Marty Rogan

Well, it has been a while, so I figured it was time for an update on the Garage Mahal. I was able to get the horse stall area concreted in this spring, so I now have 100% of the floor space in usable condition. In the first week of June, I had the asphalt drive way put in. They did a great job. I now have a lot of parking area and space to turn around with the trailer to back the race car into the barn. I can back to the whole rig in, with the truck still attached, close the door and just walk into the house. No more 45-60 minutes to unload when I get home from a track weekend. That used to really annoy the wife. The original builder of the barn came out to give me an estimate on the ceiling. He said that the trusses would have no trouble supporting a steel ceiling with R38 blown-in insulation. I am thinking about going with maybe R49 for better heating economy. I got several quotes on heating. The 12' ceiling height was not quite enough to make radiant tube heating work. They said it could bake the paint right off the cars. It needed to be at least 16' to make it work. So, I am going with a forced air unit. I just need to finalize my research to decide if I go with natural gas, or LP gas. The local gas company said it would cost me $3K to trench the gas lines out to the barn. I have got most of the wiring done. All of the wall outlets are in. I also put in a 220 line. I wired in 6 more lights for the ceiling and added 4 lights along the back wall over the work bench area. All of the lights will be 3810 lumens, so I am hoping it is pretty bright. My wife is always giving me crap by saying "Do you want to do surgery in there!?' My response ..."Exactly!!" The brighter the better in my book. I still need to figure out how to install 2 ceiling fans on the trusses. A lot of the quotes were coming in higher than I anticipated, so I am giving up on the idea of running water out to the barn. It would be nice, but it is not a necessity. All of the wall insulation is in. About half of the vapor barrier has been installed. About half of the previously installed wall has been put back up, and the rest of the wall materials have been purchased. Over the long 4th of July Holiday (took Friday off too), I put in a lot of hard work to get stuff done. So, as a little reward to myself, yesterday afternoon, I got the Z out for the first time this year and went for a drive up Route 67 in Southern WI. 67 is a nice curvy road that goes through the Kettle Moraine Valley. The Kettle is a really beautiful area and a popular destination for a car or motor cycle cruise. It feels good to get this much progress. There is still a lot left to do. That's it for now. Later, Marty

Jeff, Congrats on getting it registered!!!. Now the real fun begins. There is nothing like the roar of a triple carbbied L-6. Do you ever intend to take it to a track day? That is where you car really get a feel for what these cars are capable of. They are just shear joy to drive hard on a track. Enjoy!! Marty

Actually, that does not sound like a bad price. I have Stoptechs on the front of my Mustang Race Car. You see them advertised routinely for $2,200. So to get front and back in the kit with everything included, that does not sound out of wack to me. Stoptechs are awesome brakes. I didn't know they were available for a Z.

Ha, this freaked me out when I saw the location as Elkhorn. I thought, this could not be possible. I live in Elkhorn, WI. A small town of 10K people. There was a nice '72 240Z for sale a few months ago only about 40 minutes from me. You just don't see many good ones for sale around here.

Hey Chris, Glad to hear things are looking up for you and you are getting back to working on your cars. The body on 26th looks like it is coming along nicely! Marty

You have quite the stable there! I really like the Viper Dark Green Pearl on a 240Z.

Put me on your list for a set too. Thanks, Marty

Yes. Basically you can put them on anything with a bleeder valve.

I was surprised to see it show HP. Every other dyno run I have seen in Australia showed power in KW.

Since this was done in Australia, it is probably KPH, which is about 109 MPH.

I have never heard of them before. But this sets off all kinds of alarm bells for me. I would never send somebody money and then hope they ship me the car. Nobody will ship a car to you at their expense and then come take it back if you don't like it. Finding a good 240Z for $4K today is also hard to believe. Your signature says you are in California. You should be able to find good 240Z's out there, that you could go see in person. That is the best way to buy these cars. Take your time, and wait for the right one that you can buy directly from the owner.

I have had the 3500 and the 5000 and really like them. I take my 5000 to the track with me all the time. And yes, it is heavy, but I think the added safety it provides over jack stands is well worth it. Plus, the newer design has wheels built in, so it helps compensate for the weight somewhat.

Fantastic work! That 903 paint job is just beautiful. 903 was the original color of my car. You just don't see many in that color around.

If you are in a cold environment, electric heat will bankrupt you. I am probably going to go with radiant tube heating in my shop, like they use in some factories. My buddy has it in his 1,500 ft hanger. He pays only about $40/month, and he keeps the temp at 65 all winter long. When the heat is on, all of the surfaces are warm to the touch. Even the floor. I can see the benefit of being able to take the wheels off with the 2 poster. However, you would not be able to use it for storage. I have been leaning toward the 4 poster, with a jack bridge option to get he wheels off.

That is a very nice shop! What did you use for insulating the roof? What kind of heat do you have? Insulation and heating are next on my list for my shop once the weather starts getting better around here. Why did you opt for the 2 post vs a 4 post lift?