gilltech

FWIW, it's missing all the horn operating parts as well...

That's the one. From memory it's a double plate with the recessed bolts. As you suggest, it's not very refined...

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/154365647480?hash=item23f0e8da78%3Ag%3AAFMAAOSwjydeGSz3&LH_ItemCondition=3000 FWIW, dragging the overriders chit-chat up again, I see the same Modern Motor mag of Sept 1974 I mentioned on eBay with 2+2 road test where there are - rather strangely - overriders on the rear bumper only.

Nice that it has a full size spare. A friend had the same model but with a space saver spare. Which he said was fine as long as you made sure you had an inflation cartridge or pump packed in there as well, or kept the spare fully inflated which sort of negated the purpose.

By attachment on the front diff mount, do you mean that thick metal plate? (Or is it a double plate...? um, need to check). Anyway, my '74 RS30 - which I've owned since '84 so pretty original - has it - it's a jacking point although a long way to reach under the car to get to with a DIY home sized trolley jack.

With a flat top carb, I presume you found it but FWIW there is an in-line filter screen just inside after the fuel inlet that can pick up crud and cause erratic idling and partial fuel starvation. Ask me how I know.

Wow. Great work guys.

You most certainly are. Full marks to all those involved.

Ha! Hopefully Lurch doesn't have to replace more than 49%..... Whatever happens it will be part Japanese steel and part BHP steel. Australian content if you will. Take the situation of an historic rally car which has been re-bodied along the way, but someone has obtained and repaired the original shell... Just who owns the car and its provenance?

Plenty of cars of lesser value to probably keep CAF busy for many years to come.....

Ah, yes, but restoration implies putting the subject back to as-made. From what I'm seeing I'd go further and describe that detailed work as preservation, better than the factory's effort of the day, with enhanced longevity for enjoyment by future generations. Perhaps pass the car down to ones grandchildren... Except petrol may be a limited commodity by then so conversion to an electric power plant might be required along the way...

Wow. Rust damage every which way you turn. The impressive repair work continues.

Oh. Got it. Duh. Dumb idea then. Sorry. Only thought of it because the alloy wheel repairer guys do such great work straightening and welding up cracks not just fixing gutter rash on the lips etc etc. All of which I have had done. Ignore me! Back to the flanges then.

Would it be more practical, maybe safer, to go the other way, ie. weld up the alloy wheels and re-drill them for 4-stud? Just a thought... Ignore me, bad idea...

Righto. I thought there must surely be some kind of angle to it for all those $$$ or Yen, but was thinking along the lines of maybe it's a super-duper rare version of a S30 or maybe one once owned by a celebrity... OK. Personally if I was prepared to shell out that kind of coin I would be expecting them to start with a better base car than that one, it doesn't look confidence inspiring. Just as with a building project, if there is a cost and/or time blow-out then quality suffers. The intending owner would be well advised to monitor the repair build quality very closely.

What, more than 100 grand for that pile? Why so much? Have to love the LH dogleg repair... if it could ever justify being called a repair... Suggest you forward to every punter coming on this site wanting to buy a Zed... and whinging about the cost...

You josh? Why, is that because of bulky in-dash A/C gear or something? But with my 260Z (non-A/C - smaller heater box) I can access the small gauges from underneath, by removing the central air outlet panel (around the heater controls) and the air distribution register (connects the flexy hoses) immediately behind it. Voila.

What I meant is that the structural welding, by a repair person unknown, looks extremely poor (an understatement). One can presume that the rest of the welding used to attach the replacement front quarter, way back when, is of a similar low standard. So, what to do? Take the quarter off again and make all good?

Jesus that car has had a tough life... your impressive work though is bringing it back from the brink. Looking at that butt joint in the lower part of the last photo, what's the plan to deal with the cut'n'shut front quarter?

Personally I'd always drill and plug weld to match the original construction as closely as possible. My 2c worth anyway.

Having a long barrelled rifle and scope in the confines of a small vehicle is pointless in any case. He should have been carrying a close quarter weapon.

But the guard didn't attempt to shoot back at the ute? Why not? Or have I been watching too many episodes of CSI, NCIS and Hawaii Five-oh?

From the OP's initial post there are in fact two parallel threads to all this robust discussion. Firstly, what products are best used, or avoided, as part of the metal surface preparations prior to laying down fresh paint. And secondly, what products are best used to treat / neutralize (maybe remove) and then seal over rust identified as present in cavities - such as chassis rails - that can't be accessed. Interesting. Keep it coming.

Agreed that metal treatment and automotive repair products are improving all the time and becoming more environmentally friendly. Most important is to ensure that all selected products - be they metal treatments, body fillers, sealers and all coatings - are compatible. This I know, having seen issues belatedly arise with older and not so old restorations. You must do your own research on the products you think to use. I've often seen difficulties with product adhesion on steelwork so for my purposes I prefer completely clean steel and have the zinc in the protective etch primer as part of the overall selected paint system. To each his own. Agreed though, need the zinc. But whatever systems car restorers choose to use these days they will undoubtedly be a vast improvement over factory practices of the past and old restorations and probably preserve the cars well past their own lifetimes.

There are numerous products on the market. I don't use 'treatments' unless they are converters that will act as rust removers. To dissolve away rust and leave me with clean bare steel, ready for etch primer. There's no zinc, any residue is iron phosphate. In fact they will react with and begin to dissolve any zinc they encounter. Painting over zinc is always problematic. If I must do, then I make sure the zinc is fresh, or if old zinc then any oxidation has been removed first, as it's not a good idea to paint over oxidised zinc. Ask any paint manufacturer. Then I will quickly follow up with a very good quality etch primer. My 2c worth anyway.