Danglybanger

...Can't you just imagine them, in the grainy, sub-kodachrome glory of an 80s newsprint magazine cover? Probably on an unidentifiable tarmac, and definitely with a lot of airbrushed in fake shiny lines. The article within would probably use the word "groovy" a lot. The owner only considers them project cars because he hasn't yet re-upholstered in button naugahyde.

...the only Z31s I see at all are typically beaters (headlights stuck in the up position, battered bumpers with the paint worn off, etc.) that look eerily similar to the only S30/Z130s that I used to see before they seemed to disappear completely. I saw a GORGEOUS one on the 5 a bit back, but I wasn't in the Z too Z32s seem to belong to a separate tier that includes other modded cars (most of them here seem to be), but not other Zs...

I have no idea if the so cal members of this forum have ever gotten together, whether its something done regularly or whether it happened and everyone wound up hating each other... Anyone want a beer? I'm in Riverside. I wonder how many people we can rally for an informal meetup or have I had a few too many myself...

Stick with this. I come from a muscle car/hot rod (Corvette specifically) background, since I was a wee lad I've been surrounded, but I wound up dissenting... Well, my dad did own 3-4 Z cars when I was younger too in any case, but when he approached the government's mandatory Corvette issuing age of 40 they were forced out of garage... In my years of having non-Vettes, it's kind of nice not to be driving around in a marketting mobile (I cringe every time I see Corvettes emblazoned on all sorts of consumer wares, and those annoying, minimalist nick nacks and gizmos with Porsche badges. But then again I sometimes discover perhaps I'm more accustomed to being part of a marque with more er... devoted devotees. A Corvette driver you know, will always wave to just about every other Vette on the street. Really though, they also tend to recieve/give waves to anyone driving any Chevrolet short of a beige 99 ex-rental Malibu. You wouldn't find so much fanaticism in a Nuremburg rally as you would in that brand. I visibly tend to check out nicely modded 350Zs as I drive along (and it is visibly, as I haven't subjected the car to the limo tint that many of those 350s have) when I'm in my 280... and seriously, not one of them has ever even peeked over their Oakleys (always) at me to notice that I am a kinsfolk, through the vestments of fellow Z ownership. This despite the obvious, at least halfhearted enthusiasm demonstrated by owning a modded car in the first place. Maybe my tiny rims don't catch enough light to penetrate the Oakleys. I do wonder when these cars (especially nice ones) will get attention. In the last few months I've seen maybe two other S30 Z cars on the road period while I've been in mine... I got my hopes up when I saw one of the nicest, yellow 240s I'd ever seen pull up next to me, jutted out my hand for a full on wave, Corvette nostalgia in full force... SURE that this person will have to be at least semi pleased to see another S30 that hasn't rusted to the ground... Nothing. More recently, I pulled up to a Jack in the Box (and no, I wasn't searching out any jailbait posing in matte Z cars ). I parked next to a beat, faded red, fairly sinister looking S14 hatchback. I've almost been Jonesing for one lately, so I gave the car a bit of a once over to make sure there wasn't an intercooler or something peeking out from under the bumper, only to notice that the owner was sitting in the driver's seat. Stereotypical 16 year old buzzcut kid who you'd think would drive a car like that, he almost seemed to be checking out my car too, but I couldn't really tell. Damn Oakleys again. I swear, we then proceeded to stare each other down for a good 5 minutes before finally deeming it ok to give each other the "thumbs up" for approval of each other's rides. ...Or on the other hand he could have thought I was just a huge gay. In any case, after this occurance I hold out hope for future generations. Most of the random praise for my Z car comes from 40-50 year olds, who always either had/wish they had a car like that when it was new, and half the time specifically compliment my hubcaps (:laugh:). But again, since you get a free Corvette issued to you at that age, I guess they don't have room in their garages for another... ... Starting the wave among Z owners might be harder than starting the wave at a WNBA game. But maybe, if just one person here gets waved back to by a fellow Z owner...

...I LOVE that color. Were you in the Z too when spotted? The Skyline badge, matte hood, and bit of duct tape on the fender are a bit cheese (and the spoiler looks ominous and I probably wouldn't like it if it were a full pic), without any of those things the painted wheels (actually an AWESOME idea) would look less amateur. Nice stance. mmm sushi.

I've noticed JDM cars tend not to have them on the front either anyway...

Hilariously I was actually looking for that yesterday... The way that thing revs is insane...

Haha, it's interesting how Zs all of a sudden went from fairly common beaters to nearly extinct on the road period... Mine is a 75 so I assume that if mine has the 3 point belts (which it does) then all other 280s must... Luck

Haha, no offense meant from me ever, I just put my opinions out there for the sake of forum discourse... and also to be a forum whipping boy, with the expectation that everyone else then tells me how ridiculous my car looks with polished, unpainted Daisy-style caps I do like making my opinions known, I'm afraid...

When I heard "Grant steering wheel" I thought the worst, but that actually looks good Whiteface guages look alright and illuminate nicely...

I think the 6 spoke alloys don't look the part on a Z car, despite having come as optional on them... and ZX wheels just look awful on the earlier car. I like the 8 spoke minilites, a classic look, third after slot mags, which are second after Daisy hubcaps

...I've heard lighter quoted for the 240Z... But it seems like a vast amount of the weight gain had to do with revised weighing techniques, gross vs. net etc... That said, 300lbs though doesn't sound like an implausible increase for the heavy bumpers and additional bracing. I think more drivers would benefit from going on a celery diet over cutting bits off of their cars to achieve weight loss though I'd personally rather keep the safety gear on my car...

...It would mean that I could then feel guiltless over pulling it for an L28 (maybe with a turbo to make use of the boost guage), but then again I'm a pedant and a snob

...Sun City eh? I didn't think 15 year olds were allowed there Anyway, luck with the project... someone put a late 280 hood on that thing, huh. That thing'll be sweet once sorted, door panels look good anyway... Do you plan on keeping the auto?

Zs now? Too on topic! The wheels/steering wheel add an unpleasant Wal Mart aura to the above, but still in concept I mostly think that thing's cool... I likewise could never bring myself to touch my own Z for modification, but I'm being smitten by project ideas... if I did it'd likely be a 240 (in body anyway), lime green and very JDM looking with black ZG style flares (though oddly I don't really like the ZG nose), headlight covers, stock front valence (I feel compelled to say that for some reason), forward wing mirrors, and (in my dreams) an L28 turbo with one of those neat DOHC heads they made for a while... Or maybe just an S20 or RB, .

...You know, what's more surprising is that on the Lotus forum I was previously on, the bias was still as much on socialization as technical talk... and just THINK how much more technical talk is needed when you're talking about a car of the Lotus' character (one where people feel compelled to make technical threads because if they don't, they won't learn what new and novel repair must be made to get their car working again every few days). You'd think with cars as reliable and trouble free (relative to anything else I've ever owned, anyway), we'd get distracted and need to find something else to talk about frequently Seems like this thread should be moved directly to the OT room to my ears, or the bulk of it.

I seem to be this forum's author of social/structural criticism lately but I am shocked by this forum's lack of participation in off topic rooms and subject matter (coming from other car forums that seem to have much more brotherhood)... Those aspects of this board seem to be dead (and it's not just this forum, but Z forums in general...) Is it because the Z community is so non-homogeneous? You can pretty much picture what the population of a forum for Civics (picture Fred Durst fashion, 5 years ago), WRXs (Fred Durst, circa two years ago), Corvettes (Big wallet, expanding waistline, resultant penchant for useless shiny Ecklers catalog gear) or Triumphs (Weird beards, flight jackets, freshly stoked pipes and earl grey etc.) would look like... But here we have a more diverse spread it seems... 16 year old girls, baby boomers, college aged ricers/racers... Is there nothing else we can truly talk about or have in common?

Completely insightful.

If the 510 had a JDM grille it'd be perfect... Those might be the two most gorgeous Datsuns ever... IMO, a 240 or 260 NEEDS to be either lime green, orange, or yellow. Some sort of citrus. Same for a 280, but add points for metallic, and maybe slightly darker. ...Anyway, yeah 350Z orange. That color is amazing, if mine gets repainted soon I'll consider it... Chrome orange is great though.

lulz, in case no one else is willing to admit having checked I think all the "approval pending" labels/this thread are hilarious... Khrystina, whether you're real or not (no offense), I think you're just what this board needed And I'm sure there'll be a cop waiting for anyone who attempts to see if she is indeed for real, but I have no problem with playing along til then Keep up the good work. Luck getting your Z up to speed My sorted 280 rockets up the grapevine if it's any consolation...

Thanks... 280Z, 1975... I'll try again, but pushing the AM preset button didn't seem to change the band. I suppose FM must not have been out in full force if they give me more AM buttons than anything.

Dumbest question ever, how do I get it on the AM band? The preset buttons are mostly labeled "AM", but only seem to push the dial around rather than switch bands... The owner's manual is no help, but I have figured out now how to adjust the bass/treble and sensitivity (I really want to listen to the cheesy Frank Sinatra station, Mexican oompa music, and dull religious talk shows as you can tell)

Haha, I really couldn't believe no one knew what a Datsun was anymore when I attempted to register mine... Anyway, I have an issue of Sports Car Magazine or something that put the car on corner weights and indicated 2200 or something, it might look semi-legit, but it probably would be more beneficial for me to just see if it's written in the 240 manual that I (for some reason) have. ...My 280 has something written somewhere on it like "In the 3000lb weight bracket" or something vague like that, makes me wonder how the car could possibly have packed on so many pounds, it can't be all in the bumpers really... I'm almost sure it has the precise weight on some panel but I've never bothered to check.

Sounds like you truly lucked out in that case Seriously, the car hobby has always needed more females, men often seem to make cars into another spectator sport type event too often... Amusing, they ALMOST managed to hide the 280 bumpers in that ad Actually I've managed to get used to and enjoy the early 280 bumpers on mine... They look more like bumpers than just decoration, in any case.

...on a side note... :ninja: Anyone else think the early Z has some damn cool looking keys? (I choose to hijack this thread because it's reached the point where it can't hurt it, and it's too dumb to start an individual thread over) I use the spare for mine to preserve the originals Another side note, my Z came with a secondary set of keys that are slightly narrower, and don't seem to fit anything... (not doors, deck, glovebox) though the PO did threaten that if I tried to use them in ignition they'd get stuck and not come out :laugh: Anyone have any ideas? My Z has all the locks on one key... Which is kinda nice change (my Lotus has one for nearly every lock on the car, as does my 55 Chevy...)