=Enigma=

Here's some pretty good images of my original, in excellent condition butterscotch panels and vinyl. The one exception is the rear panels that have been cut out for speakers by the PO. I would like to replace these but finding a proper color match is the only thing that has kept me from pulling the trigger. Note that the color of the panels appears to be slightly darker and more orange than the Vinyl, at least in my case. I haven't tried the SEM color yet but it doesn't look quite right on their color chips. That Parasol PR1006 Carl posted looks pretty close but may be a little on the light side.

The Z31 uses a half-shaft with CV joints and an integrated diff side stub that mates with the R200 and is not compatible with the R180. The other end on the wheel side uses two different flanges and bolt patterns (turbo or non-turbo), neither of which are compatible with the S30 stub axle flanges. Replacement stub axle flanges for conversions are available from www.Modern-Motorsports.com. Conversion from R80 to R200 has been covered both here and over at Hybridz.org many times so I won't go into more detail, but rather recommend a search for existing content.

Most likely a 3.70. I just grabbed one from an 85 ZXT 5spd, and there was an 87 Auto with a 3.70 as well. I'm no expert on Z31s but this is what I saw. BTW, you can look on the data plate in the engine compartment to determine what the ratio is, assuming the diff or gears haven't been swapped... RC37 = 3.70, RC39 = 3.90, RC41 = 4.10, etc.

I believe that's actually the later replacement style. The early ones didn't have the snowman shape on the left for lack of a better description.

The L28's were fuel injected and therefore did not have a mechanical fuel pump so you either have an earlier head or someone bored out the port where it mounts and also installed a fuel pump eccentric lobe on the camshaft to drive the arm of the pump. In any event, they are basically all the same and any one for a 70-74 will work. By the way, I believe some of the early mechanical fuel pumps were prone to springing an internal leak that resulted in fuel flowing into the front cover and hence polluting the oil. Do you think this was the cause of your fuel/oil pollution?

Seriously? As in "for reals"? Welcome to the site Ken. Nice to see another international Z owner in the mix. Please share some pics of your ride and the progress of the resto when you can. This is something we all enjoy seeing and helps some of us stay motivated on our own projects.

Ouch! I think I hear Betty Brown sobbing.

I can't read the door plate either, but that doesn't look like the stamp tooling I'm used to seeing. Was a different type of stamp tool used for these earlier cars? If not, this along with the missing data plate and the engine story would make me more than a little curious. It would be nice to see pics of the VIN stamping in the engine compartment as well.

Well that really sucks. Sorry to hear that. I've had a new Optima on one of these for over a year and I will be really pissed if the battery is ruined. The model I have is a double charger and it seems to keep the 4runner battery charged up between drives.

Hey there. Nice looking and welcome to the site. Looks like someone cared more for the appearance of than car than the mechanicals. Time for some simple green and elbow grease to see what's under all that gunk. Good luck on your new project.

Other possible options for you: http://www.rustrepair.com/ http://www.tabcobodyparts.com/

Welcome to the forum Tom. Let's see some pics of the car and the activities around it from the days of past when you get a chance. Especially those that onvolve bell bottoms, leisure suits, or generally tacky clothing and hairstyles.

Wow nice find. I'm actually considering another purchase so I have a Z to drive while I finish up the first one. The only problem is that all my off street parking is full. The Bimmer may have to get kicked to the curb or sold to make room.

Hmmm...not seeing the new pics for some reason.

No, it never really does. Just try to tackle one project at a time and spend some time driving it in between so you don't lose interest or get overwhelmed. I'm still recovering from diving in too deep and not having a solid step by step plan laid out to begin with. I'm nearly there but now I'm stuck waiting for a custom part from a vendor that has gone AWOL and is not responding to repeated requests for contact. :disappoin

Hey welcome to our out little corner of the Internet. There are several original owners on here. I wish I could say I was one of them but I'll have to settle for second owner. Now let's see some pics!

I hear good things about Z Car Garage in the Bay Area but haven't dealt with them myself. http://www.zcargarage.com/

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like things are coming along nicely. I"m sure you'll find plenty of useful info here. Now let'd see some pics of the engine work? You did take pics didn't you?

Neat. Do tell.

Another method for getting the strut insert out that might work would be to use an axle puller attached to a piece of flat stock with a hole drilled in the middle for the piston rod. Just insert the rod, put on the nut, and hammer away. This is what I planned to do but it turns out that the spindle pin puller I had nearby had the same size thread as Mulholland inserts I was removing so I used that instead. A couple light whacks and out they came.

Absolutely beautiful car Brian. Thanks for sharing the pics. I was looking at it thinking that something just "look different". Then I realized that you shaved the side markers. Are you still happy with that decision?

Nice write up Rich. Your process and timings are nearly identical to the process I settled on after much trial and error. The only differences were the heating of the yellow chromate solution and the use of a crock pot for heating the pickle. What a great idea! I knew I kept that crappy old crock pot around for a reason. Was the heating of the yellow chromate solution your own idea or did you read this somewhere? Also, rather than string everything up on a copper wire, I got lazy and soldered a copper wire to a spring that I used for plating bolts. I simply inserted the threaded portion of the bolts in-between the coils. This allowed me to do up to 8 bolts at a time. I'll try to dig up some pics tomorrow if I have time Having a lab quality HP regulated power supply certainly didn't hurt matters.

Stickerman, I assume you mean 2 mil as in 0.0254 mm or .002 inches and not 2mm. That would kind of suck.

It looks like Texas is the place Series 1's go to die. I kinda like the name Arnie'Z ZCar Boneyard.

Hey Arne, I'm still in as well. Thanks for all the effort you've put into this. Out of curiosity, will adhesive be applied to the vinyl letters as well so we're not relying on the surrounding mylar to hold up the letters?