mally002

Hey guys, Great advice, thanks for all the info. The nice thing about this Maaco is that all the corporate folks are here for the Grand opening, you really get the "red carpet" treatment. I have discussed at lenght with the owner and manager all our expectations....both mine and his. Of course it's not going to be a trailer queen show car, but a really nice quality base and clear. The car will be sanded completly and nothing but metal if needed will go back in. There really is just that one bad spot under the wheel well. When I had my Orange 240 done two years ago I went thru the same process as this one...Make sure the car is sanded and new metal put back in, of course the Orange one needed much more repair and body work. In terms of price, I spent alittle over 5k on the Orange one, it was at another local shop that only takes two classic cars a year and it took 5 months to complete. I have an estimate from Maaco, but I will wait to share it after the job is done so I can compare it to the other job and also post some shots for your judgement as well. I will tell you Tomo, it's no where near 8k. Also keep in mind that this car was restored in 1988....I know that was 20 years ago but it has been kept inside since that restoration. The car really needs no body work to speak of. I feel that if the prep work is done right the car will be exactly what I expect. I know Maaco gets a bad rep in some areas, but since each one is locally owned I think your quality has alot to do with who owns the franchise. The folks here are really into cars, so we are all on the same page. Well, I'm off to drop it off.........post back soon. Randy

Last year I almost pulled the trigger and bought a Maaco Franchise, the problem was Maaco requires you to work full time at the business and I couldn't leave my current business to run a Maaco. Well, just last month some local fella took my plan and opened up a Maaco here in Knoxville, TN. I went down and checked out the shop and the personel and was very impressed, so I decided to let them take a crack at my 71 240Z. They will sand the entire car, fix the valence and rust hole, and fix any other dings or spots on the car. It will also get a base and clear coat of the original color. I did all the removal of the exterior...(ok, I still have the door handles) and will drop the car off on Wednesday (May 21st). They stated the car will be ready in about two weeks. I really think they will do a good job, and If so may get the TR6 painted as well. My car really isn't in that bad of shape for paint, but since I'm getting the repaires I thought it would be a good chance to give them a shot. I'll let you know how it turns out. Here's a few before pictures.

Bobc, Good luck with the auction, my Orange one went last month on ebay and I know what you mean about all the nut job questions.....I'm curious from your description, what car are you "lusting" for? Take care, Randy

Thanks Nissanman and Xray, I have an appointment next Wednesday to get it fixed by the the body shop.

Well, It started off I was just going to remove all the PO undercoating on my Drivers side front wheel area and as I was removing this gunk my scrapper went clean through. I finished removing all the crap and found where the previous repair was made. It looks like after the repair the PO just put all this coating over it to protect it from the elements, but it looks like all he did was trap it in. It's not huge but has me concerned and I am no body expert or structural expert, so with that being said can I just have a patch welded in or does it need another approach. Thanks for any suggestions. Randy

Hey Steve, I got the stripes awhile ago from JPurcell here on the board, I also saw a set on Ebay that is NOS reproduction. The Ebay ones look just like the original. Do you have the MSA stripes? If so go ahead and put them on to see if you like them, then if you do get the NOS style later, there only $30 to $40 bucks. I think the Black would look great on your color. But on the flip side, you can't beat the clean lines of the Z either. On the upside at least when you stop for gas people will quit asking....."Is that a Jag, Ferrari, or Porsche.......:disappoin PS...Thanks Bigoak

I had an old MSA stripe kit that I just put on......(I did this very quickly just to see if i wanted to add the NOS stripes later this week, which is why they are not perfectly installed). I had the stripes on my Orange Z and I think they look even better on the Green. Here's a few "Temp" pictures, when I get the NOS stripes on I'll post some more. Before.......and .........After.

I'm 50/50.......Ordered new wheels last week and there still not here, can't make the trip in the TR with my current tires. I'll shoot you a PM later in the week. I may try and make the trip in the 240 if the new Wheels and Tires don't make it in time. Take care,

Thanks Arne,

Does anyone know if there is a source for the chrome end pieces for the passenger side door pull strap. My strap is fine, however it's missing the end covers. Found several on Ebay but they include the strap which I don't need and cost $30+. Thanks for any help. Randy

Really? Gold and Orange....not to mention the door panels, but hey thats why were all different. Senkyoshi, if you do go with the full carpet look be sure and post some pictures. 7277 your Black looks really nice, I guess it helps out with road noise as well.

Thanks Bob, I would have never thought of the dry ice idea......

Hmmm, the interior brings to mind....."Groovy Baby"

Sblake, You are the man, thanks for looking that up.

Steve, I am embarrassed to say I have no idea, the part number was #14829. I'll call Mark (shop owner) this week and see what type it is. Thanks for the link Mike.....have you tried Folgers.....

I am going to guess that the answer to my question is different with each show, but generally what is considered "modified" if you want to enter your car in a class. My 71 has Panasports and an aftermarket muffler, that's about it. Would it be considered "stock" or "modified". Thanks, Randy

I took this morning off and went down to a friends muffler shop to try and tackle my fume issues. I took the extensions off the old setup and didn't bother putting the older tips back on since I was just going down the street and would be yanking this old muffler off. Here's the really weird part....during the drive to the shop with both windows down I didn't have that much exhaust fumes, just a barely detectable smell when rolling to a stop. The only thing that changed was the exhaust outlets didn't have the original tips on, and ended almost under the car.....So to make sure it wasn't a fluke I put the original extensions back on which went about an inch past the bumper, and then swapped for the longer extensions and drove around............Both drives had the exhaust smell...:eek:.. Take off all extensions and no smell, it's crazy. So, we hack off the old muffler and just before we put an original type back on the owner says we need to try this Magnaflow, his speculation was that with the bigger mouth and keeping it shorter it may produce the same results, if not we will go back to the original style and go 1 to 1 1/2 inches past the bumper. I take it for a 3 mile drive and NO SMELL....and it sounds so much better than the stock, I love it.....except for the fact that a million teenagers also have this setup..I feel like a street racer :devious: . I don't think it looks that bad, and with no cabin fumes I am thrilled. My old Orange 240 was pretty much bone stock, and I am a true fan of keeping things original, but I figure this is a small price to pay for getting rid of that smell. (plus it goes well with the Panasports) FYI...total cost parts and labor...$218.00

Hey Doug, I will be updating the exhaust post, I finally got it corrected. Take care,

Car looks GREAT.... Is that the original paint, it looks perfect.

While trying out different exhaust extensions on my 1971 240Z to try and rid myself of cabin intoxication, I picked up my little video camera and shot this. Hopefully it will inspire you to get your Z out on the road........... <embed width="448" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://i158.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid158.photobucket.com/albums/t119/mally002/71240z062.flv"> Z-ya Randy

Carl and Sblake, Yes, they are just screwed on as I was just experimenting with different lengths. Here is a picture of the original setup with the extensions off and a few pictures showing just how far I took them out. Any thoughts?

Hey guys, Thanks for the input. Yes, I did open both both air vents and checked all my seals. I went through about every thread using the search function to tap any untried ideas as well. In reading the older post I focused on the smell only with the WINDOWS DOWN. Like Arne had said most were cured with the tailpipe extension, but since mine was not I was wondering if it was because of the current twin straight pipe. I'm going to go back out there in a bit and re-check for any holes, screws, etc. I am assuming that when these cars were new this was never an issue, which is why I can't understand this problem...... Thanks again.

I know, I know, not another exhaust smell in the cabin beat the dead horse question again....... It kind of is, but also want some opinions on my idea. My 71 240 which I just aquired about 8 months ago does have the wonderful smell of exhaust BUT only when the windows are down....windows up equals perfect, smell free cabin. I have done the basics on seals, leaks, etc, but the PO who put on the muffler used this twin pipe out the back that didn't quite reach the bumper. This weekend I went and bought two extensions...(see picture) and ran them a good ways past the bumper......guess what.....still has the exhaust smell. So I was thinking, and this is where you guys come in, maybe the smell is because of the twin pipes going straight and what if I ran down to the muffler shop and had them remove this setup and put on one pipe with a down bend 1-2 inches past the bumper. Do you think it would be worth the $75-150 dollars to see if this "cures" the problem, or does this twin setup have anything to do with the issue at hand. Thanks for any input. Randy

Stick with your original seats, after new foam and covers they feel great and look great. Good luck,

I'll look for it next week.....it's somewhere in my stack of magazines.