Pharaohabq

You can use some blake parts cleaner to remove oil from all those areas, then wipe with a rag, it'll disolve all the oil and evaporate, then you should really be able to see where it's coming from. Aside from that, you can get some UV dye, and put that in, run the engine for a few, then look with a black light, it'll glow brightly where the active leak is. it's a pain, and I know what you mean, I hate leaks myself too!!! Good luck Phar

You can use Murphy's oilsoap to help you push that in, it'll slide well and won't hurt the rubber.

I was much more thinking of modifying the Glass rather than that body, but using the brackets from the 2+2 glass. Why would we need to change the body? Phar?

I love how the rear quarterglass windows mount on a 2+2 and can actually open. Has anyone tried to adapt this to the quarterglass on a Coupe?? I would really love to be able to open the rear windows in my 78' Coupe. Phar

Yes, I'd definitely say the gas setup is well worth it. Most Migs come with the regulator and all else you need, cept for the tank, and the smaller wire. the tank you can get at any welding shop, or it's possible to use CO/2 as a gas shield. so if you have access to a Soda bottle it'll work well. I have a "power tank" I use for air'ing up my Jeep tires after a run, that's 20$ to refill with CO/2 that works well with my lincoln 135 Mig... As he said, Stitch is the best way to weld a panel, gotta keep the heat down. and liek I said earlier, don't forget to protect the back side of the repair. Phar

Hey yeah, that's looking good, Are you planning on painting the ZG's as well? Also, did you have both side mirrors on the car before you're deciding to go with the fender mirrors? If so, are you going to keep hold of your passenger side? I could really use one... Phar

nice, those look pretty sweet, What kind are they? They look like the Panasports. looks like you went with 17's, and Falken tires. I had Falken' 512's on my 300zx, n they were okay, but I really like my dunlops better. I see you did some welding on the body damage by the door, Was there a hole there? Looks like you'll be trimming or something for the fender flares. you could cut, then bend the metal under to keep from creating a sharp edge. but how were you planning on doing that...? It's all looking great tho, I really love the pictures.. Phar

You can do it with a Stick, but it depends on how good a welder you are. You'll want you use your lowest amperage settings and as thin a stick as you can find. This will minimize the chances of burning through your panel. If you burn through, take a break, let it cool, and assess the damage, you would likely need to sand it flat and cut another patch. Don't try to close the hole by welding, you'll heat the panel too much and warp it. The Stick Welder as you know, uses flux coated rods, and while you can get a good strong weld, it won't be near as pretty as a MIG welded joint. The MIG uses gas to keep the oxigen away from the arc, and thus doesn't create much slag. You can use flux cored MIG wire, or both together. I really like the Supergas, 25/75% argon/CO2. It shields nicely and makes for some really nice welds. Also when you're welding, keep in mind that you'll be on a vertical surface as compared to your horizontal bench surface. There's a definite difference between the two. When you weld your panel in place with either type of welder, weld the panel in place with a lot of little tacks rather than long seams to avoid much heat buildup so you don't get warping. if you make a seam, don't go longer than about 1/2" at a time Really a MIG is much easier to weld with, and I think once you get one that you'll never go back to your stick welder. they ARE just that much better... Really! My 110V is a Lincoln 135, it's about the biggest you can get for 110V and I've been really happy with it. Lastly remember that once you've welded the patch in place, that the back side is still going to be bare metal, so if you can get to it behind the panel, then you'll want to paint or coat it with something to prevent the inside bare metal from rusting. I've seen plenty of good patches/paintjobs ruined by rust returning from behind the panel between the body and the patch. Good Luck, Phar

update?

What condition are the rear rocker panels behind the rear tires? and I need a hood latch pull.. PM me. Phar

Ouch, Can you return the car to whom you bought it from? Is there a Lemon Law in your state? If not at least you'll have a parts car. What color interior? I might be looking for a good center console Phar

nice! those seats look sweet Jeffer... Now where'd he find a set for 175... I was looking at the leather reskinning kit from datsunrestore, but that's like 350 bucks! if I can get 350Z seats cheap somewhere hmm....

Yeah like Jeffer said, you need to protect the threads, I used the nut that was originally on there, unscrewed it so it was even with the end of the bolt the put a 2x4 against the bolt and loosed nut and whacked the heck out of it w/ a 20# hammer. it began moving after about 10 blows then I soaked it again with WD40 and the next day whacked it some more, took off the nut and ouila! it came free. 2x4 looked bad tho. A piece of plywood would work too, so long as you're not pounding direct steel to steel. Phar

Well look for rust, because even if the engine is a paperweight, you'd still be in good shape since you'll be playing with the turbo stuff on it. Especially check the reenforced areas above the frame rails just behind the front tires. This area bolsters braking and bad rust here could be dangerous. 1000 or 1500 is pretty decent. Really just take a good look and figure what you're getting into. Worst case on the engine, you're probably looking at a rebuild. But you could swap in the 83 L28ET and sell the old parts on EPay. either way don't worry about the engine, that's the easy part. Phar

How much are those upgrades worth to you? I was thinking about it, you need to do some math. I bought my 78' 280Z w/ almost no rust for $400 bones. yeah it needs more work, but what are you going to want to do to that car? How bad is the rust? There's a lot of deals to be had, so you might really think hard about paying that much for it. Especially without getting to see how the int looks, and how it drives. I'd say low ball it around $1800 or less and work up from there, make him sell it to you, tell you what it's worth, n why you should pay more than your offer. You might also look at what else is avail locally and on EPay/Craigs to build some comparitives to keep in mind. Phar

Ohh I'd also like to know how the Stock Tachometer works too, anyone know?

Sorry to hear about the Crash, No fun... Got picts?? Look at it this way, it's an upgrade opportunity, n you can get that new paint job done at the same time. Phar:mad:

There's always a ton of these for sale on Epay, tho the Combo switch isn't that hard to rebuild, just time consuming. Phar

Yeah that's real similar to what I was thinking of using. it's kinda like a brillo pad but with like grinder material embedded in it. sandwiched into a disc. Do you know what Grit those pads you used were? I've seen at Lowes there's a few different roughness levels of pads. Ahh okay, Direct to Metal, DTM, Totally makes sense now. That's looking good so far with the primer on there. I know you're going to do some sanding, so I guess dust in the primer isn't so big a deal. Can you see any swirls from the sander through any of the primer? I'm just trying to pay attention so I don't muff up my car when it's my turn to refinish. Thanks so much for posting so many pics! Phar

Yeah, it would be nice to have both cars tho, but budgets are a bi*ch. That and I have too many cars already. Hopefully the 240 will stick around a while longer so that I can finish up some on my 78' and get rid of the 86' I've got and earn up some brownie points w/ the wife... I'm still keeping my 92' as my daily driver and well the Jeep is just for romping on rocks. My 78, along w/ paint and the new interior, I want to put on 240Z bumpers, and a P90a head. I'm also looking into different EFI options, because I'd like to increase MPG.. Phar

so you like the wire cups better for removing paint? I've used those before to remove rust off metal before welding, and of course to remove the crud after welding. Maybe I'll try it on the paint. I was worried about the nut that hold on the disc scarring the metal with the scotch pads. I don't think the wire would scar the metal. Maybe I'll try both to get a feel for what would work best for me. There's at least 2 maybe 3 coats of paint on my Z. On Primer: It's definitely good to wear the right kind of resperator. What kind of Paint gun will you be spraying with? Is that DTM primer good for bare metal application, and what of rust prevention? I'm not familiar, though it sounds like you have a good dialogue w/ a paint shop going. Hood holes and welding: I think the older 260/240 emblems had a different hole pattern than the horizontal 280Z pattern. As for the welding on the door repairs, if you didn't have trouble before, than just refill it and let it be. it's not worth the risk of heat warpage. T Though if you were going to repair your door damage yourself, were you going to spot weld in more sheet metal for that too? Since you'd have the welder out. Phar

I was thinking I should be able to get ~22-25 in town, and 30+ on the highway. I dunno.. It's hard to say just what it would work out to, right now my S30 gets 18City and about 23 on the highway. granted my S30 needs some work. Maybe trying the hard way, Which aftermarket EFI were you thinking? Megasquirt? Looks like Megasquirt is pulsed in banks rather than firing the individual injectors like the mopar EFi does. Phar

Anyone else got anything to say? Anyone done this? looking for input here... thanks, Phar

Yeah, I was thinking of sanding mine w/ my angle grinder, though like I said I'd be afraid of marring the metal. though I've used those scotchbright disks before, n they work well. I guess you could go over it w/ a good primer. The body shop I talked to this morning was saying you should use a green acid base primer to ensure no rust developes. If you're painting it, you should probably consult a shop in your area for your climate, or for instructions prior to them painting... I dunno. It's looking good, hopefully mine will turn out so well

So what are you using to sand with? I'd heard you could really muff up your paint if you get the sanding wrong. What did you use to undercoat beneath the fenders? Are you going to check your floorpans and rear wheelwells too, I mean redo the undercoat on them also? Looked like your left door and wheel well might have had some damage, or is that just the dust playing tricks? Are you going to do your own painting? Phar