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Today I took my Z to a gathering here in the Bay Area and put together this short video of the event:

Upon starting college (1977, Wlikes University, Wilkes-Barre, Pa) my twin brother and I begged our parents for a "vehicle allowance" because he would be going to school 3 hours away in New Jersey and this would be our first "separation". We never thought it would work but it did! After a very long conversation to make sure we understood the value and importance of his gift, our amazingly generous Dad gave me a check for $15,000 to be split between my brother and I in the purchase of 2 new vehicles. This was just one more episode in which Dad showed his love and sacrificed his own perks to benefit one of us kids (and we're 5 boys!). We understood the message and never let him down. I had dreamed of owning a Z for about 3 years and knew that they were very close to 8 grand by 1977, which was more than the $7,500 allotted to me. I kept my desire for a Z secret and started a campaign to convince my brother that the best car for us was a Pontiac Trans Am. He would buy a white one, I would buy one in black. We visited dealers and worked out a deal for $6,700 each, fully loaded, out the door. We would have about $1,000 for "extras" . He fell for it (I still laugh at him for that) and I backed out at the last minute (as planned) and rushed to Fred Schuler's Datsun on King Street in Wilkes-Barre and bought my amazing yellow 280Zap for exactly $8,000 plus $500 for a technologically advanced AM/FM/cassette/CB radio by Clarion that would switch seamlessly between functions during those numerous 3 hour rides from Pennsylvania to New Jersey and back almost every weekend listening to Billy Joel's "The Stranger" and the soundtrack to "Star Wars". Never before or since have I enjoyed or loved a car more. I traded it for a 1980 280ZX once I started medical school but dreamed of driving a Z again for the last 20 years. Literally, I had a recurrent dream of driving my '77 yellow Z around town only to wake up when it would break down and nobody had the knowledge to work on them anymore ! A friggin' nightmare. I decided to hunt down a 1977 280Zap 4 years ago and read every forum I could find (thank you so much). I opted for a final year of S30 production May of '78 280Z in amazing condition and have immensely enjoyed driving and working on it with my 14 year old son who loves it and will eventually inherit it, closing the circle and paying it forward.

Will, its been a LONG while but now that I got the money the Z is getting its much needed body work done! To the blaster Monday morning then all the bents, dings and rust being taken care of!

It's to feed the mice that will eventually make their home in the heating system

280 Factory AC folks, Look what just became available on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Four+Seasons+33286+Filter+Drier

Site....Motorsports has lash pads for $7.50 each or $85.00 for 12....FYI

@7tooZ, I also did this job some time ago. I primarily used the U Joint tool from Harbor Freight along with my large bench vise. Although they call it a ball joint tool, it works equally as well on U Joints. You can find it here: https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-motorcycle/steering/ball-joint-service-kit-for-2wd-and-4wd-vehicles-63279.html You basically need to remove the C clips so the joint if free to move in the yoke. Use the pressing tool to press it out from one side, remove the bearing cap, and then press in the other direction to remove the other bearing cap. Once you have both of them off the U Joint will just come out of the yoke. I used Spicer U Joints as replacements, and although a little more expensive than some others, they were really good quality. I used them on the half shafts as well as the drive shaft. Installation is basically the reverse of removal. You need to be very careful that the needle bearings in the bearing cap stay in place. The Spicer joints I purchased had a reasonable amount of grease in the to hold the needles in place, but you may want to add a little more just to be sure. The other thing I found is that you need make sure that when you start to press the bearing cap in place, that it is very straight. If you start off crooked, they will not go in and you run the risk of ruining a bearing. Ask me how I know!! Just make sure to install the C clips when you are done to ensure the joint stays in place in the yoke. Also the Spicer joints I purchased were greaseable, so you will need to install the grease fittings and thoroughly grease the joint before re-installing on your car. That's about it. It's not a hard job but a little tedious as you have to be very careful on re-installation of the new joint. Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. Mike.

Yes, I received a notification from Amazon that it was now available and ordered it yesterday. The shipping estimate is about 4 weeks.

Spent the day with the Edmonton and Calgary Z crew and@zKars Here at the oldest hill climb in North America! Knox Mountain Kelowna BC

Congrats on winning the car Phuong. I made a cursory initial bid, but then decided I should just focus on the couple of project 1969 production cars I already have. One is a 901 silver similar to yours (#238), so I decided I didn't really need another early silver car. I'm planning on getting that car acid dipped this summer and then starting body work on it this fall or next year. You are right, they are still out there to be found. I found three local to me an one in NJ via Hemmings. The key is finding one as complete as you can. Yours is missing a few things but has many of the unique early items. A few reproduction items are available now and some are easier to source than others. I'll be eagerly awaiting your posts after you get the car. I should start a thread of my own regarding the last 1969 car I found a couple of years ago (#480). In spite of the higher vin # I think it was one of the first 20 cars to arrive in the US in LA in Jan 1970. It would have been on the same boat as the #492 car that BRE received and built into their first 240Z race car.

I applied clear film protection on it nonetheless since it's so exposed to rock chips.

Got a rendering of my favorite Z car....