Metallicar

Black Dragon shows Hatch Weatherstrips for 2+2's (that's where I got mine): http://www.blackdragonauto.com/features/z/ZRH1.htm Mine:

Thank you ! jtmny1999! I now know where to send $610 for each!

That picture is from a post of mine. The picture, I captured from the best Z car video ever: Best Motoring Special Vol. 56 "Love the Z" It is a torrent, 1.6GB. Down side is that it is Japanise language, no sub-titles. It is easy to sit thru the 73 minutes and see great Z car history. I want those seats!!

where to buy: http://www.duplicolor.com/solutions/wheretobuy.html

This is the best picture I have on the web, at the moment. I need to get a new camera ASAP.

Thanks for the fast reply Jon! I realize the cleaner, the better. I'm not looking for a short cut with wire options. I guess I started ot over think this, with all of the wire options out there, I became side-tracked. So what is your standard wire?

Will someone here recommend a wire/gas combination that works well with mig welding new metal to old & stitch welding the factory lap joints? I looked at the Lincoln Electric Web Site and I see that there is a wire called Outershield 70, it is a flux cored gas shielded wire that performs well on rust, oil, and mill scale. (according to thier site). Any comments? http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Catalog/consumableseries.asp?browse=104|1099| Thanks again! Jon

I called Rustoleum's Service Center, about thinning the paint for spraying. I was told 10% Acetone was the max. That's what I used on my hood with Satin Black. I used a Devilbis Finishline HVLP Gun on a 75 degree day. I was able to keep a wet edge going nicely, the finish is even and it looks great.

Stony, you car is very good looking! I think the front marker is 180 degrees out though.

Even though I now have a 5hp compressor with 60 gallons of storage, I still preffer to use my 4 1/2" grinder with 36 grit discs for grinding welds. I also use it most with cutoff wheels, not the air tool. I also picked up a Rotozip, with all of the attachments on sale at Home Despot. It came with the angle grinder attachment that uses 3" wheels. I also bought the flex tool (like a dremel) attachment for it. It works very well for small stuff like port and polish. I also highly recommend adding more air tank capacity. Over the years, I have at times, used old water tanks, old propane tanks, freon bottles, and once I used an old commercial water heater. One summer, I used an old chiller barrel, while I was waiting for the price of scrap to go up. TonyD did a write up about air consumption and storage a few months ago about this. It's another good read, by The Man.

Wish I could say Mine! I love these seats!

It's aluminum. It wont rust but it sure will look like crap if you don't maintain it's polished finish. That yellow crap was clear coat. It will be much easier to polish the cover outside of the engine bay.

Kurt Hafer, the 510 guy, has some great Subaru R160 info here: http://kmhafer.datsun510.com/Subaru.htm#What%20kind%20of%20Differential%20is%20in%20my%20510?

Putting DOT 3 Brake Fluid in the cylinders works very well. The brake fluid will eat the nasty stuff thats hanging it up. That is if it's just corrosion. Good Luck.

I have installed new 2-1/2" sq front frame rails. I am not sure if I am going to recycle the old TC Pockets or make new ones. I bolted on the engine crossmember and installed the LCA and began to second guess what the location for the pocket to be. I am worried about the rod end hole in the pocket. I know that the stock pocket angle is 34 degrees off of the frame rail. The distance that the pocket is from the LCA is dictated be the length of the Torsion Rod. My question is; is the center of the TC Rod Hole in the TC Pocket dead level with the LCA if it is level. OR do I just relax and install it so the hole is centered at 75 mm from the point at which the crossmember bolts up? Do I get any +/- in tolerance? Thank you, Jon

You work in a sheet metal shop with no welding equipment? Oh well. Did you mix in the rubber turds in the Herculiner? Or just use the smooth? You could use a roofing product called "Peel & Seal" for sound insulation, found at Lowes & Home Despot.

I am no expert, hopefully someone else will chime in- I think you need to pre-heat the cast iron with a torch before welding to it.

To cut the 2-1/2" tube to length I used a 14" chop off saw. To cut in the "windows" to drop the angle stock into I used the cut off saw to make the vertical cuts and an angle grinder with a cut off wheel to make the horizontal cuts. My good friend, VinhZXT helped me on Saturday making the rails and getting the car ready for the install. He even gave me the 3" x 10" x 3/16" stock that we used for the engine crossmember plate, we welded under the rails. That stock we cut on his metal band saw, a very nice tool to have. Next step is deciding on how the TC pockets will be fitted up. Since the stock rail has a graceful curve where the pockets were welded in, verses the new "dead level" rails, I am not settled with what to do, yet. I would like to keep the stock TC rods. So I need to figure out whether or not I have the nerve to make new pokets like Crispy Chicken (Crispy Chicken Pockets, Like Jim Gaffigan ?) or recycle the old ones. The math, measuring, and fixation of stress has me concerned. I worry about whether I am going to snap a TC rod or break a weld.

Ahh yes, I guess I would figure that out when trying to bolt it back in! Sure would be easy for me to cut a spacer out of .083 that lays under the factory clamp. Thanks Jon

Thank you Derek and Jeff! Today I decided not to overthink this, so I did anyway. It was pretty easy. I just carefully cut two windows in the side of the tube, dropped in the angle iron, and easily welded in. I have to get the 3" plate stock for the botton. This should be stout enough. I just needed to overcome the fear of freaking this up. I have been overly cautious of getting the stuff lined up right. I wish my camera was better. You would not believe how I have been staking out the locations for everything. Sometimes this stuff is too abstract. I dare not venture into the world of redesign. I feel a bit queasy just trying to get it back to stock, forging ahead anyway, as slow as I can. I hope that this isn't a long term sickness.

Crispy Chicken, How is the project going? Did you get the engine crossmember bolted up? Please post some pictures of those pockets. I am still looking for an elegant way to do this to my 2 1/2" sq. tubes. It looks like the bolt holes are right at the outside corner of the tube. Thanks for sharing! Jon

Well, it turned out to be a scam or something. I found a few listings on ebay for these. I did the "Buy It Now", but ebay stepped in and cancelled the sale as well as the Sellers account. The seller had over 1100 / 98% feedback, I am not sure what really was the cause for the termination. At least I still have my money. This is the second time this week, I won an auction, and the ebay machine terminated it's validity. Again, I lost no money, but it is lousy business.

Please, let me know if I am making a mistake if I pick up one of these for $300. New. I would rather not own it if it is not a decent tool. http://www.htpweld.com/products/plasma_cutters/625.html Thanks again, Jon

I think that the stock shield is 20 gauge metal, maybe 24.

Thank you all for your replies. My first concern was whether or not I could weld the galvanized metal to the stock steel materials with good results. I mean, if I can make structurally sound welded connections that would be as good as welding plain steel to plain steel. The concern about the fumes is well placed, though I had read some time ago, that the fumes are not as bad some would think. For example, this is from: http://www.sperkoengineering.com/html/articles/WeldingGalvanized.pdf "Zinc Fumes -- A Safety Hazard? When zinc vapor mixes with the oxygen in the air, it reacts instantly to become zinc oxide. This is the same white powder that you see on some noses at the beach and the slopes. Zinc oxide is non-toxic and non carcinogenic. Extensive research into the effects of zinc oxide fumes has been done, and although breathing those fumes will cause welders to think that they have the flu in a bad way, there are no long-term health effects. Zinc oxide that is inhaled is simply absorbed and eliminated by the body without complications or chronic effects. Current research2 on zinc oxide fumes is concentrated in establishing the mechanism by which zinc oxide causes "metal fume fever," how its effects are self-limiting and why zinc oxide fume effects ameliorate after the first day of exposure even though the welder may continue to be exposed to zinc during subsequent days ("Monday-morning fever"). Other research3 is being done using zinc oxide fumes together with various drugs which results in a synergetic effect for treatment of cancer and AIDS. Another area of research is use of zinc compounds as the active ingredients in throat lozengers that are recognized as significantly effective in reducing the duration and intensity of the common cold."