PeterAllen

I'm in.

Bit of an update. Finally obtained a bellhousing, now I'm trying to sort out the suspension geometry and install a red motor. Shouted myself a real Italian made Christmas present.

Buy a blank bonnet. Go to Bunnings, or the like, and buy a vent that has the size and pattern of louvers you like. Check out 'vents' on eBay. Make a mould of the vent and then lay up and pop out a replica vent. Fibreglass it to the bonnet and Roberta is your uncle.

Get suffed stufed stuffed.

Great minds think alike... I sent a PM to Bruce suggesting he contact you or other Melbournians with a copy as you're probably just using them under a table leg or the like. Other than that, I'm flying down to Melbourne early in the new year for a Bolwell BBQ/workshop day and I could drop off the 'Loan' copy which Bruce could just post back. Can you let me know the outcome before the 12th Jan. Thanks

Gareth, you may recall that the Pommie painter friend ran out of holiday time when he came to paint the car so he merely applied a single coat of Rosso Cina to protect the primer. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Driving around for 12-18 months there were a couple of issues with the body that I felt I needed to change and knowing it required final painting I was able to tackle the tasks. The lack of a radius on the upper rear corner of the door was probably the last obvious 240Z identifier. The change also necessitated new window frames. Also, I found the car ride height was too low so when I raised it 40mm the gap from the guard to the front tyre was too large. So with those modifications it was time for another holiday by the Pommie.

"Happy anniversary Darling". I gave her some beauty treatment.

He's from Victoria and he's into Datsuns - nuff said.

Jeff. I liked the idea of using foil covered cardboard which basically removes the need for a release agent. Another option, if you can find an object shaped to match your need, is to wrap the backing object in a 'Glad Wrap'-type material. It can save using too much bog and associated sanding time. Also, 'Plasticine' is handy as a backing source on smaller areas, it can shaped to the near exact profile and doesn't stick to the new fibreglass. Note: A crucial phase with the first technique is to wash the object after use and return it to the kitchen before your other-half questions its disappearance!

Looking good.

So Jeff, when is the big unveiling BBQ? Hint, hint. Sounds like an ideal arrangement for a Springtime run by Sydney and Canberra owners.

Laguna Seca a few weekends ago. Nissan and Datsun racing legends, John Morton, Peter Brock (USA) and Steve Millen. More photos here: https://www.sportscardigest.com/monterey-motorsports-reunion-2018-report-photos/

Pull the other one.* Jeff, you, and many of those who complete major builds, have a skill set that is so often underestimated. You understand how things go together and more importantly how to rectify issues. They are real talents learnt over time with experience and/or proper instruction, and should not be dismissed lightly. Also you have decent workshop equipment and the skills for its use. Those aspect should never be underestimated nor undervalued. I also admire those who know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em. They in some way 'project manage' the work by doing what they can but sourcing assistance, paid or otherwise, when that's the better option. * = Some under 60 may need to look up the meaning.

Jeff. I'm somewhat surprised by the lack of feedback to your posts but I think perhaps you're presenting tasks completed rather than seeking input - freely and openly offered opinions, advice and suggesting are the real strength of this forum. However, I'm sure there are many, many members on here just sitting back, opened-mouthed, in awe of your efforts at the finish of each video. As someone who has completed an 11 year, 3 month and 13 day, 240Z project, I wish I'd had your excellent videos as a guide during that time. As it is, the videos will be an outstanding reference for anyone contemplating a major restoration. We have witnessed over the years so many naive folks start such restoration only to quickly fade away as the magnitude of the entire project becomes apparent. I'm sure many of their cars will sadly never be registered again. As much as grumpy old men like me try to explain the real scope of the work required for these restorations I think your video series details it so much better. My congratulation to you and to Mrs Jeff. The ladies are the unsung heroines of these projects with their patience and support.

Not sure what you mean Leon, I'm just as sharp as ever.

It seems they sell at auction for 50-60% of the alleged private sale prices. I suspect those private sales are falsely quoted at high prices so the cars can be used as fraudulently valued collateral for raising funds for business ventures. On a more optimistic note I observed that Jaguar E-type #10 sold for over $600k, whereas regular production E-types were selling around $200k, That must be encouraging for George.

For some unknown reason a different link today. https://www.sothebys.com/en/videos/watch-live-rm-monterey-day-two

Gary, take your shoes off when you're walking on hallowed ground. From the NSW Bolwell site.

Watch live https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/MO18 Also check out the cattle dogs for today (Friday their time) and tomorrow. There is a 240Z in there which should come up around 2:30pm Sunday 26/8 AEST . Tomorrow a 250 GTO is listed at # 246 (edit) They just sold an ugly Raydyot mirror for $8.9mUS - it came with a 1966 LeMans GT40 attached.

It was never there when I purchased the car. That was just one example of the 'work' the previous owner had carried out which overall took about 12 months to rectify before I could even start the build. I had to make a replacement but I profiled it specifically to the GTO shape rather than OEM. The holes were created to mate fibreglass to fibreglass and secure the valance to the rear section. Funny, but there is so much I've forgotten about the project until something like this comes up. (edit) Oops Gary, no images from Postimage?

You are too kind Grasshopper. I notice he hasn't followed through with my ingenious 'locating pin' concept.

A possible misunderstanding here. I think I pioneered that design here in Oz many many years ago based on a concept I noted on HybridZ. Quite a few have copied it since. It worked perfectly for me and for many others. I trust my earlier tongue-in-cheek post is read in perspective.

Interesting design... My lawyers will be in touch with your lawyers.

Covered here Justin - Longford was a real hoot. Click on the arrow in the top right of the box below.

Justin, as you're running a 6.0 5.7 ltr V8 the torque would suggest a different thinking to that of a Zed with a standard tune straight six. If you have the t56 box like mine then 6th is 1: 0.5. I'm running 29" dia rear tyres, for the period appearance, and the 3.46 diff offered plenty of drivability, so with even smaller tyres this would, by my reckoning, be as short as you would want to go. You'll have trouble with grip going any shorter. If you add grippier tyres you'll risk over-stressing the drivetrain. I actually ran a 3.07 diff on my Tassie tour and was revving 1400 RPM at 110km/h, and returned 7.8lt/100km. (Gary, that's around 36 mpg in proper units.) The 3.07 is a bit hard on the clutch in 1st, particularly on hill starts, so I'll be swapping back to the 3.46.