BD240Z

Ronnie, It sounds like you've got your bases covered. You're acquiring the equipment, you have a large enough area and the desire to create something special! I'm 90% done with what you're just starting. The body on my car is prepped and ready for painting. After that all I have to do is reassemble the interior, install all the body panels, reinstall the glass with a new weatherstrip kit and I'm on the road. I took the approach the show "Overhaulin" uses. I stripped the car to a shell and sent out everything that required some sort of repair/rework, (gas tank, radiator, bumpers, radio, powder coating the suspension parts, plating for the hardware, etc.). When I disassembled the car, I was very anal about labeling everything. I used many, many, totes, plastic containers and zip-lock bags and because of this reassembling the car has been stress free. I recommend you do the same. The only pain was cataloging all the fasteners so I could identify them when I got them back from the plater. Once I got the car down to a metal shell, it was easy to address any rust issues with sandblasting/welding/grinding. I was amazed at how light the shell is once it's stripped of everything. You've got a rotisserie which will be VERY handy for this job. The best piece of advice I can give is to be patient and take your time. Be prepared to walk away from the car and take a break for awhile, (couple of weeks or more) if you begin to lose focus and start taking short-cuts with the work. I also would work on the car you want to keep. Good luck with your efforts, update us with pictures as you go. Bruce

Mike, Without seeing the extent of the damage it's hard to say what should be done. Typically, body shops won't perform major work on metal panels, they'll just replace them. It's much faster and they can turn over more cars/earn more profit. If my car was in a wreck, I'd insist on new metal and would go to a shop of my choice like Arne has pointed out. Good luck! Bruce

John, There are two major companies that perform reman for power steering units here in the US (Cardone & ATSCO). Both have documented quality systems that are registered to ISO 9000. however, that doesn't mean you won't get a bad rack from either. The typical process involves disassembly, cleaning, inspection, reassembly, testing and painting. ALL consumable items are replaced. Both these companies sell to AutoZone, Checker, Advanced Auto, Pep Boys, etc. as well as a number of distribution outlets. I'm not saying you can't rebuild your rack but consider buying one thats been reman'd. It's not that hard but does require the right equipment and getting a complete/correct seal kit might be a challenge. It will also come with the tierods. It's less likely you'll get a bad manual rack rather than a power rack which is much more involving. Good luck with your efforts. Bruce

If I were thinking of buying a car sight-unseen that was located in another state, I would really appreciate someone taking a look at it and providing me with feedback. Especially someone who's familiar with that make/model of car. I'd be interested in facts regarding its condition rather than an opinion. With facts, I'd be able to better evaluate what work the car would need. Put another way; If I were about to make a mistake, would I want someone to point it out? Unsolicited or not, the answer is yes! Bruce

Tony, Man, talk about a nice Christmas gift, you must of been damn good this year!!! I'm jealous of the fact that you got these car and that you have room to park them all. Post some pictures once you get things sorted out. Merry Christmas Bruce

JLPurcell (Jerry), one of our members here has replacement labels for the heater console. Here are before & after pictures of the old and new labels. These labels are vinyl and have the silver lettering just the way they're supposed to. Anyones labels that have seen better days might want to contact Jerry about buying a set. Bruce

Rather than having them paint/blend the fenders, you might have them computer match the color from the side of a door or fender and have them repaint the headlight buckets and valance. I've seen this done successfully in the past and my eyes couldn't identify what was painted and what wasn't. Bruce

Austen, Hooking up all the emissions related equipment might put less polution into the air. That benefits all of us! Not only that, you'll be one step closer to claiming your Z is bone stock, OE. Good luck with your car. Bruce

Jerry, Thank you for the generous offer, I've sent you a PM with my address. Bruce

Andrew, I think Carl is kindly suggesting you specify some criteria, i.e. (Which model, what condition, how much you want to spend, how far you're willing to travel, how much freight you're willing to pay, stock or modified condition, etc.). If you're open to anything, Ian posted Craigslist, there's also the classifieds section of this site, ebay, collecter car trader, autotrader and local newspapers. Which ever method you choose, good luck with the search. If your car will be mostly stock, this is the place to be for assistance with any repair work.(hence the name of this website, "Classic Z Cars"). Other websites cater to the modified crowd. Welcome to the site! Bruce

Randy, Congratulations on finding such a nice clean car, it doesn't look like you have much to do. Have fun with the refreshening and keep us posted. Bruce

Jim, If you remove the steel coolant line that connects the two manifolds, and it's still usable, I'll gladly buy it from you. I've been looking for one and the only way I can buy one is if I buy the intake manifolds also. Let me know, thanks. Bruce

Caleb, Congrats on the new ride. My eldest daughter, who's 16 has a 1995, white 2-door, manual, Corolla and she loves it!!! It's great on gas and VERY dependable, which makes me happy! Now get to work on that 260Z Bruce

Jeremy, I see what you're saying and understand the difference between value and what I have into it. The insurance companies can under-value these cars unless the owner goes to the trouble of having an appraisal done and/or gets a stated value policy. Thanks Doug, I'll do some homework with Hagerty and see how that looks. Bruce

Walter, I like how your labels turned out. I was going to use clear, vinyl labels but I couldn't find any the right size. Same goes for the the silver. Dan, the control panel I have is in excellent shape except for these labels although that new one looks mighty nice. If I wasn't into this car for as much as I am, I might go for it. Arne, I also tried at the Dealer and got the same "not available" response. I realize I'm sacrificing originality by not having silver, foil labels. I also considered having a local graphics house make some up but I'm drawing the line on some of these smaller issues with my restoration, (meaning costs). Thanks for all the feedback! Bruce

Sorry, I don't mean to hijack the thread. With Farmers, you can insure the car for more than the appraisal. However, if you have a loss claim they'll only pay off the appraised dollar value. Makes no sense to me. I'm getting ready to insure my car through this process and my Agent explained that if the appraisal came in higher than the typical car of that model/year, the appraisal may be scrutinized and may have to be adjusted. I don't like any of this and will be looking into other options. Anyone have any suggestions or is this the way it is? Bruce

Thanks Arne!

Here's a picture of a label I've made for the heater control levers. Can anyone with a 1970 let me know if I'm missing any words in the middle & lower boxes. The existing words on my control panel are hard to read and I can edit the label as required. These were printed on my computer in MS Word. Before I peel them off the backing I'm going to lightly spray the surface with a matte, polyurethane finish to hopefully keep the letters from smearing if rubbed. These labels are the correct width, they'll need trimmed with a razor and straight-edge to the correct height. Bruce

Dan, I think degreasing is one of two important steps in reworking your emblems. The other step is being able to scuff the chrome surface so the paint has something to grab onto. In addition to a degreaser, here are the tools I used to prep small parts and these can be economically purchased from an Auto Paint Supplier. FWIW, I've painted a number of parts here in Phoenix and haven't had any issues with peeling paint. I painted a chromed aluminum bumper from a BMW, E-30 years ago. All I did was sand the chrome with 220 wet/dry paper, cleaned and then painted it. No primer, no prep solution, just painted it. I had the car for four years after I painted the bumper and it looked great right up to the day I sold the car. Never had any cracks due to heat expansion either. Good luck with your emblems. Bruce

Yep, agree completely. If you're going to the trouble and expense of getting Lojack, get the "Early Warning Recovery System". It lets you know right away if your car is being driven by someone who shouldn't be. My notification is via my cell phone which is on 24 hours a day. Bruce

Michael, Once completed, my car will be driven regularly, I'll use it to keep the miles off my daily driver. This means it will be left exposed so I'm also going to have Lojack installed. I feel that if someone takes it I'll have a better chance of getting it back. My wife and I have Lojack in three of our other cars so I'll be getting a discount on this one. We also get a small discount on our insurance. I've worked hard at restoring my car and I've kept it as OE as possible. When it finally gets on the road, I'll have it appraised and I'll ask my insurance agent for a "Stated Value" policy based upon that appraisal. The money is one thing, but if my car gets stolen, I would prefer to get it back rather than getting insurance money for it. In addition to the Lojack, my neighbor is going to wire my car with a cutoff switch. I have no details on this and yes I trust him. I'll also use a Club. I know that if someone really wants it, they'll take it regardless of what I do. I'm just going to make it more difficult on them. Bruce

There's a Plater here in Phoenix who can apply chrome to plastic, the cost is VERY expensive, I didn't ask why. I've decided to use chrome spray can paint covered with a clear coat. I'll use a small brush to paint the black stripe down the center. I haven't seen these pieces offered for sale by anyone that has reworked them. Bruce

WOW!! Talk about creating a vision, I'm cancelling everything I have going on for December and getting my car finished. Bruce