dkd021

I bought my brake lines from classictube.com for about $225. They weren't perfect, but once I think back, they were acceptable for what they were. If your lines are in the condition that I perceive from your remarks, you'd probably be better off replacing them. I've done it & for me, it was not as hard as it was frustrating even though I had the motor, transmission, & driveshaft out. So, here's my advice based only on "my" experience. I'd get some penetrating spray on the bolts that hold the brackets to the body & let it sit. I don't remember if they're 7 or 8mm heads, but I'd lube them up well because they're small in girth & will twist on you if you're not careful. Once those are removed, be VERY careful removing the rubber insulators. Take your time & do your best not to tear them because they're probably going to be dry & brittle. Once I got mine out, I soaked them in some engine stop leak for a couple of days & they came out pliable for reuse. Tag everything. Take pictures of everything. It gets confusing when you're not sure. Once I had my parts car in the driveway as a reference, THAT'S when everything "fell into place" for me. So document everything. Heck, use a video camera too. Since my motor, transmission, driveshaft were out, I loosened the rear swaybar bolts from the rear diff. This gave me a little more play to get the sharply bent lines back to the tank. We tried starting from the front, but eventually found it best (in my case) to start from the back. We used popsicle sticks to twist the lines & get them to fit into their bracket insulator slot. They'll tend to get bound, so be patient, & install the top line first then working your way down. If you're going to try it with the everything still in the car, you're a braver man than I am. I'm not sure I could've done it that way.

I was flying with my uncle in a Storch out over the desert between Tucson & Phoenix about a year & a half ago. Those planes can maintain altitude while flying extremely slow & low to the ground. Out in the middle of the desert was a '68 (I think) white Mustang just sitting alone, on state owned land, w/o a road in sight. It was a very similar scene to the black & white B210 pictured above. We flew around it a little but couldn't land to get a look at it. You wouldn't believe how many cars are out there, doing nothing but sitting.

No solution that I know of, they'll probably have to be replated. This is what I've done...I'd soak them in a degreaser solution for a couple of weeks. Just get some concentrated degreaser & put them in a bucket w/ a mixture of water. Every couple of days, vigorously shake the bucket (with a lid of course) & change the degreaser water when you're done. After a couple of times you'll notice the water becoming less & less black. Eventually they'll be clean for the most part. Then find a plater in your area. Take them in a bucket to your plater & tell them the type of coating you want. They'll come back w/ some rust pits & maybe a little grime on a few, but for the most part, they'll come back good as new. You can probably get one color done for less than $100.

I'm just glad that I don't have to worry about paying my mortgage or putting gas in my car anymore. Other than that, nothing historic in my opinion because skin color is truly irrelevant in my opinion. Too bad not everyone in society shares my view.

Hey Poindexter, is that radiator shroud fiberglass?

I bought the brake lines from Classic Tube. They were "ok" in my opinion. They'll fit but they're a major pain to get back in. Not the CT lines, but the fuel/brake lines in general. I never want to go through that again. It is by far, the most frustrating thing I've done during my restoration. My recommendation, if you're going to remove them anyway, would be to media blast them & then find a local cad plater that will replate your lines, insulator brackets, & screws. To get all of my lines & parts plated was MUCH cheaper than buying new lines.

Yeah, I'm not sure if I can tell the difference either. However, I went ahead & bought the 15x7 Konigs from MSA. They said that they only had the 16" wheels in the new style while I prefer the old style. Maybe I'll be happy with them. I should've bought the Panasports but for double the price I just didn't want to swing it.

I will apologize in advance, as I know these type of posts tend to be nauseating. I have scrolled through all 13 pages of the members gallery & I am looking for a particular car because I have specific wheel & suspension questions. It is a photo that I found & saved some time ago. Now, I can't find the user's photo gallery. Hopefully he or she still comes to this forum. I would like to know if this car has been lowered an inch by the suspension & what size wheels are the Panasports. Also, if possible, which size tires. This is the stance & look that I want for my own silver 240Z, & I thought I'd try to find out for sure that these are 16" wheels before I just take a chance & buy them from MSA.

Does anyone know where I can purchase these items new? I looked in the MSA catalog & may have missed it, but didn't see them. I checked out Banzai's website & didn't find it there either.

Not trying to be a jerk, but I think this is a telling sentence. I would stick with red. A good paint job, inside & out is expensive. A cheap one may cost less, but it sounds like you're talking about a potential refresh of the whole car. If you're worried about the cost of the paint job now, in the beginning, Murphy's Law is going to come out & visit you during the refurb. This is just my opinion, but I feel that if you're worried about what the paint job will cost now, you're fighting a steep uphill battle.

I'd do it right the first time. I'd be willing to bet that if you did what you're talking about, you'd end up having to take off the cover anyway once the leaking starts. That is, if you could even get it to catch in the threads the second time.

I just bought them from my dealer a few weeks back. In all, I think I paid about $5 for all of them.

I was trying to put my throttle boot on tonight & tore it. I was trying to slide it over the ball when it tore. I wasn't using any silicone, it was dry. I've heard that the end may come off & you could put it back on but I didn't see how & didn't want to try & figure it out. I've got another new one around somewhere but for $10 I'll just order another one rather than looking for it.

I have family that live on the Tohono Indian Reservation southwest of Phoenix. My uncle has a 3/4 size reproduction WWI German airplane. He took me flying last December over the desert. It was interesting to say the least. Aside from seeing the scattered illegals & the coyotes (the animals, not transporters), there were a LOT of abandoned cars out there. There wouldn't be a road in sight from the air so they were driven out there & abandoned. Some were burned, some were left as if they'd just ran out of gas. We saw a white, late 60s Mustang just sitting in the middle of nowhere. Circling over it slowly & at a low altitude, it looked to be a complete car with flat tires & worn out paint. I can see how they'd sit there for years on end. There's no roads for passing cars to see. It's just a mass of land with no easy way for access.

There's still the travel factor involved that'll easily tack on an extra $1000 or so. I've read too many stories about people from the eastern US buying sight unseen & not getting what they felt was a fair description. Then there's the time issue if you're going to look at a specific car. I wouldn't hold mine for three weeks just so a Californian could get a good deal on a plane ticket to fly over & potentially buy mine. If I bought a ticket, ATL-LAX today so I could fly out Monday to look at a car is going to run $753.00 The car rental is another $100 total because you'd have to plan on staying out there a couple of days. There's a bigger selection out there. Surely you'd go look at more than one car. Then there's finding the one you want & buying it. There's a couple of days there. After all that, I wish I'd have went to PHX & LAX fora week & done it that way. I got in deeper than I expected & kinda pulled a Forrest Gump. I'd gone this far & just kept on running.

Being that you're in Chattanooga, you might want to consider Eradatz Motorsports in Kennesaw (770-926-6621). They're about 90 minutes south of you on I-75.

Lack of quality shells, cost to actually do the jobs was too high, etc. from what I've read.

If memory serves, this gentleman is a one of a kind collector, with many very low VIN cars & many Datsuns in all. If I were in the market for another car (& I'm not), I wouldn't be concerned about deceit with this individual. I think he's one of the "good guys" & has great knowledge about our cars. It's probably why his pictures are applicable to those who know where & what to look for. He may be friends with some visitors to this site I believe. I think I found a website with his cars & how he built a climate controlled garage for them in his back yard. I remember it was an impressive collection. I could be wrong, that's why I keep saying that "I think" & "I believe" but I have a good feeling that I'm correct.