C.A.R.

With all the prep work done, we commenced welding the topside of rear quarter panels back on with a mixture of Mig plug welds and spot welds. With the quarter panel welds around the tail light panel linished smooth, we then set about prepping and welding into place the rear tail light panel. Unfortunately the manufacturer of the tail light panel got the hatch lock receiver mount AND the slam panel welded in the wrong spot, so we had to unpick it and weld it back on in the correct position - 12mm to the left! - so the hatch lock could engage... Annoying but straight forward enough. The roof skin was then screwed into place, the windscreen & seal were installed and checked for fitment, then the removed so we could weld the skin into place: Next, the body shell was returned to the rotisserie so the underside of the rear quarters could be welded into position: The previously fabricated A-post drip rail extensions were then welded into place: RHS: Then the underfloor rails were adjusted, prepped, welded into place and the welds linished smooth. After which the underside of the bodyshell was scuffed with 240g and given a coat of PPG finest Epoxy: Along with the rear quarters, tail light panel and roof once they were taken back to bare metal:

Time for another update. With the door gaps sorted, we turned our attention to the quarter panels. I can sum them up as being 90% good - they had issues like most aftermarket panels, but nothing horrendous. But it would be nice if they could just be 100% spot on... * The top body line was too sharp * The pressing around the tail light apparatuses were different from side to side * They had ripples around the arch lips * The step for the tail light panel was in the wrong spot. * The LH recess for the tailgate opening was too 'short'. Lots of panel beating and farnarkling took place, but we finally got them to fit after a number of days. We couldn't have left these issues as they would have stood out like dogs balls once the car was painted and assembled... Then we test fitted a bumper to make sure our fitment was correct: With all that done (it took a LOT of hours), and all the gaps looking within tolerence, we could now begin prepping to weld the quarter panels into place. But first the inner rear 1/4s were sanded and a fresh coat of Epoxy applied. The green coating was removed from the inside of the new quarter panels and these were also Epoxied. Once the Epoxy had cured overnight, KBS Rust Seal was applied to the insides of both the 1/4 panels and internal structure (taking care to stay away from the panel joins) to seal them from any future corrosion (hopefully!). The roof frame and skin also got the same treatment, before they were welded into position:

Radiator: https://kfvintagejdm.com/shop/datsun/radiator-support-kit/ Guards: https://resurrectedclassics.com/en-au/collections/sheet-metal/products/1970-1978-datsun-240z-260z-280z-steel-fender-set I can't help with the A-Post. What's the chassis number of the 240Z?

Group Buy: Interior Plastics Max at Resurrected Classics is offering a HUGE 20% off their interior plastics for early and late 240Z. If you are interested, please let me know, however EOI until I get freight costs. Group buy ends 1st of March. Total kits available is 34 of both early and late. Early interior plastics set: AUD$1900 - Excluding freight. Late interior plastics set: AUD$1700 - Excluding freight

Holy thread revival, Batman! Here is a the MA regs on cages: https://motorsport.org.au/docs/default-source/manual/general-requirements/2024/2024-schedule-j.pdf?sfvrsn=ec9993ff_4

Think I have a set - PM me your address.

Updates?

Reason? Do you not want them to look OEM?

Stick with your 55mm struts.

You are in for a world of pain. Good luck. Edit: I strongly advise you leave it LHD.

Justin, you asked a simple question, so I gave you a simple answer I fitted one some years ago at LCR and from memory it just needed the usual 'fitting' to the engine. Was it worth the extra $? I cant answer that, but from memory the customer waas happy with it. If you want more info, email Les Collins as I'm sure he'll be able to give you a more detailed answer. https://lescollinsracing.com/contact

Yes.

I wondered where you got that from... AUD$280 for a new reliable wiper unit is a gift.

No they will not. Either type of synchro has their own hub assembly, so they can't be interchanged. You need to remove the cases to determine what synchro / bulk ring box you have and order accordingly. Furthermore, if 2nd gear ring is 'crunching' the others won't be far behind it...

Welcome Graham. Firstly you actually need to determine what gearbox it actually is. Unless you know the full history of the Z, it could have any Datsun 5 speed fitted as they are now over 50 years old. Both brass synchro rings (about $100ea) and steel bulk rings (well over $200ea!) and are still available new from Nissan. If you are not inclined to do the rebuild yourself, I'd send the gearbox to either: Les Collins Racing in Vic: https://lescollinsracing.com/contact Or Stewart Wilkins Motorsport in NSW: https://www.swmotorsport.com.au/ HTH

The current hosting cost is unsustainable mate - especially with the dwindling site traffic... Do what you have to do.

2023 Christmas BBQ! It's on again! Date: Sunday 10th December 2023. It's later this year due to clashes with Datsun Day, Challenge Bathurst and Classic Japan. Time: 11am Onwards. Location: Same as previous years, Gordon and Sharon's property in the outer East near Lilydale. Please prey for dry weather! PM me for the address if you haven't been before. Bring your Zed, food and Drink and a chair. The wood fired BBQ will be provided. Bring your Wives , partners and kids. All welcome! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Attending: Gordon (durr) Locky - CAR Bruce - Lightmaster Dave - KatoKid

https://www.neatgearboxes.com.au/ in SA have/had new 4.1 CW&P sets available.

With the rear quarters clamped in position, then next thing we had to do was fit the rare spares door skins. Rare Spares has a sticker on ALL their panels stating that: "This is panel is only a vague approximation of an OEM panel and shitloads of work will be required to make it fit correctly." Paul clamped them onto the rebuilt door frames to check fitment and... well... there were issues. The door handle recess was 'low' in one skin in relation to the body line. The door handle recess in both skins was 'sucked in' when a ruler was run across the body line. The handle holes were in the wrong spot. The upper body line was not sharp enough or not there at all... Paul spent 3 days rectifying these issues - we worked out it would have been quicker to make new ones from scratch! But eventually they were fitted to the frames (after I removed the e-coating): Before the skins were fitted I Epoxied the insides of them and applied a coat of KBS Rust Seal to (hopefully) keep them rust free forever. We are aiming for a 5mm panel gap and it appears we will succeed in obtaining that measurement.

Once these manufacturing 'defects' had been identified, we started on rectifying them. The vent hole and side repeaters were filled, the filled smooth. The RH panel aalso had the fuel filler 'bucket'(?) fitted. This was removed from the original quarter panel, media blasted, repaired and welded into position: While the Z was in storage in 2022, I was informed via socials of a company in Atlanta USA called 'Resurrected Classics' that were having other 'difficult to obtain' panels made in China. Items they were having made were - amongst others - early vented Z hatch's, tail light panel and reproduction tail lights.. This was a HUGE bonus as this Zeds hatch was pretty bad - rust, bog and lots of damage. The rear valance was also toast and I'd consigned myself to remaking it, but with a suitable one-piece tail light panel now available, it was going to be much easier and cheaper. So I ordered them during this time, and fitted them up together with the rear quarter panels. These panels also needed work to make them nice, but it was a great start.

In May a friend of mine mentioned that global freight prices were slowly coming down, so I decided to take a look again at the KFV rear quarters. KFV had changed freight company's and to my great delight the cost had come down to $1200AUD! Still expensive, but at least it was palatable... I spoke to the owner and he agreed to the purchase and continuing the project, so he sent me some more $ and I went and ordered the rear quarter panels. They duly arrived in June and I sat them on the bodyshell. They were good but they were going to need work to make them 100% right. The two glaring issues is the US spec side repeater hole would have to be filled and the quarter vent hole also filled as the early Zeds had the vents in the hatch. Some main bodyline was far to sharp. The pressing around the tail lights was not consistent and to wide. The step joint to the tail light panel was in the wrong spot. Fixable but also annoying...

Time for an update! Back in March '22, #211 it went into storage because we'd gone as far as we could with the chassis repairs. This was because of the rear 1/4 panels... Yasee I deemed the originals beyond economical repair, as due to the previous 'repairs' to them, I had to more or less butcher them to remove them from the bodyshell. We toyed with the idea of making them from scratch (we have the capability), but when I estimated the hours require to fabricate them, it would not be cost effective. However I'd heard a rumor that KF Vintage in Columbia - who make the green panels - were nearly done prototyping FULL 240Z rear quarter panels. Joy! And so we waited. And waited... And finally at the end of '22 they became available to purchase! I placed an order and got the freight quote... I nearly fell off my chair: Nearly $7000AUD just for the air freight! This was outrageous and the owner of the Z agreed. I contacted the owner of KFVintage & he agreed to look at other freight options and failed. Apparently getting freight out of Columbia is an issue due all the corruption (this is a story all on it's own). I had to do something so in January I retrieved the Z out of storage so I could reassess the situation: We looked at other options... Somehow repairing the originals. Looking again at making our own. But neither of these options appealed to us, so the shell was pushed around the shop for a few months while I did other jobs on the project (more on these later).

Alexandria - Black spur - Healsville - Cockatoo, apparently! Someone should have read a map before they left! Hume, then the Monash would have been far easier...

According to my PPG paint rep - Nissan 918 Orange.

Back into this again after it's sat up on block for the last 18 months... I must get out in it again. I have a brake shudder to deal with (suspected rear discs) and it really needs new tyres ($$$). Once thing that has been annoying me is the sunroof, so I moved it into the workshop & pulled the sunroof out. I removed the paint, cut some 1mm steel out, flange'd it, wheel'd it up & cleco'd it into place. I'm just waiting on some panel-bond so I can glue it into position. Then a thin skim of filler and paint.