conedodger

Stephan is right... I am teasing again. There cannot be too many Z cars in South Dakota. I was stationed there for 2 years and I never saw a single one! Great people though... None better... I still have my South Dakota plates on the garage wall DreamZ...

Oh! You almost bought the Z that is in South Dakota! There isn't more than one is there?

Jared, No problem... I figured that your post was the result of a quick scan judging by the misinterpretation. Here is my thing... I teach... I am supposed to say I am a professor but I am not quite used to that yet. What I see here is this, the guy selling this car isn't advertising here or one of the other sites where discerning experts lurk. His description is not too sophistocated. He is selling on Craigslist which is generally a bargain hunter site not a place someone looking for a classic car goes. So, I think when he says that it is in very good condition he means that for a 30 plus year old daily driver it is in very good condition. His target market isn't you and me. To me, his car is a parts car. But to someone who is looking for transportation in California - and we do love our cars - this is a flashy little sports car. Put some sheepskin seatcovers on it and it is "mint" in their minds. It is just a cultural variance. You and me? Parts. The analogy that is often used in the classroom is this, take 10 blind men and ask them to describe the tied up elephant and you will get 10 very different descriptions - all of which are correct from the point of view of the blind man depending on what part of the elephant he examined. They all had a different cultural perspective. The one back by the tail thinks this thing must be a $^!# machine! Get it? Now speaking of cultural perspectives... You say that there is nothing special about the Zap and Black Pearl editions. I agree, Datsun never intended them to be anything other than an ad campaign not a special edition. But let's say you don't own a Z car. You know what you know but you don't own a Z car. Along comes a guy selling three Z cars. One a perfect 50K mile Zap. One a perfect 50K mile Black Pearl. One a perfect 50K mile blue 280Z. All at the same price which you can afford. Which do you buy? As the cars become more and more classic - special "ad campaign" cars may well start to mean something. If it was me, I would pick the Zap or the Black Pearl. I would guess if there was someone doing valuations on Z cars the way they do for my Porsches, the Zap and Black Pearl would be worth $100 more than the regular '77 Z. My argument is that this gap may widen when the cars are more rare and approach classic status. Probably a discussion for a different thread though... Thanks for the apology, I will have my brother the hit man from Champlin stand down

Jared, I'm not quite sure what you are getting at here... I made a joke about people who are selling used cars and their integrity. It is a pretty common joke and I certainly didn't coin the phrase "if his lips are moving he must be lying". The carguyinok didn't agree with you. In fact, he called me out for being too harsh and pointed out that I have a motorcycle for sale. In fact, it would seem that he doesn't agree with you at all or think the same way. You think the guy is not being truthful and carguyinok thinks I shouldn't have called him a liar. It seems you agree with me. Either way, I made a joke about used car sales but then tried to mitigate your comment by pointing out that he isn't claiming it to be a Zap model. Zap and Black Pearl models are somewhat sought out here in California by the way so I can't agree with you that everyone who knows Classic Z cars knows that there is nothing special about them. They are the closest thing to a limited edition in the first generation Z car. There is a guy named Steve who lives a few blocks away from me who happens to think his Black Pearl is pretty special compared to most other '77 Z cars. In fact, the car is in pretty common condition for a car being sold here in California at that price. I would bet you could negotiate but in the ad he states it will easily pass smog. That is huge here and it speaks to originality. Two of my three cars run perfectly but would not pass smog here because they don't have original equipment. I do know your car culture as well. I grew up in Minnesota and graduated from the UofM. I was a board member of Minnesota Autosports Club. In Minnesota cars rust out before they wear out. In California they sun rot before they rust out. This car clearly has some sun rot as evidenced by the dashcap and the taped up seats. The seller isn't trying to hide that. He shows the pictures, he calls attention to the dashcap in his description. As I said this sun rot is common here. But that is no reason for you to heat up the tar, pluck the chickens and fire up the troops for a tar and feathering. In Minnesota this car might likely look like this but could be hiding massive rust issues. I doubt that is a problem here. You just aren't understanding that you live in a different car culture. This car has this value here in California. I have no doubt he will get it. Remember, he isn't trying to sell it here on ClassicZ.com. carguyinok is claiming I am too harsh for saying "his lips..." He is defending the guy selling the car if you ask me... I am saying everyone selling a used car doesn't tell you everything - in a way that uses humor. I agree with you, et caveat emptor. I am simply pointing out that this car isn't too far off what the guy will get for it here in California. I'm not kidding. I see Z cars of this vintage driving every day and when they are for sale that is a common asking price. But let's move on to some meaningful discussion. What is it you think he is hiding?

Notice the little laughy guy smiley right in front of that statement? It's a joke written in response to the quoted text in which the other guy says he wonders what else he isn't truthful about. Get over yourself... Besides, if you read what I say, I am defending him. Oh, and the BMW isn't for sale anymore. If you don't mind I will take my time revising my signature... Let me know if you mind because clearly you are in charge.

! He is selling a used car. If his lips are moving, he is lying... Still, let's face it. He isn't declaring the car as a rare Limited Edition and for a 30+ year old car it probably is in very good condition.

The Zap Z was a color scheme in '77 involving a yellow car with a graphic that was on the side and stripe that ran across the deck, roof, and hood. It wasn't officially a limited edition but it was featured in ads saying Zap! It had a companion in that regard called the Black Pearl. This guy is not calling it a Zap though it appears it is and his price is not too bad. Be advised though, rust is an issue close to the coast in California. It also doesn't appear to have its original wheels.

As regards the tire portion of the question, a 205 50 tire is a squeeze on a 5.5" rim. That is as wide as I would go if I were you. I would even consider going to a 195...

It has been years since I had this problem so my memory is fuzzy. I found that the limiting strap though it looked fine allowed the differential to move too much. At the time, I could and did replace the limiting strap and after doing everything you did and still having a clunk that fixed it. Perhaps, if the limiting strap is NLA you could tighten it up a bit by shortening it somehow? The assembly is intended to move a bit...

Body shop supply stores will have it. It is the same stuff used to put windshields in on some cars... Butyl tape I think?

That's what I'm talking about! This is turning into a good thread... Hi Phil! Long time no chat... How is the frozen North? Phil and I have known of each other since I was a Minnesotan... I had to leave when my nieghbor Jesse ran for Governor. Of course, now I have the Governator!

Altec-Lancing 914 and Bob Sharp Racing Z...

In honor of the newborn octuplets here in California Denny's is offering a new Slam Breakfast! The Octo-Slam comes with fourteen eggs, no sausage, and the people at the next table have to pay for it!

Josh, I hate to say it because you have a bit of poor starving college student aura about you but a broken bolt on the exhaust manifold is often a warped exhaust manifold. Usually the rear most bolt...:dead:

Yes, you will be replacing a head gasket for sure but... You should check that head and make sure it didn't warp during the overheating. As long as you have it apart, you should do the valves and replace your timing chain, water pump... Ahh the infectious "while you're in there disease".

I want to amend my opinion. If as your screen name implies and the car looks - that is in fact a Black Pearl, you should get the factory correct wheels and stick as close as possible to original. Others will disagree but after a while the ZAP and Black Pearl cars may gain some value over their contemporaries...

You cannot go wrong with a factory option. Looks good and they are a bit cheaper than some of the other wheels out there...

Greetings to you Mr. Wooduck... I imagine it is cold living down the block and around the corner from St. Olaf's... Tell us, is Jessie James still dead? Seriously, sounds like you should keep that thing off the streets until spring. At least take it easy until you get to 35W and it's adequately plowed... You will figure out the forum situation soon enough and welcome!

I bet they had it recreated for the Z Store project. When I was at NASA at Dryden Flight Test Research Center at Edwards AFB, Sol who is one of the guys at MSA brought it up to me personally on his way to somewhere for the weekend. After the car was wrecked I took it off and sold the set...

Eric, What part of town are you in?

Just this, and this, and this, oh and a BMW R1100RT-SE to commute with!

Steel wool followed by lacquer thinner followed by satin clear... IIRC

I think I bought one of the last complete new sets from MSA about 10 years ago. I sold it after the car was wrecked. I paid and sold it for about $250... I would guess, if you could find a new set it would be more than that... My advice is the same as the Unkle... pull them all have them rebuilt by a locksmith

In order to be period correct, the Series 1 S30 must be equipped with a bottle of the now defunct fragrance Hai Karate, unless you are the second owner and then you would be stocking Jovan Musk... The Christmas Tree Freshener hanging from your hood release would have long ago quit smelling of anything...

Me too Carl... I have an open trailer and I do use it quite often but an enclosed trailer would be ideal. I have looked on the PCA and Porsche sites and they tend towards 4K and up to 12K... I knew of one here a year ago at 4K but it slipped through my hands.