EScanlon

Be aware that the original color was a very hard match. That's why Les is able to sell the duplicated color spray cans. Additionally, due to it's rather "coarse" finish, it was a bugger to keep clean AND it was impossible to clean if you got wax on it. So if you go original, be very careful when waxing the back part as any wax on the OEM is very difficult to clean off and shiny spots on those panels don't look good. In the past, many owners would paint it flat black, with the same problems with waxing. Others used SEMI-Gloss with better luck with the wax, but unfortunately the beginnings of shine which wasn't the original look. Carl's suggestion of SATIN Black is better. It will have a smoother finish and allow the wax without shining up too much, and it still has that dullish look. 2¢ Enrique

That's cause you baked the top layer, but trapped all the solvents underneath the top layer. Since they couldn't evaporate (remember you hardened the top, think of chocolate pudding, the kind that skins over), the primer underneath stayed soft. When you further painted it, you further sealed the solvents requiriing MORE time before you could handle it without marring. 2¢ Enrique

Brian: This is probably the best idea. Not sure why you have the Mallory, but unless there's a specific need, I would swap it out. I was originally going to suggest you talk to Matt up here by me on 99th, but I don't know that he works on non-stock equipment. You'd have to ask him. Hope you get it running in time for Blue Lake. Beandip and I hope to have his there. Enrique

Insert the metal clip at the back of the mirror's base (the side closest to the driver), then with a quick thump of either your palm or a small rubber mallet, smack the front half (the side closest to the windshield). Presto! To remove the mirror, you grasp the mirror body and the stem, then a SHORT jerk down. You CAN break it, but not if it's a short tug. i.e. don't RIP it off the ceiling, just fast tug. Hope this explains it. Enrique

Personally, I like it. If you recall the Vinyl pieces over the transmission, and rear wheel buckets, they also have that somewhat off-black stitching. Aside from the material (diamond embossed naugahyde) and leather, they are similar in intent but not in looks. The main difference is that the dash has a different style of seam than the vinyl. The dash has a type of stitch that has a join stitch, followed by two fold-back stitches, that leaves the point at where the leather pieces meet exposed. The diamond vinyl pieces have a double seam stitch, where the join point is hidden by the material underneath. The amount of work that went into that leather dash! To try to duplicate something like that WITHOUT any stitching, would take a LOT of stretching and shaving during the tanning process just to get it to fit into all those eyebrows on the gauges. And then it would be so fragile in certain areas as to make it a losing proposition. Now I agree with Vicky on that there is TOO MUCH stitching. If the dash had been done with the style of stitching on the original vinyl pieces, then I think it would look sharp and in place. 2¢ Enrique

Hook up the battery charger to the battery in the car, leave it overnight or until the charger reports full charge and forget about it. Just remember the advice for the next time your battery dies, use the charger NOT the alternator. The old method of getting a jump start, then idling the engine for two hours will give you SOME juice, maybe even enough to start the car a couple of times, but it isn't the solution and you're taxing the battery and the alternator as well as the rest of the system. 2¢ Enrique

Brian, check that the vacuum advance system is working ok. Enrique

Your math is off. Early airplanes used to do this easily. Their flying speed was low enough that sometimes by flying INTO a high speed wing, they would actually be moving BACKWARDS over the terrain they were flying over. To any observer, the plane was moving backwards, only if the pilot looked down and saw the ground, would he be aware that he was moving backwards. In the example given by Beandip, standing still on the surface of the earth, you are still traveling the 700mph stated, with respect to a reference point NOT on the earth's surface (any object on the earth's surface would have the same traveling speed to that same reference point). If you moved IN direction of the earth's spin, your speed, relative to the reference point, would be incremented by your speed over the surface of the earth. Simply put, your land speed would be ADDED to the earth's speed with respect tot he reference point. AGAINST the direction of the earth, your speed would be SUBTRACTED from the earth's speed with respect to the reference point. There are no negative figures with respect to speed except with reference to another point of reference. By definition speed is distance related to time, distance is always measured between two points, a negative distance does not exist. Speed is an ABSOLUTE term, i.e. it's value. Time is the same. E E

You don't state what TYPE of paints you used, but there are several different types. Not only in Aerosol Cans but also in mix to spray varieties. Without going into a long discourse on types, benefits and problems; you need to check the type of paint you used and the type of primer you used on the metal. From your post and replies it seems that the area that's giving you problems is the metal, that is the spokes. You don't mention whether you've addressed the rim, or the "wood". The POR route is one way of getting a very HARD coating. You can also top coat it with one of the other products they sell that will give you a very satisfactory satin finish. If you use the spray can method, then you must pay attention to the requirements of the paint you put on. Some paints will require a primer, some won't. (Think of Rust-O-Leum and an automotive touch up paint.) For those that require a primer, it is because the paint will NOT adhere to bare metal and you MUST let the primer set long enough to release the solvent in it. Then you must scuff or sand the surface for the paint to adhere. With Rust-O-Leum, and other "Do It Yourself" type of paints, you don't need to prime for the paint to stick to the metal. You CAN prime it though, but you must be sure to use a compatible primer to the paint. Priming with those paints is usually to smooth out imperfections and not for paint adhesion. If you prime, you must scuff that top skin for the next layer of paint to adhere. this also allows the last of the solvent to evaporate which in turn opens up small microscopic orifices in the primer for the paint to soak into. If you don't allow the solvent to evaporate, your primer will BE soft. Encapsulate it with paint and the surface will stay soft for a LONG period of time. Additionally, if you shoot a THICK coat of primer, you must let it sit longer in order to dry out. Here's where putting the item in a "oven" would work, but NOT at the temperatures you've mentioned. To fast cure primer, you wouldn't do more than put it under an infra-red lamp and the temp would stay well below 130-160 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything more than that and you are asking to "boil" out the solvent. Additionally, too much heat and you'll have other problems. In the case of the steering wheel, the rim could not only melt, but at the temperatures that powder coating is baked, might even burn. Tell that to your powder coater and see what he says.....Get out! So, as a quick how to fix post, strip off the paint on the spokes that's too soft, whether by chemical or mechanical means (if chemical avoid the rim at all costs as the stripper will seriously damage it). Using lacquer thinner, wash off any residue left. Then find a can of Rust-O-Leum Satin Black, which is shinier than Flat, but not as shiny as Gloss. Spray a very light coat on both sides and let dry (about 10 minutes). Spray a second coat and ensure you have complete coverage, while still maintaining a light coat, again let dry (this one about 30 mins.). Then spray a third coat, which can be a little thicker but now you're going for a SMOOTH finish. Allow to dry at least 24 hours at temperatures ABOVE 65°F. If you can't be sure that the garage will stay above 65 all night, then bring it inside. Yes it's going to stink, so be prepared for the yelling SWMBO will give you, or wait till she's away (and then air out the house before she gets back). This should fix that problem. As far as the rim, there are different clear coats available. Clean the rim, sanding if necessary to achieve a smooth finish. Stain if desired, can't remember the stain other members have mentioned as the proper color, then after it's dried apply a high gloss poly-urethane. Hope this helps. Enrique

I was told by the guys at the Battery Shop (Sears) that you shouldn't use the engine alternator to recharge a battery. They recommended using a battery charger to bring it back to full potential. E

So you felt that YOUR crap was OK? I seem to recall that the poster hadn't complained. So you felt you had to start an argument? Nah, one of us would do the Indiana Jones equalizer trick. If you feel that a moderator is required, then report the post and post your reason. You might be advised that "Because I said so." does NOT work worth a damn. Neither do threats. Was there an election for KING and you won? Since there wasn't, either join in INTELLIGENTLY or shut up and learn. If you don't want to read more, then DON'T. Not trying to crunch your ego, but do we REALLY need your permission? E

You didn't miss it, the comment as written was perfect for ANY car club. I mean that. The only reason I added the Z was to tie it in to Classic Z Cars and then have Mike post it on the Home Page right at the bottom of the Welcome to the Club picture. I think it's a very succinct statement that emphasizes our "badges of honor" that we sometimes exhibit. If you don't mind, I'm going to PM Mike about posting it. E

Addition/Emphasis mine. Mike: Would you see about putting a nice border on this statement and posting it somewhere on the front page? Enrique

Gav: Excellent points mate! Personally, I think he would have been better served to point that Air Induction Horn towards the BACK of the car and fashioned a hood over it. The general look of the hood would at least match the general look of the car over the road. Enrique

Agreed. That is what defines the true "artiste" in the body man. Enrique

Aye! It didn't look like it had ever been worked in. Beautiful and decidedly desireable place, but it does look a bit like Paris Hilton's Garage. i.e. It's been designed to be the best, but it hasn't been worked in. It's supposed to be spotless for her sake, but have everything for whatever gent she may be entertaining to feel at home. And at that point, who would want to leave? Enrique

Except that the "Post Reply" button is all the way to the bottom of the "page" and you have to page / scroll down to get to it. By keying on "Quote" it then takes you to the same message page. More steps? Yes, but instead of scrolling down to FIND the button, it's right there at the bottom of the post you are reading. The Ctrl-A, is a small keystroke to pay, and the very next keystroke, whether the Delete button or the first letter of what I type, will delete the previous and highlighted text. I'm just lazy. E

Hoo Boy, you're not going to open up that can of worms are you? Amongst a group of fanatical car enthusiasts who trounce on posts such as this with the vengeance of ant-stompers at a picnic that accepts the likes of you and I????? I'll accept that I can only speak for myself, but as Groucho Marx said "I wouldn't want to be a member of one that would accept me." (I know it's messed up, post the correction, and QYB). To save time and bandwith, I couldn't agree with you more. Yup, ditto. Saw the gas door and it's a perfect example of why metallics, candies, pearls, and other translucent style paints need to be painted mounted together and not on the shop table. I don't mind the V8 either, kinda fits the overall design. Don't know enough about engines to discuss them further. Enrique

Cheat like the rest of us. Click Quote on any of the messages, once in the reply form, click into the message body, press Ctrl-A, Delete, and start typing. E

As far as I know, according to Charlie Osborne I received one of the last two to come out of Japan. Check my gallery for the pictures of them installed. http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=8949&sort=4&cat=500&page=1 E

I'll have to chime in and agree with you two. I personally think the guy did a pretty good job of it. While I can understand the general dislike for this car exhibited by most of the posts, I also fail to see why it is so abhorrent to the rest of you. It's different, not necessarily what I would do, but I would much rather see this done to it than see it in a junkyard. Like the comment I made years ago regarding modifications, this definitely ain't no Tyson in a miniskirt, but it's no Caroline Cossey (Tula) either. Enrique

HEY HEY HEY, no offense intended Vicky, but believe me, even the thought of this, is painful to the rest of us males. So, could you just PM him with this type of comment? Wince Wince...... E

Will, in re-reading through the post, I realized that I had misunderstood Bambi's comment. What I meant about not being a Wirgin, is that you probably have caught yourself with the e-bay overpay virus. As far as waiting for your repro headlight covers, I'm still in for at least one pair (depending on whether I keep the Orange Z). E

I also plead Guilty as Charged. As far as Will's charge, I don't think he's no Wirgin neither. E

With all the discussion about Headlight Covers, a Factory Option for the Early Z's, I thought we could "pool" regarding what we think this auction will end up selling for: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4534911997&fromMakeTrack=true Since it's already at $350US, let's take a poll as to what it finishes at. E Posted 3-11-05, link will disappear after 6-05