MEZZZ

Thanks, everything will work out in the long run. Thers nothing wrong with the car that a couple hundred hours labor and $5000 wont fix

I just ran across your ad, looks good. I wish you luck in selling it. Too bad I didnt see it before I got ripped off on mine

Thanks Mike, I figured thats what I would have to do. I found a post written over a year ago from a guy that had the same trouble, wrote Speedhut about it. They wrote back claiming they were unaware of the problem and would rectify it. I was a bit dismayed when mine came with the same setup. I wrote Speedhut to inquire about it, saying the only way to install this is to cut and splice and or dremel a notch into one of the housings. I got a reply saying, every car is different, good luck with your install. Not exactly the answer I was seeking I still think they are a great deal for $89.00 though. I ordered mine in silver with darl blue numbers just to be a bit different. They are very well made, much nicer than the white overlays I have seen and thye look great at night time.

I also have one in my garage that came from a '77. I bought a complete gauge set from a guy on Ebay, claims everything works fine but the clock. I got them for the tach more than anything else but got the whole set for around $11 plus shipping, couldnt pass it up. Im in Cincinnati, pay the postage and its yours. Welcome to the club.

Im not quite sure about the dash covering myself but I do aplaud your efforts. I do have aa soft spot for the speedhut gauges though, I bought a set myself a couple months ago. I havent installed them as yet, working too much, too cold to work in my garage. I do have a question though about installation. On my set, there are only 4 connectors into the dimmer switch. Each smaller guage is a seperate plug in and the tach and speedo are spliced together going into the 4th plug. That makes it impossible to install the tach and speedo from the front and I can only think I have to cut and splice to get it installed. Can you shed some light?

Looks good to my untrained eye, that is part of the problem with Ebay. It is very hard to buy a car sight unseen, and we all know, photos can be very deceiving. I've sold a car and a Harley on Ebay and both sellers were great to deal with. The trick to selling on Ebay from my experiences is to be VERY critical in your description. Obviously, you want to point out all the good points, but I also described everything down to the slightest flaw. I stated in my ad that I wanted the owner to get it and say, damn, that guy was anal retentive as hell, I would have never noticed the little things. I wanted the buyer to be pleasantly surprised, not dissapointed. On both vehicles I sold, the sellers were thrilled, I got my asking price and it was a hassle free sale. You will get emails from a few here and there asking questions. I wrote the first guy back very detailed info and then for the other potential buyers, I just did a quick edit of the original email and let it fly. Looks great, here's hoping you get what you need from it.

I for one really enjot the "look at this one on Ebay" threads. Having bought mine on Ebay, and getting totally SCREWED in the process, I can only say I wish I had found this site and these types of threads before my purchase. I think I am not alone in my thoughts, and maybe, just maybe, these types of threads have saved others some of the misery I have endured. I had nothing but good luck on Ebay for years, including 2 other cars and a Harley. While I knew it was a roll of the dice, I didnt expect to deal with the total misrepresentation that rolled into Cincinnati via Oregon at considerable expense I might add. I for one, say keep it up, pick them apart, hype them up. It is a learning process that others just might benefit from.

I am jealous! I will have to go that route when I am read to start on the bodywork...congrats!

Stephen, You are getting REALLY good with the linking thing

I noted from the photo that the battery area looked pretty rusted, that would have only fueled my suspicions further, but hey, its always worth checking out if its close. I am in Ohio, rarely see one around here, ran across one on ebay that I would have gotten for a parts car. Like you though, the guy was way too proud of it.

28/32's? Damn, I used to wear that size in my early 20's Now I have plumped up to 32/32...3 of that inches coming in the past 3 years I was 29/32 for 2 decades! Isnt Value Village where you found that clock Dave? Im still searching for one to use in my battery conversion, been about 1/2 dozen places with no luck

I did the dome lamp upgrade from MSA a couple months ago that uses an LED bulb, I think it was $19-$0. Really did a good job of lighting up the interior with a nice white/bluish light. It was pretty simple, take out the stock bulb, put in the 1 inch square 9 LED replacement and stand back and be happy.

Welcome to the club. I have been on here since buying my '77 a few months ago and there is a wealth of information and some great people on here. BTW....your pic is not showing up

Dave, As always, you are the wizard! I wish you lived next door to me Any plans on coming out with a DIY kit like your headlight harness? I would go for a set as well as the battery operated clock upgrade you did (I'm still looking for the proper clock to use in the conversion.

The '78 sits on steel springs, mine squeaked when I sat down on it, very annoying going down the road too. I redid my seats with new foam and upholstery. I have about $380 in mine. I bought the foam from MSA and the upholstery on Ebay for $180.00 including freight. I opted for the older style with the metal rivets, just because I always liked the looks and didnt care if it is correct for my year. The squeaky springs were solved by lubricating them with graphite. You will need hog ring pliers and hog rings and I also had to get new wire for the bottoms. I got the pliers at a Tractor Supply store (after looking all over) and the wire at Home Depot. They turned out pretty good, a few wrinkles by the side bolsters. I will probably take them back apart and stuff some extra foam up there to try to get the wrinkles out. When I finished them, I was happy (compared to what they looked like) but the more I look, the more I am inclined to tweak them. I just sent back my Grant steering wheel to MSA yesterday because there was an extra stitch on the left side vs the right, where your thumb would rest. I know every time I get in the car, it would stick out to me. Call me anal It cost $19 to send it back and I dont want to take a chance on another of the same make, so I am swapping out for their Club Sport model that the rep from MSA recommended.

Sounds great to me Justin. All the beer and pizza you want! Where in Ohio are you relocating too? Bring alot of the "Dave" knowledge back to Ohio with you!

Jared, thanks for the words of encouragement. I bought this car as a "mild" project, refreshening the interior, paint job. I get discouraged thinking I bit off more than I can chew, but am determined to do it and do it correctly the first time. Hell, its been around 30 years, it will be here for awhile longer, no need to rush it. And yes, seems I've been taking ALOT of breaks lately! Doug, I read your post on the car..I will ahve to say that your craftsmanship has grown considerably. I will keep plugging away, teaching myself as I go, with help from all the great people on here. Ken, thanks for the tip on the plastic bag, I will give that a shot when I get into the little nooks that the stripper wheel wont go.

Thanks Doug, I appreciate the comments. Like anything I guess, you get what you pay for. This car is the exception, I overpaid I guess I will take it slow and attempt to do it right the first time. I am trying to learn patience. I had thoughts of knocking out the interior this week but dont think that is going to happen

I used some spray on stuff on my (now sold) Harley. I too sprayed it in a slight breeze and damn does that stuff have a bite!

Look me up when you get back to Ohio, at this rate my Z will be back on the road in....2028 Dave, if you read this, I too am more of a computer geek than car guy...come spend a week with me and I'll build you up a computer.

Hahaha...I think he is in Cleveland, about a 4 hour or so drive I just came in, needed a break from this ordeal...when I get frustrated I just walk away for a bit I went out and bought a heat gun and it isnt any better, might help me get in the little nooks that the stripper wheel wont fit into but it is more cumbersome to use, and much slower.

Did you use the Dupli-color spray on liner? I've seen it at my local Auto Zone before when I was pondering what to do with the floors before actually starting. BTW...I am jealous you have Dave to help you out. I WISH he was my neighbor! I'd love to have Dave, Escanlon and Sblake over for a weekend marathon! I was hoping to find someone local on here that felt sorry for me and offered to lend a hand from time to time :) Guess I'll have to go it alone...except for all the great help I have received from everyone on here.

Okay, make that 2 smart things I have done. I rinsed off the stripper, I had only applied it onto the spare tire wheel well to experiment with it. The guy at Home Depot gave me a plastic scraper and told me not to use a metal putty knife as I didnt want to create a spark around this stuff. That alone is enough to think I shouldnt use a heat gun with it I still have the entire driver side and rear to do. I thought I would try a heat gun on the drivers side this morning. I am removing the paint so I can put down POR-15. It all started because the PO had put down "new" carpet using a roll of automotive carpet. It looked ok, but he had hacked a few pieces, cutting around the e-brake and seat belts and I just wasnt happy. So, I thought I would replace it. Then I got the smart idea to put down a new sound/heat barrier i.e. Dynamat or one of its imitations. Then I thought, hell, I might as well POR-15 it since Im here. That required removing the old sound proofing and now the paint. I guess in the long run its a good thing because I would have never found the rust on the passenger side (until it got much worse anyway)

Those condoms look pretty cool..not a fan of them myself Seriously, do you put them over the bulbs and take out the little green lenses? I just got my overlay gauges from Speedhut yesterday. I went with the reverse indiglo where only the numbers light up at night. For 89.00 you cant beat them, they look to be of very high quality and they look great installed. I looked into doing the LED conversion, painting the insides of the gauges bright white or silver. After looking into it and having to thread several bulbs together to get decent lighting I figured it easier just to do the overlays. You can get them in alot of different colors, stock black with white digits that go light blue at night, or pick red digits. Go White faced , silver face, red face, dark blue face, you can pick font styles, etc. I opted for a little something different, reverse indiglo, silver face with dark blue numbers, just to be a little different from stock and the white faced overlays.