mar2c

Good point. As for the reason I live in CA, it's quite simple -- I am in the military, and was sent here by my Uncle Sam. (so, referencing the previous post, the door really isn't unlocked for me). If it were up to me, I never would have left Texas. Now, Texas may not have anything that would cause you to leave CA, but to me, it's home. When I ask what keeps people here, the answer I get 9/10 times is "the weather". Granted, the weather is nice here year-round, but to me, isn't everything. Here are my main gripes: 1) why do people suddenly stop speaking English when I drive off the base ? This is still America, yes ? 2) why is it necessary for a 1,500 sq ft house in a halfway decent neighborhood to cost over $300,000 ? 3) why does my insurance have additional "California only" required coverages ? 4) how is it that a state can find itself in a "power emergency", over-commit millions of dollars to "fix" the problem, and then RE-ELECT the guy who was really responsible for the problem in the first place!! 5) did I mention the English thing ? Just my .02. I'm sure you could rack up a list of reasons you'll never live in TX, and that's fine. Noone says we all have to get along perfectly. That would be boring!! btw, my 98% rust-free Z will be leaving the state with me in a few months. I will be taking that part of CA with me!!

I like to check out zcar.com and zdriver.com haven't really played around too much on zdriver recently. I have also "joined" the IZCC, but haven't noticed too much updating to the site. I've actually had alot of success with the Parts & Accessories forum over at zcar. my most recent score was an original 4 speed pattern shift knob in GREAT condition. I also like to look through the 350 forum at zcar for a good laugh as the new Z owners complain that their nav systems can't automatically find the closest Starbucks! I really only started making this my "main" Z page when the focus shifted from 240s to all 1st gens. Since I own a 280, I didn't have much to contribute to a 240 board. I like that this site is dedicated to the 1st gen owners/cars. I am a 1st gen lover at heart, even though my introduction into the Z world was in a 79 ZX.

no, it really doesn't...

those of us who live (or have lived, in my case) in places where it snows can give a hands-down vote to TRUCKERS :mad: a**holes go flying by you on snow covered roads/freeways and kick up a white-out cloud that blinds you. they think they're invincible... I'll be moving to Nebraska soon, and am not looking forward to sharing the icy roads with these guys again. my .02

saw this while playing around on zcar.com (like you guys don't surf the other boards, either) anyway, looks like someone scanned the factory EFI book, and posted it. the book seems to be based on the 75 280, so not entirely sure which other S30 280s it will be useful for. Here's the link to the book : EFI book on zcar here's a link to the thread on the zcar board. may help answer questions : ZCar thread If it's helpful, we may want to consider "borrowing" a copy for the tech articles here !! Hey, anyone tried to scan in a FSM ?

any junkyards in your area ? you might start there first. I found some replacements for my 78 in a local junkyard, and the guy only charged my $10 a piece. sorry, there are no 75s in the yard. much better deal than getting bent over at MSA or VB - they sell their bumper ends for $100 A PIECE !

my introduction to the Z world was in a ZX. my dad bought a brand new one in 79 (the ZX in my photo gallery). would have been my first car, but he sold it in 1986 (6 months before I started driving) taught a friend of mine to drive in her 83 2+2. it wasn't till I got older and wiser that I got my 1st gen. my wife helped bring me back on the right path. her 1st car was a 77 280 (also pictured in my photo gallery) don't get me wrong, I wouldn't turn down a 5 speed 83 turbo... I'd take the tranny and engine and drop it in my 78 !!!

my 78 has the same problem. both doors. it's been that way since we bought the car 2 years ago. I haven't really done anything about it since it gets parked in the garage, and I live on an AF base where the neighborhoods are regularly patroled. I understand this is a quite common occurence on the older Zs. my wife's 77 had the same problem. eventually, I'm just gonna get new locks.

seeing as how my interior is 90% stock (CD player and MSA shift knob with a "Z" instead of 4 speed pattern), I would vote for the stock wheel. "nothing like the real thing, baby"

is that people out there don't read before they bid. some fool out there actually thinks this is the price he/she is going to pay for the entire car! I first saw an auction like this a month ago, and emailed the "winning" bidder. he had no clue he was agreeing to pay that much ON TOP OF MSRP for this car. stupid people are out there. they're everywhere!! God bless the free market economy that helps them wizz their money away!

request the catalog, and order by phone. their web store is a pain in the arse to navigate!!!

Before all the flames start coming, let me just start off by saying that I do know what it means to rebuild an engine... My question is more dealing with an engine overhaul. What is typically done to overhaul an engine ? Where do you draw the line between the overhaul or rebuild decision ? As best as we can figure, our '78 sat for 5 years before we bought it back on Aug 2001. When you drive it, you can tell that the car isn't giving you all it has. I plan on replacing the exhaust system soon, but the engine needs some attention as well. How do you determine what would be best? Beside the difference in cost, is there anything that would make one option more attractive than the other ? Any advice would be welcomed!

Zs on the California central coast area are EVERYWHERE!! I'm always seeing 240s and 280Zs whenever I go out and about, especially in San Luis Obispo. Most of the S130s around here are in pretty crappy shape, but for some reason, the S30s that I see tend to be the survivors.

my screen name is also my name, as well. years ago my brother and I were trying to come up with some ideas for personalized plates for our vehicles. Texas only allows 6 characters, which limited our choices. Eventually, we came up with MAR2C. My brother put that tag on a truck he used to own. It is years later now, and my wife and I wanted to get personalized plates for our Z. Since MAR2C was still taken, we had to come up with something else. (photo is in my picture gallery) We came up with the plate you see today on our Z - it tells you exactly who owns it I had thought of using a screen name that reflects my job, like some do. Some younger folks in my career field use screen names like "NUKEM" or "KEYTURNER" or "ICBM-DRVR", but I have decided not to. Mine is simply my name

great, and I have TWINS! looking forward to this...

found a 350 post-rollover while playing around on zcar.com uploaded the pics to my picture gallery. check 'em out!

if your car hasn't been registered in 7 years, then the plates on your car probably aren't in the DMV system anymore. we bought our Z in Aug 2001. the plates on the car expired in '95. after owning the car for 3 months, and STILL not recieving the new sticker from the DMV, I called them. they tried to look up my plate, but couldn't find it in the system! so they sent me new plates. no penalty, no additional fees. I want to say that in CA, an inactive plate "disappears" after 5 years. I have TX tags and title on my Z now, so I guess that in 5 years the plates CA gave me will be useless.... are you military ? if so, register it on your home state. #*!? California!

eBay comes through with this

the plate number could have nothing to do with the year of the vehicle. when I bought my Z 2 years ago, the original CA tags on the car were 338-VQR. they had expired in '95. no biggie, I have TX tags on the car now. some states, like Wyoming, use the first number on the plate to identify the county that the car is registered in. for instance, any car registered in Laramie county (Cheyenne) will start with a 2. bottom line: the tag number really says nothing about the model year of the car.

another vote for the Midwest. Offutt AFB, Omaha, Nebraska is where the Z is parked now ! Had to take it out of California for the first time in its life. It's okay, though, because it has a nice garage to sleep in during the winter! TEXAS is still "home" though.