grannyknot

I don't think you need to replace the tank but it wouldn't hurt to drop the tank and clean out the slurry of rust particles on the bottom, if you see a lot of rust on the walls and bottom then it is time to have it cleaned and resealed. The clutch slave cylinder will need replacing no matter what and the good news is they are cheap, while your at it you could pull the clutch master and clean it out and make sure it is not leaking. Those two things will probably get the clutch working for you.

@Careless was kind enough to loan me his spindle pin stump puller, wonderful tool. It will pull the pin or pull the threads right off. I still had to heat the cast iron up with an Oxy/Acet torch but I managed to save both spindle pins and the wedgy lock pins. Anyone tell me what the story is with this cover? (last pic) It sits over the P/S rear control arm lock bolt, looks like it may have had a piece of rubber riveted to it in the past, not at all sure why it is there.

Do you know what the spring rates are for the 280, is there a difference front to back?

By George, I think he's got it.

Damn, that's restorable! Hope you can buy the whole car.

I remember doing that mod on my 1st Z and I thought it was great until someone pointed out that the real problem was the ceased up bushings on the linkage that I cleaned up as well. That made the Honda motor look fantastic until I reinstalled the original wiper motor and could see no difference between them, now I just go straight to the linkage.

Welcome to the forum, YES, the car is worth restoring, sounds like it is in very good shape anyway. The 2+2 models never had as strong a following as the 2 seaters but the owners of 2+2's are fiercely loyal and love their cars and rightly so. Worth? What the market will bear. Someone here will give you a better idea of the worth but you will have to post some pics, there are a few guys here that will get your car diagnosed in no time. If you do decide to sell at least get her running well and enjoy it for a few long drives, you will realize pretty quickly why your Grandad loved it so.

The bolt you are looking for is a M12x1.25 70mm in length, threaded section is 19mm, clear shaft is 43mm You might try Mcmaster-Carr or Fastenal

Now for the real work,

@RJK, instead or rope or cord try string trimmer line, it's quite thin and smooth so there is no damage to the rubber seal, makes the job go much easier. I don't use sealant either but lots of lube.

I picked up the gas tank from the acid dippers today, in addition to the rust it had a layer of Red Kote, so I took the easy expensive route. One thing about having your car or tank dipped, there is something about the process that turns lead solder to liquid, I don't know if it is the heat or the chemicals but I have noticed twice now a pool of hardened solder beneath a joint that had been smoothly soldered. You can see how rough the solder is after dipping, so make sure you save a bit of your tank sealer so you can apply it to the outside as well around those soldered joints. Also got the pedal box disassembled, cleaned and painted.

Best to check with BC's MOT before you decide, here in Ontario they just label the car unfit until you finish the resto then you have it safetied to get your registration.

We were just talking about this the other day, the consensus was dry.

I went through this myself last year, the body should not disappear but it is often filled over when the fender lips are replaced or repaired. I don't have a photo handy but it should be clearly seen above the rear fender lip.

Those just look like stains and won't affect the new HG, have you checked the block deck and cylinder head to be sure they are flat?

Seems to depend on the material that the reservior is made from, neither of the BMW resevrviors were affected but both of the aftermarket cups for the TR6 and the Honda CB350 were stained. There is also one more drawback to silicone Dot5, fish eyes. If you ever go to paint an area that has had silicone on it you have to take it down to bare metal, no amount of cleaning, sanding or solvent will eliminate the silicone.

Mike, I didn't even want to mention Dot5 but I have found the same thing, I have done 2 classic cars and 2 bikes with Dot5 and felt no difference between silicone and Dot3/4 with regards to braking. The only downside to Dot5 that I found was it sometimes dyes the white plastic of the reservior purple.

Wheel cylinders like slave cylinders are at the bottom of the system so don't be surprised if they are all rusted but if there is no corrosion on the inner cylinder and it's smooth then it should work fine. Luckily they are still quite inexpensive if you decide to go that route.

So I guess the answer is no?

Prestone Dot 4 works well for me and flush it every two yrs.

Great news, now I can stop feeling guilty.

Not a burning mystery, just wondering if anyone has noticed these stamped numbers on the steering shaft and what they might signify? 1st pic is off the 77 280Z, 2nd and 3rd pics are off two different 72 240Z's,

Thank you Gents, dry it is.

I'm getting close to installing the head on the block and noticed that Felpro has changed their HG, they use to have the orange sealant going around all coolant and oil holes. I have always installed HG's on bare metal but now I'm wondering if I should follow Tom Monroe's advise and spray both sides of the HG with high temp aluminum paint. The mechanics down at Whitehead Performance use a very thin layer of Permatex Ultra Black on either side and swear by it. Anyone want to weigh in?

All good points, I just ordered the 50 pk and I'll do some testing on the hot side of the engine and post them here.