We promised to keep you updated on the work in progress of the restomod project on the Datsun 240Z of our new friend @isidoro_tanaka, do you remember him?Isidoro is Italian on his mother’s side and ‘Hāfu’ (half Japanese and half American) on his father’s side. Growing up in Italy after his father left him when he was just a baby, he kept hoping that one day or another, his dad would show up somehow. Last December, he received a letter reporting a mysterious container near Ferrara. Isidoro doesn’t waste any time, he hurls himself into it: once he arrives at the place, he finds his father’s most precious belongings and some beautiful revelations… Among the many memorabilia, one above all: a Datsun 240Z that immediately strikes Isidoro’s heart. It is the car that belonged to his father, the sign he had been waiting for for years!Isidoro then writes to us in Dm and asks us to help him put it back on the road. The work is not easy, the car is quite battered, but it is a challenge that intrigues us and we accept it without hesitation.
Off we go. The car comes with us, and the total disassembly phase begins, up to the sheet metal.The parts are divided into groups, catalogued and bagged for the change of the hardware inherent in each mechanical group for the new supply.Doing a bit of car anatomy, during the disassembly phase the components are divided into these categories.
Bicycle: bridges, suspension attachments, drive shafts, joints and axle shafts, shock absorbers (which will be replaced with pro-street shock absorbers).Mechanics: we talk about the engine and gearbox.Bodywork: the sheet metal, that is doors, hoods, fenders and grilles and battery.Windows: windows, windshield and rear window, and the side wheels. These pass a thorough inspection to see if they can be remanufactured or not.Interior: seats, tunnel, dashboard, bench seats and headliner. The upholstery ends up in the upholstery department, where the condition of the seat sponges and vinyls will be checked. The situation here is quite compromised so we are unlikely to salvage anything.Finally, the electrical part is completely eradicated. Ditto for the odometer, tachometer and lights. These components are kept only as reference samples for the purchase of the new one.
Ok, disassembly done: we are talking about a hundred hours of work, not peanuts.Now the bodywork is ready for high-pressure washing, an operation that takes from 7 to 10 days. The result? Here it is. Next step? Restoring the bodywork.Keep in touch, lads.
