Jeff

Well I finally dropped my Z off the rotisserie tonight and I had promised BlueOvalZ, Terry Oxandale, that I would weigh the bare body shell. Of course I promised him this over a year ago when I put it on the rotisserie. I have it on four jack stands and bought four cheapo bathroom scales to place under each stand. I added up the weights and subtracted out the weight of the jack stands. And the verdict is 520 pounds The car is down to bare metal with every ounce of undercoating stripped and the small rails that go under the floor pans are removed right now. The tranny mount has also been removed. I would guess this is 30 to 40 pounds that need to be added back in. I was a little surpised that it weighed that much as I would have guessed in the 400 pound range. Oh BTW this is an early 260 so it should be similar to a 240. I started with a 240 that I gave up on and I really don't see very many differences when comparing the two body shells. Just thought this was an interesting bit of trivia I would share with the masses. I've got a great pic of it on the scales but won't be able to post it until tomorrow because I left the cable for my camera at work. I hate it when that happens

I would say it is a CV joint making the noise. Your car should have CV's instead of U joints.

Welcome to the wonderful world of the Datsun Z Car. Everything rusts from the inside out so if you are seeing rust on the outside then more than likely it is rusty on the inside as well. You need to start removing undercoating and see where it stops. There is no way to inspect the inside of the frame rail so you need to strip it and make sure they are solid. Good luck with it and yes I have been through the same thing.

A "plug" is the original part that you use to pull a mold from. A urethane foam is usually the best to use as a plug as it will sculpt to a much finer detail than good ole styrofoam or EPS. There are different manufacturers but you usually see this as the pink foam.

I broke the ones that thread into the rocker panel on my 240. As I recall there is no way to get to the threads to soak them down. Heat is probably your best bet.

O.K. I took the plunge and just bought a set as well. Are there any plans for a rear setup as well? It would be nice to have a matching setup on the rear.

I like the signature rules over at Corner Carvers. Those guys don't put up with any nonsense. I know what you mean about CZ28.com many of those signatures are just nuts. It's funny I've had the same thought about who cares what kind of plugs you are running.

O.K. since I didn't know what it meant I did a quick Google search

Sorry to hear about your troubles Mike. I hope the scored rod journal wasn't because of bad machining on the parts I sold you. Let me know.

Damn you've been busted and I feel foolish.

The 260Z had a stock rear sway bar just not sure of the size. 20mm is right at 3/4" so that is a fair size bar. I know ground control offers both a 3/4" & 7/8" rear bar so my vote is that it is an aftermarket bar.

Wow that looks great. It's time to change your signature pic. What size wheels and tires are you running?

Hey watch it with the "old guys" remarks, didn't your parents ever teach you to respect your elders.

That was a Firebird that was at the Southeast Zcar Shootout in Reynolds, Georgia. It is a beast but still didn't make a full pass the whole day. I only recall it trying to make one pass and something going wrong. If a little rust and a sunroof scares you then the thought of trying to transplant that into a Z should give you a heart attack. You need to formulate a realistic plan and stick with it.

Wednesday night sounds good, I'll be there. I'm planning a SBC swap but we all know how far off that will be On a more serious note I just closed on a second mortgage that will pay everything off so hopefully more funds will be available for the Z. I am doubting my metal fabrication skills so I am meeting with a guy this week to see about him fabricating the sub frame connectors and front frame rails for me.

Scottie just got his car back together so I'm sure he will be heading out to the track soon. He usually runs on Wednesday nights and Z-Gad is a regular as well.

There are a few of us that hang out here. Scottie-GNZ - Buick Grand National powered 240Z (Very trick & very fast) Z-Gad - 3.1 turbo stroker powered 280Z 280Zen - N/A 280ZX I am the non runner in the crowd as you can see by my sig pic. Welcome to the board and you should join us in September for the next Southeast ZCar Shootout. Check it out http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=151184&highlight=#151184

The guy who is doing this now is V8ZRACER260Z. Here are the links to the threads concerning his build up http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=19062&highlight= http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=20184&highlight=

You were talking big the other day about some pretty wild modifications. The metal work involved in those modifications is way more difficult than what it takes to replace the frame rails. If the frame rails scare you don't even think about customizing the body. O.K. with that said it is time for you to map out a plan and establish a budget. Whatever you think you are going to spend just double that and that will be more realistic. Think about time frames because if you are going to tear the car down this will be a long process. Just go into this process with your eyes wide open and you should be fine.

Well there are the three of us and then you need to add ScottieGNZ, Z-Gad and Blackbob that I am aware of. I'm sure there are others. You guys need to join us for the next Southeast Z Car Shootout in September. It will be held in Reynolds Georgia a little south and west of the Macon area. Myself, Scottie, Z-Gad and Speeder, out of Melbourne, have caravaned to the last two events. It is great fun and the more the merrier.

It's Moms birthday today so the family is gathering this evening. All joking aside I may be interested in it. If you do go see it let me know what you think.

I agree the wife would kill you, o.k. maybe just hurt you badly. I don't have that problem any more so hmm another Z car and one that I might actually be able to drive in this decade.

I had to pause it to put my boots on because the BS was getting so deep. :malebitchslap:

Not only no but hell no! You need to find out why it's binding and fix it properly. I can imagine if you let it clearance itself it might bend or damage the crankshaft.

Looks very nice Dan. I know you must be pumped just to have it rolling around again. Keep us posted with your progress.