Eikon wrote:I'm hoping to see it on the track at Carlisle this May. Is that the plan Gord? Will it be ready?

It might not have any doors on it, but yes.

I still have a long way to go...keeping fingers crossed.

the main difference for the wiper control stalk is the addition of intermitant, if the wipers are still slow it's likley just the motor, they were not up to par when new and 40 years later really suck, many like to convert to a honda motor

evildky wrote:they were not up to par when new and 40 years later really suck, many like to convert to a honda motor

With VTEC YO???

As for the water temp sensor, is there a bleed screw you could insert the sensor into? Are you not worried about it falling out of the radiator?

BigTDogg (MA) wrote: Are you not worried about it falling out of the radiator?

It is pressed in from the front and is pretty tight. It won't fall out. Perfect spot would have been a welded bung next to inlet neck.

Update

Big move today. It's the first time Betzy has been away from home in two years. We loaded up the trailer.



Secured her down with winch and straps. I need to get a few more places to secure the tie downs. We ended up using the front sway bar.



Made the trip with no problems.



Ready for the guys at Defined Autoworks to start on the exhaust and roll bar.



Gord

That's good no problems happened along the way, and nice FD! haha

Hey Gord, glad you started updating this thread again. Everything looks good.

J14cm7 wrote:Hey Gord, glad you started updating this thread again. Everything looks good.

I'm glad I finally got some time to work on her. It's been a busy winter. I hope my luck keeps up. It's March already

We had a sunny and warm day here in Ohio. Betzy is at the shop so I figured I could get caught up on a few "honey-do-list" type of stuff and then maybe work on the hatch. I made quick work of my chores and then started pulling the rear glass out of the rear hatch. Seems weird without the Z in here.



I forgot how toasted the plastic and rubber trim are. The inner trim panel is falling apart. I picked up another one on e-bay a few months back. This one is in bad shape.



Rubber has the consistency of charcoal. Rock hard.



The older 240's had this little vent system on top of the hatch. They later started using the vent on the side of the B pillar. I think these would have been a problem in the rain and snow. The internal plastic looks good, the outer grills will need to be replaced. I wonder what effect the BRE spoiler will have on the airflow through these vents.



I took my time and cut/chipped the seals apart and lifted out the rear glass. The early Z's also had the vertical rear defrost elements. They look like they are in good shape. There is a little bit of scratching on the outside where the surf board rack was. I think it will polish out. I am surprised how blue the glass is.



I think I can get the glass installed tomorrow. Time for a cold one. Cheers.

Gord

I must give you mad props for being able to build a car like this from the ground up. I would get too antsy and cut corners just to drive it.

Ni$$@n240 wrote:I would get too antsy and cut corners just to drive it.

Starting to worry about this myself.

Today I got the rear glass installed. It's pretty basic stuff. I purchased the one piece seal from Black Dragon P/N 59-875.
First step was to put the glass in the seal. Move the seal around to get the rubber centered. Next was to wrap a piece of wire in the groove around the outside of the seal, where the flange in the hatch will go. Make sure you overlap where you started. You can use a piece of string or rope, wire seems to slide easier when lubricated with a little soap and water.



Start at a corner and place seal in the groove. I had the hatch laying on floor upside down. The hatch was resting on the glass because the glass is curved. I think it would be easier on car with somebody pushing the window "in" from the outside. I just started pulling the wire out and it will draw the seal up and over the flange.



Worked my way around the window. The soap and water helps. Also rocking the seal around helps keep everything centered. Don't force anything.



Done.


Now the outside trim. It fits in the groove on the outside. Same as the seal, a little soap and water helps. Take your time.





Ta-da! Very happy with the new seal. I does fit well.



I cleaned up the vent parts. I also ordered new outside grills. I should be able to finish this up next week.

That's it for now.

Gord

why are you doing glass and trim before paint, won't everything need to be removed again?

svairman wrote:why are you doing glass and trim before paint, won't everything need to be removed again?

I am going to get Betzy driving first. She is so easy to take apart later. Max 2 days and I could have her totally disassembled. Maybe next fall I will take her apart and get her painted. No worries on the extra work, I do not mind.

Boring update.

Betzy is still at the shop. I worked on the R/H door today.

Step one is to take the window tint off.




I used paint stripper. I still needed to scrape the stuff off. It's been on there a while.



The door needed a good cleaning, inside and out. Lots of desert sand. It came out really nice.



Locks back in, New handle on outside.



The felt trim for the window frame was crispy...I had to chip it out. All new going in.



New roller...



The plastic runner was cracked. I epoxy repaired it.



Everything going back together.



Outside kinda sucks with the bondo and paint...



At least the mechanicals are perfect.



Next is the left door. Betzy should be home soon. All this stuff needs to be done anyway. It will make the drive to Carlisle less windy and less noisy.

Gord

Been awhile since I checked in last, great to see Betzy moving forward!
You are my hero man!

Ah crap you're going to carlisle P&Style? I'll have to make sure I attend then! Definitely would love to check out your car for awhile lol.

I will have to roll out there to carlisle with you gord- my 240 is coming together nicely now. Maybe Ill do enough to it to start a build thread.

~Alex

WOW, I just read this from begining to end. Bravo sir, bravo. I cant wait to see it running! This has giving me a ton of insparation for starting my project and priceless information to help me out along the way. Thanks for this thread and I look forward to updates!

RustspecS13 wrote:I will have to roll out there to carlisle with you gord- my 240 is coming together nicely now. Maybe Ill do enough to it to start a build thread.

~Alex

I would Like to see that build thread, and you should go to Carlisle.



Work requires that I be in Phoenix tomorrow, then a quick drive down to Tucson over the weekend. I'll be back next week. I hope I still have time to get Betzy back together by May.

gmac708 wrote:Work requires that I be in Phoenix tomorrow

If you have time, you are more than welcome to come out and see Bella. We are off tomorrow. Plus, you could see the new edition we made to the collection since you were last here.

nissangirl74 wrote:

gmac708 wrote:Work requires that I be in Phoenix tomorrow

If you have time, you are more than welcome to come out and see Bella. We are off tomorrow. Plus, you could see the new edition we made to the collection since you were last here.

Just looked back to the start and it truly is amazing how far everything has evolved!! Most impressive. Can't wait to go for a ride in her.

Couldn't help but think of this build when I saw this on another forum...

240Z Resto with SR20DET

BigTDogg (MA) wrote:Couldn't help but think of this build when I saw this on another forum...

240Z Resto with SR20DET

That is one of my favorite builds. I wish I could do body work like that.

nissangirl74 wrote:If you have time, you are more than welcome to come out and see Bella.

I thought you would never ask.

Well...I'm back home.
I made it home after my adventures out west. Did some work, visited with Mom and Dad in Yuma, and I got a chance to drop in and visit with Greg, Bex and Jason in Phoenix. Thank you for your hospitality guys! It was fun to crawl around on their cars. Loved them all. I did not get a chance to take any pictures of Bella, but you guys are going to be surprised when you see her next.





Back to work on Betzy.

She is still in the shop. I told Logan and Pete to take their time, and apparently that may have delayed them starting on the work for a few (4) weeks.

I started working on getting the left door together.

The left door had a little crack along the forward seam that needed to be welded. Looks like it had been there for a while.



I got all the lock and door mechanicals installed. I figure out that if you put the longer countersunk screw in the inner / lower door latch retaining hole, the door lock will not work. Mystery solved for both doors.





I broke my door mirror. It was in pieces and I tried to remove the mirror from the holder to access the screw behind it. Crap! Now I have to replace it or get the fender mirrors.

I also had a broken stud on one of the window crank tracks, so I figured I would go down to local pick-n-pull for some relaxing junk yard reconnaissance. Maybe find a few parts that might work. I ran into a friend Saito pulling a gearbox out of a 280Z. That's him under car. amazing who you run into at a junk yard.



It was good to see him and he also might have the door parts I am looking for. We talked a little about his relatives in Japan and what they are going through with the Tsunami and earthquakes. I am lucky that my biggest problem is my mirror is broken...

I grabbed a few pounds of hardware and a window crank for Evan's Honda and headed home. I hope to have Betzy home by the end of this week. Spring is in the air and trees are starting to bud. We need to get this show on the road.
Gord

WOW.. just read through the whole build up so far. Very NICE.. also love the attention to detail and I cannot wait to see it all done and some vids. Very good work!

Hey gordon remember peter and logan only do the best work possible, so it may take them a minuet to get to your car but when they do it'll be done right, and thats all your Z deserves!

Funny enough I ran into sato at picknpull two weeks ago. Did he show you his 280z? Man seeing it and yours in person REALLY makes me want one. But that would be my third car...

Honestly Gordon the Z looks awesome. Its exactly how I'd do a 240/260z except I would do an RB30DETT.

~Alex

Is the car at the shop now for just the exhaust and roll bar or is there anything else?

I've been dropping in every so often for the last two years to watch the transformation on your car. Great job!

gmac708 wrote: I got all the lock and door mechanicals installed. I figure out that if you put the longer countersunk screw in the inner / lower door latch retaining hole, the door lock will not work. Mystery solved for both doors.

Got any pictures of which screws/holes? A door on my 510 wagon won't lock and I have the feeling that something similar might be the culprit...

RustspecS13 wrote:Hey gordon remember peter and logan only do the best work possible, so it may take them a minuet to get to your car but when they do it'll be done right, and thats all your Z deserves! ~Alex

...It will be worth it...still sucks waiting...still no word
You need a Z.

reintr0ducing wrote:

gmac708 wrote:I got all the lock and door mechanicals installed. I figure out that if you put the longer countersunk screw in the inner / lower door latch retaining hole, the door lock will not work. Mystery solved for both doors.

Got any pictures of which screws/holes? A door on my 510 wagon won't lock and I have the feeling that something similar might be the culprit...

Here is picture of LH door. Short screw is marked. RH door would be opposite (inboard) side. Try removing or taking them out one at a time.



Gord

You mean like this Z31 turbo I picked up on saturday?



Its a little rough but its fast and I can clean it up easy! It has a pathfinder intake manifold so the hood doesn't shut right. But She runs great and boosts hard!

I do want to get a S30 Z some time. Gotta find the right one, in a rust free state!

~Alex

That'll work

love it.

Update time

I spent some time down at Defined Autoworks on Saturday. I tried out my replacement stalk switch. Betzy had the wrong year switch. It was a four position wiper (w/intermittent). I picked up a replacement switch that was correct, and now everything works they way it is supposed to. It looks like they started on the roll bar.







I hope she is done by next weekend.

Gord

Sweetness, man. She's starting to come together very nicely.