Swiss two-become-one 240Z Ground up restauration / JDM mods

[jdmjunkies.ch]

My bodyshop guy promised me to work on my car until end of march. so i hope there is some progress. the first update he sent me was from  the area behind the passenger seat.

There was some rust do to the previous owner storing it without a sunroof installed, during swiss winter, so snow collected inside the car and we know Z's dont like any kind of moisture. Now looks better than ever and is nicely protected.

[slimjim]

argh, the body work stage is such a dragged out process, but is the second most satisfying stage next to driving it

[jdmjunkies.ch]

Good news. My Panelbeater is working hard on my car atm and there's some progress, so i visited him (with 2 meters distance of course, because #Coronavirus).
So the passenger floor pans are in and will be completed soon:

 

Looking good in my opinion:

 

To get everything aligned was a bit of a headache, even with the best parts available, but looks good now.

 

So today i brought him the front fender. It needs the original edge line hammered back in, as some previous owner decided to hammer that flat.. terrible.. Luckily it's the kind of job my panelbeater likes
Starts to look like a car again, doesn't it? Allthough the rocker panel needs some adjustment.

 

View from the rear. Also brought him the hatch to adjust everything but we didn't test fit it yet.

 

Still a few days of work to adjust the rocker panel, get the floorpans welded in completely and have the Seat rail mounts back in. But then it's up to the other side. which is luckily in much better state and i have much bigger, better and OEM Panels ready. so i hope work will be faster. I say that, knowing that my panelbeater takes his time to get it done right..

[jdmjunkies.ch]

A while a go a i scored an (incomplete) set of old Nissan / Datsun Microfiches of the 240Z / S30 chassis in germany for almost nothing. I tried to scan it using a flatbet scanner is some suggested but the results were terrible.
When i found out that my company (beeing a several hundred years old machinery company) has several of those in the mechanical department, i asked if i could borrow one to check my microfiches. and today i brought one home:
 

Microfiches are like Dia's, a kind of minimized drawings or part lists on a film type piece of plastic. The microfiche reader is more or less a projector. You insert one of the film cards, which is labelled for example with "S30 Chassis":

 

And then you can zoom in. By moving around the card you can check the different sections.

 

and then zoom in more and more until you get the page you want:

 

Like for example the steering section:

 

The data in the microfiche is nothing special. it's available in digital form (Nissan FAST or E-Fast software), printed form (Parts manual / R-Drive parts lists) or even as scanned versions of the Microfiches. However it's fun to tinker around like they did back in the day and i will sure have my fun during the COVID-19 Lockdown time to go through the microfiches and check for some data i didn't know yet.

 

Since those Microfiche readers are for sale cheap, im thinking of buying a second-hand unit just for fun and for having the parts fiches accessable directly in the workshop.

[jdmjunkies.ch]

A few weeks ago i saw a german guy named tim on facebook, showing some Choke lever adapter plates he designed and made for the Z. He made a few more and sold them. I guess he didn't expect them to sell like hot cakes, so he had to make a few more. And that's how i got one in the mailbox today.

 

The plate is made from 3D Printed plastic, which is then hardenet to improve strenght a lot and make it thermally stable up to 120°C. He designed and made those in first case for himself, and told me a lot of testing went into it to get the process right:

 

 

The original choke lever is prone to be a bit "wiggly" which wasn't the best design from Nissan. The plate will improve tha stability of the choke lever and also prevent the Center console from cracking it that area (which can happen due to the loose choke lever)

 

Once it's installed it is completely invisible. In my opinion clearly an OEM Upgrade worth it, even with completely stock cars.

All pictures except the first one are courtesy of tim.

Edited March 29, 2020 by jdmjunkies.ch

[jdmjunkies.ch]

A few weeks ago my Bodyshop guy asked me if i could get him the now-missing taillight surroudning panel mounts, which he had to remove during repair of the rear-end. I researched a bit and found that JDM-Car-Parts makes them. They weren't cheap but well...  Today they arrived in the mailbox.

 

And while shipping stuff anyway, i decided to add a few small bits and pieces to the order. Like the chain that holds the Fuel filler cap in place:
 

The rubber piece that goes behind the fuel filler cap:
 

And some headlight gaskets, since my original ones are completely toast:

[jdmjunkies.ch]

Thanks to the Covid-19 crisis my Bodyshop had to close for the time beeing, since he has trouble getting all the stuff he needs atm. Nevertheless i was able to visit him today, deliver a few small bits and pieces and test-fitted some parts.
This is how it looked a few days ago, before the shut-down:

 

And this today when i visited him. still a bit of work needed, but keeps on looking better and better. Frame-rail is welded on too, but forgot to take a picture.

 

Instead of bringing a whole seat i brought the bride seat rail which has the same pattern to test the bracket location (will be in original position). The brackets will need some touch-ups too. if you look closely, you can see the front one has some rust holes...
 

We also had a look at the new taillight surrounding panel brackets. We didn't figure out yet how it is intended to paint those brakets or the area around them. Probably bend them up a bit?. but at least they fit perfectly and look good
 

We made a little mock-up with one of the taillight surrounding panels. The position is not correct in the picture, but you get the idea  
 

And the trunk is on there too. The damper and the rupper-pockets and spacers are missing at the top yet. but i brought them along today so he can adjust everything nicely and make sure are the panelgaps are straight and tight.

[Jboogsthethug]

Man it's looking great! Glad to see more progress getting made on this!

[jdmjunkies.ch]

Lately it seems like more and more companies are making panels for the 240Z and other japanese classics. great :) A while a go a guy contacted me to discuss the market situation and i suggested to make some panels for the 240Z which aren't available yet. Well - turns out he followed my suggestion and now KFvintagejdm.com is offering the first batches of panels for the 240Z. They're also known by the brand KlassicFab for many years in the classic Volkswagen community.

 

The owner is living in the US, but he is originally from Bogota, where also the factory is. The parts where shipped from there. I still have to see the fitment and i guess they need to be a little adjustment here and there, as usual with aftermarkte panels, but overall they look good and solid. the Packing was nice, the shipment really fast and the contact by mail very nice and supportive.

 

Lets see when i bring them to the bodyshop as soon as the COVID lockdown is over. Also i'm expecting a set of NOS panels to arrive here soon :)

PS: I read rumors that someone sent a complete NOS rear quarter for the 240Z to tabco for scanning and future reproduction. don't need them anymore now, but sounds very interesting for many Z-owners i guess. the future is bright :)

[jdmjunkies.ch]

I stumbled across some cool parts once again. This time in Germany (online, since borders are closed due to the COVID crisis). Luckily the parcel-services still work international
This time i found a set of NOS splash panels / Mud guards, for a nice price from a guy who knew my project. He got the panels with his car when he bought his personal Z from a Nissan-dealer a few years ago, but didn't need them.

 

First i thought that i didn't need those, but after looking for the original items from my car, i realized (and remembered) that those were completely missing on my car. I guess since they're not really important for the car, and probably prone to rust at an area so exposed to water and salt, they're something that people just used to remove when rusty back then. So i'm really glad i found a set of those.

 

Just another missing piece in the puzzle. And finding old treasures of NOS is just part of the whole fun of restoring an old car, i guess

[mr.mike]

nice find!

Edited May 15, 2020 by mr.mike

[jdmjunkies.ch]

The covid crisis apparently gives me too much time to browse the online classifieds for nice stuff. so i stumbled upon a german Ex-nissan dealer who had a lot of old manuals for sale. Luckily he had a set of Transmission manuals for the 240Z for sale. I own a FS5C71A transnmission but he only had the B-type and Automatic transmission manuals.


But the price was great and they're rare to come by. Especially the german language ones (for automatic at least), so i thought i'd grab them to put them in my knowledge collection. maybe they'll come in handy at some point.

 

I also have plans to update my big transmission knowledge post whenever i find time and motivation.


More stuff is on the way, so stay tuned

[jdmjunkies.ch]

So with every day the small bits and pieces at the house are more and more finalized and slowly i start to have more time (and money) for the car again. I rather do one thing, but that right, instead of having 10 different projects at one time. So the car was a bit on hold over the last two years, but i really hope that i find more time now.
Before i start work, i decided i need to get a better overview of all the parts, so i went through all the boxes, labelled them (I will improve that) and made sure all parts are in the shelve and away from the shop floor. Picture does not show the finished state.
I also sold a big box to germany, which gave me some additional space on the shelve.
 

Then i decided to remove some "bolt-on" weight from the engine which is stored on the engine stand. Makes it look a bit better in the corner and avoiding me hurting myself while i move around itwhile working around the Lift. Before:

Alternator gone

 

Heater hoses off

 

Engine mount brackets off:

 

Oil filter off:

Oil pressure or temperature sensor (i guess) off:

 

Fan / Waterpump pulley off:

Nasty old water pump off:

And this is how it looked at the end. still ugly and dirty and greasy as what, but at least all the bolt-on parts are gone. since i don't know yet when it will be rebuilt, i decided to keep it assembled together to protect it against damage or corrosion.

It was the first real work performed in the new garage and it's so much better with proper lighting, all tools in reach, air pressure tools on hand, etc... took me probably two hours including all the shop cleaning, compared to maybe two weeks for the same work in the old garage....

[jdmjunkies.ch]

Last week i got a bit of en unexpected Phone call. My bodyshop got himself a personal project which he wants to finish and needs the space, so i had to get my car back to my home temporary.  So first i cleaned the whole garage and made sure it's nice and tidy when the old lady comes to see it the first time

 

Went and picked up the car with the help of some nice guys from the road support team:

 

After a short ride home

 

The car now is in it's new home:
 


 

That doesn't mean the project is stopped or paused, though. I have some parts arriving over the next few days and i made myself a little to-do list and also got some tasks from the bodyshop to complete before it goes back. Im sure it will stay with me for a few months before panel beating starts again but im fine with that. It gives me the chance to have a closer look at some details:

[jdmjunkies.ch]

A week or so my buddy Stefan asked me if i'm interested in a NOS multifunctional steering wheel switch for the Z. Don't ask me where he found it. I wasn't really planning on buying such an item, but who am i to turn down an offered NOS part? Especially when the part number matches with my car?
So yesterday it arrived in my mailbox, complete with original bag and partnumber-label.

 

Thanks Stefan for offering me this sweet item!


More new parts arrived here and i will show them here tomorrow

[rossman]

Nice find!  It reminds me that I need to rebuild mine.  The wiper switch is a little flaky.  

Edited June 3, 2020 by rossman

[jdmjunkies.ch]

A while ago i found an used optional passenger footrest for the 240Z and got it. Unfortunately the original rubbers were beyond repair. Lucky that's where RIP260Z stepped in and offered to have them re-printed, since he made some of those in the past. Luckily it appeared that some others were on board too and it ended up in a small batch production. A few days ago the two-piece item arrived here

This is how they look assembled. You can install them in an angle that the "split line" won't be visible when the footrest is folded up or down.

Compared to the original item. The material is harder compared to the original rubber pieces, but the looks is 99% the same and it will definitely do the work and look batter then the damaged original one:

He also sent me a long message explaining in detail how to install it. Thanks a lot!
I will have the old footrest sandblasted and powdercoated after i made some re-adjustments when i have the next batch ready for powdercoating!
Thanks for the great service and great item!

[Nelsonian]

Always love to see your progress as well as all the rare parts you seem to find from all over.

[jdmjunkies.ch]

Finding historic Information on the Nissan Motor corporation  Japan and USA is relatively easy, since there are archives full of information and a lot of books around it. Finding specific information on smaller countries history regarding the "Datsun" Brand is a bit trickier... So when i found an old Swiss information document for sale on a local website, i had to get it.
From Todays point of view it's fairly funky with it's cut-off titles and different fonts used throughout the document. PS, full document for download at the end.

 

It is an information brochure to the new customers advertising the efforts and advantages of the relatively young Datsun (suisse) SA. I guess it must have been from around 1071 up to 1973 or something like that, Proudly stating that they've sold 5000 Cars in the countrly total over the last few years.
The first page is an introduction to the brand including a rendering of the (then beeing built) new car storage warehouse in Urdorf (Zürich area) and including a signature of the then-Director of Datsun (Suisse) SA, Ernst Pfister

 

Page two introduces the Japanese mother-company including some nice pictures of the Factory, test-tracks etc. Including some informatino about their (then) current efforts to develop a new Rotary engine, Electric cars (!) and a Steam-powered engine. Quite a bit funny. On Page three there are pictures from the (mentioned above) Storage warehouse in Urdorf under construction and the Headquarter at the Stauffacherstrasse 45 in Zürich. As well as the old spare-parts warehouse in Switzerland:

 

A quick Google streat view image shows that the building still exists and looks pretty similar with the windows and entrance-door position and shape.

 

The next few pages show the car lineup and their advantages (mostly the solid quality):

 

A dealer list, the motorsports-effort (Including Nissan R382, R280-II and East african Safari rallye cars) and press reviews follow on the next pages.

 

And also the (quite a bit hilarious in todays context) superb 12 Month / 20'000km warranty
On the back page you can see the slogan "DATSUN - Brings new values"
I really like this document. It has a lot of character and some nice information and photographs rarely seen otherwise and something that is a bit more specific compared to the information you find usually.

 

Oh and along the document above, there was also the swiss Datsun 1400 Dealer Windshield sales document that were put in the windscreen on the showroom floor for the Datsun 1400 aka Datsun 510 aka Nissan Bluebird. I have no useage for it, but will keep it of course and try to give it to a swiss 1400 owner who likes to have it

 

Click here to download the full Datsun (suisse) SA Document as a high-res pdf:
1972 Datsun Suisse Information Leaflet 

[jdmjunkies.ch]

Yeah it has been a while since i worked on the car myself. but i decided it's time to assemble all t he small bits and pieces into "subassemblies" whever possible.
Last week i worked on the moustache bar. So here we got the puzzle in single pieces:

 

The powdercoating company also coated the inside of the bushing shells, so i cleaned them with the dremel tool

 

Added som fresh Bushing grease:

 

And in with the new bushings

 

And all hardware combained. ready for installation.
It looks like a simple thing, but if you think what work went into it:
- Everything had to be disassembled from the car first
- The moustache Bar got sandblasted
- The bar got primered and powdercoated
- Old Hardware fasteners got cleaned (in the rattler), zinc plated and yellow passivated
- New OEM Nissan Locking nuts and washers ordered and added
- New Polyurethane Bushings with bushing grease


Hope to find some time for some other work again soon, it's fun after all