Sean Dezart

You're all lucky bast**ds ! At least I'm going to gain a baby ! Symon, are you going to visit Paolo near Turin ? If so, give him my best ! I wish you all a safe and fun filled trip - secretly I hate you all !

I thought that the engine was also canted (thanks for the correction - sometimes I lose my English amongst the froggies) to allow the fuel to 'drop' easier from the carbs into the inlet valves. A boxer design, as per Porsches and Alfas would support this and V engines always had the carbs mounted above and not on the outside of the cylinders ! Of course more space would have to be generated on the carb side for LHD cars to allow for the steering to pass there too ( hee, hee !)

I can't believe this ! All of you go and look at your engines and tell me I'm dreaming !

Thanks, still seems too cosmetic - I thought it was for engine balancing - you know, to avoid too much vibration !

What modifs can one (inexpensively) do to improve the torque on a standard 280ZX engine ? BMW throttle body ? Has anyone tried using an LD crank to get 3 or 3.1 litres in a ZX ? If one touches anything, can the standard injection cope with increased demands ? If not, what are the alternatives ? I suspect it can't but can one replace the injection system with a more modern one ? Thanks ps Is it a real gain to replace the variable assistance re-circulating ball steering system with the rack and pinion one ?

I should know this but why do the L series engines lean to one side (towards the spark plugs) ? I'm replying to an article in a magazine who amongst other things states that this was done to allow more access room for the carbs etc ! I can't believe this so....

Interesting 240ZX, just shows that a removeable wheel is not such a hindrance, especially if the car is driven away at night and therefore no-one sees the obvious 'mistake' !

After 28 years service, your engine gave only 3 bhp less at the flywheel than the factory spec. and you call the carbs useless - you're a hard man Symon ! You sure about the print-out ? 240Z carbs may be easier to tune but for 3 bhp, hardly worth the trouble.

Aren't we still waiting for Frederic Caen and Buster Keaton, sorry, Alan T. to pose for us ?

Hang on, I remember reading somewhere that the 151 bhp of the 240 was measured differently than that of the 260 at 160 ish (not 139 ). Therefore the 240 had around 135 bhp. The UK 280 (ZX not Z) had 145 ish bhp ! And into the pot with all these weights must go 4 and 5 speed gearboxs with different diff ratios: US 3.3 /3.5 UK 3.9 UK 260 3.7 UK 280ZX 3.5 It's clear that not every model was an improvement of a deterioration over the previous one - it depended upon your country and the current laws ! Nissan did try and keep the Z sensation' going but it can't have been easy. Can we agree that car laws re emissions/security etc now are more stable if still somewhat different depending upon location ?

Still frustrating though when the "the lowest common denominator of driver" doesn't even reach the speed limit or hangs around in the middle / left hand lane of a motorway ! Stay alive guys !

Have to polish up my acting then - thanks for the tip !

Thanks Rusty1 for owning up here to being, of all things in this thread, a traffic cop. Me too, I've done some silly things and my 'collisions' allowed me to walk away and learn. I'm already more defensive now than I was 5 years ago and doubly so compared to my early twenties. I don't want to end up like Mr Volvo (only kidding) but we've all got the responsibility to take it easier, respecting others (and ourselves). I just wish it was easier and cheaper to take my car to a track and enjoy it in 'comparative' safety and without risking others ! It's mostly frustration that sends people crazy like that Camaro driver - if he'd had access to a track every Saturday, he wouldn't have felt his manhood at risk by a complete stranger ! Thanks also for the reflection regarding your kids - I'm a father to be and I owe it to him/her ? to be there and to be there to ensure that he/she, stays there too !

Hello Mike - how ya goin' ? Yeah, me too I like the idea of a removeable wheel and it WAS on my list of nice things to have on the new Z. Cost cut that one out but not definitively ! I would certainly have a custom cover made and maybe store it with the spare wheel - I know I would feel stupid if someone watched me but wheels are heavy things and it would only be a deterrent. As someone said, if they really want to steal it - up it goes on a truck and bye bye ! And what does one do at shows and meetings..... ? The system to use is one of those quick release units used by touring car racers - there is no problem of it falling off - just the cost and fitting it to a standard Z hub ! Of course at night I would have removed the wheel and sat up in bed in front of my Steve McQueen Le Mans DVD !!!

Dear Heath Robinson, I regret to inform you that Cathy would be likely to spin off the road if the car was loaded with a contraption like that ! ps no COD for mother in laws !

Mine's too nice - she'd probably hand over the keys ! My mother's the bitch or I'll take your m-in law but don't let me near your wife to grass on you ! Seriously, c'mon guys and gals, what tricks are best or are you afraid that the bogeyman's on this forum just waiting to know how to break into your car ? I need some help please ! If it can happen to Victor, it can happen to any of us and no matter if it's an early or late car, they're becoming desirable (financially speaking) and of course they look great and so catch the eye of the casual joy-rider !

I already thought of fitting a removeable hub but what would I do if some git nicked just my steering wheel - a Nardi so it's going to be attractive ? Anyway, I've heard of people driving away with a pair of monkey grips on the column ! The cut out is a good idea and is in hand, what I'm looking for is something visible, to deter the wallys from smashing in, only to find out that they can't steal it easily and bust it up as revenge ! Alarms ? Handbrake locks ? Stering wheel locks? Others ?

AlfaDog, Looks like you caught that lil' fella up your noosa ! It's a brave step to expose yourself in front of the world on this forum !

With Victors' 'experience' fresh in our minds and the fact that this year after an extensive rebuild I'll get MY 240 on the road, what can be done to protect (and deter to the best ability) the theft of our 240Zs ? I'm talking about when we're out on a run, not when the car is locked up at night, in it's machine gun nested garage with a dust cover and centrale heating ! Of course if someone suggests parking it in a minefield...

You've been big about this Victor and pay back is the return of your car - I'm really happy for you.

zpictor - it's a 360 Ferrari Modena not Modina - after the place in Italy ! 5000 dollars might get you an engine but grow up and face realities - if you want to stop and steer, it's going to cost you a whole lot more ! If you just want to outrun him in a straight line, build a dragster ! Zeds are for taking corners too ! I 've seriously pi**ed off a 328 owner but he had more power than me ...then !

Dear Old fart, Symons' right - we're both British - Hornblower's got his final revenge on Napoleons' europe ! I even invaded his brothers' kingdom in the Netherlands ! Me too I can enjoy hilly / mountain roads at 40 mph but I'll be in 1st and 2nd, not 2nd and 3rd ! Signed, a fresh little puppy (dream on !) Still great to chat with Zedders from all over !

Me too - hope your brakes are up to it ! I was talking with Fred and we thought that maybe 2005 , we'll all come down and upset your local Porshce friends on your local circuit ! Any news on the rubber seals ?

Seriously modified or force fed a ZX ! The car should have a second pair of smaller lights though, inside and just a bit lower !

Restricted cars are those with tiny two stroke petrol or diesel engines that cannot (without the illegal addition of two turbos and a superchargerLOL ) exceed 40 mph. There are several makes including the once great name of Ligier ! They are owned by people who for one reason or another have no driving licence, ie lost due to drink / drugs / no points left or on medical grounds. "speeding is speeding ! ..... there is no safe speeding" yes there is, our m_way speed limits here are 80 mph (68 in the wet) and if I travel at 85 in the dry with no-one else near me on the road, it's still safe but illegal whatever my car or ability ! there are too many variables and so I accept a general speed limit and I accept the risk of being caught. But I don't accept that the police control more frequently the m-ways than the orinray roads just because it's easier to control the m-ways (whilst being considerably less dangerous than those ordinary roads. I am for speed controls, but intelligent and targeted uses of them. Just hope there are some wild roads left when I take delivery of my lil' baby !