Zzeal

Sorry about not addressing the question, I did PM SATAN an answer but should have posted it! The only bars not completely welded are those in the engine compartment, going to the strut towers. All the other bars are welded completely around. Mark has some techniques to pull it off, as do most professional cage installers, I'm sure. Steve

Track Day / Street Cage - Professionally Built: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=153934

If you do decide to go the custom wiring route, consider Ron Francis Wiring, less painful than Painless.

I got my quarter windows apart!, and I took some shots while doing it. It wasn't too bad a job, but I can see how it might take a helper to squeeze the new moldings in and get the screws started. I'll try to get some pics of that operation too. '73 Quarter window after removing window to body seal and front seal. Two screws at front of frame. Two more screws at rear. After removing all four screws you can start prying and coaxing the frame off of the fossilized seal surrounding the glass. These guys will be powdercoated.

Drew RBZ, I very much appreciate your response, I had taken the two screws out and that didn't seem to get me anywhere. Now I'll persuade them as you advise. Thanks so much, I'm off and running. Thanks too, to Sparks 280zt.

I'd like to replace all the seals and powdercoat the moldings on my '73 quarter windows. It isn't obvious to me how these babies come apart. Actually, they don't look like they're interested in breaking down at all. If you've been successful in this endeavor, please give me some tips. Thanks tons! Steve

I agree, the inflated storage bags are bogus. Gnosez put me onto a "car jacket", an air tight bag that completely encloses the car and uses a desiccant (drying agent) to keep things desert like inside. It's available from Carbag.com. A guy in Michigan developed them to preserve his Alfa's, which apparently rival Z's for rusting with abandon. After months or even years, cars come out just as they went in, with shiny, un-tarnished rotors, and that has been Gnosez's experience. He and his friends have been using them in the Northeast. I ordered one for my '73, $231 shipped. A bargain, I think, especially with it being produced in the good ole US of A! Steve

Had a '73 media blasted this summer, bare shell on a rotisserie. They used a non aggressive "star" media, whatever that is. I had them do everything except the outside skin of the body. Reluctantly, I let the blaster do the inside of the top after getting tons of assurances ("we do cars all the time") that it wouldn't distort the metal. Bad decision!. I've got a cage in the car and the main hoop is snug to the lid so they couldn't blast the entire top, which is apparent when you see the outline of the bar on the outside of the top. It's enough to require a lot of block sanding. He should have soda blasted the lid, and soda would be my choice for doing a body (skin) too. Good luck with your project! Steve

Has anyone had any experience with these huge baggies? I used to see them advertised but rarely now, so I'm wondering if they work. They're supposed to keep your car from corroding, even without a desiccant, there's just a fan to keep the air moving. The most prominent advertiser I've found is CarCapsule.com. It's such a joy dealing with the elements here in the rust belt. Thanks! Steve

Yep, heat gun and scrape, worked great! I chased the residue with Eastwoods "Pre" instead of acetone, since it seems less toxic. It doesn't smell as nasty bad. Good luck with it!

Yeah, I know we didn't meet anybody's tech requirements, didn't even think about it. I'm just having a blast building what works for me. Maybe I should be considering what a prospective buyer would want... nah, the next guy can tailor it to his own liking. I just want that stealthy cage to sharpen the handling, not look boy-racer'ish, and provide a whiff of crash protection. Mostly, I wanted to show you what an extraordinary craftsman Mark is. Steve

I'm prepping a solid '73 for an LS2, to do some auto-X, lapping at Nelson Ledges, and for just a good hoot on the street. This old chassis is pretty floppy to begin with and it's gunna be absorbing 250 more lb./ft. of torque than it was designed for, so I thought some chassis stiffening was a must. Luckily, I know Mark McMahan (rollcageguy.com). He's known for his precise, tightly conforming cages, and his smooth consistent welds top it off. Mark's a very creative, innovative guy whose cages are more like rolling art. I dropped my rolling chassis off to him and we agreed that the cage should be as inconspicuous as possible (i.e., no diagonal on the main hoop), not block outward vision, and I didn't want to climb over bars to get in. The top side bar, coming off the main hoop starts high, hugs the top, then matches the curvature of the "A" pillar, providing space for noggins and retaining good forward vision. The awkward looking bars, running down to the diff. mount area were an afterthought (mine). Had to start 'em there so they wouldn't interfere with the seats. We'll finish it up with gussets later, where there's paper now. The stock seat mounts were removed (not a whole lot of fun) so that the replacement seats can be mounted as low as possible. There's a total of about 77 ft, of 1-1/2", .095 wall DOM tubing, which, at 1-1/2 lbs. per ft. equals about 116 lbs.. Add another 15 or so for the mounting plates and that's a porky total of about 131 lbs. For those of you not saddled with an archaic system of weights and measures, that's 23.5 meters of 38.1 mm dia., 2.4 mm wall tubing for 60 kilo's of pork. A fair trade off, in my mind, for a much more stable platform. Steve

It's the Phantom Fender Roller Program. Dave must have had second thoughts but never fessed up. I inquired about a year ago. Steve

Chrysler Crossfire 2004-2008 Fit fine in a '73 Grey cloth, rather flat but comfy, cheap at JY.

I went to 3M's web site and got the low down on their Weld-Thru Coating II, #05917. It's "designed to prevent corrosion from forming between two weldable metal surfaces". After welding, grind the welds, and if you're going to use plastic filler they advise you to remove the remaining weld-thru. If you're just painting after grinding, they'd have you spray 3-4 coats of weld-thru to the weld area's and follow with primer (especially theirs) and paint. ------------------------------------ Flexicoker- It's introducing an impurity to the weld, but it wasn't enough for us to notice, it welded just fine. ------------------------------------ Namor- I found mine at a welding shop, four others didn't carry it. Steve

I'm getting ready to weld on some Hard Dog frame rail caps. I really wanted to coat the back sides of the caps with something, but didn't know if anything could survive the intense heat. I did a "weldable primer" search but didn't find any conclusive info there, so we did a test. We coated two scrap 12 ga. pieces with 3M's weldable primer, mig'ed them together and found the primer wasn't affected by the heat! Now that's what I call $32 a can, paying off!. You can see where I scratched off the primer after it cooled. We also had a chance to sample Eastwoods version of the primer and much preferred 3M's. Steve

Yeah, It was a heck of a buy. It would be like getting a hot, new, imported sports car today for under $20,000 wouldn't it?, because that $3500 in 1970 is the equivalent to $19,517 in today's dollars. (Dollartimes.com) I remember the Datsun dealers being swamped by Z buyers, even a good friend of mine bought one. But I'm not buying it, these equivalency / inflation charts can't be entirely accurate, there's gotta be something else in the mix. The '70 car was attractively priced but nowhere near like a $20K offering would be today. A new 370Z starts at $30K! Any economists out there?, please chime in.

JSM - I don't know, I do receiving, but I'll check at work tomorrow and get back to ya if you'd like. Steve

I work for one of the oft mentioned shipping companies and part of my job is to re-pack damaged stuff. Srbigbutt is right on, forget boxing, wrap each bumper with bubble wrap (big bubbles, not small), tape 'em together securely then bubble wrap the bejesus out of them. They should survive the big shippers. But for sure, you'll get kinder, gentler handling at Greyhound and pay less too. Steve

A heads up for those requesting a template. You'll be getting one on 65 lb. paper, the heaviest stuff I could coax through my copier. I didn't want it to be all floppy and inaccurate after being cut out. I used a single edge razor blade to cut mine, but an x-acto or similar would work too. Steve

Years ago Ground Control provided templates with their camber plates, something you would reasonably expect, and I'm dumbfounded as to why they've stopped including them. Using a template is not the only way, but for me it's the easiest and most accurate way to install these high quality puppies. So when I got the plates for my '73 I made a template, all the while muttering some foul words about GC's intransigence. If you would like a copy of the template, please PM me. Next, I positioned the aluminum plate under the strut tower to see where it wanted to go, where it will eventually reside. You can't tell by the pic but it'll only go right there, it's snug to the tower at the point and sides. I then matched that position with the cut out template on top of the tower, taped it down and made sure it was pointing exactly to the other tower. I used a straight edge, but I suppose you could use a length of string. Centerpunch at the crosshairs for the four mounting bolts. Trace the cut out with a marker that will show up. Or, instead of a marker you could use a scribe. You're ready to cut. If you have access to one, use an air saw. Even a cheapie from Harbor Freight works well, it's fast and accurate. I tidied up with an air die grinder and hand file. Camber to the people! Steve Ground Control pieces parts. 240Z template, you know, cut on the curvy dotted line. Tool of choice, an air saw. Flip side of a '73 strut tower. Tower marked and mounting holes center punched. About one hour later. Camber happens!

I have a set from a '73, media blasted, but each with a small ding. PM me for a pic. Steve

MoNkEyT88- I'm in your boat, way out from completion. Mine's on a rotisserie, and will be for a while. I was just making a funny about how all of us taxpayers now own General Motors. Good luck on your build, hope you're done before me! *************** Pete S Luckily, I got this clutch some time ago. I hope GM gets their act together soon, I need some other parts too.

After researching LS clutches I decided on a GM LS7 pressure plate and disc. Thought I should do business with a company I own. Since this clutch won't fit my '05 GTO flywheel it gave me an excuse to buy an aluminum Fidanza unit, '05 Corvette application. Using a digital bathroom scale I found the stock LS2 pressure plate weighs about 21 lbs.(9.5 kilos), and the flywheel 24 lbs.(10.9) for a total of 45 (20.4) The LS7 pressure plate is 3 lbs. heavier at 24 lbs., but the Fidanza is a skinny 13 lbs.(5.9) which, together at 37 lbs.(16.8), save 8 lbs.(3.6) from stock. Net result: Quicker revs, less weight, lighter wallet. Steve Stock GTO LS2 LS7/Fidanza

A BIG thanks to Mike (m1noel) who PM'd me with the measurement I needed.