A to Z

12-06-2025. I have boxes and boxes of stuff I have bought for the car, and today was the day to start throwing all the stuff on and make some room back! First, I had the mobile welder stop by and weld my radiator support back in, and while here, I had a thick steel plate welded on to the top. It is stronger now than it ever was. Then it was time to start installing parts on the engine, getting the hood on, rear suspension back in and all 4 new wheels. I took the dash down from the rafters so I could start on it on very cold days indoors, and it is a lot heavier than I remember......I am going to swiss cheese the frame and lighten it up a bit......I don't need that weight! Pics:

thanks. It's a very expensive hobby I have.

ready for installation:

On the hood for my 260Z project. I will give some clarification. It is meant to be a picture frame. I want an open engine compartment. no hood at all looks unfinished. this is mean to close off the stuff that is mundane and let the engine shine through. black but blue underneath and a fully polished out engine. So, maybe once done you will understand what I am going for. The Behemoth at Z Car Garage has the same deal.....but the blue engine compartment, shaved, will really contrast with the black picture frame.

12-04-2025. Today I picked up the hood from the powder coaters. R&S Powder Coating in Colorado Springs

Wow....that is GREAT! NOW is the time for you change things you want to before it is painted! Thanks.

I went ahead and reattached the baffle for my valve cover using the original JB Weld. It is so strong when you TRY to push it, it doesn't move! This will work!

12-03-2025. At home, and it is COLD (20 degrees) and snowy. I put on 3 layers of clothes and went out to remove some more old paint off the 260Z. Hands and feet got cold, otherwise not bad. had to stop twice and use my leaf blower to blow all the paint dust out of the garage. amazing how much is created....and as usual this paint is VERY hard to remove. 60 grit flap disc on an angle grinder. I will have to go over all panels with a DA sander and 80 grit to get it smooth......way too cold to put filler on it, but I will start blocking it out once the weather gets warmer.

12-03-2025: Very rarely do I see things for Datsun's that are more than what I expected, particularly with fiberglass parts. Today my roll pan came in from Hot Hod Chop Suey. The pics tell it all. The quality is easily 10 times better than I expected. It was packaged so well it took me quite a while to get it out of all of the wrapping. Ken, the owner, not only made it for me with a special change, .....eliminating the exhaust cutout, but also fitted it to a car he had to make sure it fit correctly. The threads embedded in the fiberglass are clean and everything is just perfect. So, when it comes to Ken at Hot Rod Chop Suey, take it from me, you can buy with confidence.

12-01-2025. First day of December. My right side headlight bucket I ordered form Z Car Depot came in, VERY nice part. Also a new set of front and rear side marker lamps. Why restore the old ones when new ones are available and affordable! My new 260Z fender badges should also arrive in the next day or so. Cool stuff.

11-30-2025. Weird day for progress. Last day of November and its 15 degrees out . So, it was time to bring stuff inside to work on. My Rage Gold finally showed up, so I can begin the tedious process of making the doors, quarters, roof and tail smooth.....when it gets warmer. A couple corners on the hood had some nicks from cutting it, and I filled them with all metal filler and was able to sand them smooth quickly. All Metal is the only filler that can survive powder coating, so the hood is now ready for its trip to the powder coaters for gloss black just like my new hatch. I brought my valve cover in, as well as my coils, dash vents and dash name plaque. I used my bathtub, and some pine sol, water and an old toothbrush and scrubbed out the valve cover...it was full of dust from the polisher, then scrubbed my coils, fresh air vents from the dash and the dash plaque. 1974.5 is different, the dash vents are very unique, when it became a 280Z the next year the vents have a push pull knob in the center to open close the vent....these are just vents, with no door to open and close them. Since this is a one year car, there can't be many of these setups left........The dash plaque I will attempt to paint the letters etc with a paint pen, but I have no faith at all in my ability to do so. I have shaky hands. Anyway, it was mentioned earlier that the port I added for a catch can wasn't baffled, and that as such, I will just fill my catch can up with oil......so I asked A.I. on Chat GPT about it, and did some thinking, and came up with this.....I cut a piece of sheet metal and bent it and then used some JB weld bonding glue I had in the garage to make a baffle which will allow the pressure out but keep the oil IN. See the pics below. Once dried, it will function fine for keeping my catch can from filling up with liquid, and let the crankcase breathe. PICS:

11-28-2025. I started today by sanding out and using some filler glaze on the left headlight bucket, and then sanded down both front fenders. Then I finished scribing out the hole on the hood and cut it. After that, I went ahead and primed and painted the front fenders and the one headlight bucket I currently have. There are 5-6 spots I will have to fix / paint correct, but progress is made. Pics:

Similar to this pic below:

Got my proofs back from speedhut with the Z in there.

Happy Thanksgiving! I started the layout on my new hood before going in for the holiday. 13 1/4" from the front hood corners. this should allow for the radiator support to see seen, AND because some of the center bulge remains, those bends in the steel will help with keep the sheet metal rigid. I wanted to keep some the center bulge anyway, as it helps set the tone for how the bodies lines go back visually. the side will be cut to cover the tops of the struts, yet, show the tops of the frame rails and how there are no exposed brake lines. With the hood being black but the engine compartment blue, it will also set off the edges around the polished engine sticking up. At least in my mind.