CG240Z

Tricks of the trade. Thanks for the insight. The yokes were so close together that I couldn't see any gap for the rings. I measured them all with a micrometer and everyone was different. My fingers are crossed I don't get any vibration.

Thanks for motivation guys! I'm trying to get it done. The upside of moving this fast is that it's harder to lose motivation. My last project I moved a lot slower and got lost in the weeds.

What size rewinds do you have? I'm interested in getting a set, but need to make sure they clear my bigger brakes.

I forgot, also dropping the gas tank off this week to get it boiled. I tried running various chemicals through it to get all the crap and rust out. It looks a lot better than it did when I first dropped it, but it still has junk in it. Boiling should get it looking brand new.

Ordered the complete interior kit and header. Pretty exciting! Just keep throwing thousands into the car and it will start looking nice, right? That's the plan anyways. Hoping to get the body work done and painted in 3 weeks. So far I've been holding to my timeline, which is remarkable.

Thanks for the info Mike. That is some really good information.

That would be great. I can't see it happening anytime soon though.

Here's it sitting on all fours. You can't tell, but everything below the doors is restored. Now it's time for everything floor up.

They are from a 78. Z Car Source has 78 inner fenders listed on their website and it's the same picture as mine, but it's call for Availability and price. So it looks like around 77 Datsun switched from the multiple pieces to the single piece.

I stumbled across this new music video. The song sucks and it's a weird video, but there's a 240 in it! It's clean, not sure about the underglow kit on it, but whatever. Glad to see the Z's are rocking the music scene!

My Plastic inner fender's are shot beyond repair. You touch them and they crack, I didn't know plastic could get this brittle. I saw this set on ebay, asked the seller if they were for a 280 because that's not what mine look like. He responded "You must have a 280zx, not a 280z". All right dude, you're right, I don't know what year my freaking car is. I must have been wrong all these years. I was simply stating that these aren't like mine and wonder what years they fit. So maybe someone can clarify these inner fenders to me that our on ebay. Here's the link to the ebay ad. Here's a picture of what mine look like. (Sorry for the crappy cell phone pics.)

I painted my old 2+2 with Rustolem white before I sold it. I thinned it down and used a HVLP spray gun to put it on. It looked decent, definitely not a show car, but not a beater either. I'd put it in line with any cheap Maaco paint job.

Also I forgot to note that the MSA sway bars are thick and are pretty close to matching the paint. I like them a lot! They were a bit of a pain putting them in, just from the tension and getting in the way of things, but well worth it!

Progress is being made! But lately it has been fighting every inch of the way! Gas tank painted, looks good! Got the patch for the inner fender and battery tray welded in. I know it doesn't look original, but it's rust free and it works. Plus the battery will be on top and no one will ever be able to tell. Pops welding in the sway bar reinforcement to the frame rail. Got the engine bay painted and fuel lines installed. That's a huge step. It's hard to tell the exact color in the picture, but you'd recognize it from Gone in 60 seconds. It's Eleanor's paint color. It came out really well and I can't wait to see when the whole car is painted, but lots of body work needs to be done first. Maybe I need to call this project Eleanor Z now? Front and rear suspension put in! The u-joints kicked my arse on the half shafts, the ears on the yolks were bent in so I couldn't get the C clips on. Had to heat them all up and give them some good smacks with a big hammer. The powder coated parts came out better than expected. Plus I added the Arizona Z billet mustache bar for some bling. It looks great. The toughest thing about the front suspension was putting the urethane Tension arm bushings in. They have absolutely no give, so trying to get the bar to line up with the control arm was no easy task. Also my driver's side bushing on the rack and pinion doesn't fit at all, in my opinion it's flat out the wrong design. I googled this and have read other drivers having this same problem. Some suggested boiling it and stretching it out, tried it, it had no give at all. I e-mail the company stating that their bushing was no where close to fitting, they basically said I was crazy, so I e-mailed them back with a picture of it not fitting. Then they e-mailed me with a phone number to a random "Z expert" customer saying call him and he can help. Thanks, that was a helpful answer...not at all. Next up is to get the engine bay ready for the engine and BODY WORK BODY WORK BODY WORK. It's the most time consuming and is going to make this car look great.

Awesome, thanks! This will come in handy.

I also put the new springs on with a 2"x6" board, it's definitely a backyard fix, but no strut compressor required.

I know people are saying get a spring compressor and it's dangerous removing the springs, but it's really not. I did all 4 springs on my 240 and 280 without a spring compressor. I point the spring in a safe direction and hit the shock bolt with an impact. It doesn't go very far. It's actually a little disappointing. For people that are skeptical, here's a video of this in action.

Awesome. Thanks! Out of curiosity, how did you find out that part number? Thanks again.

I just blasted and painted my rear strut assemblies. There's a gasket that goes around the emergency brake lever on the drums that helps keep dirt from getting in the drums. Mine were completely shot and fell apart, which is to be expected with 30+ year old car. Does anyone know if this part is still available? I've searched the forums and online, no luck. My guess is it isn't available, but you know never know with these cars. Thanks guys!

I hear what you are saying. I don't really have time, so prefabbed brackets aren't a bad idea. I just ordered a set,. If $32 keeps my frame from cracking, I'm good with that. I'm thinking about ordering their weld in jack points too, looks convenient.

I haven't seen the thread yet, I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the heads up. I was looking at Bad Dog's sway bar plates. They look pretty simply to make. I am definitely going to want to do some kind of reinforcement. Last thing I want is for the frame to crack.

One more update, worked on removing the original rubber floor insulation. The driver side I used a heat gun, was messy and didn't come off that well. Passenger side and rear decided to try the dry ice method. I will never touch a heat gun again! Not only was it fun, but it worked great. The ice froze up all the insulation, and it came off in fairly big chucks with just a tae of a hammer in chisel. So much still do it, just have to keep trucking and enjoy the journey!

Next up is blasting and painting the rear strut assemblies. Started getting the rear brakes put together. Got most of the front suspension put back together. The driver side rack and pinion bushing isn't fitting, I need to call the company to see what they say. So until then, I can't get that bolted down. I got most of my parts back from the powder coat shop. Holy cow did they come out great! The parts look brand new! Really excited about this. Also got the new MSA sway bars on. Much thicker than stock. They are beefy for this little Z. Just an example of the powder coating, this brake shield looks brand new. You couldn't buy something new this nice.

More progress made. Got both the spindles out finally. They key was to stand on a stool to get even more leverage with a hammer. Safe and smart right? haha My buddies taping up some holes in the firewall, getting it ready for primer. The primer laid out very smoothly. I've been using an Eastwood Epoxy primer. It sprays very easily and coats very thick. Couldn't be happier with the product. I didn't prime around the battery tray, because it's just a hole and I'm still waiting on the new one from the metal shop. That will need to get welded in.

The front bumper will be 240, the grill will be 280 with the turn signals in the light, valence is 280 with brake vents. I like the 240 front valence better with the blinkers built in, but I have the 280 valence, and I'm okay with it. As far as the 280 grill and 240 bumpers going to go together, I'm not sure how they'll match up. I haven't gotten to the stage of mocking things up. I'll keep you posted when I get there.