Oiluj

I have the MSA rear spoiler. It also requires drilling holes in the top of the tailgate to mount it down. Fit is good, but I'm not happy with the open cell foam gasket they have on it. I'll be replacing it down the road with closed cell neoprene.

I agree. But that's the "Buy it now", "wish" price. I'm thinking it could end-up selling in the mid-to-high 20's.

I'm using the stock flywheel w/ new clutch, pressure plate & TO bearing. From what I've read, it's fine for 212 HP. The heavier stock flywheel will not rev as quickly, but will help keep a smoother idle for urban street driving. I did replace the front diff mount, but the tranny mount and rear mounts looked good so I'll see how it goes. I prefer using rubber susp bushings over the poly part set I bought before I read how the poly parts result in more transmitted vibration and a harsher ride. Before I tore her down, I did have a "clunk" in the drive train. Upon inspection, the front diff mount was broken. All my u-joints appear to be OK. If I need to replace them, I'll go with Spicer u-joints. I'm hoping it was the front diff mount, because if it's not, it may be the diff. I noticed what appeared to be significant backlash/play when I had it out of the car.

Mike, I did the cover on my previous Z. Granted, I had no deep nicks or scratches, but found that 1000 & 2000 grit w/lunbricant, followed up with a buffer wheel on a drill and polishing rouge did a great job.

100 grit is wa-ay too aggressive and will leave deep scratches. Better to use finer paper and more elbow grease.

Welcome to the site! 15-1/2? You are *new*. Just kidding, it's all relative to us older guys... 78 is a good year and we would love to see pics of your car.

Nice Pixs! Thanks for posting them.

Thanks for the compliment. The engine / engine bay actually looks nicer in the pic than it does in real life. The Carbs need to be polished, the fuel rail needs paint, the various emmisions control finishes are oxidized, etc. Still, I'm happy with the result. Yes, the engine was dyno'd by Rebello. I didn't get the full 240 HP because I specified a slightly lower comp. ratio and less aggresive cam to trade HP for a smoother running engine for street use.

Rich, I just realized I didn't answer all you questions... Turn around time varies with how busy Rebello is, like just before the Nationals, they are really busy. Mine took about 4 months, but I gave them a target date based on when my chassis would be ready. I'm going with the original 4-speed and diff, but may install a 5-speed set-up in a few years for better highway driving. Mine ran about $3800, but varies depending on what you have done and the condition of your carbs, head, etc. There are also some options for compression ratio, cam, carburation dyno tune, etc. Your best bet is to call Dave Rebello and have a short conversation with him. Define what your usage will be, (mostly street, autocross, track), and let him help you decide what the best package would be. Also, above 225 HP, you might want to add some additional frame welds / stiffeners to handle the extra HP.

Yep. That's why I was so surprised to fing red Loctite on the drain plug threads!

On the passenger side, about Half-way up. It's a square plug.

I'm having difficulty getting the fill plug out of my transsmission. Based on what I saw from removing the drain plug, the PO used red loctite and a ga-zillion ft-lbs of torque to install them. So far all I've managed to do is ruin one 17 mm end wrench and slightly round a couple corners of the plug. Two days of alternating heat and spraying w/ CRC Freze-Off has had no effect. The plug looks to be 17 mm square across the flats. I've been looking for a square socket, but all I can find is 11/16". (Craftsman, Snap-On, McMaster-Carr). I can't install the tranny untill this is solved... Any ideas, tricks or a source of where to get the right size socket? Thanks,

Rich, It's not running yet. In fact, I just installed the engine yesterday. Here's some pics... Since I missed my October "target" run date, I'm not working as hard on getting her done. Plan to have her finshed by Spring. Next comes the tranny, but I have a small problem I need to solve first.

I think most of us did. But the type of accident you describe is at normal speeds and, frankly, often part of the learning process. I had a almost identical experience. However, that's very different than someone choosing to drive recklessly at 1.5x to 3x the speed limit on public streets & highways. When I was young, I admit I did some stupid things as well, but never with other cars around. It was usually on an empty road late at night. We did have the ability to go to local autocrosses and get some of it out of our systems. I was know as "wildman" in my Pinto 2000. That's because, "at that time", I thought the only way I could keep speed around the course was to drift the corners. I did consistently beat the local BMW 2002's though. *grin*

Welcome and the car looks great! Wish mine was assembled and looked that nice. It's getting there...

Bruce has it right. Very few teenagers have the common sense to drive a high performance car like the 350Z. I completely blame the parents. We read or see this in the news all the time. I even saw it when I was a teen, (without a fast car...). What's really tragic is the collateral damage they cause to other families. Teens and fast cars on public streets don't mix. There are a VERY few teens who are mature enough to be trusted not to do something stupid under peer pressure, especially behind the wheel of a "fast" car. (Same can be said for many adults as well). That said, I have no problem with teaching teens how to drive on the track, as long as parents make certain kids understand the difference between the track and public streets. I'll get off my soapbox now...

Sort of a hijack of this thread, but... Anyone know of an aftermarket anttena that the original exterior nut and bezel will fit on? That way it would work automatically and still look original.

I can give a recommendation for Rebello. Great guys to work with.

Beandip, I also have an aluminum radiator I have yet to install, (after reinstalling the engine). I'm not sure if my stock pan will fit afterwards. If it doesn't, I plan to make a new pan from aluminum. Mine has a rough finish from old surface rust and is a bit bent-up, but not too bad. If your pan is in good condition, If you can't use it, I'm sure there are many here who would want it!

Don't cut it, original pans are getting hard to find! A custom pan would not be hard to fabricate from sheet aluminum using riveted construction.

While I've purchased a couple things from Reddat, with no problem. His quoted shipping costs were excessive and he was unwilling to reduce it. I stopped buying from him for that reason.

Anybody have a better, higher resolution pic of this poster?

If it's a 240Z, (assuming I recall correctly), it's 1/8" BSPT

Perhaps you could rent a car for skiing? Would be a shame to expose a classic Z to salt and see her rust away...