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Ok, so the interior of the car is now nude (sans strut tower vinyl as its like new) and the only rust I can see that I did not know of is a small 5c piece hole in the pass footwell under where the seat sits. Am off to Warrens tomorrow to buy some parts and then to the panel beater to check out his workshop. In theory the car should be going to the beater in about a fortnight where he will remove the engine ... and completely strip the body of all panels. To save on cost we're going to send the doors / guards / hatch / bonnet off to be bead blasted. The balance of the shell is going to be hand sanded and I suspect the engine bay will itself be sand blasted. I've pretty much decided on the SHOCKINGLY HORRIBLE colour of safari gold, which frankly is a nicer hue in my view to the 918 orange, which is frankly pretty horrid. I really love the colour o Eiji's car as a similar theme, but then every time I see a 432 with black watanabe's the safari gold just looks the goods. Parts I now have inc; ZG fender mirrors, compe handle, correct gear knob, and new OEM door liners. And NO I have not added it all up right (After all its a hobby and you can't put a price on that .... can you !?!?). I am going to buy the Wata's and some factory race seats, similar to the Kameari one on this site. Sorry I can't add a photo as I literally cannot work out how to resize a photo on my whiz-bang MAC (NOT !!!!!!). Anybody know how, tell me and I can add!!! So, in a word, the plan is coming together and I know what I want the car to be in the end ... Once the car is running ... (maybe before Santa arrives !!) I will then do the motor .. which will be enlarged to L28 or 31 .. of course suspension will be looked at also ... Hope you enjoy reading about it as much as I love dreaming about it ... sorry i can't do the photos from the MAC. (NZedder, you are an IT guy right !!!).

mmm ..think i'll stick with the 260Z'un then !! Thanks Pauly.

Hi All .. Am considering changing my vented 260Z bonnett to a genuine 240Z item on my 71 240Z project and in doing so moving to Glass or Carbon. Has anyone used the 240Z Alfa bonnet replacement? and if so how have you found the fit and finish (good / bad ) and reliability in terms of cracking / fading / shaking etc? Cheers

Thanks guys ... appreciate the feedback .. The paint you see here is acrylic and is pretty rough to be honest .. Because the car needs the bay done and this itself is a big task, i'm; 1) doing the bay in 2 pac and back to factory colour, and 2) figure that at that time I should have the rear beaver panel replaced / repaired and the rest of the car done in the same paint.. I know it seems extravagant from these pics, but with the car already stripped (now) ,,, it seems a false economy to leave it .. I can also have piece of mind knowing she's all OK under that paint and rust proofed at the same time.

Hi Guys... I wrote about this car on the intro page ... so here it is. I called it my 'New 71Z' but after seeing it in the garage, my wife quite humourously named it 'The Brown Hornet' (Fat Albert's favourite black superhero from the very early 70's).. Panel beater is coming over tomorrow to have a look at bare metal stripping and returning to OEM 918 (or 2 pac equivalent). I've had a very good look and aside from the front left frame rail and usual beaver panel top (which is currently repaired with f-glass) rust is not an issue. Motor is L26 with webers, genie extractors, high comp, cam, elec dizzy. Appears to have koni's and king springs also. Will be selling wheels (ROH 15"), Steering wheel (OEM VGC), seats (OEM but need covers) and glass front airdam (like ben Z's car), but only when I have all the other parts, inc; Wata RS8's (to buy) Datsun Compe (I have), JDM fender mirrors (have), and seats (to buy). Just tried to add a photo, but being me it failed ... will try again !! Will keep you posted on the progress.

ok ... just looking at Blackdragon ... literally can build a new car with their inventory ... Let me know when you plan on doing this as the car will likely be in the shop ... Panel beater is coming over to my house this sat morning at 7.15am to have a look and discuss the job... I'm going full bare metal madness, panel align, rustproof etc etc !! With the parts, think i'll try one or two non-oem items and see how they go. Then I can get confident and order a whole lot.

when u coming over Pauly ... I need some moral support ?? Out of 10 how good is this rubber kit ?? as in does it look / feel and work like OEM ? Last thing you want on a 10k paint job is crap rubber right

Ok .. here is a small list of what I need for my 71 model project. I'm looking for good cond second hand parts or new.. Not interested in pitted / broken / rusted or damaged stuff. Am scouring the web with some successes, but if you have any of these and are in Australia, lets talk. Pls PM me !! Alternatively, if you have a good source for these parts, please let me know. - passenger side clear blinker light (under bumper) - door escucheons (chrome) - 260Z hood vents - pass side exterior door handle in VGC - dog leg interior trim (black) - factory straps for parcel tray - interior plastic trim kit plus mounting screws - Light unit that sits above the rear number plate - rubber bits ... basically a complete rubber sealing kit. - spare wheel / tool kit / jack / wheel chocks - spare wheel cover (timber circular thing - or pattern for) - full carpet kit (OEM style). Look forward to hearing from you. Cheers

when I bought mine (last weeK), I came across a very nice blue 240Z with some rust and some minor panel damage ... guy is only after $5k, but when I saw the pics it made the hair on my neck stick up ... def a really good project ready to go to a new home .. mechanically like it just left the factory.

Update. OK ... so the car is in the shed now (arrived tonight) and the its an L26 block with E88 head. Rust appears to be modest in the left frame rail only, but the left passenger firewall has some small holes cut in it, nothing too bad. All the wheel arches have been re-painted and look very solid. The car has yellow springs (which NZedder believes are King Springs) and the surprising bit was when I pulled the inspection caps of the front strut towers, there were the little Allan Key adjusters ... AHH Koni's me thinks !! (there's the suspension all done). Rear panel at base of rear hatch has the usual rust in the corners, with fibreglass treatment ... mmm going to need my p-beaters assistance here too ... All in all, car in good, but needs lots of bits and pieces to be completed .. Here comes a good 6-12 months of bills and headaches !!! Gonna be fun tho. might move this to the project page !

Hi All, I know I missed out on this etiquette part early on because I did not actually own the car, but now I do so its ok to place the details on here. I've bought a 71 240z from Victoria site-unseen. You may not know this car, as the owner was not a VicZcar member, and the car was never advertised for sale. The colour is bright orange (originally 918 orange) and the body appears to be in VGC, a comment varified by a Victorian zed expert that actually looked over the car in detail. On discovery of a 'small rust bubble' in one of the fenders during re-paint had the owner replacing it. The car was not completed however as the owner discovered that after painting the body, rust was founf int he LHS frame rail. This is only in the LHS as it appears a leaky battery and years of limited use literally rotted it. I have had a quote from a respected Sydney panel shop that only does restoration work (as opposed to accidents) and he tells me that its a fairly straightforward fix to repair. He has now painted several Zeds, one of which he tells me was a NSW concours prize winner. His other projects have included Ferrari's, Lambo's and a few genuine D-types. The car has not been driven in 'years' as the prior owner trailered the then unregistered car to this shed some two years ago with a view to undertaking a full resto. Here it has sat idle. He started it once and could not believe the sound, which he described as 'like a spitfire'.... mmm we'll see what the neighbours have to say about that! The engine is matching numbers and has triple webers, high comp pistons, warm cam, electronic ignition and extractors. The block is black, suggesting its at least been out and painted. Suspension is fresh and lowered, but not ridiculous. The owner prior to last was a Lady, whose Brother was a mechanic who apparently spent considerable time making this thing a real goer. Reason the Lady sold it.... she bought a turbo charged Z and then had a spare. The prior owner to me bought it the moment he saw it even though it was not advertised. I've been actively buying bits, inc; Datsun Compe Handle, Fender mirrors and interior tid bits as they come up. Plan for the car is to remove engine (which prior owner was half way through doing) and get it to the panel shop for bay repair and completion, at which I am entertaining a complete strip and respray to original 918, albeit this time in two pac. Bonnett will be satin black and I will add old school jap race seats, Koni's, fender mirrors and Watanabe's (if I get rich by then!!). Will not flare the guards as I prefer the skinny look. If you've seen Office Tomitaku's car, this is the look I am going for. Anyway, the car arrives tonight on a trailer .... (fingers crossed). If you're in Sydney and want to pop by to have a look some time, drop me a note. I'll stick a photo or two up when I can. Thanks all for your help so far. Cheers

Ummm If you were just competing with me on flea bay ... I just bought a pair !!!!! very happy ... but need to remember NOT to show wife what I paid !!!! OUCH

Hi All .. I'm looking for a set of japanese style fender mirrors for my 432 project. Please let me know if you have a set or where I might find some, preferably not chromed as they will be painted.

My ones are ordered new from Nissan Japan ! If there is a quality issue i'll return them. The photos posted by Mossy look excellent. Got to be a whole stack better than what i'm starting with !!!

Mossy, you're a legend .. I now own a pair !!!!!! :-*

Hi all Anybody have a set or know where I can buy a set of new or VGC black door cards for my 240Z project? Alternatively has anybody successfully recovered / renovated their old ones to OEM standard? Cheers

Intriguing again Alan ... By the look of the one I have bought its been used to have the shiny patina. Had a look at the photos on ClassicZcars site last night ... its an aladdin's cave of treasure ... and for what is worth, I'm definitely one of the 2% of people on your side Alan ... The 920 colour is magnificent and actually when thinking of the new 350Z release about 6 years ago, the big colour they pushed was that orange/gold metallic, that upon thinking about it looks like a crude derivative of 918 and 920. Take care. Adam

great minds think alike !! call me on 0400 830 055 or 612 9817 7625 tonight.

mmmm, the Histrix looks like a prop out of the Maltese Falcon, but also very cool ... any word on what those other ones were or are available from?

N-zeder ... good sluthing, I think it looks about the exact same mould from the rear shape of the bucket and the belt holes under the headrest. I think tomitaku's however are fabric coated. You did not mention a brand or supplier in your note, do you have this information? ALso presume from your comment that these are currently available? Many thanks again Adam

Thank NZeder ... I'm used to craving for a 911S/T... go to youtube and have a look at some of these completely INSANE machines ... they're like antique swiss clocks ... amazingly scarce and even more ridiculously exxy.. If you want a quick intro .. have a look on youtube at a vid called "Nurburgring Legends" The yellow car is what I mean and 500k Euros is a good price to start when thinking of buying one !! Ummm not sure sure my wife would understand me selling the house for a deposit !!! Think 900kg and 280ps. Back to reality, Alan or Nzeder can either of you identify those race seats on the Office Tomitaku car? I've just been on his site and having another look ... I note the little black Corolla also appears to have a set as well. Thanks again, you guys are a great help.

HS30-H .. can you pls post some photos of your steed ? cheers

Well HS30-H .. this is fascinating .. so I'm guessing then that a genuine 'orange' 432 is 918 ,,, unless its been repainted at a later stage. Agree on the respect thing too .. I'm in a the porsche club too and they get VERY fussy about copy cats etc ... so totally understand .. So .. given you know all this stuff, can you confirm that the factory paint was acrylic? and for the $64,000 question .. what is the brand of paint manufacturer??? (yes ,, if you're gonna do, do it right!). thanks again for this insightful commentary ,, greatly appreciated. once more Q ... what does HS30-H stand for ?? Is this some insanely rare beast they built along with the 432R's ?

Thanks so much NZeder ... Sounds as though the 432R style look is coming to our streets !! I've buckled to the pressure of that little man in the corner of my head ... and I'm going back to 918 Orange, vented front spoiler and rear spoiler (not exactly sure which one and from where??), old school buckets, satin black bonnet and grey wata's. NZeder have a look at those pics of those seats and let me know your thoughts ... they're glass backed buckets (colour coded to 918) with narrow shoulders (as opposed to these crazy looking things that appear to have wings on them these days). Really keen to know what they are or how to get a seat that is very very close. Can't wait to see your ride ... sounds awsome .. must say the rb motor on carbs does have genuine appeal ! Car was supposed to arriver PRE easter ... now its next Tuesday..Damn !

Gotta say I love the old school 70's colours on these cars ... Sounds like we should meet and greet when we get the cars done. Tell me, are you going with factory acrylic or full two pac?