Changing the channel

After 41 years, the body channel molding on the 280z had not only begun to discolor but also shrink, leaving large gaps at each end of the channel.

I ordered a 21 feet of 5/8" channel molding from Custom Auto Trim in black, along with a bullet style end since one of mine was missing.  Removing the existing molding was quite easy, just pry up an end with a screwdriver and pull.  After pulling the vinyl out of the channel, I cleaned out the channel to prevent issues seating the new strip.  In the case of the channel where the end was missing, I had to drill out the rivet as the end had actually broken off.

After drilling out the rivet I found that this mount had already been repaired in the past using a larger rivet.  After enlarging the hole in the bullet end piece, I found that the  holes didn't perfectly align.  I enlarged the hole in the bullet as much as possible, but there would still be  small gap; I'd just have to live with it.  I also found that the rivet gun would not clear the channel.  It was time to get creative, so I stacked a set of small washers into the rivet to clear the channel.

I mounted the gun onto the rivet and popped it into place with an explosion of tiny washers.  Unfortunately I also nicked the paint in the recoil.  Out comes the touch-up paint.  

Placing the new vinyl strips was pretty easy.  I cut reach piece about 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch longer than the length of its new home.  This was to allow for some shrinkage over time.  Installing the strips wasn't too difficult, but it did move slowly.  The installation process consisted of placing 6 inches or so of the lower part of the channel into place then tucking the upper part into place with a small screwdriver.

 

The moldings now look like new and the small gap on the side where the end was previously missing is livable.  It still looks better than the end being missing altogether.

Drive Shafted

I've been searching for the rear end "clunk" that so many experience in an aging 280z.  I've replaced the mustache bar bushings and the transmission isolator mount already.  When the transmission was out of the of the car, I noticed that the rear universal joint in the prop shaft had some play.  Since the universal joints in the shaft are staked and not easily replaceable, I decided to save some time and replace the entire unit.  As a bonus, the replacement shaft has replaceable universal joints as well.

With the drive line back together, again a test drive was in order.  Unfortunately, the clunk was still present if the driving is spirited.  I still have the transmission mount that could make a difference, but a little play in the differential gears is likely the cause of the clunk.

I'm bushed

I completed the installation of some new poly bushings in the rear suspension, including the inner control arm bushings and and rear sway bar bushings.  One would think that the installation would be pretty straightforward, but I encountered a few challenges that required some creativity to overcome.

Rear Inner Control Arm Bushings

The removal of the existing rear inner control arm bushings was unexpectedly challenging.  The bushings facing the rear of the vehicle were particularly challenging as they were frozen to the shaft.

I used a box knife to cut and shave the old rubber from the inner shell.

I tried using a pipe wrench to remove the shell, but there was apparently a lot of corrosion between it and the shaft.

I finally cut the shell with a Dremel cutting tool, shot some PB Blaster into the cut, and pried the shell off the shaft.  You can see there was a lot of corrosion in there.

Using a wire wheel, I cleaned up the shaft and prepped it for the installation of the new bushings.

The new bushings were prepped with the special goo grease that comes with the kit.  This stuff is sticky!  I coated everything with the stuff: inside, outside, shaft and shell.

The assembly slid easily onto the shaft.

The bushings on the front of the control arm were much easier.  In fact, the bushings slid right off the shafts without having to cut the shells.  After reinstalling the drops, crossmembers, and clamps, the rear was in place.

To install the front crossmember, I had to replace the differential.  The refreshed differential, complete with new isolator mount, was hoisted into position using a transmission jack and secured with the front crossmember.  

Rear Sway Bar 

The rear sway bar installation looked to be straightforward, but looks can be deceiving.  The bar pivot bushings were impossible to install into their housings.  I ended up using a small C-Clamp to push the bushing into the housing.  Unfortunately I didn't get a good picture of this, but essentially the clamp was placed on the corner of the housing and the opposite corner of the bushing, then the clamp was closed to push the bushing into place.  The housing was greased up to allow this to happen.

The other challenge was related to the length of the link bolt supplied with the kit: during assembly it sure looked like the bolt was to short.  I again donned a C-Clamp (one much larger) to compress the stack and allow for the nut to be started.