St.stephen

well welcome to the world of the Z gremlin....RUST! There are several techniques to correct the rot but really only one right one in my book. That is cutting out the rotted metal and replacing it with new solid steel. With you saying that there are holes in the "rail" underneath the car are you referring to the seat reinforcements, the frame rail cradle that meets the firewall or the actual frame rail inside the engine compartment? In any event by you saying that there are holes states that cancer has began to get a foothold and will only get worse. My advice on any Z car that has underbody rust is to completely strip the car down and start from there, however not everyone has that ability and room. From the sound of your post you have already purchased the car. Time to get your hands dirty. I would first remove the seats from the car so you can pull up the carpet and give a complete and thorough inspection. This is very important as you need to determine where the rust has spread to. CHeck where the firewall meets the toeboards, the floor meets the inside rocker, where the floor meets the transtunnel, and then in the back where the floor meets the deck. These are all hot spots for water and moisture to get trapped. Teh jute under the carpet gets wet and never dries, the water just sits there and bingo. rust. YOu need to really get underneath the car and do a thorough inspection of the floors, toe-boards and firewall area. Small holes and the like can be patched using POR-15 and their powermesh and I have heard good results using that technique but personally I wouldn't use that for anything larger than maybe a half dollar. For rust spots on the floor support rails, they can be cut out and new welded in using channel steel or one of the repair kits available from a few places. I wish I had better news for you other than welding in new metal, but that is really the only way to do it right. Post some pictures so I can get a better look at what is in trouble. I have seen and I think I own the worst case scenario as far as Z rot is concerned and that car is being saved so I may be a good source of info.

I've got 2 cars in a 1 1/2 car garage, as well as the 87 KX-125 (cam 2 bike)! much easier when one Z is on it;s side. Got the 78 2+2 in the driveway Donor car :classic: with the 97 explorer.... I need a barn! I actually got lucky in finding a girl that wants me to have all the toys!

I saw this and seriously thought about. I'm out of room at the moment with three though. I need a barn!

I agree with dakota. Be a cold day in hell before my wife would ever make me sell any of my toys. if she wanted a mustang she can find a way to buy one herself.

I'll drop you an email!

I can show you pictures of no floors and firewall!

driftmunky.... one other thing, you said you were considering purchasing a master cylindar off ebay.... I can be rest-assured that you are looking for a new one correct??

In addition to what 2manyZ's said, please check the condition of all the rubber lines on the brakes. A collapsing rubber line under pressure will cause the same condition. daniel, the technique 2 many is describing is that by slowly utilizing the e brake what you are doing is spreading the shoes closer to the drum. When you apply the brakes, the shoes have less distance to travel therefore giving you more pedal "pressure". Honestly, i don;t think it was your vaccum booster. I agree with 2many...put the car up on stands and start getting dirty. Give the rear wheel cylindars a good once over and try bleeding the system before getting into renewal. When was the last time your entire brake system was serviced??

Victoria British sells a product in 4ft X 6ft sections for 29.95. It;s 3/8" fiber tech padding covered on one side with aluminum to reflect heat and act also as a sound deadener. POR-15 would certainly be generously applied to the whole inside of the floor area, toe boards and up the trans tunnel as a beginning of the moisture barrier.

The specs NEW FORD GT40 CONCEPT JOINS 'LIVING LEGENDS' CAR LINEUP Download press release (pdf) The GT40 - the legendary car brought to life by Henry Ford II to change performance car history - finds new life in a modern road car that re-ignites Ford's hallmarks of passion, performance and speed. The new high-performance concept is inspired by the vehicle that roared into the hearts of car enthusiasts everywhere during the 1960s. The new GT40 joins Ford's "Living Legends" lineup of production and concept cars, including the Ford Thunderbird and Mustang, and the Forty-Nine concept. "GT40 is the ultimate Living Legend," explains J Mays, Ford vice president of Design. "It's a true supercar with appeal equal to that of the greatest sports cars in the world, but with the addition of a heritage no one can match. Essential elements of the original - including the stunning low profile and mid-mounted American V-8 - continue in this latest interpretation of the classic." While the new concept and the original both share the mystique of the GT40 name, they share not a single dimension. The concept is more than a foot and a half longer and stands nearly four inches taller. Its new lines draw upon and refine the best features of GT40 history and express the car's identity through modern proportion and surface development. Design The GT40 concept casts the familiar, sleek silhouette of its namesake, yet every dimension, every curve and every line on the car is a unique reinterpretation of the original. The GT40 features a long front overhang reminiscent of 1960s-era racecars. But its sweeping cowl, subtle accent lines and fiber-optic headlamps strike a distinctly contemporary pose. The front fenders curve over 18-inch wheels and Goodyear white-lettered tires. In the tradition of championship racers, the doors cut into the roof. Prominent on the leading edge of the rear quarter panel are functional cooling scoops that channel fresh air to the engine. The rear wheel wells, filled with 19-inch Goodyear tires, define the rear of the car, while the accent line from the front cowl rejoins and finishes the car's profile at the integrated "ducktail" spoiler. The interior design incorporates the novel "ventilated seats" and instrument layout of the original car, with straightforward analog gauges and large tachometer. Modern versions of the original car's toggle switches operate key systems. "Like its namesake, the GT40 concept is not over-wrought with advanced technologies," Mays says. "While it represents the best of Ford design, engineering and expertise, it is a no-frills machine. You won't find voice-activated telematics here - not even power windows - just pure, refined performance." Looking in through the backlight, one finds the essence of the sports car in the MOD 5.4-liter V-8 engine and its complex array of polished stainless-steel header pipes, braided stainless steel fuel lines with anodized aluminum fittings and supercharger with intercooler. "The GT40 concept should do three things: go fast, handle exceptionally and look great," says Chris Theodore, Ford's vice president of North America Product Development. "To be true to its Ford heritage, we had to create a supercar that would be uniquely a Ford. Anyone can do technology showpieces, high-displacement engines and modernistic designs, but there's much more to a GT40. There's heritage and heart. We think this car remains true to the spirit of its predecessors." Chassis As on the historic car, the composite body panels are unstressed. Instead of steel or honeycomb-composite tubs used in the 1960s, Ford's SVT Engineering group developed an all-new aluminum spaceframe as the foundation for the GT40 concept. It features four-wheel independent suspension with unequal-length control arms and longitudinally mounted spring-damper units to allow for its low profile. Braking is handled by six-piston aluminum Alcon calipers with cross-drilled and vented rotors at all four corners. When the rear canopy is opened, the rear suspension components and engine become the car's focal point. Precision-milled aluminum suspension components and attached 19-inch Goodyear tires - combined with the overwhelming presence of the V-8 powertrain - create a striking appearance and communicate the GT40 concept's performance credentials. Powertrain The powerplant is an all-American V-8 from Ford's modular engine family. The MOD 5.4-liter V-8 in the GT40 concept features aluminum four-valve heads, forged crankshaft, H-beam forged rods and aluminum pistons fed by a supercharger, all combining to make more than 500 horsepower and 500 foot-pounds of torque. These figures match or exceed those of the most powerful period GT40, a car that could handily top 200 mph on the Mulsanne straight at Le Mans. Because of the supercharger and high-revving, free-breathing valvetrain, the new car produces this astounding power from an efficient 5.4-liter V-8 engine. The power is put to the road through an RBT six-speed manual transmission. What's Next for GT40? The GT40 concept was created to foretell and test the future of exciting Ford cars to come. As with other Living Legends concepts - including the 1999 Thunderbird concept and Forty-Nine concept - the GT40 was engineered from the beginning for production feasibility. Ford's SVT Engineering - which also created performance versions of the Focus, Mustang Cobra and F-Series Lightning - developed the chassis and powertrain. SVT Engineering worked closely with Living Legends designers to ensure the concept would live up to its performance heritage

alright once more

feast your eyes ladies and gentleman

girlie.... just wait til that V-12 fires up and makes the hair stand up on your arms that bus in the backround will be part of my collection as well. That may be my next welding project

I have an absolute equal obsession with this bad boy. If my day with the lottery comes, look out folks.

Kmack... your car really turned out nice! I checked out the site listing the progress on the car regularly. My biggest setback other than the apartment storage unit thing.... was money. it stilll is a setback at times.

for further help....I used 2 half inch breaker bars and 19 mil impact sockets to get my control arm bolts loose. they were tight, but broke loose easily with the aid of some WD-40

It;s actually relatively easy in all honesty. A hammer and dolly set, as well as "sandbags" do a great job of aiding you in shaping your metal. You can actually make some pretty compound curves with those alone. I picked up a sheet metal brake for 49.95 that bolts to the workbench that will allow me to make 90 degree bends in up to 18 guage metal in a piece up to 18 inches long. A 2X4 "C" clamped to a workbench and a hammer can simulate the sheet metal brake. A shrinker/stretcher can take care of the rest. that is the most expensive tool at 249.95 average price. Air shears and tin snips are a must and then, you need the MIG. It sucks, cause the body is in fantastic condition. I need to get the picture scanned in of it. It's yellow with a split sunroof, and the stout turbo hood...it only has the ground effects from the front wheel well to the rear as well as the front air dam. Nothing ridiculous. Also it has a 78 block, 76 intake and head Head was ported new interior header new 2 1/2" exhaust new paint (Glasurit 1995 BMW Yellow) 1 inch front sway bar 7/8" rear sway bar 1 inch lowered tokico springs and struts brakes, ball joints, fenders, rockers, radiator, starter, alternator, injectors......all new. The restoration was just done sub par and a faulty ignition let this car sit for 7 years and rot away underneath.....So how much did I pay for this beauty.... 200.00 bucks. Upon opening the hatch there was a brand new E-brake cable as well as a solid dif mount. so I def got my money's worth.

Alright I feel better now:classic: I picked up a 78 that had the tray removed and the battery was placed directly in the fender well. Phew.....bad move. COnsequently the area underneath the battery is gone all the way to the frame rail, this led into the area on inside of the fender well, gone...as well as from where the frame rail meets the firewall, atleast 7 inches of the firewall from the frame rail to indside rocker....gone. Sooooooo, if you are inside the passenger side of the car standing on the garage floor (no floor left) you can see the front tire and completely inside the engine compartment. Enormous welding/fabrication project to say the least. I may not keep this shell. My buddy works for phoenix auto restorations near my home and his brother owns a boneyard in Arizona. He has been trying to get me to break down and have a shell shipped. We'll see. the welding and fabrication does not intimidate me in the least however I do not know if I am really wanting to put in the effort as the structural pillar that the door bolts to is starting to go. The structural rot is what stalls me. This is one of the worst cases of Z rot I have seen.

ALright one last reply.......Mike I saw that you didn't have the battery tray tacked in??

ahhhhh one of my dream cars!!!

Good to know that I am not the only one then. My friends and relatives have declared that I do not leave the house that I am in until this car is done. They have moved all the crates of parts and the shell three times now and they feel that is enough. My one big excuse was that I was in an apartment for three years after I started the restoration. However I have been cranking along. The garage has been staying about 60 degrees and it has been in the teens here in jersey so progress is moving along. I dig the westie pic! nice car. Mike your car looks wonderful! I can't wait to see that completed. I can't wait to see mine completed. ozlime240..I'll see your wish list and raise you a few.... 1971 Miura 1963 GTB 250 1969 246 Dino 1968 Austin Healy 3000

just checking to see who else has had a restoration going on over 5 years. I have 7 years and three moves logged on my 74 260! Although I have had 6 cars total in all sorts of condition, my 74 is receiving the "polish everything with a diaper" treatment.

Escanlon....Interesting technique....I'll have to give that one a shot. I didn't think anything would get this stuff off the car other than profanity, a scraper or even POR strip.

I personally liked "fight organized crime...abolish the IRS" also "Thou shall not steal....the government hates competition"

I have been impressed with MSA's cover. I have ordered two in the past and found great results with the fit.