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Seal coat sprayed this morning ! The finish was good but not smooth as it was before I sprayed the seal coat. So I broke down and sanded it all down again with 1000 grit, just enough to bring the glass like feel to the panels again. Tomorrow is the day for paint!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In some of my previous posts I’ve mentioned the large group of parts I purchased a while back. I recently mentioned to @siteunseen that I would make a post about the origins of the “hoard” and here is the story. The Hoard In the fall of 2018 the president of our area Z club received an email about some 240Z parts for sale. Knowing that I had a hobby business refurbishing parts, the contact was passed to me. I contacted the person and gained a little insight to the situation and made arrangements for an inspection trip. A buddy - @zed2 and I drove up to Denison TX on the TX/OK border and met a man who owns his own railroad station. Not just any old wood frame RR station but a magnificent two story brick edifice. After a quick tour of the historic building, we set off in caravan, headed a bit south for Bells TX. Our guide explained that a very close friend was in the VA hospital in Dallas, dying of cancer. His friend had been a lifelong Datsun mechanic and during the years had parted out a number of Z cars. Some years previously, the mechanic had relocated from Colorado and moved his collection of parts with him. Our guide explained that by selling some of the parts he hoped to help his friend with expenses. When we arrived in Bells, we entered a property of about 5 acres. There was a dilapidated mobile home, a scattering of about 10-12 240Z’s and a couple of 280ZX’s , but our attention was drawn to a 40 foot overseas shipping container. We looked over some of the Z’s, checked out a deteriorating pole shed with various parts inside, then made it to the doors of the container. Our guide unlocked it and swung the doors open to what can only be described as an “elephant’s graveyard” of parts. Along both walls of the container, boxes were stacked about head-high with a narrow aisle down the middle. Our guide provided us with a couple of flashlights and we moved into the container. Most boxes were marked with a felt tip pen as to their contents. About half-way in, we found layers of heads carefully stacked and marked – mostly 6-cylinder, some 4-cylinder. Next to the heads were three complete engines, bagged parts of valve trains and a stack of shock absorber boxes filled with cams. Opposite the heads were several 4- and 6-cylinder blocks. We continued into the container, briefly inspecting boxes as we moved to the rear – a complete set of 4-screw SU’s, a set of triple Weber 40DCOE’s, and much more. We found that most parts were felt-tip marked with the model year and his private condition code of “I, II, or III”. Earlier conversations with our guide about “some” parts availability had been vastly understated! We were in sensory overload trying to comprehend the extent of the container and property contents. Time was short that day and I had only brought a small amount of cash for what might be the availability of a few restorable parts. I picked out a few things and paid for them while making arrangements for a return visit. We returned a week later only to learn the mechanic had died. His brother and heir (in Nebraska) had talked with our guide and another friend and gave permission for additional sales. In the course of several hours, Zed2 and I moved and inspected the contents of every box, hauling selected boxes and items outside for a final decision. When we could haul and inspect no more, it was time to wrap up. I made a final review, putting a few things back even as Zed2 was adding to my pile. I listed everything and wrote offer prices beside each item. The other friend of the mechanic was familiar with the Z parts and reviewed my list and offers, tweaking a few numbers. When it was finalized, I wrote a check to the estate and prepared to load up. I dropped the rear seats in my Xterra and began pushing in boxes, the cargo area filling from front to back and to the roof. Later at home I had time to better inspect and inventory the boxes, and learned that many had additional items not listed on the outside - small treasures and nice surprises. I kept in touch with the mechanic’s brother and listened to his intense frustrations in dealing with the delays of a rural county probate court from his home in Nebraska. He knew that I had an interest in additional parts purchases and promised a call when he was next in town. As it turns out, the neighbor next door was very interested in buying the property. When I did not hear back from the brother, I know that a sale had taken place to include the cars and parts. This was a great example of an opportunity briefly appearing and then gone. I’ve worked through some of the boxes, with refurbed items listed on this site such as fuel rails and heat shields, a ’70 AM radio restored and a ’76 AM/FM not yet touched. The “nest” of inspection lights is currently in play as is the box of turn signals, with so much more still in the garage attic. I hope you’ve enjoyed this tale of how the “hoard” came to be.

Three coats of European 5 Star Clearcoat later, I am out of the shop, letting it cure. I saw a couple sags from a heavy hand, but nothing too major. I can clean those up in the cut and buff. Overall very little trash and everything looks good. Hard to tell in the shop lighting but I am happy. Done!!!

So! Went to work this morning and started the base coat! First things first, a bunny suit! Then I washed down the floor with warm water to quell any dust bunnies. Then I walked around the car and hood with a tack rag, checking for any dust etc. Then on to the paint! First coat, still wet. Second coat: And third and final coat of water based British Racing Green! Next up: Clearcoat! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Raymond Loewy designed 1955 Jaguar XK 140. Body by Boano. I have another of his classics parked in my garage, a 1963 Studebaker Avanti R2. You can see some aspects of this car (rear fenders and glass) in the Avanti design. Loewy did some interesting car designs over the years. Check this link for more on this car and others: https://tinyurl.com/rcpmq3b Loewy and I exchanged letters back in the days before email when people actually wrote letters on paper to each other. Loewy's letters were handwritten, not typed. I treasure them. Dennis

It’s like grade 3 and making macaroni art for Mother’s Day and Michelangelo is the kid in your class wrecking the curve... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No, not the current virus restrictions, but the original, genuine, Nissan boxes and assorted packaging, our new, now NOS parts came in. I haven't seen a thread on this, so.. I love obtaining new parts, in there original boxes, something special. And the more age to a part, some of mine are probably going back to the mid 1960's, the better. And, the changes and different way Nissan wrote down the part number and item description. I have no idea how the different types of packaging, labels and fonts fit into any kind or historical "pathway" of development, I just like them! I don't think this should just stay within the era of the S30, as the packaging of parts spans a wider time. Some , may think its "weird", but its not the same getting a reproduction part just in a plastic bag. The original box can add value to the part. My favouite, the red white and blue Nissan boxes. Not mine, but the boxes are in very good condition. A variant, I only spotted of the red white and blue; Notice, only red on the ends of the packaging. An earlier example of a parts label, notice it is in kanji, rather than english, and the label is a different design. Enjoy! (Admin, feel free to move, but I didn't know how to catagorize this...)

I’ve never been more paranoid about where my air hose was... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Trump is talking now. He is still just a weird weird guy. I can't comprehend how his brain works. He started off by talking about how great the economy was before the virus. "Then we had to shut it off". Weird words. Now he's giving name shoutouts to corporate executives again. Bizarre. Has trouble pronouncing the big words. He's telling weird stories about people being "in a coma". Birx is up now. She is showing some good charts. Talking about hope, but it's still way early. Birx used the UW IHME model for her projections. Fauci is up. Talking about Italy's leveling off. Mitigation is the key. Keeps saying the word but hasn't defined it clearly. Masks or not? Not a word about masks... Pence is up. New motto - "30 Days To Slow The Spread". Nothing new. Just have to keep distancing and wait. Questions... Lots of good Q and A with the professionals. Now Trump is up and trying to spin things. "What would have happened if we had done nothing?" So that he can compare to 2.2 million. Trump is asked about face masks. So he decides to talk about New York and New Jersey. And Washington. Now he's talking about what if we didn't do anything again, and the guy in a coma. He's stuck in repeat mode. "Lotta death". He's really rambling and not making sense. He's asked again and says that if you want to you can wear a scarf. The experts don't have comments. And...back to classic Trump.

No covid test? I've got 2. I've read time after time one of the early signs is you loose your sense of smell. When I can't smell these rascals I'll go to the ER.

If you want to start hoarding ECU's and AFM's and ignition modules are getting harder to find. Always nice to have some known-good parts on the shelf for torubleshooting. Keep an ECU and ignition module behind the seat, ready for the sudden-failure that those parts can experience. Edit - not sure which ignition module you're going with. but, others might need one. The bulky 280Z modules by the fusebox.

Okay, so I land back in TN at 11pm tonight. My flight home isn’t until the next afternoon so I’ll be off in the AM to dig around one of my favorite yards in the boonies. This is the one with a 240, three 280’s and God know how many 300’s. It a pandemic safe haven because I’ve only ever seen one other person there. It’s a fun place to dig around. I have several parts requests from members. To include a passenger side rear wheel well plate to steering wheel column plastic. I personally need a lower alternator mount for my engine rebuild and few other odds and ends. There is also an L28/N47 Maxima in this yard. I’m going to check out all the 300 diffs also to see if there is a forgotten LSD there. Please send your parts requests and I’ll do the best I can. Unfortunately, no major items because I just called the yard to make sure they’re open and he said it been raining all day. It’s going to be a muddy mess.

He’s the most intelligent person I’m hearing on their pandemic. He’s a real leader and I like his non-partisan view.

Pilgrim, I both agree and disagree with your post. The first comment I have is that you are expecting logic from the general population. We have a profoundly illogical population that has been indoctrinated by everything from failed public schools, social media, Hollywood and the music entertainment business. Most people are truly ignorant. Our role models are people like Eminem, Snoop Dog or The Kardashians. Look a the majority of movies produced these day, they’re for ignorant people. A minority percent are mentally enlightening or intellectually stimulating. It’s all blow stuff up, special effects and stupid jokes with a plot my Labrador could follow and it’s a reflection of society. People are incredibly ignorant. From people not buying Corona Beer to the guy who drank fish tank cleaner because it has a type chloroquine in it and hydroxychlorquine is one of the drugs being used in the COViD cases. You are expecting people to have the same thought processes as you do, it’s not going to happen. Like anything you buy, it you buy during the rush you pay more. Most quality guns can be sold very easily for about what you paid for them. Buy a stainless Colt or Springfield 1911 and it will always be worth about what you paid for it. Buy crappy stuff, it’s worth crap. I sold my Sig last week for more than I paid for it. I sold a Keltec KSG for a $100 profit two years ago. You need to be a smart buying and selling. Not much different than buying a Z. Finally, People want to protect themselves from a home invasion. Remember logic and truth are not the same, something can be logical but not true. Philosophy 101 from college. It may be logical to own a gun to protect your family but the truth is, it’s statistically more dangerous to own in the untrained hands then the chances of a home invasion. It’s the world we live in, I can’t control the masses, just what I do. I own guns because it’s a hobby I enjoy, I do tactical shooting, and very comfortable with guns, we have a zombie range near me and it’s really fun to run it. When you carry a weapon for 7 months all day and night in a place like Iraq, they become part of you. I never went anywhere without it, ever. Sleep, Eat, crap, fly, smoke cigars while armed all the time, never more that 3 feet away. Most people aren’t that comfortable with guns and thus more dangerous that just not owning it.

Haha!! Exactly! I sometimes think I can do some stuff. And then I watch threads like this.

Well here goes nothing ... So far so good .... grrrrr - TABCO ???. That will need to be fixed .... Inside looks good! With the fender on ... grrr -TABCO ???? But the rest is workable ... Next up - same drill on the passenger side ...

An old mentor used to say "re-skinning a door is part of the basic skill set..." So here goes ... Ground off the edges with a 40 grit flap disk - easy peasy Decided to cut it just below the body line since there will be some filler required here anyways ... Cut it with the air powered body saw and a cutting disk .... Inside is about what I expected .... I didn't have all my PPE available to bead blast the door so I just hit it with shop vac, wire wheel and a bit more Contour SCT .... Next up - fit the door frame to the car. That will be a huge test since the floors and inner/outer rockers have all been replaced. Guess we'll find out if it's all straight LOL....

Finally got to try out my new favorite tool - Eastwood's Contour SCT .... I figured this old previously repaired driver's door would be the perfect test panel... before ... Literally 5 minutes later .... Easily could have removed all the filler on the lower door in about two more minutes. I didn't bother since I am planning on re-skinning the lower section anyways ... The Contour SCT rocks - buy one ....

Here is a new thread to talk about guns. Some posts were made in a different thread making fun of people who were stockpiling ammo or buying new guns because of the COVID-19 virus. People have strong opinions about guns. So, here's a dedicated thread to talk about them. Here's where the other conversation ended.

Take a look at this one, appears to be for sale in Japan and bids currently around $230k USD / 25,000,000 JPY. Posting pictures for reference. https://www.classicdriver.com/en/car/nissan/fairlady-z432/1970/727296

Having already commented about the weirdness of thought process going on, I don't need to comment further here. I grew up with guns but although I am reasonably proficient with them, they never have assumed the importance for me that they seem to have for some others. As noted, no one's opinion changes based on Internet chatter. The current administration has really screwed the pooch because they dismantled part of our protection against pandemics, using the argument that it was part of budget cuts. We got started late and just a couple of weeks ago Trump was still claiming that it would be over quickly. He's put the whole country two months behind where it should be in preparedness. Any administration would clearly have had trouble dealing with this situation; that's shown by what's going on in other countries. Trump's insistence on putting political expediency ahead of science has really bitten the whole country in the butt this time. About all we can do is minimize our exposure at this point. Folks like @Av8ferg who have to be out and working deserve our respect. I live in a college town, in a well-educated neighborhood, and the people here are doing an excellent job of staying home and being careful when they walk out the door.

Sorry posted that prior to you starting the new thread. Back to covid here I guess. Let me put my guns away first. ✌️

Now this looks snazzy.

I read an article today about people going to the grocery store in Italy and stealing food because they have no money. People walking home with grocery bags being robbed. That kind of behavior can easily show up here I have a CCW and carry 24/7. There is rarely a weapon more than a few feet away from me. They make great equalizers. I live near a city that has pretty bad crime statistics but in a pretty safe area overall. But bad things still happen here aka Todd Kohlhepp. I have a number of friends in law enforcement and they totally agree with my train of thought. ...the police are only minutes away when seconds count... It's funny, I don't really carry for my own protection. I carry so I can protect others or my family. It's always nice to have options...

Cannot powdercoating be done from jail?

Gotta love a fresh paint job, especially this color! I predict you're gonna dote over this for at least a year!

@siteunseen Thanks for thinking of me. I have a set of stock springs, now fully stripped and ready for powdercoating when we all get out of jail.

Capt Brett Crozier is a close friend of mine. Super great and capable guy. We served in Japan together ( he’s a Navy F-18 driver) and on the USS Mt Whitney during Libya. I know him very very well. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I live in one of the safest places in the US. Never heard of a homicide in my city. This doesn’t mean I should lay back and take no precautions. My handgun sits in a safe harming no one, it’s an inanimate object. I also have term life insurance I never plan on using but I have it because cost of not It having it is too high. Sure hoarding guns is stupid. I have only what I need. You forgot I work in one of the most dangerous cities in America. #2 in the below article. I drive between the airport and my apartment between 11pm and 3am. I’ve seen cops patrolling on foot with shotguns. It’s a dangerous city! I can’t can’t afford to be killed by some drug addict. I’m in neighborhood near St. Judes hospital. We had a lady robbed killed in her garage unloading groceries two years ago, .5 miles from my apartment. We are all shaped by our life experiences. I will share a very personal story. I lived in Queens,NY when I was 11, it was 1981. I was kidnapped walking home from school. I was dragged into a car by my neck by a man. I was trapped in his car in the front seat. He went to take a turn on to a highway and released me momentarily at which point I jumped out of the passenger door at 40 mph and was severely injured. That event impacted my life forever. I’ve watched a friend die on a roof top in Iraq hit by a sniper. My roommate never came home from a mission, shot down over the Tigris River and drown. I lost by best friend im 2012 in Afghanistan. We had a company pilot shot on I-240 in Memphis 2 years ago. These things change who you are. The price of being unprepared are too high. Life isn’t always rainbows and butterflies. The combat stories are different but violent death close to you changes who you are forever. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.fox13memphis.com/top-stories/woman-identified-in-murder-on-mud-island-/643810449/%3foutputType=amp https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/fedex/107927-i-240-airways-shooting.html We had one of our planes hijacked in 1995. Pilots were struck in head by a hammer inflight. They finally subdued the hijacker. These is real life events. So maybe I’m just screw up, by my past experiences. Most never face these things, and that’s the way it should be. https://m.escapehere.com/destination/25-most-dangerous-cities-in-the-us-in-2019/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Life is not much fun anymore. I hope our leaders figure out what the smarter countries like Korea, Germany, and Taiwan are doing to move on. The sooner they clue-in, the faster we can get through this problem: Priority: Masks for all Regular testing of everyone Continued isolation of positives Back to work/normality for survivors with antibodies

IMHO, Fear. They believe that owning a gun will relieve them of the fear that drove them to buy the gun. At what point does the gun start to own the owner. There are far better ways to address fear than buying a gun but that takes looking inside oneself to find where the fear is coming from and what can we do to stop it from controlling our actions. Fear is just an emotion that the crappy roommate in our heads (the one that never shuts up and you can't get rid of) uses to induce drama into our lives. "It" likes drama and no, "it" is not you.

So the Federal background check has to happen for each weapon each time a purchase is made. The weapons serial number is placed on the form and act as a tracking mechanism if the weapon is found at a crime. My father had a 9mm stolen from his San Antonio hotel room in 1995. In 2014 he received a call from a police department in NC stating the handgun was used during a home invasion. They tracked the gun back to original owner (him) when the Background check was accomplished. They ending up sending my Dad his gun back and I own it now. So here is the connection to Covid-19. Guns and ammo have intrinsic value. They’re value really doesn’t go down. I sold a pistol last week. He paid me $540 cash for a weapon I bought in 2007 and shot many times. I made money on the sale. They retain value and are easily sold for $$ or other resources. Try that with a blender or almost other consumer products. 2 - people watch too many movie and think they’ll be Rambo but seriously people see them as a way to protect their family if Law And Order brakes down. My father used to tell as a young boy, “99.999% of the time you will never need a gun, but the .001% of the time you do, you really need it and it will could be the difference between life and death”. Not sure if there is any truth to that but he was a 2 tour Vietnam Marine and looked at the world different than most and had a clear case of PTSD. Guns are insurance in an insure world. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hahahaha… yeah… one? it has got 3 of those! The switch has one, the print on the upper and on the right have both one.. haha but on the other end there is a 10 pole connector.. with only one black.. (yeah somewhere in the yellow sleeve is a 3 into one black..) Furthermore, i think i have seen such a display work long time ago and the STOP in this display is red.. (OK is green) and the rest is lit a sort of orange.. No... even more colors! Now i know where i saw one.. in a brochure! Learn a little dutch on the side CO! Hihihi… i think the display "car54280zx" (Don't know his first name.) see's is the last one.. haha "defect" signaal (signal) ! As you see there are 4-5 different colors in the display.. I got this pic out of a may 1st 1979 folder. btw.. the battery level.. going to be a little bit difficult with todays battery's ?

Stop making us all look bad... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Very cool! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well the 80s bmw iac is awesome, smaller and nice looking. Let’s no air or minimal amount by when physically closed Now to find out what pin is positive.

The "procedure" I used is so: 1. Warmed the lens in the refelctor area with a hair dryer to make the white plastic plyable. Not to the point that it would melt, but enough to help it deform instead of breaking off. 2. Used a pair of plyers to squeeze the white plastic "pins" that protude through the reflector. Keep squeezing and moving around the pin and reheating until the plastic reduces enough the pull the refelctor over it. 3. Once you have the reflector off, clean it with a small wire wheel, 40 or 60 grit sandpaper until all the rust is gone. Treat it with rust convertor, prime it and then two coats of spray putty. Sand with emery and add another coat of spray putty. Repeat until smooth. 4. Apply aluminium tape and cut off excess with stanley knife. 5. Fit the reflector over the white plastic pins and use a soldering iron to melt the plastic pins and secure the reflector. Unfortunately I didn't take many photos, but I do have some more of the 280Z turn signal lenses I restored.

That looks incredible Site.......I saw a truck with a commercial cooker in tow on I20 passing through Columbia, S.C. It had a sign that said” You can smell our butts a mile away”.

I'll eat some of this and drive my Z if my belly fits under the wheel.

I did this a while back and the only way I could do it (as my hands are too big and not triple jointed) was to disconnect the speedo cable at the tranny and pull some slack, then pull the dash part way out, attach the cable from above, replace the dash, pull the slack out and re-attach the cable to the tranny. I must have tried this every other way for too long as I didn't want to partially remove the dash again. Unfortunately it was the only way. Good luck. Cheers, Mike

Kent, "A very nice gentleman." Would you mind if I shared this with my long suffering wife? Cheers, d*** McDonell

Picked up a bunch of stuff from @Richard McDonelyesterday. A very nice gentleman with a beautiful 918 orange restoration underway .... He had a lot of great stuff for sale. Loaded my Avalanche to the brim - might have to go back ... I thought this was interesting. Vertical defrost but no vents .... Took a flyer hoping this steering rack is in better shape than it looks. I get a little nervous when someone has painted over the boots, bushings AND mud ??? Fortunately the rack moves smoothly from lock to lock. 30 minutes later had this ... and this ... ?? Grabbed a couple of fenders and a set of early doors to experiment with ... And couldn't resist this ... all in all, a decent haul ... might have to go back ?

He probably has 14 pages of engineered drawings he whipped up over lunch one day...

Do you have a set of plans or are just going to wing it?

It’s hard to fathom how much work this is !

Nice Work!

Sure. So with the front rail and the rad support out, I could push/pull the horn side to side a few mm by hand easily (except for the strut support holding it it place). If it was out of alignment, I could easily be re-aligned. The legs of the jig are bolted to the car, and to the long longitudinal rails. So the jig gets assembled / dissambled under the car while the car is on jacks. The floor is epoxy installed by the previous owner. It is slowly being destroyed by all the metal work ....

- no. I did the floors years ago, and then the car just sat for a couple of years.... The jig was built to factory dimensions, not to this car. I posted about the build in my other thread “240z gets jiggy”. (Can you link to another thread here? Not sure how to do it). Anyways, the jig supports the car at all the factory drivetrain and suspension points and under the floor rails. If the car is out of alignment you can pull it pack in for sure. The front is partially supported by the strut tower. It would be almost entirely if I had cut out both rails at the same time. The next support point is the transmission mount. its very rigid. Car did not budge when I cut the rail.

I guess you are an expert spot weld driller by now, big project.

The new garages! Life is good... Sent from Canadia