acf321

Thanks ZD ... I need a passenger side one .. don't spose you have one of these ?

Just on the line to Trevor at Brighton Nissan. Nissan do not make guards anymore, nor do they do doors, or the front lower apron.... and they don't do door skins either. But ... I managed to buy a new OEM rear license plate light unit ... MUCH cheaper than what available anywhere else. He did say it was strange how some OEM parts come up new in the US on E-bay (from time to time), which could imply they still make OEM parts new for that market ... but he could not confirm this was the case. Cheers Adam

I think that if you do the pigment, and make good copies, you'll sell these things like hotcakes all over the world, ie US and Japan !... there is Nothing available anywhere and they are a vital piece for any resto that one wants to last (ie not find water in all the wrong places). Good luck with it Galderdi .. many anxious customers awaiting.

Seems the brown hornet needs some new OEM panels; 1) passenger side front guard, 2) Passenger side door, and 3) front lower valance. If you have any of these parts lying about, or know where I might source them in used or VGC second hand give me a shout ... Panel beater is aksing questions ! Cheers Adam

i'm no latex expert .. but is it poss to mix some black pigment / dye into the mix before you mould it? This way they could be made black, otherwise a thin coat of spray should suffice.

1 set sold to me too please!!

Sorry to but in on this one lads, but since the topic is perfect, and I was working on my tail lights today (71 240Z), I have the following question.. 1) how do you remove the chrome strip from the tail light of a 240Z? there is a small pin with retaining circlip in the centre that only looks able to be removed by breaking it off... presume this is the only fastener for this??? 2) has anyone restored chrome strips, and if so how? My chrome is pretty narly on one. 3) Anyone found a source for new strips? 4) anyone painted them with chrome paint? how do they come up?

Hi all In stripping my car, we noticed one side has the aperture for a fender mounted side indicator, and the other does not. This suggests some cars came with fender mounted ones, and some not. Also some cars have amber parking lights / blinkers under the bumpers, and others have the clear lens. Since my car has never 'run' during my ownership I have the following questions; 1) did aussie cars have the side indicators on the front quarter guards? 2) do the parking lights (under the bumper) also have a 'blinker' section in them? 3) when where amber / clear lens used and which are correct for a 1971 Aussie delivered car? Many thanks. Adam

Look forward to hearing about it Hodgo, and infact I am looking to buy one of the Alfa FG BRE style spoilers, so if I order one part, I may as well get two from the same place.

As the ad says, I'm looking to swap a complete set of 40mm's for a set of 45mm webers. My carbs are 100% complete, and in running order. Cheers

Popped by again yesterday as Nat had received my panels back from the blaster. Bottom line, they were OK, but there were some traces of rust on some that by the time I was there were being repaired. The drivers side front wing has the hole in it for the indicator that is being filled in, and the pass side wing is a bit of a mess, with rust holes, mirror holes and frankly evidence of more hits than Elvis ... think we'll be buying one! The front valance panel (under the front bumper that BRE style spoiler attaches to) is also pretty crappy, so if anyone has one that is in VGC let me know, else we'll be buying a new one of these as well. Car is at the blasters, and Nat suggested might be back by as early as next weekend ... given we are now having a run on better weather. In the meantime, last night and today I have been cleaning and polishing the tail light lens (and they look AWESOME), and repairing the louvres for my bonnet (its a 260 bonnet). For my lights, instead of going down the oven route, I bathed the whole units in very hot soapy and hit them on the outside with a good dish brush (hidden from my wife!!) and then in the inside I used a brush that has 360 degrees bristles and wire stem. This was extremely useful as with the stem being able to be bent, I could reach all areas. After this, I wet sanded both lens with 1200 wet and dry, before polishing with meguirs swirl remover... I had to use lots of elbow grease, but the end result is a light that frankly looks as new. I'll polish with a coat of car wax to add a bit of protection from the elements. Only thing frustrating me now is the chrome strips on the lights... both are pretty pitted and I'd love to replace ... anybody have any ideas here??? Also, aside from breaking off the tiny clip in the middle, is there an easier way to remove this strip? Here are few panels back from the shop ... Hopefully in a week, we're going to start to trial panel fit, sans paint!!! Thinking that if everything is OK with the drivers side sill (all my fingers and toes now double crossed) then we'll exchange that sill for the pass side guard. Ciao Adam

thanks lurch .. Not sure about budget until I know what I need to spend .. as in what would a well sorted fast road L28 cost? Purpose... fast road / potential targa use, so need plenty of torque for tight twisty roads.. not interested in turbo lag (been there, done that), and not interested in needing 8000rpm before the thing starts to move (aka V-tec / rotary style 9000rpm top end power).

Since the Hornet is in pieces, and i'm thinking about the motor I decided to have a look at the motor and note its a P30 block with E88 head. Prior owner tells me its got a mild cam, does have 40mm webbers, elec dizzy and extractors. Spoke to James Flett who told me that I have two options; 1) go for a factory 240 setup, or 2) wild L28 .... reckons the L26 is the one in the middle that is neither here or there (he was not at all nasty about it, just suggested if I wanted HP, then CI's were a good starting point, which is hard to disagree with). Ok... so thats the history, I need some advise on my motor ... If I said I wanted 250HP from what I have am I dreaming? What i'm thinking is: 1) machine block 11.5:1, 2) do correct large valve job, porting and skimming of existing E88 head, 3) add domed style pistons, that James mentioned he has been using, 3) new 6 into 1 extractor set (see BenZed's set), 4) tuned 40mm webbers (or do I need 45's?? - don't want to do F Inj ... yet), 5) machined flywheel etc etc. What do you think Do I chase this route or bin the L26 and buy a L28 short block and start again If the later is the way to go, how much do I need to spend, does anybody have an L28 for sale? Will 40's go with this, or will I need 45's Cheers Adam

A few more schemes.

Been off work a few days, so yest I popped by unannounced to have a sticky beak at the hornet... Nat's been busy this week, finalising; pass side sill (now installed and looking awesome), pass side rain gutter (now partially removed and replaced at rear), beaver panel is all completed and welded in, and has been working on the front cross member (repairing small bends and welding in new webbing on the bottom corners). In a word, she's coming on very well and I can truly see where my money is going .... Car should have been going to the blasters either yesterday or today, depending on the truck. Will be fully stripped top, bottom, inside and out, and given the 11 coats of paint (circa 1.5-2mm thick all over) the car will be significantly lighter, and smaller . We'll be following the same process of painting on the stone guard beneath, with seam sealer and primer coat. I expect this process to take about a month, so will be unlikely to see many more posts from me for a while (might give me some time to start saving !!). Anyway, without the camera yesterday I've attached about eight shots of some cars that really float my boat and are finalists on my painting inspiration. I guess the best way to describe my intentions with this build are to keep the 'old school' look, albeit to add some muscle in terms of motor (L),wheels, suspension, and interior. Cheers Adam

Mike .... the car looks freaking awsome ... can't wait to see it completed and in the sun. Well done mate.... the 13+ years looks like its been well worth the wait

Mike that looks completely fantastic .. will look really awsome when the green gets added. Do keep us posted. Just out of interest, is that paint underneath stone guard? If so, it looks the goods and should keep things tidy for at least the next 40 yrs !!!

Hi Lurch, The complete sill pressings came from Warren at AllZspares, about $180 a side I think. Looking at the rare spares parts on their web site, they only make simple ones without the ends. These parts I bought are very detailed and have all the correct pressings on them. As for the rust, NZeder and others have suggested the rust on my car is very similar as to the rust they had on their cars. Interestingly, on my car, aside from the beaver panel, the left side of the car is infinitely worse than the drivers, which is attributable no doubt to the battery leak, and potentially more water (ie gutters) on the passenger side. The good news with me using Nat is he is a fanatic and everything is being primed and rust proofed on the inside as he puts it back together, including chassis rails and box sections. The Hornet is sure to be rust free for a very very long time to come !!! Cheers

More photos, including the box of removed items

Photos !

Week 7.. Today's update shows we're getting much closer to a completed body ... Nat bought sill panel pressings complete with end mouldings and is in the process of installing. These really look the part and will make for better panel fitment when doors come back from the blaster. We also have new doglegs that will go on. Nat's been working on repairing the beaver panel section (see photos). As part of this work, they made up about 5 separate pieces and welded them all into the correct position, which looks really impressive. Also took a photo of the rear panels showing where they've peeled some of the paint off to check the body integrity. We scratched the paint back with a razor to see how many coats this car has actually had.. and counted 11 (its in the photo, albeit the quality is poor), including; base coat, original orange, four new orange coats, four separate undercoats, another red colour. The total thickness of the paint (see photo) is well in excess of 1mm (suspect in total there'd be over 20kg or excess paint yet to come off). Only things to finish now include rain gutter sections, finish putting beaver panel back together, and complete fitting sills & doglegs. Once panels are back in the next week or so, we'll have a go at trial fitting them for alignment Had a long chat about colours today. Nothing finalised here, surprise surprise! Enjoy the photos. Adam

this is good news Mike ... i know some bloke that is spending a freaking fortune restoring one !! Its good to know there is a market to tap into, eventually

Good tips there ,, Just wondering if instead of putting the lens into the oven you could use a heat gun to gradually heat the part? I recently used one to remove the fuel filler tube (yes the tank was empty) through the body. When I started it was as hard as rock, but after five minutes felt like soft silicone. The thought of putting my rear tail lights into the oven makes me somewhat nervous, given the thermostat on our oven is not the best. Just wondering if anybody else has tried this method with a heat gun?

Hi all, as the header states, had a look at a mates car at the weekend and noticed I do not have the bottle or the bracket for my build .. anyone have one of each lying about? Cheers

Oh yes, we need to know if anyone makes new sills, and the rear section that the tail pipe goes through (under the rear bumper)? Also .. if anyone has or knows where to get a beaver panel locally, that would be a nice find. Cheers Adam