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Hi Fellow Zeders Here is my Build story. I have been very slack and not done this sooner now even more under the pump as I moving to QLD in December so I only got a couple of months to get back together - MY GOD I am doing 2-3 hours every night after work and full days on my weekends - yes the body is cracking up and the cash is evaporating quicker than a Snow Man in the Simpson Desert. Anyway here is the story - I had always wanted a z car since I was about 16years old, now in mid 40s .. didn’t take me to long??… Had a slogan actually when I was youngster ( god I am sounding old) Z power - Z domination – Z supremacy – all TRUE of course! Now I am 45, (still a kid maybe) anyway about a year ago I got the devilish little 260z 2 + 2, as luck would have it after 24years of lusting after those long/low curvaceous lines that make 99.5% of all other sports cars look well what can I say insufficient, my little Blue GEM turned up on the internet with an address no less than 5 km form my house. The unfortunate current owner was having to make a return to life back in NZ. For a new job offer. (very nice guy actually) So seeing that she was pretty straight and had limited rust that I could see and no-bog that would show up with the basic magnetic test I put in offer that wayward KIWI could not resist, being a short trip home I fired her up drove her home much to the previous owner’s dismay. ( yarrrr really going to drive it???) YEP! She was a bit thrown together but running and she looked like she had a couple of false starts in the rebuild and renew stakes, BUT she made the short trip home. I gave her a good clean for a couple of days fish oiled the whole car and then started to take rust out from around the battery tray and surrounding areas. She had just had the following done · Some re-wiring · New extractors · Urethane suspension bumper kit · New Battery · New Coil · New dash cover · New mechanical fuel pump Closer inspection when I started the tare down – some of it done a little half assed. Even know I had in my mind to postpone the rebuild, I still polished and resprayed the kidney bean five slotter classic mags to a mirror shine. On the outward facing surface and painted the inner surface and the inside walls of the kidney bean slots metallic gloss black, the rears are about 1cm wider – tough period style mags that are Aussie made no-less. The idea was to keep her in a stable condition and limit any further rusting until I was really ready to embark on a full rebuild – part of the schedule was to finish a substantial Man Cave so I would have plenty room for a full resto. Once the 150 square meter man cave with 4.5 meter ceiling was finished I started to pull her down and remove the god-dam sunroof structure get her ready to put on the rotisserie and get all the parts wet blast/ dustless blasted Getting the sound deadening out was with a heat gun and hand scrapers was nasty hand blistering experience that took many many many hours. Still got the calluses 6months later. Much later I discovered (via the awesome Vic Z Car Forum) that dry ice to make the sound deadener snap freeze and make it brittle then use a vibrating multi scrapper tool would been so much easier – (valuable lesson No.1) The sunroof was a slide back job that dropped down in to roof cavity so it looked good actually but it limited the internal head room a bit and I was sure it would just be a home to hold moisture and cause rust moving forward so I cut it out and YES it would have been a massive source of rust in the future no doubt! As I discovered in the removal process. All the seals where toast and the trim on it was also history and rust was in and around most of the structure of it. I will have to weld some reinforcing bars in and around the hole now as it feels a bit flimsy – dam should of held out for a non- sunroof car, but it will be solid hard top again! What’s next pull off every panel I can strip out what’s left including all the electrical and the engine, suspension, gearbox, ect – try not lose anything and remember where everything goes – I must be friggen certifiably crazy .!!!! Need to learn how to panel beat, and weld as well – no small task – over ambitious completely!, but want to do it all myself – my baby, my car no one is going to touch her now but me. To much to learn even with You-Tube assistance and the help of the VIC Z CAR site but we will see how it goes no rush. But its hard to hold back just want to get all finished and start to drive her again. I have contemplated every engine combo under the sun – keep on going back original L- Series options just like the genuine raw feel and look of the original atmo engine has – seeing some u-tube of stroked versions out on the track demolishing everything in its class gut wrenching spine-tingling stuff – wish it was done now and I was out frying some tyres now threading some turns in a raw tuned 70s motorcar, sure the modern cars can be faster (that’s what the facts say) and more comfortable but character and rawness an the intensity of the driving experience is watered down and unless you are going super sonic speeds there is nowhere near the same level of satisfaction – We all know this!. Classic cars are all appreciating at staggering rate with good reason. Interior was worse the outer body showing her age massively beyond saving – the spare wheel well she is also a goner! Rear lift back struts still work -what the Hell? The suspension shocks are original on the outside at least (we will see what lurks within) they are still working but would not look out of place as some relic poking out of the sand in the 1st five minutes of a Planet of the Apes Movie A picture tells a thaousnd dollars the doors where pretty good Damm Rust Sun Roof looked good but a massive cultivator of RUST Wish I had Dome tops Classic 5 Slot Kidney Beans MADE IN AUST. more rust I dreaded doing this but it had to be done - Pulling out the heater was one the harder parts there was a lot of rust in the little radiator and pipes but still working, but I had it re-cored anyway, as the idea of complicated fix later on down the track after getting everything back to new would be heart breaking. I removed the engine gearbox as one unit using a Super Cheap Engine crane , word of advice pay for adjustable angle stabilizer as You would not be able to control how the engine hangs on the crane and I would not have got it out.without it and it and it L-Brackets and the smaller chains to connect the engine to the crane in 4 locations I attached the hoist to brackets with the head bolts to 4 x head bolts after removing the rocket cover Next I bought a Rotisserie off EBay for about $1200.00 delivered it does make working on the car so much easier an if you do plan sand/wet blasting and getting access to every surface of the car it’s the only way. Got her on to the rotisserie this actually did go to plan (for once) the front was pretty straight forward the 2 horizontal struts that go off the main pivoting horizontal bar drilled 2 side holes into these matching the front bumper mounts spacing that threaded into the inside of chassis rails. For the rear mounts on the rotisserie I got 2 u-style brackets that you would secure pine posts to a cement slab super beefy heavy duty ones . Drilled holes in the base to match the rear bumper mount holes and the uprights that would go either side of the pine post I bolted to the sliding horizontal struts of the rotisserie, I had to do a little spacing with some washers – but overall it went to plan and was pretty straight forward but it did take me 2 evening’s after work to complete it. Once on the rotisserie I removed the drive line and suspension The famed rear wishbone set up with removable pivot axel was reliably a nightmare to remove I got one moving by stacking a couple of washers at a time on one side and torqueing up the end nut to slowly pull the axel through, it worked but it was very taxing one end thread and eventually it pretty much stretched the thread into oblivion but was enough to get 80% of it out and gave a lot more opportunity to get a range of penetrating oils into the axel pivot, then I could at least punch out the remainder of it with sock-set extender bar The second rear swing arm I soaked the lower pivoting ling in a big bucket of apple vinegar for 3 weeks with the central cotter pin removed to allow for more penetration in to the pivot axel, the idea is all the rust and corrosion gets eaten away which should loosen the fit of the axel. Sadly this did not help and I had to cut the axel to get the suspension pivot apart and I will have to press out the remaining axel . NITEMARE!! The Fuel Tank Resto The Fuel tank sas in terrible condition 10mm at least of rusty sludge on the bottom and rust everywhere you looked –I thought it was a throw away actually but I researched possible reco methods online and come with the following With tank fully removed I tried the scoria pebbles and cement mixer combination to internally sand-away the rust and it worked really well. Next step was to put in the 16 litres of apple cider vinegar which I will leave in for about 2weeks and flip it regularly, this should take out all the rust – concentrating on the seams by letting the tank sit on the seam sides for days. I almost considered not doing vinegar treatment as the tank looked so good after the pebble process but I am glad I did because a huge amount of rusty crap still came out of it after this process ;lots more rinsing Note you have to tape up all the holes in the tank I did this by using the good ole duc-tape and some zip ties to ensure the taped caps stayed in place, I used a typical spray can cap to seal the fuel filler neck with some duc-tape and zipties Pictures of the of blocking the holes in the tank below With Fuel sender hole I found a big washer and then I made two gaskets out of bicycle tube then screwed the lock ring down – perfect seal After washing out the tank several times and blowing out the pipes eventually the rusty crap stopped coming out Then I used Por 15 Metal clean to clean out the tank once more and neutralize the effects of the Vinegar Drying out the tank I did straight away by putting a heat gun in the tank filler hole in the lower setting and letting it run – I also put electric strip radiator heater on faced it on the tank – the tank was heated inside and outside it got pretty hot to touch and effectively dried out in about 30 min. Tank inside after the cement mixer treatment and vinegar and Metal Clean I put paint striper on the outside of the tank and removed the paint with a hand held wire brush, then used a wire wheel on 240volt drill to clean her up fully and get rid of any of the stubborn rust spots, tank is looking really new Then then I Used the 1st step of the KBS Gold Standard Fuel Tank Sealer Kit (Got this from Autobarn) 1st Step KBS kit is pour in 50-50 mix of Aquaklean tank cleaner solution this is mixed with 50% hot water Ieft this in 24hours and repeatedly turned the tank in this period and gave it a really good shake. Note you have to tape up all the holes in the tank I did this by using the good ole duc-tape and some zip ties to ensure the taped caps stayed in place, this solution should help get rid of the vinegar and neutralize the effects of the vinegar The next step is to proceed with step-2 of the KBS kit putting in the rust buster solution which I put in as per the recommendations an I made sure that the centre seam got extra time immersed in solution The 3rd step of the KBS kit is the silver tank lining solution which I again followed the instructions looks like really good stuff the tank is thickly lined in silver paint now and looks brand new. This stuff is super strong pretty impressive. Tank Finished and Painted on the Inside List of steps 1. Remove tank from car 2. Hire Large concrete mixer 3. Fill tank with 10mm scoria pebbles about 15-20% full 4. Strap tank to the front of the mixer ratcheting straps 5. Run for 1.5 hours on one side 6. Run for 1.5 hours on the other side 7. Add water to the tank and run mixer on highest speed until most of the water has come out 8. Get all the stones out and flush tank with water 9. Add the vinegar for 2 weeks and flip regularly 10. Take out vinegar and flush with water and detergent 11. Use POR-15 Metal Clean solution and dry the tank 100% 12. Sand blast or paint stripper on the outside of the tank 13. Add the 1st step of KBS Tank reliner kit witch is a cleaner, Give a good swish around 14. Dry out the tank fully used a Heat gun in the inside through the filler neck and also used a radiator style electric heater to heat up the quiet hot to get all the water evaporated 15. Put in the rust buster solution step 2 of the tank reliner kit 16. Dry out the tank fully used a Heat gun in the inside through the filler neck and also used a radiator electric heater to heat up the quiet hot to get all the water evaporated 17. Pun in the special tank relining solution swish evenly around the tank, tip out excess and let it dry 18. Remember to blow out the pipes before the reliner paint dry’s 19. Paint the outside with POR 15 BLACK GLOSS after making sure the surface is properly prepped Please note I also removed the fuel sensor system let that soak for 2 weeks in vinegar – cleaned that with POR Aquaklean and then used the rusbutster , then used the tank liner solution on all the outside surfaces except for float and the electronics. It was still some how working even know it was caked with rust Good lesson for all is to keep fuel stabilizer in your cars if you are only using cars occasionally. The modern fuels goes off quickly - off fuel and half empty tanks accelerate the rusting process – also keeping the fuel tank fully topped up will help slow rusting because nothing is left exposed to rust. $200-$300 on parts to fix the original tank may also be better than the original - a reco’ed tank from USA was about $600 without shipping so it was cheaper and no doubt done better than most reco’s but it was a lot of work. But thought of sending rusty crappy fuel down to a beautiful straight six engine is not something I wanted. The Reco Continues After finishing the petrol tank I then I proceeded to remove every part removed and I mean every part make sure you do this as behind bolts and brackets can be rust especially the door hinges so remove absolutely everything! I have 2300psi Karchner Jet Washer with a Sand blaster attachment (for wet blasting) I started to use this with the sand blaster attachment and it did work but it used a lot of sand and to do a small area and a lot of water it could be possible to do a whole car but the time and money for all the sand and the mess of wet sand in panels and building up in areas that you don’t want it to would not be worth it especially on the car body, on individual panels but it could be worth the pain and trouble. So I got a dustless bluster guy to come out and they use a much higher pressure water system the water keeps the dust down also keeps the panel cool and helps prevent panel warpage compare to standard sand blasting. It’s a new method and some people will say this method is not as good because of the use of water, but it is quickly becoming the preferred method of some professional spray painters The water used in the dustless blasting also gets treated with a rust inhibitor (called “stay tight”) to stop or greatly reduce rusting of the naked panels. I guess many of you are wanting to know how did work – It’s awesome to watch very effective at removing everything in its path except rubber, seam sealer, sound deadner and silicon, so urethane rubbers are not damaged, rubber protective bellows if in good condition also not damaged , the factory metal cable ties that spot welded to the panels to guide the wire harness ect, have the rubber coating also not damaged – pretty cool stuff. There is not a lot of excess water and not a lot of sand used either really. Its still pretty physical for the guy doing the blasting but you don’t even really need a dust mask – much better than sand blasting. This is what was blasted Suspension components – all parts Diff Tail shaft Grill Drum covers Removed panels This actually took about 8 hours and the body we left to another day which was another 14 hours. The body is extra labour intensive as the tar sound deadener and rust proofing on the under body actually needs to physically removed before the blasting as the granules of sand whether standard dry sand blasting or wet blasting will bounce off the tar rather than take if off – so out comes the vibrating scraper tool again – awesome for this hard task but it will still take you 12-15hours to remove the tar from the under body –kill me now. Also note the seam-sealer will also not blast off so if you want new seam sealer remove that also before blasting. Did I remove the seam sealer yes I did 90% of the time there was no rust under the seam sealer so not really worth it in my case but I guess it goes brittle at some point so it might be the best to get out now. I followed the dustless wet blasting with the POR-15 Marine Clean and then the POR -15 rust converter and which neutralizes rust and seals the panel with galvanized type of finish –both these process (Marine Clean and Metal Ready) use water so the whole process should work well the water based dustless blasting. The POR-15 systems will get very good penetration in to all the surfaces of the panels getting into the overlaps and creases . I also invested in some of the Rust Bullet paint this kills of neutralizes rust as well – comes with a 10year guarantee in fact, and is the industry’s best rust treatment solution by all the supporting evidence I could find. I am going to use this stuff for all the area where you cant see or get into , chassis rails, seams, inside panels , structural pressings around bonnet and inside the frame of the rear lift back frame , rear lift back hinge cavity – basically anywhere rust could or could resurface. This stuff you can see visually removing rust with each application and it also seeps deep into the rust, fully neutralizing - the POR-15 is similar but not a as aggressive what I mean by that great for areas that you get to remove most of the offending loose rust – but for areas where you can’t the Rust Bullet is more effective and is also backed with warranty!! On all the body work inside and out all the suspension parts, driveline I used the KBS rust sealer and the the engine bay rear boot space and the underbody the KBS body seal – I can only go application not on time being the true test - but for the money the KBS is great stuff works well and easy source and half the price . The sunroof delete has been a considerable source of contemplation I read everything on the forum and studied anything else I could find on the net. At one point I decided I was going heat form some 8mm thick arylic/Perspex to the shape of the roof and make insert to plug the hole. End result would have been moon roof .I was thinking of going this way because I am 6ft 2 and having the feel of more space with a sunroof and a fixed moon roof does not reduce the height of the roof line, this appealed to me, the hole is also larger than normal being a slide back is larger with nice curved corners so it will look good with tinted roof flush fitted acrylic insert. But I did a crazy amount of research on this and I found out that Perspex would expand maybe 5mm to 8mm possibly with the size I had to fill - which means you have to sit shaped pane of Perspex on a reassessed shelf with 5mm bed of silicon with 10mm silicon track around the whole Perspex’s roof to absorb the expansion from the heating on a hot day. So the idea of all this movement on a fragile roof skin made me abandon the idea. Now I am going to weld in the original sunroof blank and put this to rest. P-A-I-N-T originally I was going to keep the original Light blue its classic yes! but I wanted something a bit more muscle car and vibrant. I started to look at all the wild green options in the end after much contemplation and looking at and imagining the z in this colour for some time – 12months of seeing it that way - I settled on the MOPAR colour PFB SUBLIME GREEN METALLIC #5163154AA The sunroof delete Plan to weld in the original drop down and slide back sunroof blank. To do this by welding in inner lip around the inside of the sunroof hole, this would make it much easier to get the sunroof blank to fit at the correct level to existing roof line and also put metal around the edge to absorb the heat from welding and this would reinforce the hole in the roof line . So for these lip parts I was able to use the strengthening bracket which where folded into the edge of the existing sun roof blank this. These brackets are already shaped to the curve of the roof line and are quite strong. I got these welded in top place no problem front and back was fne and the sides to took a lot more fiddeling around because the side need more spacing to match the roof line In regards to Tyre/ Wheel Sizes - From what I can ascertain these are probably the biggest tyres that I can fit under standard rolled guards with MCA coil overs installed – I am giving you the tyre/wheel size just in case you think is worth changing the diff ratio? I plan to run in these in the future: · 16 x 7 (4mm offset) with 225/50 on the front – with Toyo R1R Tyres – Mags Made by Rota, RB model · 16 x 8 (4mm offset) with 245/45 on the rear – with Toyo R1R Tyres – Mags Made by Rota, RB model Will run the stock Alloy Mag Wheels (supplied with the car) five slotter kidney Bean until I have the budget to get the bigger wheels mentioned above. Stock wheel measurement are as follows · 14 x 6 (10mm offset) with 215/65 on the Front – with Bridgestone RE92 tyre - Mags 5 slot Kidney made in Aust. Samson Brand · 14 x 6 on the Rear (10mm offset with 225/65 on the Rear – with Bridgestone RE92 tyre - Mags 5 slot Kidney made in Aust. Samson Brand With the help of wheel calculator it says that there is minimal difference in the diameter is I go with this set up 67mm less circumference with the new wheel set up if the calculator is right. Front EXISTING front NEW Diameter 635.1mm 631.4mm Circumference 1995.2mm 1983.6mm Poke 66.2mm 84.9mm Inset 86.2mm 92.9mm Speedo error 0% 0.59% Reading at 30mph 30mph 30.18mph Reading at 60mph 60mph 60.35mph Ride height gain 0mm -1.85mm Arch gap loss 0mm -1.85mm Compared to your existing wheel, this new wheel will have an inner rim which is 6.7mm closer to the suspension strut. The outer rim will poke out 18.7mm more than before. EXISTING NEW Diameter 648.1mm 626.9mm Circumference 2036.1mm 1969.5mm Poke 66.2mm 97.6mm Inset 86.2mm 105.6mm Speedo error 0% 3.38% Reading at 30mph 30mph 31.01mph Reading at 60mph 60mph 62.03mph Ride height gain 0mm -10.6mm Arch gap loss 0mm -10.6mm Compared to your existing wheel, this new wheel will have an inner rim which is 19.4mm closer to the suspension strut. The outer rim will poke out 31.4mm more than before.

This car is actually Zed number 5 for me, I still own all of my Zeds. I bought my first zed as my first car, much like the previous owner of this Zed. When I was a young boy racer I too wanted to modify, paint, change colour etc. etc. As I have refined with age so has my taste, I now prefer OEM and more specifically JDM. Every Zed has a story and its passionate Zed owners. So I will start this project journal at May 2009 and the previous owner Tom, this is a link to his project journal and album for this car. http://www.viczcar.com/forum/topic/5026-tjs-260z-22/ http://www.viczcar.com/forum/user/100877-taz/ As you can see it started off life as a 301 Brown Metallic. Possibly not one of the most popular colours but definitely in good condition. Tom then painted the car 31J Mazda Aurora Blue. In Jan 2011 I popped into this cars life when I was looking for a first car for my brother. He was not really into cars but this had to be better than an off the shelf Ford he was looking at. This is where the curse of the Devil Zed started with me. For those of you that have not watched the movie Wangan Midnight, in essence it is a story about a zed that needs to be constantly fixed because it has crashed and has a mind of its own. This car has a very close likeness to the Devil Zed in looks and behaviour. I drove down to Hobart to pick it up, the paint work looked like it could use a good buff but it run like a clock. Halfway from Hobart to Launceston a 2hr drive, I noticed some sparks fly out the rear end. This happened as the gearbox jumped out of 5th, which was a known problem. The sparks? Not so much! So I continued to drive and try cruise as gently as I could. As I was approaching Launceston the car was breaking down like it was running out of fuel. Then all of a sudden there was absolutely no power, so I had to roll to a stop. I tried restarting the car but it was not going to start, so I rang my mate for a tow, he came out a while later. I went to start the car to show him that it was fucked but it started straight away and ran like a clock. So I decided to continue to drive it to his place, as I approached the same problem happened breaking down like out of fuel and stop. I had enough momentum to roll it into his drive. The plan was to get the car down to my shed in Rosebery on the West Coast a further 260km away. Unfortunately it had to go down on a trailer. There it lay dormant in my Zed shed for quite some time I was hoping my little bro would be interested in helping fix it, he sort of was but not really phased. A young bloke wanted me to drive him to his leavers dinner in it so that reinstated the need to get it going again. A working bee insued with the help of my mechanic mates. The car would start and run like a clock but as soon as it was warm it would start breaking down, after a full day of trying to work out what was wrong, it was time for an engine transplant. Bugger knows if it is a blown head gasket or a cracked head, either way it gets worse when it is hot. The next day we transplanted a new engine but was taking ages for us to get the damn new transmission on. We left it over night and my mates had to leave. The next day I finally managed to get the transmission in but it was tight. I had one day left until the deadline of this leavers dinner. I went to start the car and drive but it was not going anywhere... The clutch was disengaged and would not engage the fly wheel at all... I PUT THE DAMN WRONG THROW OUT COLLAR ON... Hence why it was so hard to put in, I was pushing against the pressure plate. So I pulled the transmission again put the right throw out collar on and all was good... Went to drive the car out of the shed in reverse and it popped out.I tried again and it would not hold reverse, it is an uphill climb out of my shed so Devil Zed missed its Leavers Dinner revival. I left the Devil Zed alone for a while and worked on my RB25 240Z instead. I also swapped my little brother my Nissan X-Trail for this failure of a Devil Zed. At least he was happy having a reliable car, even though he still did not have his license. In Aug 2015 the Devil Zed got some more attention. This time for my 15 year old step daughter, it was her leavers Dinner. I was determined to make it this time, I had until November 20 2015. Work started and I got my mate Perko to help. I still had very limited time as I was now working 2 weeks on, 1 week off in WA. Some of my weeks off I only managed to get half a day at a time on the car. The short list of works: Fully rebuilt the front calipers (as they were siezed). Rebuilt the rear drums (Just because). Removed three gear boxes in total from my 260z's (this was to get to a brand new button clutch and good transmission). Installed brand new button clutch and good tranny. Brakes would not bleed (bought new master cylinder) Transported car from Rosebery to Devonport so I could get more days on the car. Brakes still would not bleed (Some idiot put the calipers on the wrong way) Brakes finally bled up. Installed new door mechanism (what a prick) Installed new door trims and hardware. Fixed hazard lights. Fixed handbrake Got wheel alignment Installed new rubber boots on steering Rack. Fixed exhaust leak (by re welding flange) Tuned carbies Replaced plugs Now we go back to the original post by Tom... They did not put a clearcoat on the car but instead mixed the clear with the final coats of paint... I had well and truly missed my buffing window by 5 years. I tried a few compounds from Super Cheap and they were not even bringing any swirls out of the surface. I had to Wet Sand first 1500 grit then 2000 grit on every single panel. Orange Peel Galore and this paint was hard as steel. It only took 4 days to complete the job hand sanding and machine polishing. I highly recommend the 3M Perfect-It system and buffing pads. The results are more than adequate to the untrained eye but could use a little more wet sanding on the side panels. I must thank a few family and friends for their help on this one, especially in my absense at work. Jimmy (helping with original engine swap), Perko (helping me swear at the car and the major works), Doug Eastly (assisting with transport odds and ends), Valerie Wells (helping organise everyone), Rhiannon Wells (for choosing the blue one), Troy Eade (installing new plugs), Mark Wells (Tuning Carbs and transport), Discotune (fixing a few odds and ends for registration) Alli Jane Wells (My partner putting up with me swearing about this car) Going back to the start of this saga "EVERY ZED HAS ITS OWN STORY AND PASSIONATE OWNERS" not only that but brings the passion out in others. Either through memories of their own seeing a zed for the first time or just being mates. Please see the finished results below, still pending pit pass. I am confident it will make it.

Hi all just purchased a 2+2 with the interior striped and a shell with most rust repair done. Picking it up next week so currently making room. Have posted a few wtb adds already. We currently have a 1600 1972 and a ke20 Corolla 1974. Would be great to connect with south aussies with z cars :-)

Just wondering what people have in there way of trim pieces for a rear hatch of a 2+2 need all trims from the vinyl that covers strut towers, side pieces , and tail light cover panel. live in melbourne and currently in lockdown but happy to pay for postage if need be. thanks

Just got my first Z and I'm wondering if you guys can instill your wisdom. Is it worth tearing back the sound deatening and look for rust under my floor? Most rust looks to be surface so surely i can just rust kill it, clean it and then spray rust inhibitor and call it a day? I don't really want to make more work for myself if I don't really need to.

Sold I have two 2+2 for sale as a pack. I will post more photos and detail later but here is a quick summary. A complete car in blue – Had it running about a year ago (was running rough), since then we took off the exhaust and headers and put them on to the 2 seaters. 2 seater headers and exhaust will be included for use in the 2+2. Extension of the exhaust will be required. The previous owner did a lot of work to get the blue one RWC, bushings, suspension, radiator, thermal fans, rubbers, however, there was an issue of some sort with the engine, I did not investigate further. The blue car comes with an additional running engine out of my 2 seater (the only reason I have taken it out is because I have upgraded to a mild race engine). We did a lot of restoration work on this engine and were running like a charm by the end of it. Both engines have the desirable head. Bad points on the blue: Rust in rear right-hand quarter under the bumper, there is likely to be a lot more but the previous owner has resprayed the vehicle and the car has been in storage for about 2 years with me with no further rust showing up. The second 260z is a shell has nearly everything needed to complete the car other than the gearbox and loads of random extra spares, very good shell. Shell has minor rust on the lower radiator support. Other than that is very clean. It was prepared for paint about 4 years ago and has been in storage since. The car will need to be re-prepped. Within a large amount of parts there some standout value parts: New Old Stock Bonnet OEM polished wheels Fibreglass bonnet Second engine that was restored and used as daily Fibreglass rear spoiler Asking price is $7500 – Non-negotiable, please do not try; I think this is an incredible deal as is. The reason for sale, I am running out of room for undercover storage and having to store ugly trailer at my other house and the wife hates it. Cars located in Langwarrin Melbourne South East. Sold

Hey guys, Figure I would start my build thread, originally I started just writing what I had done to the car but I quickly changed my mind and have decided to tell you about how I came by my Zed and the story of how it got from SA to QLD in an interesting tale. I apologise firstly for the poor english, I was terrible at it in school and I don't think that has changed. I've done my best to edit it and fix parts of it, however I am no english teacher. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed bringing the memories back and writing it. My Story My Zed I had just finished the bulk of my training in the Army and moved onto the few final stages training down in Puckapunyal, Victoria. Whilst down there I was talking regularly with my brother who has an almost unnatural fixation on Old Land Rovers, he and I both agreed I would need a car when I was finally posted to Townsville or Darwin (Pending the Army's choice) . Knowing this was my chance at my very own first car, I immediately started searching for a Zed. While I craved to get a hold of a 240, I decided to settle on what was more feasible in terms of my price range at the time as well as availability and hunted down a few 260z's. My brother being a brother was reluctant to let me purchase a 260z let alone a Datsun while he didn't hate them or dislike them he simply tried to steer me towards a Land Rover naturally, however I had my heart set on a Zed as it is quite literally my dream car. He finally gave in to my demands and agreed we would find a Zed for myself, and so our search began in earnest. I do not remember how many weeks I searched Car-sales and the similar sites as well as a few forums but I finally stumbled upon a Dark Green 260z 2+2 in Adelaide, Sellicks Beach, from the very start the distance and traveling did not concern me at all. Like all young men I was under the impression and belief I was invulnerable as would be the car I drive and pick. Going off nothing but pictures and speaking with Mr McCaul various times, my brother decided it was the one and I happily agreed. Knowing I would have to fly to Adelaide I decided on the following weekend to do it, amazingly and credit to him my brother said I wouldn't be going alone so be booked a flight himself from Emerald QLD - Brisbane - Adelaide meeting me in the airport the following weekend. Taking a cab out to Sellicks Beach I was giddy with excitement I had pretty much talked myself into buying it already, I knew it was the one I wanted and when I finally arrived and the introductions were done and he walked us out back to the 260 I was grinning from ear to ear. Funnily enough he also owned and old Jaguar which my brother took a keen interest in as my father owns a 1913 Vauxhall D Type and a 1926 Model A Ford, so the car gene runs deep in our family. Like all good buyers I reined in my excitement and started focusing on the car, I had researched as much as I could about rust locations and known common problems with 260's. I think knowing he may be selling his car to a young man who would clearly love the car, he took the time and pointed out and listed his known issues with the car and identified a few spots of rust which had already been repaired and a few which had simply been covered in rust guard. All while this was happening my brother and myself were giving each other looks, obviously I was struggling to contain my happiness whilst my brother was trying to remain impassive even with my mood affecting his own. After our initial look around the vehicle and getting in and out he offered to take us on a drive. I didn't think I could smile anymore until he started the engine, that sound, smell, vibration and feel was intoxicating, I wanted it pure and simple I looked at my brother and he already knew I was sold on it. He reversed us out of the drive way and slowly took off down the road, now knowing he raced MX-5's I should have clued on to the type of drive he would take us on. I couldn't imagine a better place to sell a Zed than the hills around Adelaide and Sellicks Beach they were made for a Zed, the winding corners, dips and rises and ocean views coupled with the sound of the L26 roaring as we thrashed around corners with some rather impressive driving. When we finally pulled over back at the house it was my turn to drive, needless to say I was shaking a little just from the adrenaline of being a passenger in this amazing car and now I had to drive, I was nervous and I hadn't been nervous about driving a vehicle since my driving test several years back. I had been driving Uni Mogs, Land Rovers and Mack Trucks during training and being tested but this little dark green monster scared the crap out of me. But there was no force on earth capable of keeping me out of that seat, I jumped in and took off hesitantly at first but with some encouragement from my brother and Mr McCaul I started to put the 260 through its paces I think if I hadn't already fallen in love and decided to buy this car I would have after driving it. After driving all the vehicles during training and using the family car for many years this dark green 260z felt so powerful and surreal to drive, I felt like I was driving a true car and it was fun in its purest form. After several drives even my brother taking the wheel insisting he needed to drive it, I said to the Mr McCaul I would buy it. He was kind enough to keep the car registered for me for a few months provided I changed over the registration upon my arrival in Townsville, so with the necessary paperwork signed and an impromptu bill of sale (Pictured Below) on the 6th of September 2014 I had successfully bought my very first car, my dream car, a Datsun 260z 2+2 Vin Number: GRS30-005258 Engine: L26125666 . With insurance settled at the same time my brother and I said our thanks and farewells and began the next step in our journey getting my Zed to Melbourne then Puckapunyal. And what a journey it would turn out to be. Naturally I started driving with my brother acting as navigator we settled on a route, Sellicks Beach – Mount Barker – Onto the M1 – Onto the A1 and finally the A8 to Melbourne. If only it was that easy, we had driven for about 20 minutes and the car suddenly started to cough and splutter when going up and down hills. Needless to say we both looked at each other thinking did we just make a massive mistake, luckily no not quite. Knowing it was a fuel issue we decided to quickly turn back to the nearest fuel station and give it a full tank (The gauge was at about 1/3). We drove on spirits high as we took into the hills and winding roads of South Australia, I felt like a race car driver, every hour behind the wheel I got more and more comfortable with the car. And as our journey progressed we both started to notice after various halts for checks that there was an issue or two with the car, mainly burning oil and the fuel pick up. (Both later fixed) By the time we roughly passed the half way mark I was beat and reluctantly handed over driving to my brother, by this stage night had fallen and both of us were starting to feel the cold even with the impressive amount of heat given off from the engine and the heater not working. We struggled on for the next four hours stopping frequently to give the car a rest as well as ourselves before finally arriving in Melbourne and crashing at a friends place. The next morning I drove my new 260 to an event in the heart of Melbourne to meet my sister who had also flown down to attend, ironically enough there was a car show right next to it and so the Zed fitted in quite well among the American muscle and European imports although from a nice quite car park outside the official show. I left the show later that afternoon to drive back to Puckapunyal knowing I had work the next day and had done this entire trip without permission. Luckily I had given myself the extra time because Murphy's Law hit me, again the fuel pick up was the cause. It was a blessing in a way as I finally learned that it was caused by air in the fuel lines inside the tank and so as long as I kept the tank quite full above 35L the car would run perfectly so with a full tank I charged onto Puckapunyal with time to spare. My car was then infrequently used apart from on the weekends when I would take it down some small country lanes and into town to buy tools to fix a few problems that popped up, but I loved it, with my army training and the problems my car cooked up I learned more and more about mechanics but the biggest test was yet to come. The drive from Puckapunyal, Victoria – Clermont, Queensland and then Townsville. I finished my training in Puckapunyal and was not allowed as a trainee to drive to Townsville to commence the next part of training so I was forced to leave my Zed at Puckapunyal while I flew north, it did not concern me since I had a plan to fly back on the first weekend get in my car and make the drive north and complete it in as little as time possible again without permission as I did not have that luxury. Little did I know this would turn out to be one of the most tiring and frustrating drives I have ever done. I booked a ticket back to Melbourne for the Friday night after work knowing I would need to give myself the extra hours and days as a safety margin. I arrived in Melbourne at around 10:30-11PM and caught a cab out to Puckapunyal I was in my Zed by Midnight Saturday and driving the fastest way north in the darkness. Again the drive was highlighted by the freezing temperatures and then by the numerous dead kangaroos and other wildlife that littered the road, seeing these I decided it best to follow a truck until sunrise to save myself the pain of hitting a Kangaroo and writing off my Zed. Before sunrise I was short of the Queensland border by a few hours and was making great time. My biggest cause of concern was replacing fuel filters and keeping an eye on my trip metre I had to ensure I was in range of a fuel station every 265km roughly or else I would be stranded due to the pickup. I crossed the Queensland border mid morning Saturday and continued north to Roma, by this stage of the trip I hadn't slept since Thursday night as I had flown directly from work and started driving. Fatigue was hitting me hard, and saner heads prevailed as I pulled over for a quick sleep of about 45 minutes. I woke feeling groggy but after a few minutes I felt quite good and took off once more keen to nail the trip in as little time as possible. Passing through Roma I had started dodging the frequent summer storms and showers luckily as the tyres I had on the Zed at the time were rubbish in the wet and frankly dangerous in my opinion. It was approaching sunset as I continued down the A7 between Roma and Rolleston right through the heart of the Carnarvon National Park, It was a fantastic road to drive even at night, though not without its perils as I would soon discover. I would have been around 70km from Rolleston when disaster struck in pairs. A rock flicked up by a truck I was following landed right in the path of my front right tyre and coupled with the tight roads and little sleep my reflexes were not up to the challenge. I hit it, obviously at this stage I was very much awake as the entire Tyre blew out the car swerved violently I took my foot off the accelerator and let the car slow without braking, pulling off the road as best I could in safe spot. I was dishearten to say the least but still hopeful as I knew I had a spare. Jumping out I glanced at the front seeing a Tyre torn apart and barely on the rim I then heard a sound I did not want to hear, and see a sight I did not want to see the hissing and sight of a rear right Tyre that was going down fast. I felt like crying, there is no other way to put it, I could deal with one blown Tyre but not two, I had no repair kit and no pump. I will admit I leaned against my car in the dark on the side of the road for sometime thinking and despairing. It was not a very well traveled road especially not at 8pm on a Saturday, I figure my best chance was to try and get some phone reception so I locked up my car, grabbed a backpack and water and hiked the nearest hill. I was thankful for the physical training the army gave me at that point, the hike took no time at all but I was not rewarded at the top as it was simply a false summit for an even larger mountain. Knowing I would not get service in the gorge I headed back to the car for the long walk to town. I gather some things from the car and moved it as carefully as I could down off the road and onto a patch of dirt damaging the side panel under the drivers door sadly but unknown to me at the time thankfully, and started the walk along the highway. I would have walked for about 30-45 minutes before I saw my first car and flagged it down. This bloke and his Land Cruiser was a life saver and funnily enough, he knew friends of mine in Clermont and wanted to take me the entire way however I simply asked to borrow his phone and call my brother. My Brother arranged to get a car trailer and drive out to me that night, so we pulled into Rolleston and I did what any young guy would do, walked straight into the local pub and had a beer and then found a park bench and went to sleep knowing he would be 3 hours away. It must have been around 11:30 by the time my brother arrived in Rolleston, and then another 45 minutes for us to reach my car. With a flurry of activity we loaded it and started the drive back to Clermont, for me my journey was done for now I had basically made it or at least got close enough. I do not recall much of the trip from Rolleston to Clermont I was sound asleep for the majority only waking to help my brother check the straps on the car. We arrived in Clermont early Sunday morning with a sad looking 260z on the back of a trailer, my brother said he would source some new tyres for me and I could take his car back to Townsville. So whilst I didn't quite make the drive I knew my Zed was only 4 hours from its new home. From the day I bought my Zed to less than a month in my possession it traveled 2584km for the first time in around 10 years after sitting in a garage and only being driven a few times a month. It was an epic trip and not exactly a trip I wish to experience again but it was a lesson in preparedness if anything. I hope you all enjoy my story as much as I enjoyed writing it, it bought up some memories again which was a lot of fun. Below this I will post and detail as much about my build as I can up to its current point. The Attached pictures were how my Zed looked right after the trip from Victoria to Townsville. You can see the damage underneath the drivers side door.

Hey guys, I finally got around to getting a new gopro to go along with my old one as well as an external microphone to capture that beautiful sound the Zed makes. I am still working on placement for the Mic but I really liked this position in the video but will try again in a few days to cut the windnoise down even more, and do a drive with more gear shifts later on. Anyway enjoy! Trying to figure out how to Embed the video.. if anyone could help for future posts.