jhm

Wow, great progress! I love the cantilever design on the rear suspension. A few guys here have previously designed their own custom cantilevers; but AE is the only vendor that I'm aware of that has ever "mass produced" a system like this. Really interested to hear your feedback on how the whole TA package works once installed. Is that the final resting place for the fuel cell? If so, are you going to have a way to isolate it from the rest of the driver's compartment?

Oh, man....what a bummer! I guess the one good thing is that it happened at the end of the season. Any idea why the engine wasn't pulling hard? Is there a big elevation difference between there and home?

Wow, impressive to see how quickly you are jumping into this project. It's such a shame that the car had so many "hidden" issues; but hopefully the chassis is still straight in order to minimize the cost of the repairs. Sounds like a big order of shiny parts you have coming from Apex....enjoy!!

Yep, that's the correct part number (and the same one I bought for my Z). Looks like it's still available from multiple sources.

Similar to what @darom did, I located one of those old Bimmer locking gas caps and gave it a try. It does indeed have a tight fit on the Z's gas cap inlet; but I found that gas could slosh up and leak out through the internals of the cap during hard cornering when the tank is near full. IIRC, it's an internally vented breather-style cap. It didn't work for my intended application; and I don't think it would work for yours. However, if you want to give it a try, I can dig through the garage to see if I still have it....LMK.

I believe you are referring to the Proportioning Valve and the Brake Line Pressure Differential Warning Switch. Is the switch still functional (I couldn't see any wiring from those photos)? Did you decide to relocate them to the fender well for a cleaner look under-hood? If that's going to be their permanent position, I would fabricate some kind of metal shielding to protect them from road debris damage....the stock plastic inner fender liners are probably not sufficient. Good tip on the "Finishing Lines"...will check it out for sure! 👍

Yeah, getting rid of that crappy worthless "undercoating" is very satisfying and worthwhile....as well as all that 50-year old dirt, gravel, and grease! Looking good! P.S. While you've got it stripped down, this is a great product for protecting your frame rails and other hard-to-reach areas on the chassis: https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-internal-frame-coating-14oz-aerosol.html

Nice. The strut brace may not be really necessary; it sounds like you'll be making the upper rad core support stronger than original. 👍👍

That's one clean-looking shell....she's coming along nicely!! 👍👍 Have you made the upper portion of the radiator core support bolt-in? Done that with my last couple cars and it makes engine pulls sooooo much easier! As long as you have a decent front strut tower brace; there's very little stress on that section of the shell, IME.

Ditto what @74_5.0L_Z said....same experience for me, but in a 4" backspace vs 5" (i.e. 0et). The 245/45-16 fit front and rear with my standard-size ZG flares, which I believe are similar to your setup? What tires/treadwear rating are you thinking of running? I've actually found a *slightly* better selection of tires in 15", especially at the performance end of the spectrum; but then you start running into interference issues with brake and steering/suspension components.

I have seen some folks add a Ferrrari-style "pop-up" gas cap and filler; but it's not a trivial mod cost- or work-wise. And it's usually done for asthetics vs functionality, IME. I'm curious....are you using this style cap? It's what I use; and have no problem with spillage/leakage at the track, even when the tank is fairly full. https://www.zeddsaver.com/collections/gas-caps/products/240z-280z-gas-cap-with-retainer-ring I'm interested to see what other folks have to say -- following. Hope you find a solution that works for you!!

Another source of frame rails and chassis reconstruction pieces is Charlie Osbourne of "Zedd Findings" in Ontario, Canada. He used to have a website; but I think his only online presence is on FB, and he retails his products through MSA Auto. I've used his frame rails and can vouch for their quality and fitment...he's an extremely reputable vendor. https://www.thezstore.com/product/5249/premium-front-frame-rail-kit-70-78-240z-260z-280z I've used Apex Eng for their steering knuckles and some other pieces; and have always been impressed with their quality of construction and customer service. I really like the design of their low-profile outer tie rod ends, which should be a great choice for your 15" wheels. Keep in mind that wheel design and construction, and wheel offset, can still affect interference between the rim and the outer tie rod ends. If you know your specific wheel model and width/offset, I can probably give you more definitive answer based on my own experience. Not to take anything away from AE; but have you looked at the other vendors for those pieces (e.g. T3, Futofab, etc?) They all have their pros and cons; so make sure you've done a full industry survey before spending all that cash. And nearly all of them also offer Black Friday specials; so you're smart to wait a few weeks before making your purchases. Good luck with it -- it looks like you're really digging into this project aggressively; looking forward to seeing your progress!!

All my wheels are 15" and 16", so I can definitely feel your pain. Have you looked at the Yoko Advan 052? They make it in a 245/45-16 size, and it's pretty high performance. I'll probably get myself a set, once I talk myself into the that high pricetag. 😜 I've been running the Bridgestone Potenza Sports (300tw) in that same size the last couple years; and have been fairly impressed with them. Great street tire, wear like iron, and can even put in decent trackday lap times with them once they've got some heat in them. Your car's looking great....I love seeing the updates!

Nice find! I really lucked out with my late-model 260 as well (similar vintage and condition as yours), and was super happy with the condition of the shell. My current car (early-model 260)....not so much. 🤣 Looking forward to seeing your progress -- best of luck with the build!! 👍👍

Oh, that is so unfortunate -- sorry to hear about the rust and structural damage. I hope you are successful in the legal claims against the seller and auction company. Sadly, that is all too common on these old cars....it's quite rare to find one without those types of issues, especially in climates like yours. This project suddenly got a lot bigger; but it sounds like you are up to the challenge!