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SEMA SHOW-Complete Early Model 240z and All Aluminum Body Panel 240z This After Show will give you details about the latest news of Early Model 240z Body Panels. The First will a Complete Assembled Sheet Metal 240Z manufactured in China. Jiansu Juncheng Vehicle Industry Company makes Toyota La Madzand Cruiser 40,60 and 70 series,Land Rover 90/110 series, Ford Bronco1966-1977 Nissan 70-74 240Z, Volswagen T1, MadzaRX-3,and ToyotaAE86. Individual Body Parts(Doors, Hood, Fenders, Grilles,etc besides complete Body Assemblies. 240z Engine Compartment Pic 240z Front Wheel Well 240Z Right Inside Door × 240Z Interior Compartment Toyota A86 Interior Compartment These pics taken of their brochures. The Price List shows the Full Assembled 240Z costs $1500 arrived at Port of Los Angeles. Let me tell you my Automotive Background -I was a ASE Certified Automotive Mechanic and also ASE Certified Automotive Collision Repairman and Painter before I give you my opinion about these Chinese Body Parts. I gave this 240Z a good inspection and asked a lot of questions concerning the manufacturing of these parts. Their Sales Team was not very informed about the actual process of manufacturing of the body parts. So I had to go with what I could see and feel for this opinion. The parts seen to fit together ok but without a Frame Measuring Gauge( Tram Gauge I could not determine the Frame Squareness and Length. The biggest problem with these parts is their Corrosion Control Methods were lacking. They should be at least be coated Epoxy Primer before welding the car together. Nissan factory cars are completely immersed in tank of primer. This method insures primer covers even boxed sections of the vehicle. This a pic of the Storage Compartment behind both seats in the car. No Primer-Corrosion already on surface Maybe the Manufacturer was rushing to get the 240z into the Sema Show or maybe this is normal. This company was still looking for someone to distribute their parts in North America so we have wait and see. For more information- email this address Next-All Aluminum Panel 240Z manufactured in Japan

SEMA SHOW 2025-LAS VEGAS NOV. 3-7 I know that many HybridZ forum members are unable to attend this show so I will try to look for any product at this show for you. Please list your request as detailed as possible( manufacturer name and description of the item). I will, of course, look for items related to Z cars but there are thousands of vendors and it is easy to miss items. Toolman

A Chinese Metal Fabrication Company is planning to unveil a Brand New complete Early Model 240Z body at the 2025 SEMA SHOW in Las Vegas on Nov 4-7. They are looking for Distributors in North America. Just consider, even if you do not need the whole body assembly, they have to created every sheet metal body stamping of the 240Z. So almost any 240Z, no matter how corroded or damaged could be bought back to life. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOxdQynjijn/?igsh=MWk4N280Nm1zOXI= I will be attending the SEMA SHOW and will post pictures and more information when I return from the show. Please watch for my post show postings- Tool Man

This video shows how Japan handles Automobile Recycling. They are very thorough at recycling. the video shows how effective recycling can be instead filling up land fills with waste materials.

Upgrading with a 8 1/2" Power Brake Booster Sorry for the delayed posting, I was doing renovations on my house. I am upgrading my 7 1/2"with a larger 8 !/2"Power Brake Booster. When I added the 8.8 Super Duty Differential Conversion, the Large Discs Brakes called for a Larger Brake Booster to be added. I bought the booster from Z Depot as my local parts supplies did not have in stock. Comparison Pics of the 7 1/2" and 8 1/2" Boosters As you see with these pics, the Mounting Lugs are spread out more than the old one. Roughly about 3/4" or 1 1/2" across. Luckly, the Brake Master Cylinder Assembly does not required disconnecting the brake lines. You can just loose the brake line mounts and Proportioning Valve Assembly. This will allow the removal of the old booster and room to install the new one. Now, plenty of room to work on the Booster Mounting Holes is available. However, I found that making the wider mounting holes would occur close to edge of the Brake Pedal Assembly on the opposite side of the Firewall. So instead of just putting large washers in would not be strong enough. So I decided I would remove the Brake Pedal Assembly and would weld up some steel plate on the pedal assembly to give it more strength. First, I made a Template for a Rubber Gasket behind the Booster Body. Then, Cut the gasket from a !/8" Flat Rubber Sheet. Masking tape applied on Rubber gasket material Test Fitting the Gasket. Rubber Gasket on Booster I decided that it was better to removed the Brake Pedal Assembly to work on it. So I had to remove the Steering Column and Electric Power Steering Motor together. So I constructed a 4 Foot x 1 x 1/2" Foot Plywood Platform so I could work easier than bending my back on the rocker panel. Also, to remove the Brake Pedal Assembly, there are Two 12mm short Hex bolts on the top of the assembly. To remove these bolts, you must remove the Tachometer to access these bolts. There is only a couple of inches of space above the bolts so 12mm Ratcheting wrench or small Ratchet is recommended. the Two Hidden Bolts 12mm Ratcheting Wrench aids bolt removal. Mig Welded 1/8" Steel Plate over the Mounting Holes to provide additional strength. Firewall View of Modified Pedal Bracket After Test Fitting the Pedal Assembly, I found the Clutch Master Cylinder was very close to the new Brake Booster. I was thinking that, in case, I needed to install a Larger Clutch Master for a Bigger Clutch, a Larger Master might be needed. So I decided to move the Clutch Master over while i got Pedal Assembly apart now. Next - Modifying the Pedal Assembly to move the Clutch Master over.

The Follow Up Road Test went fine. There was no CV Axle Grease leak and the Diffferential performed well. The Differential Gear Ratio was now 3:55 compared to the old r200 3:70 so my shift points were now more spread out. I think that 3:55 gear ratio for city driving by providing less gear shifting. Highway driving was better by running at less RPMs too. The Blue Angels-the Navy Stunt F16 planes were coming to participate in an Air Show at Kaneohe Marine Base. There also had a Car Show along with the Two Day Air Show. Although, the show was on the other side of my island , I decided to enter my 240z in the Car Show. The trip would take about one Hour but most of it was on freeway roads. The Freeway would take me over the mountain to the other side of my island. On the downward leg of the trip, I noticed that a lot of pedal effort was necessary to slow down, My conclusion was that a Bigger Brake Power booster would be needed. The OEM Brake Booster was 7" booster so the next size booster would be 1978 280z booster which is 8 !/2". The local auto places did not have a 280Z booster available so I ordered one from Z Depot. The Air Show was terrific but unfortunately, it create a large Traffic problem. However, The Good News is that I won the TOP TEN Trophy for Aloha Mother Fest 2025 -CAR Show that was combined with the Blue Angel Show. Next- Upgrading the 7" OEM Booster with the 78280z 8 1/2"Brake Booster Next-Upgrading the Brake Power Booster with a 78 280Z Unit

Road Test and -Comments- The Firsr Road Test after the 8.8 Conversion went Fine. Normally, the car under under hard acceleration, a Shift into Secong Gear would cause the Right Side to break loose and the Rear End would start to come around. So I would have to back off the throttle or risk a Spin Out. With Torsen Gear, the torque was applied smoothly and evenly. The car handles well and controllable. However, when I returned to my garage and check underside of the car, I noticed a trail of grease above the Left Rear CV Axle. This grease trail was directly over the Left Inner CV Joint. So I jacked up the rear of the car, Removed the Left Inner CV Axle. After inspecting the CV Axle , I found a Small Tear in the CV Booot. The Hole was under the CV Boot Clamp so I figured the person who assembled the CV Axle must have cut it The bigger problem was finding a replacement CV Boot. I tried my local Ford Dealer, NAPA, OReilys, Auto Zone, Rock Auto and even Ebay. Nobody had it. Then, I remembered those Universal CV Axle Boots that allowed the mechanic to replace the Damaged CV Boots without completely removing the CV Axle. It saved the mechanic alot of Labor Hours. Those boots were pretty universal. An inventory of 4 to 5 these Universal Boots would fit many Front Wheel Drive Cars and even ATV. Even Snap On sold these Universal CV Axle Boots. Afrer Removing the Rubber Boot by taking the Boot Clamps off, You just remove the Large Snap Ring. Then remove the CV Joint. Once the CV Joint was removed, The Universal Boot was installed by stretching the boot over the axle. I just cut the bottom section of a oil funnel. With a little muscle, pull the Boot over the axle using the funnel to make it easier. The messy part was put the CV Axel Grease into the new boot. Finally , install both CV Clamps. Then, take the car for another road test to check for any leakage.

"Oil Can Repair" on Rar Hatch Panel- "Oil Can Repair" on the Rear Hatch Panel is common problem on 240z. The factory tried to solve the problem by adding addition sheet metal around the lock assembly. unfortunately, this(in most cases) was not sufficient to prevent the problem. The problem is aggravated by the push style hatch lock that is utilized. The lock uses a pushing down movement to operate the hatch release. Imagine a 200 plus man forcing his weight on 23 gauge Flat piece of sheet metal opening his hatch. This video shows one method od solving this problem.

I found this You Tube Video that shows the use of Laser Technology to strip down a Fairlady in Japan. Although the video doe not have English Subtitles, the Laser Machines utilized provided a different method of removing paint, rust, corrosion,etc. The major drawback is it is too labor intensive. Using Total Chemical Vehicle Dip (previously shown) would be much faster and still be able to remove internal corrosion (in boxed areas). But in certain case such as surface corrosion, this method would work well. I found the video interesting as it provide a new option in corrosion and paint removal in the restoration process.

Another S30 Restoration from Japan- no English Subtitles This short video gives the viewer how restoration can accomplished even with a badly corroded body. Note that most of badly corroded areas can be replaced with aftermarket body panels( even wheelwell edges). Also, one must realize this work took over months of bodywork by a professional. Toolman

Finishing Details of the Super Duty 8.8 Conversion- Strut Spring Tubes- The Threaded Strut Tubes were obtained from BC RACING. If you don't have a TIG WELDER, Vladmir can weld his Strut Tubes Brackets on. BC RACING STRUT TUBES STRUT TUBES with Brackets WELDED ON After installing the Complete Strut Assemblies with Coil Springs and car on the ground, you can adjust the Spring Preload and Spring Height. Adjust the Spring Height to your preference. Double check Wheel to Body Clearance by testing the suspension under various road conditions. Exhaust System Modifications- I raise the Dual Exhaust Pipes for extra clearance(Speed Bumps, etc), REAR EXHAUST PIPES also, had to widen to accommodate the Wider 8.8 FORD DIFFERETIAL. l Rear View of Exhaust System Bottom View of 2024Ford Motorsport Super Duty 8.8 Differential with Torsen Limited Slip with 3.55 Gears. Right Side View of the Differential -note the Huge Axle Shaft capable of handling 800+ HP!! Pic of Right Side Rotor and Mustang GT Disc Brakes. Mounted also is 1" Wheel Spacers to provide Caliper/ Wheel Clearance. . Bottom View of the Differential Side View of Converted 5 Lug 17" x 11 1/2" wide Wheel with Extra Long Lug Nuts and 315 Nitto Tires. Rear to Front View of Tire and Wheel with Rocket Bunny Flare. Road Test and Comments-Next

The video shows the best method of Removing paint and rust from your 240z in preparation for restoration. This Chemical Wash is the most complete method of stripping all paint and corrosion from the vehicle. It will even get inside every nook and cranny of the metal structure. Even, Abrasive Blasting can not get inside of the interior of the boxed metal. Also, after the chemical wash, a rust inhibitor is sprayed completely on the metal surface. This inhibitor will prevent even surface rust from forming for couple days to a week depending on the humidity of your area. But, Chassis Epoxy Paint should be appied as soon as possible to prevent surface rust from forming. The only Downside of this Cleaning process is Cost and Location of these Dipping Plants. The prices cost over $1500. The location of the Plants are few and far away( check Web for the closest one to you).

IF YOU GOT THE $$$$, CARBON SIGNAL can do the Complete Restoration.

240Z Restoration done in Indonesia-20 min video Look how many workers that are working on the restoration at the end. Just like a Army of Ants.

Part 3-More Bodywork- In this version, the Mig Welding is also utilized in the restoration process. Part4-