny amazingly bought me this Nürburgring gift box which includes a Caterham drift training workshop at the Nürburgring as a gift. Damn - this will be fun

We have a day off here in switzerland so i spent an hour at the garage and removed the transmission: 1) Jacked up the rear end and put it on jackstands so i was able to unbolt the driveshaft: 2) Unbolted the driveshaft from the transmission and unbolted the transmission mount. and out it came: and out of the car it is also started to uninstall the fuel tank but have to drain it first

I still have a damn flu, but somehow it got so boring laying around in front of the tv - i just had to get something done. so i went to the garage and started with no special goal in my mind. Seems like sometimes it's the best to work without pressure 1) Got the clutch slave cylinder out after i had it soaked in WD40 for a few days: 2) Next was the Fuel pump to be removed: 3) jacked up the front end and put it on jackstands and prepared the engine hoist / Lifter: 4) removed the engine mount-bolts and lifter the L24 out with no problems Big hole here 5) put the engine on an old tire because it's a great way to store engines next step will be the dashboard i think. it's coming along again

First the bad news: I've planned to get a lot of work done this week due to swiss labour day and so on, but of course i had to get a damn cold exactly during this time so i'm currently lying in my bed with fever and other uncool stuff... Now to the good news: I made a few phone calls around the country to different registration stations and Authorities and this led me back to the original car's documents which i - 50 bucks later - got an original copy from now. This will alow me to get the car registered when it's done. great - my car has documents

Hehe, no - definitly no import costs at least 2 grand plus taxes and stuff and i think prices uf rust-free shells in USA are rising. Also most of the US-shells aren't really rust free compared to what mine will be when it's done. we're talking about a complete rebuild with a lot of custom made panels and a car which is better than a new Z was back in 1972. Importing a car and getting it to the same quality level will cost about the same at the end and i like the fact that i save an old shell that most of t he people would have thrown away

A while ago, the famous JDM legends shop had a contest on their facebook page and, well, i won it Today a package from USA arrived with a nice JDMlegends Tee and a few stickers, which i will proudly put on my car once it's done. Great! And big thanks to Eric and Ryan over at JDMlegends!

After the Visit of the Bodyshop-guy i now have a goal again and that's stripping the black car to bare shell to so i'll be able to bring it to the bodyshop by the end of the year and have the chassis done in a year probably So i started to push things on the black chassis today: 1) Removed the starter motor so it will be easier to remove the engine (hopefully in 2 days ) also wanted to remove the speedo-sensor but actually those damn screws were stuck, so i let them soak in WD40: 2) Next was the steering wheel: 3) and last but not least the tank lock door thingy. you also might notice a bit of rust underneath which i discovered today after removing some "bubbles" in the paintjob.... anyway i feel like i'm back to the project after now not wanting to do too much before knowing any goal for a while now. Next im hoping to get the engine and tranny out

NEWS Today i had the bodyshop guy here checking out my cars. The plan was to hear his thoughts and get a future plan for how it's gonna be done. and that's what happend: The very nice guy showed up and checked my cars thoroughly for about 1,5 hours and explaining me a lot of things and showing me alot of things i haven't seen. also he explained about his previously owned JDM cars and the people he knows etc. Note that he doesn't look very happy when i made a photo, but afterwords i explained about my blog and then he was happy agian And here's the plan: After checking both cars he mentioned it would make more sense to repair the black chassis and use the white one for spare-pieces because the white is more patched up and damaged while the black has only minor repairs and usual rust spots. He also mentioned that he's a fabricator bodyguy and can make any kind of bodypanels by himself. He quoted me 15 grand for a completely restored base shell including the bolt-on panels. but also explained it could easily be more work discovered at work. im ok with that. Also he explained how i should continue: Store the whit car like i did, totally strip down the black chassis and have the paint stripped down from doors, hatch, hood, etc and have them primered. Then create a rolling jig for the black car and then i can deliver it for him to work. He also explained about how payment works with this kind of projects and was very kind and nice and seemed pretty interrested in this kind of stuff and has a big knowledge in japanese classics (which is rare in switzerland). In fact he even gave me a few contacts to people in the scene i'll contact during the next days! So this gives me a whole truckload of motivation and i'm feeling i know where this project goes during the next months! great

I want to push the bodyworks a bit so i try to get the bodyshop guy coming here and check the cars soon so i got a glimpse of what is possible and how i can prepare it the best. still don't know which chassis makes more sense to save etc. so here's a list i prepared with all the work that needs to be done so i can discuss it with the bodyshop-guy. TONS of work: Both cars: - Remove old paint - Remove mirror holes in doors - Add new fender mirrors (got the installation drawings) - remove rust on doors etc (if needed) - repair rear spoiler (Studs broken) - Add Overfenders (and neatly cut and weld original (inner-)Fenders) - Spotweld Original chassis for added safety and rigidity (??) - Fit the Saito rollcage (screwed, not welded) - Add and fit front air dam - Replace frame rails - Replace floor pans (Still need the seat console bases, probably reuse some original) - remove dents and scratches if there are some - Remove broken screws at a few points i wasn't able to get them out Chassis A (White): - replace front end (from black car) - Replace rear panel (from black car) - Remove welding signs from the roof window which was closed once. Chassis B (Black): - Remove rust in rear inner wheel arches and tool storages. - replace roof (from white chassis?) - replace spare wheel mould (from white chassis?) When done / Paintshop - Fit and adjust hood, doors, fenders, hatch, wing,... - Protect from rust in hollow parts - Underfloor coating - Preserve hollow pieces with special treatment - Completetly primer and paint the car in „Datsun 904, Kilimanjaro White“: Now i'll have to discuss these points with the bodyshop and check time and money needed, as well as how i have to pay the work (monthly rate, pre-payment,...) i have no clue how they do payment on a job this big usually And then i have to figure out where the hell i get so much money to pay this

Haha yeah me too, in a few hours i'll get back my engine hoist so i should be able to get the engine and transmission out next days

240Z: Good news as mentioned yesterday: Usually the grumpy bureaucrats at the car registration office aren't very helpful, but probably due to the nice wheater, yesterday the guy i had on the phone was: He was kind enough to search my car in the nation-wide database and made me a printout. You might remember my car came without any documents, and with this printout i now know where it was registered last (allowing me to get a original document again!) as well as when it was first registered (1972 as i thought), who drove it last (a lady ) and what original colour it hat, etc.. Here you go:

Well after the never-ending winter with **** weather i somehow lost my motivation to get stuff done one the car, but this seems gone right now so i took two days off to get some things done (mostly gardening, but also some work on the cars ) while we have some great weather 1) I was a bit worried how my first chassis would look after a seriously wet and snowy winter (where they throw a lot of salts on streets right in front of the car...) so i uncovered it: and moved her in a better position, here you can see both of my fairladies: 2) then i got some stuff done on chassis number two: removed the last wires and hoses from the engine so hopefully i'll be able to get the engine and transmission out soon. (Should get my engine hoist back on the weekend ) 3) Completed the paint stripping on the kakimoto valve cover. it's still wet from cleaning in the picture but looks great. ready for another clean and primer soon 4) Also made a few phone calls to figure out about the missing documents and i found out the car was last registered in an area about 1 hour from here (St. Gallen) and well i have some good news regarding the documents tomorrow. be sure to check this blog tomorrow again. im pretty happy with my progress today and hopefully the motivation keeps lasting for all my car projects. need a serious push to get things done

Here we go, got some industrial paint stripper (most harmfull stuff i've ever worked with, i believe ) and started to strip the kakimoto valve cover: 1) Before: 2) While applying: 3) After cleaning with water and dishwashing-brush: As you can see i need a second attempt to clear some small spots. Also got some Aluminum primer but still need to find the original dark blue wrinkle-paint which also should be able to clear the heat coming from the engine anyway, i'm happy with my progress so far

Of course you're right, i had a wrong translation in my head. The white one is an early 1972 (i remember march or february) the black one is 1972 too but don't know the production date yet.. And yeah it definitly needs some time to find all the rare period correct parts, but i believe i got most of the big things now Thanks mate, i try my best

Finally - An Update!!! Haha, yeah we had the damnest longest winter since weather measurement (no joke!) and therefore we had snow and freezy temperatures until late march. anyway good news today: A Package from Japan arrived with a ultra-rare unicorn piece of Japanese racing history: A genuine forged Aluminum Kakimoto racing "valve cover" which i've been looking for almost a year now and when i almost gave up it popped up on Yahoo auctions so i just had to get it. don't ask me what i paid for it, hahaha: The previous owner painted it in a wrong colour sos i'll have to redo that and also hilight the letters again but who cares Also got this battery kill switches from Wing takeo for my EK9 project but ordered a second one for my Z so i can switch of the battery when stored away Last but not least i got the exhaust system removed, cleaned up the mess in the garage and removed a lot of wires and hoses from the engine. Also should get back my engine-hoist which i loaned out to a few friends and never got back so i should be able to get the engine and tranny out soon - yikes PROGRESS

Hi Chas, I bought it over at MSA (Zcarparts.com), they shipt it fast and cheap with fedex and do a great job. Also if you buy the urethane version that one is really flexible so almost no chance to damage it during transport - go for it

Everytime i'm able to spend a bit of money to add another big piece of the puzzle makes me smile. So today when the FedEx lady rung the bell on my door with a huge package, which continued this: 1) A Complete set of Fiberglass ZG-Style Overfenders: 2) A Xenon Urethane front Air dam: 3) And last but not least a set of aftermarket steering rack boots (I went for the aftermarkets because the cost 1/20 of the original items and i can't see any benefits of using old NOS parts compared to fresh aftermarket items):

Finally i found some time for the Z again and fortunatly i had some nice progress: After working a few times on the carbs without being able to get them off i finally got rid of them today: and out they are started to remove the horns also and found this weird wiring at the front end...?!? and off they are: hope to have more progress soon, a nice and big package should arrive here soon