Jeff

If you are going to remove the foam after the epoxy cures you will need to coat the foam. We have used spray adhesive and aluminum foil or even latex paint.

Thanks Pete, I had looked at your information in the past and wasn't sure if I wanted to attempt the fabrication. I like the idea of the added strength and will definetly go for it now. Your project is an inspiration and I know you must be psyched at being so close to completion. Thanks for all the great info on your web site.

The floor pans are almost complete and it's time to move on to the frame rails. What sources has everyone used and how was the quality. I used Zedd Findings for the floor pans and was happy with the heavier gauge of metal, but they required quite a bit of massaging to fit well. My plan is to drop in a SBC in the 300 to 350 hp range. The transmission will either be a T5 or T56. With this setup should I consider fabricating my own rails?

We use wax instead of clay to make a larger flange when we are working on a large mold, life a front end. You place a bead of clay as a support to keep the base of the wax from moving while you lay up the glass. We then superglue, yes superglue, triangular shaped wax gussets to the back side of the wax flange. These keep the top of the wax from deflecting while your laying up the glass. We do use clay as well, but the amount of clay required for a large flange is cost prohibitive. Hope this helps.

Chris, The wax does not stay in the mold. You lay the mold up in sections and use the wax to create your flanges. Once the flange is created you remove the wax and then use your fiberglass flange as backing when you lay up the adjoining flange and mold section. You can buy high temperature sheet wax online from McMaster-Carr, www.mcmaster.com, sorry can not remember how to embed a link. Just go to their site and search on wax, if your not familiar with them you will be amazed at the diversity of products they carry. I do the estimating for a specialty construction firm that does a lot of work for the entertainment industries. I could snap some digital photos of a multi-part mold and e-mail them to you. You can contact me at jmcelyea@nassal.com. If you make a nice enough mold you could probably sell parts to some of the other members. ------------------ 1972 240Z - Major Rust Repairs Underway

Chris, Multi part molds are necessary if the part you are casting has a negative draft. In other words if it turns back on itself whatsoever then it will not release from the mold. We use sheet wax to create dams that enable the mold to be cast in sections. You turn the fiberglass up on the wax to create a flange. Remove the wax and apply PVA to your newly formed flange before you lay up the next section of mold. You create a matching flange at this point. Drill the flanges and bolt them together to form your full mold for casting your new part. When the part sets up just unbolt the flanges and remove your mold in sections. It is a fairly easy process if you just take your time. Fiberglass is very forgiving if you make a mistake.

Rick, The only experience I've had with a rod knock is exactly as you describe. It was a big block motor and would only knock in the upper revs. Turned out there was very little damage to the bearing and crank and therefore would only knock under severe load. I hope the problem is ignition as Scottie described. Good luck with it.

Jason, I'll agree with you that inexpensive straight Z's are getting tough to find. My current project, a very rusty 72 240Z, needs to hit the junk yard and be replaced with a straight shell. I travel to Los Angeles on a regular basis and have been looking for a replacement for several months now. The inexpensive cars I've looked at have been either beat to death or have lots of rust. Check the car out thoroughly and if it meets your expectations then buy it. This is all about your perception of what a good deal is. If you believe you got a good deal then you did. ------------------ 1972 240Z - Major Rust Repairs Underway

I bought the undergone kit from Eastwood and it's not worth the money. I believe it would work well on fresh undercoating, but 29 year old undercoating just doesn't come off very easy. I have been using a scotch brite style pad on my 4 1/2" grinder and this works fairly well. It's a long process no matter how you attack it. ------------------ 1972 240Z - Major Rust Repairs Underway

I do cost estimating for specialty construction firm that works in a lot of custom fiberglass components and the problem with any limited production run is the initial tooling or mold costs. Mike, we have a really talented mold maker on staff who might be interested in a little side job. Just food for thought.