I spotted this 1992 convertible in the paper and thought the price was pretty good. I've loved my 1995 240SX and just had to test drive one of these things. The guy made an even better offer in person and well, one thing led to another...
She's got a salvaged title and was hit in the right rear corner. Pretty hard too from the look of it. The gas tank's tubing was pushed in about an inch but the frame is straight as an arrow. The guys selling it did a very nice job of patching up the body and there's new paint all over, despite what my crappy camera would have you believe. The top is motorized and is in great condition too, except for the rear glass which is totally mildew-fogged. Scrubbing and Plexus haven't done anything for it so that will have to be replaced. Best of all, there's less than 97,000 miles on her, more than 50,000 less than my 1995 240SX. Engine runs nice and cold but the automatic transmission is driving me crazy. I'll need to do something about that...
All I've done with it so far is swap out the seats for S14 buckets, install a CD player, replace the rear speakers, and give it a K&N air filter. Oh, and driven it all over creation while the weather is still nice.
I'll tell you one thing: getting a convertible is a sure-fire way to get a tan.
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I've joined the club.
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The Inflicted
- Posts: 317
- Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2005 4:11 pm
- Car: 1995 Nissan S14.5, 1992 Nissan 240SX Convertible
Re: I've joined the club. (The Inflicted)
Great looking vert! Reminds me of mine when I first got it! Keep us updated!
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DirftKing102
- Posts: 469
- Joined: Wed Dec 27, 2006 8:16 pm
- Car: Nissan 240sx 1993 convertable
Re: I've joined the club. (The Inflicted)
welcome! Awesome vert! Can't wait for further updates!
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The Inflicted
- Posts: 317
- Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2005 4:11 pm
- Car: 1995 Nissan S14.5, 1992 Nissan 240SX Convertible
Thanks guys!This site has already been a very useful source of info in the last 10 days, and part of the reason I decided to go ahead and make the purchase.
I forgot to mention a few of the other minor restoration chores I've had to do: rebuilding the interior of the trunk, replacing the passenger tail light, removing/replacing the stock motorized antennae, replacing one of the trunk struts, etc.
I should have taken more before/after pictures.
Does anyone know if there's anyway to remove really badly caked-on mold and mildew from the rear window? It's impossible to see out of and I'd like not to have to replace it. Plexus did nothing but make it look shiny so what's next? Acetone? Tootpaste?
I forgot to mention a few of the other minor restoration chores I've had to do: rebuilding the interior of the trunk, replacing the passenger tail light, removing/replacing the stock motorized antennae, replacing one of the trunk struts, etc.
I should have taken more before/after pictures.
Does anyone know if there's anyway to remove really badly caked-on mold and mildew from the rear window? It's impossible to see out of and I'd like not to have to replace it. Plexus did nothing but make it look shiny so what's next? Acetone? Tootpaste?
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The Inflicted
- Posts: 317
- Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2005 4:11 pm
- Car: 1995 Nissan S14.5, 1992 Nissan 240SX Convertible
Here's a picture showing what needs to be done:
As you can see the back window is pretty well gone (all the more reason to go top-down!), the passenger quarter panel is missing the track for the black trim stripe (why?) and the gas door is missing too. I've got a pair of gas doors I found at a junkyard that I'm going to try and mount, but they aren't matching up too well. The mounting points for the hinges seem to be in wrong place, again, probably due to the collision/repair but at least they're still there. I'm planning on using some bondo or putty to cover up the trim groove on the new door (since it would be an inch higher than the same groove on the repaired car) paint it white, then make a bracket of some sort to get it fit and close properly. The door release cable is still there but I don't have much hope of being able to fix it.
As you can see the back window is pretty well gone (all the more reason to go top-down!), the passenger quarter panel is missing the track for the black trim stripe (why?) and the gas door is missing too. I've got a pair of gas doors I found at a junkyard that I'm going to try and mount, but they aren't matching up too well. The mounting points for the hinges seem to be in wrong place, again, probably due to the collision/repair but at least they're still there. I'm planning on using some bondo or putty to cover up the trim groove on the new door (since it would be an inch higher than the same groove on the repaired car) paint it white, then make a bracket of some sort to get it fit and close properly. The door release cable is still there but I don't have much hope of being able to fix it.
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masterteque
- Posts: 318
- Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2006 6:27 pm
- Car: 1993 s13 convertible 1993 s13 coupe
Re: (The Inflicted)
Congrats on the vert purchase....
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DirftKing102
- Posts: 469
- Joined: Wed Dec 27, 2006 8:16 pm
- Car: Nissan 240sx 1993 convertable
Re: (The Inflicted)
The mildew looks pretty bad alright. I suggest going to a convertible top shop and ask them what chemical you can use to undo the mildew on your back window. That way you don't have to replace the whole thing. You know what i am saying? As for the gas top thingy. Good luck trying to find those. Hopefully i was some help. Just call around local convertible top places that would tell you what type of chemical to use to clean all the mildew off the back window.The Inflicted wrote:Here's a picture showing what needs to be done:
As you can see the back window is pretty well gone (all the more reason to go top-down!), the passenger quarter panel is missing the track for the black trim stripe (why?) and the gas door is missing too. I've got a pair of gas doors I found at a junkyard that I'm going to try and mount, but they aren't matching up too well. The mounting points for the hinges seem to be in wrong place, again, probably due to the collision/repair but at least they're still there. I'm planning on using some bondo or putty to cover up the trim groove on the new door (since it would be an inch higher than the same groove on the repaired car) paint it white, then make a bracket of some sort to get it fit and close properly. The door release cable is still there but I don't have much hope of being able to fix it.
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GoinTopless240
- Posts: 677
- Joined: Wed Mar 01, 2006 2:50 pm
- Car: 1993 Nissan Sil40 Vert
2008 VW GTI
2010 Infiniti EX35 bought in 2019 (15,000) miles - Location: Canton, GA
Re: (The Inflicted)
I believe Blue Magic makes something called Plexiglass and Plastic cleaner I used a while back when mine started doing that... lots of elbow grease.. remember to clean both sides real good before using it... Meguiars make something also called "Plastik". As a last resort you can replace just the back window... try this site http://www.convertibletopguys....t=757
good luck..
good luck..
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ishkabibble
- Posts: 4667
- Joined: Sun Nov 05, 2006 5:08 pm
- Car: 1992 Nissan NX2000 hardtop
1993 Nissan NX2000 t-top
1997 Infiniti I30t
Re: (GoinTopless240)
Nexus (not Plexus) makes 3 levels of plastic polish. I've heard good things, but have never used it myself.
I used Arm and Hammer toothpaste (the non-abrasive one without silica) to get rid of fogging on my instrument cluster. It worked great.
If I were you, I'd try Nexus, and if that didn't work, the above toothpaste.
I used Arm and Hammer toothpaste (the non-abrasive one without silica) to get rid of fogging on my instrument cluster. It worked great.
If I were you, I'd try Nexus, and if that didn't work, the above toothpaste.
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GoinTopless240
- Posts: 677
- Joined: Wed Mar 01, 2006 2:50 pm
- Car: 1993 Nissan Sil40 Vert
2008 VW GTI
2010 Infiniti EX35 bought in 2019 (15,000) miles - Location: Canton, GA
Re: I've joined the club. (The Inflicted)
Ooops, welcome aboard.... sorry forgot... and you posted pics Dexter can rest now.... lol
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DeXteR
- Posts: 2702
- Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2005 9:01 pm
- Car: '14 Nissan Titan Pro4X
'05 Nissan Xterra OR
'92 Nissan 300ZX Slicktop
'94 Nissan Sentra RS Rally Car - Location: Beulah, MI
- Contact:
Re: I've joined the club. (GoinTopless240)
GoinTopless240 wrote:Ooops, welcome aboard.... sorry forgot... and you posted pics Dexter can rest now.... lol
hey, if i wasn't ranting and raving about posting pictures, newbies would be getting bombarded from 30 different people.
Re: I've joined the club.
Welcome to the forums! im glad to see you made it here. pbn now has 2 verts!
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GoinTopless240
- Posts: 677
- Joined: Wed Mar 01, 2006 2:50 pm
- Car: 1993 Nissan Sil40 Vert
2008 VW GTI
2010 Infiniti EX35 bought in 2019 (15,000) miles - Location: Canton, GA
Re: I've joined the club. (DeXteR)
You are the official Pic Police man....
I think the word is out and now even the newbs post pics on first one..lol..
Scared 'em straight Dexter...
Wireless Alpha used to be the quick draw, but now that he's a big drift star he doesn't come around but every now and then... someone had to fill those shoes...
I think the word is out and now even the newbs post pics on first one..lol..
Scared 'em straight Dexter...
Wireless Alpha used to be the quick draw, but now that he's a big drift star he doesn't come around but every now and then... someone had to fill those shoes...
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DeXteR
- Posts: 2702
- Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2005 9:01 pm
- Car: '14 Nissan Titan Pro4X
'05 Nissan Xterra OR
'92 Nissan 300ZX Slicktop
'94 Nissan Sentra RS Rally Car - Location: Beulah, MI
- Contact:
Re: I've joined the club. (GoinTopless240)
yeah, i'm not going anywhere for a while. i might slow down a bit when i start building my dsm and my motorcycle and post more on those forums, but i'm thinking about picking up a q45 soon and starting the ka-t build next winter... so i'll be around.
so... let's see some progress on this bad boy.
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The Inflicted
- Posts: 317
- Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2005 4:11 pm
- Car: 1995 Nissan S14.5, 1992 Nissan 240SX Convertible
Re: I've joined the club. (The Inflicted)
Since I didn't take any proper "before" pictures I thought I'd show a bit of the crap I've removed from this thing:
The original nasty tweed seats:
Broken passenger tail light:
The factory cassette player/radio was beyond useless- I don't know if a button was stuck or what but it constantly would scan through the frequencies by itself- it was impossible to have it stay on any one station. Since it's not 1987 I didn't have a cassette tape to check the player. Oh, for extra fun 3 of the 4 mounting bracket screws were totally binded in, quickly rounded off, and had to be drilled out.
The car must have taken pretty good hit to the right rear corner. It looks like the gas tank's filler piping was pushed a good 2 inches in and up, and the people repairing the body work didn't bother pulling it back out before installing the new corner. Then they bondoed the crap out of it because I'm fairly sure it was either unfinished or poorly made. I still am not sure why it lacks the stripe groove. I went ahead and used some electrical tape to follow the stripe line and it seems to be fairly convincing, at least from a distance.
Here are some photos of the real problem area. I was planning on using one of the 3 salvaged gas doors I have to fit the pushed-in mounting points, perhaps making a bracket if necessary to move the hinge back or up, but I've come to the conclusion that it's just going to be impossible. When held to follow the curvature of the bodywork the gas door's hinge is nearly half an inch away from where it would need to be to bolt into place. Even if it was bolted on, the angle of the recess would make opening the door impossibe. The only plan I have is to turn one of the doors upside down and epoxy a powerful magnet to each corner. From what I can tell it would still look perfectly natural and a quick flip of a scewdriver would be enough to pop it out. What do you folks thinK?
Another problem is a gap between the (new!) tail light and the body. I would love any suggestions about what would be an easy and permanent way of filling this gap without having to repaint any of the corner. Is there some sort of spray-in foam or sealant I could inject in and then hand-paint black?
Toothpaste had not the slightest effect on the mildew on the rear window plastic. They should use this mildew to manufacture tank armor.
Finally, I've traced the problem with the driver's side quarter window to a broken plastic rail-follower that has broken. Someone please tell me there's a way to find a replacement part for this, because wrangling with the window for 3 minutes every time I park the car is a decidedly uncool thing to do in front of my girlfriend.
The original nasty tweed seats:
Broken passenger tail light:
The factory cassette player/radio was beyond useless- I don't know if a button was stuck or what but it constantly would scan through the frequencies by itself- it was impossible to have it stay on any one station. Since it's not 1987 I didn't have a cassette tape to check the player. Oh, for extra fun 3 of the 4 mounting bracket screws were totally binded in, quickly rounded off, and had to be drilled out.
The car must have taken pretty good hit to the right rear corner. It looks like the gas tank's filler piping was pushed a good 2 inches in and up, and the people repairing the body work didn't bother pulling it back out before installing the new corner. Then they bondoed the crap out of it because I'm fairly sure it was either unfinished or poorly made. I still am not sure why it lacks the stripe groove. I went ahead and used some electrical tape to follow the stripe line and it seems to be fairly convincing, at least from a distance.
Here are some photos of the real problem area. I was planning on using one of the 3 salvaged gas doors I have to fit the pushed-in mounting points, perhaps making a bracket if necessary to move the hinge back or up, but I've come to the conclusion that it's just going to be impossible. When held to follow the curvature of the bodywork the gas door's hinge is nearly half an inch away from where it would need to be to bolt into place. Even if it was bolted on, the angle of the recess would make opening the door impossibe. The only plan I have is to turn one of the doors upside down and epoxy a powerful magnet to each corner. From what I can tell it would still look perfectly natural and a quick flip of a scewdriver would be enough to pop it out. What do you folks thinK?
Another problem is a gap between the (new!) tail light and the body. I would love any suggestions about what would be an easy and permanent way of filling this gap without having to repaint any of the corner. Is there some sort of spray-in foam or sealant I could inject in and then hand-paint black?
Toothpaste had not the slightest effect on the mildew on the rear window plastic. They should use this mildew to manufacture tank armor.
Finally, I've traced the problem with the driver's side quarter window to a broken plastic rail-follower that has broken. Someone please tell me there's a way to find a replacement part for this, because wrangling with the window for 3 minutes every time I park the car is a decidedly uncool thing to do in front of my girlfriend.
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DeXteR
- Posts: 2702
- Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2005 9:01 pm
- Car: '14 Nissan Titan Pro4X
'05 Nissan Xterra OR
'92 Nissan 300ZX Slicktop
'94 Nissan Sentra RS Rally Car - Location: Beulah, MI
- Contact:
Re: I've joined the club. (The Inflicted)
great post!
your convertible has officially welcomed you to ownership. at the moment, i don't have time to go over everything, but i wish you luck. as far as your window problem, it's common and you'll need to find parts from a fellow owner getting rid of them or find one in a junkyard. as far as i know, that part is out of production.
your convertible has officially welcomed you to ownership. at the moment, i don't have time to go over everything, but i wish you luck. as far as your window problem, it's common and you'll need to find parts from a fellow owner getting rid of them or find one in a junkyard. as far as i know, that part is out of production.