Matthew Abate

The only rust I've found so far is in the floors. I had planned to do a self etching primer, but I'm also looking into the epoxy. What specifically should I be looking out for that is dangerous? Or are you talking about the application process and respirators and such? I suggest we move this particular discussion over to my build thread, by the way.

I won't be welding, but I plan to smooth it out and do the undercoat, which is why I thought I could get away with not media blasting it. Still working that out. I'm getting rust freckles, though, so I need to get on it. I didn't realize the braces weren't effective. Researching this is way higher priority than figuring out the drivetrain. I was really hoping to not cut or weld at all. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

1 hour a day is the minimum. My 14 hour days plus the 2 hour commute don't leave a lot of time for the kids, which take priority over the car, so the car consumes sleep time. Gotta make sure I sleep enough to not get fired. I think you're right about not being happy unless I get it media blasted. That's the goal right now, but I have to make sure I can't do the equivalent myself before I drop the cash. The absolute first thing I need to do to the body is fix the floors. I have metal riveted to them and bondo underneath. That's the priority right after getting it running (fuel leak and no battery ATM). Would you recommend replacing the frame rails even if they don't need to be? I knew these were flex, but I had assumed that I could solve that problem with bolt-in parts like sway bars and such. Gotta look into this.

No, I couldn't find one I could drive so I bit the bullet and bought one without. I plan to get it on the road in a couple of weeks (got some things to finish), so that will be my baseline. I'm taking it apart to have it painted. Haven't decided if I want to have it media blasted or just use sand paper and wire wheels, but I want to get to the metal to protect it from ever rusting. I hadn't planned to reinforce it, and that might force my hand on the power train. A minimum of 1 hour a day on the car is my rule. Might take a while, but it will be self motivated eventually. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I think I'm 90% certain that i'm not going to make any decisions in the short term. Maybe down the road, but not before I get the car stripped. I feel like the right time to do lock this down is when the car is totally dismantled, but right now I don't think I know enough about these cars to go down this road. I'll revisit the issue when the car is apart. Thanks for the informations guys! Feel free to highjack the thread now.

THAT was useful. Thanks. I think I'm doing all of this anyway, hence my earlier comment about putting money into one engine, and then doing it again. This is something I want more clarity on. I have found some comments about the wiring harnesses being incompatible, but I'm wondering if someone makes an aftermarket wiring harness specifically for this purpose. This seems to be a popular conversion, at least as popular as the RB26 conversion, so I'm curious if there are people making kits (like there are kits for rear disc breaks, for example), but I'll dig around on the HybridZ site for that.

Are you going to change it out or reskin the roof? I've seen a few threads that show how to do it but it's a serious project.

I just realized I might be on the wrong forum with this question. I just feel like Hybridz will garner a bunch of "RB26 intercooler stance JDM style, yo!!!" Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Extended, not other. Got a funny story about an ex-GF's grandfather and his... Actually, it's not funny.

Patcon - Exactly! That and teenagers trying to intimidate me with mom's SUV for sport. They change their tune when you confront them in the parking lot covered in armor, but you have to make it there alive first. Siteunseen - Dude! Dude. [emoji45]

Good to know! I'm still casting around for information right now, but I'll note that. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I meant dumping cash into an engine I'm not keeping. Not the car. In general, freeway speeds on I80 or I78 in NJ average about 85mph to flow with traffic. I frequently do high nighties cruising in the afternoon on the weekends to get out to the west of the state where my extended family is. People drive pretty nuts out here with all their German metal. Add to that my aggressive driving tendencies and a distaste for being behind people and you get the picture. So what I'm hearing is that the L28Et and the R200 are bolt in but I'm better off with an earlier 5-speed if I don't want to cut or weld, which I don't. I guess now the question is what's the cost of that change and what am I really getting for it?

I get the point of that thinking, but the time and money invested in what I have could be put into the new system, so I'm trying to figure out the plan before I dump a bunch of cash into something I'm not keeping.

I just took my 1973 240z off the PO's truck and put it in the garage this weekend. As I start to assess the situation I've been thinking about the possible drivetrain options open to me. The block is not the original, and I cording to the PO it's been bored to 0.020 over stock. I haven't gotten in there to check which block I actually have, but plan to next weekend when I get in and power wash the whole car. It does have round tops already, though. So the main question I have right now, assuming it is a 1973 L24, is what is the overal impact of switching to an L28ET? I like the idea of getting hydraulic lifters, electronic ignition, the R200, and the T5 in a system that was designed to work together and isn't a cobbled together hack job. However, I'm concerned about the potential to need to cut or weld the car in any way, and while the engine isn't the matching original, it is much more stock right now, which might be better in other ways. I'm very curious to hear what people's experience is in this area.

Nice! I just got the same yesterday. Very different scenario, though. Mine's in boxes. [emoji16] Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Dug around in my boxes of parts today. Looks like there's a lot of nice stuff and a lot of junk. The next two weeks will be about getting the garage & basement in order for parts storage, as well as prepping the motorcycle for sale (the Z was the bargain for getting rid of what my wife calls the "death machine." If you've ever ridden in NJ you might see her point). After that I plan to give all of this stuff a thorough but careful bath. Then the fun begins! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

He told me, and his reason was to strengthen to roof. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk