geezer

1792? oops, could be the wrong picture...ahh, here it is. Still looks to be newer rubber though.

Yeah, now that you mention it, I do recall putting hundreds of those magazines in the attic...couldn't bring myself to throw them away at the time. Who knew they would serve to be Z research material today.

I've had similar problems with a fitting, having the wrong sized thread. I brought the line to a local shop here called Checker Industrial. They have every fitting known to man in stock or they can get it quick. They cut the flare off the line replaced with the proper fitting and reflaired the brakeline for $12.00 while I waited about 5 minutes. In my case it was still long enough to not cause a problem.You must have a business like this where you live? Walter, I would redo yours also. I don't think using teflon tape is a good or very safe way to stop a leak in a brake system.

To save the copyright photos just click on them to enlarge first. I agree on the roofs need for an aquired taste. The car does scream mid '60's Italian design. I do like the roof on this design sketch. Would be nice as a hatchback too. Nice design for something conceived in the early '60's. Money wise, you could have bought 2 nicely equiped Mustangs for what one of these cost when new. It will be interesting to see what it sells for.

Nothing to say about this. Just that I've never seen one before and thought perhaps some of you would want to look at it before the auction ends. Comments? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=006&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=160180897005&rd=1

I agree, it must be clogged with something. It could be debris in the sand that was not caught when the sand was screened or a combination of dust and moisture that can clog the gun. All you can do is tear it down, clean it, rescreen the sand and try again. Also make sure you are removing the water out of the airline before reaching the sandblaster. I use 3 water separators when I sandblast. Also when the humitity is high I coil a 25' length of hose in a bucket of cold water to bring the air temperature down, to allow the water to condensate in the hose before reaching the moisture bottles. Works well. I use a rather large pressure feed, not a siphon sandblaster though.

Both cars are looking great. Congrats on the 2nd place finish and completing the Mopar:love:

I've really cut down on the toys lately but still spend it on boats, cars, guitars, fishing gear, pool cues, kids, grandkids...and their all worth it! Never mentioned the wife because she spends more on me than I do on her, nowadays. Life's been good so far.

back-to-zcars - is this where your '71 came apart? Guess that's why everyone tells us to check that area huh?:laugh: And why I used some heavier gauge metal to replace.

That's great news. It's not as bad as I thought. What I would do is trim the excess metal back as far as possible with the goal of one layer of metal with no overlap. If it is advantageous to leave some overlap to gain strength make sure you have the perimeter of it welded up tight. Then, get that rust cleaned up as best you can and use your POR. Good luck, and I gotta say again...sure is a pretty car.

Like many of you who bought their cars from points south, so did I. In my case, only as far south as the Boston area, so I brought home a rusty, crusty, dusty ‘70Z that is being slowly massaged back into shape. I needed another hobby project since I am retired with too much free time on my hands. It’s a fun car to work on and I learn more about it every day either from working on it or hanging out here absorbing the collective knowledge of all you guys. I don’t move as fast as I once did, but I have taken pictures of all the nastiness that I uncovered, and what I’ve done with it. Hope to share them before too long. Seems like there are not many Zs originally sold in Canada that have survived our harsh winter climate and road conditions. Ebay description sounded better than it was (no surprise), but it was only $1700.00. A drop in the bucket compared to what's going into it now.

I had a good laugh watching that. I have done that also, but not because of being underpowered or lack of brakes. I was pulling a trailer behind my truck on a very icy incline and by the time I realized I had no more forward momentum, it was too late. My passengers were impressed with my ability to steer with the trailer behind us, going backwards about 10 mph for a distance of about 1000 yds. I actually had no control and was just lucky to stay on the road without jack knifing.

Those are great shots Jim. The best examples I've seen of this area. You have been very meticulous with your restoration and serve as an inspiration to the rest of us. Thanks for sharing these pictures and giving others the heads up on what to look for and how to repair it.

If anyone from this board buys this car and has a way to collect them, I'll donate the hood, fenders, grill, etc. to the cause. There is no one else around here with a Z to sell the parts to and they are too big to ship.

This is absolutely true, but there are methods to ensure the curvature and concentric dimensions are accurately placed. If you have ever seen roof panels as they arrive from the stamping plant to the assembly plant, they are stacked with nothing in between them in the way of padding or insulation. They retain their shape until removed from the rack and welded on the vehicles, simply because they are stacked identical stampings with strength in numbers. This same principal is used in the case of welding a replacement panel such as this roof in the proper attitude. For a roof such as this, longitudinal strips of a much heavier gauge steel would be used to support the existing roof and filler piece. In this case they would be used on the inside and likewise lateral strips laid and bowed under tension across on the outside. In years past these strips would be bowed and temporarily tack welded into place under enough tension to retain the desired shape. Today the same thing can be done with the use of rare earth magnets to firmly hold the tension strips in position. When the panel is perfectly aligned it can be stitch welded in place. This is just one of the tricks of the trade that a competent body man or fabricator would know of and put to use when needed. Bottom line..ask questions about the methods used by the guy you choose.

Arne, you can do most of this job yourself easier than you think. First remove the sunroof. Then after determining the nessesary size & shape of the replacements panel, carefully draw it out and cut it from the donor. Now you can lay it perfectly flat in position on your car to trace the outline. I would use a flange just to gain the rigidity but buttwelding would also stiffen it. Best bet is to get the opinion of the guy you choose to weld it for you, but there is no reason you couldn't prep the job. Coincidentaly I just bought this tool and haven't tried it out yet. Your roof would be a good test, too bad it's a few thousand miles too far away.

This first scan is from the Mitchell Collision Estimator Guide. Although the prices aren't current the time estimates are probably not too far off the mark. I have not replaced a roof or do I need to, but I have noticed how easily the thin metal roof panel can be pushed in. I plan on using a stiffener of some kind to reinforce the roof panel before the headliner is installed during reassembly. One thing I have thought someone in your situation could do when eliminating a sun roof is this. It would be a real time saver and would give your roof increased rigidity, but maybe not something you would want to do, simply because of the originality factor of your car. It would be a relatively easy job to cut out the sunroof and replace with the corresponding piece from your donor. By using a tool similar to this one sold by Eastwood you can carefully bend an offset flange and position the replacement panel perfectly flush with the surrounding roof. Then get someone to weld it up and lead it in nicely. It would actually be stronger & better and only you would know it was not an original unmolested panel. I have replaced quite a few panels on other vehicles with a similar tool and method. Just a thought.

In regards to your model year question. The starting serial number for the 1972 240Z was HLS30-46001. Yours is well into the 1972 Model year even though it is a 12/71 build. I think you did very well on the purchase. Enjoy!

Oh yeah...that's bad. I agree with Nissanman, and wouldn't hesitate tackling a job like that. But we have been doing this kind of thing a long time. It is after all just metal. With the right tools you can bend, shape, cut, weld anything into shape. It's actually fun. But if you have to contract this work out to a shop I would have to echo the words of EScanlon. And the fact your asking for advise tells us your not equipt to take this job on yourself. If you have the determination to dig into it, you can do like others have and do all the preliminary cutting, shaping and temporary placement of the new metal. Then you can hire a pro to weld it up for you. You would need to do your homework first. It really is hard to advise someone what to do with rust damage such as this unless we know more about you, your workspace/tools and abilities.

Sailor Bob - Am I correct in assuming the two major points of appeal are; it's a series 1 & it is mostly intact? Otherwise the '71 listed on Ebay in Montreal falls into the road ready under $10,000 category. A nice weekend road trip to boot. Just curious because this series 1 in question will end up costing as much or more in my opinion, even if you could buy it for $2000.

HaHa!! I was thinking something like that too. Z's are like little brothers. We can trash talk them, but don't let anyone else try. Just like this threads subject car. We all see the problems with it but still love it. I'm betting, even though I think it is a bit over priced, 5 years from now, it will sound like a great deal. XKE's are timeless classics in my book and S30's are coming into their own as time passes and fewer of them exist. That's why it is such a tough decision to restore or part out sometimes.

Don't take this the wrong way, and think I'm being unfairly critical, but here is my take on it. I can relate to this particular car as it reminds me a bit of the one I drug home. Also a 10/70 build. I paid far less than what you are asking and got a ton of extra parts with it. My exterior sheet metal (doors, fenders, hood, decklid, etc.) were all rust free/flawless (inside & out). I did need to replace the floors & supports and also the rockers. From looking at the pics I would venture a guess that yours will need at least these same parts replaced. The point is, for the same money, a much better candidate for restoration can be had, bypassing the rust issues yours will present. There are other members here that will be able to relate their similar experiences with rust issues. Most will advise spending more initially for a solid, rust free shell. I think yours is over priced for the amount of rust repair needed.

Take your time Randy and carefully remove as much of what doesn't belong as possible, using whatever tools you have at your disposal. With a hammer and a good sharp steel chisel you can trim back the original rusted metal to the replacement metal that was tacked in years ago. There should only be one layer of sheet metal and no fiberglass or fillers. The more you get into it, the more obvious it will become, to as what needs to be done. Keep the pictures of your progress coming. Other than this needed work, this car sure looks nice in the pics. I'm sure you will be able to do most of the prep work yourself and have someone else do the nessesary welding for you. To me it looks like the replacement metal was simply tacked in place over the original rusted out floor and a layer of glass was used to seal around the edges and over any other holes. Obviously, an amateur repair that did serve the purpose for many years, but was doomed to eventually failure.