240Z: Preparation work

Time for a very long overdue update on the project. I wasnt silent because of no progress. Quite the opposite, actually. I was so busy with all the small things that I simply found no time to post here. And also you don’t want to see every bolt I spent an hour on cleaning it. So instead of boring you with all the small details, I rather post a little summery. So what happened in the last few weeks?

In the last post, I thought I had everything disassembled. Well, turns out there was more stuff to dismantle. for e.g. the windows:

I also decided to disassemble the window regulators, which requires drilling out the rivets (or whatever you call those), because all the old plastic rollers were completely wasted.

And last but not least, the door locking mechanism. Which consists of surprisingly many individual parts:

I also disassembled the rear quarter window frames completely. While they looked OK from the outside, I knew from one previous case, that the L-shaped brackets that hold the frame together are the weak point that often rots away. this one was no different. Luckily I was able to find some sets that survived. So first was to remove all the gunk and old rubber from them. which alone took a few days (Soak it in kerosine worked nicely):

After everything was cleaned, I sprayed all the rust-prone points (everything that is not stainless-steel) with a special rust-protection / epoxy primer (Swiss product, called Brunox).
This stuff is amazing. It reacts with the metal and turns it purple-blackish, and at the same time adds a clear primer coat. You need to apply 3-4 layers, but once dry you can paint straight over it.

So once that was done, I painted all the areas which were originally flat black in – you guessed it – flat black again. I will now use the best set to reassemble some rear quarter sets for me.

The last step was only to polish the stainless steel again and remove some of the minor scratches. Still needs a bit of work but they’re more or less ready for reassembly.

Speaking of reassembly: I had a few EU-spec rear bumpers (without overriders, but with the additional holes for the additional lower number plate lighting). but either the brackets were rusted away, or they were damaged beyond repair. Well I had collected so many over the years, so I took them all apart:

And managed to assemble one pretty solid one. With some cleaning and my NOS fasteners and brackets, it almost looks like new. It has some nasty spots under where the rubbers originally where, so I will have to have that fixed and rechromed again. but at least it’s straight and complete…

As my original doors had the body-line removed (cleaned) by some previous owner, I thought it’s easier to replace the entire doors than to have somebody fix that. Especially since they needed some rust repairs anyway.. Luckily i still had some spare doors and found an additional set. Just in case:

I brought them to my local paint-stripping company. They use an alcoholic solution which is relatively PH neutral compared to acid based solutions others use. Also they dip the parts in a weldable KTL-primer if you want so. (that strange olive-green color): I marked all the damage and then chose the best sets to go on the car.

While hunting for parts, I also found a used, originally Swiss-Car FS5C71A early 5-speed (“Competition”, in some markets) transmission and decided to bring it back to Switzerland as a spare, in case mine fails (It’s kind of hard to find  parts these days):

Speaking of Parts: I have meanwhile collected all the required parts to rebuild my Mikuni PHH’s

My Carb specialist was in Japan the other week to learn from the experts and I made sure he ahs the correct tools for it too (more details on that soon): 

I also got some missing documents and cool parts from Japan: That Brake Master cylinder repair kit is quite neat:

I also got some stuff from USA for my collection and some parts needed to assemble everything on the car:

Now I’m slowly starting to assemble things on the car with all original Nissan Hardware. It’s still just temporary, So some items might be missing, but I replaced the J-hooks and tank straps with new / replated items.

Got my NOS front bumper brackets in stalled:

And also all the mechanical hardware for the inspection lids. This stuff needs all to be installed for the bodyshop to make all the adjustments and some will even get painted-over. Just as it was from the factory. 

I have a constant stream of new Nissan factory parts arriving here. Some don’t have that original yellow passivation on them like the old units did (Chrome VI+ is banned in many places due to the hazard, but it’s still possible if you find an accredited company with all the neccessary paperwork and precautions). So these parts need to be replated, despite beeing new:

I was very lucky to find a reasnobly priced set of NOS FRP headlight buckets with the threads for the original Nissan headlight covers in it. very nice.

And also foun two Sets of NOS MK63 brake pads. Some say they contain asbestos. I don’t plan to use them (I have project u brake pads in stock) but I I think they look so nice with the factory color marks and will but them on display.

I also found some nice color charts and other stuff in Germany recently. Just for my archives 🙂

And then the game-changer arrived. I  present you “The beast”:
My old compressor was simply to small and not enough powerful to cope with my now almost daily blasting work. What was supposed to take an hour, took 3 days of work because of the lame compressor. So here is the new one, including some chemicals for my parts cleaning production line… (Ultrasonic cleaning fluid, Parts cleaner degreaser, and Evaporust, plus some hand-soap :-P)

I also heavily modified my blasting cabinet for improved LED lighting and dust-suction so now it’s really a blast (pun intended) to do some work. Some examples:
Engine mounts and crank pulley washer, before:

After (I mainly use Glass-bead blasting at 8bar pressur with a 6mm Nozzle), for that smooth, flat and dense surface finnish.

Hand-brake mechanics, before:

after:

So the reason i’m doing all of this is that I plan to drop off a massive load of parts for zinc plating and yellow / blue passivation. I’m currently negotiating and trying to find the best shop.
Some can do big loads of small parts in rotating drums, others do it all manually. Some can still do the original Chrome VI+ Yellow passivating, others use replacement methods. Some with the same effect, some not so much yellow. I hope I find someone good. It seams that at least one company is less of an industrial plating company but more specialized in classic car parts. Probably the most expensive one, too 😛
I’ll keep you updated and hope I can keep the pace…