JohnnyO

I plan on painting mine black this week. Maybe you were talking to Wally. I think somebody said "satin black".

Well I guess that it all depends on the guy painting the blocks the day your engine rolled down the line. Mine were painted blue, I assume the PO saw them blue and repainted them the color he saw. I ended up painting mine blue. I will probably leave them like this for a couple of weeks and decide on the color before mounting them. While we are talking about the color I just wanted to put up a couple pictures of the mounts. I have read in other posts that "old ford blue" is a very close match. I don't think it is a very "close" match at all. You be the judge. The mount on the left is old ford blue, the one on the right is Datsun blue. The first picture is a comparison shot of old ford blue and Datsun blue paint I purchased from Tower Paint. I ordered a 6 pack of cans and used 1 to paint my block, pulleys and mounts. I will keep 1 can on the shelf just in case. I have 4 available if anyone is interested PM me. I couldnt believe how well that paint covered. I asked what brand they use and they said it was either PPG or Dupont depending on the color. I will say this, I have never used a spray paint that covered and sprayed that well. Well, let me know what you think. Next up is the oil pan then reassembly.

Zak, Is that the original block color or another shade of blue? John

I have decided that I will go with the block blue paint for the motor mount brackets. It makes sense to me that these may have been installed when the block was painted. So even if they were black to start with they would have been blue when the PO purchased the car. That would explain why he painted them blue again after the last rebuild. I will post pictures tomorrow.

Thanks Mike. I happened to find the info on the zcca.org site. Trying to talk the wife into it right now. Wish me luck....

When is the 2009 show?

OK. I think we have it hammered out here. The correct term for the ignition lock that I need is VOSS. I missed out on the auction yesterday. I was planning on sniping it and missed it by 20 minutes. It sold for $29.99 + $10.00 shipping. I think I have seen them go for a little more than that. They do come up every now and then and I think key blanks readily available. Also there is one seller on ebay that will cut the key for you if you tell him the code when you order. I would imagine this would help a locksmith when the time came to rekey the lock. Mike if you do come across one that you are willing to part with let me know what you want for it. I do know a very talented locksmith that has said he will see what he can do. Thanks for your help all.

Mike, thanks for the detail. I have a double sided series 2 ignition and single sided series 1 doors, glove box and hatch. I found an invoice from F.A.R. Performance and it states: "Need screwdriver to start car. Replace ignition." It was dated 1982. So having 2 keys is not the issue here. I just want the car to be correct, right down to matching the ignition to the key code on my glove box. It's all in the details. Hope that clears things up.

Sorry for the delay. I have been busy stripping and painting my air box.... Not too happy with the progess yet. Maybe after a wet sand and another couple of coats. I am looking at picking up a series 1 ignition. My other locks are original single sided and work fine. I want to have the used series 1 ignition rekeyed to match my original key codes. I think Unkle has the right idea in the first part of his above post. So, I gather, that it can be done. The issue will be finding someone that can cut the key based on my code and then rekey the ignition to match. While we are talking ignition is there anything special I need to look for when purchasing a series 1 ignition on ebay? Security pins, etc.? Thanks, John

Wouldnt the codes be on the sticker in my glove box or the original service book?

If I pick up a single sided (Key) ignition for a series 1 can it be rekeyed by a locksmith to match the original keycode? TIA, John

I got a quote for re-chroming my 240z bumpers yesterday. Show chrome cost per bumper $435 including the guards. Series 1 hubcaps cleaned, show chromed and straightened (they saw a dent in one that I never noticed, I was impressed) $150 each. I think MikeB said he budgeted $300 each hubcap to rechrome in his neck of the woods. I have not priced out the rubber yet but have seen the occasional set on ebay for under $100, I think.

mike, Do you know if the "assembly" includes the uprights? John

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/1010372209.html Do we know the owner?

This is soooo true. It wasn't 5 minutes after I trailored my car in California and was heading back to Minnesota when I noticed a truck weaving through heavy traffic behind me. He finally caught up to me and as I looked over the guy had the biggest grin on his face and was giving me a thumbs up. It made me feel my 4200 mile journey was well worth it and I rode that "high" all the way back to the twin cities from San Jose......

Given the fact the the Executor didn't even sit in the car before I bought it I am claiming myself as the second owner. Enough said...

I am drooling!!!! Where did you get those?

In Zaks pictures above the motor mount brackets are painted blue. Is this correct or should they be satin black like the oil pan?

I went with the flat aluminum as Carl and DeesZ suggested. The finish on the thermostat housing was almost an exact match to the unfinished cam cover. I think I will leave at that for now although I may try Zaks approach with some other small pieces as I move forward. Thanks all! John

John, I agree. The clear gives it a wet look at least 1 shade darker but I did prefer that look over the standard Plasti-Kote Aluminum paint I found locally. I use VHT clear satin from napa, I will run by there today and pick up VHT Flat Aluminum and see how it looks. Thanks, John

Here are the pictures. I think it turned out nice. I blasted the thermostat cover also to get a feel for the correct pressure. I ended up blasting all the old finish off at about 70 psi with 80 grit glass beads. This did a pretty good job but left some "shadowing" in area so after the worst of it was clean I followed it up with a brief 90 psi blast to even it out. I painted the thermostat housing with aluminum hi-temp paint. I am unsure whether I like the look or not. Maybe clear? John

Thanks Carl. I am going to get started right now. I just came back with the needed supplies. I will post pictures here. Thanks All!

Why didn't they do the under carraige? Anybody spending that much is going to look under the car.

JC, They do look pretty nice and considering an unmatched set in what appeared to be worse condition took in $550.00 last week they might fetch the $600.00 BIN price. Let's see where the markets at.

She really wasn't that bad, I just couldn't resist the opportunity for a joke.