Namerow

The Toyota's value is created by two factors: 1) rarity, and; 2) halo effect from being featured, in period, in an early James Bond movie (see also: Aston Martin DB5). Of course, it needs to be an attractive car, too, but -- as demonstrated by the 240Z -- that's not enough. Scarcity + Cachet ('exotic') = $$$$$. As noted above, the car is surprisingly small when seen in person. I read somewhere that the Bond film producers wanted to use a coupe for the film but the lead actor, Sean Connery, couldn't sit in the car without hitting the roof. The car has some lovely lines in side profile, but the styling details used at the front and rear ends are 'unique'.

This vendor sells authentic jute... www.the-roadster-factory.com

i could be wrong, but I don't think that the Eastwood internal frame coating product had been introduced at the time when the magazine started their comparison test.

This should generate some lively discussion... Most of us have tried a variety of rust-prevention products. If you're like me, you've found that some don't quite live up to expectations. Many swear by a particular product, but I often wonder if their allegiance is tied to subconsciously defending the choice they made. There are lot of manufacturer's claims published and a lot of one-use testimonials, but not much in the way solid comparative date to back them up. Back in 2011, 'Classics Monthly' -- one of England's leading auto restoration publications -- began a test of a group of the leading, over-the-counter rust prevention products. The test lasted for three years. The products were split into two categories: 1) those for pre-paint treatment of exterior surfaces, and; 2) those for treatment of concealed internal surfaces (door cavities, frame rails, rocker sills, etc). The results were quite interesting... https://www.auson.se/sites/default/files/rusttest_noxudol_700_classic_monthly_uk_0.pdf

Typical Honda issues, IMO: Superb engineering, accompanied by indifferent exterior and interior styling. The NSX seems to draw the same reaction.

Ow. Ow. Ow. That couldn't have been a good moment (looks like something I would do). How well did the rail respond to the slide hammer? Did you have to use any heat to get the metal to shift?

This is the other end of S30 reality. For every $40K car helping to set the upper end of the pricing envelope, there's a couple of these that keep the bottom end firmly anchored at $500 (aka, 'Asking $1200'). This car is located about 45 minutes from Grannyknot, so perhaps we'll see it showing up in his driveway soon? p.s. I, too, noticed the 'L0L' postal code. I wonder if the seller will get the joke?

If I understand the loads here, the staking on the collar is used simply to retain the head on the shaft as the shaft retracts. Not much loading on the ends of the pins (or the staked dimples). Interference fit, LocTite, or both. Anyway, my idea was offered as 'a possible alternative', rather than, 'a better solution'. I look forward to seeing the DIY staking machine that you are trying to come up with.

Your uncle was a very cool guy. These days, the high-dollar car afficianados wet their pants over the Bonneville Speed Week experience and the guys that make it happen. Your uncle was there. This is probably the only picture in existence of a Z on the salt flats. Thanks for posting.

Kudos for three of the best pictures I've seen that show the challenge of repairing the Z dogleg. This seems to be the single most important and consistent repair area for a Z and yet no one manufactures a repair panel kit to address the problem. If these were Alfas or Porsches, someone would be making the kit. Disepsyon is a very talented guy, but he's not interested in making 100+ repair kits. We really need someone like MSA or ZCar Depot to step up here.

Thinking out loud here (always dangerous, I know). Instead of the factory strategy of staking the part, is there enough wall thickness to take three short pins? Dress the ends to make them round-ish. Drill the holes for a close fit (Loc-tite) or a light interference fit. The pins wouldn't be subjected to much in the way of long-axis loading. Just 'wobble' loading.

@katsToo bad, but at least we now know with certainty. Thanks for investigating. We will now need to hope for a successful outcome from Patcon's experiment with the Mustang kit.

FWIW, I made my own flap cover by gluing thin upholstery vinyl onto 1/8" open-cell foam sheet. After the two layers were joined, I traced out the pattern and cut to shape. The gasket had to be 'relieved' (undercut) a bit in the vicinity of the hinge so as to provide good closing action. Hard to describe in words, but you'll see what I'm getting after you do a trial fit. The gasket patterns that I made for the S30 HVAC system are available for download somewhere on this site (same place where the downloadable FSM's are located).

if all else fails, the part can probably be cobbled from sheet metal (24 gauge sounds about right). Trace a pattern, drill the holes for the roller, bend to shape, trial fit. Make some dimples in the fold-over to help provide some bite on the door flange (the OE part has pressed-out teeth, IIRC). Precision to +/- 0.001" is not required. Nor is concours appearance. When you're happy with the fit, temper the metal to give it some springiness. Remove the roller, heat to red-hot with a torch, and then quench in water or (preferably) oil. Prime and paint, or zinc-dip, or zinc plate before re-installing.

Your photo is a great illustration of how (and why) these parts failed in regular, daily-driver service... 5 years of driving x 1 drive/day x 1 up-down cycle/drive = 7000+ flexes through those two narrow webs of spring steel. Add additional cycles for further use by new owners over some/all of the next 35 years. 'S-N-A-P'! A junkyard piece may have already exhausted a good part of its useful life, so if you're planning on keeping your car and using it a lot, it might be a good idea to grab a spare for the driver's side door.

I recommend that you not use Permatex spray adhesive (a common offering in auto parts stores). Use, instead, 3M #08088. I have found that the Permatex product 'gives up' with time. I've had much better results with the 3M product. Also: You will find that some contact cements aren't compatible with foam. Because the heater box is something you will hope to never need to remove from the car again in the future, you do not want to discover months down the road that your new flap door padding has started to peel off.

@kats Thank you for investigating. This is the equivalent of about US$400. When compared with the current price for a rebuilt unit -(US$200), that seems a reasonable price for a comparable-design, new-old-stock Nissan part. As you note, however, only the internal parts are useful for the owner of an S30. If you have the time, would you please ask your Nissan parts source whether either of the original re-build kits for the S30 MasterVac are perhaps still available? They are: KIT-A REPAIR FOR MAS - 47210-E4625 KIT-B REPAIR FOR MAS - 47210-E4626 (includes Kit 'A', plus the plunger, check valve, and filter-silencers) According to the manual, these kits were designed for use only with S30's produced up to Aug. 1971. There is only a small possibility, I know, but I think worth investigating.

Maybe @katscould do some checking for a source in Japan?

@zcardepot.com Interested in pursuing the possibility of approaching Cardone, or similar, with a proposition like this?

IIRC, Steve Nix took a pass on replicating this piece because it's a safety-related item and would expose him to liability in that one failed in service. Other low-volume parts casters will probably feel the same way. The big parts rebuilding operations seem to have access to a source (although perhaps only because they purchased in volume from Nissan Service Parts years ago when the Z's were still 'current' and are now just working down through their inventory). Seems questionable whether a rebuilder like Cardone would be willing to sell just the diaphragms -- even in a lot of a couple of hundred -- because it would be undercutting their primary business. Still, maybe somebody like zcardepot.com might be willing to approach Cardone's business office with just such a proposition ("Sell us a hundred of the diaphragms and we'll carry your full rebuilt units in our catalog, too.')

240260280 posted a detailed, DIY mastervac rebuild article on the old AtlanticZ website several years ago. Have you seen this? (I can send you a copy). He used RTV sealant to repair the diaphragm -- apparently with good results. My guess (valued at 2 cents) is that 95% of the vacuum failures are due to cracking of the diaphragm, rather than failure of the poppet valve. The extent to diaphragm issues are accompanied by leakage from a corroded pushrod is probably related to whether the car lived in the salt-belt or near an ocean. According to 240260280, the pushrod problem can be somewhat easily remedied.

I had mixed results trying to remove scratches on some side windows. They appeared to have been made by PO's trying to scrape off ice using some kind of metal scraping edge*. I was using a bench-mounted buffer and an aggressive buffing compound. Glass is hard. If it's been deeply scratched by a sharp metal edge (like a wiper arm when the rubber blade gives up), don't expect miracles from what is essentially industrial-grade toothpaste. That said, there are materials harder than glass (diamond dust comes to mind). If you can find and afford whatever that compound might be -- and I'm sure it's out there, somewhere -- then it might solve your problem. In the end, though, my guess is that a new windshield will be the better solution. (* If you live in Canada, you'll know that there's a certain kind of desperation that sets in when it's below 0 degrees F, the wind is howling, it's snowing hard, you need to get to work, and your windows won't go up or down because there's a layer of ice gluing them to the weatherstrip).

My point, exactly (and a very nice piece of fab work by our friend in Ft. Saskatoon). Try replicating the overall panel with pieces of 'box board' (aka packaging from a grocery store frozen pizza), using masking tape to hold the pieces together. The box board will only be happy bending in one plane (kind of like 18-gauge steel). Might take a few tries to get down to something you're happy with, but pizza is cheap (and goes well with beer). Also worth remembering something the you, yourself pointed out at the beginning of this project, that being that nobody's going to see this panel after the car is finished and on the road. All you're aiming for is a something that's structurally sound and fits. Applauding your work from the sidelines.

It's been pointed out by many that it can be a lot more fun -- on public roads, not a racetrack -- driving a low-limit car at its maximum, rather than being frustrated or intimidated by a high-capability that can't be used to its capacity. An MG-B or TR4 driven to their (meager) limits can be just as entertaining as diving into an off-ramp at 80mph in a performance car while only using 80% of the car's real capability. Fat tires look great, but they don't necessarily add enjoyment.

You're a confident welder. Maybe you should stop trying to think about forming difficult shapes from a single piece of sheet. Yes, it can be done... but do you really want to go down that path? How about forming smaller sections and then tacking them together?