Thank you!

Got some time to upload pictures! I thought I had more, but some have managed to disappear

All the goodies waiting to go in after this cold winter!



Before:



After:



It doesn't matter who you are and what you say. The right tools make a difference. MAGNETIC Socket connected to an extender via a ball joint. Best 12.99 tool at Autozone, ever.



Front springs after being sanded:



Front springs painted, rears sanded waiting for paint:



Desperate (cold) times call for desperate measures. Waiting for the paint to dry.



When I first got them. They have about 5k miles on them:



Front struts get love around here too!



Yep:



And the rear shocks as well:



Clearly blow shock :/ They were original, though.



Rear installed. Not too bad. Taking out the old springs SUCKED. I think I was afraid to push the control arm down, so I probably didn't go low enough for them to just fall out.



Had to take this sucker out with a pipe wrench and a vice:



Front ST spring vs old stock spring:



Painted the strut tubes and spring cups as well. I try to do things "right" :



I placed a boot around the strut for longevity:





I wish I had more before and after overall pics, but I guess I didn't take as many as I thought I did. Lesson learned.

Before:



After:

Looks like a productive winter for you Filipe.

What your hourly rate ?

_________________
W.Karl Walton
Somers CT



75' - 280Z - HLS30203249 - #304 Gold Metallic (stockish)
96' - 300zx TT - JN1CZ24d3TX960293 - Black on Black (enhanced)

Thanks Karl, I uploaded a few more pics to that post while you commented.

It needed to be a busy winter…I'll be heading off to architorture school (haha) in about 2 weeks :/

looks like I'm not the only one enjoying the nice weather and long days

_________________
71' 240Z: HLS3040666

Yeah, sometimes I find myself doing a bit too much though…

I welcome you to my most recent failure story:

Oil change time. No problem, right? Wrong.

I do everything right, switch to a magnetic drain plug, fill up the engine with oil, run it, then top it off. Go for a drive no problems. I come back home and say, hey, why not check the oil one more time? So I do. Get the flashlight, pull the stick and it's empty. So I put more oil. And more. And more. And why the heck aren't I seeing the thing register on the stick?!?!

WELL as you said by now, the oil didn't just disappear. The new oil color and the white LED light I was using made it darn impossible to get an accurate read off the stick.

So the next morning I checked it again, and sure enough, I had to take oil out. This is where the problems begin. I pull the drain plug, and drain some oil, multiple times. However, one of those times I stripped the plug, and the female side of the oil pan. Well darn. So long story short, after swearing myself to heaven, he*l and everything in between, Dad and I went to get a tap and die set, as well as a single oversized drain plug. So far, it works, for the most part.

I had seen better days, but I've pretty much leveled out by now…finally.

You're going to be able to write a book by the time you're done.

I'm really pleaZed to zee someone your age getting so knuckle-busting familiar with a Z car. It's your generation who are going to either keep these cars alive or let them die in another 20 years. You guyz truly are the future of the Z.

There's nothing new under the sun ~ everything you do wrong, some of us have done too, about 30-40 years ago. Never lose hope.

_________________
1970 240Z

Thanks for the words of encouragement, Frank. I need them somedays.

One day I will grab an early Z….just haven't found the one yet.. or the garage space. :p

A book…hmm. Yeah, that sounds about right. I've been saving all of my entries in a word document titled "Z Journal" in case both this website and Z31performance.com crash.

I was thinking maybe a video would be more you FIlipe . . . . . .

_________________
W.Karl Walton
Somers CT



75' - 280Z - HLS30203249 - #304 Gold Metallic (stockish)
96' - 300zx TT - JN1CZ24d3TX960293 - Black on Black (enhanced)

Hey now, that's not a bad idea! It's on the back burner until I get another set of hands.

I did one of the GTR at Quinn's dealership:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9i3PEQozT8

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER BABYYY!!!!

I would like to thank ALL of you who voted for me and my AWESOME Z31. This is the first photo contest I ever entered, and I walked away with the gold!!!

Thank you for your help! Over 160 votes!

_________________
W.Karl Walton
Somers CT



75' - 280Z - HLS30203249 - #304 Gold Metallic (stockish)
96' - 300zx TT - JN1CZ24d3TX960293 - Black on Black (enhanced)

Don't forget who your friends are.

_________________
1970 240Z

Thanks guys!

4 days away from being reunited....2 midterms and a project stand in my way.

Bought some new goodies for the ole thing...Christmas in June, for sure.