zbane

Deborah, welcome to the club, I've got a '79 zx, so you're not alone. Occasionally, we (the zx owners) will be given a hard time, but it's all in good fun. Everyone here is full of information, inspiration and great ideas. Feel free to ask questions, explore the site, and become accustomed to the search feature-lots of advice there that applies to all Z cars, including the 280zxs.

I concur on the steering wheel-it just doesn't look good in there. First, it's just too shiny (in contrast with the otherwise nice interior); second, it's got (and brings) the wrong attitude to the interior. The flame job, while not my style, is nicely done. It's non obtrusive, the blending into the yellow seems smooth-overall quality paint job. Maybe it's not right on a Z, but I've seen worse flame jobs before, and this one seems tastefully, thoughtfully done. What I hope they deal with before auction are a couple little things. Maybe I'm nitpicking here, but there seems to be something wrong in the hood area. Look at the rough edge on the under-hood right side area of the photo, and the metal piece that lines the black bars, notice the stuff on the bumper that should have been cleaned up before the photos were taken. Next-passenger side rear corner-looks as though it has been mangled, then hammered/forced back into place (almost), then painted. This should be a smoother line, no? Also, the veriticle rubber peices on the bumper seem to be coming loose from thier mounts. Makes it look as though they were just slapped on with the minimum adhesive. The hatch-is it open (but not lifted) or is it closed (but tweaked)? The left taillight looks of kilter in comparison to the right, though in fairness, this could just be the angle of the photo. Yes, these are all little things, but for a car going to auction, with the hopes of getting good money, they are things that should have been addressed already. How you handle the little things speaks volumes about how you handle the big things.

Here's my contribution to the snowy list.

Look at your Z as a long term commitment, the more you put in, the more you get out. Sometimes it's a give and take, and sometimes you'll get mad, but ultimately, once you've come to your senses, you'll have a stronger bond with your Z and be able to appreciate her more. Try to spend some time with her, tinker a little, put something together. One thing at a time, just to show yourself some progress.

I wonder what the Heads of Ferrari think about this? I think it'd be great if they invited this guy to Modena (or wherever) for a photo shoot with the 1:1 scale version, maybe let him do a lap in it...

To start with, I'd want the designers to think about the fun/cost ratio. The original Z line (stopping at my ZX) all had the price right. Fair quality, fair to excellent handling dynamics, and favorable MPG, tucked into a usable, stunning package. Mazda got the formula right with the mx-5 miata, and GM hit pretty close with the Solstice/Sky. So far as design traits, I am tired of the whole "Cab Forward" design. Give us the long bonnett, let us sit closer to the rear axle than the middle of the floor pan, and for goodness sake, don't even think about a 2+2 model. Sports Cars Are For Two People Only! (Otherwise, it's a sport sedan, damnit) Do not offer 6 different trim levels. Infiniti can sell a decked out version (with a decked out price), but Nissan should sell a bare bones performer at a reasonable price. One last thing (for now) Give it a STRAIGHT SIX, and get BRE involved with some aftermarket items or modification, like BMW did with John Cooper. Doing so would show respect to the originals, a respect for history.

ktm, yes I realize it's modified, and I actually respect it on this one. The time and trouble that the owner went through on the body is impressive, and I think it turned out pretty well, unlike the yellow Camaro conversion that some may remember. Both these listed auctions are trying to sell thier cars for what they put in them, and that's the funny part, not so much how their cars came out.

Oh, I don't know, Will. I think this one tops you post. I especially like how the front end from a Firebird was grafted on. Somehow with the new front end, the car picks up a Porsche 944 feel, I really don't know what to think, other than it's a mess. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1973-DATSUN-240Z-WITH-MODIFIED-CHEVY-350-VERY-FAST_W0QQitemZ320051988093QQihZ011QQcategoryZ6187QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem All this for a BIN of 12,000!

Something new every day, thanks for pointing that out, Arne.

My thought on this would be an electrical issue, especially since it is happening with the new pump. So, I would start looking at the usual suspects-Fuses and connection points. Take your time and be thorough.

I kept waiting for it to stop, but it never did... Everyone I know is getting a copy of that like, and I'll blame it on youLOL

Welcome to the group, there is so much useful info here, not to metion the fun to be had with like minded folks. Get yourself used to the search function, it will guide you to many solutions (and more questions). You might want to reconsider restoring #4312, a lower number car is nice to have. Anyway, welcome to the site, Z you around.

Well, Ian, you know what's best for your particular situation. You also know that you've got our support, no matter what. The Protoge will do right by you, just check the CV joints if you hear any clicking.

I agree with 76Datsun280z wholeheartedly. Ian, I did a quick autotrader search for your area and found this-ecclectic, reliable, good winter driver, sporty, worth looking at (or at least thinking about) http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/dda/detail.jsp?result_car_id=208110013&dealership_view_name=www.richscarcorner.com&car_id=208110013&dealer_id=1155008 It's a 1982 VW Scirocco, a sporty little demon in its time. Save your 240 for a time in the future when you'll be able to get her back on the road. I gave up a 75 Fiat Spider because I "didn't have the money" to fix her, but I had the money to get another car. I still kick my arse over it. I relate to your money/car situation (we all do), and I can assure you that if you were to part your Z and get something else, you'll regret it FOREVER. You've already committed yourself to spending 1500, so why not get yourself a beater, and keep the Z in one piece? Come on now. You know it's the right thing to do! edit-the thumbs are just representations I googled. the actual photos wouldn't come up for me on autotrader, but those are '82 models, so you know what it looks like.

My pleasure-How's the unpacking going? ...Wait a minute, that's why you wanted to know who else from the boards is near...I'm onto you and your evil plans...

Just did a quick "las vegas" search and came up with these, but I thought there were more. eddyonelv 77JAPAN richard1 clutchdust A thought for the future-would there be any way to compile a list of member's locations? It would be neat to see where our membership is located. Such a thing might be useful for anyone in Russell's situation, or anyone travelling (with/out thier Z). Just a thought.

Is yours one of those automatic climate control units, or is it the traditional variety? Not knowing much about this, I'll hazard a guess-if it's an automatic unit, perhaps the temp sensor is out or malfunctioning. If this were the case, then the fan wouldn't know when to come on. Perhaps it's a problem with the ECU. Have you got a Factory Service Manual? If not, I'd suggest hunting one down, they've got great troubleshooting guides.

I worked third shift last night, and kept hitting refresh, closing and re-opening the browsers, saddled with heavy heart. Hope everyone survived the outage with minimal harm.

"From a 79, this unit is in great shape and is being sold as a set! " This guy sells alot of shirts, not much else, according to his store Datsunofthebeach

You're welcome to join us ANYTIME! Until then, quit yer bitchenLOL

Ian, there has got to be another way! You spent so much time and love on your current dear, don't give up on her-She needs you!

What I've noticed about resale value and location is this- if you want it, it's too expensive; if you're trying to sell it, it's too cheap. For you in MI, something rust-free is going to get the best price, while someone in an arid state (like Arizona) will pay more for a car with an immaculate interior. It has been mentioned before that if someone were to transport a car from the west and sell it in the east, then a profit could be made. Likewise, from southwest to north. The problems about shipping costs and sightless purchasing pretty much nix the whole idea, unless you owned your own transport company or had a good network of buyers in whatever area that knew what they were doing. That's all just my opinion, of course.

Thanks for that suggestion Mat (and by inferrence, JMortensen)! I'll give it a shot when I get a chance.

And while you are checking into this issue, why not take tha Alfa to work? I would suggest the Z, but I wouldn't want you to associate the Z with work, the Z is for enjoyment after all. Just a quick question-is your PS supposed to be at 100% all the time, or does it assist more at lower speed, less at higher? I had an 88 Honda CRX with this feature-city driving=full power. Highway driving=no PS assistance. If your Miata has the same feature, and the issue is not solved by the aforementioned ideas, perhaps it is a sensor failure, or some other fault in the electronics that "speak" to the PS system. FWIW (probably not much)

"it's stongest were the lil fuel damper diaphram is linked to the pump..can these actually go bad cuz i thought it was just a simple diaphram that smoothed out the fuel flow.. " Methinks you've answered your own question... Like anything, I imagine that this can and does go bad. I think it equally possible for them to get all gunked up. I agree with everyone who has posted that the culprit lies in the tank, but now that you've got the filter between tank and pump, that should stop the problem from re-occurring, or at least make it more definable. Since the problem hasn't stopped, and you noticed agitation in the damper, I'd go ahead and pull the damper and clean it out. Who know's what you'll find in there. If you were to pull that off for inspection/cleaning, it might be wise to use this opportunity to back wash the fuel line to get out any other accumulated crud. That's just a thought off the top of my head, but I figure if you're there already, you might as well.