JohnnyO

First of all, get that bumper off your hood, carefully!

I just turned 44 last month (I see a patern of mid-life crisis guys forming!) and my first car was a 71 240. Just beginning to relive my childhood. Next is the 84 Mustang GT and maybe a YZ250. Who knows? The wife is getting more worried by the moment!!! John

Are the smog tubes in the exhaust manifold supposed to be ceramic coated or do mine just have buildup on them? I am asking because I want to blast it and need to know if I should protect them. TIA John

The dings can be worked out by a body guy or a plater. They will charge you alot for their services, be prepared. I was quoted 450 per bumper with uprights to remove one ding and replate. If you want a black bumper then go for it. Should look nice with the silver paint.

www.towerpaint.com Call them, ask for Barry. Tell them the color code you want and they will mix it for you. They use Dupont or PPG depending on color. Good pricing, quick turn around and the nozzles they use seem to spray nicely.

I'd say yes. Any idea what brand of air dam that is? I think thats the same one that came with my car. I like that style vs. the flap that tapers forward. John

Nope, you're a good 2 days away. Probably cost you around 400 to ship there. At least you have access to a lift, many here do not. John

I have a lead on 2 2-post lifts and a drive on lift for sale. Not sure of the exact model but they are Ben Pearson 9000 pound capacity. I called BP and they said you need 4" of concrete, minimum 10' Ceiling and they come standard with a single pole, 30 amp electrical requirement although some shops have converted them to 3-phase. That leads me to believe that they can be converted back to 110 easily if needed. They are used and would be pulled from an existing shop that is closing. So if you are not in the Twin Cities area you would have to consider shipping. He is asking only $1000.00 each. I have dibs on the drive on if it is still available. I would do what I could to help out of towners but my time is limited and the guy is about an hour away from where I am. Anybody interested in a lift? We may be able to get an even better deal if we buy all 3. Let me know. John

Would any remanufactured spacers look original? I'm guessing not. My local Napa guy looked at my spacers to get me gaskets and the first thing that came out of his mouth was "Bakelite". I asked him what he was talking about and he said they were made of Bakelite. What is Bakelite? He compared it to the material that used to be used on pots and pan handles that were oven safe. Maybe your old dutch oven has Bakelite on it. I dont know but if the fit is correct for 10.99 I'd go that route if you werent stuck on all original. You might even be able to curve the flat sides with a grinding wheel to make it look closer to correct. John

This site has spacers available in multiple sizes. http://www.aptfast.com/Images_Parts/SU/SHIF44-05.jpg http://www.aptfast.com/APT_Parts/SU_Parts/a_SU_components.htm Not sure exactly what size early z's use but if they are selling for $10.99 it would take a long time to recoup costs of reproduction. They also have just about everything else for SU's but they specialize in MG's. Just my opinion. If you know the correct size of everything you need you should be able to find it here. John

Why not a little acetone on a soft cloth?

Yeah, but does it keep time? How much did the service cost?

Anybody here pick this one up?

I found a beautiful car that was parked for 18 years on CL. I am in Minneapolis and found it using craigshelper.com in San Jose. You can use it to search geographical areas or the entire world. I have the exterior totally stripped down and the only rust I have found was surface rust on the battery tray. They are out there, you just need to find them. Good Luck!

So, I just pulled my carbs off the manifold for cleaning and new jets. When I pulled them off some of the insulator "stuck" to both the manifold and the carbs. Not much, about as much as gets stuck when you peel a gasket off. My question is this: Are they reusable with a little sanding? Can the exterior be cleaned a little to "lighten" the color up or should I leave the dark patina on them? Sorry about the hijack. John

I've been using Nevr Dull since my Navy days. They used to have me polish the water fountain with it...... Taxpayer dollars hard at work.

Wooduck, I'm in Hudson and there are a few other members here from the Cottage Grove and St. Paul areas. We are thinking about setting up a run from afton down to red wing this summer. You are welcome to join. Hopefully we all get our cars running at the same time. Welcome!

Was probably the owner who was desparately in need of cash.....

Edits made to post 79.

Yes, you are correct. Even the "NOS" ones you see on ebay are a silver zinc. Mine needs replacing and has overspray on it so it looks like stamped aluminum to me. Corrected above. Some paint people have told me that, depending on the brand, they are virtually identical. I agree with you the semi-gloss is a little shinier. Perhaps someone could chime in if they have something old that's in virtually new shape to compare it to. I have a replacement alternator right now (not a grapefruit) and it is obviously not correct. Changes have been made above. I do not care for the look of "jewelry store gold". I actually prefer the clean look of a freshly glass bead blasted bolt but we all know that is not correct. Thanks for the input.

Thanks for letting us know. I don't think anyone here doubts the quality of ANY of your products. You and your company come highly regarded. John

So here are the details as I have learned over the last few weeks. Pictures of what I have done will be added soon. Block: Datsun "Dusty" Blue Oil Pan: Black; Satin or Semi-Gloss (not positive yet) Crank Pulley: Blue Smog Pump Pulley: Blue Smog Pump Casing: Natural Smog Pump Rear Plate: Black Timing Cover: Natural Water Pump: Natural Alternator Casing: Natural Alternator Fan: Cad Plated Alternator Pulley: Black Cam Cover: Natural Head: Natural Misc. Water Pipes: Cad Plated Water Inlet/Outlet: Natural Oil Pump: Natural Distributor: Natural Thermostat Housing: Natural Air Box: Orange Fuel Rail: Cad Plated Carb Linkage: Cad Plated Motor Mounting Brackets: Black End Plate/Bell Housing Cover Plate: Silver Zinc Plated Intake Manifold: Natural Exhaust Manifold: Natural Alternator/Smog Pump Adjusting Arms: Blue Cooling Fan: Off-White or Antique White Cooling Fan Clutch: Natural Cooling Fan Pulley: Cad Plated If you see any thing that needs correcting or if I missed a part please let me know. When I say natural I am essentially talking about a good glass beading job. You can add a coat of flat aluminum as suggested above on all but the head I would imagine. Still don't know the exact color for the Orange airbox. I tried VHT Orange header paint and I just don't like how it covers. I have used 3 cans and it still needs more. Plus you have to clear coat it after baking.... I may contact Tower Paint to see if they have it. Well, I hope this helps anybody that stumbles upon it.

OK. I was beginning to worry that I got the wrong color from Tower. It does look closer than Old Ford Blue.

Sorry, I should have been clearer. I left the oil pan on when I painted the block so I wouldnt have to mask it off. The PO had it painted blue. I have all intentions of painting it black, hopefully this week.

Is this the corrected picture? Looks like everything is still blue. As Mike says below, oil pan should be black and I think the timing cover and oil pump are supposed to be natural.