Netrix

I hate that thing, i replace it with a hex plug so i can just use a socket. Make sure you put anti-sieze or oil the threads. 1. If you don't have a welder, drill a hole through it and use a screwdriver or something else to turn it. 2. heat the hell out of it and pound on a socket or wrench 3. Play dumb and bring it to Valvoline and have them do it. "I didn't know it was stripped, but as it happens i have a brand new hex plug right here" =) This is what i do when I don't feel like messing with it.

I just sandblasted my two front quarters, both doors, both headlight buckets, and the cowl. I wouldn't worry about denting it unless you have a high PSI, if you hold it back far enough and don't stay in one spot you'll be fine. Just always keep it moving or stop. DO NOT use silica sand, when airborne it can cause problems if inhaled. I recommend using coal slag, Black Magnum is a good brand. I go to this place called Consolidated Stripping and do it myself for $15 ($45 for them to do it for you) an hour. They have a few full size blast cabinets and a blasting room : http://www.consolidatedstripping.com/ EDIT: I see your in Illinois, depending on where you're at, consolidated stripping is in Plainwell, MI which is a little north of Kalamazoo. It would be a drive, but might be a good option to consider. I recommend looking for a stripping place in your area, often they rent out their cabinets when they aren't using them. Well worth it for a few reasons: 1. No cleanup 2. High quality equipment + all the proper equipment 3. They have an air compressor larger than you can ever dream of 4. The air handling system to clear the cabinet is nice 5. Expert advice on what type of media to use Took me and a friend both blasting from 10am-4pm to get the above done. Why? Well my car had 3 coats of paint, the original blue which came off easy, then yellow, then a white in which they layered it on very thick. After all was said and done they charged me $100 out the door. No dents, just bare metal Here is a pic of my door after blasting: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v201/netrix2002/Datsun/?action=view&current=PICT0013.jpg Here is a pic of my fender after blasting: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v201/netrix2002/Datsun/?action=view&current=PICT0014.jpg Unless you know you have a rusty underside or your going for a showroom restoration or the undercoating is falling off, I wouldn't bother blasting the undercoating. Just find the spots where its gone and spray over the old stuff. As long as its still there it will do its job, removing undercoating is very time consuming and messy. The above post by JIM73240Z is a testament as to how well undercoating sticks =)

I was going to mention IPD also, they're a great company and have some of the best customer service out there. They've been making and selling Volvo performance parts since the 60's, they know their stuff.

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http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/79-93-Mustang-5-0-V8-Stainless-Race-Header-Fox-Cobra_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33631QQihZ013QQitemZ230184389550QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW You can get some SS ones off ebay, my friend ordered these up for his 5.0 that he is putting in a Volvo 740 Wagon.

Your right, I get my history facts mixed up sometimes. What I meant by the whole corvette thing was that the 1968 to 1982 C3 Stingray was heavily based on the Opel GT, which designs dated back to 1962 originally. I just assumed it was the same designer since GM owned Opel. When it finally came to America it was around 1968 I believe same time as C3 corvette, were it got it's many nicknames like "Poorman's Corvette" My friend who has the Opels and I went to a GM dealer and asked about the new Opel GT. They knew nothing about it and had no information. Then we proceeded to make the salesmen sweat when we were working him over the price of the $40,000 GMC pickup there that had crap for options. He didn't like when we kept bringing up the Toyota Tunda having better stuff for cheaper prices, atleast Toyota doesn't have to use shims in the doors.

V8 Opel Page http://stephenmason.com/cars/opelgtv8m.html That wasn't a seat... that was just the rear deck, must've been a small student to fit back there =) My friend has two Opel GT's and parts enough to probably build another. Parts for Opels are cheap, similar to Datsuns as they're not in that high of demand ($150 240z fender vs $700 Dodge Challenger fender). About 6 months ago he bought a Opel GT that sat in a garage for the last 20 years and had a mint interior, although it was the 1.1l engine. Anyways bought it for $700 no rust. He said a while back he had a brand new NOS tail panel for Opel GT and threw it away because he needed room and it was worthless to sell. As for 240z being a better car, debatable to the end of time. Opel GT's handle great, they weren't much for top speed, but they'll surprise you. Another thing to consider is they were made by Germany, which make amazing machines, high craftsmanship compared to Japan. This also had its faults, they make everything so damn complicated, like the headlights. Also never take apart the dash it's Pandora's box and to think this car is from the 70's. For being such a small car they're is more room for taller people, I dare say more room than a 240z. Another thing is the guy who designed the Opel GT was later hired by GM and designed the corvette of the era. "The Opel GT used a steel unibody and a conventional front-engined, rear-wheel drive layout. The Cam-In-Head (CIH) engine was mounted far back in the chassis to improve weight distribution. Front suspension consisted of double A-arms and a transverse leaf spring. A live axle and coil springs were used in the rear. The power-assisted braking system used discs in the front, drums in the rear. Steering was unassisted." - Wikipedia This is what both of my friends looks like:

Mount it behind the passenger seat

I seen this too and it made me cringe. And the popup window when you look at the auction "The Most Amazing 240z" Speaker Box looks like crap, and from what I see all he has is those 6x9's, nothing in the doors or kick pods. So unless he has something mounted on the reverse of the speaker box I don't think it will sound that great, all coming out of two speakers. That and all he has is an ipod and no radio, probably has to have something driving those speakers, why not just have a radio at that point.... "My vision was very clear in that I did not want to turn the Z into something that was unrecognizable from its original form." - Yeah right, those wheels look like they belong on a honda. "* Shaved lip off of the gas tank lid" - Probably why it looks like crap, probably did it later and tried to do it himself. And why the hell did he post 3456 x 2304 pictures that are ♥♥♥♥ quality. I run 1680 x 1050 and can't even see the damn things. I'm sure those are originally high res pictures, hasn't he heard of resampling the image smaller to keep some quality and make them viewable. "I won all the awards I was hoping to achieve and there is nothing left to do on the car." Well heres another one for him:

Looks awesome! Where are you going to put the sub at? Are those safety bars custom?

Get one of those optima yellow tops they work underwater. Also if you decide to shoot the battery with a shotgun it will still start your car. I don't use optimas personally, but it is a solution to that problem. Vents look great. Are those the original inspection doors or did you make them out of another material?

Just remember Rome was not built in 1 day. This isn't Overhauling or Pimp My Ride where you blow through the project and slap it together. Take you time and do it right or you'll be kicking yourself later and saying "I don't want to REDO or UNDO my work, but I wish I would've done it this way or used this part." Or else you'll end up not liking your car because you have regrets. With the pace you've been hitting it, I'm sure a lot of us wish we could get that much done.

Whats so terrible about the dash caps? Is it specifically the ones for s30's? (I was going to pick one up a full dash cap here in the next few weeks) I've seen dash caps go on a few cars and they turn out great if you do it correctly. I agree with a few of the previous posters, this looks nice, but will not last.

I'd either take it back and have them fix it or take pictures show them and have them do it later for free knowing they missed them the first time. In Michigan we blast cars for $15 an hour using Black Magnum, which turns out great. I'm not sure if it has to do with our larger rust production vs California and more sandblasting shops + competition, but $800-$1000 seems like alot of money for just compressed air and media, which is only like $15 for a 25lbs bag and can be reused a few times (advantages of using Black Magnum). What type of media are you talking about? I could show you pics of a 1971 Dodge Challenger finished that was blasted with Black Magnum.

Those prices sound expensive for media blasting. I go to this place near Kalamazoo, MI called Consolidated Stripping. They charge $50 an hour to do it for you in their booth OR $15 an hour to do it yourself. This includes the blasting media, they also have smaller cabinets to rent, very nice people. They also sell the black blasting media (forgot the brand name, its good stuff i know) nice to get if you have a blast cabinet at home, which is nice for small stuff. http://www.consolidatedstripping.com/ourplantequipment.html - link to their equipment and prices.