toolman Posted August 3, 2019 Author Share Posted August 3, 2019 (edited) Back in 1971, this 71 240Z was my First and Only Car. It was a Total Wreck- the owner ran it into a large Bulldozer parked on the side of the road. My father owned a automotive body shop which had 5 frame machines. We fixed often repaired totaled cars. So we put it on the frame machine and pulled it straight with multiple 10 ton hydraulic rams. Then the damaged pieces were replaced with OEM parts. I drove the car "stock" for about a year but decided it needed more power. I first checked into modifying the Nissan 6 cylinder motor by Weber carbs, turbocharging and 5 speed racing transmission). But those options were way too expensive. Being a Chevy drag racer, putting a Chevy 327 motor with Turbo 400 transmission seemed like a easy answer. So after gathering all of the needed parts, I pulled the old six engine out and put the 327 in. I had the car running in a week time because I had to use vacation time to do the conversion. At a later date, I put a more powerful 350 and T-5 five speed trans and put metal flares on. In 1988, I bought my second car 88 Chevrolet Astro Van for business. My 240z was basically sitting in the garage since that time. So I owe it to spent some time restoring it as the best that I can do. I hope this story explains my restoration. Back to the restoration: I put the Wheel Fitment Tool on the car to check the wheel alignment out. But first, had to remove the strut coil spring as it won't allow the body to drop as there was no engine weight and accessories. Took out spring Put the Wheel Fitment Tool to test it out. Wooden blocks were placed under the lower control arm to adjust ride height. The car is still on a dolly which lifts the vehicle about 1" higher than a stock Z. Using a Tool Aid Wheel Alignment gauge to check Camber readings. A carpenters square shoed the hub to be close to zero so I set the gauge to zero degrees, After checking the Square with the ground, I reversed it to better demonstrate camber. By tilting the straight edge top outward(away from the car) to stimulate Positive Camber. Positive Camber To stimulate Negative Camber, I titled the top of the straight edge inward( toward the engine compartment). Negative Camber I think there was a misunderstanding about what I trying to accomplish. In my particular case, I am trying to eliminate as much Negative Camber that I can. Lowering the car with shorter springs, lower ride height, extra wide wheels,etc will create a lot of Negative Camber. Shortening the lower control arms, upper camber plates, modified spindles,etc maybe utilized to provide Positive Camber to achieve alignment. My car will be basically a Street Car and not a Race Car requiring 3 degrees Negative Camber. Now, you can even change front and rear crossmembers to get the alignment that you want. Edited August 4, 2019 by toolman text corrections Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted August 12, 2019 Author Share Posted August 12, 2019 (edited) The wheel fitment tool was designed to go to even a 12" wide tire. As I only had a 8" wide tire, one has to imagine the other 4" extending inside the fender. First, Zeroing the Camber gauge Camber gauge zeroed in. Then, holding the straight edge with camber gauge against the outside of the tire. The Camber reading is 1 1/4 degrees Pos This wheel/tire combination would require a 3" fender flare. In this case, the wheel had a 2" Negative offset-the wheel center was 2" inward of center of the wheel. The 245 X 18 X 8 offset wheel/tire combination looks like this from the front view. A mild street look. . Do not forget that the ride height is still not correct. The present ride height is about 3" to 4" higher than what it will be with the new coil over suspension. Lowering the vehicle will create negative camber and bring the camber to closer to a zero reading. Also, keep in mind, these are only simulations and I am going to larger tires and wheels. Edited August 23, 2019 by toolman text added. add additional pic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted August 31, 2019 Author Share Posted August 31, 2019 (edited) Next thing to work on was the rear control arms. First, I cleaned them up to remove any dirt and grease. Then, they could be sandblasted with #80 grit media. Next, removing their inner bushings was next. Using a air saw, I cut two parallel cuts in the inner metal bushing. If you don't have a air saw, you can use a hack saw. But you have to take the blade off the saw then stick in the bushing then reassemble the saw. Saw two parallel cuts through the inner metal bushing. Remove it and use a air chisel to push the inner bushing out. Try to get the bushing to collapse and fold over. If not, use a torch to burn away the rubber portion of the bushing. Besides the burning rubber, avoid being burned by hot rubber pieces. Remove all the rubber from the bushing with a wire brush. itself Now, use a Sawzall to cut two parallel cuts in the outer part of the bushing. Be careful not to damage the control arm while doing this task. Use a air chisel to collapse and push the bushing out of the arm. The removed outer bushing should resemble something like this. If the control arm was damaged while removing the bushings, you can repair it before installing the new bushings. The control arms ready for powder coating. . Control arm in my powder coating oven. Now, I have to wait till my control arm bushings to arrive so I can press them in. Edited August 31, 2019 by toolman text, more pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted August 31, 2019 Author Share Posted August 31, 2019 (edited) When the Postman brought a large box for me, I ripped it open immediately-it was my CRX Racing Coil Over Suspension kit. Shorter ones were for the Front and Longer ones for the Rear. The cost was $850 plus $150 for freight. CRX has installation instructions at their online site. Installation is simple. You cut about 2" to 2 1/4" from the bottom of the strut tube then weld the external sleeve to the strut base. Bottom sleeve and coil over strut section. I measured the length of the coil spring to record the spring preload. The lower threaded section allows you set the ride height that you want. Strut disassembly Struts were disassembled and sandblasted to prep for welding. After taping the cutting line, I started the cut by using a hack saw. Then a SAWALL was used to finish the strut sectioning. Sectioning completed The Front Spindles had a casting bump between the tube and spindle casting. I sawed a V cut in it to provide more welding space. The Rear Spindles don't have any casting lump. Welded up spindle All four struts were sent out for powder coating as it is too bulky for my small oven to heat up. All four Spindle Backing Plates needed cleanup to be powder coated. Front Backing Plates after Powder Coating Rear backing plates powder coated Hopefully, the Powder Coating guys won't take too long on the struts so I can put the suspension back together. Trying to decide whether to use Bedlinder(Raptor, etc). Anybody have any comments about Bedliners? Edited September 1, 2019 by toolman add pic and text Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonH Posted September 1, 2019 Share Posted September 1, 2019 Great choice on coil overs! I have the same - only gripe is the studs are not long enough to run a strut tower. I replaced them with 6mm longer studs for this exact reason. Nice work so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted September 10, 2019 Author Share Posted September 10, 2019 (edited) PROJECT TIP: I am posting this tip as it may be very helpful to a lot of people. RESCUE BIT is a high speed cutting bit that will cut through broken taps, extractors just about anything. Check the video out at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkIH7DhQJzA In my case, I was tapping out the bolt holes of my struts. Of course, while tapping the last bolt hole, the 6mm x 1.0 tap broke. Pic of the Broken tap This is a picture of a 1/8" RESCUE BIT with cutting edge on both sides. The 1/8" version must be used with a 1/8" adaptor to use it in a 1/4" die grinder. Pic of 1/8 to 1/4" adaptor. Rescue Bits also use to have 1/4" burrs (single and double cut version) too. Now the Rescue Bits can be found on Amazon and Ebay but only here and there. I don 't think the company still exists. I do keep one around for emergencies like this one. After drilling a hole in the center of the tap. I use a small sharp punch to collapse the walls of the tap inward. Here is one the larger pieces of the tap that was removed from the hole. After removing all remains of the tap, I carefully tapped the hole with a new 6 x 1.0mm tap. Success-bolt was threaded in!! It is important to carefully follow the instructions that come with the Rescue Bit. Also. the die grinder must be capable of 25,000 RPM. High speed and the bit design is what allows the Rescue Bit to do what other bits can not do. I hope some of you find this tip helpful. Rescue Bits costs about $60 online. Edited September 10, 2019 by toolman video correction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted September 23, 2019 Author Share Posted September 23, 2019 (edited) The door hinges for both Left and Right sides were top coated with Polyurethane paint. Shop Tip- Removing and Installing a 240Z hood by yourself Place a Plywood on top of the Left and Right fenders. Put hood in the closed position. Put card board or padded mat under plywood to prevent scratching the paint. Raise hood to open position. Loosen all four hood bolts but do not remove. Remove both hood front bolts. Now tilt the rear of the hood downward till the hood contacts the plywood. Then remove the rear hood bolts as the hinge and plywood will support the weight of the hood. The hood can be lifted off from either side of the car. Hood installation will be the reverse procedure. The next thing to do to spraying Raptor Liner in the fender and wheel wells. This Raptor liner was the 2 bottle kit with Liner, hardener and color toner.. This kit costs about $100 including freight on Ebay. Masking the hood to prevent overspray going all over the place. The interior sides of the hood and fenders were sanded with 150 grit sand paper then wipe down with paint prep solution. view of Left side Wheel Well Housing afterspraying. Right side Wheel Well Housing after spraying Liner Right side fender interior view Inside Right Door view Closeup view of the Raptor Liner on Wheel Hosing Inside Right Fender Note- Liner even covers patch area. Left side Wheel Well Housing The Raptor Liner can be applied by hand roller or sprayed. A Schutz gun is most commonly used to apply the liner. HLVP spray gun with 2.0 nozzle can be used if liner is reduced by 20%. This method would provide a smoother finish( not as rough}. After one hour, the liner is dry to touch. It, however. takes a full week to completely cure. I used only one bottle of Raptor Liner so far. The remaining bottle will be used for the rear wheel housing after I finish flare modifications. Edited September 23, 2019 by toolman text added Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted October 6, 2019 Author Share Posted October 6, 2019 (edited) I just got back from Tokyo. I managed to go Japan's Largest Automotive Store in Japan Autobacs Shinome located near Tokyo Bay. The garage is on the bottom of this three level store. The main store is on the Second floor and has a coffee shop there. the third floor is the high performance stuff. Snap On tools on display in glass cases. Snap On Tools tools sell for twice the US price. That Snap On tiny tool box toy sells for $140!! Snap Tools on display. On the third floor, the high performance parts and accessories were on display. They had the latest GPS., stereo ,DVD, and LED lights. And, of coarse, the garage downstairs could install whatever you purchase. Helmets, gloves and gear. the Black one cost about $5600 USD Steering wheels (Momo one was $300 USD. Racing suspension parts-NHW strut was $1350 USD There was a rear driving simulator that anyone could try for a price. It had loud speakers 3 TV screens and air shocks to give the real.feeling of a race car. I think the price was $50 for 30 minutes. Unfortunately, I found about the simulator too later as I had to get back to Shinjuku before the afternoon rush on the trains. Passengers are really packed like sardines during rush hour!!!!! The store is located near Odiba theme park by Tokyo Bay near Tokyo Disneyland. Front Entrance of the store The Garage Area is Super Clean and well lite. Mechanics even wear white gloves when working. Only High End Wheels no China Stuff here. !/6 scale Skyline motor very detailed. Bicycle and accessories Aisles of assorted stuff There is a large area with only automotive books and magazines next to their coffee shop. Everthing automotive under the Sun is here. Leather jackets Kids $500 electric cars. Kids seats more seats and seat covers $1000 Mavics RC Drones This Skyline motor sells for $300 but is well detailed. wiper blades Pet accessories Snap On floor jacks-the silver one sells for$200(about $100 in US) Can't wait to start back to working on my Z. SEMA SHOW 2019 is less than a month away. Viva Las Vegas!! Edited October 21, 2019 by toolman text and pics mixed up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted October 23, 2019 Author Share Posted October 23, 2019 (edited) Back home to get working on the Z. From Epoxy Primer to Body Filler. Body Filler used to cover minor imperfections. Sanding Body Filler Then paining Polyurethane Primer Sealer on top of that bodywork. Not to forget the inside of the front fenders, the sealing of them was next thing to do. The wheel well deflector plate stripped and painted. I decided to use rubber weather stripping. I found 3M "D" shaped weather stripping on Ebay for $13 for 8 feet. The hollow inside made very soft and a good weather stripping for the wheel well. front view back view Previously I had planned to use Dynamat or similar foil type of insulation for the floor and roof. However, I decided to use Lizard Skin Ceramic Insulation paint. It can lower the interior temperature 20 to 30 degrees. One gallon costs $100 on Amazon. They also sell sound insulation paint(costs $100 gal) but it must be applied first(before heat insulation). Had planned to spray it on with a Schulz under coating gun but the coating was too thick for the gun. So I used rollers and a brush to apply it. A cordless drill was utilized to stir the paint. Use low speed and in Reverse so the particles are not damaged while mixing. Application was done in two .020 coats allowing the first coat to dry to the touch. Curing will take possible a week to completely cure depending on weather conditions. All holes must be masked off to prevent over spray. Areas to be painted are scuff sanded and all threaded holes are plugged. After painting Ceramic Coating was not difficult to apply. Cleanup should be done quickly as the insulation dries relatively fast. Pic of roof coated Pic of seat area Passenger side compartment After the Ceramic Insulation is cured, I will probably top coat it with Polyurethane White Single Stage Paint for added protection. Edited October 24, 2019 by toolman text Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelsonian Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 Love seeing the pics of progress, keep it coming... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neverdone Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 God damn man. You're gonna have such a nice Z when this is all done. Fantastic work, as always. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpndave Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 (edited) Lizardskin is good stuff! It does work on sound and heat insulation. Also VERY lightweight. The urethane is a good idea. I used a black single stage industrial urethane on my JK project over the Lizardskin. Your project is really coming along nicely. Edited October 23, 2019 by jpndave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted November 11, 2019 Author Share Posted November 11, 2019 (edited) Just returned from the Sema Show 2019. The Sema Show gets bigger and bigger every year. This 240z took part in the Optima Ultimate Street Car event. It had a Webber carbs and slightly modified suspension. Early Datsun Roadster with a Honda twin cam motor conversion with fender flares. Four passenger dune buggy A 240Z racer with carbon fiber body parts. Powered with a Chevy LS motor. With this kit, you can pull dents without grinding your paint -Glue Dent Repair Kit for $600. Water jet Cutting Machine-Note the cutout samples on the table. The very popular John Force 300mph Funny Car I had Lunch at one of the many Sema Food Trucks. the long line of customers Spicy Ribeye steak with rice for $12. Ymmmm! 1970 replica of Pete Brock's Datsun 510 The spec sheet of the 510. Harbor Freight introduced their new tool line. Their lifetime ICON tool box costs $10,000 but remember Harbor Freight usually has 20% discount coupons at their stores. The box was very well made and about half the price of a Snap On similar one. Also had ratchets,sockets, wrenches,etc. Their line of tool carts. Their MIG and TIG welders were low priced too. Their Full Function Scanner with Blue Tooth was only $999 perfect of the Do It Yourselfer. Floor jacks and jack stands Beautiful Old Datsun Roaster With a late model Nissan Twin Cam motor. Mobile Spray Paint Booth Had fresh air intake and exhaust filter system for $20,000 for average size booth, A neat Rat Rod '59 Chevy El Camino with supercharged motor Super Low!! Chopped and Shortened This booth has all sorts of Illuminated Car Signs. Toyota Nascar race car 2020 Toyota Supra 370Z with carbon fiber parts NISSAN NISMO Skyline All Wheel Drive Front view Full Functional Race Car Simulator at Supra booth Beautiful Honda Z50 Mini Bike Another Honda 50cc Monkey bike A Wild 65 Ford Van with supercharged motor. Supercharged motor with long headers Old Honda S80 with flares JooTool is a specialized small polisher for restoring small car parts. Also, sharpens knives. 3M provides various grinding, sanding and polishing discs for this machine. Outside the halls, more booths and cars This van had Four Wheel Track drive so it could go almost everywhere. Robot sanding machine made by PRO SPOT. Even had vacuum system to catch the bondo dust. Plastic welding machine with Nitrogen gas to create strong plastic welds plastic welding made by urethane Supply. more cars & people Ford Mustang one wild ride with tire burning etc. More trucks Monster trucks,too Its motor and suspension huge too. Hurst Hemi under Glass Barracuda was there too. Skelton car its supercharged motor High and Might truck 4 x 4 James Dean Replica Porsche covertible Hoogan Pit area and Burn Yard Hoogan put on a Wild Tire Burnout Show but I missed it as I thought it was over. When I was on the top of the Monorail Platform, the Burn Out Show happened. But if you want to see the Show go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAzAI8pxyLs Hoogan guys did a preshow walk through and did crazy Burnouts and Drifting there!!!! Now, Back to working on my 240Z Edited November 17, 2019 by toolman add text and pics, pic correction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironhead Posted November 20, 2019 Share Posted November 20, 2019 Great build and great SEMA pics.... Was it a typo, or is $20K for the inflatable paint booth the correct price? I mean, holy crap, I think that is about what a high end permanent paint booth costs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted November 20, 2019 Author Share Posted November 20, 2019 That was the price that they quoted me. The major problems with this portable spray booth is it is made out plastic and it does not have a fire suppression system. Most local fire departments would not allow such spray booths to be used. If some one was caught inside in one that caught fire, they would be trapped under a collapsing structure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuD 91gt Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 https://m.alibaba.com/product/60746611226/Small-Mobile-Portable-Car-Spray-Tent.html?s=p&__detailProductImg=//s.alicdn.com/@sc01/kf/H26eaad83c4dd41efa0cd3fc41292852dc/Small-Mobile-Portable-Car-Spray-Tent-Inflatable.jpg_140x140xz.jpg They are cheaper on Alibaba. Search YouTube for reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted November 21, 2019 Author Share Posted November 21, 2019 (edited) Ebay has a lot of portable China Spray booths that run from $1000 to $2000. Most are a little more than inflatable bounce things. The one at the SEMA is manufactured in Texas by Mobile Environmental Solutions. Single booth 23' x15' was $9995.00 and twin booth 23' x 48' was $19995. They seem to be made of material similar to those auto paint shop curtains that divide up shop areas. According to them, the booth is made of materials that pass NFPA (National Fire Protection Association)701 test methods 1 &2. TV's Garage Squad show is shown using their booths. But I would check with your local fire department first before purchasing one. Edited November 24, 2019 by toolman add text, add video 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted November 26, 2019 Author Share Posted November 26, 2019 (edited) Finishing under the front fenders Decided to make the upper front fender splash deflectors. Bought garage door bottom edge weather stripping from Home Depot for $12. Used a knife to remove both vertical edges to end up with a flat rubber strip. I bent strips of 2" wide sheet metal to create a "S" shaped clip to hold the deflector on the fender support. As I was making the clips, I could adjust the holding tension of the clips by adjusting their gaps. Fender upper side deflector installed. Closeup view of clips Note- The clips edges are bent up slightly to prevent sharp edge from cutting the rubber deflector. I ordered a set of Dimple Dies consisting of sizes from 1/2", 5/8", 3/4" and 1". Using these dies make flat sheet metal a lot stronger and looks "real cool" too. The 240z uses this type of metal forming on its inside rocker panels ,strut supports,etc. First, thing to do, is drill a pilot hole in the sheet metal. In this case, the 1/2" Dimple die requires 5/16" pilot hole. Next, assemble the Cutter blade and bottom die with the 10MM head bolt. As you tighten the bolt, the Cutter blade also turns and cuts a hole into the sheet metal. Continue to tighten the bolt until the Cutter cuts through the sheet metal. Once, the 1/2" hole is made, you reassemble the forming die with the bottom die. Tighten down the Forming Die until it is flush with the surface of the sheet metal. Disassemble the tool and inspect the Dimple Form. If it's not formed enough, reassemble the die and tighten it down more. Bottom View Side View of the finished !/2" Dimple. I will probably use the Dimple Dies to create some support brackets in the interior and maybe construct a Triangular Engine Compartment Support with them. Edited November 27, 2019 by toolman add text Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted December 10, 2019 Author Share Posted December 10, 2019 (edited) A problem occurred with the weather stripping that was glued to the rear inner fender deflectors. The adhesive was strong enough to hold the weather stripping on. The solution was to use "T" type weather stripping clips( from Chysler) to do the job. Got them from Ebay. 3/16" holes were drilled into the deflector plate. A small scissors was used to create a "Diamond" shaped hole in the weather stripping above the corresponding hole. Twist the "T" clips into the hole In the weather stripping. Push the "T" clip completely into the mounting hole. Pic of the "T" clip fully installed. The Lower fender flap was installed using two "Christmas Tree" type retainers(from Ebay). The retainers replace screws which tend to fall out. Edited December 26, 2019 by toolman pic correction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted December 10, 2019 Author Share Posted December 10, 2019 (edited) The original door glass molding was in terribly shape. First thing to do was removing the old weather stripping. The old weather stripping is attached using staples. The best way to remove the molding is to twist the weather stripping with pliers to continue to "roll up" the weather stripping. If the stainless has scratches or small dents, repair them first. Then, sand with 400 grit sand paper then slowly progress to 1000 grit. Then, use a cloth buffing wheel prepared with Stainless Steel Polishing Rouge to get it to look like new. I tried using pop rivets to hold the weather stripping on the molding but the rivet head protruded too far inward. Instead, 3M spray adhesive was applied to under the weather tripping and on to the molding surface. After waiting 30 minute for adhesive to dry, the weather stripping was installed on the molding. Cross section view of the weather stripping glued on the molding. polished molding and new weather stripping. Molding installed on door Used Chrysler Christmas Tree clips(from Ebay} to hold lower fender flap. Edited December 27, 2019 by toolman pic correction and corrected their order Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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