Namerow

Sorry to be circling back to an earlier page in the thread. In your photo, how is the ratchet strap anchored where it disappears out of sight underneath the car?

When time permits, please explain your process for installing the hood (and bumpers) as a one-man job without damaging the paint. These pix are deceptive b/c they make it look easy (and I I know it isn't). Also: For everyone else, please take another look at GK's workspace. It's really not very big. The quality of his work deserves extra respect, given how challenging it can be to operate in a small space like that. I'm still amazed by how he managed to paint the car in that little garage. Too bad we don't have a video so that we could study how he managed the gun and the hose.

You're right. I'll edit my post. Here's a nice picture (credit unknown) showing the spring in its natural habitat...

Good eye. I can't remember why I did that.

Although a bit finicky, but it's really not that hard to make a new spring from scratch. Start by finding a socket wrench with an OD that's roughly 75% of the OE spring. Clamp it vertically in a bench vise and then, using plain galvanized wire of ~ the same gauge as the OE spring, wind two turns around the socket. When relaxed, your coils will expand a bit. If the resulting OD is too big, you need to use a smaller socket (or vice versa). It takes a bit of trial-and-error. Fortunately, wire is cheap. Once you get the spring OD about right, cut it back to one coil, leaving enough to bend a 90-degree dogleg at one end. Cut the dogleg to length. Now heat your new spring with a torch to get it red hot and then quench it in a small jar of motor oil. Here's a pair of my homemade springs...

You might find this thread from back in 2017 to be of interest...

Great photo. One of the best I've seen to demonstrate what happens to cars like ours over the years as they're victimized by PO's and bodyshops.

For your possible interest, someone - Eastwood, I think, sells a 'comb' for straightening out heat exchanger fins.

Outstanding results! Now we're all waiting to see it trimmed out and sitting in the driveway in the sunshine.

Looking forward to seeing the final result!

What equipment are you using for the sanding process?

The (car) world would have been a better place if tar-based rustproofing had never been invented!

For a minute there, I thought you'd sanded and repainted the entire car! 😲 The scoop looks great now. What do you think the problem was with the nib file? Was the clear coat still not fully cured, or did the file just get too much bite because of the large of width of paint that it was trying to cut through?

Perforated interior soft trim finishes were one of the defining features of 1950's German autos (Porsche 356's, Benz SL's, etc). I don't think anybody else did this (Alfa Romeos, maybe?) and it eventually transitioned from being 'quirky' to full-blown 'iconic'. I always liked the fact that Nissan's interior stylists picked up on this when they were laying out the Z's interior design back in the late 1960's. Save those headliners!

I've got a few spare combo switches in my storage. PM me and let's see what we can work out.

AFAIK, the rear trim panel on the earliest S30's didn't have removable taillight access covers at all and, when those covers were eventually introduced, they were flat. I think that what you've got in your car is, as you say, taken from a 260Z. All of these interior trim panels are tricky to remove and replace without causing them damage. Also, the Z arrived just at the time when owners were being introduced to higher-quality home sound systems. Many (if not most) Z owners decided that they wanted an aftermarket sound system with stereo and a tape player, as well as something better than the single, small, lo-fi speaker. I expect that a lot of side trim panels got cracked in the process of getting access for wiring and speaker installations. I also think that a lot of rear trim panels got butchered when the owner or installer decided to get creative in order to make big speakers fit.

What determines whether you get a hard gasket or a soft one? Manufacturer? Number of years sitting on the shelf?

Will you shoot the colour coats, too, or will this be contracted out to a shop?

Now that's clean!

I've never seen this type of bolt-on floor rail before. In terms of its contribution to structural reinforcement, the word 'optimistic' comes to mind!

Eastwood (USA specialty supplier) sells body solder. They says theirs is 30% tin / 70% lead. They also sell specially-shaped wood 'paddles' for its application. Check it out here... Eastwood Body Solder Stick

Just ordinary wire. Most mild steels, no matter what form they take (wire, bar, rod, sheet), remain elastic (i.e. they stay springy) unless they're taken past their yield limit. If they go past their yield limit, they 'bend' (i.e. they take on a permanent deformation and don't return to their original shape). In the case of a hairpin spring like this one, you ensure that the wire stays under its yield limit by making it longer... which is done by adding coils. For the Z's ashtray or fuse box lid, two coils seems to be enough to get the job done. I just re-checked my work: I used 0.045" wire. According to my AWG chart, that's 17 gauge.

Here are a couple of photos of the spring that I made for the ashtray in my 70Z. It was made from plain hardware-store wire (16 gauge?). IIRC, I just clamped a Philips screwdriver in my bench vise and then wound the wire around the metal shaft. The 90-degree bends at the ends were formed afterwards over the jaws of the vise. The key, of course, is deciding how many winds you need in order to get the right tension in both open and closed positions. The spring needs to be lightly compressed when the lid is open. Also visible here is the epoxy repair that I did to restore the mounting boss for the lid's pivot pin (the original boss had cracked and splintered).

From the 'Smart Chemistry for a Better Environment' website, by D.W. Davies Co. RADIATOR CLEANER FOR RADIATOR REPAIR SHOP USE Davies “RADIATOR BOIL OUT #100” is a powdered alkaline detergent formulation used with water for heavy-duty immersion radiator cleaning, as well as in-place radiator cleaning. The product renders better cleaning due to better penetration, grease emulsification, better rinsing and powerful scale remover. This product also contains an inhibitor which prevents corrosion of metals by alkalies. For Cleaning Radiator with Immersion Tank: Prepare a solution of 2 lbs. per 20 gallons of water, increase or decrease usage based on soil load. Heat the water and maintain it at or neat boiler point. Immerse the radiator or other parts in the hot solution and inspect frequently for completeness of cleaning. Remove from vat, allow to drain and pressure rinse. For Cleaning Radiator In-Place: Use 2 lbs. per 3 gallons of water in system. Drain system, close drain and pour solution into radiator, replace cap, run motor 30-60 minutes - - drain radiator again and flush with water until water is clear. This agrees with my understanding that a rad (or fuel tank) 'boil out' is only partly related to the use of a near-boiling liquid and has just as much to do with the use of an alkali (such as powdered laundry lye) dissolved in that liquid. FWIW, I remember first reading about this process in a book* that I ordered from the UK back in the 1960's, when I was first getting interested in motorcycles (* 'Modern Motorcycle Maintenance'... where the definition of 'modern' seemed to be focused on somewhere around 1955). The hot lye strategy was recommended for 'de-carbonizing' exhaust systems. No reason why you wouldn't be able to use the same procedure with your Z's fuel tank, but you'd probably need to let the solution sit in the tank overnight, to compensate for the fact that it will only be near-boiling for the first 30 minutes.

Nice work, for sure. Were any precautions* taken before you started cutting and welding? (*see Jim's list of possibilities in Post #2)