Month: June 2016

Next to fix and upgrade

There’s a weird click when i turn my wheel hard left or right, coming from my front right wheel, it doesn’t happen with the Z in the air, only under load, so i’m going to say balljoint since i just did the steering rack and tie rods.  RockAuto has them and cheap shipping from usa to canada so a couple balljoints are on the way, i just need to find/rent a balljoint press to get it in/out of the lower control arm.  I also have found an upper control arm for the front left side since mine has been bent for years, thanks to prev owner being in an accident and trying to cover it up before selling to me 😛  of all the damage i’ve discovered this is the last piece that hasn’t been repaired yet.

Saw this online today and it renewed my want for the hidden trailer hitch 🙂  $300 and i’d be one step closer to having a trailer made out of the hatch of a Z being towed behind the Z!  Would be great for road trips and car shows.

300z-gtx

Project: New Paint

I’ve been avoiding painting my Z for quite some time, years infact.  The last quote i had from a dealership was $11,000 and a local shop wanted $6,000.  I refuse.  The alternative is to do it myself, and although i’ve never painted with a gun before, we all have to start somewhere.

I called around today and found rough prices for primer, paint and clear, i can get it all for under $500.  I’m going for a gray primer, 1.8mm tip gun, Aventador 2016 Rosso Bia Lamborghini red 1.4mm gun, and clearcoat AC2100.  The paint is red metallic with pearl and will look fantastic if i can pull this off.

paint color:

lambo0144

I’ll be building a paint booth at home out of 2×2 lumber, poly, a furnace filter, and a big ass square house fan when the time comes.  There is still a lot of prep to do first, including finishing the removal of the red plastidip that covers the left side of the car and rear bumper.  Boy am i ever glad i decided to only spray half the car and see if i liked it… Plastidip looked ok at first, but holds dirt, is hard to get clean, and wears poorly over time for a daily driver.  Removing it is a huge pain though, the spots that won’t peel off i have to use a combination of googone gel and methyl hydrate to ‘melt’ and dissolve it into a paste and wipe with rags.