Marty Rogan

Yes, I enjoyed watching it very much. All of the cars are very interesting to me, as we did not get them in the USA; the Z432R, G-Nose, etc. I liked seeing your beautifully prepared Blue/Blue Z in the mix as well, since I have one of those myself. Seeing the NISMO site and the Museum were also a treat, since I probably will never get a chance to see them in person. Absolutely a "job well done" by all of those involved. Marty

All I can say is WOW!!! That truly would be a dream come true to take part in a trip like that. It appears that the planning was done to perfection. Getting all of those amazing cars in one place, and actually getting to ride in them too!! And the people seem as amazing as the cars. The video was also very well done. It was very enjoyable to watch. Great job done by all those involved!!

I also started on the IZCC mailing list. It was a great place to get info and make friends. You are right and we don't say it often enough, ... We owe a HUGE thanks you to Mike for making this great community available to Z Car nuts everywhere.

Wow Carl, has it been that long?!! Yeah, I don't get down to Florida much. That was a great time checking out the BRE Baja car and the rest of your Z collection.

It is a passion and a Disease! I first contracted "Z Fever" in 1980, when I bought my first 1973 240Z and restored it. I have since owned 4 240Z's, and for a short time I owned 3 of them at one time. Yes, Z Fever is incurable in my opinion.

I started back in 1998 when I bought my blue '70 Z. Man, time flies!

Hey Kmack, It is great to hear from you and that you are doing well! Yep, those Miata's are fun little cars too. I see them at the track all the time. I have not been on this site as much in the last 4 1/2 years, as I took a different path with my retirement fun project. I just finished my 1966 Sunbeam Tiger. It was a fun project, with lots of challenges along the way. We moved to Wisconsin and our house has a 36'x 64' heated pole barn, with a lift. That made the project a lot more enjoyable. I am still doing track days , but not in a Datsun. I traded for more horsepower in a Mustang with a built Coyote motor. Still have the blue/blue '70 Z. Can't really see myself ever parting with that one. Take care and keep checking in once in a while. Marty

Such a clean engine bay. Just stunning!

That is one beautiful pair of Z cars! You guys really do awesome work!

The lift was $3,500. Delivery and install was $1,050. I picked a local company, to avoid having delivery problems. If you buy a lift off the internet and have it shipped to you, they bring it to your door and it is your responsibility to get it off the truck. By using a local company, they take delivery at their warehouse and brought it out to me on a trailer and off-load it themselves. Plus, if they was ever an accident later, I can legitimately say that it was professionally installed.

Well, it has been long overdue, but I finally had a 2 post lift installed on Tuesday. It is a 9,000 lb. symmetrical lift I got from the Lift Superstore. They have a shop about an hour from me. Two guys delivered it and installed it in about 4 hours. I am going to christen it tomorrow by doing the brakes on my truck.

Thanks. It is hard to tell from the pictures if the mounting holes are the same.

I have a nice 280Z radiator on Facebook Market Place. Somebody asked if it fits the 280ZX. I think they do, but I am not 100% certain. Can anybody confirm the fit??? Thanks!

What type of shocks are you using? I put Nissan Euro-spec springs on my '70, which were supposed to lower the car 3/4". I also put in Tokico gas shocks. The result seemed to actually raise the car instead of lowering it. Time did not make it settle either. I think it is the gas shocks pushing up the car. I never got around to addressing the issue. On my '71, I put in lowering springs and 5-way adjustable Tokico's and it did not raise the car at all.

Can you send us some pics on how it turned out?

You should also put some gas resistant caulk on both sides of the rubber flap. I didn't the first time I installed mine and I gas gas leaking out after a fill up. Put in a thin layer of caulk and no more leaks for 20+ years!

I got my '70 Z in 1998. It had a small crack in the dash that had been repaired reasonably well. I have used petroleum jelly on it ever since and it has not had any further cracks. Vinyl is a petroleum based product. Although I have no scientific proof, I believe the petroleum jelly replaces at least some of the oils that have out-gassed over the years. My dash has stayed fairly soft. I do put a white towel on the dash to protect it, if I ever have to leave it parked in the sun.

Yes! It is pretty amazing how easy it is to put in later Z parts into an early chassis. You will need to use an electric fuel pump, as the ZX motor has no provision for a mechanical fuel pump. the wiring for it is all there. Above the diff, toward the right side, look for a connector wrapped in blue tape. You get power for the pump there. Then behind the radio there is another connector wrapped in the same tape. Here I put in a jumper wire, so when the key is turned to the "on" position, the pump runs. If you use the SU carbs, make sure you get a fuel pump that only puts out around 3 PSI or you can flood the carbs. You will need round ports headers/manifold for the exhaust. As Yarb is hinting toward, make sure the drive train is good before you put it in.

Definitely keep the engine. You want to also keep the half shafts and drive shaft. I put an "83ZX drive train in a '71 240Z and it was great fun to drive.

Ha, ha, ha... not at all. I have had several sets of Yokos and have liked them all. As an added bonus, they were way cheaper than the other tires I was looking at. Gotta love that these days.

Ken, I got the Ascend GT's mounted up last week. Yesterday I got a chance to drive up through the Kettle Moraine Valley, which has a lot of nice twisty roads. I would have to agree with your 8 out 10 rating on performance. They stuck really well in the corners and the ride was a huge improvement. Of course, I would not use these on a track, but they are a good choice for spirited street driving. Thanks for the recommendation.

I ordered a set of Ascend GT's this morning. TireRack quoted delivery tomorrow. Gotta love their service!

Well, after quite a bit of searching, the only performance tire that I have found so far in my preferred size of 215/60/15 is the Dunlop Sport Classic, for $340 ea. That is way more than I have been paying for my race tires, so those are out. My current tires, Yokohama AVS 215/60/15, diameter 24 1/2", were great, but have no direct replacement. I want to get as close to that size and performance as possible. My short list from TireRack as of right now is: Yokohama Advan Fleva V701, 205/55/15, diameter 23.8, $126.76 Good reviews from Miata drivers, which is pretty similar in weight and performance as a 240Z Toyo Proxes R1R, 195/55/15, diameter 23.5" $156.47. Lots of good reviews on various sports cars. Yokohama Avid Ascent GT, 205/60/15, diameter 24.8" $114.99. No reviews on TireRack on sports cars, but got a strong recommendation from Ken above. So, it looks like my choice is either more documented performance or closer to my preferred size with one personal recommendation. Hmmm, decisions, decisions....

I just watched their demo. they have some pretty awesome capabilities. I would love to see how they do with a Datsun radio.

I did the 4-Runner conversion on my track car, with the vented discs and bigger caliper and did not upgrade the booster or master. They worked great and I never had a problem.