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I had the Technalon cover from MSA 4-5 years ago, and used it when I parked under my apartment building. Some rain still splashed onto the car, and plenty of dust and pollen settled on it, so the cover was a must. I seem to remember it always doing its job (that is, before some scumbag cut through the worthless plastic coated steel cable and stole it). Technalon is good stuff, and I would buy another one if I felt I had the need (have a real garage now, and don't really drive it all that often).

This site is very civil, and that is the only reason that the comments referred to seem snarky at all, much like spoonful of sugar may not seem as sweet when compared to a spoonful of honey. As other posters have stated - you won't have to look hard to find some of the scathing personal attacks typical on sites like zcar.com When a poster states something that another member knows to be a blatant falsehood, I am glad that someone often comes out and corrects them. If a member is posting BS, "not hurting feelings" is no good excuse for someone to remain silent or present a weak counter-point. While there are good and bad ways to go about this, the truth must make absolutely no concessions to something that is anything but. We also must keep in mind the possibility that the posting of misinformation is not always an "honest mistake." One such posting I read earlier by someone (whom I am certain was the primary inspiration for this thread) in the #13 thread brought up the possibility that all the controversy was being perpetuated to create hype for some hypothetical auction of said car, which (and not even being all that cynical by nature), I am forced to concede is a distinct possibility.

Cmon, that's not even a Z in your picture. Someone please BAN this spammer

Pretty sure they still sell them new

Not this again! It's not painted to look like wood: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15600&highlight=kats+wood+steering+wheel

Does insurance cover damage from a forest fire? I would at the very least take pictures and make an effort to document what what you have so is the worst happens you can justify your claims after the fact...

Try putting some penetrating oil on it and letting it soak for a while, like you would with any stuck nut. I think it's one of those self locking nuts with the plastic insert to make it very snug (at least the new ones are...). I used a 2' breaker bar to start loosening mine. It's possible someone severely overtorqued yours.

Which just goes to show he is gouging on the shipping costs... You shouldn't have to haggle to not get ripped off.

Agreed. Every time I see them on the road, I find them blinding and distracting. I really dislike other drivers using HIDs also, because when they go over bumps it has the same blinding effect of someone flashing their high beams at you. It's not so bad if you're driving a truck, but in a low car like a Z, it's potentially dangerous.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=489_1249330964

Interesting, that article cites a top speed of 90mph, but I could have sworn I read 76mph the other day on another news outlet. A top speed of 76 just wont cut it even for normal highway driving. If it's straining to go from 70-76, how are you going to pass someone going 68 in a 70 mph zone? Two lane road? Forget it. Found it: http://www.reuters.com/article/wtUSInvestingNews/idUSTRE57108X20090802 When I was working out east last year, my coworkers were shocked that we have some roads in Texas that are marked 80mph.

Actually, it IS fake money, and it's just another example of the federal government overspending and being sickeningly irresponsible. Future classic car issues aside, let's ask ourselves the question that should be more important to EVERY American, not just those of us with an appreciation for a fine automobile. Question: where did that money come from? Answer: our government "borrowed" it from the Federal Reserve. The money our government spends every year on most federal programs is now created out of thin air by the Federal Reserve (~70% by dollar amount I believe, the rest comes from taxation on corporations). The Fed is a private banking cartel, which is no more federal than Federal Express - it is a very common misconception that the Fed is part of our government. This has been going on for years. We live in a country with the fiscal responsibility of a 17 year old with his first credit card, who assumes he will never have to "pay it back." Our country isn't the only one though; pretty much every "developed" country on earth today has a fiat currency that is continually being watered down similarly. Also, those are technically not "our tax dollars" anymore. The truth sounds very cynical - with the debt already accumulated by the federal government, the total collective money taken in each year under the unapportioned (and thereby technically unconstitutional (another story)) federal income tax is not even enough to cover the yearly interest on the money already "borrowed." Essentially, the Federal Reserve does what the government could have done on its own before the formation of the Fed was "approved" (during a congressional Christmas recess, when the vast majority of members of congress were days or weeks away by train). The only difference now is that instead of just creating this money out of thin air and contributing to inflation, now we have to pay it back with interest on top of that as well. I feel obligated to also mention that the dollar has lost 96-98% of its value since the Federal Reserve began to control the issue of our currency (a power explicitly given to congress in the United States Constitution). A dollar literally buys a nickel's worth. Bernanke and his cronies would have you believe otherwise, but inflation is a fact even a 4th grader could comprehend if it were explained to them - when your economy has X amount of value in goods/services/etc, and you create an additional trillion dollars out of thin air (as the Fed has done since Q4 2008), each dollar is worth less, because each dollar essentially represents a 'slice' of our collective economic worth - the economy doesn't have any more REAL worth since last year (in fact, it probably has less), but now there are a lot more dollars out in the market representing that same or less amount of worth. Whether the US government does this, or whether some private entity does this, it has the same inflationary result. At least if the government did it, inflation would be the primary problem, not us having to paying back all this monopoly money later. So yes, in a sense, that money flowing into the Cash for Clunkers program is essentially fake money. It was created out of thin air. Unfortunately, the value that money represents came out of your pocket, my pocket, and the pocket of probably every other person reading this thread. When the value of our dollar is watered down by inflation, that chunk of money I have sitting in the bank loses value. Where does that value go? It goes to whoever receives the new "funny money," it goes to the huge corporations that wrecked themselves and should have gone bankrupt as a result. You and I essentially subsidized their poor and irresponsible business practices. The balance in my bank account may have stayed the same since last year, but rest assured, it lost value. The American people should be outraged, but sadly, most people do not know the truth and would probably not care. Most people hear about the state of the economy from the mainstream media, which is controlled by entities such as General Electric and News Corp, which have vested interests in maintaining the irresponsible fiscal activities of our government - they need to keep that financial teat flowing with their much needed money. Do I even need to mention how almost all our career politicians are beholden to some special interest, typically by campaign financing either for them or against them? These crooks are not you or I; they benefit from this practice, while the rest of us pay for the difference in one form or another. Of course they will tell you that it's "the right thing to do" and that "you wouldn't understand, you're too stupid and economics is WAY to complicated unless you're one of us." Don't even think of a second that this is a left wing vs. right wing issue - it is not. The typical stereotype is that "democrats just want to spend and tax!" and "republicans just want to spend...!" is bogus. What passes for a "conservative" today is no more fiscally conservative than the aforementioned 17 year old with his first credit card. They are one in the same on 99.9% of issues. Come election time, they will parade out a few less relevant issues they can afford to disagree upon in front of the financial powers that be and trump them up to be the most important life-changing decisions you will ever elect someone based upon - you will notice that the unsound nature of our economic practices is NEVER brought up by anyone except third party candidates that are marginalized in large part by the aforementioned mainstream media corporate management. We do not have a choice. It'll soon be breakfast time in a few short hours. On the menu: pancakes with syrup... OR, if you're in the mood for something RADICALLY different: pancakes with honey. All I see is a restaurant that won't give me anything but pancakes.

Sweet, more excessive government spending of money they don't have, and can't afford to even pay the interest on once borrowed (aka "created" by the private federal reserve bank). Have faith in our US dollar everyone! ...And I say faith, because at this point, the facts are really quite grim.

I hope this isn't too much of a derail... I've got the Tokico blue HP shocks and their matching springs (which appear to be progressive front, linear rear), and I've got to say that it can be a pretty brutally rough ride at times... I have all rubber bushings, mostly original. I'm not sure if replacing them with new will help my situation. I've still got the stock front sway bar, and no rear sway bar. The roads in Austin aren't that bad, but construction very often leaves rough spots, which are just bone jarring. I can't imagine it's great for the car either. I'd like to hear what you think about the Eibach springs/Tokico shocks setup once you've tried them out.

Any idea about strut inserts made in Venezuela? I pulled a set out of my Z earlier this summer and couldn't find any other markings besides that. There was a sticker originally, which said the model/brand/etc I'm assuming, but they had all long since disintegrated.

Frankly, I'm surprised bids for THAT car are already as high as they are in THIS economy ($17,600 at time of this posting, reserve not met). It makes me think one of the seller's friends has been bumping it up, which is very common. All those modifications are a huge turnoff to me, personally. Especially if it was truly a legitimate Vintage Z program car. Couldn't they have just found a similar original one to play around with? I guess I like them more or less original looking, same as I prefer a woman who hasn't had a bunch of "work" done on her. FWIW, I am a fan of the orange. My opinions of colors have changed over the years - I used to think the pale yellow/greenish color you see on a lot of series I cars was awful, but now I really like it. I guess it was because the first 240Z I looked at buying years ago was that color, and it was heavily oxidized and flaking off. Bad association, I suppose.

My compressor is mounted where the old smog pump used to be. I yanked that thing out a few years ago, so it was an obvious place to mount it, and I think where the MSA kit is designed to fit. I had a local mechanic install it two years ago, which I now regret. I wish I had facilities to do it myself back then, as I was not satisfied with the execution of their job after the fact. I'm not even sure how to check the pressure, etc. Had I installed it myself, I would probably have a better idea. The vibration is easily felt at idle, when the compressor kicks on, I seem to hear a low frequency rattling down near the drivers side footwell, as if the vibration the compressor adds is somehow causing some other part to vibrate. Trying to accelerate with the compressor running is not smooth at all. There's the expected decrease in power, but on top of that the engine starts to feel very rough at RPMs over 3700 or so, so I generally shift before then because it feels and sounds awful. This weather is ridiculous, but that's a Texas summer for you, and we've been through worse. The main thing I'm concerned about is our lack of rain. Lake Travis was down about 30 feet last I checked. I'm living close to downtown now, in the Lamar/2222 area.

Wow. I'm also left wondering - why was this being filmed in the first place? Does this guy just have CCTV setup all around his home?

There is still a fair amount of heat coming off the transmission tunnel due to the exhaust. Most of the heat that makes it's way into the cabin that way is from all the infrared the exhaust pipes are radiating. I would think that a shield would be a benefit, similar to how a shield helps keep the carbs from getting too hot from radiation from the exhaust manifold/headers. There is a fair amount of air blowing around in the engine bay, after all, so I think in both cases convection is a little bit less of an issue to begin with. I'm finally moving into a new place with a real garage (hooray!) so I'm considering taking the carpets and vinyl out and installing some insulation. The transmission tunnel gets exceptionally warm after a long drive. I also have a Sanden compressor, from the current MSA A/C kit... Not trying to get too far off topic, but I need to investigate this weird vibration that I can feel through the pedals and body panels whenever the compressor kicks in. Everything seems to be bolted down tight... ?

The FSM is talking about the original strut configuration, which was not an aftermarket insert like most of us probably have now... Do you really still have the original struts? (i.e. it's a rod with a plunger that runs along the inside of the actual strut housing, rather than a self contained insert that just sits inside the strut housing) For aftermarket inserts, people usually just put oil in the strut housing to prevent the insert from getting rust-locked into the housing, and to "conduct heat out of the strut."

Last I checked, Courtesy still sold the genuine Nissan weather strip. http://www.courtesyparts.com/tailgate-seal-1970-1978-240z-260z-280z-seater-p-568958.html?cPath=7724_7754& I hope that settles the issue for you and this thread can just come to a close. When you look at the price difference between OEM and the reproduction (Black Dragon sells one made in Thailand for $50), you can see why there is a market for third party manufacturers. It's very ignorant to sit there on your high horse and bash aftermarket reproductions as a whole as you seem to be doing in your rant about MSA. There are many parts for which the original is simply not available anymore, and when one of these companies comes in and makes a reproduction, I think that is a good thing. In a case such as this, where the original can still be had for a higher price, it gives us a choice in the matter. If I'm not building a concours vehicle, maybe the reproduction part at less than half the price is a serviceable alternative. It leaves more supply available for those doing an all-out restoration anyway. Simply put, if you have a problem with the way MSA or any other parts vendor does business, feel free to take your money elsewhere if you can find it - vote with your dollars. Anyway, I'm guessing they wont miss your business, because if your raving and rambling semi-incoherent posts here in this thread are any indicator, you are a difficult customer to deal with. So far there have not been many replies relative to the number of page views, despite this being a topic many posters here have experience with. I didn't decide to reply until after the 3rd time I saw the thread, if only to give you a heads up as to why it is an unappealing one. I think your general tone has a lot to do with it. I'm not aware of your previous posts being deleted, but it certainly doesn't surprise me in the slightest. Sorry to be so blunt, but I hope this concludes the thread, and I certainly won't be clicking it again if it pops up in my "new posts" search.

Welcome My 2 cents: ditch the body kit ASAP.

I also get a small amount of pinging (?) at lower RPMs on regular (87 octane). I normally would hear it accelerating up a hill in the 2000-3500 rpm range, it would sound like a rattling sound from the engine bay. A tank of premium fuel later, and I haven't heard it since. *shrugs*

Has anyone ever had a comparable system fabbed up by a local shop? I'm wondering if it would really be worth it.