Marty Rogan

About $450!!!! Pana's are nice, but very pricey. I have 2 sets that I bought before you could get 15" Rewinds. Otherwise, I probably would have bought those. Marty

For the vented rotor swap, you need calipers from a 1988 V6 Forerunner and rotors from a 1984 300ZX. Get the braided steel brake hoses from MSA. They are Earl's brand, some of the best. Marty

Ok, ok. Poor choice of words, I guess. What I meant to say, is that you don't need to pay high Nissan prices, unless you are going for a 100 point show car. You certainly do need a HIGH QUALITY part in this area. IMHO Moog provides as good quality for a more reasonable price. They are beefy and have the zerk fittings. Marty

Hi Rick, Of course a genuine Nissan part is going to be expensive. Nissan parts are not critical here. I don't know what brand VB uses. You can probably get tie rods ends locally. Just don't buy cheapo units from China or Korea. I recently bought a set of Moog tie rods from Carquest for $32.83 each. I believe Spicer may also make them. These are some brands that I would trust and save a few bucks for other parts. Marty

Chris, Thanks for that clarification. Obviously in my case, that color is not as it left the factory. Its good to know that it would not keep me out of the stock class. I imagine it would be a big deduction though. And from pictures that I have seen, the competition at that level is pretty stiff. Enough to not place, I am sure. If I made it over to the Nationals, I guess I would be better off in the Daily Driver Class. It's a shame they don't judge the engine bay in that class. That is best part of my car. I have detailed it pretty well, right down to the correct CAD plating and hoses. Kats has been my inspiration there. His car and mine are the same blue on blue color combo and built fairly close together. Oh well, I am not likely to repaint it the correct color for quite some time. In the mean time it still does quite well in the local shows. Cheers, Marty

This is an interesting post. I have often wondered how the judging would go at the National Convention. I have read the rules and participated in several local shows, but never the Nationals. From what Vicky has said in the past, they sound REALLLLLLLY picky. I have often wondered how they would react to my '70. It's really pretty much bone stock. I can even put in the original radio and "D" hubcaps. The only issue it has is that the PO painted it a non-stock color. It's pretty nice, but not stock. Would that make it an automatic loser in the stock class? Are any mods allowed in stock? Here's the link to my gallery if you care to take a look: http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showmembers.php?si=marty+rogan&perpage=12&sort=4&cat=500&ppuser= Thanks, Marty

Thanks for the info. Marty

Hi EZZZ, I saw your 4.11 diffs on Ebay. Are these a direct bolt in for 71 240Z? I noticed that they don't have the side flanges. How do those attach? Are they just unbolt from the stock diff and bolt onto the new one? Any other mods needed to make them work in the 240? Any idea what those puppies weigh? Thanks, Marty

Thank you Carl, You get the prize for reading what I actually said. I understand now. I might not be getting the fork and throw-out bearing collar from the 280Z. Won't know till I pick it up. So I wanted to be sure that I could use what I have. Besides, the clutch that is in there has pretty low miles on it, so why just throw it away. So, for now I will keep all the parts from the 240Z (except the trans). When that clutch wears out, I 'll swap everything over to 280Z parts. It's good to know that you can swap over to the self adjusting slave (if you have the right fork). That' just one less thing to mess with. Thanks again, Marty

But if I keep the 240 clutch pressure plate and disk, and use the longer 280 collar, that would be a mismatch of the parts. Marty

It still seems like I am getting conflicting info here. It might just be me. It's been a REALLY long day. If I read between the lines, I think what I am hearing here is: you should keep all the parts matched, clutch, throwout bearing collar, fork and slave. Either use all the parts from the 71 240Z or all of the parts from the 280Z to match the trans. Is that right??? Marty

I am preparing to put a "78 5 Spd into my early '71. I have already obtained a shifter, with the proper bends to avoid hitting the trans tunnel. One thing that I need to confirm, is what clutch slave to use. From what I have researched so far, I believe I should keep the 240Z adjustable slave, correct??? I am keeping the 240Z clutch/throw-out bearing. TIA, Marty

Vicky, You took the words right out of my mouth! This color looks way better on an early Z than a 350Z. I like the body kit too. Anything to get rid of those huge 280Z bumpers! Very nice job! Marty

I just bought a nice set of Moog ball joints the other day at Car Quest for about $50 a piece. My memory is slipping here. Isn't it the size of the tie rods ends that changed? I got a set of later knuckles from Z Barn pretty cheap. The knuckles off a '73 will work fine for you. Marty

marimus, If you are getting the painting labor for free, you are crazy not to have the engine bay painted! It is some work to do, but it is totally worth it. You will need to remove the engine and trans. Remove everything else in the engine bay attached to a painted surface. The brake and fuel lines can be left attached, but move them away from the painted surface toward the center of the car. You will need to scrub the hell out of the engine bay. And then scrub it again. You don't want to get any fish eyes in that new beautiful paint. By the way, my '70 is painted that Ford color too. I believe it is called Ford Midnight Blue. My wife's van is the Toyota Blue, which is nice. It just does not compare to the Ford blue when in the sun though. That is just brilliant. check my gallery for mor pics. But, its up to your perferences, it's your car. Marty

The rule book does look pretty daunting, but you have to realize that it has to cover a wide range of cars, W2W and autocross. The part that applies to your car is a lot shorter. It's focus is safety and fair competition. MC has decent tech inspectors. Again, the focus of MC is to have fun racing, at a low cost. It is run by people who enjoy racing, and staffed by volunteers, who are mostly racers themselves. They aren't there to ruin your day, but they do insist on safety for you and the others out on the track with you. I will be running in their Time Attack Autocross in C modified (CM). I believe the W2W Z's do run in IT. Do you have an SCCA License? I believe they honor that. A great way to check out MC would be to attend one of our 3 driver's schools. The first one is April 9/10, with W2W races on the 10th. They have a mandatory classroom session usually the week prior. There are several Z's running in MC. I believe I have seen 3-4 W2W racers, and there are about 6 or so running AX. Come on up and check it out! Hope to see you at the track. Let me know if you sign up for a date. Marty

Capt Mark, Check out ebay. I got a master set of Energy Suspension PU bushings for about $135. As far as shocks go, I would match up the Koni's for the front. As long as you will have the whole suspension pulled out of the car, you might as well put in new ball joints and tie rods too. Once done you shouldn't have to touch it again for a very long time. Marty

Hey Sopwith21, If you are looking for new group to race with, you should look into Midwest Council: http://my.execpc.com/~mcscc/index.html It is made up of 9 Clubs of all volunteers whose sole purpose in life is to get the best racing experience at the cheapest cost. I have been racing with them for 2 years now and I have found them to be a real friendly group. On the couple of times that I was having car trouble, several people came by to offer help, tools and even Z parts when I needed them. They usually have a nice beer and pizza gathering at the end of the day too. Don't get me wrong, despite the laid back attitude, these guys are serious about their racing too. The events are very well run and they are going to several new tracks this year. I see that you are in Indy. That's not to far away. We have people that drive in from St. Louis, Minnesota, Michigan and other far away places. Can't wait for the racing season to start!!! Marty