BD240Z

Gary, I know what you mean there, it IS personal preference. I bought a can of blue spray paint from Classic Datsun for my block but couldn't get myself to use it, it sits on the shelf in my garage. I know it's the original look but I had to have a black block. Thanks Ed, I keep meaning to get the progress on my car uploaded here. The engine is almost done, the dash gets installed next and then onto the body. Bruce

I got the LED's in and tried several options with them. These LED's have 4 bulbs clustered together and they're green. They put out a considerable amount of light but the problem is the angle of the light. These were rated at 15 degrees, not enough to spread the light around the inside of the gage. About a third of the gage was brightly lit, the balance faded off. I tried sanding them down a number of ways but it still primarily illuminates straight ahead. I removed the green plastic light diffuser from the inside of an extra gage but the results were the same. I then installed a regular incandescent bulb without the green plastic diffuser and the results were much better. Today I've ordered the same LEDs but these are white. I also ordered what they call a wide angle LED, the angle is 100 degrees instead of the 15 but contains only one LED. My gages might end up being lit up with white light instead of the green factory look. These bulbs install right into the factory socket. They'll be in by the end of the week, I'll post an update once I've had the time to experiment with them. Bruce

After the repair areas were finish sanded, I scuff sanded the rest of the dash with 220 grit paper and cleaned the surface with SEM plastic/leather prep. After that, I sprayed the complete dash with SEM's texture coating. I followed the directions on the can. I kept the spray nozzle approximately 20 inches from the surface and when the coating was finger dry, I knocked down the texture with scotch-brite. I let the dash dry for 24 hours and then lightly scuffed the complete surface. I cleaned again with the plastic/leather prep and then applied two wet coats of SEM's Trim Black for my finish coat. Here's some pictures of the finished product, it isn't perfect but it exceeded my expectations. I don't think I would have attempted this repair if the dash was in the car. Total cost was approximately $60 and maybe five hours of labor total. Bruce

I beveled the edges of the cracks on both sides, this would enable the filling materials to get underneath the crack and have something to hold on to. I backed the cracks with simple masking tape and filled the cracks with Great Stuff, insulating foam sealant, available at Ace Hardware of course. Here's a picture of the cracks after I sliced down the foam and the materials I used. I was concerned with all the voids in the foam. I had expected something solid but realized all those open holes would provide an excellent base for the SEM plasticized bumper repair which was applied next. I had to apply two coats of the bumper repair plastic. It was easy to work with and feather edged nicely.

The dashboard in my car had some serious cracks along the top but I couldn't pull the trigger to send it off for rework because of the cost. I wanted to try to repair it somehow though, I had to try something! Here's a few pictures of the cracks. Because of the limit on pictures in each post, I'll upload the balance of the pictures and the materials used after this. Bruce

Thanks for the response! It's a deal, the radio & steel wheel for $65.00 plus freight. Send me a private message (PM) through this website on the payment details, Paypal is the preferred mathod, all I'll need is your Paypal address. Bruce

Has anyone heard back from these guys? I sent them an email and haven't gotten a response and I'd like to buy some of the parts. Bruce

Will, Thanks for the clarification and correction. You're right, the 78 was a Black Pearl!! Bruce

From the picture it looks really clean, nice find! I hope it meets your expectations when you test drive her tomorrow. On the mirrors, my 280Z came with a mirror on both sides. You can pick up a set on Ebay, the OE mirrors are metal, not plastic. My 1970 240Z came with only one mirror but I plan on installing one on the passenger side also. I prefer one on both sides for safety purposes. Bruce

Hey Derek, The engine bay looks nice, glad to hear she's running well also. I've installed the two stickers on my air cleaner housing the same way you have it pictured from Kats. I looked at as many pictures as I could trying to get the consensus on where they were installed and I saw this configuration several times. Hopefully it's correct. On the FE-2 stamp. I'm speculating here but it's not uncommon in manufacturing to have someone place a "stamp" on a part, an assembly or some other feature on the product to signify it has been inspected and accepted. The stamps are typically unique to an individual Inspector. However, since Deming had such a strong influence on the Japanese and he was against product inspection in general, who knows where it came from. We would need to hear from other members who feel they have an original, unmolested 1970 air cleaner housing to see if they have something similiar. My housing didn't have any stickers on it. Bruce

Email sent! Bruce

Looks like they're making some decent progress with the electric vehicles, the performance numbers on this one is impressive. The price is too steep for me but I expect the technology to trickle down to the everyday car. I'd love to see us less dependant on foreign oil. For electric sports cars, I hope they develop some sort of man made exhaust noise system. One that makes a nice snarl when getting on it rather than the quiet response. http://autos.msn.com/as/minishow/article.aspx?contentID=4024172&s=Pebble2006 Bruce

Arvin, I haven't looked into EPDM, thanks for the tip. I worked in Manufacturing for 18 years but don't have much materials knowledge. I'm taking direction from a local Stamping House on what materials can/could be used. Once I've selected the material, they'll give me a price quote. The dilema is that I want something that will be functional and cost effective so that others would want to buy them. I like the idea of a PSA backing beings it would make re-assembly easier. I'm also leaning towards keeping it simple, like ordinary rubber, .062" thick. Bruce

Carl, I haven't heard of boiling a radiator, only gas tanks but I don't know everything. You can have the radiator pressure tested but that won't tell you how much, if any blockage you have inside. I've heard of others using CLR but haven't tried it myself or know how effective it would be. Why not have the radiator re-cored, it's like getting a new radiator. Bruce

Scott, I had the same problem on a 78 Z and I hated the way it looked. It didn't stick up that far but it was definately noticable. My seal kit was made by Precision. I tried adjusting the striker on the latch and that helped but I practically had to slam the hatch to get it to close, nor did the seal compress/relax over time either. I was going to slit the inner cavity of the seals that would enable them to sit further down on the metal edge but never tried it. I'll be installing a new seal kit on my 240 soon and don't want a repeat situation. I did a search and found that others have had issues with their seals also, primarily the door seals/doors being hard to close. Maybe someone has come up with a new way of addressing the problem. Bruce

Carl, Thanks for the feedback, I forgot about the metallics needing a clear-coat. Also, that means my 1970, 5/70 build date would be technically incorrect if I installed a new paint label that said #904, "acryllic enamel". This will be really helpful when I buy the new label. Thanks again! Bruce

Brian, I'm getting ready to re-install my dash and wanted to address the dim gauges before I do. I ordered 7 (BA9S-G4) yesterday, 2 each for the speedo/tach and 1 each for the three gauges. My only concern is that they're about 1/4" longer than what came out of my car and I might need to get creative. Here's the website: http://www.superbrightleds.com/led_prods.htm I should have these by early next week and will try and post some comparison pictures of incandescent vs LED. Bruce

George, What timing!!! I couldn't find any for my car so I've reverse engineered the geometry with a CMM off one of my headlight buckets and I'm going to have a die made. I have the CAD file but haven't pulled the trigger yet because I need to determine whether there are any differences between the 70 - 78 models. I keep meaning to check out the parts fiche, hopefully they're all the same. I'm also reviewing different materials, (i.e. solid rubber, closed cell foam, various durometers, PSA backing or not, gasket thickness, etc.) trying to figure out what will work best and pass the test of time. The gasket on the car seemed to be a solid rubber but after 36 years, I can't be sure. Once I've dialed it in, I plan on selling them. No idea on the price yet, maybe you'll be my first customer Any knowledge/feedback would be sincerely appreciated folks! Bruce

Steve, I thought all the Z's were painted with a single stage, acrylic enamel paint system back in the 70's, including the orange. I'm in the process of prepping my car for paint and the color will be #904 white. Sherwin Williams doesn't make a two stage #904 paint, only a single stage in the "3rd Dimension, Urethane Enamel" series. However, PPG does have the #904 two stage system available in the Omni series. Since the car was possibly painted not long ago, it's might have a two stage paint job. Bruce

Carl, It's nice to see such a low VIN car getting the royal treatment. I don't have an experienced answer for you, but I don't believe the rattle cans will protect/seal the metal from moisture. Have you asked the supplier who's doing the chemical dip what they recommend? Won't the dip be followed by some sort of zinc phosphate wash? Some members here have had their car dipped, maybe they'll pipe in and explain what they did while waiting to have their car painted. Good luck and post some pictures when you're finished. Bruce

I've seen them on a number of cars, (in pictures) and thought they looked pretty good but I've always thought it made the car look bug-eyed. I think it takes away from the distinctive lines of the car. Good luck with your decision. Bruce

Alex, I don't know the part number or if the Dealer still has them for sale. Consider pulling the same bolt(s) from the drivers seat and head on down to your nearest Ace hardware. They have a variety of hardened, metric bolts to help get your passenger seat mounted. It's probably less expensive too. Good luck with your car. Bruce

While waiting for my FX-35 to be prepped I got the chance to test drive a new Z. It was fun to drive, quick off the line, cornered nicely and braked well, which was what I expected. My complaint is the same for all vehicle manufacturers, no one makes a stripped down version. I'd like a BIG motor with great suspension and brakes. All the other whiz-bang/creature comfort stuff can be left off the vehicle. I'm satisfied with manual windows, mirrors, seats, etc. and an AM radio because all I listen to anymore is talk radio. Bruce

Sounds like you've got the best of both worlds; A sweet deal on a 280Z and the means to address any rust and body work that needs done. I'm hoping that you'll be able to paint her at school when the body is finished. Rusted springs, bolts, nuts, (fasteners) can be removed and replaced with new. The EGR is a part of the emissions system and helps clean your exhaust so I think it's important. I'm almost certain I've seen headers with the EGR pipe connection. The elbow pipe from the EGR valve to the header can still be purchased new from Nissan, about $40 if I remember correctly. It's not unusual to run into problems while working on an older car. The number of problems is usually in direct correlation to the amount paid for the car. You'll find answers to your problems here by posting questions and using the search engine. Have fun and good luck with your car! Bruce

Dave, I don't have the parts you're looking for. You might try Arizona Z Car Source in Phoenix, they usually have what I need. They have a nice inventory of cars, I'll bet they have your needed part(s). Bruce