inline6

So after another month of weekends, I have little progress to report. I have been sanding more, and applying more primer in the quest for perfection. The panels are slowly being transformed. Here is a video of the driver side fender with silicone/wax remover sprayed on to provide shine so the reflections can be examined. Below the belt line is super straight now. Above the belt, but still on the side of the fender still needs some straightening. It has a high spot in the middle of the expanse between the back of the wheel well opening and the back edge of the fender.

If you spray with compressed air, you can cool down tacks quickly and make a lot faster progress - FWIW (for what it's worth).

Progress (which at times feels absolutely like none) is happening with the body work. I think. Though most of it ends up on the floor after sanding, I am now two gallons in on the high build primer and need to buy a third. That's going to be over $1000 in primer alone. Not how you should do it folks. Next time around, I think I will try applying body filler over entire panels and sanding down, followed by a few coats of sprayable polyester filler, followed by the high build primer (just a few coats should be needed). Here is a brief video showing the passenger front fender at the critical body line where it starts just above the wheel well opening. You can see that there is some distortion in the reflection, indicating some more work to be done here. Not quite there. Much of the rest of the car is getting to where it needs to be however. I have been spending time as of late, working on additional panel fit issues. The cowl panel is a bit of a challenge. Because it is just a single thickness with no backside reinforcement, the large, flat areas in the front corners are susceptible to moving up and down very easily. Before final sanding is done on this panel, I will be sure to replace the foam that resides underneath in these areas (proper thickness is important) to allow for proper location of the horizontal surface. Then final sanding will be done to make these areas nice and straight. Inspection doors were hand twisted/straightened for near perfect fit. These again, are made from single thickness metal sheet with little in their construction to hold them to shape. Heights of fender top surface, cowl panel surface, and inspection doors were all massaged to make them line up. I actually had forgotten to fit the gas lid prior to doing body work on it, and laughed at how bad it was when I test fitted it to the car. Quite a bit of hand adjustment was necessary to give the right profile curvature to match the quarter panel appropriately. Passenger side door panel gap (with rebuilt hinges is looking good I think):

Thanks for the tip. Yes, Schutz gun. I run about about 5 feet of clear tube from the gun pickup tube, to another foot long stainless tube that I drop in the container.

I found myself with the inspiration to work on the gas tank today. I thought it would be pretty easy to be honest. But, when replacing the brazed on secondary drain plug, I ended up having problems welding one side of my patch panel. The metal was too thin and I kept getting contaminants causing pin holes. After chasing that problem for hours, I ended up cutting another section out and making another patch panel. Both patch panels had compound curves... so they took a while too. After something like 8 hours of work on it, I pretty much got past trying for perfection and made a slight mistake with the alignment of the second patch panel. Anyway, I sealed up the openings in the tank and rubbed soapy water on the repair area while I put compressed air in the tank and after sealing one tiny pin hole, it is finally sealed. Starting point - extra drain plug brazed in place an dented bottom where original drain plug is. Paint removed with high speed angle grinder and red 3M paint removal disc. Interestingly, there is a bright silver coating on the outside surface of the tank that I ground through in places. Must be galvanized from the factory. After using a crow bar tip under the edge of the drain plug to pull it up some (with leverage against wood strip set in place against the tank), I used the stud welder to put pin in low areas. I pulled them with the slide hammer puller carefully. Several rounds of welding pins in place, pulling, and cutting them off were required: Original shape for the most part restored. Next, I progressed to the extra drain plug: I cut it out and made a replacement (compound curve). Unfortunately, many more hours and another patch were required. One edge of the second patch panel is not well aligned with the original tank metal. That is the "line" in the third pic here... because the patch panel is recessed a bit more on that edge. Another angle: It's not perfect, but I am confident that it doesn't have any pin holes. I was able to seal all of the openings in the tank and repeated give it hits of compressed air while rubbing soapy water on the repair area. I did find one pin hole that had to be taken care of, but can find no more. I will test it again before stripping the paint on the outside of the tank and prepping for primer and paint. Wouldn't it be awful if I got it all beautiful and in the car and then found a pin hole??? Yeah - that is what I keep thinking. Going to make sure it is air tight before I go to the next step.

While the doors are off, I finished prepping the insides for spray on sound dampening material. I had some sitting in storage for something like 15 years? And I was shocked to open it up and see it was still usable. I don't think this stuff is sold anymore under this name, but I suspect it is the same as the Spectrum product I bought from Second Skin in this second pic. We'll find out soon enough as I spray more of the inner panels of the car. Pictures showing inside of the doors before spraying the sound deadener. I sandblasted a few spots I could reach to get rid of surface rust. Interestingly, there is bare metal that didn't even have full surface rust inside the door: After spraying the sound deadener. When the sound deadener is fully applied to the car and the truck bed liner underneath, it will have substantial reduction in Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH) compared to stock. The doors will have a very different sound and feel than stock ones. I think it will be quite a noticeable improvement around the whole car.

Exciting stage of the process!

I have read/heard the same thing about bondo vs. fiberglass. Since both use the same activator, I would think the resin isn't the part that is susceptible to water, but the other primary material might be the issue. And now searching (via Google), it looks like the other primary ingredient in body filler is clay/talc which absorbs water, whereas fiberglass does not. So, that is the difference. In applications for which I can not be 100% sure that exposure to water is eliminated, I use fiberglass filler. For example, I used a bit in the inside of the dog leg of the quarter panel/rear of the rocker, in an earlier repair, mainly to fill pitting and a few very small holes left after sandblasting prior rust damage. I will attempt to seal the car so water will not get in there ever again, but I used a bit of fiberglass filler there just in case. For repair areas where I am sure water will not ever be present, I use standard body filler. Along that door edge, seam sealer will seal the lap joint of the skin to the frame, primer and paint will seal the outside of the repair, and I will be using a spray on sound deadening coating on the entire interior of the door which will seal the joint on the inside and keep any water away from the area.

I rebuilt the door hinges yesterday with new pins and bushings I got off the seller from Malta on eBay. I needed to sand the door frame to prep it for paint also, so the doors came off the car for the first time since I have had it. While off, I will do some light prep to the insides of the doors so that I can spray Spectrum sound deadener in them. I got it directly from the manufacturer. I did this with my other 240z way back and it made a big difference in the sound the door makes when opening and shutting. Just in case I enter the car in shows, that kind of improvement doesn't hurt with judging, right? Hinges as removed - some rust formed between doors and hinge, but not body and hinge. A grey primer was used on the mating surfaces: Note - doors were mounted on the car when it was painted. See lack of paint and factory paint run. Third pic shows back side of my fix to door gap by putting some weld beads along the edge. Some body filler will be used to finish this area on the back side. Old hinge pins and bushings had some wear. I don't know what the old bushings are made out of but they are seem like a "soft" metal. Factory pin securing "roller" has to be removed to replace the main hinge pin. I was surprised at the good condition of it. Lower hinge: Upper hinge: Nearly all the wear occurs on the pin and bushings. The replacement pins and bushings fit very well. Though movement was only slight with the hinges prior to rebuilding for this car, the doors will be not wiggle up and down at all after this fix.

Wow! Zilver is super nice. I think for the next steps of sanding, I will use tape in the manner you said. I have been making some progress without, but will need to do that to get it just right. These pics clearly show imperfections, but at least I am getting closer. Guide coat is visible below the belt line... Front left fender... Back of front left fender and front of left door... Left door in front of handle (line is not sharp here)... Above rear wheel well arch (not as defined as it needs to be)... Rear quarter panel... I didn't think that drain was stock, and don't know if it was or wasn't there when I dropped the tank off to have it cleaned out. It had about an inch of goo in it from gas that sat for 25 years. So, maybe they did that to facilitate cleaning it out. Tank is nice otherwise with just a little work needed to straighten out where the original drain plug is. I will cut that additional drain out and weld in a repair section. What brand did you use for undercoats/paint on your car? I thought Glasurit didn't have a base coat in silver for my car, but I figured out that their database is just incorrect. They have 901 silver listed for the 240z, but their year range does not include 1971 (I think it shows 72-74 in their system). They only have the base coat in their 90 line, which is water based. I watched some videos and learned that it is no problem to use that and then follow with any of their solvent based clears. That is a big weight off of my mind, as I was thinking I would have to mix brands and hope for the best - not exactly a risk I want to take after spending some much time and effort on getting the body work right.

Anyone ever see this on the 240z gas tanks? A second drain on the corner? I didn't notice it until it came back from the shop that cleaned it out. If not stock, looks like I have another welding project.

Jim, your car is just like mine. The entire bottom of the car has been coated from the factory with a black "undercoat". I'm not sure what to call it, as it isn't super rough in texture like the later cars. I also think some are referring to it as primer. You can clearly see that it was not sprayed in the area behind the fender that is behind the narrow panel that bolts to the inner fender and seals the back area. There is a little rubber flap attached to the bottom of that panel. If the car was not coated at all, the entire bottom would look like the area in the above pics where the cowl drain tube dumps out. The black coating and lack of texture there is noticeably different. The over spray is on top of the black "undercoat". Keep in mind that when the car was painted with color, all metal and fiberglass body parts (and nothing else) were bolted into place. The headlight opening in the headlight housings is a big hole for paint to come into the front wheel house, which explains the heavy coverage of over spray in that front area.

I happened to come across this pic while researching (again) pics of 901 silver. This picture illustrates what I am seeking to avoid the final look of the "belt" line of the car. High resolution pic available: When you examine the body line closely, you can see that it varies both in direction and in sharpness. At its origination point at the fender, it is a bit soft (instead of sharp). As you move your sight from there towards the back of the fender, the line sharpens and then softens at the rear fender edge. Moving onto the door, the first couple inches is soft and actually moved down. Then you can see the line move up and down along the door. That stuff is what I am looking to avoid.

Hmmm. Good thought. It might be close. I continued with the sound deadening mat today. Unfortunately, one of my packets of OEM stuff had only one sheet inside instead of two like it was supposed to. Too late to do anything about that, as I have had it for maybe a year now. I will have to order another two pack and hope it is still available. Damplifier Second Skin being installed - seam sealer applied to crevices between individual pieces. I did not use the heat gun for these pieces as they have a thick foil layer on top. I used a roller with a hard rubber wheel to conform the sheets to the metal. OEM bitumen material put on top. You can see the difference as the logos are present on the foil, but obviously not on the OEM stuff. I cut the bitumen about a 1/16" of an inch larger than the pattern which ensures that the piece underneath doesn't show. The bitumen shapes nicely with the heat gun - looks better than the foil with the wrinkles.

I find myself looking at certain body lines and wondering exactly how they should look. For example, the "belt" line on the side of the car originates in close proximity to the front fender well. But how close? And how sharp should they be? Consulting earlier pics of fenders in bare metal gives me some idea, but my car had light impact damage to both front fenders that had to be straightened, so, I am not certain. Currently: This original paint car currently on BringaTrailer looks like a good reference car. This pic is a nice one, as the lighting is contrasting the above and below belt line nicely. Also, this area of the A-pillar needs to be done right. Light sand blasting of the original revealed this on the passenger side - the sharp line down the outside of the pillar appears to soften just before the top edge of the passenger fender: How it looks now - but I have seen pictures of other Z's that show this line stays sharper than this. Here are a couple that show this area "ok" (the same car on Bringatrailer.com): Anyone out there have an original paint car and who would be willing to take some detailed pics for me?

Nice. Someone should make the templates available on eBay. Mine are kind of "deduced" too much from the old paint lines - the original mats were installed prior to painting the car at the factory. It would be better to have templates made directly from the original bitumen before it is removed.

Starting to put in the sound deadening which I cut from the patterns I made. First layer of sound deadening material (standard Second Skin) has been installed on the front floor sections. I did buy the 1 mm version for the floors, so that the thickness after installation of the OEM stuff over top of these pieces will be closer to original: The floor (inside) has been sandblasted, straightened and sprayed with Glasurit 801-703 chromated epoxy primer. I will be applying seam sealer to the edge of this matting (and to the seams/gaps between the individual pieces used) after I install the OEM bitumen material on top. Then I will spray with a coat or two of primer in preparation for paint which will be done by at the same time as the outside of the car (same color). Hope it looks like factory when I am done.

Are you at stock height with the car? The ST springs I have will lower it about 1.5 inches I believe. But that is nice to know. Your pics show an incredibly nice paint job in my opinion. I hope the paint on the car I am restoring comes out that nice. I actually decided those would be the wheels I went with a while back, but I keep rethinking. Seems like a very nice wheel especially for the money: Konig Rewind Graphite 16x7 Wheel Kit, 70-85 - four wheels which come with center caps, stems and lug nuts for $474!!!! plus shipping... The Panasports cost $1300 for four plus $110 for shipping and come with center caps and lug nuts. Quite the difference. Glad I bought the Panasport C8's for my track car like 20 years ago - can't imagine what they would cost now. Don't want to jack the thread... again super pics of your Dad's car, Diseazd! Garrett

Nice pics! Nice car! Are those 16 X 7 wheels? What size tire? I was told by ZcarSource today that those wheels would likely require fender rolling. I am planning to run Suspension Techniques blue springs and didn't even begin to think Panasport 16 X 7's would rub. Appreciate any insight you can provide there.

Looks great! That silver looks more original to me than most. Do you know the paint brand that was used? And would you be able to get the code for that manfacturer's 901 silver?

Almost a month since my last post - lots more hours on weekends and some weeknights as well have been spent. My body work videos aren't very exciting. I just can't seem to get the motivation to set up a tri-pod and show work being done. Video editing will be a necessity in the near future. For now, I have these raw videos I uploaded. Before spraying: https://youtu.be/CGWh34rB_uE After primer has been applied: https://youtu.be/qJSDRZAOv-U It is astonishing how not flat the panels were before I switched over to a very straight and rigid sanding block. A huge number of hours later, I have sanded the entire car again, applied and sanded more body filler (premium, light weight), and applied seam sealer in most external body seams, and started in underneath seams as well.

I am restoring a 240z I purchased on Bringatrailer.com. Here is the auction I won. And I have been pretty active with updating a build thead here on this site. Lots of pics and detail showing the work involved. Regarding the plan for undercoat, I spent a lot of time looking for options and think I can do a decent job of replicating the original undercoat texture. Most truck bed coatings have too rough of a texture. Most undercoats have tar in them, which the original coating does not have. Most paints are too thin. I found a truck bed liner (Raptor Liner) that looks close, and I plan to experiment with replicating the settings and application technique used by the Gunman in this video. If you jump to 21:55, you can see a couple quick close ups of the finished texture. Still a bit course, but close. I also got a Raptor liner kit that came with a variable nozzle gun. This allows you to alter the spray and texture achieved, so I will experiment with that as well. I have also seen that some people buy a $10 harbor freight hvlp gun and drill it out to 2mm - this can produce an even finer finish. Depending on how my experiments go, I may buy that and experiment with it as well. I think I am getting close to the time to spray the undercoat. I want to put the last of the primer coats on the body so I don't have to tape up/cover the bottom of the car. I don't want to get primer over spray on the undercoat. However, I do want to get paint over spray on the undercoat - hopefully just like the factory! I will need to work with the painter to get that close, hopefully. Basically, it looks like that involves painting most of the wheel wells, front and rear. And, hitting the floor pretty good along the outer sides... and blending toward the center. I will attempt to replicate the over spray on the spare tire well too. Part of me wants to paint the bottom of the car like the Franklin Mint 240z, but I will try to be more faithful to the original look. Garrett

My 6/71 and 12/70 both have the same black "undercoat" which was liberally covered in overspray. The coating is quite tough. It is not tar based at all, but more like a truck bed liner material, believe it or not. The texture is not as rough as typical truck bed liners. The thickness is something like 1mm as a best guess. On impact areas of my car, I have been using 80 grit on a DA to feather edge, sanding to bare metal while feather edging. There is no primer on the bottom of the car. Just this stuff. Least amount of overspray is in the tunnel. All four wheel wells appear to be intentionally sprayed with color. Car is silver - hear are some pics: In some areas such as the back of the spare tire well, they really loaded it on causing runs... No primer underneath this stuff, at least on the bottom of the car. Front wheel wells may have primer under the "undercoat":

View Advert Need 240z Windshield - without blue tint I am looking for as high a quality and as nice a condition windshield as I can get my hands on for the car I am restoring. I am not interested in the new ones from Motorsport or the new one's on eBay - the ones with the blue strip of tint along the top border. Also, I am not interested in settling yet for one that has high miles and lots of "sand pitting". Anyone holding onto a really nice spare that when you really think about it, you aren't going to end up using after all? Willing to pay top dollar for the right one. Garrett Advertiser inline6 Date 06/20/2020 Price $500.00 Category Parts Wanted Year 1971 Model 240z

Thanks for that info! Now, I need to decide between going with stacking what I've got (and ending up at .150" thick), or maybe buying some regular Damplifier (.040" thick instead of .080" thick) and then covering that with the OEM stuff for the floor panels... That would put me around .110" thick.