TomoHawk

Ever see the State Auto TV commercial? One guy is checking stocks, one girl is doing makeup and another guy is putting on his pants!? :eek: We used to make fun of guys shaving or reading the newspaper, drinking coffee, and other stuff, but that was before cell phones. So what would you suggest that people do about it, besides stay home until all the texters kill thelves off? I have even heard of some penalties for fooling with your navigation computer while you drive. Once I program my nav, I leave it. Some people may say that texting is a "freedom." Real freedom is the ability to do the right thing, not to just do anything. Walter- I can appreciate what people like Dr. Phil or even Judge Judy do. It's the people (guests or litigants) on the show that have the real problems. Otherwise, they could sit down & solve things without having to do it on TV (?) thxZ

Dr. Phil is a psychologist with the highest-rated daytime TV talkshow where he gets people to confront their problems like obesity, drugs, violence. ad whatever. Sometime's he'll sponsor extra stuff like the driving simulator test. Once he tracked down a lady who claimed to be "Mrs. Dr. Phil" and rip people off for money. Sometime's he'll connect people with doctors, weight-loss clinics, or whatever, and he's sponsored several weight-loss challenges. www.drphil.com

On Dr. Phil today, tere were two kids that had experienced problems because they were "texting" (reading & typing text messages) while driving. The first highschool student was a girl who absolutely assured the audience that she could drive safely while texting, and that was after getting cited for speeding, hitting a guardrail, weaving in traffic, etc. all while texting. Dr. Phil setup a simulator test to see how this girl could rate, and out of 100 points, she got 10! During the test, she went off the road several times, rossed a double-yellow centre-line several times, and hit a firetruck head-on! :eek: The other student only ran over a cyclist ( he died later.) :mad: Do you do this stuff while you drive? It's scary enough that people talk while driving. At least they are looking at the road. But these people were basically driving their car by looking down at the phone. With all the close-calls I've experienced by getting cutoff on the street & freeway, people speeding & weaving on the highway ( to get to work?) and other dumb stuff, it almost makes you want to stay home. Do kids really need to be texting while driving, or do they really need a cell phone at all??? They should install a radio chip in the cars that will deactivate your phone while it's in any gear.

I bought a large (industrial) floor mat ( 4x6, IIRC) from the DIY place. It is rubber with carpet on top. I cut it up to put under the seats, in the back, and for floor mats. I used carboard/posterboard to make a pattern, and I made metal tabs of aluminum that were rivetted to the forward edge, and the kickpanel screws go through a hole to keep the floor mats in place. thxZ

For which year & model?

Justin, For plastic, it might be possible to use it in small areas, and cure it ith a heat gun. Heat in a small area might not hurt a plastic part. I don't know what kind of heat is needed until I get my can of product. I'd like to chrome the plastic covers on the front of the armest.

I would like to know why some people have typed in the firing order starting with 5 instead of 1? Are there any pictures or diagrams of how the wires go through the plastic holders? thxZ

According to the auction, you can't really apply the stuff over chrome- you will have to either sandblast the area rough, or sandbast the old chrome off completely. Bare metal is needed. Some experimentation is in order, maybe on an old emblem or something like that. I think a heatgun might work if it doesn't blow a lot of air. Maybe make a small metal box for the heatgun/oven. thxZ

Instead of the oven, how about a heat gun? This stuff would be great for touching up emblems, door handles, and other small stuff. Maybe the interior chrome stuff.

I found these clip-on markers on eBay. Remember that you need two sets- one set for the dizzy end and one est for the spark plugs. You might have to order two sets. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Taylor-Vertex-clip-on-7-8MM-spark-plug-wire-markers_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33692QQihZ015QQitemZ250161845218QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

When I got my car, the front wheels would shake at 30 & 60 MPH. The steering rack bushings were dried up & loose. Get yourself some new ones & install yourself- take 30 minutes.

What plating? The tubing I have looks like just plain (dull or satin finish) steel. I haven't seen any steel tube in the autoparts store with any kind of plating, but chrome would be nice. thxZ

What are people doing to polish the various hard lines like fuel & brake lines? I've just been clamping the tube in a vise and sanding & polishing it lengthwise. First some 800 then 1000 grit sand paper, then fine steel wool and then some metal polish. thxZ

Since there are so many things on cars now, I'll bet there is a coating you could get that will protect the aluminum as well as allow heat to transfer to the air. According to the JTR book, the cast iron brake drums are better because they take the heat better and don't deform when you brake hard.

Stephen, If you just ignore reponses, or not discuss anything, then people who are researching this same thing will be at a loss. No discussion is complete without opinions from both sides. I haven't been able to inquire at the dealer yet, but I usually expect them to charge a little more. Sometimes you get lucky and you can get a good deal. the $15 you mention is a little better than MSA, but I originally expected to pay about $10 or less, each for new ones, or about $5 or less for boneyard parts. thx

Unlike most of you other obvious milionaires, I do not go out and spend money hand-over-foot on the first thing people tell you to buy. Especially when somebody suggests you go buy something that isn't what you want. And I dd look around. Z- catalogs, websites, even the local foreign auto parts boneyard.

MSA has always been the most expensive source for Z parts, and I only buy from there if I can't find something from other sources. Also, the service guy thinks that the chrome ring should be available at more common places and for much less than $20 reach.

OK, moonpup, you spend $100 on little chrome things for two headlights and send them to me, and I'll be extremely satisfied. I'll even send you a Christmas card.

What is so special about the chrome headlamp retaining rings that MSA sells them?

It see,s odd that you suggest getting this part that is common to most all 7-inch headlamps, from a specialty provider?

Mine don't look too nice, and are dinged, scratched & a little rusty. I would like to replace the chrome retaining rings, but they aren't in any of my catalogs. I believe a Z uses 7-inch round lamps? Where can you get the retaining rings for them? thxZ

Well, the door switch was flakey to begin with, so if the key-in switch wasn't working right, it would exaggerate things. I am also going through the electrical connections (still) and I have a list of things that will need to be replaced or investigated further ( like the trans kickdown solenoid.) But my radio now works reliably, since I repaired (replaced) the cheap plastic power tap the radio guy used. I need to get a new door switch(es) first, then see how things improve. thxZ

Is the key-in switch (for the theft -deterrent sfeature) part of the ignition switch assembly, or can it be serviced or replaced separately? My buzzer for the key-in doesn't seem to go off lately. The problem might also be from a bad door switch but I will probably want to install a new one first. thxZ

Good thing I don't have one then. a restrictor would also keep you from accidentally adding diesel oil, and probably anything else- kerosene? Plus, they seem to have a kind of screen inside which would prevent somebody from pilfering (siphoning) gas from your car. Remember putting sugar in somebody's gas tank?

I have seen exhaust manifolds that have an aluminum coating on them, so I think that aluminum-coated headers might be nice. They will probably look a lot like thte Jet-Hot coating. thxZ