LanceM

If it ever gets below about 1000000 degrees around here I've got to head out to the pick and pull for some other stuff and will look around and see what might work.

I was thinking about this for my own Z being that 4X4's and SUV's are the norm here, the Z sits so low a high up brake lite seems like a very good attenion getter. I was thinking of going to the pick and pull and looking at was there, some later Blazers and mini vans have a light attached to the rear window I belive, might be a cheap and easy swap, just a case of replacing the mounting tape and connecting the wires. Another thought is there are some cars, can't say what but I think Chrysler, used those red LED strips, they were very bright and I would think they could be made into a very neat install that really wouldn't disturb the inner look of the car.

Well there is white and then there is white with a dusting of multi colored metal flake and twin black racing stripes down the center, with say a light dusting of blue metallic over the top of them. And for a touch on the sides ghost in the old dealer installed 240Z stripes in chameleon metal flake… See white isn’t so far from the start Something like that could add some sparkle to your life I think I was thinking too hard on having to mask up a job to come up with something different... Maybe I just need to sit back and think more about the options that the new paints offer....

First I would go and see if you have any shops in the area that would do the job and what it would cost. I think you may have a hard time because they won't want to risk future peal off... But if you do.. You will have to feather the remaining clear up to where it is gone, use care not to sand through the base. Use a good degreaser to clean the exposed base and use something like a red scotchbright pad to scuff it. There are preps available that are sprayed on right before clear that soften the older layers and allow a better bond. IMO you are looking at a tempory fix, what hasn't come off probably will in the future and bonding/blending new clear with old is a sometimes thing. If you are going to have this done by someone I'm thinking it wouldn't be cost effective, clear costs just about the same as base so for twice the money you could probably have someone do the whole car if you did the prep work. Just my $.02

My thought would be to install one that attached to the inside of the rear window at the top. That way no holes to drill, and plenty of body panels to hide the wiring under. For attachment I would think about using a body molding double stick tape, future removal would then be possible without any hint that it was ever there.

EScanlon, I'm 100% on what you said, I'm starting to think about White, easy on the eyes, hides less than perfect bodywork.... I guess for me this job has turned into one that when it is finished will be a one of a kind, my Z.... Problem is I'm only an artist with the tools... not the artist with the artistry... I'll drop in at a car lot an look at some new colors, maybe they will spark something...

No temporary fix here. This is a common problem especially with cars that have been driven hard. Body flex causes these cracks, and I believe it is in the lead filler that was used at the factory to fill the joint line where the roof and body were welded together. The only fix would be to grind down to the lead filler and reflow and refill it, then shape, blend and repaint. Lead is used because of the stress there, a plastic filler would have broken out completely long ago.

Sanding is probably the easiest way to remove the paint if you want to do it yourself, chemical strippers are available but will also remove bondo and glaze which you may want to leave if you find them. 100 grit will get you there pretty quick, plan on using plenty of sandpaper. Watch that you don't round any sharp edges. If the rust is just surface pitting a small sandblaster would be the tool of choice. If the rust has gone through the panel then replacement is the only option for a long-term repair. Work on one panel at a time, when it is stripped and repaired use epoxy primer to seal it, any other primer is porous enough that moisture can invade and actually cause rust under the primer which will come back to haunt you long after the final coat of paint is on. Don't worry about sanding scratches in the metal at this time, typical epoxy coating thickness is only 1.0 mil which won't hide anything. Once you have the car completely sanded and epoxy primed, scuff the whole car, assuming that it's been more than 3-5 days since you primed the first piece, a red scotch bright pad works well, be sure to scuff every part as the next coat of paint is going to depend upon this for a mechanical bond. Now comes the time to fill the scratches and level the panels. If panels need to be leveled use a glaze and a long block sander right over the epoxy to take out ripples and dips. More than likely you are going to be using a 2 stage paint for the final job, a base coat clear coat system. Under this type of paint you best use a urethane primer, a 2K high build primer would be my choice, and lay down two coats. Read the tech sheet for the primer you are using, it will tell you how long it needs to set before sanding. At this point I would block sand the car using 320-400 grit on a long board, you will end up sanding off most of the primer you just put on, you are using it to fill the sanding scratches in the metal. When done 2 more coats and wet sand using 400-600 grit wet and sand for a smooth surface. Unless the sanding marks are very deep they should be filled and hidden, if some remain spot spray those areas and resand as required till they are filled, using care not to sand a dip in the paint! Typically it is best and recommended by the paint manufactures to stick to one brand of paint, of course if I sold paint I'd want you to buy it all from me too If there will be time, say a week or so from final prime to paint I wouldn’t worry about it as the primer will have fully cured and the basecoat will be depending upon a mechanical not chemical bond to the primer so there shouldn't be any problems with interaction between the paint brands. There it is in a nutshell, I've skipped some things and just glossed over the rest, it's not hard to do but is very time and labor consuming to do right. Do a google search on auto painting, there are lots of sites with good info.

More than likely it is fractures in the paint that go all the way down. With this being the second repaint that you know of the car is getting a pretty thick build of paint. If the car had been painted even one more time before that you have a paint build you can measure with a ruler and it's almost a for sure thing that the paint is going to crack. With the cracks in the original paint it should have be sanded or stripped down to the metal or at least the first coat of primer. Just blocking it before the repaint may not have removed the cause of the defect only it's effect. Yiper Yellow should be easy to match, I would have the hatch stripped, checked to make sure there are no stress cracks (unlikely) in the metal and have it repainted.

Bemmerguy, That candy is pretty, but candys have their own problems and reds are getting so expensive. I am really starting to think about going with something simple, just because no matter how long I sit and stare at the cars lines I can't come up with anythng that flows with the lines besides flames, and everything has flames anymore. Oh well, I still have time to cook something up, maybe I just mix up all the leftovers in the shop and come up with my own never to be matched yuck color !

Not a problem, try horse radish instead of salt, I find it much better at covering the flavor whenever I have my foot in my mouth

My brother in law suggested painting it as if a Japanese battle flag was draped over the car.... But I think I would get tired of repairing all of the key scrapes

Ha, funny you should mention that, I already have a camo Blazer, and have been kidded at work about painting the Z camo too.... But I think not, at least not in flat paint

Not my post.... I'm not looking to copy anything just looking for ideas....

If your car was nowhere near stock body wise or any other way and wanted something different and had the ability to do it yourself?? My 240 is so far from stock it will never go back, and that started a long time ago, being the second owner since 79 or so... I'm getting close to paint and I can't decide. I want something that will stand out and say HEY! But things like shadow flames, color changing paint, and all of the modern stuff seems so over done anymore, it's everywhere... I was thinking of painting it 918 orange and tiger striping it with a white belly, really making it look like a tiger, the stance of the car is right, but all of the black stripes on the top will have people thinking it's a damn orange bumble bee or some crap..... The car will look like one of Bob Sharp Racings cars when it is finished, solid headlight covers, air dam, and spoiler... Thought of doing a replica BSR car but.... I want it to be mine, not a copy of someone elses... Give me some ideas, you photo choppers show me what you'd do!!! BTW, I can paint so any of these ideas are not out of the realm of my ability, it's just that I only want to do it once and can't decide... So many of the Z's (pics) I see are "stock solid color" with maybe racing stripes... I want one of a kind, the heck with the rest No offence to the purist, this all started long before anyone cared about keeping a Z “showroom”, I just want to finish what I started so long ago….

I think you are right, I have a spare tach around but it is "in a box" somewhere. When I put in a ZX dizzy I had to jumper the BW to the GW at the resistor area to make the tach work. I do believe if the tach opens up you will not have power to the coil.

Look for birch ply or lite ply at a hobby store, it will be expencive but you can get it down to 1/64" thick. Or look at www.balsausa.com 12" X 48" is the largest they sell but their prices will be much less than a hobby shop. Lite ply is made from Popular and is available in 1/8", birch goes down to 1/64".

My thought would be that it would have to be completely disassembled, which would turn it into a lot more work. You wouldn't want any of the residue from the sanding to get in the works!

That and maybe an oil leak dripping on to the manifold, nothing like the smell of burnt oil Remember that carbon monoxide is an odorless gas and so you could fill the passenger compartment with it and not know. The hood cowl seal is a good example, what other reason would it serve other than to prevent fumes from escaping from under the hood and being sucked into the cowl vents and heater? So the engine compartment it typically sealed from the passengers compartment to help prevent gassing the occupants. Look around next time you're out, how many of those, shall we say "old classics" you see have a leaking gasket, manifold, exhaust system??? .

My 240 had some kind of black tar type of sealer, I would use something that wouldn't glue the booster to the firewall like silicone would, you might have to take it off one day I think it is to keep fumes out of the passenger compartment more than anything, I would probably use something like Permatex #2 it remains pliable and will allow you to remove the booster in the future.

HA You're killing me

You'll get a better chance of an answer at www.hybridz.org their forums deal mostly with engine swaps of the V-8 flavor. This sites forums are mostly dedicated to those that are interested in a more stock version of Z. Good luck!

On my 240 which may be different than a 280 there were no screws only plastic rivets, interior were the larger size, exterier were the smaller....

26th-Z, I hope that you are going to use a good epoxy primer when you paint the clean shell. It's the only way to go from where you are starting for the ultimate protection...

I'm getting to the point of cleaning up the harness and having striped a ZX have an abundance of nice relay setups. Needless to say the headlights are getting the fix to help save the 30 year old switch the beating of high current, but what other circuts could benifit?? Turn signals, wiper motor, parking lights?? What have you done, or thought about doing??? Mine is going to be a (well done) hack and install as the car is, and has been, so far from stock for so long that it will never return to that state, yes it is my fault but it started 25 years ago..... Any ideas on improvements or upgrades to the electrical are welcome...