July 12th, 2003
I've began painting my interior panels since the interior requires the least amount of fundage. It will have a gloss black base color with Brilliant Blue highlights here and there to really set it apart. See my interior painting article to the lower left. Notice: This is NOT going to be a ricer... I dispise those things...
It's taken a while, but I finally got the motor I'll be building up. I've already disassembled the entire thing and started the cleaning process. I'll be working on this a piece at the time since I'm on a tight budget. The interior painting is going well, although some panels will have to be replaced due to the wear on them. I would've been done with this by now, but time and money are in short supply for this Z fanatic.
I've began ordering parts for the engine buildup since it's nearly impossible to paint the remaining interior pieces in my workshop and still maintain adequate ventilation (it's pretty cold right now, so the shop has to be closed up to maintain the correct painting temperature). Measurements of the cylinder bores taken with telescoping gauges and a micrometer showed all bores were in very good condition, so there is no need to spend extra money on an overbore procedure and oversized parts. The bores have already been deglazed and honed, and are ready for the block to get it's hot bath. I've added a link to show various changes and additions, as well as my work's progress.
Well, after a few setbacks, job changes, and financial slumps, I've nearly got the engine completely assembled. All it lacks is the oil pan, and the header. The valve cover has been covered in black truck bed liner and looks powder coated. I left the two lines and "NISSAN OHC" as exposed aluminum, so it stands out from the black almost as if it were polished. The block has been painted blue, and the intake manifold has been coated in the liner as well. When I order the MSA header, I'll get the jet-hot coated one, so it will be a close match to the bare aluminum head's color. All in all, it should look pretty good when dropped into a cleaned and coated engine bay. I'll still have to rebuild the Holley 390 just to make sure it's cleaned up and in good working order, and may have to change the jets out since the Turbo Tom kit came jetted down for use with a 240Z.