motorman7

Over the last several years I have learned that each show is very different and judges range from clueless to well informed. Each show is "like a box of chocolates, you never know what you will get". Personally, I try to get into shows that are 'off the beaten path', those that typically do not feature Z's. In those shows, people seem to be very intrigued that a Z would show up, which leads to some very nice conversation. Currently, that is my main reason for entering a car show. I want to be around people that are interested in the Z and enjoy talking Z's or similar cars. Any trophies received are just gravy. I have found the high end Concours to be the most enjoyable (that is, if I can get in) because those spectators attending are typically paying some decent money to get into the show. As a result, they are very interested and well informed for the most part. I think the shows that are free bring out those that are perhaps a bit more impressed by 'bling'. That definitely is not my Z. To be honest, I was very unimpressed with the 2012 ZCON car show. I think perhaps that my expectations were too high. I was expecting something like 200-400 Z's at the show, and I don't even think there were 100. The turnout was so low that there were only 2 Z's in the 240Z stock class that I was in. We get more stock 240's than that at our club meetings. And, my car really was 'not a good fit' for the show. The ZCON is for Z's that are restored to excellent condition. Preservation or un-restored Z's are not well received by the judges, nor is there a class for them. One of my favorite shows was the Dana Point Concours, and I didn't even place. The conversations were incredible, and parking my car on the fairway near the St Regis hotel in Dana Point over- looking the ocean was unparalleled and was well worth the admission fee. The brushed aluminum placard they set-up in front of your car is nicer than most of the trophies I have received. Yet the icing on the cake was when an elderly couple asked if I could take pictures of them with my car. The wife took some pics of the husband around the car which kind of made is looked like he owned the car. I asked them about the pictures and they said my Z looked exactly like the one the husband drove when they were first dating over 40 years earlier, and it brought back wonderful memories for them. Moments like that are priceless. Anyway, just my take. Best regards, Rich

It is sad to see those things happen. To me it seems that people want a club that is very active and provides a lot for its’ members. Yet, it seems that very few members really want to make the effort to make these things happen. It takes a certain amount of effort to organize a run, set-up a car show, produce a newsletter and run a website. It seems that more and more people are not willing to put in the time and effort. I am not sure why that is, but is definitely having an impact on some of the clubs. Also, there are very mixed interests in what the members want from their clubs. As an older Z owner, I am typically more interested in the car shows. I have noticed that those with the newer Z’s (350Z’s and 370Z’s) much prefer to organize runs to different locations. With limited resources, it is difficult to meet the needs of both. As a result, divisions occur and dissatisfaction. At ZCCIV we are going through similar pains. In an effort to support the club and provide value for our members, we will be joining this ZCSD as a ‘sister club’. With this arrangement, we will receive their newsletter (which is the best on the planet) and co-ordinate events together. This way, with the smaller membership, ZCCIV can be appraised of what is going on in the Z world and still function in their local area. It may be what some of the other clubs need to do. It could also be that we need to make some changes in how we operate. Typically, our groups meet at a diner and we have a sit down meal and discuss business. Maybe we need to change this up a bit. Again, at ZCCIV, we were having on average about 10 people at our diner meeting. A new member suggested that we meet at the In-and Out Burger for a more casual meeting the next month, and over 30 people showed up! I was amazed at the turn-out. It made me think that we need to do things a bit differently (although I do not claim to have any answers here). Anyway, just thought I would post some of my thoughts. Perhaps, in time, Group Z will re-org and once again thrive in SoCal. Peace Out, Rich

Not a 'P n P' find, but got this beauty on e-bay several weeks ago. http://www.ebay.com/itm/130631562369?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 One week before ZCON my smog pump throws a blade. Was able to pick this up in time for the show and it works great, and is very quiet. It was cheaper than the crappy looking re-builds you see on e-bay. Lucked out on that one.

Hi Jerry, Not that you want my opinion, but that rim size with the low profile tire is just too small for the wheel well. Even lowering it won't help much. You either need a much taller tire on those 14's or go with a 16" rim and lower profile (see attached). Then it will look sweet. just my two pennies. Rich

That's funny . I TOTALLY missed that

Hi Marty, As a guy who always sees the glass half full, I took second to Dan’s first. The reality is that there were only two cars in our class, so it could also looks like I finished last. For now I will stick with second. I must honestly say that Dan’s Z is the best stock restored Z that I have ever seen. I learned a lot from the viewing. Also learned a lot from the judging so it was a very good experience over all. The attention to detail is incredible. I can only say that I have been very lax in some items. The other reality is the car will never be a Gold Medallion winner. That is not really my goal for the car. My goal is to just clean it and keep it as is, a minimally refreshed survivor ( I did clean up the engine zinc and block paint – more for ‘uniformity’ than anything else). I like it that way. I always enjoy showing it and am very proud to own it. I was anticipating a “Best Survivor” possibility as noted on the ZCON 2012 website, but that never materialized. Not sure if it was an oversight or they just forgot that they posted it on the website. One of the best parts of the car show was spending some time with Mr Matsuo. He always seems to take special interest in my car and spent a lot of time checking it over. I also got some great pictures of him with the car as well. His PowerPoint presentation Saturday night was awesome. It was great to relive a little of the Z history through his presentation. Jay (Espirit) did a great job translating. I think the one thing I walked away with is that there are very few stock early 240Z’s out there. Seems as though most have succumbed to modification or decay. It makes me want to take care of my Z all the more. So all in all, it was a very good experience. Best regards, Rich

Dan, Contrats on the ZCCA Gold medallion award!! Well deserved. Best regards, Rich

Here's some more pics. There were some exceptional cars there. I love the ZZZAP Z and the Black Pearl. There was also a light blue metallic 280 there with just 18K miles on it. Also saw a gorgeous white pearl 300ZX turbo that was very impressive. A number of these are up for the gold medallion award. Mr. Matsuo gave a short speech at the event. There were also quite a few of the newer model 300ZX vehicles. That group definitely had the largest attendance. I think just Dan (AZ240Z) and I had the only two stock 240Z. All of the rest were modified.

Wow, lots of nice cars at the show today. I got to experience the official ZCCA judging which was pretty cool actually. I was not considered for the Gold Medallion Award, but it was nice to get some comments from the judges. Also got some tips from some of the more experienced members. Dan (AZ240Z) had his gorgeous persimmon 240Z there. Looks like he did very well in the judging, so I had to get a pic of my car next to his. Also got a pic of me with Mr. Matsuo. It was nice to see him again and he was very happy to see the car. Did I mention it was hot? Over 100 deg F I am sure. Will post some more pics following this.

OK,OK,OK, so everyone wants to see the detail pics. Well, here they are. Also, I have met Mitsuo San before, can you tell? We had a great photoshoot with Japanese Nostalgic several years ago. It was great to meet him and he loved the car. I will post the pictures someday. Never saw the Japanese Nostalgic article though. Hopefully I will get a chance to chat with him again tomorrow. Best regards, Rich

Got a few more pics of cars out in the parking lot before the opening ceremonies. Noticed a couple of trailers out in the parking lot. Can't wait to see what's in those. There are a couple of GTR's here. Would sure like to test drive one. The appetizers were good, with a south western flair. There were about 150 people at the opening. Mr Matsuo and Mr K's son were also in attendance. Won't have many pictures today as it's detailing day - for me. Most pics will be coming tomorrow. Rich

Went to Registration at the hotel and picked up my goody-bag and badges. The registration room looked very organized and ready for a huge rush. I got there somewhat early, so processed through pretty quick. I saw a couple Z's in the wash area and in the parking lot, so thought I'd post some pics. Tonight is the opening reception, so that should be a lot of fun. I scribbled 'motorman7' on my badge so other classiczcar people could identify me. We'll see if that works.

Thanks Guy! I am really looking forward to meeting everyone and talking Z's. I am also looking forward to seeing all of the cars and enjoying the events as well. Should be a great time for everyone. I will try and post pics when I can. Got the laptop here so I can stay connected. Best regards, Rich

Well, I am still very excited about the ZCON 2012 and my journey has begun. Attached is a pic of my Z on the trailer behind the Jimmy. Also shown is the futile attempt to put saran wrap over the front of the hood, Koito's and windshield. The Saran wrap lasted for about 10 mins then was flapping in the breeze so I took it off. Also had to stop shortly thereafter to more the car forward on the trailer. I was getting some wobbles on the downhills and the moving the car forward cured the problem. Anyway, the Z handled the ride well with no further issues. She is a trailer virgin and really enjoyed the pampered ride from San Diego. One of the pleasant surprises here was the timeshare set-up. Its a huge 2 bedroom condo with it's own garage. Needless to say, I am thrilled about keeping the car in the garage here, and it is a very good size garage - see attached. Plenty of room to touch-up and detail. I will register tomorrow and try and post some pictures of the cars at the hotel. Looking forward to the show. Cool cactii here Rich

I am surprised at the low chatter on the ZCON 2012 thread. I would think that it would be quite busy now as the event is less than a week away. I am very excited about going, and looking forward to meeting all the Z-folks and participating in most of the events. This will be my first ZCON. I am still trying to work out trailering my car to Phoenix. I have the tow vehicle but the trailer I am borrowing is a bit iffy – not sure when it will be available. Hoping to arrive early on 16 Sept, but may not get their till 17 Sept due to trailer. I’ve been spending a quite a bit of time cleaning the car up. I have even been underneath the car with cleaner and a toothbrush trying to get things cleaned up – of course I’m cleaning the car as well. Looking forward to meeting everyone. Rich

Paint runs?....What if they OEM paint runs? By the way, the Z's in that judging picture look incredible...Wow!

Thanks for the support. I am really not expecting gold medallion status, I just want to point well. My paint, interior, bumpers, hubcaps, carpet and 99% of all the other parts are 42 years old with almost 98K miles. It’s all in very decent condition but will never compete with a fully restored vehicle. It would be nice to have a coach as you noted. Jay (espirit) has helped me with a number items at some of the shows, but not sure if he will be at this show. Also, there is only so much I can do without altering the originality of the car. Too bad there are no points for age, or original items. Anyway, I am looking forward to the experience and am sure I will have a great time in Phoenix. Best regards, Rich

Wow, this ZCCA judging thing has got me a little intimidated now. I will be subjecting my car to its’ very first ZCCA judges in a couple weeks and am wondering how I will fair. In spite of having my car judged in a number of shows, this will probably be the first time that it will be judged by someone that really knows what he is looking at. After reading this, I feel like a need a coach to walk me through some of the finer points. And, I am sure that I will forget to put my owners’ manual in the glove box and whatever else is supposed to be in there…or not in there. Just seems like there is a lot to consider. Will have to print out that ZCCA judging manual. In reading through the thread though, I would say my only concern might be if a judge would want to sit in the interior of my car to review the dash, glove box, etc. The vinyl on those seats is over 42 years old and I would hate for something to get torn or ripped in the process. (Personally, when I sit in the car I usually lower myself straight down and raise straight up when entering and exiting, for fear a twisting action might tear the material….have I mentioned my anal retentiveness before?) Anyway, I would not be too concerned about anything else but the seats. Thanks for starting the thread and the comments. It has put me on ‘heightened alert’. Best regards, Rich

Boy, that must be so frustrating. This is the very reason I do just about everything myself now. I am sure that I care a lot more about my car than the person working on it. As a result, I pay a lot more attention to detail. This is the very reason I got into doing my own zinc plating. I wasn’t very happy with the shop that did my plating work, it was to dark and not shiney like my NOS parts, so I started doing it myself. I now think I can do better work than the plating shop, and I get exactly what I want. I wasn’t thrilled with my second Maaco paint job. It was OK, but like your car, they missed areas on the underside. As a result, I will be doing my own painting on my roadster restoration. (I actually painted a roadster about 30 years ago and it came out great.) By doing it myself, I get exactly what I put into it, and exactly what I want, or I do it over. I am a firm believer in the saying,” If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself”. Best regards, Rich

I can't believe you are doing that work in this heat. It is cooking out! Looks like you have nice access to that battery tray area now. That is a big help. What will you do to the metal after sanding? POR-15? If you don't have that, my new best friend to battle rust is phosphoric acid. You can pick up a gallon at Home Depot for $15, and that will last you a looooong time. It is great for passivating the steel prior to paint. Or you can use that white primer they now sell at Home depot that is specifically for bare metal, but I would still use the phosphoric acid under that. either way, make sure you treat the bare metal. Looks like things are coming along well. Best regards, Rich

http://www.rcdeng.com/1970Roadster.html Got my pictures on-line. Page 6 of the roadster build has some pretty recent motor pics. Looks very nice, albeit, small. And, not to totally deviate from the thread subject, The original AM radio in my ’70 still works well. Love that self-seeking feature. As Blue said….”it’s a bit spooky”…Japanese ghosts moving that self-seeking needle.

Here is a picture and 3-D model (.stp file) of the inspection lid clip. I even put in the correct mold split line, 1 degree of draft, and the ejector pin marks. Material appears to be Nylon .zip file opens to a .stp 240z_clip.dxf 240z_clip.zip

I was filling up at the gas station yesterday with my yellow 240. A 7 year old boy jumps out of the car and tells his mom, “Wow, that looks like a Muscle Car”. The mom agreed and said, ”Yes, that sure is a Muscle car”. Made me smile. Wish it had a muscle car motor

If it is internal to the motor, you will have a bit of work ahead of you. Could be a bad rod or crank bearing. You may want to check your water pump. Once thought I threw a rod bearing in my ‘70Z only to find out it was a bad water pump bearing.

I will check my clips, as I think they are in good shape. I can actually model them here and send you or your brother a .stp file. That would be all he needs to produce the part in his machine. FDM is very similar to SLS, just different material and perhaps a bit different process. Will try and get that done sometime this week if I can remember. Best regards, Rich