EScanlon

Even with the cracks, if they're not too severe.... There is a post in the archives regarding how to repair them. I've used the repair product cited and I can vouch for it. Done carefully, the dash ends up looking very nice and for a fraction of the cost of recovering. FWIW E

Just a quick note: Etching Primer is only required when spraying onto bare untreated metal. Untreated meaning no chemical preparation. If you've used "Metal Ready", "Ospho", or PPG's Metal Prep, then you've done the basics of the metal preparation known as the "etching". You could use plain old primer/sealer over that and have a satisfactory base for paint to adhere. Without the etch primer/sealer/paint will not stick properly to metal. Etching Primer over painted surfaces won't be using it's "etching" properties, and as such, you'd be better off $ wise by simply using a Sealer or a Fill Primer. Filler primers have components to deposit sandable material onto the surface, but unless they specify that they ETCH, they won't adhere well to metal alone. There are multi-role products, but as can be expected, they can be spendy. FWIW E

If the dash is uncracked or damaged, that dash and other items could be worth a bit of $. You might want to investigate that further. 2¢ E

Jack, you make excellent points. In quoting your reply, I kept one of the most poignant, IMO, as to why I personally jump so hard on this type of bashing. IMO, those who are constantly looking to "deflate" any claims made by any seller of a Z, are the ones who are most responsible for re-sale values of these cars being and staying so low. Their comments, when read by folks looking to buy their first Z and doing research on the marque, enforce thoughts of keeping prices low and often beget equally low and sparse offers. IMO, some of those naysayers may only be voicing their own insecurity as to the value of their own cars. The other point that I inferred from your thread, that I agree with is, the "schoolyard" roundtable bashing that ensues. I can't enumerate the number of times that someone posted an ad for an otherwise beautiful vehicle being sold, and began or added to the thread with some denigrating comment. "Can you believe..."; "I almost threw up in my mouth..."; "What was this guy smoking..." are but just some of the comments that typify those posts. The banality of the comments seems to strike bottom and pull out a post hole digger. There are two times when it's actually hilarious to read further posts from those individuals. The first is when it turns out that the seller of the car joins the forum and announces his involvement, and the second is when the seller turns out to be an existing member. You can literally hear the gears grinding as they slam their posts into reverse to try to take back their comments. Sometimes it's impossible for them to do so. There are also times when it's obvious that the person looking to customize/modify/personalize their vehicle, simply has a different perspective on the world as it is. Even in those instances, comments and critiques can be made without seemingly quoting your 3 year old's profanity vocabulary. If "Ca-ca", "poo-poo", and "Throwing Up in my Mouth!" are part of your opinion descriptor lexicon, then you may wish to re-think intelligent conversation... period. Critiques oftentimes devolve into adolescent one-upmanship, with each poster looking for yet more vitriolic input to belittle the car and owner in question. Critiques should be informative, not derogatory. Citing flaws is valid, if they are factual and NOT malicious opinions. Citing missing emblems, incorrect items, even poor repairs need not be an examination of motives, intent or suggest that the seller has nefarious purposes at heart. Opinions are valid also, but leave the character assasination of the seller out. Even snide comments as to the car's appearance/modifications can be done -tastefully- without insulting anyone who might actually LIKE the car being discussed. A true witty comment can be right on point, yet not insulting or derogatory, and enjoyable by all. There are times when I have had communication from folks who liked the car, who were intimidated into not saying anything about it because of the cyber-bullying taking place. That demonstrates that the roundtable bashing is not conducive to intelligent discussion. A good intelligent conversation need not be where everyone agrees completely. Too many times to count there is a perfectly benign reason for the change or omission. Other times, it's simply due to the freedom of choice that many cite as being one of the reasons they love the Z, the freedom to personalize it and make the car their own. If people were to reconsider their remarks with themselves in the seller/owner's position, they might find a much nicer way of stating the "obvious". My 2¢ E

You can get oversize fender washers in nylon to help hold it in place with the original bolts. FWIW E

And the Cobra kit cars, and all those "replic-cars" on Pinto, Chevette, VW, Mustang II and other frames, and..... Sometimes it's as simple as "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"... E

Maybe you should have stated that in your first post on this thread. There are "repairs" and there are REPAIRS. One gets you back on the road, knowing that there will be a point where you will have to re-address the issue. The other, empties your wallet, but you know you'll never have to address THAT issue for a long time (there are no guarantees you'll NEVER have to address the same problem again). Sometimes you also get the luxury of one or more intermediate levels of repairs, but not always. IMO this is one of those times, you either REPAIR it, or you patch it. However, with any repair, there is the problem of OTHER items also failing subsequent to any repairs, both ad hoc and total replace. Replace a water pump and you might have water hoses to the radiator go next, then it might be the heater hoses, then the radiator cap, then the radiator, ... then the... Where does it end? I'm not saying that one forcefully begets the next, but from what the OP mentioned, it's his DD. While he may obfuscate his reasons, it may well be that $$$ are driving his need to effect a quick and inexpensive repair (vis a vis: " i got one of (his friends) to let me use one of his cars for this week "). That points to not having a "spare" vehicle. That means he needs a fix it now repair. While your approach is the one that would address it (probably) permanently, it is by far NOT the cheapest. I'm willing to guess that "inspecting and welding" that piece will probably get it close to the $100 mark. Then toss in the length of time to research where to have it done, the time for them to do it, and your time investment to get it done both taking it out and putting it back in and you may have gotten close to the $200 mark. In the long run, it might be more cost effective to simply buy a brand new OEM piece. Then the problem becomes one of finding a source, getting it paid and shipped to you, and of course the time involved. Which one gets him back on the road this weekend? 2¢ E

No. Why would I? E

Sure, once we can see your car. In the meantime, if you post the year and model you'll probably get a better response. 2¢ E

Actually the car looks pretty good! It looks as though it's been taken care of, and most importantly it has had items changed/added/removed that many would and have done to their cars. There ARE some items that have been modified/changed from the "original as delivered from the dealer", but there are EXTREMELY FEW cars that are STILL in "original as delivered from the dealer" condition and many of that subset are modified from "original as delivered TO the dealer FROM the factory". Bluntly stated, I don't see too many 1970-73 Z cars running around with Bias-Ply tires and original hubcaps on the original steel wheels. And "posed" pictures don't count, not if you normally DRIVE your car with mag wheels etc. We continuously tell new potential owners to find "the best example" of a Z they can afford, yet we continuously point them to "projects"... that will ultimately be MUCH more expensive than examples such as the one that started this thread. Given a choice between the e-bay ad car and that craig's list project... I'd be DRIVING my way down the road IN the Red car, rather than towing someone's failed project. There's more than $12k worth of upgrade to that project before it comes even close to the e-bay car FWIW E

I'm not referring to the rubber boot to capture fumes, I'm referring to the overflow sensor which, AFAIK, goes back to the 70's, even before unleaded became the norm for gasoline. As such, a gasoline station that does NOT have the overflow sensor... well I recall in Iowa seeing the gas barrel with the simple on/off valve that COULD be left to drain the tank, but I've NEVER seen a gas station without an overflow check valve on their pumps. In fact, I believe that's a requirement for a gas pump. E

Put the pump filler hose fully into the car's rubber hose, when the pump shuts off (sensing fuel has reached the tip), let it sit a bit to let the bubbling stop, then one more squeeze of the nozzle. When it stops this time, you're as chock full as you want to be, and even this may be a bit "over" full. This of course presumes that your evap tank and hoses are in good condition. If they're not, then you'll have other problems. 2¢ E

JB Weld, as Dave pointed out, is the way to go. It's good up to 550°F if memory serves right, and is water and fuel proof once cured. E

First check your wiring. The increase in amperage may be due to increased (and expected) current draw through 40 year old wiring. The original lamps on these cars were 55/45w and you can imagine that a 100/90w lamp may require maybe not twice as much current, but decidedly MORE than the original bulbs. The old wiring may simply NOT be up to it and you may have a literall melt-down. FWIW E

To those of us who know how to do body work properly, it shows us the ignorance the magnet wielder shows. Bondo, the "trade name" for polyester filler, is NOT the all-encompassing "curse" that people make it out to be. If you were to approach a car I have for sale, and tell me you were going to run your slick little "bondo-detector" all over the car to "prove" how bad a deal I was offering.... I don't think I could be polite in telling you where to stick your magnet. I'd tell you to pay up, IN CASH, and then you could stick whatever you wanted wherever you wanted to stick it into. Bondo, used properly, is VERY common in the old/used car market. There are literally MILLIONS of cars with bondo applied.... with no deleterious effects. Heck, can you honestly say that a 35 to 40 year old car will NOT have ANY problems? I'll grant that there are equally millions of cars with poorly applied "repairs". Those are the ones which you need to be careful of, but this "one-size-fits-all" approach to detecting them is not the true detector of bad repairs you make it out to be. In fact, it's likely to make you pass up some otherwise EXCELLENT vehicles. It doesn't take much filler or primer or icing or red-cap before your little refrigerator magnet will NOT adhere properly. Did it really find a bad repair or did it find an area that may have been repaired at the original receiving dock when the car came off the ship, and that repair was done professionally and properly? Heck, some of these vehicles have been repainted more than once, twice even three and four times, and not always sanded down or stripped to the metal. Go ahead, test those, you'll find that some of them are "dubious". That little refrigerator magnet usually has a hard time holding more than 3 or 4 sheets of paper on the refrigerator door, it's NOT a precision tool. 2¢ E

No worries, we all learned how to do the "forum" thing at some point. E

Appearances can be deceiving. A simple continuity check between the two terminals will tell you if you have at least ONE of the lines working. No continuity and you either do NOT have ANY unbroken lines OR your spade contact is no longer attached to the grid. First check for 12v at the wiring to the defroster with the switch on AND the ignition switch in the RUN position (to ensure the relay has powered the grid up). If you don't have 12v, then your problem may be in the fuse, wiring or switch. Do a continuity test just for S&G but I'd look at the wiring before proceeding further. FWIW E

And you only need to answer once, without having to quote each person that responded to you. It keeps the thread from getting overloaded with duplicate text, and when you're answering the same information to each, really not needed. FWIW E

First... what kind of budget are you working on? If shoe-string.... dab on more bondo, and drive it till she dies. If Jay Leno $'s, have the body dipped and custom make all the metal you are definitely going to need. If in the middle.... try to find a better candidate. That roof damage implies MUCH more hidden damage, as does the wheel well rust-through. You haven't addressed the Rocker Panels, but since you ALREADY have floor panel damage, I'm guessing they're not in the best shape either. All in all, you're going to need LOTS of patience, money and time IF you're doing this yourself. If you're having it done... LOTS AND LOTS of money. Not trying to burst your bubble, just being honest and factual from what I can see in the pictures you've posted. It may be that what you're showing is ALL the rust there is, but my experience says you've just scratched the surface. 2¢ E

Did you do any installations, repairs, or otherwise add/remove/repair/replace ANYTHING to do with the electrical system of the car? That is sometimes the shortest route to finding the source of the problem. E

Ron: You'll need to be more specific. Are you referring to the A/C ducting? (i.e. you have the evaporator housing in the passenger foot well.) OR Are you referring to the vent/heater ducting that goes to the "eye-ball" vents and / or the defroster openings? E

You'll want to define "correct" for your purposes. Do you mean 1 - An antenna that works? or; 2 - The OEM, Stock, Kanji Stamp, proper Date Code, verified Series I antenna tip with the proper exterior mount? or; 3 - The replacement antenna that Nissan offered in latter years, which other than the antenna tip, works the same, and is hidden under the plastic panel? or; 4 - An aftermarket antenna which can be made to operate the same as the original and it works? That will help in answering your question. FWIW E

Bryan: Contact MSA as they are the SPONSOR of our site that sells the items you've mentioned. Folks, we have to help our sponsors or we won't have any.....

If he were living in vacuum... E

Move over, you're blocking our view of your car... E