MikeW

It's possible to get to the center gauges by going in through the glove compartment. This is much easier than trying to remove the dash or heater control panel.

If you're talking about securing the car to a flatbed all Japanese cars should have hooks or loops specifically for that purpose attached near the bumpers. The reason? Because they came to the US on a ship.

The catalog lists a '72 dash for $705.89. '70, '71, and '73 are listed as limited availability. I haven't called to verify and I suspect the price of these is subject to change given the availability.

Where'd you get the dash? I noticed that MSA lists the '72 as being available in their current catalog and I might consider doing the same.

There's a plate attached to the inside of the engine compartment on the right hand side that has both the VIN and the engine number. That's what verifies that the engine is original to the car. Here's a picture from one of the members here showing all of the numbers: http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=3223&papass=&sort=1&thecat=998 The 1st image is where the VIN is stamped on the firewall. It's also visible through the windsheld on the driver side. Ignore the 2nd image in this picture; it's apparently an Australian thing. The 3rd image is the plate you're looking for and the 4th is the number from the engine block that you already have.

While it's a great idea preserving all of that work I would suggest trying to get permission from the author before making edits and posting it all here. I can't imagine that he'd have a problem with all of his hard work being appreciated but it would still be a good idea. He may even come on board and provide some updates ...

It's going to all depend on how bad it is. I could be surface rust that just sands off or a 5 inch hole or something in between. You'll need to show us the pictures. That part of the car is very important structurally. If it's bad it has to be repaired properly. You can get new frame rails from here: http://www.datsunzparts.com/Summary.htm You might want to search old discussions here for "frame rail"

How about a nice straight driver's side door? Ok, I admit, that was completely uncalled for. You should, however, get some money out of the parts. I'm not saying you should rip people off but anyone who needs anything is more than happy to pay a little bit for it. If members here can help one another out by exhanging parts or providing good deals then that's great.

I'm sure you're still a bit shaken up but I wouldn't go and just give everything away. You deserve to get some compensation out of the parts.

What is your goal here? If you're going for high quality, a new front bumper, guards, overrider bar, rubber strips, and other hardware would probably run $750. I believe MSA has everything (not sure about the overrider bar). Alternatively, you can get a used bumper and get it rechromed but still pay for the rubber parts.

Go back and read 2ManyZs post earlier in this thread as he explains it better than I can. But yes, you just compress the spring, take off the 3 nuts, and rotate the whole thing out. The spindle pin is actually the axis of that rotation.

Luckily the springs aren't all that expensive. MSA sells 4 Tokico springs for US$229.

15 years ago I let a tire dealer replace the 185/70's I had with 195/70's. They rubbed whenever I hit a big bump. I put up with it for a bit but after graduating from college and buying a new car I let the 240Z sit unused. I've now replaced the springs with Tokicos and, at least at the shop, the right height looks ok. I'm guessing that my old springs were just sagging. You may have the same problem. Since my tires are 15 years old I'm planning on replacing them - probably with 205/60 or 225/60. We'll see how that works out.

The locking pin in the middle keeps the spindle pin from rotating. You remove that first and then hammer on one end or the other of the spindle pin. You can easily damage the threads so unless you have a new pin you'd need to be careful. You may not want to even try to remove the spindle. It may slide right out or it may be stuck. The main reason that I'm still waiting on my car at the shop is that the left pin came right out but the right wouldn't budge. They ended up sawing the pin in two places but the center section still wouldn't budge even after heating the outside and placing it in a two stage press. The only solution at that point was to get a new assembly from a junkyard. Luckily that spindle pin did come out. Even though the manual says to remove the pin you can actually compress the spring enough so that the whole assembly rotates outward past the wheel well where you can get the strut out easily.

You're probably right about the Tokico springs lowering the car about an inch. On the other hand, I'm fairly certain my original springs were sagging a bit so the ride height may not seem different once it's all back together.

I'm glad to hear that. That's the same thing that I've gone with (as well as Tokico springs and urethane bushings everywhere). I stopped by the shop today to check on the progress of my car and the guy doing the work said the struts he replaced appeared to be the originals. If true that's amazing after 185,000 miles. I expect there to be quite a difference in the ride.

Reminds me of the roofer who asked his buddy for a screwdriver. The co-worker handed him a hammer. After receiving a puzzled look he said "Oh, you wanted a screw remover"

Yes, you can just sand it off if it's only surface rust but then that's not a "pretty bad situation". Perhaps you can describe in more detail where the problem is. If you can upload some pictures that would be even better.

In a "bad" situation you'd be better off jacking the car up real high and driving a new one under it. Ignoring the typical amateur Bondo jobs, proper rust repair requires cutting metal and welding new metal in place and trying to do so without sacrificing structure integrity. There are replacement panels available from a number of places but it can end up being more trouble than it's worth. While I've never attempting welding it is something that takes a lot of practice to do right.

I would think that their price quote in AUS$ would stay the same. The exchange rate going up or down is up to us customers in other countries to deal with. If the rate is trending up or down it may be in your best interest (pardon the pun) to try and pay them sooner or later depending on which way it's going. However, chances are it's like the stock market and you have no real hope of making the right decision. In that case paying as late as possible is usually the way to go. I wish there were a company here in the US providing this same dash restoration service. Somehow it's kind of scary shipping my dash 10000 miles and not being able to drive while waiting. On the other hand, it took 6 weeks to get my bumpers rechromed and that was just shipping them to Alabama - the next state over. Doing chrome is apparently nasty and toxic. I'm glad to know that Georgia has such high standards.

Not to be picky, but some of those seem to be off. For instance, 1 inch is roughly equivalent to 1.0000, not 0.9375. I'm fairly certain that 1 1/4 is actually 1.25. It looks like the 1/16ths got dropped from the left side after 7/8. Isn't metric a lot easier to deal with?

I don't think that's the emblem. It looks like there's one one each side. I they're those things to keep the hood locked down. Not that a Z hood would come open while racing.

The thin bumpers, front turn signals, and "DATSUN" emblem on the side indicate that it's a 240Z. While any of those could have been changed, a 280Z would have a 280Z emblem on the side. A VIN could be the proper way to determine the model.

I think the shims are only for 1973 models and are actually wider than the bumper itself (if the shim is what I think it is). The rubber pieces I'm referring to are quite small and are slipped over the metal plate that is welded inside the bumper. They are not visible from the outside of the bumper. They have a hole through them and are shaped like an envelope. From the outside in, the bumper bolt goes through half of the rubber, then through the welded bumper plate, then through the other half of the rubber, then finally through the body. I wanted to make sure there wasn't another special piece on the inside of the body as opposed to just a large washer, lock washer, and nut.

Yes, 1972. Sorry, I meant to mention that.