zuperair

If you don't mind me asking...what did you offer him for it?

Thanks! Yeah, I just cut the brackets out. Those brackets get in the way of the old style full grill, so off they went!!! Now I just need to weld in the mount tabs for the full grill.

Sorry about the misplaced post, didn't know about that. Thanks!

Does anyone have this part? It's under the rear deck next to the spare tire. It's the subfloor bracket for a '77 280, although I'd bet '78's have this too. I need the driver side bracket, this is a pic of the passenger side bracket, although I believe they're interchangeable. I could really use this piece and it's bolts for my project. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

This afternoon, we needed to mock up the grill and bumper conversion before the car goes to the welder tomorrow for the camber plate install. The grill blinkers on the 280's have a brace that's welded to the frame in front of the core support, and it inhibits the use of the older early 260/240 grill. In order to use the older grill (no blinkers in the grill) we had to cut off the braces for the stock blinkers, which also supports the stock grill. We still need to finish grind and smooth the area...but once we're done, it will look original. I have the original frame mounting tabs for the 260 grill that I used...I'll have the welder tack them to the frame in the desired locations. They're strong mounts, and are stock for the older cars so it should look great. Here's some shots of the grind fest. After we were done, it was on to the bumper mock up. Here's the driver side blinker brace...with stock screws and bolts still in it. Here's the front view after the blinker braces were cut out.... In order to align the bumper properly, we temporarily hung the fenders and headlight buckets back on the car...three bolts a side was all it took to get them in place. OK, I did figure out that the 260 bumper pistons weren't the perfect distance for the 240 bumper that I have. The 260 pistons will bolt right up into the 77 no problem...but the distance from the piston mounting plate to the bumper mounting surface was still too long, and would need to be cut as well. So, I used the original bumper pistons and modified them accordingly. The originals have mounting bosses for the horns that the 260's don't....we're keeping the stock horn setup, so the original pistons were the ticket. First, we removed the small screw in the front of the piston to allow the pressure out, then we drilled a small holes in the bottom of the piston tubes to drain the oil out of them. After that, we measured the distance required to mate up the piston with the bumper mounting bolts. We did this by bolting on the corner mounts, then holding it just above the mounted pistons, we marked the length we wanted on the bumper piston (1/4 inche short of the mounting surface of the bumper). Then it was on to the grinder and a cutoff wheel. Once we cut off the pistons at the desired lengths, we remounted the bumper at the corners again after slipping the bumper over the piston tubes. The height of the piston tubes which limits the vertical adjustment of the bumper is about an inch too low for perfect level alignment. Our length was perfect...about 1/4 inch from the bumper mounting surface. I'm going to have a 1/4 inch thick mounting bracket welded to the piston cutoff point...so this distance is ideal. On the height issue...We cut 2 1/2 inches off the bottom half off of the piston tubes (the bumper couldn't be raised the inch in the front middle, since the piston tube is actually inside the bumper frame itself. The bumper would top out on the piston tubes about 1/2 inch short of level). Once we halved the end of the piston tubes, the bumper sat perfectly when spaced, which then gives us the measurments for the future welded mounting plate. Very happy with the result. This is my daugher Emmy cutting the piston tubes. Cutting the piston tubes in half length wise....c'mon, eye protection, ear protection, gloves, long sleeves....shorts and flip flops. Safety first! The finished result with a little help from some spacers and safety wire... All in all...the blinker light frames, and the bumper mock up took us about 3 hours. We still need to do the finish grinding, smoothing, and what not....but that shouldn't take more than an hour or so. Now it's off to the welder for the camber plate install and the custom bumper bracket weld. Can't wait.

Here are some shots of the 77 without the front clip. Disassembly was very easy...all bolts came out perfectly. No strips, no breaks. Wow is this car nice to work on. Right now I'm in the process of working a couple small issues out. Firstly, I'm working on the conversion from the 77 bumper to a 240 bumper. Also going to install the 240 grill at this time. On the bumper, I've read the thread regarding this exact issue (in fact that's how I found this site) and it looks as if there were two ways people were going. Either they fabricated custom brackets, or they cut off the piston tubes and welded the bracket to that. I really think that would be the cleanest looking, using the original pistons....I was wondering if anybody had looked into using a set of early 260 bumper pistons? I've got a set, and they are shorter than the 280's....but they still have the diagonal bracket...so I'd have to chop that off, but I'm wondering if this wouldn't be the exact distance required. I'm going to look into this...if anyones done it, it'd be great to hear from you. Also, now that the fenders are off....and at the end of the long list of changes that I originally posted I'll be having the car painted....I'd really like to coat the inner fenders and chassis. Just not sure what to use. The car is nearly flawless metal wise, so I'd hate to use something that could trap moisture and create a problem where there isn't one. However, I'd love to coat it/paint it/poly it or something just so it looks new underneath. Any ideas??? I'd really appreciate the help from those of you who have some answers. Lastly....I did find rust on the car. After I've been in, out, under, and around the car for a month now...it finally happened. Crap!!!! Really though, it is a minor issue...but I'll be getting it taken care of after I get the camber plates in. The location is highlighted in the photos by either blue or green arrows. I'd say the entire area affected is about 6" by 9". I can only guess that the reason for the rust in this location is as a result of the radiator overflow. It's the only thing I can think of since it is a source of steam and moisture....and this car lived it's entire life in Arizona. Any one with similar experiences? Anyway...here are the shots. Comments and Ideas appreciated!

Totally agree on the bumpers....I'm going to shave the tail (no bumper) and convert the front to a 240 style bumper. I've already got one, brand new european with no holes for rubber...I'm also going to convert the grill and corner lights to a 240 style as well. I've already picked up the under bumper blinker lights and a perfect grill. I'll have to do some modifications since that wont just bolt right up...but it should look awesome when it's done.

Just thought I'd post a pic of the hatch area stripped clean in my '77. I'm prepping the area for a camber plate install. I don't want any of my nice interior melting. I removed all interior pieces, as well as the vinyl wheel well and strut coverings. I'll be pulling the fenders, bumpers, and valances tonight. I'll post pics of that once It's completed. Looking to try and get it to the welder by Friday.

All the wires and electronics in that picture are aftermarket add ons. A CB radio, headlight sensors, power mirrors, two alarm systems, a driving computer and several other items. Other than the archaic alarm system nothing worked. I wanted everything back to stock. He had installed two auxilary fuse boxes, and a 16 pole power block to run all that stuff as well. Wires Wires and more wires. So, our first project was to clean up that whole mess, while not ruining existing wiring harnesses. That picture is a riot though....Like I said...."not one stock wire was harmed in that process". And, everything you see there in that pic is non stock aftermarket wiring.

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the help. I'll give the seatz idea a try...I'd bet they be the ticket. If not, I'd love to have them measured...but hate to hassle you if seatz has the answer. I'm in the market for some leather....they'll probably be real happy to help out. Thanks again!!!

Yeah, I wondered about that too. Without having a 240z seat to compare it too, I don't have an answer for that one. If someone knows....it'd be great to hear from them. Otherwise, maybe the company that sells the seat kits will know.

Hey guys... New member here, I've been lurking for a few months....great forum. I've been into Z cars for quite a long time (I'd rather not say how long : ) and have a new project. It's a 77 4spd/air coupe that I bought just recently. The original owner in Arizona (woooohooooo) sold it last November to the guy I bought it from. He brought the car up to Minnesota, lost his job...and had to sell it. All records and receipts!!!! Thats been pretty fun, going through all that stuff, he was 82 when he sold it, and the car has been handled like you might imagine if your grampa had owned it. Anyway.....here's the list of what's on tap for the car. I've got two kids 17 and 15 (boy and girl respectively) and we're planning on "pimping" our own ride. Wilwood racing brakes on all 4 corners converting to 5 x 4.5 bolt pattern Lowering the car with AZ Z Car Coil over kits Cammed E31 head with triple 40's Aluminum Radiator Hooker Super Competition Header (Old but perfect) Polishing Valve Cover, Intakes, Radiator, and other small items Jet Hotting the Header with "Extreme Sterling" (very much like chrome) Chroming alternator, bracket, and pullies 3:90 R200 from Japanese Skyline 260z Redline at 7000 rpm tach 5 speed conversion with Centerforce Dual Friction clutch Aluminum Flywheel Bumper conversion to 240 Z setup Grill and blinker light conversion to 240 z setup Hood swap to smooth 240/260 (early 280's) Side markers removed, all emblems removed "total smooth" Shaved Tail New wheels of course looking towards 17's Seat's to be re-upholstered/Stereo/Subs/Nav/Parking cameras (kids) We've got other plans as well...but these mods are on the "list". I'm sure I'll have many questions along the way, and hopefully you guys wont mind "helpin' a brotha" out. First question.....The 240z seats. I've been thinking for years that the seats are nearly identical between the 240's-280's and if I wanted to re-do the seats to take on the "look" of a 240 seat that all I'd need to do is buy a kit for a 240 and it should work on my 280 seat frame. Is this true??? In swapping many of the 280z designs for the old 240/260 designs on this car, I'd like to carry that theme to some of the interior pieces. Thanks in advance, and here are a couple picks of the car Oh, almost forgot. The original owner installed about every imaginable electronic "doo-dad" in this car....and I mean like everything. Power mirrors, headlight sensors, 2 alarms, a CB, Driving Computer, Radar, and other smaller ridiculous mods. He had installed 2 auxilary fuse boxes and a 16 post power block. No kidding. Luckily, he only cut into the stock wiring in one spot (ignition) for the alarms...otherwise, he had soldered his wires directly to the back of the fuse box....so the first project was stripping out all his "stuff"....here's a shot of my son holding up what was left of his work when we were done. Keep in mind, that every wire you see him holding or near to him is a NON STOCK wire. Not one single stock wire was harmed in this "fix".