jaime240z
-
Posts
498 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Blogs
Events
Gallery
Downloads
Store
Posts posted by jaime240z
-
-
Thanks again Ernie. I'm sure I can convince the little lady to go to Fisherman's Wharf. Then I can conviniently stop by the shop.....
BTW I replied by PM too..
jaime
-
Hey Ernie, THANKS!! I will try to make a trip out there today. I'll be sure to send your grettings as well. Since you chimed in, and I know your a fan of ZeroRust, do you happen to know of any local places that sell it? It looks like I might need to buy more metal for the project so I could probably wait for shipping..........
As for the project, well it's slow and painful. But I am making steady progress a little bit at a time. I was able to pop the spot welds off of the old sub frame. I was pleased to find only the pass side had a small patch of rust and the driver's side had virtually no rust under it.
PASS:
Drive:
Thanks again for the tip on the por-15!
-
Does anyone know a place where I can walk in and buy the stuff? I have a project I want to try out tomorrow and I'm hoping I don't have to wait for shipping. CC or Alameda county retail stores would be ideal. Thanks.
-
Globe, the work you did looks good. However, next time I would go to an auto paint supply store and get professional quality materials. There's nothing wrong with using fiberglass resin to fill the holes and body filler for a skim but like others have said the Bondo filler is not that great.
-
Thanks Jon! I have been tooling around with it trying to make it work. I may have found something I can use as a shim but I will need to cut it down a bit. I think it just might work using the Tokico nuts. Thanks for the info. I will never buy from GC again!
-
Yeah, I hear ya Jon. I called GC the same day I received my plates. When I placed the order I mentioned that I had VW struts in the front. The guy assured me they make a part referred to as their "VW adapters" specificly for this application (Z car w/ VW struts). Well when my box arrived, not only were the adapters missing but the instructions were too. I have been on the phone with the guys at GC for the past 2 weeks trying to get things straigthened out with them but they have made the choice to blow me off and tell me lies. *** rant over ***
The part the told me about sounds alot like what you have described. Did you have to get a new tapered nut (14x1.5) to fit the top of the VW struts too? I'm thinking I could probably hand make the parts myself....maybe. Does anyone happen to have a pic or sketch on the adapters in question?
Sorry to hijack the thread........
-
I stumbled upon your post while searching for a solution to my problem. I have sectioned struts and I'm running Illuminas up front from a VW #1073. And you are correct, the VW shaft are a bit bigger and the threads on top are 14x1.5. This has been a huge PITA for me because now I'm trying to install GC camber plates and they are not working. I have got some info from a member here but I have got ZERO support from CG. They only thing worse than CG's install instructions is their CRAPPY customer service. Anywho, if you have a solution for this problem I'm all ears and ready to buy in on it.
jaime
-
I didn't need to replace my floors so I can't really help you there. But I have ordered from datsunzparts (Zedd Findings) and they are top notch. Most of the Z parts retailers get their sheet metal stuff from them. You can also get better pricing getting parts straight from DZP!
Also, search around. If you're going to be replacing the floor pans anyways, this might be a good time to add some strength to the sub frame.
-
The piece where you welded over the bumper provision looks good! Did you cut out the old piece or did you weld over the existing piece? If you welded over the existing piece, make sure you seal up both pieced to prevent moisture from getting trapped between the two (I'm sure you already know what that would lead to).
And as sweetleaf suggested, if you're going to be doing alot of work with sheetmetal, invest in some shears or a nibbler or both. I have a cheapo nibbler from harbor freight and it works pretty good. You can get them either electric or pneumatic.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=46061
-
Congrats on the purchase! I'm assuming you bought Brett's old ride (HeavyZ) that was for sale on craigslist....?
-
ugg........ How many pimps were robbed of their hoe handling attire to make those seat covers............
Looks like a match !!!!!!!!!!!
-
But the r230 axle kits are 6 lug so 4 x 6 = 24. So why did you get 20?
Sorry about that, I hadn't had my coffe just yet. You are correct, I did get 24 gty on those......But FWIW those bolts do look the same as the ones included with the axles.
-
Looks like fun! Keep us posted on your progress. Be sure to keep a fire extinguisher handy too!
-
Those silver bolts with the flanged heads look just like the ones that came with my MM CV axles as well (20 also) I don't have the MM brake kit so I can't comment on the type of bolts to use with the brake kit, but from your pics the silver bolts do look a bit short for the hubs.
-
Before I sprayed the car with WD40 I called a car painter friend. He specifically told me to use WD40 and begged me not to spray it with any primer. He says he gets cars in that have been sprayed poorly with junk primer and he has to strip the car. Its much easier for him to have his laborers wipe the car down with PrepSol to get the WD40 off.
Does anyone know how long a bare metal car can survive in this condition? I might be doing something like this soon, but I'm not sure how long before the car will be primed.....
And for sake of conversation, here in the bay area there is a company that will strip an entire car (interior, exterior, and undercarriage) for $600-700 depending on the size of the car using a media blaster. If you really want to save some cash on labor costs I would suggest building a rolling cradle for the stripped down unibody. That way you won't have to pay for unecessary labor for the shop to remove and then reinstall your suspension pieces to get the car rolling from one place to the next. I'm in the middle of building one now. It should be too hard to do.
-
YEAH! Check out the forums at http://hobartwelders.com/mboard/
-
Well I'm no expert but I've had good luck tacking 1" apart. I would recommend prepping 2 or 3 different areas to weld, that way you could alternate tacking 2 or 3 different pieces. This will allow each piece plenty of time to cool in between welding. I've heard of many people being able to lay mig beads on body panels. I guess it would take some practice and moving the gun quickly.
-
Yeah welding shops might have that tool. I got the pic and tool from grizzly.com for 10 bucks.
As for the wire, you will get much better results using .023 solid wire with C25 gas. Much less work when finishing (grinding/smoothing) the welds. Also, I believe flux core welds get a bit hotter, which will increase the chance of warpage on your panels. Also , as someone has already mentioned, a backing plate to dissipate heat will help too, but you could get by without one if you take your time and let the area cool between welding.
-
I've had good experiences with boltdepot.com It seems like metric fasteners are getting harder to find locally for me too.
-
Get rid of the flux wire. The smallest flux core wire you can get is .030 which is too big for the job. Invest in the gas set-up and run .023/.024 wire with C25 gas. It will make the job easier and look better too. The panels you are doing are roughly 18-20 guage. If your welder comes with a setting chart for this thickness use those settings as a starting point and fine tune your machine from there. Use alternating tack welds along the seams, you should be able to lay down short beads, but if you're getting alot of blow through you definitly want to stay away from trying to make long beads.
A nice tool to have is one of these:
Takes the guesswork out.
-
Congrats on the new welder. It looks like you're not wasting any time jumping in to a new welding project. If you're plannin on replacing the lower valnce portion of the rear end, I would highly recommend getting the piece from Charlie at ZedFindings. I got that piece from him and it is a beautiful OEM quality piece. I'm not sure but it sounds like you might be wanting to replace the entire rear (from the hatch striker to the lower valance)...? If that's the case, you might want to look at Tim240z's web site as he did this on his old Z. You will need a large piece of sheetmetal (around 18 guage). Cut it to shape, and insert your taillight design. Easier said than done!
Keep us posted on your progress. Remeber to tack weld on body panel to avoid heat warpage. have fun and goodluck!
-
Thanks guys. I think the tech guy was referring to a race only car. I had a specialty shop section my housings and these were the struts they recommended for a street car. I trusted them since they are a specialty shop and also I wasn't buying the struts from them, so they had no real reason to tell me otherwise. I'm going to look into the Bilsteins as alot of people seem to like them but I guess I'll give the VW Illuminas a road test first.
-
Is anyone else with sectioned struts using Tokico Illumina BZ1073 in the front (VW strut)? I have my 240z strut housings sectioned with these struts now. I was talking to the tech guy at ground control and he said these were the worst choice to go with.....? I have yet to drive my car with this set up but I don't want to be dissapointed once it's back on the road. Are they really THAT bad? I have the 240z front struts in the rear now, and I guess these are OK.
Next question, if they really are that bad, and now that the housings are sectioned and powder coated, is there another insert that I can use that will fit in the sectioned housing? Without having to cut and weld again. Thanks.
-
Sorry, it's not my car. I found the pic here on hybridz so maybe the owner will chime in. I agree though, it is very nicely done. I'm sure it's a one-off.
A/C removal holes... how 2 plug
in Miscellaneous Tech
Posted
What about rubber body plugs? You can usually find them at auto parts stores made by the "HELP" brand.