wheee!

I will check the companion flange. It may not be the same as your 260 though... As for the blasting, I was thinking of doing soda blasting on sheet metal surfaces like hood and fenders and media (crushed glass etc) on more hidden structures like frame and engine bay. Dipping is great, but I have strong fears that not all the solution would be removed from the vehicle and it would start to eat my paint after the car was finished. How do you prevent it from creeping out of seams etc? Can it be totally neutralized? Makes me nervous... The 3.90 came from a NA 280ZX, correct.That is great news about the spline shaft! I have also heard that changing the flange is just a personal preference versus a necessity. The bolt pattern is the same. Thanks for the input guys!

Did some re-reading and answered my own question... "I also installed my firewall insulator I got from Black Dragon. Its good quality material but the fit isnt the greatest. It required some trimming." So much good info in this thread! Sent from my iPizzle ringy dingy device....

Did I see a new firewall mat in the picture with the msd ignition? Where did you source that? Sent from my iPizzle ringy dingy device....

Can you not route it forwards to behind the distributor? Then across to the catch can. Sent from my iPizzle ringy dingy device....

You should add a 90 degree fitting at the crankcase vent output an then route the hose towards the front of the engine and then over to the catchcan. Maybe you could find a preformed hose with a 90 in it already.... That would be nice! Sent from my iPizzle ringy dingy device....

I was under the impression that the Eastwood internal frame coating cold be applied over the factory primer and even the rust inside. Removing as much debris as possible helps but will not adversely affect a well saturated internal frame member. I plan on removing as much rust as possible before coating all internal frame components the same as Matt and then rustproofing the outside of the stock frame rails. At that point, I am going to rustproof the inside of the Bad Dog frame rail caps and then weld them over the original frame rails. That should protect them for another 40 years..... Sent from my iPizzle ringy dingy device....

I had no idea such beautiful condition Z's existed... and then you made it better!!

Bring your 280 up for a visit and we can trade rides for a day!

So much win in these posts... I'm learning a lot! Keep it up Matt! Sent from my iPizzle ringy dingy device....

That is great news! So you are saying the 280Z shaft I have (stock) should bolt up fine to the 3.90 R200 (round flange) and the late 5 Spd transmission? If so, you have made my day... I was not looking forward to shortening a 280ZX driveshaft!

I don't have the Borg Warner 5 spd, but that might be my mistake in reading that article.... I have the "B" version (later) 5 spd. It is not clear as to whether or not my 280Z or 280ZX driveshaft will bolt up directly to the stock R200 rear end without modification.... ??? Can anyone clear this up for me?

My info comes from here: http://www.zcarz.us/TechnicalInformationPageTransmission.htm DRIVESHAFT (the tricky part in a 1st generation Z) The Nissan T5 came with a special driveshaft to fit the 280ZX. It is stouter and fatter than other Z driveshafts, has a different spline count on the front end, and a square flange on the rear. In other words, the only driveshaft that will fit the T5 is the one that came with it. A 240/260/280 driveshaft cannot be modified to fit. LENGTH: The T5 driveshaft is almost the same length as regular Zcar driveshaft, but the T5 transmission is a few inches longer. This means if you use a Nissan T5 trans/driveshaft in a first generation Z the driveshaft will be too long by about 2-3 inches. The solution is to have a custom driveshaft made, or have the stock one shortened. Most driveshaft shops can fabricate one if you tell them what you want, about $300. A cheaper solution for us budget ZCAR people is to have the stock one shortened and rewelded, about $100. This gets tricky because driveshafts should be shortened only at the ends for balance reasons. And for some reason Nissan T5 driveshafts neck down to smaller diameters right at the flanges. This means that after cutting, the yoke and flange ends are too small to weld up to the center tube.

The rust looks minimal from above and the battery tray is pretty good. I know the car has been repainted several times so I am hoping that most of the rust has been treated/repaired at that time. I have not been under the car yet. I am a little scared to see the shape of things under there...! There IS a ton of undercoating on the car though. The last guy COVERED the bottom of the car with the stuff and for good measure sprayed the whole engine bay and underhood with it too... FML I have been trying to be patient. I really want to finish the garge before I start the tear down so I can do it properly. I want to have a clean space to start and proper shelving etc. I want to do a proper layout too (space is 24x24 dbl garge) and possibly include a paintbooth area that can be quickly setup and torn down. A friend of mine has hooked me up with a couiple industrial in-line ventilation systems and he will be building the downdraft ducting for it too. Go big or go home! My next big question is: should I buy a dual media blaster kit that can blast soda as well as crushed glass etc or should I just mechanically strip everything on the body? The mess of media blasting the body (less sheet metal, possibly soda blasting those parts) is what's holding me back. Local companies start at about $1500 to blast a stripped body around here... I will be buying a proper sand blasting cabinet for the heavy duty stripping of old parts. I will post a full journals worth of pics as I go. May even install a go-pro in the garage too!

New floor pans and supports arrived too! Starting to get excited for spring. Sent from my iPizzle ringy dingy device....

Beautiful work as usual. Sent from my iPizzle ringy dingy device....

Woot! Picked up the new drivers side fender from Nissan today!

Read it, printed it, read it again... What part are you referring too? He didn't do a complete floor pan removal. Sent from Canadia

Nice! I am thinking of putting the power antenna back in. Newer style but same idea. Sent from Canadia

What are you doing for the antenna? Power lift or something newer? Sent from Canadia

I had noticed the bushings too. My plan was to weld in a brace temporarily. Not concerned about tacking a brace in as the whole bottom of the car is being refinished....

Weeks up! How's it running? Sent from Canadia

Zedd Findings floor pans should be here in a week or so... Sent from Canadia

Good advice! Thank you! Sent from Canadia

Is it possible to straighten it myself on the rotisserie then maybe? Like I said, I have all the measurements in the FSM... When the floors are out, it should be fairly easy to pull and straighten with come-a-longs or a hydraulic ram.

So I should strip the car to the shell, take it to be straightened, THEN do the floor and frame repairs? Don't I risk twisting it when I cut it all apart? Even doing one side at a time? Sent from Canadia