xray

I actually just got in from my garage, there's a strange feeling of emptiness there....:disappoin

Jackhammer, Thanks for the well wishes. I'm a bit too picky also, but know that rushing a good paint job is a pretty quick way to mess it up (no offense intended, I just know I'm impatient with that kind of stuff. "Cure for 3 days? Mmm, I think 36 hours should be fine..."). I've saved a bunch of smaller projects for while the chassis is at body/paint (seats, engine, transmission, U-joints, wipers, etc.) which should occupy my attention and distract me from the time it takes to do the job right. Now that the garage is empty, I might even get the floor coated... Steve

It's going back to the original 112 lime yellow. It'll be a single stage paint on the interior, undercarriage and engine bay, with a basecoat/clearcoat applied to the exterior. (fingers crossed) If it turns out well, I'll be pimping the shop mercilessly! I may even put a sticker in the quarter window..... I'm nervous about it turning into a horror show like some other folks have experienced. Delays, body guy loses interest and the project gets neglected and left in the corner for weeks on end...He seems pretty enthusiastic, as he's an import car guy exclusively, and since I am a referral from other satisfied clients I hope he'll treat me well. Only time will tell, of course! Getting my good luck mojo in gear, Steve

It's been a year since commencing the teardown of my 1972 Z, #81167, and it's finally off to body and paint. Finally found a good shop nearby that didn't flinch at the project and quoted me a reasonable price! Said it would take about 9 weeks to do, so I'm budgeting 12weeks.... Here are some pics as it leaves home for a 3-month spa treatment...Wish me luck and send some good vibes for a smooth unevetful paint job and satisfying result! Steve

Ah, true. Forgot you didn't have the original engine/trans. Well, maybe the cash from selling the complete set can fund some better upgrade down the road. So, why do you care about having a steel wheel spare anyway? I mean, why not just buy five of your rims of choice, keeping the fifth in the spare wheel well?

Well, I just paid a bunch for a date-matched correct 5/72 wheels for my Z, so I'd try to sell them as a matched set. Maybe I'm a sucker, I don't care. I bet someone would want those wheels as a matched set, especially if they want to pursue a #1/#2 level resto. Since it's non-matching to your car, why put that much effort into cleaning it up? Make sure it's round and balanced, and do enough to make it look passable. Maybe a 10/70 set will come up and you can blow the cash on that.... $0.02, Steve

Rear dogleg looks ominous. Usual appearance of the lower front fender (rusting from water trapped inside.) Probably the same for the rockers, although without peeling up the vinyl and checking it, it's tough to say... Filler on the hood? Looks like it to me, right there on the nose. I say even money there's a set of floorpans in the future for this car, as mine looked similar overall and needed them replaced... Z's rust from within (like most old cars), so multiply what you see by 5 and add in new floorpans, and that's about right. Buying a Z like this blind (without examining in person), hoping it's rust-free is...uh...poorly thought out, to say it politely. Best of luck, Steve

Dome light? Good condition? If so, let me know. Thanks, Steve

Note to self: --add force-dynamics to game room floorplan. Thanks.... A..W..E..S..O..M..E

I recently stripped the undercarriage of my 1972. Initially it was tar with body color sprayed over it. After using the heatgun/scraper method, there was nothing underneath except a thin primer layer, then metal. Oh, yeah--and rust. Trans tunnel was the same, except for the lack of body color coat. $0.02, Steve

depends on what you're polishing...Folks I've spoken with suggest a low-speed 1800rpm motor for plastics to avoid too much heat generation (and subsequent melting) with a higher 3000-3600 rpm range for metal polishing. There's a whole spectrum of wheels and compounds out there depending on the amount of work a particular item needs to bring back the shine, so someplace like Sears or Pep Boys won't cut it for what you may need. Check out Eastwood for supplies. Here's a great wheel: http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?itemID=5166&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C432%2C433%2C437&KickerID=50&KICKER Steve

Just an observation.... After the $1200 set last year, several additional sets went for considerably less (but still a lot for wheel covers), and their condition was only slightly less pristine than that $1200 set. I don't think coattails are your friend here and I would not recommend listing them so soon after this auction closes. Seems like it's a two horse race between implants430 and bigdaddybroker since lakesidemotorcars maxed out at $665. Of course, things could change, but I would suggest that you wait another six months, and let all the folks who think they missed out on the current auction get REAL paranoid, then drop your set out there with a good reserve. $0.02, Steve

THANKS, JMARK! I've been looking for someone local to help with my engine rebuild, and it looks like this guy could be a step in the right direction...even if he's not willing to do street-level work, he may know someone.... Again thanks! Steve

Sorry to threadjack a little, but who is Sam Neaves, where is he located and what kind of work does he do? Thanks, Steve

Hi Rick, Just looked at your bidders list, and looks like you have some real interest. 30 minutes left, so here's hoping it meets reserve! If not, you may be able to make a deal after the auction concludes.... Keeping those fingers crossed, Steve

Now. Seriously, the T/C bucket is rotted through, and rewelding that takes some serious expertise, and probably a princely sum of cash. The frame rail is bad, too, decreasing thenumber of folks willing to undertake that kind of repair. The car now likely won't roll correctly with all that caster change, and is DEFINITELY unsafe to drive and experience any kind of collision in. Like mentioned above, find a solid body and transfer what you can. Sell off the rest to offset your costs. Sorry to see it happen to your Z.. Best of luck in your search. Steve

delete....

Here's his post from zcar.com. http://www.zcar.com/forums/read.php?f=1&i=658262&t=658151#reply_658262 As you can see, changing your carbs/cam is only a part of a bigger puzzle. Each change necessitates alterations further down the line, and to just "add triples" or "get a more aggressive cam" is really going to increase the speed with which you and your money are separated without the concomitant improved performance....

Thanks for having better reading comprehension than me....whoops.:stupid: Actually, all we know is that the seller ended the listing. May not have sold, lister changed mind, car was destroyed etc...Although it probably got sold for a better offer like we suspect.

Sorry, Carl...$5600. oh well...

Bryan: I was on the phone with MSA about a week ago, and asked them what the story with Panasports was. The rep replied that while they only sold the metal poished ones, they could get them coated (gunmetal et al.) for an extra fee and some extra time to get it done. Don't know if it would be cheaper to have them powdercoated where you are or have MSA get it done, but from my conversation with them recently it sounds like they can do it if you're willing to pay...

Polished lip...definitely. Where are you ordering from?

Fun video! I like the cutaway shot to the $20 bills....big dreams, small budgets...sigh--so true!

Quote Jeff G78: Snip... "Now, I'm trying to get the car on the road and while I had the car on jackstands doing some other work, I noticed weird play in the front wheel. I could move the tire a lot and hear a clunk. Hmmm, I crawled under the car and thought I could see the ball joint moving. ..." IIRC, the ball joint is stuffed betweeen the steering knuckle and the front strut--hard to see by just crawling under the car...so were you seeing the whole joint move, or just the threaded part? If the whole joint moves, are the bolts securing the ball joint to the transverse link torqued down to spec? And the bolt which secures the ball joint to the steering knuckle ( castellated or vinyl lock nut on top of the ball joint, secured within the bottom of the strut) is tight as well? Not to insult, but simple visual inspectio of the ball joints is tough. Bad joints are usually detected by seeing too much play when the wheel is rocked by gripping the 12:00 and 6:00 position of the tire...might you be thinking of the tie rod end? snip..."As far as I know, there should be no vertical movement correct?" No significant vertical play within the joint itself is a correct assumption. There will be some, but it is negligible, certainly not 2-3mm... Hope it turns out OK... Steve

Owen K, According to MSA's most recent catalog, the only one left available from Nissan is the 72 year, and it lists for $1650, if it's even still available. The ones in the 500-800 range that I've seen have been uncracked originals...I venture to guess a 1970 dash would be worth subtantially more, but it depends on the part number... Edit...2 questions 1) What other parts are you listing, and will you list them separately or as a package with the car, and 2) You ARE waiting for the Sky Redline, right???