Joe's 1972 240Z adventure. // 16 JUN 21 - 13 Jul 24 // 3 years 27 days build

[YoBrother]

Looking good.  Making it yours!

[A to Z]

Thanks, Chuck.

[A to Z]

4-4-2022 UPDATE:  So, I went ahead and finished removing the remnants of the left/driver's side rail under the floorboards, and then grinded up the mating surface really good.  Then I went and cut out the rusty parts of the rails on the sides.  After that I went ahead and used my Dremel with grinding wheels, and my new rope twisted wire wheel attachment in my electric drill, and cleaned up inside the rails and got it all wiped out.  I then painted inside there with Rustoleum Rust converter.  I used my new wire wheel attachment, and removed the undercoating that was in the way of the rails, so there would be plenty of clean metal to weld the rails on.  I was then able to hold the rails up and used a sharpie to mark around them, and then was able to mask that off and paint the portion that is inside the rail with some 2 part Paint/Primer in one - satin black from Rustoleum.  I removed the masking tape and let it dry.  I also found that I needed to cut down one rail, so I cut it down and cleaned up the edge and then went ahead and sprayed the same black paint on the inside surfaces of the rails.  At that point, I used my die grinder to do some final cleaning up of the mating surfaces, and then closed out the day taking measurements and drawing out the patterns on a sheet of 16 ga. steel to cut out for patches.  When they are done, the inside portions will be painted and then it will be time to weld it all back up.  In the pics I took, I was able to get a little shot inside of the right rail with my phone, and it was surprising good.  Here are some pics and a video.

[YoBrother]

Modelo is a fine finish. 

[A to Z]

4-11-2022 UPDATE:  So, today I went out to the garage and cut all the patches I needed for the rails etc.  I then fitted them and had to "educate" some with a hammer....if you have never tried to bend 16 ga. steel with 2 pliers, let me tell you....it ain't easy!  I then painted the sides that would be in the holes, and then mounted them up in place with duct tape, oh, I had to grind the paint off the rail pieces so the welder will have clean metal to weld to.  I managed to find a welder and he will be over in 2 days, can't wait!  Once that is done and they are painted, the value of my car will go WAY up!  So, at any rate, good day, here are some pics.

 

 

[57GMC]

20 hours ago, A to Z said:

4-11-2022 UPDATE:  So, today I went out to the garage and cut all the patches I needed for the rails etc.  I then fitted them and had to "educate" some with a hammer....if you have never tried to bend 16 ga. steel with 2 pliers, let me tell you....it ain't easy!  I then painted the sides that would be in the holes, and then mounted them up in place with duct tape, oh, I had to grind the paint off the rail pieces so the welder will have clean metal to weld to.  I managed to find a welder and he will be over in 2 days, can't wait!  Once that is done and they are painted, the value of my car will go WAY up!  So, at any rate, good day, here are some pics.

 

 

 

[57GMC]

Wow Joe, The weather must have gotten better as you are kickin butt..  It's really looking good.. Keep up the work and using that Especial liniment.....

 

[A to Z]

Hehe, thanks Ken.

[A to Z]

4-13-2022 UPDATE:  Welding Day.  The mobile welder came over, and we spent many hours welding up the rails and getting them to where I could live with the job.  While he was working I went ahead and started figuring out how to color sand my clear coat, and all those runs are TOUGH to smooth out!  So, it's a learning process yet again.  At any rate, I have attached 2 video's.  Cheers.

[A to Z]

4-25-2022 UPDATE:  I went ahead and used an old toothbrush and some cans of brake cleaner to get the oil pan area cleaned off, and then masked off the area, and painted the oil pan area with the Duplicolor "Old Ford Blue" I used on the block.  Painting upside down brought a lot of drips....so once dry I will scuff the drip areas and touch that up.  I then took the sealer I bought that is made by Loctite and sealed the rails, and the other spots I found in the subframe.  a small screwdriver to clean them out and then fill the void with the sealer.  After that, I started doing a bit more color sanding on the body, this time the headlight buckets and hood.  Yep....there will be spots I have to spot paint, but the majority is coming out pretty good.  The last pic is a circle area, that I put some pure carnauba wax on (Meguires Gold Paste).  It is so smooth!  Here are some pics and a video!

[walkerbk]

Best degreeser you will ever buy is Easy Off Oven Cleaner from dollar tree. Cheap and will take even the worst of oil cakes off.

[57GMC]

Very nice Joe. Lots of elbow grease and attention to detail.  I like it. Have you been keeping track of your hours...?  LOL..  Maybe better not to..  You are going to have some real fun in your Z-car this summer.. Keep up the work.. Ken

[A to Z]

5-2-2022 UPDATE:  Ok, so I continued the work on the paintjob, sanding the dirt and orange peel out of the clear coat using my orbital sander and 2000 grit sandpaper.  I worked on finishing the hood, the cowl panel, and the tops of both fenders.  Some spots I went through trying to sand out all those runs.  I worked and worked on it until I got it smooth, but decided to go ahead and mask off the nose of the hood and the headlight buckets, and the front spoiler and re-shoot them.  Lessons are being learned the hard way....but persistence pays off.  The clear I shot turned yellow from being so thick.   You will see that I folded the newspapers over where I re-shot the paint.  This avoids there being a line that you have to try and sand out.   I will have to do a final buff on the clear, but I am getting the shine I was hoping for.  I also went back and sanded out the drips on the oil pan and re painted it.  It looks better in person than the pics, but it is now good.  Once dry I will move on under there, and finish getting everything painted and cleaned up.  With this project it appears to be 2 steps forward and one step back.  I hope you like the pictures.

[YoBrother]

Nice!

[A to Z]

Thanks.  Good to hear for you.

[57GMC]

Very nice Joe, Thanks for the updates..  I look forward to seeing your progress..  You will be at the DQ pretty soon enjoying it...

[A to Z]

Thanks.  Wow, I hope so!

[A to Z]

5-6-2022 UPDATE:  I got the clear on the nose today.  2 weeks to harden, then color sand and buff.

[YoBrother]

Shiny!

[A to Z]

5-8-2022 UPDATE:  I got the headlights back in and put on my new front bumper.  I bought a new front and rear bumper from "Hung Vu".  Starting to come around, huh?