EScanlon

I'm going to chime in with a completely different viewpoint. How much did you agree to pay for the car? $1-3 thousand? Not a bad amount for what we've been able to see. (just a few pictures of some damage underneath, none of which are fatal.) How does the interior look like? Is it clean, complete and generally without major problems? Or is it trashed needing total replacement before you can drive it? What about the exterior? Complete, original paint job? or a good quality repaint? At the risk of offending you, I think you have a bad case of Buyer's Remorse and are being extremely hyper-critical, LOOKING for a justification to refuse the car and get out of the deal. The cracked undercoating on the floor pan, big deal. Scrape it off, wire brush it, and reapply. That it is dried out, cracking and showing some rust beneath it is not only typical, it is in reality quite minor. What did you expect of 30+ year old tar based undercoating? If the undercoating were brand new, sticky and still gooey, THEN I'd be seriously worried that it had been applied to intentionally hide problems. Black paint sprayed in the wheel wells and on the underside of the car? That's such an old trick at used car lots as to make any body man laugh. A simple pressure wash gets rid of it and reveals what's underneath. The pulled metal where they tied it down, that one I would get the shipping company to pay for. It's not more than a hundred or so. Any qualified sheet metal worker could repair that in fifteen minutes. The crushed frame rail? I don't see NEW scrapes on it, I see as 2MZ said, damage from a floor jack, or a garage lift. If it bothers you that much, it can be replaced. But it doesn't look as though it has collapsed and therefore compromised integrity. The red dust you see everywhere, could it be plain old dirt? There are LOTS of areas in California where they have RED dirt! Red Dirt = Red Dust. Those look like the original tires, could this car have sat in a barn for a number of years? If so, almost ALL of the problems you've mentioned would definitely be attributable to not having been "woken" up or refreshed properly. But in all of this, you've not given pictures of the exterior, interior, general condition of the car. Let's take a look at the rest of the vehicle, AND post how much you agreed to pay. That may be the biggest indicator of all. As far as the transport company, did you shop for the "lowest" bidder? Or did you find a reputable transport company with credentials to match? Sorry if this offends anyone, but I've seen worse, and from the very limited pictures we've seen, this is NOT a basket case of a car. Enrique Scanlon

The site looks good and promising. However, I would caution you to check with a lawyer to make sure that you won't be liable for trademark infringement with e-Bay. Yes, I know, it's NOT spelled ~exactly~ the same, but the courts have sided with Starbucks against a small coffee shop called Sam Buck's in Oregon. With a name such as Z-Bay, the similarity to e-Bay, both are auction sites, both operate on the same principles and manners, I'm afraid that you would find an injunction against you would be the LEAST you could expect. Why not something such as Z-Buy? I like the idea, a Z only web-site, however, I'd hate to hear that you got into legal hazzles with someone with more money than you to throw at those bottom feeding lawyers. FWIW my 2¢

Pete: I agree with you. However, of the 4 Z's I've had personal experience with, all of them had either had the undercoating "retouched" or seriously scraped off due to high centering on obstacles, poor jack placement, or whatever. At that point, I go back to my statement of "TRUSTING" that it's ok. I like to "Trust....but verify.". 2¢

Unless you plan to disassemble the car to this extent several times during the time period you own it, you might as well do it as thoroughly as you can afford, have the time available and are willing to do it. It will pay itself off over the years. Yes you may find some unpleasant surprises. I found that the "mild surface rust" on the floor pans was actually the beginnings of total rust through and in a year or so I would have had Flintstone brakes. My front fenders had a couple of minor "rust bubbles" under the paint, that turned out to be massive gobbs of packed rotting leaves / needles that were just holding nice moisture up against unprotected metal. Plus other incredibly joyful (note the sarcasm) discoveries. Would I have been better off NOT doing it? I don't think so. Yes, it was a bear of a job having to do all that work, and the expense was not something I relished, but thankfully, I feel that it will make it that much easier to work on the car in years to come. So ask yourself this, do you honestly TRUST that there are no problems underneath the undercoating? If so, leave it be and address it if and when problems arise. Do a simple test, get a pressure washer and blast away the grime, oil, and other stuff that will come off. If you're lucky, you'll blast off the bulk of the undercoating and discover that there aren't any problem areas. That is what you want. Then do a proper undercoat following the directions and you will have satisfied yourself that there are no problems. If on the other hand, you find problems, you will be extremely grateful to have caught them before they become killer items. 2¢

You're a braver man than I am Gunga Bill. I wouldn't have tailgated her in retaliation. What would have you done had SHE slammed on her brakes? Surely you would have been worse off. I'm a chicken. I'll admit it. When I have someone getting too close to my rear end when I'm driving my Z, I'll slow down at first and eventually pull over, roll my window down and give them a hand signal that basically says, go ahead get in front. Not an American salute, no menacing, just go ahead. Sometimes just slowing down will get them to back off, when it doesn't, giving them the go ahead will get the point accross to them. Sadly, and I know I'll catch some flak for this from the female members of the club, today, the MOST aggressive and offensive drivers are young females. At least in MY opinion. I'm not saying there aren't male idiots out there, just that lately, when I've been driving around, I've been cut off, tail-gated, almost side swiped by young females. I give them a wide berth. Just my 2¢

Sorry if that came out wrong. There isn't anything that I'm opposed to in your post, as I generally do the same as you are doing. Where I don't understand nor want urethane bushings, there are lots of people who speak well of them. I've also heard that they can make the ride a bit harsher. Maybe I've gone soft in the rear, but I'm not wanting a harder ride. Yes, I've heard the argument regarding response, handling, etc. But I'm not looking to build a car that can handle 160mph through that famous winding road in San Francisco. I am content going 60-70mph in a quiet smooth ride. I don't wish to classify your optimization as performance upgrading, as that may not be your intent. But in a fast read, that's where we differ. In my life I've discovered that if you ride your car HARD you can expect it to require lots of maintenance. Since I intend to hold onto my Z for MANY years, (Hey, it took me close to 30 to own my first one.) I certainly do NOT intend to run it into the ground or into some unyielding substance. Am I saying your view is wrong? Not at all, not in the slightest, nor, I hope, did I imply it. If I did, I'll retract it here. Optimizing is a very personal item. Where one individual feels that louvers on the rear window (which I have) are a requirement to keeping the interior cool, another feels that they are to keep the carpet and plastic from fading. I put them on for BOTH those reasons. Another person feels that it makes the car ~look~ faster. Yet someone else will say that it is to keep prying eyes out. Which one is wrong? None. Where I admit readily that I couldn't tell the difference between an E-88 head and whatever other types there are out there, I trust that those people, such as you and others whose posts I've read, DO know the difference. If I were inclined to do all those modifications, I would take your advice and apply it. But, the car as she sits, operates nicely, has good acceleration, and although the mileage is not the best, it isn't in the single digits. I'm sure someone else would feel that there is much to ...optimize... in the engine. So as far as having different opinions, no doubt. Am I in disagreement with you? No. Enrique Scanlon

I agree with BambiKiller's first sentence although I differ on my opinion on the rest. (Not saying he's wrong.) To me, there are far too many cars out there that are still running that unfortunately don't look good, or as good as they should. This isn't a put down on anyone who is still working on getting his / her car mechanically sound before proceeding onto exterior appearances. In fact, I heartily promote that to my friends, make it mechanically sound BEFORE you make it pretty. To me there's nothing more heartbreaking than seeing a beautiful car in the boneyard for some serious flaw that was overlooked. (You know the ones I'm referring to, rusted out frame rails, floor pans, KEY components that spell doom for a car.) So, if the car operates safely, properly and without trouble, take the time to at least make it look maintained. There are too many "calico" cars out there. Those are the ones with different color panels. Unfortunately, people see those, and judge all of that model by those few. 2¢

Peter Yes it was, since my deal with the owners was they paid for all materials, shop rental costs at the MWR Auto Shop and I got a small fee (too ludicrous to mention). Most were simple repaints and detailing. You'd be surprised how many owners didn't know the basics about detailing interiors etc. or how to do simple body work. But I left the Air Force in 90. Just prior to the Gulf War. Technically, I'm a Gulf War Vet since I served through the early preparations but my specialty wasn't considered a critical retain slot, so I was able to out-process. Since then the number of cars has seriously trickled down to only doing my own. By the way, although the POR does get hard enough to require tapping, I don't know as I would trust it for more than just a few foot-pounds of torrque. Cheers!

These are exactly what Beandip wants! Except that he wants to see if we can get the body powder coated to look like fur with the belly a little lighter tan. The only problem is that he really, REALLY likes that fake suede look, you know the fuzzy stuff, and he's not sure if that would make the wheels hard to clean. Actually, I think he just bought some exactly like this, except they had a die (as in half of a pair of dice). Just thought I'd share.......

All excellent advice, but CarguyinOK said it best. If you call and offer him more money, that plays into what he wants. How much more are you willing to pay? He can either chump you along and play the "Let's see what the other guy will offer." B.S., or he can hesitate and accept. OR He doesn't call you back for 2 weeks, and then you get desperate and offer him way more than you should, and the same scenario develops. First check to see if you can find another car for a little more money in better condition. (Or even better, better condition, less money.) If that's possible, walk away and go for the other car. However, if there is something specific about this car that kind of "forces" your hand to buying THIS specific car (This was the car you borrowed in school, and it's where you first got to 3rd base.), then, using the scenario CG in OK said, call, tell him that you've reconsidered your offer would like to sweeten it but only if the seller can make up his mind NOW, if he chooses to call the other guy yada yada, then your original offer stands.

So about 41° F. The product label and information sheet says that the work surfaces should be at 65°F (18.3° C) at least 24 hours PRIOR to application and for the next 72 hours. Since the POR sets by using ambient humidity, it is a CHEMICAL reaction. As such temperature would definitely affect it. Whether it would set or not, I don't know, that would be a good question to pose at www.por.com Hope this helps. Enrique Scanlon

I POR'ed the whole interior of the vehicle first. Next I will chip / grind / dissolve / nuke the undercoating to then coat the whole underside of the car. Hope this helps.

No doubt we have the answers amongst the members or in the archives. But could you be a bit more specific? What year? Model? The dash wiring harness is pretty easy, are you talking about the wiring schematic? Enrique Scanlon

If it was a test, what did we win?

These operate a simple fresh air vent that uses the air coming through the front frame members. No fan, no filters, no heating, just simple fresh air from the front of the car in front of the radiator frame member. Hope this helps.

Glad you solved it. Occam's Razor is fancyspeak for K.I.S.S.. Everyone knows what Keep It Simple Stupid stands for, and although this is what Occam's Razor boils down to, sometimes, Occam's Razor is also used in reverse. When I studied Mechanical Engineering we were taught that sometimes the most efficient mechanism is the simplest. i.e. least amount of moving parts, less complexity, etc. Occam's Razor when applied to problem solving is simply to NOT confuse the problem by adding to it, but simply approach the items involved at that point without looking for more. What Keith probably found was that either one of the bulb filaments at the front was burned out, or a bad wire connection up there.

Peter: No apology needed. In fact, if I came off too strong it was probably due to another posting on another site where someone had asked if Wick Humble's process of removing and restoring a fender was "overkill" and why couldn't he just remove and replace and not worry about the sealing, gasketing and other "nonsense" as he phrased it. I've been doing Body Work for about 20 years. At first as a job, then after a couple years and enlisting in the Air Force, as a hobby. I've restored close to two dozen vehicles, pretty much by myself just for the kicks and grins of seeing it go down the road. My wife would like to shoot me for not having made as much money on those projects as she would have liked, (some for no money). As a result, I've seen many different vehicles in all stages of deterioration, and owners with unbelievable demands coupled with incredibly meager budgets or the tightest wallets I've seen. I've heard the "What Guarantee?" question more often than I would like, and I've never been able to provide a definite for sure this will work type of answer. For all the products I've used, POR provides a coating which ~promises~ to provide the kind of coating I wish I had when I did some of my first restoration jobs. I restored a 76 Mercury Capri II that had tons of cancerous rust. I replaced metal all over the place, cut out all the bad cancer, replaced fenders, rocker panels, used brazing and welding almost exclusively, body filler was kept to a minimum, fibreglass was used only in a few spots. I used Metal Prep washes to coat, Epoxy Primer througout, Primer Sealer, and several coats of paint as well as clear coat. When I was finished, I had lots of compliments, and the car stayed nice for many years. Unfortunately, I drove the car in Michigan, as a daily driver. After 6 years, the cancer was returning and at that time I couldn't afford to rework the car. Was there something wrong with what I did? Hard to say. Did I miss something? Possibly. The only sure thing, is that driving a car in winter when they salt the roads is a surefire guarantee that you will once again get rust. POR has been used by a lot of folks, magazines have tested it. Car clubs praise it. I figure that with that many people praising it it should be better than what I have done in the past. I'll finish off by saying this. In using the POR on my Z, I coated all the areas that I found that needed attention. In doing so, I painted over and into many of the captured nuts on the frame. When I went to reassemble the car, I discovered that the old method of pushing down harder on the screw / bolt in order to get it to engage the threads on the nut, simply would not work. I stripped a couple screws. Frustrated, I got out my tap and die set. I ended up chasing the threads on all the nuts that had been painted. However, it felt more like I was cutting NEW thread than chasing old. That's some HARD paint! I personally feel that any paint this hard, has got to be giving the kind of "bullet proof" protection that I want on the critical areas of the car. 2¢

The Stock antenna on the early years required the user to raise and lower it with a switch. It did not have travel limits / stops so you could essentially push the up or down button all day long and the only thing you would hear is the click click click of the clutch mechanism inside the antenna. Later year antennas, with the introduction of the later radios that supported automatic antennas did not require the switch, as the relay for operation was internal to the antenna or radio. Simply put, when you powered up the radio, the antenna received the signal to extend, and when you turned off the radio, the signal received by the antenna was stopped and therefore the antenna would retract. Both types of antennas used different wiring. Early Z's used the chassis as part of the circuitry to the antenna, which made it very hard to get an aftermarket antenna to work in the Z without wiring for the new antenna. If you have a newer style radio, with the blue antenna power lead to power the automatic solenoid it will NOT work with the older style antenna. Conversely, a newer style antenna requiring that blue antenna power lead will NOT work with the original radios. 2¢

Welcome to the Club! Looks nice.

If what you are looking for is some sort of guarantee that this will solve / fix / eliminate / prevent any and all present, future, possible, probable, accidental, incidental and intentional problems, you're not going to get it from anyone here, nor even from the manufacturer. You could go the conventional way, sandblast the metal, use some sort of metal etch prep to provide some sort of phosphate coating to rust proof it, use epoxy primer, and apply a good coat of paint and you'd have the same guarantee as what you had originally. Actually better, since the original galvanizing and paint were very thin. POR has been used by many reputable magazines in tests. They've put it to the test to see how it performs. Is it an absolute guarantee that NOTHING will ever happen again? No. There are far too many variables as you pointed out. Is it the BEST protection (in their opinion) when applied properly? When compared to other products making the same claim, YES. Is it worth the expense? That's all up to you. I used it, many others have also. Am I "guaranteed" no further problems? No. But then again, I'm reasonably confident that I've applied something that will be a serious deterrent to further problems. I live in the Pacific NorthWest so I'm not readily exposed to salt on the roads, and I wouldn't drive it on the roads where such would be present. But I have driven it in the rain, will drive it in the rain, and will keep an eye on things. 2¢

Instead of the ignition switch, you might check the combination switch on the steering column. As far as slow wipers, they may need removing and cleaning on the arms. There are several articles on this board, do a search through the various forums and you will find tons of info to check into . 2¢

There's no need to remove the Fan Switch from the Panel. Doing so just guarantees you the problems you had. The whole Heater Control Panel h the Control Lever Assembly and Cables AND Switch come off as an assembly. 2¢

There are 3 ways of removing the clock: 1) Remove the Glove Box Cardboard and access the back of the clock. 2) Remove the Heater Control Panel and access the back of the clock. 3) Squeeze your hand in between the ducts going to the defrost ducts and the eyeball vents, worm it in between the wiring and strictly by feel, remove the 8mm Hex Screw holding the clock in place, then disconnect the wiring and carefully snake the whole thing out. Installation is the reversal of removal! :devious: As far as testing off the battery, do yourself a favor and hook up an inline fuse before using that as your test / calibrating power source. If you should "jolt" or shock the mechanism you might burn it out. (Remember that's what a surge protector does.) 2¢

Bambikiller said it best. The problem with pliable seam sealer is that it never "sets", which is it's good point. Since it never sets, it can be pulled off by accident or get hard when yu least expect it. That's what happened to the original stuff Datsun used. I POR'ed the whole floor, firewall, transmission tunnel, tool compartments, wheel wells, inner fenders, hatch floor, behind the tail lights. The only part that didn't get it was the spare tire well, and that will get it later. 2¢

The 240 Heater will NEVER put out HEATED air through the vents in the center vent or side "eyeball" vents of the dash. The only air that will come out of the center and sides is air from the Vent when the Top Lever is on Vent. When the lever is on Heat it will either push air out the defrost tubes (up by the windshield) or down to the floor (Room) down by the top of the transmission tunnel. This lever is the only one that operates TWO cables. One that goes on the left hand side of the Heater Assy, somewhat to the front, to operate the internal flapper valve. The other cable (the longest one) goes behind the Heater Motor Squirrel Cage to the Fresh Air Vent mechanism to the flap valve there. The Center Lever just actuates the Heater Valve on the passenger side of the Heater Unit. One cable to this lever. The Bottom Lever closes a flap inside the Heater Assy that either pushes the air up through the defrost tubes, or let's it out the sides by opening little flaps on both sides of the heater unit below the Heater Core. One cable to this lever. Hopefully this explains why you're not getting warm air through the "correct" openings. Enrique Scanlon