A to Z

11-01-2025. 260Z work. I got the engine compartment sanded down after the glaze and then cleaned up the crossmember and rack with cleaning solution "g@s" and a toothbrush, and then steel wool, etc. Then I vacuumed out the cowl and primed it with rustoleum rust primerand top coated it with gloss black paint, then painted the engine bay with filler primer. Once dry I will use some spot putty I picked up on the areas that need it, hand sand it smooth and filler primer over that. Once it is good, then I will progress to color and then clear. Busy day! Pics:

I went ahead and snagged the wheels I really wanted for my 260Z. I will make the factory flares work, mod a tad in the rear but I decided instead of making the wheels fit the car, get what I want and then mod the car a tad to make them work. 18X8 0 offset for the front, and 16X9 -15 offset for the rear. Tires will be 205/55R16 in the front, and 225/50R16 in the rear. So, Gunmetal grey ROTA V's.

260Z Rust Repair Day. I had "The Floor Pan Man" from Denver come over and got all the rust cut out and welded up. In the process of doing that we found damage and THICK Bondo in the rusty area behind the passenger rear wheel. Through sheer luck the Klassic Fab Vintage JDM patch panel was high.....high enough to remove all the thick bondo, and the rust. Once removed, we found a vertical welded section that the original body man had made to straighten everything out. So, Corey was able to cut that open again, and get it all straightened out correctly AND replace the inner panel that was rotted away also. While he was doing that I tore drivers door window and mechanism out, and replaced it with a refurbished part from Adam Sylvester at Datsun Rescue. The window had been held up with duct tape for over 10 years, and getting that "goo" off the window frame took quite a long time with steel wool....the glass I was able to use a razor blade to get it 90% done.....more will have to be done later.....but the PITA job I was dreading is now finished. When the bondo was found, I took my angle grinder and flap wheel and started looking for other areas it might be hiding.....luckily their isn't any.....but the thick paint on the car is in such a condition, that I need to use the flap wheel to remove it all, and then step it out with finer and finer paper to remedy it. I also put the glaze on the places needed in the engine compartment....doesn't look good. Why? Because the Dolphin Glaze I decided to use is "self leveling"....on vertical surfaces it "self levels" it's self down the panels! Not a biggie, it will sand smooth, but I don't want any more self leveling glaze! LONG DAY! Pics.

My valve cover, intake and motor mounts are done. Valve cover and intake are at J&S Polishing now.

My valve cover, intake and motor mounts are done. Valve cover and intake are at J&S Polishing now.

Today I began making my own alternator relocation bracket.

today I began making an alternator bracket to put it where I want it.

One way to make your own alternator bracket for an ATLAS 4.2 / Vortec 4200, part 1: Ok, so to make a bracket, I took my alternator down to the hardware store, and found that 3/8 bolts fit in the holes just fine, I took three 4 inch long 3/8 grade 8 bolts what were all thread and dropped them in each hole and then used nuts to adjust and get the alternator sitting level and off the ground. Then I played with spacers and nuts to come up with a height that was level and off the plate It will need 2 nuts back to back welded together to give plenty of threads to hold the alternator on the bracket. I stuck the spacers and nuts stacked together under each corner to ensure the height was sufficient to keep the housing off of the plate. After that I centered it on a piece of cardboard and used a pen to draw around each bolt. then I removed the alternator, and made sure the piece of cardboard was cut in straight lines so I could get measurements later. once I got back to the garage, I then took the cardboard and held it up in the area I wanted the alternator to sit. After determining that, I used a pen to push holes in the cardboard where the bolts go through and then held it up and used the pen to push holes where the bracket will bolt to the engine. Lastly, I took a straightedge, and lined up the alternator pulley with the crank pulley and used the pen again to punch holes through the cardboard into where the mounting holes are. I now have the template. the bolts I bought and put through the alternator brackets will hold he spacers and nuts and they will be welded together and welded to the spots on the metal plate. The hole I punched through the cardboard into the engine block holes will be drilled out. once welded there will be 3 2-3" tall "towers" sticking up. I will cut gusset "triangles" out of steel and have them welded to the plate on the bottom and backed up to each tower for reinforcement. As I get further I will continue to show the progress, and will give all the specifics so that the next guy, free of charge, can get his alternator on there.

sizes avaialble: 16x8 16x9 or 16x9 -15.

I am thinking I can run a 16X8 0 offset in the front on my 260Z without flares, and the wheel should sit inside the wheel well. I am sure tire width will come into play, but the idea is to not lose any steering....I want to be able to turn lock to lock, no rubbing and possible lowering the lip down to the tire. Opinions please? 16X8 or 9 in the rear not to exceed the outer lip edge with a lowering just to eliminate wheel gap. definitely like to have some dish to the wheel and a lip. Thanks.

Progress pics on the valve cover and 2 pics of the intake. getting ready to go to the polisher! all the welds on the valvecover will be sanded smooth.

Progress pics on the valve cover and 2 pics of the intake. getting ready to go to the polisher! all the welds on the valvecover will be sanded smooth.

Thanks. I think it will.

The Goal in shaving my engine compartment . To be most as nice as this shaved engine compartment. Turbo Tom's old car (someone took the turbo rotary out ).

Today I got the motor mounts all done. I used my idea of holding a spare crossmember with spacers under the engine to make the mounts. 3 inches clears the steering rack with a hair of space. I used LS mounts I found on ebay for 32 bucks, and had to chop them up a bit to make them so they would weld over 1.4" steel plate that was cut and drilled to fit the 4200 block. The metal spans that it came with were too short, so I used a length of 3/16 steel bar and cut and drilled them. Then using the bolt, one at a time I pushed them up to the plate and used a sharpie to draw the angle then removed them and cut them down. You have to remember to mark everything so when apart, you don't get pieces mixed up, as the sides are not identical. After that, I boxed up my core transmission and then cleaned up a bit and headed to the other garage for 260 work. I ground off remaining brackets and other pieces that still needed to be removed in the engine compartment, then used a DA sander to get it all sanded down. The old paint etc....well 80 grit wouldn't even phase it, so I had to use 60 grit. I was able to get everything sanded down except for the corners and tight spaces. I have an elliptical sander I bought that I will use next to get all the corners sanded out with 150 grit, then go over what I finished today to let that 150 grit smooth out any sanding marks. After that, I will then slick all the panels with Dolphin glaze, and sand the entire deal in 220 grit. Then 3-4 coats of sandable filler primer to fill in any imperfections, then color, then 2-3 coats of clear. A lot of work, very dirty, but progress was made. Pics: