Patcon

One factor to consider is interest rates. The central banks of the world have set interest rates so low (basically zero or even negative) for so long it is hard to park cash anywhere that gives even a modest return with out having it in the stock market. Many people have turned back to antique vehicles and art to park cash to try to realize some kind of return. I am not surprised that we are seeing these kind of numbers given the toppy nature of the stock market these days. A corollary would be to look at what art is bringing at auction these days. Just a thought for what the root cause is. Many of the purchasers are not car people. They are collectors looking for assets that will appreciate. Charles

I am glad I covered the questions. I really thought I could pick one of those cars up for $1000 or so plus fees. I was surprised there was enough demand to push the prices that high... C

That's like a speed record! Charles

Carl, I will try to clarify. I saw a nice blue 240z maybe a 71 hit in the front, I think it was in Chicago. I wondered if it was someone's car from the forum blue on blue in good shape, nice looking clean car. The hood was toast, the radiator support and the radiator, Who knows what else, you never know until you see the car in person. I buy cars from all over the US. That car had a salvage title, they tell you the sale document. So the car is currently wrecked needed parts and paint and had a branded title. Sold for over $3,000 plus fees and shipping. I wasn't interested at that point because I would be concerned about rust. The paint could look good in the pictures and then the car gets here and you find out the whole underside is rusted out. For $4000 I can find a car locally that I can actually inspect and in reality it is more than $4000. You have to add the hood, rad support, rad, frame work? paint work. So add a couple grand. For $6000 I know I could find a nice car within a few hundred miles or even buy a very low rust car out of the southwest and have it shipped. I was sort of surprised the cars went that high at the salvage auction. As for the car I am building now. If an adjuster looked a the car with wrinkled inner fenders both sides. The frame work, damaged radiator support, radiator, hood, etc. That would be more than enough to total a Z that was not in very good shape. So my point was many of us have cars that have been repaired, some with significant damage that would be salvage title cars but escaped that fate for whatever reason. I agree with you description of how the insurance process has worked over the years, case in point is early vettes getting pulled from junkyards and repaired because the cars have appreciated so much. Did I cover all of the questions? C

I would advise against a salvage title. I deal with a lot of salvage cars. A branded title reduces the vehicle value to 80% of fair market or more. If the insurance company totals it and titles it in their name it will be salvage. Even if you buy the salvage back from the insurance company. Many people who look at cars are scared off by salvage titles. I don't care as long as the car has been repaired properly. Although many don't get repaired properly! It is just easier to avoid the salvage title all together...my 2 cents Charles

I thought I would add the file anyway, even though Blue added the text. It might be easier to print in this format. Thanks, Blue Thanks, Jim for the tutorial Charles Weber_DCOE_Tuning_White_Paper.pdf

I rebuild salvage cars and have watched several wrecked 240z's roll through the auction recently. They all sold for over $3000 excluding fees and transportation which is another $1,000 or more. These are wholesale auctions and some are dealer only. I was surprised what they were bringing because salvage title does discount a car, but even the car I am restoring know would carry a salvage title if it had an accident today. The front end has been hit and the radiator support replaced, which is more than enough to salvage title a car. How many Z's are out there that have had an accident and been repaired but don't carry a branded title. Charles

I believe I found the paper but I can't figure out how to post it. It is 99.1 KB. Can I email it to someone so it could be posted for posterity? C

Looks good. I love the leather. Especially the way it makes a car smell inside. I would consider leather for that price. Charles

I love Texans. I guess that's why I married one. There are some pretty cool pics in the slide show. An armored Camaro, A limo where every seat folds flat for a rolling bedroom and the Escalade with only two seats in the back with footrest that looks like the inside of a jet. $55k - $500k plus chassis costs. They only work on late model vehicles so I guess armoring my Z is out... although it would help if it ran :: Charles

Cool glad you got it. I had thought I would try to download it here. If I could figure it out...unless someone beats me to it. Charles

I have been looking around on my laptop. I thought I had downloaded but can't find it. I will look around on another computer. Charles

I believe this young man was on the forum for a while but I can't find any of his old threads or a user name. I believe he also had a set of triple webers if somebody is interested. Charles 1973 240z (Now parting out!)

Wow! you cant even see the cars... C

I would think the cam and valve overlap would play a part in that also... Charles

Welcome, the car looks good. where are you gonna start? Charles

As for the old cars and double pumper. Many four barrel carbs and some 2 barrels have an accelerator pump. double pumpers have 2 pumps, hence double pumpers. When the throttle is depressed the pump is operated by a cam and pumps fuel into the carb throat thru a jet. So in actuality you can pump fuel with the throttle on some cars. That is why she stepped on the throttle, to prime the car so it would start. Also on many older cars you have to depress the throttle all the way to the floor to set the choke. Doing it twice can knock the choke off. FWIW Charles

I like the fender flares on that car. Are those Spirit garages or possibly some other vendor. I know Blue was looking when he was in Japan a while back. Maybe he can chime in... Charles

Engine is in it. You can see the alternator in the picture of the coil overs. Also the car would sit higher if the engine bay was empty. From the details it probably has a Nissan L6. Would be nice to see though. Wonder if it has the original EFI or some other setup

I wonder if heat would help with the glue? Charles

Don't know if anyone is interested. I have enough stuff laying around already but thought someone might be interested Charles 1970 - 1995 240Z, 280Z &ZX, 300ZX parts

Thanks for the lead on the machine shop. I like to drive so a couple hours or so is just a Sunday drive. Charles

So consumer gps is accurate to what 3 yards? How big an error can gps give over a 0-60 distance if 3 yards on either end is the margin of error? This is not for Road & Track just trying to get a number that's close... Charles

I have struggled in my area to find a good machine shop. Many of them are setup like production body shops and don't want to mess with vintage heads. I have even had a chevy 350 block sit in a machine shop for weeks waiting to get my turn. Have gotten frustrated and gone someplace else. So some of my comment is based on whether you can find a competent machine shop and get a decent turnaround. Our engines are really not that hard to machine. The heads can be harder to do because the geometry and wear patterns need to be right. For good head work I would probably look to one of the reputable builders since that is where the power is, but be sure and bring your wallet. Charles

Speaking of moving the car. I have an app on my phone called SpeedView on Android. I got it for ground speed to calibrate my boat's speedos but it will also do 0-60 times...my be interesting. Charles