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If you are just talking about safety, In your parents eyes it all boils down to air bags vs no air bags. Guess which one wins. I do have to agree on that point. No matter what driving skills you have, It will always be the other guy that's going to do something stupid. In a car that small, think again which one will win. I think about that every time I get into mine. It's 1977 safe, not 2015 safe. You don't seem to be a "silly kid" so I'm not telling you not to get a Z but you have to realize most everybody that owns one has something else to drive. Do choose something worth driving every day and when it is feasible, get that Z and enjoy every minute of it. And When you do, A coupe would be my personal choice, but I've never driven a 2+2 so my opinion may be considered lopsided (also my daughter is about to turn 16 ).

Rear wheel drive, manual transmission and torque are difficult for a new driver. Get a Civic 5 speed to learn on and after a couple of years (and probably a low speed fender bender), get a nice sports car: A 240z coupe. 4 pieces of advice for a new driver: 1. Try to back up as little as possible (plan your path) 2. Always do a shoulder check when changing lanes. 3. Use your turn indicators and put them on long before you brake or turn.... let people know your intentions. 4. Throw your phone in the glove box or back seat... don't use it when driving.

Greg - I'm very happy to see these pictures of your car in 240 Racing Green. My 76 280Z is at the body shop right now being painted in the same color (which it was originally). I debated for quite a while on the color, your pictures make me certain of my decision - your car looks fantastic. I'll post pictures at some point, though mine is in a million pieces and will take me some time to put back together. BTW, I'm going two-stage as well. Peter

Some more photos.

Hey fellow Z owners, I'm working on convincing my parents to let me buy a 1976 280Z 2+2, and understandably their main concern is that the car isn't safe. Being that the 2+2 is heavier and longer, I'm wondering if anyone knows crash test safety, or any good points to use to convince them? Thank you!

Gwri8, would you ever consider letting your daughter drive a car like the one I'm getting? Keep in mind, I'm extremely mechanically inclined, know how to fix potential issues, have massive interest in the car, and have had the experience of driving other classic cars. In that situation, would you consider letting her?

I'd say the extra length with the back seats helps from rear end crashes and that looong hood helps from front the end. I had a bad wreck in a '76 back in the late eighties, sitting so low in the car kept me from getting hurt. The steering wheel folded in though and that made my wrist sore but I didn't get anywhere near the front glass. A lady pulled out in front of me and I hit her HARD, the long front end saved me. Good brakes and seatbelts in these cars. Good luck with your convincing.

Where is this nifty tool? I have a E88 that is shaved .048 and want to see what CR I get put on a N42 block.

I think that removing the coil wire and just cranking in 10 second bursts for 3-4 cycles until you see some oil pressure prior to initial spring start up might accomplish about 90% of what you're doing with the clever oil injection apparatus. This however would not allow one to have wonderful inventive ideas and then to be able to implement them with various machine, flame and spark producing tools. So forget I mentioned the above. Back to the shop! That's where I'm going!

I finally got around to making my acme thread puller. I thought I took a picture of the internal threads, but I guess I didn't. As planned, I used 1" acme threaded rod and a S30 front strut top bearing. I have enough material to make a few more, but I will hold-off until I try this one to see if the design needs any changes. I might machine flats or a hex on the nut end of the acme rod to aid threading on the spindle pin. I haven't tried it yet though since my spare corner modules are buried in storage until spring.

Lifetime guarantee? Caveat emptor

PA cars aren't a little rusty. They're a little metal-ly. Chuck