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seattlejester's 1971 240Z


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Hmm, I did spot a radiator shop in seattle, maybe I'll ask them to take a look and give a diagnosis. The problem is that I have a turbo sitting in my room screaming at me to be used...but alas maybe a pipe dream till later.

 

So found out today that I can lift the front end by myself, so with a few friends I should be able to get the car outside and really get at the hard to get areas without the ginormous cleanup, and I could just roll the car over to finish the welds underneath.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Found my camera :D

 

Finally finished one of the largest articles on the to do list

Floors are done! At least from the top. Still need to seal the bottoms.

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The level pedal box

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Before I can paint the interior I had to make sure all the welding was completed..

Which meant I had to make the seat belt mounts. And the...

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Can you guess what these are? E-cookie for you if you can!

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Another hint

^Actually ended up with quite a bit more tubing than I had planned (too thick for strut tower braces), so if anyone local would like something please let me know.

 

 

Found a spot of damage, looks like at some point someone replaced the radiator support from another Z car...a Z car with damage.

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And another spot.

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Measure out the metal.

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Then replace.

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The rocker panel repair

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Behind

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Then moved onto rolling the rear fenders

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Not sure if I'm going to need to seal the area. I'm thinking just some undercoat to keep water from being kicked up there.

 

Some parts :)

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R200's

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The brake setup

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El boosto?

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Ran out of welding gas, so tomorrow I will be attaching all the seat belt mounts, finish out the frame rail attachment in the rear, fab up the rocker for the driver side, finally move on toward the rear of the vehicle. Will also be fixing the roll bar.

 

Getting close! Finally will be able to install the mountain of parts. Then only the engine rebuild and electrical wiring remain.

Edited by seattlejester
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Stopped by the radiator shop I mentioned above. The worker/owner was really level with me. Informed me that they don't usually take on fuel tanks anymore as the amount they have to charge is usually more expensive than most replacements. For my tank he said it would be roughly 100-150$ to acid treat, sonicate, and clean (reference value if anyone was looking to have their tank done). During the inspection we found some organic fauna, rust, and some bits of sand, so trying to clean it myself is probably a bit too much.

 

Now I can pickup a 16 gallon fuel cell for aobut 170$ so I'm still on the fence. Running the fuel lines would be much easier, and upgrading to fuel injection, or forced induction in the future would be much easier as well, not to mention I wouldn't have to source the tank straps.

 

But, alas that is an issue for another time.

 

Did a bit of work that I'm very proud to share. I wish I had taken my time on some of the hole locations, but all's well that ends well.

 

First off, I fixed the roll bar. The bar had the horizontal portion cut and the PO had placed duct tape over the holes.

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For those that guessed harness bar for the plates above, kudos to you!

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Mocking it up and tacking it in place.

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Filling in the space inbetween.

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Voila, cost me I think 30$ in metal and about 3-4 hours of work.

Edited by seattlejester
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So would it be wise to hold off on drilling the strut braces until the car is on the car loaded? Or am I being too anal?

 

Turns out I need to figure out my fuel problem, since I need to route my fuel lines (If I'm running hard line), before I can start reassembling the car.

 

Costs for fuel cell:

Initial cost 170$

Straps 30$

Fittings and hoses for fuel delivery 130$ AN lines are expensive!

Fuel vent line and external filter ??

Adapters etc to be able to fill the cell without opening the hatch every time ??

Material for the box and cover to separate cell from passenger compartment ??

 

Cost for fuel tank:

Sonicating, cleaning, etc 150$

Sending unit (if old one is indeed toast) 55$

Fuel tank straps ??

Fuel vent lines 230$ :o

 

Problems for cell...

Tire well is not flat, so I would have to cut out tire well, then weld in some type of box.

Will most likely have to reinforce said box.

Rear roll bar mount will have to be reinforced as it will lose the structural rigidity.

Fuel lines are going to be quite thick. May run into some difficulties there.

Not exactly sure how I'll be converting from SS AN line to feed the carbs.

May have to open the hatch every time to fill the cell.

 

Benefits for cell...

Won't be reusing 40 year old equipment.

Built in fuel sump.

No need to swap tanks for FI.

No need to figure out fuel solution in the future, read while-I'm-at-it.

Higher rear ground clearance <-that reason feels made up, haha.

AN fittings will make systems very modular, very easy to swap fuel pumps in the future.

Many fuel pumps come with AN fittings.

No need to source new straps, vent lines, or fuel sender.

Can remove the fuel door and the knob that sticks out.

 

Realistically I don't think I can afford to run boost at the moment, like most builds I'm way over budget, and factoring in a boosted engine, and sourcing a T-5 is going to turn out to be quite difficult. So my fuel requirements for the foreseeable future will be to feed SU Carbs. Other than the fact I'll have to rewire my tank (all the wiring and sensors fell apart, hoses were cut or crumbled) I think keeping the stock tank may be the wise choice...but then again, buying a project car is never a wise choice :P.

 

If anyone has any input I'd like to give it some consideration, I'm really on the fence on this issue.

Edited by seattlejester
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I feel like we are in the same boat here, my 3 options are surge tank, fuel sump, or fuel cell

 

Mine is going to be daily so i was thinking the fuel cell is the cheaper of the 3 because

My tank was rusty, busty, and not so trusty lol so i had to scrap it

 

a fuel cell from summit is 165 (12 gallon) and comes with sump. so no need for a surge tank

This might be a funny little idea but instead of cutting the whole spare tire out maybe just cut enough for the sump to hang out of.

 

Or maybe they can make one to fit the exact diameter of the spare well itself, that would be cool

 

just my .02 cents

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I didnt think about it, and im stuck at the an fittings part (mother of god i never knew they were this expensive.) I have the summit 20 gallong fuel cell.(24 length, 20 width, 10 height) and it fits like a glove. I welded two 1.5 inch square bars between the rear bumper support frame and the frame over the diff, and then 2 1 inch square bars in between those for a perimeter, and then i made Basically a basket weave of straps to hang it from that perimeter frame from some 1.5 by 1/8 aluminum flat stock. I still need to enclose it because i have it sitting up into the trunk a few inches to keep the ground clearance up.

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I didnt think about it, and im stuck at the an fittings part (mother of god i never knew they were this expensive.) I have the summit 20 gallong fuel cell.(24 length, 20 width, 10 height) and it fits like a glove. I welded two 1.5 inch square bars between the rear bumper support frame and the frame over the diff, and then 2 1 inch square bars in between those for a perimeter, and then i made Basically a basket weave of straps to hang it from that perimeter frame from some 1.5 by 1/8 aluminum flat stock. I still need to enclose it because i have it sitting up into the trunk a few inches to keep the ground clearance up.

 

Oh so wait you were able to get the cell to fit inside the spare?

If so can we see some pics i was just thinking of this the other day lol it's aluminum or plastic

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Hmm, I did give the external sump idea some thought, but the cost of 2 fuel pumps and the extra lines didn't quite appeal to me. Although I do have the space where the battery used to be.

 

The problem with fitting a cell in the spare tire is at the deepest point the tire well is I think 9 inches, but at the shallowest it is 5 inches or so, although as you mentioned cutting out just a portion to allow the cell to drop through would work, I'm not quite sure to what end.

 

I've replied to a few part outs regarding tanks to see if any are in straight up useable condition. If I can find a useable tank I think I may just give it a rest and proceed with the rest of the car. If all the tanks I find are in similar condition to mine, I think I shall have to lean towards a fuel cell.

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Ooh, definitely would like to view how it would look in the spare well.

 

A FOAF (friend of a friend) suggested running a barb to the cell and running fuel hose if cost was an issue. Another recommended finding fittings and lines on ebay from bulk buyers or race shops.

 

I'm gonna go to the garage tonight and take stock of what I would need to replace given both situations. Hopefully all the hoses are still intact :).

Edited by seattlejester
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Likewise, i've been debating about what to do also

same with the surge tank seems like extra stuff, and im trying to do braided lines

the tanks are all old, my area, the junk yard like to tend to putting the jackstands on the cars fuel tank -__-

the fuel cell seems like the best route, less cutting is good to me, i was gonna do the stock filler but i think im just gonna have the cell and a big ass funnell sitting in my trunk lol

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Just priced everything out for the fuel cell.

130$ for fittings and lines.

120$ for fuel pump and reusable filter.

200$ for fuel cell and and straps.

Reusing material I purchased earlier for material to build box, cover, and braces.

 

Total 450$. And that is my entire budget I have at the moment, lol.

 

To run the stock fuel tank.

150$ max for fuel tank.

65$ for fuel pump and disposable filter.

55$ for fittings and hoses.

 

Looking at 270$, still hurting and that's just a patch job to hold me over, lol.

 

Question for ya folk, I've read through the FSM, stared at my carbs and still not quite sure.

How does the fuel return line work? Do the carbs have 2 fittings like a vertical sump? From looking at the stock fuel rail, it looks like there's only 1 inlet for each carb and then the fuel rail just turns back around and runs back to the tank. If the float is full does the pressure just prevent the fuel from flowing into the carbs?

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That is a big difference, but why not just do it right the first time so your not spending more money later on?

both routes seem like they have their pro's and con's

idk though, the cell already comes with a sump

but in turn the oem fuel tank is cheaper

Another guy on here is talking about having to have it boiled out (the tank) and that's like 180 and itll be just about brand new

 

Have you by chance heard of the camaro ls1 fuel tank upgrade?

Edited by joa_taste
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Haven't read that thread yet, but I think I'm about to explode with fuel information overload!

 

That's kind of what I figure and am starting to lean towards. This whole build has shifted from just "get 'er running" to "do it right the first time." And I'd definitely like to avoid the fume issue.

 

Pre-post edit: So as of 3:24AM this morning I think I have decided on a fuel cell (or at least that's what I'm telling myself so I can get some sleep). Somewhere between 12-16 gallon, with a sender unit, not sure on my stance regarding the foam filling.

 

Plan is to go tomorrow and measure absolutely everything I need, as well as clean up all the areas that will be cut, etc.

I think I'll try to keep part of the tire well so I can protect the cell from the elements, random bits of rock, etc. Then make the cell flush with the rear floor and put a hinged plate over all of that.

Since I only have tubing, I'll have to order some box steel to mount the tank and build supports with.

 

Maybe I'll run disposable filters, a cheaper fuel pump, and nylon lines to save a bit of money for the time being, but that's just my brain trying to rationalize, lol.

 

On a side not, I just ordered the little tube holding clamps to run my brakes, so hopefully that'll be the next project I tackle while awaiting my fuel cell.

Edited by seattlejester
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Lol same here, Im in the middle of a sr swap and I was starting my build as a budget friendly, get what i need to get the car running and thats it..Im still going along those guide lines but I find myself watching a whole load of stuff on ebay but the fuel cell is probably gonna be the route i go, it seems so much easier to cut a small part of the well out for the sump to sit out, like you said it'll be safe from all the debrees and rocks. Only down side is the stock filler but im not really upset about that.

Im going with a 12 gal plastic sumpd cell, and walbro 255 from summit racing, i think nylon lines is the way to go also, i just heard that trying to bend the fuel lines is a pain...A WAY CHEAPER PAIN THOUGH lol

 

actually lol

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/plumbing/plumbing-tools/klein-tools/professional-4-in-1-tube-bender-41569.html

Edited by joa_taste
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Harborfreight mate, same tool about 1/3 the price, have one in the garage actually :D

 

Foam or no foam? I still have a day or two to decide.

 

Foam is not filter friendly if it starts breaking up, but in turn prevents sloshing.

No foam is very sloshy, but no foam to worry about.

 

Decisions decisions...

 

Onto todays work, I do have to apologize for the crummy pictures, I tried lengthening exposure and using a work light, but the end result was bright blury pictures. Maybe best to view them as the thumbnails.

 

The lovely piece of the dogleg. Looked solid, but a little bit or wire brushing showed otherwise.

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Wish I had taken A picture before I had put in the first patch, but alas.

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My advice is don't be shy about cutting out rusted metal. It took me a few months and trial and error to learn that, but cut everything out you don't trust. A surgeon never leaves in part of a tumor just because. While it may be easier to cut out easy to trace shapes, a little ingenuity can make anything.

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And test fit as many times as you can, I always like to cut a little bit larger and trim it down for a very nice fit.

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Then weld the pieces in.

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Almost done :).

 

And for anyone attempting patch repairs go slow! I ended up warping my floors a bit because I was too inpatient.

So while I waited for the panel to cool, I filled in the door ajar switch holes. The switches had rusted and cracked. And I'm sure I know when the doors are open, haha.

 

Another thing I spent some time on was...

P1030252.jpg

The holes were easy enough to drill, but I'm not sure how to go about making the large 2 inch hole for the center. I only had access to a plasma cutter for a day (the reason for the rough edges) and the 2 inch hole saw did pretty much nothing.

Edited by seattlejester
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