Namerow

Yes. It's Part No. 64/65 in the online parts diagram, labeled as 'Rubber - Base Bumper'. It has a lip that fits into the top of what I call the plenum duct (Part 55 - 'Assy - Rear Duct Ventilator'). On both of my 'bumper' pieces, the lip had disintegrated with age. I had to fabricate a repair lip for each bumper, so they probably look a little 'non-stock'. You can just barely see the new lip in my #2 picture. Here's what they looked like before I made the repairs... Maybe these pieces were missing on your car?

Here's a photo that I took when I was getting my hatch vents ready for installation. Self-explanatory, I hope... The factory gasketing for the plastic vent plenums was pooched, so I made replacements from soft, closed-cell foam (it's actually foam strip used for sill walls during building construction). You need to use something that's pretty compliant, because you'll need a lot of 'squishability' (technical term) to be able to push the clip into place... I used the same foam to create a new gasket for the interior trim panel... During final installation, I used strips of wiring loom tape (non-adhesive) overlaid by a hotel key card to protect the paint as I was sliding the clip into place. The key card is pulled free after the clip is in place. Then the tape is pulled away (the section of tape immediately under the clip can be left in place -- no one will see it and the plastic push-pin will penetrate easily when the chrome vent is pressed in place...

Nice set of photos, illustrating the logic of your metal-removal process. Too bad that one of the most complicated zones of the monocoque structure also happens to be the biggest rust pit.

Nissan's interior design folks seem to have been inspired by the 1965 Bizzarrini's use of diamond-stitched leather when they chose the faux-stitched vinyl for the Z's interior, so I suppose this stitched-leather replacement is kind of poetic justice and the 'puffy' look is historically accurate...

Can you talk a bit a bout your 'chipping' technique. Did you use dry ice, for example? What's your approach for drilling out spot welds and peeling the layers part? Is that a corn cob that came out of the air vent?

I bought one of those 'legendary' Blaupunkt AM/FM cassette players for my Z back in the day ( ~ 1980). It was a top-end unit costing $$$ (c/o Kromer Radio in downtown Toronto). It worked like a champ for about 1 year (just out of warranty, of course), at which time a small, unreplaceable plastic drive gear split at the root of one of the teeth, leaving the tape drive useless. I was not amused.

To prevent those cracks from growing (esp. after the dash begins to see solar loads and high cabin temperatures during the summer), you might consider drilling a hole (at least 1/8" dia) at the peak of each crack. Not sure how the owner would feel about the aesthetics, though.

Wesco Performance sells seat belt extensions... www.wescoperformance.com Better yet, get them to supply full replacements for your OE belts. If you need extra length, they can probably work with you on that. FWIW, your 50-year-old OE belts will probably be worthless at collision speeds beyond 20 mph. The problem lies with edge fraying and material degradation (sunlight, sir pollution).

You'll see the same thing in the FSM for the front wheels... I wonder if this has to do with the centrifugal force that acts on the grease when the wheels are turning at speed? There are two grease 'reservoirs' here: one formed by the pocket in the center of the wheel casting, the other along the wall of the dust cap. In each case, the grease will try to flow out to a region with a larger diameter. This would have the pocket inside the wheel casting feeding the inboard bearing and the grease in the dust cap (notice the slightly conical shape?) feeding the outboard bearing. Or... maybe it's not so much a question of having the grease actually flow as it is one of creating some pressure on the grease in the bearing cavities. If it's not one or the other, then the idea of putting grease into these two reservoirs seems kind of mindless. It might also explain why it's not a good idea to over-pack the wheel and the dustcap with grease (the pressure at speed might overwhelm the inboard grease seal). Just my theory. Probably only a chassis or lubrication engineer would know for sure.

Interesting. Assuming the same material and coil diameter, the spring constant for a regular coil spring varies as the fourth power of the wire thickness. At 0.116" vs. 0.102", the shorter of your two springs should be 67% stiffer (lb/in). The fully-compressed height of the short spring looks like it would be 3.5 x 0.116" = 0.41". The free height looks to be ~ 75% that of the taller spring, so 0.75 x 1.035" = 0.78". Full compression distance would therefore be 0.78" minus 0.41" = 0.37", so the preload force exerted at full spring compression would be 0.37 x 1.67K = 0.62K, where K is the spring constant of the longer spring. Using the same approach, the longer spring looks like it would have a fully-compressed height of 4.5 x 0.102" = 0.46". Full compression distance would therefore be 1.035" minus 0.46" = 0.58", so the preload force exerted at full spring compression would be 0.58K. So (if I got my math right)... At full compression, the shorter spring will be exerting about 0.62 / 0.58 = 7% more preload force, compared with the longer spring. That's pretty close. In fact, they're probably the same. The shorter spring will be more sensitive to turning the adjustment screw in and out, and it will get from max. preload to zero preload a lot faster... but I can't see that being an advantage. So, why?

Hard to see how the Factory counted 5.5 turns for the spring, as it's shown in the FSM diagram. I agree with your count: just under 4 turns (and your long spring matches well with the one on the FSM diagram). Your short spring looks like it's only 3 turns. However, the wire gauge looks like it may be thicker. Did you measure it?

IIRC, some Z shift levers use a black rubber/plastic grommet at the top of the shaft. That would serve to fill in the gap that you have with your boot. Not sure where you'd be able to source the grommet. It may take a little patience and/or ingenuity.

I fine illustration of a shade tree mechanic at work.

Impressive level of detail. I originally intended to ask whether you have any pictures of what this kit looks like once fully assembled, but then I found this video on Youtube... I'm really impressed. These kits can be disappointing if the proportions are off. This one looks perfect. Except for the wheels...

US $899.00 That seems like an attractive price, esp. when compared with the amount of time and labour required for a DIY repair and restoration of a cracked original dash. I wonder what Just Dashes are charging these days to refurb an S30 dash? You'd need to also take into account the fact that their solution requires 2-way shipping, whereas the JDMCP dash cap ships outbound only.

Item 50 in the FSM illustration (exhausts through the rotating chrome grille, Item 80). Cutting and then gluing the foam pieces around the duct's inside surfaces is finicky work. I can only assume that Nissan decided the benefit outweighed the additional manufacturing cost. You need to use open-cell foam for this location.

Maybe too late now, but I posted printable templates for all of the heater boxes, flaps and ducts in 'Resources - Knowledge Base'. Might save you some time. Don't overlook the foam liner for the centre air outlet duct. It's there to reduce air rush noise. Also: Be careful with the edges of the vinyl-faced flap coverings. They may need some edge profiling or cutting back to keep them from snagging as the flap moves from 'open' to 'closed' position. You don't want those things coming loose after you've installed everything back under the dash.

I don't recall seeing any restoration write-ups that have been specific to the centre console. I think you'll find (limited) discussions on the topic as part of broader write-ups on Interior restoration. If memory serves, the full-restoration thread done by CSCZ member @wheee! was based on a 280Z, so you might find some tips there. Most of the coverage that I remember deals with repairing the consoles for earlier 240Z models, which were prone to cracking where the choke lever assembly attaches. Perhaps it would help if you provide some details about the condition of your console, which will help us to understand why you think you need to replace some of the hardware. As for the removal/reinstallation process, the Factory Service Manual (downloadable for free from the 'Resources' section) should be your first pint of reference. SEM 'Landau Black' paint is generally considered the go-to paint for reconditioning the Z console. Most members use a 'chrome' pencil to restore the trim highlighting. Cracks can be repaired with cautious use of the ABS plastic cement used for plumbing. If its a long crack, you should probably reinforce the back side with a secondary layer (an old credit card or hotel key card works well for this purpose).

Agreed. @cgsheen1 Would you mind spending a couple of extra minutes to post your write-up in the CZCC 'Knowledge Base'?

Well, the good news -- maybe -- is that Pilkington (Britain-based, with manufacturing operations in several countries worldwide) has been owned by Nippon Sheet Glass in 2006 and now operates as a NSG subsidiary. Pilkington's website describes their automotive business as follows: " Operating as a single global organization serving the Original Equipment (OE) and Local Automotive Glass Replacement (AGR) Aftermarket sectors... The North American aftermarket operations supply laminated and tempered glass for the automotive glass replacement market. All products meet or exceed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Products are shipped from its distribution centers in Columbus, Ohio and Phoenix, Arizona to external retailers and wholesale customers and its network of company-owned wholesale service centers throughout the US... Windshields, sidelites, backlites, accessories and specialty AGR products are included in the customer offering of Pilkington North America AGR". The British Pilkington website includes 'Pilkington Classics' products and lists hundreds of replacement items for older cars. That list includes both a 240Z windshield and backlight. It looks like they operate on a custom-order basis and no prices are shown. I suspect they wouldn't be interested in filling single-unit orders, but would be amenable to an order for 20+ from someone like MSA.

I believe that the 'XXX"' moniker is Pilkington's short-form for their 'Triplex' line of laminated automotive safety glass. Pilkington has been manufacturing automotive glass products at a plant in Collingwood, Ontario since 1973. Hard to believe that they'd be engaged in short production runs of replacement glass for vintage cars, but you never know. A brief write-up that I found for Pilkington North America says, "Its sales are made up of 70 percent automotive products (57 percent Original Equipment and 43 percent Automotive Glass Replacement) and 30 percent architectural". It would be interesting to know how long ago your MSA-sourced windshield was actually made.

Some suggestions for new gaskets: - thin (1/32") , closed-cell neoprene sheet (Michael's craft store) - the material used in those stretchy exercise bands (Canadian Tire - sporting goods section) - lid from a margarine tub (soft polyethylene) I really don't think there'll be an issue with vibration damping, but at least it'll be easy to go back to paper if there is. If you want to try sealant instead, how about strippable window sealant (DAP product, available at CTC). I just cut new ones from paper gasket sheet 🙂

Nice to have you back again! Looking forward to your always-insightful assessments and always-creative solutions.

I may be completely off the mark here, but I wonder what it would cost to ship a rough-but-solid 240Z chassis from the US west coast to your location in Perth. I'm going to guess US$10,000. Add, say, $2,000 to hire someone trustworthy in the US (CZCC member?) to act as your buying/shipping agent. Add $US 10,000 to buy the car. Let's say, US$25,000 when all is said and done. Using this approach, the car might need a bit of metal work but it should be within your means as DIY work. I wonder if this might prove to be a much faster route toward your end goal? Keep in mind that you never know where you'll end up if you hire a local commercial shop to do the metal work on your current Z. Unknowns: 1) total cost; 2) days/months/years to complete; 3) quality of work delivered; % of work actually completed before either the price goes up or you lose patience). As tempting as it might be to turn your Z over to a commercial specialist, it may just open up a completely new can of worms. It can be de-risked by using progress payments based on completion milestones, but I doubt that most shops are going to be willing to sign such a contract.

Thanks for the explanation and photos. It takes a brave man to drill a 3mm-dia hole down the 6" length of a wheel spindle.