EScanlon

Be sure to look at post #'s 8 & 9 in the referenced thread. Apparently there are flecks of silver in the Fusion paint Juan used that may be disagreeable or not what you may want in your finish. I've not used the Fusion for anything yet and as such don't know what/how/where it would work or have problems. The SEM problem, on the other hand, the only reasons I can come up with het's having texture problems with it are: 1) Either poor prep (wrong cleaning agent, wrong de-greasing agent, handling item after degreasing/cleaning) or 2) Improper paint procedure (too thick a coat, temperature too cold/hot, not shaking the can well/long enough). In my experience, SEM is more of a DYE than a PAINT, as such it takes very light and even coats as opposed to a single blast/pass. Do it properly and the finish, color and longevity are as good as factory paint results (and many plastic/vinyl pieces come painted from the factory). FWIW E

The biggest problem isn't finding a fuse or even fusible link wire, it's determining the correct rating for it. The earlier Z's (up to 7/73) had a choice of 4 part numbers none of which show rating information. After 8/73 you have a rating choice of either 0.5 or 1.25. Part numbers: 24022-E4101 Fusible Link, with Rubber Cover, listed as OP 24022-E4100 Fusible Link, LESS Rubber Cover, listed as up to 12/70 24022-E4102 Fusible Link, Less Rubber Cover, listed as 1/71 to 8/71 superseding E4100 24022-E8200 Fusible Link, Less Rubber Cover, listed as 9/71 to 8/73 superseding E4102 Note that there isn't any model info nor rating information. Then: 24161-28500 Fusible Link (0.5), listed as from 8/73 for either the 2 seater of the 2+2 24161-A0100 Fusible Link (1.25), listed as from 8/73 but no model detail. Additionally, the earlier Z's had a Datsun connector on one end and an eye-ring on the other (starter end). The Datsun connector is what connects it to the wiring harness just below the battery and by the starter. It isn't your "standard" fusible link wire which arrives with plain wire ends. (Don't forget that the gage of the wire AND it's length are both factors in determining the rating of the link.) Later models had a fusible link "box" with a cover. This is where it lies. If we can investigate the particulars, it might be possible to ascertain WHERE and WHAT to buy. FWIW E

If your car is as clean and original as you describe, then it IS worth more as an "original, un-modified" than it would be with a V8 swap or other modification...even if it had some problems that would require repairs, such as rust, paint, or replacing some parts. While the V8 transplants, and other speed modification may be valuable, they are generally only valuable to those owners who would be interested in such a modification, and as a broad general rule, most of those owners would rather effect their own changes than buy another person's modifications. Not to denigrate or in any manner, fashion or form disparage those who chose to do those changes, but they are VERY subjective. One man's "improvement" is another man's "butchering". That said, there are numerous vehicles out there that are far better suited for a V8 transplant or other speed modifications than the vehicle you describe. I myself have two, one is a 72 with a non-matching engine and a 73 with a 4-barrel carb modification. Both need work, (paint and interior) but either would be better candidates for those types of modifications. FWIW Enrique

Matching texture is always a major problem when effecting repairs on plastic pieces. The best way I've found to do it is to use another matching and unbroken piece and using plastilene or even silicone and mold release to get an impression of the texture to transfer to the repair material. I've had good luck using JB Weld, and other "soft" mix epoxies that can take the impression easily. If you use a stiff epoxy or a heat generating material (as fiberglass resin is) it is hard to imprint the pattern. If you don't have another piece, many times you can use another part of the same piece to get the surface pattern from. The repair will / may be noticeable depending on how careful you are to match the pattern. 2¢ E

SEM Landau Black gives a good rich satin black finish which corresponds very well with the rest of the plastic parts. 2¢ E

Chad; Be sure to examine those rocker panels and rear doglegs with a fine magnifying glass. If the cancer showing on the left rocker panel is any indication, this may be the straw that could break that car's back. The front fender lowers are typical, but may be hiding trouble in the front part of the rocker panel on both sides. Remove the inner vinyl and look through to the exterior sheet metal of the rocker through the reinforcing holes. 2¢ Enrique

FYI: Red paint is usually more expensive than other colors. This may have changed over the years, but for the longest time it has applied. There are a LOT of red cars out there. Not qualifying that in any manner other than you do see a lot of red cars, it may be cause they catch your eye, prettier, etc. Green like Walter Moore's car, or the earlier Electric Lime Green better known as 112 Yellow are sharp colors and not too common, which makes them stand out for their individuality. FWIW E

Arne hit it on the head, you will need to add Flex Agent to the paint in order to ensure that it will not crack readily. Go to your regular auto paint store and use that wording, and if they look at you funny, tell them it's so you can paint a rubber bumper. In fact, you could probably get them to do the flex agent and put it into a spray can for you all in one shot. Next, that the paint chipped off the primer without removing the primer may have been due to, a) too thick a coat of primer, no sanding on the primer to accept the paint, c) incompatible primer / paint (i.e. lacquer paint on enamel (reducer based) primer, or lastly, d) paint on top of uncured primer (not enough time). Hope that helps. E

Well Al, since you were in the AF, you obviously do know about the acronym arse-U-ME. Political correctness does have its place, and if you've perused other forums you'll find that this site is by far one of the most "correct" with respect to flaming, and other degrading modes of text communication. That being said, let's just touch on a few things that in your short tenure here you may not know: BuDavid is posting in English which is not his native language. He's posting from Bahrain. That the language is is different from English is obvious. There are numerous other countries represented here and there will always be a few words or expressions that may not translate into English as "politically correct" as you may like. Heck, we sometimes have a tiff or two between other English speaking and writing individuals. What is it they say about England and the U.S. of A.? Two countries separated by a common language. I'm sure the Aussies, the Ozzies, and other English speaking members will point out other differences. In the meantime, using an Australian expression....Keep your Pecker Up! (It means keep your chin up!) Here on this forum, we use the term IPO to refer to a prior owner who did "repairs" or "modifications" without a lick of sense behind them, hence the term Idiot. It may not be "politically correct", but I don't think you're going to get much support for the "P.C." point of view. Heck, we have a Boobs thread and a Camel-Toe thread. The majority here like it this way. I don't foresee this changing anytime soon. PC may not be one of our credo's, but we don't tolerate stealing, dishonesty or other forms of social antagonistic behaviour. I think we'd rather be Morally Correct than Politically Correct. Wait a bit before you start pontificating to the faithful. "Don't praggle us boy, we'll quang you proper!" - Lazarus Long FWIW E

From the brief read I did to it, it sounds as though someone got the CYA partyline from Cafepress who refuses to print anything with a trademarked item on it. Then that same someone got all bent out of shape about it and has passed it on to several media sources. IIRC Mike also tried to get some club merchandise printed through there and was met with the same "You don't own the Z Trademark." BS. FWIW E

Jasco is a brand name, Aircraft Remover Stripper is a product name for the stuff made by Klean Strip. Both of these should work well. There are other strippers out there, the important part is to note if it will strip enamels and epoxy coverings. Look for warnings about using it on top of Bondo (Polyester Filler) or Fiberglass Gel-Coat (although it may just be a note to be careful of time). Temperature will DEFINITELY cause it to take longer, it's a chemical reaction. Don't know that I'd recommend using a heat gun, you may evaporate the M.E.K. which is it's main component and that may be more hazardous than simply waiting till the temp is up. Are you working in a garage? While the stripper wheels take a while, their advantage is that there is no goopy stripper that you have to be careful of accidentally getting it on your skin. But...patience....don't rush it and everything will come together well. FWIW E

I'd want to know more about those rear rocker panel non-repairs. That is, no mention of their being repaired, yet that driver's side is bad news, and the passenger's isn't blemish free either. Look at the pictures about half-way down on the separate window that opens up. E

Actually, you CAN exercise a bit more diligence... you can choose to NOT participate. If it smells like a fish, it's not going to turn out to have been lamb. The description being so skimpy, the pictures showing no chrome strip, the lack of detail in most of them literally screams out that it may be not quite it purports to be. I'm sure that if you could come up with a definitive profile for e-Bay to use that will precisely identify the "type of seller" you are referring to, they will point out that it is prohibitive to implement. It could even be argued that you fell prey to the "trap" you insist was being built. The only trap I can see is where someone would think that the seller didn't know he had a valuable piece and they were going to buy it cheap. There's a reason Fool's Gold got its name... If foresight were indeed an effective sense, then we wouldn't need others to profile bad sellers. If everyone were 100% honest, then we would not have to worry about...... Sorry, this type of wishful thinking is just that, wishful. The sad fact is that the only way to protect yourself is to not think that someone is willingly going to cheat themselves and not you. How? There wasn't enough text in the ad to mislead you other than by your own wishful interpretation of a few cheap photos. There are all of THREE sentences in the first post: And another THREE in the second post by the seller: If anything this lack of description SCREAMED...Be Careful!!! or simply: CAVEAT EMPTOR! However, Julio should, as I stated before, approach on misrepresentation by omission rather than fraud. 2¢ E

Having checked out the listing myself, I can see Julio's aggravation. There definitively is NO indication of repairs, and the description is too blatantly skimpy for my taste. The additional pictures appear bona-fide good pictures, but can also be said to be purposedly taken at an angle that hides the repair. I agree with John's point of "a case of "misrepresentation by omission" versus the classic "they out-and-out lied"...". It decidedly looks like that after reading the description and Julio's post. Again, I agree with John's point of $30 vs. $300. I think you should definitely contact e-Bay and make the misrepresented argument immediately. Also, I don't see my post or the others as defending e-Bay or the seller, although I can see why someone would misinterpret it that way. Too often we convey evil intent to a person's intentions, and while that DOES happen, it isnt necessarily the case EVERY time someone gets "burned" on e-Bay. Many times, more often than not, it is someone wishing to get a "steal of a deal" and willing to overlook blatant indications of a swindle. Nigerian scam anyone? Why do you think it can STILL catch people with it? Because greed overcomes caution in many instances. How about the Irish Sweepstakes ticket you found out someone bought for you and it won? Just send us $50 in handling fees and we'll send you the ticket so you can claim the big prize... Or the infamous...... Get the drift? That's where TANSTAAFL comes in, and too many people think they are starving and dive right in. 2¢ E

Julio, I can empathize with your experience. However, while it may be said that the panel was not PERFECT, and not BLEMISH-FREE, or even PRISTINE.....can you see where this is headed? The problem with e-bay auctions is that you are relying on: 1) The seller's description. 2) The "quality" of the "feedback" (Which is the biggest "joke" on e-bay.) 3) The poor or lack of pictures. Sadly, while you feel you were defrauded, I think you'll find that e-bay will probably tell you that you should have asked for more detailed pictures if the ones provided didn't show it in the detail you wanted. To boil it down to brass tacks....you assumed that the e-bayer meant flawless by saying "very good shape". Considering some of the ones that have sold there before, they actually aren't in "bad" shape. How much did you end up paying for the pair? FWIW E

The Good: It's repairable. Both by using POR-15 with their Power Mesh product, and by cutting and replacing the metal. The Bad: The hole opens up directly into the Frame Rail Support. The rusted metal you see in the background of the hole, is the INSIDE of the rail. As rusted as it looks, you may have to examine the whole frame rail to determine if it needs repairs or replacement. There are replacement pieces available for it, or you can have a piece cut to shape to patch. As far as a paint removal, the product that MikeW recommends works very nicely and quickly. My only gripe about it is that it does NOT like edges of any sort and will quickly and suddenly grab and literally tear it and the edge to shreds. It is excellent for the bulk of the flat areas though. Just watch out for flying bits and pieces...it shoots them out like a Gatling gun. It is VERY abrasive, so keep your fingers and skin well away from it, it WILL give you a scrape like your first skateboard asphalt rash in nothing flat. Here are 3 other links for two products by 3M which I've used and really liked. They will help you get into the tiny corners and will help you remove paint and some corrosion quickly without literally grinding the metal: The first one is the 3m Roloc Bristle Disk: http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/3MAutomotive/Aftermarket/Products/Product-Catalog/?PC_7_RJH9U5230GE3E02LECFTDQCEK3_nid=TX88WPL3PGbeRP70999582gl It's biggest advantage is that it will clean up a large area before it even starts to wear down, and will continue working until all you have left are tiny bumps on the pad. It will require an adapter for your drill or angle grinder. The adapter for it is the same as for the conditioning disks below. It's very inexpensive for the amount of work it will do. Second product is the Surface Conditioning Disk, which comes in 3 (or possibly more) grades. Here's a link to the "Try" kit, and the link that follows is for the bulk packs. http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Manufacturing/Industry/Product-Catalog/Online-Catalog/?PC_7_RJH9U5230GE3E02LECFTDQGLE0_o=HTML&PC_7_RJH9U5230GE3E02LECFTDQGLE0_nid=JZ2VXJ4Q27beSQSFJR0R56gl http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/3MAutomotive/Aftermarket/Products/Product-Catalog/?PC_7_RJH9U5230GE3E02LECFTDQCEK3_nid=GSD8DBBXPPbeGS66HQKGFZgl The biggest advantage to these is that it will very quickly remove JUST the paint and light rust. They also require an adapter, but whether you size the adapter to the size of the disk or undersize it, they'll do a great job. I intentionally undersize the adapter when I'm cleaning up grooves or deep crevices. If you are careful, you can even use the softer one to give your piece the beginnings of a "polish" before you actually polish. The repair by metal replacement or the POR/ Power Mesh repair has been referenced before, so I won't re-iterate it here unless it can't be found. But do take note that that frame rail has decideldy been compromised, that amount of rust INSIDE means it's been weakened, and just shooting a bunch of POR inside there will not restore it's strength. (If you need info on spraying POR, there's been info before although the air blower syphon is no longer carried by Harbor Freight.) HTH E

Well, not to berate the obvious...but you have a short in the wiring someplace. That the fuse blows tells you for a fact that something is sucking up such a large current draw that it is causing the fuse to melt. Please take note of the following: DO NOT PUT A HIGHER AMPERAGE FUSE IN THERE!!! That will NOT solve anything and may in fact, destroy your wiring harness, switches heck....the whole car. Hope you can understand the subtle hint there. Take a look at what "mods" have been done. New stereo? new wiring of any kind? Any "improvements" by you or the PO? Any and all of these are immediately suspect. Review, and rewire if necessary and if in doubt...do not reconnect any of them. But definitely look to see what you have had added. Next, start looking at grounds that aren't grounding properly. That may involve removing and cleaning contact points and then replacing the wiring. However, unless I'm mistaken, the Hazard Flasher is also present as a separate unit from the Turn Signal Flasher in the 76. They function independently. Here are a couple of pics courtesy of other members, (Nissanman and Big Oak if I recall properly) of the fuse box covers for the 280. Note that though you may have one "year" of car, yours may actually be a previous or later year...that's where you need to be careful. Hope this will help. Take note that the 3rd & 4th fuses on the left side switch between the 75 and 76 years. E

Epoxy is a good substitute as far as I know. Biggest problem with the bondo is the porosity of the material. FWIW E

That part of the car isn't normally a problem. The problems there are either the lip of the fender, or the portion of the well that is directly behind the "dogleg" behind the door. That's the rearmost portion of the rocker panel and a known trouble spot. Check that carefully. 2¢ E

Graham: While this would be easy enough for an experienced bodyman (panel beater) to do, for an amateur or someone who is just dabbling away at body working....nope. Your concern for Lead is appropriate, but you wouldn't be exposed to so much for so long that you'd have to worry about it....but your warning is a good warning. Personally I have a different technique, but poly body filler, known as BOG down under and BONDO in the US is most decidedly NOT the way to go when it comes to holes. The expansion / contraction differences between the metal and the filler and the constriction of the hole, guarantee that in a short amount of time it will have generated a gap between the two and a good possibility for rust. Ron, prety much on track except again...experienced versus amateur...most amateur welders won't have the knowledge or the skill to use a brass/copper backing plate, nor know why they're doing that. The last part I left in because they tie in very easily to the technique I got taught. Using a LARGE soldering iron, the type that gets used to solder / sweat pipe joints or kettle bottoms or stained glass. (Mine is from the 50's) but they ARE available at glass shops that cater to the stained glass hobbyist. You're looking for a large 1" diameter or so tip, on a 100-150 watt iron. Prep your metal as if you were going to use lead, but using the soldering iron you sweat a very small glob of Acid Core Solder, the type used for pipes. If properly prepared it will fill the hole very nicely and provide just enough metal both inside and out to seal the hole and still give you a surface that will hold up to the painting process left. I've done this on numerous cars, and can vouch for it being easy and fast. Total amount of time....less than an hour TOTAL, including neutralizing the acid both inside and out. (That's important.) Beandip's car had the same rivet holes and we repaired them this way. That was 6 years ago or more. (geez, flime ties...) But as far as I know he doesn't and hasn't had any problems with it. 2¢ E

Justin; I'm afraid you're going to be "pissin' into the wind" with this. The picture alone for the 3 point shows a generic seat belt/shoulder strap variety seatbelt...with the addition of a retractor. The 2 point system at $16.05 with a part number that is exactly as the 3-point part number except for the addition of a "-2" at the end....says that it would be the same basic item...except no retractor. That you heard or understood that it was a direct bolt-in, or a direct replacement for the one in your car....I think was due to "selective listening". Don't get angry and don't assume this is a flame. We've ALL found ourselves "selectively listening" at some point or another. Whether it was that "Rare" part or that "Rust-Free" car....it's a sad fact that your expectations can be the biggest reason for dissatisfaction. You can label it as their lying to you, if that makes you feel better, but from here, it looks to be more you lying to yourself than admitting you were in error. As far as to who should pay for the shipping? You. From what I saw on their site, they sell many items like JC Whitney does...only a few get specific as to make, model and year. There are a TON of items that are universal though. Would those belts work in your car? You could probably make them work, but you thought you were getting more than you were paying for. That's what is galling you. TANSTAAFL E

Or simpler yet, a retaining nut on the main wiper linkage that fell off. Still have to remove the cowl to find out though. E

Methinks you should have TWO listings to the side for the TWO Z's....and they both need to be two-liner links. Somehow the Porch got TWO lines and it's only ONE car.....UNFAIR!!! Grumble...... E

Darbji: Contact YOUR insurance company as well. You may be eligible to receive from BOTH your and the other driver's policy. Note to others, this is NOT a scam or illegal. (OK, check your state and policy, some have exclusions / limits.) Depending on your policy, someone has to pay the bills NOW, and not be told that the "check is forthcoming". (Does that sound kind of familiar?) If the other driver did not have sufficient or adequate coverage to cover Darbji's bills, her policy would have to kick in. If they act like "oh no, ...", check with your lawyer. You may very well find out that ...YES they do. You may be eligible for Wage Compensation if you are unable to work. Same thing applies with the car. The other driver's policy will pay to repair to pre-accident condition or buy (total) your vehicle for the value it had. Start checking with NADA, and Kelly Blue Book and other used car prices. The more info you have, the less possibility of being told .... it's only worth a pittance and therefore we won't repair or pay more than X. As far as YOUR insurance is considered, you've been in an accident. That you were not at fault is NOT what they will note...just that you were in an accident. That's the reason I recommend checking to see if you're entitled to payment by YOUR policy. Jimmy has it right as far as NOT signing any "settlement" or "admission" of ANYTHING....until your lawyer has looked it over, and if you don't want a lawyer to get involved, at least some old fart like Will or the rest of us. The other insurance company WANTS you to settle quickly! That eliminates the possibility of your developing pains and problems that they would be liable for later....if you sign your rights away and need physical therapy in 3 months, because the pain hasn't gone away yet.....follow my drift? That's where it's important to have the "settlement" looked over. Cassio may have passed on to being a parts donor, but if he prevented you from being hurt permanently, then he went honorably. 2¢ E P.S. Glad you're safe.

Geez, what a bunch of Chicken Littles!!! No offense intended, but c'mon guys....Shill bidders and evil implications as to the seller's motives?? What's next? Only prostitutes wear thongs? If your girlfriend / wife / daughter wears a thong? What does that make her? Stop looking for the worm in the apple...you're wasting a lot of good apples. Michael (BigOak) said it simplest, doesn't it seem more plausible that two people interested in the same style of car and item would probably be searching for and finding the SAME items? And, oh my gosh, BID on the SAME items? Rather than the evil conspiracy theories being presented? I've found myself up against the same bidders time and time again....on different auctions from different sellers. Is there a cause and effect at work here? Probably they have a similar year car with similar needs as mine and are looking for similar parts. I don't bid on items that I don't need so I can't tell you that they are ONLY bidding on items I am bidding on, but at times I have perused items that I already have...to see if it is better, a better bargain or price, and if it would be a better piece for me than the one I already have, and found the same people bidding for them. If I had needed the item or wanted to bid, maybe they could have claimed that I was "shilling" for the seller, when in fact I was looking out for MY own interests. Are there people out there who will pump up the price on a sale just so that someone does NOT get a bargain? Undoubtedly. Then again, I know people who routinely bid $1 more than the opening bid on items they think are under priced at opening. They don't ALWAYS get outbid. That's when they score a bargain. And if someone wants it bad enough....they'll bid more. I have 4 different sets of headlight scoop trim rings for the Roadster, and only two cars. I also have 3 or 4 different hood trims, and that was because there are 3 different styles and I bought "better" items after I had determined that. I know others that have done so, the first part fulfills the "at least I have one", the second is better than the first, and the sometimes subsequent items are because of further refinements in the search. Sometimes it happens as you learn that something billed as "RARE" -- isn't, and other times it's because like in post #3 a bunch of people then pull their "stashed" items hoping to cash in on the results of a prior bidding war. Remember the first set of high dollar hubcaps? Shortly thereafter you could count on finding two or more sets for auction, yet prior to that....not that common. Now we're back to that ..."not so common" point. Some folks made out like bandits, and others like post #24 took glee in pointing out how good a deal they got. I know that at times, once I had the item in hand and compared it to the pictures and description on the auction, I could fault no one save my own "expectations" for having read/seen more into the item....and been disappointed. That meant that I had to, AGAIN, search for and find another one being auctioned. Sometimes, the description was bland and the item was superb, othertimes the great description masked a bland item. But I don't think there's a conspiracy out there. Last comment, the two auctions for Early Z Steering Wheels, one is from October 07 and the other one just ended (Jan 08). Not what I'd call a smoking gun. FWIW E