Project Theseus

[Noll]

Rear valence is on there for good! Lower bit will need some tweaking, not worrying about that now though.

[Noll]

Suckered my dad into holding up the bumper for me to grab a pic. Not sure yet if I want to buy bumper mounts or make some from bar stock. Also not sure if I want to keep the bumpers chrome or paint 'em black - might go well with the silver wheels but could also seem like too much. This rear bumper isn't in the greatest shape anyway, so I have no issues painting it.

[Noll]

Bunch of goodies showed up, including (at long last) the new hatch slam panel:

[colinc]

Bunch of goodies showed up, including (at long last) the new hatch slam panel:

I didn't realize the hatch slam panel floats on top of that lower structure. I assume if the panel itself is rusted chances are the lower structure is as well. Could be a bigger job than I originally thought. Where are the welds made to hold it in place? Also where did you source yours from?

thanks

[Noll]

I didn't realize the hatch slam panel floats on top of that lower structure. I assume if the panel itself is rusted chances are the lower structure is as well. Could be a bigger job than I originally thought. Where are the welds made to hold it in place? Also where did you source yours from?

thanks

Yep! And yeah, generally when it goes the underlying stuff has a hole too. Usually not TOO bad from what I've seen, mine was an extreme example - pic from 2017. Not a difficult patch to make at all, but rust is always annoying.




Super quick photoshop, but this is roughly how it's spot welded from factory, and what I'll replicate (outer spot welds extend in more towards the middle than what I show):




The key is to seal it super well, as water getting between the layers is what causes the rust to begin with. I got the new one from ZcarDepot, although they seem to be out of stock now. I think a few places stock it including MSA etc. So far fit and finish has been spot on.

https://zcardepot.com/collections/sh...0z-280z-70-78#

[colinc]

Thanks for the info Noll. I may have a side job for you next winter if you are interested.

[Noll]

No problem at all, and sweet! Would be happy to help.

[Noll]

Thinking about relocating the battery, and using this:

https://www.amazon.ca/Odyssey-PC680-.../dp/B0002ILK6I

Thoughts? Seems like it'd fit well back in here (see green sharpie marks), or in one of the stowage compartments or under a seat. more $$ over leaving things stock, obviously ( battery + cables + ends + crimp tool).

[grannyknot]

The key is to seal it super well, as water getting between the layers is what causes the rust to begin with. I got the new one from ZcarDepot, although they seem to be out of stock now. I think a few places stock it including MSA etc. So far fit and finish has been spot on.

https://zcardepot.com/collections/sh...0z-280z-70-78#

And getting the water off the deck lid all together, you still have time to extend the rain gutters so water isn't dumped on to a rust prone area.
I found this spot behind the P/S seat a good place for the battery. Tabco makes that deck lid panel, a bit cheaper from the manufacturer.

https://tabcoparts.com/1234-42395.html

image_9768.jpg
DSCN0661.JPGDSCN1270.JPG

[Dr.Diesel]

Noll, I have been using the Odyssey PC680 Dry Cell battery in my 240Z for a couple of years now with no issue. I have a L24 engine in the car and am utilizing a gear reduction starter. The battery is mounted in the stock position but am considering mounting it in the compartment behind the passenger seat like Grannyknot did. I haven't looked into it yet. But likely the existing compartment behind the seat will have to be modified to fit the PC680 even though it is a small battery. The Odyssey PC680 is a third the weight & size of the Optima Battery I had in the car. I purchased my PC680 from Airplane Spruce in Brantford Ontario. I see their current price is $185.75 Canadian. They are a supplier of Aircraft parts. They have other batteries in various sizes, shapes & capacities as well. Take a look, https://www.aircraftspruce.ca/catalo...?clickkey=7358.

[Dr.Diesel]

Noll, You might want to consider Grannyknot's recommendation to extend the rain gutters at the rear of the car. Its a perfect opportunity for you. I believe Grannyknot previously said " It should have been done at the factory". I think he's right.

[Noll]

And getting the water off the deck lid all together, you still have time to extend the rain gutters so water isn't dumped on to a rust prone area.
I found this spot behind the P/S seat a good place for the battery. Tabco makes that deck lid panel, a bit cheaper from the manufacturer.

Noll, You might want to consider Grannyknot's recommendation to extend the rain gutters at the rear of the car. Its a perfect opportunity for you. I believe Grannyknot previously said " It should have been done at the factory". I think he's right.

Much appreciated, Definitely will be doing that. See pic below. I think I've seen that pic before grannyknot, definitely a good way to do it! if I go with the battery I'm planning I shouldn't need to cut anything which is nice.

Noll, I have been using the Odyssey PC680 Dry Cell battery in my 240Z for a couple of years now with no issue. I have a L24 engine in the car and am utilizing a gear reduction starter. The battery is mounted in the stock position but am considering mounting it in the compartment behind the passenger seat like Grannyknot did. I haven't looked into it yet. But likely the existing compartment behind the seat will have to be modified to fit the PC680 even though it is a small battery. The Odyssey PC680 is a third the weight & size of the Optima Battery I had in the car. I purchased my PC680 from Airplane Spruce in Brantford Ontario. I see their current price is $185.75 Canadian. They are a supplier of Aircraft parts. They have other batteries in various sizes, shapes & capacities as well. Take a look, https://www.aircraftspruce.ca/catalo...?clickkey=7358.

Good to know! If you do move it you will definitely have space in the stowage area - I found out about the battery from someone's FB post of their same battery being in that exact spot - they made a simple bracket and didn't have to change anything.


---------------------------------------------------------------

Welded up and re-drilled the taillight mount holes, and of course had to throw it all together to see the final product . Man oh man am I excited, it finally all looks like it should! Been a hell of a long road to get to this point.




Mocked up the slam panel too after cutting the rear flange down to the correct size, will need to get it welded in the right place and then add the holes for the taillight trim plugs and license plate light assembly.




Welded in the start of the patches on this side, fitment is decent. Little close at the corner there, but I don't see any way to change that without either reshaping the whole thing or shaving the cornet of the taillight bezel - as I cut that entire corner out of another car whole, nothing I have done would have changed the geometry there. Don't mind the mess left of the patch, that is next to be cut/replaced entirely and is all bent anyway.




And made up a simple rain gutter extender. Need to get the slam panel on first so I can see if I need to make another one slightly longer etc.

[Noll]

Rear quarter corner repair today. Driver's side:








Passenger side:












Going to be altering this section next, as the 240z outer curve is obviously very different than 260/280 and only 1/3 of the gasket has metal to seat on.




Still need to sort the fitment issue here on the pass. side. I'm wondering if I added some filler to this corner of the trim panel when I redid them, would explain why there is the fitment issue even despite the corner repair being OEM metal. Should be able to sand it down without it really looking visually different:



You can see how the driver's side sits in farther due to the lack of fitment issue, even though the corner is close.




Drilled approximately a million holes and welded in the hatch slam panel:




As above, you can see how the p/s panel won't sit properly on the taillight panel due to the corner not allowing it to slide in far enough.






Old and new:




Now I have both corners fixed I can see an issue that I thought was the case - the driver's side quarter where it meets the hatch for some reason sits high for the middle 1/2 of the seam. Bottom and top are a-ok and the passenger side is fine. Debating if I want to cut the quarter and smoosh it down a bit, or just add a bit of filler to the hatch. Former is probably the better option, not sure if filler there would be a) noticeable and b) somewhat likely to crack due to the stresses the hatch is under. Thoughts?

[Noll]

I think I've figured out the cause of the taillight panel fitment issues. Pics (and hopefully a solution) tomorrow, because it's currently 2am.

[Noll]

Ok, taillights fit properly! As with many things in life, a large hammer was (part of) the solution.

Pushed in this corner a bit with said hammer and a railroad spike (because I still don't have an actual cold chisel):



And then took the arguably overkill step of lopping the outside bottom corner of the taillights off. The taillight panel here wasn't allowing them to sit properly, and reshaping it wasn't really an option as it's a pretty impossible spot to grind welds down. Not sure if the fitment issue was because of something I did or the 240 outer curve being different than 260/280, but it is what it is and this was the easiest way to fix it. Just cut the outer "wall", doesn't affect the sealing of any part of the taillights. That said, I'll whip up some 3d-printed filler panels at some point to tidy the look up.



and now, it all fits! Waiting on hardware to arrive to actually bolt them in, once the squish in the gaskets is taken up they will sit farther in and I can tweak them to sit exactly where I want.









Bunch of misc stuff to do tomorrow, hopefully including the dogleg panels and the p/s doorjamb curve where it meets the rocker. Then on to the engine bay!