DavyZ

It all depends on the technician. The ones we used at the dealership didn't want to do anything larger than a "golfball sized dent" because the ability to just shape metal back into place without damaging the paint AND having it look satisfactory to the customer goes way down. If it cannot possibly look "perfect," then they are reluctant to spend the time since a customer may not be willing to pay for anything less. I would reassure them that you'll take whatever you can get from them and be happy with it regardless. I had a body shop reskin the roof on my 240Z to eliminate a sunroof hole. Davy

^^^^I went out there to see the work and Austin was doing a great job of cutting up perfect sheetmetal I'm sure the finished job looks good, but man, it's painful to watch while you do it. Kinda like watching dentistry while they put in a bridge--it's all yuck until they finish. Thanks for selling me the flares, Matt

Sounds like he removed the rubber isolator from the top of the strut, ha ha! Not good. I would replace them and lower the car the proper way (if that is what you want). Read about the differences between isolator thicknesses and what you should replace it with. Davy

True. I know the manager of one of the local Maaco shops around here and they do pretty good work. It's not meant to be concours quality or anything, but it's not too bad by any means and certainly worth the money. Bottom line is this: it all depends on the shop, just as you stated. I personally think that if you can afford the time, spend a coupe of Franklins and invest in yourself by taking a paint & body class at a local community college. You will educate yourself and give yourself skills that will enable you to do bigger and better things. For example, I can paint the "real fire" you see on some cars after a few days of specialized training in one of those classes I took. I just need to buy an airbrush for myself now and I'll flame paint my tool boxes, the bikes, and even my neighbor's cat. Davy

Yes, it was "Dent Erasers" when I worked in Oakland, CA. "Dent Pro" was the big name, but my dealership didn't use them when we could get more competitive deals from some of the smaller outfits. My Q45 looked like the Chevy you posted above, at least on the sides it did. The guy took the better part of a day and removed about 20 or so dings. Cost me only $175 since I worked at the dealership I do some traditional paint & body (very little BTW), and I am blown away at the skill of a good PDR guy. The whole idea just makes good sense to me and I prefer it over traditional paint & body. Despite the economy, I think PDR will do better than traditional in the next five years. Most people just can't afford a traditional body shop right now. If only the insurance companies would come on board...... Davy

Excellent. I had my Q45 done years ago---never regretted it! I think VERY highly of quality paintless dent removal. In fact, I'd love to learn how to do it myself Good for you, man! Davy

If you are driving over a half an hour at a time, just how high performance is your motor currently? If you have a relatively mild performance motor, then having a gear drive is a bit overkill, but that's my opinion. OK, so you don't like the noise and it sounds like you may have the "noisy" version vs the "quiet" version of the Pete Jackson gear drive. The "quiet" version is hardly noticeable, and a good double roller timing chain is going to be that much quieter as well. Try out a timing chain since they are cheap. Davy

Good to have you back, Nion! Have fun with your car while you can!!!!!! Davy

I second (third?) this motion. I went from 1 kid to 5 in short order, and yes, the Z has sat (2 of them!) for a while, but I DO get into the garage and work on the car. The garage is my haven and I go there to escape...hence the fridge stocked with beer, the stereo, the car, the tools, the automobilia, yadda yadda... I think you should keep the car and make timeline for yourself to get it 'finished.' I'm smarting from lack of funds at the moment, so my project is stalled for the time being, but I still do what I can when I can. My $.02 Davy

I wish him the best and hope he does well. I'd love to see him racing in the WRC. This will hopefully be his ticket in there. I'm not opposed to Ford rally cars at all, but I have been more interested in the French cars since we do not have them here in the States anymore. However, Ford is suddenly becoming more and more interesting. Davy

Matt, Sorry I didn't show to Austin's to help dial in the carb (see my PM to you). I could have brought you an Edelbrock or even another Holley, a 650, to let you run it and see what the difference is. If you are going back to his house on another weekend, please let me know and I can bring a carb or two. Davy

Yes they do Hope you are fully on the road to recovery. Keep in mind that the third day is supposed to be the worst as far as swelling is concerned. DO NOT neglect the ice, Jon: it is your friend. Hang in there Davy

I personally don't like the button/hatch lock barrel thingie on the rear. I may just eliminate it completely from my car. The 510 lock may work if the 'arm' is swapped from the 240Z. This may be the simplest modification ever. Or, I may make a remote switch and weld sheetmetal over it... Davy

If you find that the custom work isn't quite what you envisioned, you can add race stripes that go down "through" the tail light area, which will break up the field of color where the taillights are. This may sound strange, but the paint thing really works well. However, if the rest of your car looks too clean for stripes, then forget the suggestion. I am a firm believer in what paint can do, however. I don't think what you did was butchering at all. My $.02. I would have kept it stock or gone R32 or R33 for kicks... Davy

Great artwork and thanks for taking an interest in lowly Datsuns Your work is worthy of a beer or two at least Davy

The very definition of a fair fight NOT! Grrrrrr. What is the point of "winning" in a forum where a person can vote an unlimited number of times? Pure 'poop' I tell you. Davy

Darius, good thing to have the car back at home where it belongs. Still looks great too Hey, if you are looking for a good tuner, why don't you call Brizios over in South San Fran and ask them who they would recommend? They may know someone reputable. I am out of the loop since I moved to the Southeast, but I would still trust Roy Brizio and at least ask him if he knows anyone decent that can tune that beast. Good luck, man. Davy

Good to know. Here in NC it gets stupidly humid during the summer months. I'll invest in a good moisture trap before stripping anything. Yes, I did buy one of the HF units and a huge bag of soda from them too; can't wait to use it too! Apparently soda is also available at Sam's Club in bulk, but I do not know if it is 'blaster grade' or what. Davy

The color turned out very nice looking with the extra metallic in it. I did the same thing to a go-kart I recently painted in my auto body class I second the motion for auto body classes at community colleges: they are affordable, well run (from what I have seen), and have decent equipment you can use. My CC allows me to come back anytime and work on projects there even though I am not enrolled Painting the ZG flares black will make the wheels "pop" a bit more. Either way, it still looks good. Davy

I have Checkers made into drag racing cars and look pretty cool, but the price on this one is just stupid. I cannot imagine paying this much for an "experimental" version of a taxi-cab. I think a lot of time was wasted on the ebay ad for this car. What are they thinking???? Davy

Ah ah ah, he didn't state "dollars," just 10,000 of something. For me on that particular car it would have been 10,000 insults, curse words, or tears, but certainly NOT dollars BS indeed! Davy

I guess we can call the program an absolute SUCCESS now, can't we?! Bastards. Davy

^^^Very good advice^^^ Good luck. Davy

Hope all went well. Type AFTER you come off of the meds--things get weird sometimes. Davy

I would think that taller tires would be the best (cheapest) way to solve the problem. The other thing would be to swap the 3.7 R180 for a 3.54 R200 (along with the other assorted bits in the rear for the conversion). In my mind, these are the cheapest 'fixes'. Next would be the transmission. How does an R180 live behind a 383 in drag racing anyway? Davy