Marty Rogan

About 1 month to go for a great event. Anyone nearby should come out to play. Nearby is a relative term though. We once had a guy drive out from Colorado for this event, !!! Seriously, this is a great group to run with at a premier track. Marty

Congrats Frank. That didn't take long at all. I love the white with blue interior combo. Definitely post up some pictures. Marty

Well, I hope that actually was your problem. I took an alternator to Autozone once. I watched the guy put it on the test jig, with the belt obviously loose. Of course it read weak and he wanted to sell me a new alternator. I said no thanks. Took it to a reputable shop that does nothing but rebuild alternators and starters. He tested it and said it was perfect. I don't trust those chain store guys anymore. If that does not fix your problem, at least the alternator was cheap with a good warranty.

So, is the radiator a 280Z model with shroud? If it doesn't leak and is in good condition, I would be interested in that. I'll send you a PM with my address. Thanks! Marty

Unless you are putting new bushings in, there is no reason to pull the spindle pin. Leave it alone. You are going to need spring compressors to get the spring back on. The pent up forces in the spring are dangerous. Definitely a job where the beers should wait till you are finished working. Marty

Welcome Paul, I read about your journey. Nice write-up! Those are some memories that you will always treasure! I had a similar journey about 8-9 years ago when I picked up my yellow '71 in South Carolina and drove it home to Chicago. I did not have a co-pilot with me, but I still have fond memories of driving through the winding mountains of West Virginia with the Best of ZZ Top blairing from the cassette deck (remember those?). I wrote up my journey and posted it here at the time. There is nothing like driving a classic Z Car across country. You should join the Windy City Z Club. It is a good group of people and they host several Z related events a year. Good luck with the car. Marty

No, he had some funky sounding name that I can't remember, sorry. Last time I talked to him, he was planning on putting an LS1 engine in it. He had pulled out a Rebello engine with 275HP, because it just wasn't enough for him.

From the description you gave, I believe his name is Dan. I bought a 240Z race car from him 2 years ago. I saw that car in his garage and it was nicely done. He does a lot of track days with it. I believe he mostly hangs out at HybridZ.

I had that problem a long time ago. It turned out that the prongs holding the fuse in lossened up over the years. I pinched them together, re-inserted the fuse ... problem solved!! If that doesn't do it, then it's probably a ground like everybody said.

Get some TSP. Should be able to find it at a hardware store. TSP stands for Tri-Sodium Phosphate. That was the active ingredient that used to be used in laundry detergent, until the government banned it for polution reasons. I have used it for years on the white seats in my convertible. Works great. Just be sure to rinse it well after you clean with it.

The swap is much easier on a '72 than an "70 or early '71. It is basically a direct bolt in swap. Which year 5 spd are you looking at? I would recommend that you get the matching diff for the 5 spd though to get the maximum benefit out of it. Your '72 came with a 3.36 R180 (unless it is an automatic, then probabaly a 3.54). The 5 spds were usually mated to a 3.90 R200 diff. If you go with the R200, you will need a 280Z moustashe bar. It is a little more effort, but worth it. Do a search on 5sd swaps, as it has been written up a lot. While you have the diff out, put in a R/T mount. Do a search for info on that. Like the guys said above, your risk is buying an unknown condition used tranny. In the end it's a great swap. Marty

It is 2 thumbs up on both counts. You should come on up to check it out. Any sports type car is welcome, as long as it can pass tech. We have instructors available for anyone who has not driven the track before.

Are you putting the stock dash back in, or going with a fabricated dash? Are you going with door bars on the cage?

I was able to get on it right away.

A good race seat makes a huge difference. It's much better to be using your efforts to steer the car than to keep you butt in the seat. Saves on all those black and blue knees, from bracing yourself against the door.

It has come a long way and is looking really good. Don't forget to have a harness bar installed for both seats, if you intend to carry passengers. I have the Ultra-Shield Aluminum seat and like it a lot. Marty

So, you just ground down the ears of the tranny where the shifter pivot installs and that gave you enough clearance to install the early style trans tunnel boot? Do you have any pictures showing that installed? Also, have you driven the car with everything put together? Did the rubber boot pull the shifter out of gear? I had that issue on my yellow car. Marty

Very nice! Have you completed a car, or is this as far as you have gotten? It looks pretty true to the original at this point. Any idea what the weight of a finished car would be? Marty

From what I have seen on most original cars, the upper half was painted black and the lower half was painted body color. Marty

Sounds good. I will send you a PM. Thanks!

I would be interested in those. Do airhorns come with it too? It looks like one at the left edge of the picture. Marty

The MFBA is renting the track out the weekend of April 28'th and 29'th, 2012. Full details and registration is available via our website: http://roadamerica.mfba.org/ All Make and Model Cars are Welcome to come out and Participate in this event!! We have 4 run groups based on experience that get 4-5 20 min sessions out on track each day. You will have a LOT of track time! Most people are exhausted by the end of the day. Instructors are available free (Including me!) of charge for people who would like them, and anyone who has not been on Road America will automatically have an instructor assigned to them. We also offer a lunch time touring session for those that just want to get a chance to go out on the track at slower speeds. Pricing..........................................Weekend..............Single Day Now till Feb 14th............................$395.....................$235 Feb 14th to Apr 13th......................$445.....................$255 Apr 13th to day of Event.................$495.....................$275 Touring Session........................................................$60 Spectators................................................................$5 We need to get 25 more cars preregisters by February 14th, 2012 or the event may be cancelled (if cancelled funds will be returned to participants). I have been doing this event for about 7 years. The MFBA puts on a great event. Plus Road America is one of the best tracks in the country. Come out and give it a try!! Marty

Very nice indeed! Love that color of the 260Z, as you can see it's pretty close to the color of mine. I used to track my yellow '71 Z for about 7 years. That was great fun. I see a lot of those Lotus' out there. They are really quick and handle great. I have always been fond of muscle cars too. Right now I have the blue '70Z, the Lemans Convert and the Mustang (took the place of the yellow Z). Marty

That's an impressive list of cars! Must be a pretty large garage to fit all those. Marty

You beat me to the reply Arne. I was trying to find some pictures to show the difference. The linkage on the early, versus late 4 speeds are different. The early one uses a completely straight stick that is bolted in at the bottom. The later style uses a fulcrum in the middle to bolt it in. Well, it's more of a pin, with a "C" clip that holds it in. I cut and welded the shifter in the early '71 first. It did allow me to fit it in their without cutting. However, the stock trans boot bunched up so badly that it made the trans slip out of 3rd and 5th gear. I ended up cutting the tunnel anyway, since it was not acceptable to have the trans pop out of gear on the track!!