AndysPlit

Hmm. Does that mean I have a water leak? From where? How? I had the head gasket replaced about 3 years ago. Why do you think it is only when I floor it?

Question reagarding a 78 280Z. When I really floor it upon acceleartion from a dead stop I have seen white smoke in the wake of my Z hauling arse. It's kind of rude but funny in a way as I have witnessed the guy behind me lost in a cloud of smoke. The engine has a rebiult head, but has 295K on the motor.. It runs fine, but I am concerned about the smokescreen issue. Help!

Yes, the snow nearly killed my Z. Last year, thankfully before the body & paint, she hit a snowbank and was stuck. After a few hours some locals helped push her out of it and back onto the slippery icy road. I remember one guy said, "A Z? That's bold!"............regarding the fact that I took her up there. But, I do remember my first drive. Initially I was looking into the 280ZX, until I took my 78 for a spin. "Wow!", I thought. That's what I was getting! I felt like James Dean for a moment.

Good luck with her. She still has life left in her I imagine.

Thank you. I will try to post some more pics of the 300 and my first love, the 280 sometime in the future. I need a digital camera! But, in regards to choosing the Z31 over the 280ZX, I can see some of the allures of the S130. It does give better mileage, retains the classic Z look, and is simpler in terms of its mechanics. One factor that came into play is that a 280ZX 2+2 is much harder to find and many of them are in fair to poor condition. I saw so many more Z31's for sale. It's ironic because in all my years of being a Z owner I never thought I would ever buy a Z31. I cruised around town and took it on the freeway last night with the T-tops off. I had a blast, but the performance muffler is too loud. I sort of felt like a jerk driving this loud, red, and flashy vehicle. I almost felt like I was driving a 5.0 or Trans Am! I'm only speaking of the aesthetic and not power of course. Man , it was still AWESOME, but it could never take the place of my 280Z......ever.

I hope this works. I don't have any pictures but here is the one from the ad.

An update: On tuesday I bought what is destined to be my daily-driver. I purchased an 86 300ZX 2+2. I talked the guy down from $2250 to $1900! Pros: It's red It's an AT T-top alledged rebuilt tranny great body, paint, & interioir no dash cracks runs strong side skirts, rear spoiler performance exhaust blows cold air Cons: It's red It talks the alarm very loud muffler leaks oil below the coolant reservoir high mileage (218K) no documenataion of timing belt service may need a tranny mount cruise does not work aftermarket stereo sucks All in all I'm very excited about the Z31. I know I'll have to pour money into it so that I can feel more confident about it taking the strain off my 280. It's miles apart from an S30, but still a great car in it's own right. Wish me luck! AndysPlit 1978 Datsun 280Z 1986 Nissan 300ZX 2+2

I checked out the 83 yesterday. Again I had to pass. The guy was asking way too much for the car. The suspension was shot, the tranny sounded noisy in 3rd, and the hood had a busted hinge. The body was straight and the engine felt fine, but I just saw another project. I also checked out an 86 last night. Great looking car but again I had to walk away because I felt this kid was hiding something. That and he had no recollection if the timing belt had ever been serviced. Honestly, since I am looking for a ZX 2+2, hands down the Z31 seems to be a better car than the 280ZX's. Since they were aiming for the GT market back then I feel the 300 all around is a little more exciting. Funny, I never thought I would hear myself say that.

(Corrections): -The film "Boogie Nights" features a red 280ZX. Not a 240Z. sorry! -The Z in "Back To The Future" parked outside the aeroybics gym is an orange 240Z. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ -There are a clutch of red 240Z's however in some Chinese Jackie Chan movie, where the Z's are the bad guys' rides. -In the Woodie Allen film "Annie Hall" the title character drives a gold 280Z. -There are actually 4 Z Cars that I am aware of from the Transformers: Prowl 280ZX Bluestreak 280ZX Smokescreen 280ZX racer and a Protectobot (can't remember his name) 300ZX (Z31) police car -In Knight Rider 2000 K.I.T. is converted from a Trans-Am to a 300ZX. ...............just kidding.

Thanks for the encouragement guys. The seller told me that the paint and body are in good shape and that there is no rust. Even if the paint is a little dull, perhaps I'll throw a 1-Day paintjob just for the sake of keeping it nice and for any potential buyers in the future. It's either this route or I do get sucked into payments for a more recent model. I also strongly considered the Sentra, Maxima, Altima, and 240SX's ranging from 1990 to 2000 from private sellers. I am simply not that excited about those models with all due respect to Nissan's bread and butter vehicles. I'm still young and I have been wanting a ZX 2+2 for a while. Initially that was the model I was looking at but when I discovered the S30 series I had to have one. My 78 has been my faithful DD for a decade and she's done well. Now it's time to have her as the weekender. Although an 83 is old, I feel with some money and a little faith she'll be as just as reliable.........I hope I do not eat those words later but I'll keep you posted. We'll see. I'll feel it out this Sunday. For 2K I hope I find what I'm looking for. Otherwise I'll walk away. Cheers.

This Sunday I'm going to look at an 83 ZX 2+2, 5 speed, digital dash, with T-Tops. The most I'll offer is 2K. The going price is at 2.5K. My 78 has been my daily driver ever since my VW took a dump on me a few weeks ago. Luckily I got rid of it but unfortunatly for less than what I paid for. From what I understand the ZX's can be good daily drivers. I hope it looks and runs as good as the seller claims. I really want to get back to taking it easy on the 78. Wish me luck!

......I tend to think all things like cars and ships are females. As far as a name goes..............It's been 10 years and I still haven't come up with one. But she'll always be my fairlady.

..............Superman chasing rockets.

Driving a Z should feel like.....................

Yes, that was Bill's car. I think that was his name. I was parked right next to him at the show. Damn, I was hoping my car would be in the background. Looks like these were taken early in the morning before I parked on his left side. Oh well.

Does the new president drive a Z?

Yeah, I'm going to check it out tomorrow. We'll see how good she really is. I'll let you guys know. Thanks.

Cool, thanks!

I am going to check out a 260Z 2+2 that is selling for $1,100. It's priced for a quick deliberately The car is in excellent shape accorording to the owner, but has been sitting in his garage since 2003. It has only 70K on it and some componenets such as the fan clutch and blade have been replaced. He also switched this to SU carbs thankfully! Let's say it starts after dropping in a fresh battery. What should I be concerned about as far as it sitting for over 3 years? Will the oil be sludged up? Please help!

I had my Z painted about six months ago so now I am looking into waxing her. However, if I look at the surface in the sun I can see very light scaratches here and there. They are so faint that they can only be detected unless you are looking for them. Car still looks very beautiful however. I store my Z in a carport with a car cover. But will waxing remedy these light scratches? How can I avoid them or does every car (so it seems) eventually get them?

According to my shop adding a rear wing or spoiler will not help. Anyway, that's what they have sworn by from their years of experience with Z's.

The early Z's have a slight flaw concerning the aerodynamics. You are still getting fumes beacuse of this. That's why extending the tailpipe will improve your situation. The extension will more or less break free of how the air flows around your Z. This is what I have learned from my Z shop. Of course replacing all of the seals and all that helps too. Something interesting to note is that the 280ZX's were free of this flaw by simply adding a slight dip along the top of the hatch door.

It has for me. The only times I still get fumes is when I slow down or stop. But, it is MUCH better than it use to be.

Extending your tailpipe will make a difference. It worked for my 78. It just needs to come up to the edge of the bumper.

Don't get your hopes up, but did anyone see this at the West Coast Nationals? http://motorsportauto.com/Show/Sunday/gallery1-small/pages/P4292672.htm