Work Begins on Our 240Z Apr 19, 2005
This 240Z is what we’d call a survivor. It sports the original paint and is largely unmolested. Our plan is to keep the patina and originality of the car intact. We’ll be taking a unique approach to the work on this car in order to achieve our goal. We’ll be restoring the car mechanically, starting with the suspension.
The original suspension had clearly seen better days. We put the car on the lift at Balanced Performance and started installing Noltec bushings,
New Seats for the Z May 10, 2005
We worked on the 1970 Z for a few days before we drove it to the Classic Motorsports Mitty Presented by Mazda.
To keep our driver comfortable, we replaced the very tatty original seat covers with some exact replacements from Victoria British. The new covers went on without a hitch and look great.
We purchased a parts car for $800 from a local reader. Besides a rusted hulk, the $800 bought us a Nissan Competition limited slip differential, BRE springs and a host of other goodies. We’ve got our eye on this car’s decent rear bumper for the Project Z.
Some Suspension Love May 10, 2005
Lee Grimes from Koni stopped by for a visit and helped install shock absorbers on our 240Z. We supplemented these with sport springs and a larger front anti-roll bar from Motorsport Auto. The goal is to firm up the suspension without making it overly harsh.
Out, Rust Spot May 17, 2005
We’ve been picking at the small spots of rust on the 240z. Our goal is to preserve as much of the original paint as possible.
Here’s a shot of some areas that have been treated with Ospho and then a small coat of Rust Bullet paint. We’re now going to spot in some of the original yellow color.
Work on the 240Z Progresses Jun 27, 2005
Work on our 240Z has progressed on two fronts. First, we’re replacing the door seals with new pieces from MacGregor. After pulling off the well-crusted originals, we’re cleaning up the area with lacquer thinner and a scraper. We’re trying to be really careful and not harm the original paint.
On the underside, we’re treating a little bit of surface rust. Early Datsuns rust around their seams where the factory never sealed anything before the cars were painted. After wire brushing the few spots that there were, we treated the area with Rust Bullet paint. This was then overcoated with factory matching yellow paint, followed by some modern seam sealing compound. This will effectively stop any new rust from forming. If and when the car is fully restored, we can just spray the underside with a chip-resistant paint.
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