One Way

Beautiful work! Encourages me to keep going on my project. Did you bead blast the calipers before painting or was that paint thick enough to give such a smooth looking finish.? I am still in the tear down stage of my 280Z, not even close to thinking about caliper restoration, but always looking for good ideas for my Z. The fender flares may be a better option for my rusty Z instead of a patch panel for the quarter panel edges. Thanks again, John-Lugoff, SC.

I am not looking to spend the big dollars on a commercial rotisserie for my 78 280Z 2+2. Would much rather put that money into the vehicle. I have seen some home made units based on engine stands. Just looking to get some input as the project slowly proceeds. Any ideas on the pivot height needed? Best place to attach ? -bumper supports seem to be the logical spot but someone with experience would know better. Thanks for any input or ideas, John-Lugoff, SC.

Excellent advice given above. The tubing cutter is critical in getting a good flare. The more you practice the process, the better your feel for "JUST RIGHT" will come. One concern is the never seize. Would that possibly contaminate the brake fluid? That is some great stuff to use but I always have a very hard time cleaning off the excess since it really seems to coat the metal very well. Does any one have a certain lube they use in the flaring process? I usually use just a bit of spray lube in the process to smooth out the operation a bit. Enjoy your project. I did all the lines on my Datsun 2000 Roadster and it was a challenging but rewarding job. Trying to replicate the factory bends is nearly impossible. The more I did it the better the lines came out. John-Lugoff, SC

This is an ongoing battle with so many parts. Quality control and inspection costs money and businesses today in general are looking at profit only. Unfortunately the end users-that is most of old car enthusiasts-have to deal with the frustration. Tough and expensive to discard the untold thousands of bolts that were machined wrong, packaged up, and shipped from overseas to our vendors here. Small dollar items such as these hood bumper kits just fly under the radar on the profit screen, but that still does not help the frustration on our end. The radar screen needs to be changed from PROFIT to QUALITY. Not sure if we will ever see that day again in this world economy. Despite the frustrations , us old car enthusiasts will find a way to make things work. The above posts are a great testimony for the passion of car enthusiasts. Thanks for the time on this great website, John-Lugoff, SC

It certainly has been a strange tear down on the 280Z. Mark's comments are exactly correct. The obvious and normal rusted areas-lower quarter panels, lower rear portion of front fenders, rockers-not so bad, battery box area-all clearly seen. As we gutted the rear portion of the interior, and now have moved to the front nose section, we have found so many areas that look virtually factory fresh and just a few inches away the metal is rotted right through. According to the title history, I am the 3rd owner. The first two owners were in NC, but last registration was back in 1996. The car has obviously been sitting all that time but is 100% complete and original except for the Pioneer stereo which was obviously professionally installed a long time ago. There is lots of great metal on this project but also a lot of metal rotted away. The evaluation will slowly continue. Thanks again, John-Lugoff, SC

Tear down continues slowly on my resurrection project on this 280Z 2+2 that had been left to sit for 19 years. The headlight buckets looked pretty decent-some surface rusting- until I removed them from the fenders and front side valances. The mounting lips where the valances attach on the headlight buckets are badly rotted. Surprised everything was still attached and in alignment. Any repair tips for when we begin to restore all the parts and pieces? Also found a few rust through spots on the front radiator support. Most of the support looks good except for the few rotted sections. I will get a better idea after all the rest of the parts are removed and have the shell dipped or blasted. Is rust in the radiator support area common? Suggestions for repairs? Thanks in advance for any helpful info and Merry CHRISTmas to all. Thanks again, John-Lugoff, SC

Black Dragon has fenders in their catalogs for 240-260-280 models at $200 each. Also a hood but it is marked as only for a 280. Not sure what the difference would be. Price is $340. Anyone have experience with the quality of their body parts ? Good luck with your rebuild project, John-Lugoff, SC

Thanks for the offer. Our son attends Clemson and works in Greenville, so we do get out that way ocassionally. I will continue the tear down and evaluation. I am considering a blasting or dipping on the bare shell when I get that far. There is a stripping business out in Fountain Inn, SC. Not sure if is best to blast or strip before or after removing the rusted out portions. Probably a question that needs to go in the body and paint section. Thanks again' John-Lugoff, SC

Very nice looking repair job. Did you use the copper pipe trick on the backside? I have read about that procedure before but have never tried it for myself. Your work in progress keeps me motivated on my resurrection piece. Keep up the good work, John-Lugoff, SC

Do they have the POR15 patch in 55 gallon drums? Might be enough for my resurrection project on this 78 Z. Just joking but I have been very pleased with the POR15 system I used on my Datsun roadster project. I am sure I will be using a lot of their products on this Z. I can not remember if they had any of the rust converter spray. I have seen that product available from other manufacturers.

There is obvious rust in the lower quarter panels. One side worse than the other. The other typical spots-battery box and frame rail- are obviously bad too. Quite a project ahead of me. Looking forward to the challenge. Thanks, John-Lugoff, SC

Success with minimal damage! Some of the thin foam on the fenderwells tore in a few spots. The fiberboard backers near the strut towers have some water damage near the bottom edges. Upholstery came off nicely with some gentle persuasion on the adhesive with a small putty knife. Towers and fenderwells look almost factory fresh but there is rust on the flat sections along the fenderwells. I think this car took in quite a bit of water sitting for 19 years and settled into the rear floor and trunk sections. I will continue the dismantling on this RUSTORATION project. Thanks again, John-Lugoff, SC

Very nice looking job. I have not gotten that far on my resurrection project but I do know the insulation did not look very promising on my 78 2+2 model. I have started the tear down from the rear and all the padding was beyond hope and a quick look in the front it seemed a bit better but we will find out soon. Enjoy your project. Not sure if that material is flammable or would just melt. We have similar cushion mats at work that get pretty grimy and oily and hold up quite well. We did get some welding sparks on one once and it just melted a few small holes in the mat.

Slowly dismantling this resurrection project that has been sitting 19 years and getting considerable rust. Aiming toward media blasting or dipping way down the road in this long term project. The rear upholstery is in great condition except for some fiber board backing that appears to have gotten wet on the side interior panels. The fenderwell covers and strut covers seemed to be attached with some type of adhesive. Any helpful tips on removal or are there some clips holding them on? All the vinyl is in great shape and a good cleaning would have them looking almost as good as new if and when we get to the reassembly process. I do not want to damage them in the removal process if possible. Enjoying the project and the great replies on this website. Thanks again, John-Lugoff, SC

Nice looking weld job on the floor pans. Gas MIG seems to be getting the better approval rating. Of all the shop equipment we sold with our business, the welder is the one I have missed the most. That Eastwood 135 model would be quickly paid off just doing a few small side jobs for people's mower decks, yard equipment, or other miscellaneous repairs. Thanks for the tips, John-Lugoff, SC.

The auto dark shield is a must have. When I bought my first one about 20 years ago, they were a relatively new advancement and quite expensive compared to the current cost of the helmets today. I usually like to get a known brand product-Miller, Lincoln, Hobart-just for the sake of parts and repair for the welder, but I have seen some nice pricing on some units from Eastwood, USAWELD, and a few others. The debate on flux core vs. gas seems to be a tough one. Best option may be to get a unit that can be used in either mode. One thing for sure-auto dark helmet. Thanks for the input, John-Lugoff, SC.

Before selling our power equipment business in PA and leaving the frigid mountain winters 5 years ago to enjoy SC, we had a MILLER MIG welder. I am not a licensed or certified welder by any means, but we did quite nice work with the MIG. We used the Argon gas with the best results. I do not need that big of a welder anymore to begin the resurrection process on our 78 Z. How good are the flux core units which are much less costly than the gas MIG units. Looking for some hands on feedback. I have never used a flux core MIG. Thanks, John-Lugoff, SC

Thanks for the experienced replies. I will probably pick up a sheet of the 20 ga and start to play around a bit with it. Still slowly dismantling and evaluating as we go. It will certainly be a slow resurrection. I am thinking about a rotisserie job on this project. That may be the only way to do a good thorough job. Thanks again, John-Lugoff, SC

Reading through some of the great tech forums here, 16 gauge sheet metal seemed to be the selected gauge for various rust repair projects. Any helpful hints or personal experience on the question will be appreciated. Thicker gauge too difficult to shape or form? Thinner gauge too thin to weld? What is the original gauge sheetmetal on rear hatch floor areas, inner front wells, etc.? Thanks in advance, John-Lugoff, SC

The vertical section of the rear panel-tail lights mount into, hatch latch mounted on-is in very good condition, The horizontal or flat section is bad. I did not have time to dig further beyond cutting off the bad section of weatherstripping on the horizontal section, but did see some seam sealer on some of the portions of metal. Rusted bad enough it was difficult to determine if the horizontal flat section was originally 2 layers or just seamed near the ends. Next chance I get I will do some more cleaning, grinding, etc. to see how it was originally made. Thanks again for the info. John-Lugoff, SC

The dismantling continues on this resurrection project. Rust has won many battles in the 19 years this car was parked but hopefully we can make it roadworthy again. Definitely a long term project. The sheet metal above the rear panel that secures the weatherstripping for the rear hatch is rusted away under the rubber weatherstripping. The top and side sections are not too bad but the bottom section is pretty well gone. TABCO products shows a part # 16761U-rear panel, upper top-but the picture is a bit unclear to me. Is the lip for the weatherstripping formed in that part? Or will I be better to form my own replacement section to make a good hatch seal lip? Any one install that part on their project? Please let me know. Thanks in advance, John-Lugoff, SC

I also have had good results with the POR15 products on my Datsun roadster project. The alkyd enamel paint has to be roughed up for the POR 15 to bind properly to the surface. It works best on rusted areas but does a great job on areas with the factory enamel paint as long as it is roughed up a bit with heavy grit sandpaper. CLEANING, as stated above is the key. I used the POR 15 system-cleaner, etcher, and paint with good results. Just started dismantling a 78 280Z for resurrection, but I do not think there is enough POR 15 available to cure all the rust on this project. They do recommend topcoating the POR 15 to keep a permanent color to the finish if that would be important to you on the gas tank. Good luck with your project, John-Lugoff, SC

Thanks for the info. The more I take apart on this project the more rust I am finding. Zedd looks like a great source for some of the stuff I will be needing. I would rather replace the needed panels myself and know they are new and done and rustproofed rather than buying a "RUST FREE" used Z. Reading and studying on these great cars, I do not believe a "RUST FREE" Z has ever been produced. Looking forward to the resurrection project. I will definitely need to brush up on my welding skills. Thanks again, John-Lugoff, SC

The rear valance on this resurrection project has some rust along with the rear quarter panels. I have removed the rear bumper and bumper end guards. Outside of the bumper looks pretty good but the gussets inside are mostly rotted away. Vacuumed out about 7 pounds of rust from the inside of the bumper. Ran out of time tonight to do some more inspection, but it appears the valance and the bumper filler lip is welded to the rear quarters. Am I correct or are there some fasteners I did not have time to locate? I did not find any info on the SEARCH function on this website. This complete but rusty Z will certainly be needing quite a bit of new sheetmetal. Thanks for any help, John-Lugoff, SC.

Thanks for all the tips and humor. I used a small allen wrench to pop the pins through. Behind the panels looks very good but the flat sections have severe rust through. The plastic is quite brittle from this car sitting for 19 years. I got the rear side panels out both intact. They did have a few small cracks in them near the edges before I started the removal process, so I am quite happy with the removal so far. Still trying to figure out how to remove the rear strut cover upholstery. They seem to be glued on. Ran out of time last night to go any further on the dismantling. Thanks again, John-Lugoff, SC