JDMjunkies.ch

Got a huge truck by my house yesterday which brought me a big Plywood box from USA directly from the Airfreight-carrier Heavy duty stuff It contained a part both my chassis didn't have in needed quality and which i've been looking for for a while now.. But finally Thanks to an ebay auction from a great guy called Kevin i finally have a straight Roof without any sunroof-patch-repairs or a ton of bondo. Even the roof liner inside si there. Great news and big thanks to the seller Will completely unpack it when needed for easier storage

Today i got an early christmas surprise I decided to change my plan regarding the bolts and take the easiest possible way. Finding all the approximately 300 Different nuts, bolts, washers and springs in the correct size, threads, coating, lenght, strength etc at a hardware supplier is a pain in the arse. Specially because some of them are custom made only for Nissan. So i thought the simplest way is just print all the part numbers out of the nissan E-Fast tool, and place a big order at the local nissan dealer... Well it wasn't that easy. But this is what i got today: In fact i had to find replacement partnumbers for the original obsolete parts and at the end this are all the original parts still available from nissan europe. Also checked with nissan japan. they only had one nut more So At the end i have at least 60% of all the steering rack and front subframe assembly / Suspension bits together. All the standard pieces will be bought from a big hardware store and the custom made bolts like the transaxle mounting bolts will be cleaned and recoated / zinc plated because they still look nice! Yesterday i also visited My Bodyguy Yves from M.U.C who is working on my chassis. Not much changed since he last sent me an update but talked a lot to him and had a closer look at his work: So much better than before: This is the current state of the car. As you can see on the floor i dropped of the NOS Frame-rails i got a while ago so he can replace the rusty and patched up ones. So happy to have these items even if they cost me a kidney Prepare for another big update coming this weekend

A work of art, as usual Today he started work on the frame rail. Pretty rotten. good thing i Have NOS Nissan frame rails ready to get built in more updates soon again i hope. even from my side

I've been doing a lot of reasearch on small bits and pieces and ordering a lot of bolts, nuts, washers, spacers and stuff. So no pictures to show you from my side untill the parts arrive here. It's kinda hard find all the right partnumbers in Nissan E-Fast and than find Nissan Replacement partnumbers on a Homepage like this (great Page for finding replacement numbers! www.online-parts.co.uk/nissan/ ). However I have big news soon. And at least my Bodyshop guy Yves from M.U.C is constantly updating me with pictures so i can show you some progress on the body: He started to repair the passenger side inner wheel well. Before: During repair: Done Same on the other side:

Thanks mate Well yeah, all of my cars are japanese, White and have flat gold wheels so i think i'll stick with the theme. it's my fetisch **

As you can see there is still a lot of old lube inside (the yellow stuff): So i took my favourite dremel tool and cleaned the mess. way better Then worked after the energy suspension manual to install the bushings. First add lube to prevent the clean metal from corrosion and make installation easier: And finally they're installed. Still needs a bit of cleaning at the end Oh also went to the garage and vacum cleaned chassis number one And last but not least installed the Nissan E-FAST tool which is great for looking up original drawings and part numbers. You can get it here: http://www.xenons30.com/reference.html%C2'>

Progress is huge currently and i could'nt be happier Lets start where the last pics from the bodyshop ended: Yves sent me an update on the front air ducts. Man i love his fabrication skills and im happy the old shitty repair attemts are completely removed and replaced by proper bodywork: I'll let the picuteres speak for themselfes: I did some work as well: Started with removing the old shells from the Front Lower control arm bars (LCA's). There is a great manual here: http://atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/suspension/frontcontrolarm/index.html Before: At work (it's quite a bit of a hack job): Out it is:

While Yves is going crazy on the body i'm doing my homework as well. But let's see... Most of the work i'm doing now is research. I need to replace all the worn, weak, corroded, sheared of and damaged bolts, nuts and screws on my car so i tried to figure out what bolts there are. was a bit hard to figure out until my friend and fellow Datsun Z Owner Nils sent me a few very useful links. here we go: Check these Links if you want more information. there's even a bigger and better list with every single bolt pictured and measured!! http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/98751-suspension-bolts-inventory Nils also pointed out to be sure tu use at least 10.9 grade bolts for all the subframe stuff for safety reasons! If you're looking for the bolts in the rest of your car (engine etc), you can get them here: http://mmsacc-stainless.com/html/Datsun.htm or here: https://zcardepot.com/ They have various kit including this "master kit" which includes all the bolts minus the subframe (i didn't find any kits for these, but with above information it isn't too hard to create your own kit). I think the master kit looks good: While working on this i also started to rework some random stuff: Cleaned uo the inside of the Steering rack which the powdercoater messed up slightly. Will take it to the office tomorrow where i have a powerful airgun to blow ot the debris inside: Collected a few parts from the front subframe / And starting to figure out how it all comes together Started to clean some random stuff, like the inner shifter boot. Before: After (washed it in warm water with soap, and then added some Petrolium-lube (Vaseline) to keep the ruber material smooth. Put chassis number one back on Jacks: And sterted to dig through the piles of parts i have to collect a box full of pieces which will go out to sandblasting and yellow-zinc plating when i've got together enough pieces. Still have some work to do now but i'll keep you updated as soon as the big news come

Thanks mate. Didn't know hayashi made bike parts, cool to know Well my current plan is to build / stroke an L28 with triple mikunis but i havent thoguht too much about that yet. Its at the far end of the 2do list and still have to check with local laws and restrictions to see what's possible. The main plan is to build something like a classic Pro-tourer. the overall car should look like some streetracer in the 70ies with classic L-series engine and a lot of parts available back then or at least parts that look like they where made back then. I just love JDM-parts and even more so classic JDM parts so why not buy a lot of them and build a car that fits them? thats what i try to do. still have a huge wishlist and just found some more amazing parts today but still have to save some money and source them

Yves, my panelbeater / Bodyshop guy keeps updating me every few days with pics of his work. as you can see there is a LOT of work however i thought i'd share the pics with you, might have some interresting views inside a Z you usually won't see on a complete car. Before: After: he started work on the passenger front end and is now working around the car. Before: After: some leftovers These are the pics i got today: from the Air channel on the passenger side. Before: And removed. some rust inside... some shitty previous repair attempts: Alsoi'm currently looking for a new roof. found some but actually it's a bit hard to find one who ships to switzerland or is for a reasonable price. if anyone has a good idea where to get a nice roof cut or roof skin without sunroof, please let me know! (can be used as well) Will visit the bodyshop soon and make some better pics with my camera. those pics above are all made by yves, the Bodyshop-guru with his cellphone

My Friend René (which is also the guy to paint my car once it's ready) recently sent me a picture of a Datsun colour code brochure, joking he's preparing to paint my car I thought this might be interresting for you guys so i asked him to send me more pictures: Here we go: In Case if you're wondering, i'll stick with the #904 white, chich is also Called Kilimanjaro white according to some sources.

11) After a 5 minute drive the car was unloaded at the bodyshop. It's now waiting in the "cleaning room" and after cleaning will be moved next door for bodywork. I've spent like 2 hours with the bodyguy and he seems exactly what i was looking for. He's an experienced chassis builder (not only panel beater) which is perfect due to the fact i need extensive chassis repairs and finishing not only small repair patches Plan is to have the chassis done within a year. i hope this works as planned 12) He also gave me a few JDM-books for reading which i thought was worth a foto and really exciting The bodyshop is close to my home so i plan to have a look there every now and then and update you with pictures. and of course i'll get some other stuff done in the meantime. so watch out for updates

6) And then finally the day came yesterday when i had arranged a date to get the car delivered to my bodyshop-guy. The day started like this: 7) After uncovering the white first (now spareparts) chassis i moved the black one out of it's comfort-zone to but it to a bit of sunlight first time after two years 8)Then put the white chassis back into th e garage first time in two years to have it save before snow falls and to have it ready to cut spareparts for the bodyshop if needed 9) Then i had to wait for the Car-hauler to come, but he was a bit late due to an emergency-call so i decided to clean the space in front of my garage from all the jung, leaves and dirt that have collected during the past years underneath my white car: There she's waiting.... 10) Then finally the Hauler showed up and despite having some concerns if everything will work fine i was really surprised the car was loaded after 5 minutes and tied down. This guy was a real pro and well experienced

Yesterday the project maybe made the biggest move forward since i have these two cars: I broucht one of the chassis to the bodyshop, so finally - yeah FINALLY! - the project is getting serious But let's start in the beginning: Last week i started with some last preparation work: 1) Test-fitted the Overfender just because i realized i haven't done that yet 2) Removed some door hardware: 3) Also removed the doors which i've left on the car for the sake of missing space in my garage 4) I also prepared a bunch of documents for the bodyshop guy, like a few prints with measures of the body and a catalogue with available body- and repair panels in case if i need to order something 5) Then decided to take a few detailsed "Before" fotos for documentations sake:

Just a small update for today: 1) Secured the chassis jig for safety reasons and easier moving. Front: And rear: Needed to create these "Spacers" from a metal-tube because the threads stop halfway on the bolt, but this solution solves the problem nicely 2) I finally Set up the "assembly bench" in the basement of my new home, which lets me work on smaller stuff while the chassis is at the bodyshop. As you can see next on the list is still trying to polish a few pieces (ashtray and stuff) as well as starting assembly of the Steering rack assembly

Got some great news! A good fellow of mine, which owns several old Honda classics (one who used to belong mr Honda's son!!) and is the owner of world renowned Car painting company Hosting und Webhosting von green.ch - Ihre Webseite & Domain offered me to paint the car for a good price when they have a free spot. You might not know this company but it's a car painting company which uses to do world class paintjobs for Concours d'elegance cars. They regulary do paint cars which get shipped from all over the world for paint and then get exhibited at Pebble beach and so on. I think this says enough. First class paintjob can be expexted. Really happy with this good news

4) thanks to his super awesome skills i talked him into helping me drill some old sheared-of and broken screws out of the chassis and get the threads recut. Here he's preparing the sheared of screws: and redrilling them: 5) I got him working in all kind of funky positions. There sure will be some pain in the muscles tomorrow THANK YOU AGAIN STEV, SO MUCH! Thanks to his work he saved my probably three months of hassling around with various stuff! The chassis is now ready for the bodyshop. Just need to organize a transporter and a date with the panel-beater. This is awesome and the biggest step in the project since i bought the car! I hope for more updates soon!!

If there is one guy i can't thank enough when it comes to my project this is my Datsun-buddy Stev which has been superhelpful. He came by my place today and spent 8 hours working for a free pizza and some money for the fuel. How often does this happen to anyone? THANK YOU SO MUCH, STEV!! You're an awesome guy with a great taste in cars So that's what we (aka HE) did today: 1) He brought a bunch of pre-cut steel bars to create a rolling chassis jig, so i'll be able to move my car easy onto a trailer to get it moved to the bodyshop: 2) then he took out his welder and started welding up the stuff with his awesome skills Building the Jig included also the usage of a Metal saw which he brought with him: and even more welding: 3) this is wat we (he) ended up with, it's a perfect thing and exactly what i was looking for. Well done stev!!! 4) took us a while to get the chassis moved onto this jig, but it's great and i can roll the chassis around super-easy now and the brakes on the weels also makes it able to lock the position:

Here we go, another update: removed the brake and fuel lines from the car: Then i bought some wheels for the rolling chassis-jig we're planning to build on saturday. Next was cleaning the garage. Before: After: And this is how the car looks today. ready for the bodyshop:

Finally, yeah F I N A L L Y i'm cranking up the project agiain. After moving my home, saving some money for the bodyshop and preparing a lot of things i got back to work on my Z. Oh how i've missed it.. I spent two afternoons in the garage taking out the rear-end. It's quite a bit of pain if you don't have a rattle-gun or a car lift. However it's done now and i'm happy: Before: After: and out it is: Next was the handbrake assembly and the diff upper mounting-belt: Out they are: so now the only parts left on the second chassis are the fuel and brake lines as well as a few torn-off screws wich i need to drill out. However, the good news don't stop here: Next weekend my welding-guru Stev will drop by with his skills and tools and help me build a chassis-jig so i'll be able to roll the chassis on a transporter because i saved some money and the Panel-beater guy is already waiting for me giving him a call. GREAT NEWS! Also i've planned to start assembly and resetoring of the heaps of parts laying around in my garage soon so be prepared for more frequent updates again soon!

Thanks for the news, need to have a look at it soon

Well yeah, sorry for the lack of updates, but i've almost completed my home-moving. Still a few small things to complete, but i'm really looking forward to getting stuff done on the Z again soon. However there is a small update thanks to my car-loving mate Manuel. I sent him a few homologation documents i had laying around for his future AE86 project and for thanks he brought me a little gift from his recent japan trip: A genuine japanese Fairlady Z S30 Owners bible: Think of a Hardcover HyperRev type of magazine dedicated to the car we love: Including a lot of examples of modified Z's, A list of Tuners, Detailed Information about maintenance, Engine assembly, Body repair and everything as well as a selection of aftermarket parts and so on. Really love the book even if i don't understand a lot of that japanese stuff. Allways love collecting stuff like this and even the pictures help a lot Big thanks to you, Manuel!

Another little update as promised: I picked up the mirrors from the paintshop today: The result turned out really greatand i'm super happy I wasn't really sure what colour the original JDM fender mirrors have. Heard a lot of things like flat black, glossy black, chrome and Charcoal. I decided to use the same colour as the rear taillight covers, so that's what i gave them as reference and it turned out really great. The colour is a custom mixed Flat charcoal black or whatever you want to call it. Maybe not 100% the original colour but i don't care because that's exactly how i wanted it to look Even got the screw-heads coloured to be sure there won't be shiny dot's on the end of the mirrors once assembled Assembly well be done as soon as i get the bottom end of the mirror bases fixed and when i have some time after moving my home

Despite the fact i'm currently just moving my home, which means a lot of work i still found some time to get a bit of stuff done here and there.. 1) Just picked up a box full of finished parts at the powdercoating company yesterday. They sandblasted, degreased and powdercoated the parts in RAL9005 Satin black. I love the result Somehow they missed to coat a few smaller spots at the hard to reach point so i covered them with some satin black rattle-can car paint to prevent them from rust: 2) I also started restoring some smaller parts just to get some stuff done. In this case the ashtray. I use some swiss-brand "metarex" metal polishing wool with integrated polishing fluid which works great on slightly corroded surfaces. Before: After.... Sadly i had to figure out some spots are corroded (aka rusted) too much to handle with just some metarex so i bought this Dremel polishing kit and will give it a try as soon as time allows. This will for sure also come handy at some other points i think And then i moved my EK9 into it's new home. Finally i have it directly in my garage and not at an external garage. This makes it alot easier to get some small stuff and general maintenance done compared to how it was until now when the car was stored in a garage a few blocks away from my workshop Also i decided (due to some extra space) to create a dedicated workspace for soldering and small restoration works at my new home which allows me to get some stuff done i usually would have done at my company. Like creating a new wire loom etc realyl happy with the progress and still have some other parts at another paintshop to pick up next week