ecp48

Will has the right idea, you must find out what the statute currently says. I had a similar problem in Athens, GA. All cars must run, be insured and titled unless a current race car. It resulted in the offending 76 280 moving to the garage and my newest 78 280 living in a parking place in front of a friends business in Oglethorpe County. My running 78 280Z now is in the elements outside the garage. I am working on the idea of adding a shop behind my house, 25 x 25, but have to avoid the "garage" label as the subdivision restrictions only allow covered storage, ie: carport or garage with two doors or spaces. Not even a three car garage is allowed. If I cared to move a number of different things, including a sailboat and 20 ft equipment trailer, I could put it in the back, behind the six foot stockade fence. There are ways around any statute.

Now that it's been brought up, I could use a source for the vinyl insert, either the hard cornered "flat top" or the rounded. I am presently patching in pieces to make up for the shrinkage. The link Bill Ramsey posted is exactly what I need. I have kept a lot of the moulding over the years, but the vinyl keeps shrinking! http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=10046&cat=500&page=4 Thanks, Ed Palmer

Try here: http://classifieds.hybridz.org/showproduct.php?product=1048&limit=&cat=18&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=

Check the classifieds on Hybrid Z, there was a set of the Imsa wide fenders posted. Also check ZCAR.COM classifieds, and last week there was a set on ebay. good luck

clutch07182, With a fuel injected car the cause could be a leaking injector. When you shut off the engine the fuel system maintains the working pressure for some time. If an injector is leaking, raw fuel will be entering one of the cylinders and leaking past the rings to enter into the sump after the car has stopped. Did any of the cylinders have a heavy coating of black in the head or piston top, indicative of a cylinder running rich? You could also have a leaking fuel pressure regulator, where the diaphragm has ruptured and raw fuel is being sucked into the intake through the vaccum line.

Jon, You are confusing a modern car with a chassis that is over 30 years old. Back in the day, no one would have accused a Z of handling like a "wallowing pig", but things change and even SUVs have to handle to sell, even if only for safety reasons. I know the 72 Z I spent a lot of time in, outhandled an MGB, the TR-4A, or my much loved 100-4 Austin Healey. I was once playing in a friends 67 Corvette, 427/435 tri-power four speed. I went into a double apex corner under full throttle and fully experienced the negatives in wallowing handling (torque steer), the rubber bushings compressed and the rear wanted to go to the inside of the corner. The owner was ready to drop a pile in the front seat next to me. The biggest difference is you had to drive what you had, with all of the built in quirks. Such as, sliding/drifting the Healey if you wanted to get around a corner quickly. The challenge to make a Z handle and run better than a modern car is what has many of us involved, plus the Z charisma. You want to drive a wallowing pig, try a 1970s LTD, Caprice or even a Malibu or Lemans. In my case, I hate being eaten alive by a Honda leaving a traffic light, when I'm driving a Z!

You haven't said which Z or if it is a Z you are driving. The answer would be different depending on the year and carbs or FI. Get back to us with some answers.

Whatever color was applied by the factory sounds good, until you reflect on some of the Japanese ideas of color. The olive green, instead of Forrest or British Racing Green Butterscotch/tan, better known as Baby _hit brown, That chartreuse (key lime) green/yellow, which looks like something Chrysler would have sprayed on a charger. The Silver, white, Orange were all great, but some of the others ..... And remember, back in the day, you took the color the dealer had on the lot if you wanted the car! Generally the dealer had no real choice, he could request, but like you the purchaser, he took what was delivered. Next question Will!

I've also had good luck using a pressure washer with the long wand. After washing, blow dry with compressed air and allow to air dry. Put in fresh gas with an absorbant/cleaner. Good luck. The above method worked for what looked like a 2 litre bottle of coke. Molasses in the Tank!

The Arp studs,100-7708 are 11.99 from Summit. Picked up four packs tonight. I believe they ship International. Check them on the Web.

Jon, Not to get religious, but thats what I alway liked about the Jehova's Witnesses at the Door, you could argue (discuss) all day.

The only problem is Classic Datsun appears to be limited to 510, 240 and Roadster (per the Website). No mention of 260Z, 280Z or 280ZX.

Will, I'm a little slow and backward. I posted, then took the poll and checked off almost all of the blocks. What can I say the grey/white hair says it all, just ask my 18 year old, Z hating Daughter. Of course there is a bonus to her dislike, as my Insurance Agent can attest. Ed

And then came Chevy's latest rendition of the pushrod V-8. The LS-1 is as light, or lighter that the L-6, though when combined with the BW six speed the package is slightly heavier with about 1% more weight on the rear wheels. It's about as high tech as a pushrod V-8 can get. Revs very freely and depending on computer programing 350 to 450 HP. Yes I voted for an overhead cam engine, but in the real world that LS-1 fits nicely, a touch expensive, but an enviable package. My next step. Although I will keep one of the cars with the L-6 at about 190 RWHP, just because I couldn't do it in 1979, when I had my 75 280Z (didn't know how).

I use all of the above! I watch the ebay auctions daily. Watch the various club listings on the net, i.e.: Classic Z, ZCar.Com and HyBrid Z. Any parts being bid on (ebay) must be less than the wholesale Victoria British price (Always compare offerings to MSA and VB catalogs.) If I need a new OEM Part I will shop the various Nissan Dealers who offer a club discount. Used parts are wherever I can find them, parts cars, junk yards, friends, etc. Origin doesn't matter, if in good shape and the price is right! Will, hard to check one of the above!

Thanks, JMANZ6. I just can't see repainting the whole car. The original paint seems okay. New clear coat seemed the answer. Appreciate the response.

I am picking up an 81 280ZX in early August for a potential street beater. The clear coat over the black finish has oxidized (disappeared) on the top surfaces (roof, hatch, hood and fenders) of the car. Rather than repainting the car immediately, I thought I would rub the entire car down with a finish prep, like car skin. Then lightly sand the edge areas of the clear coat with a 400 or 600 grit sand paper. Lastly, have the clearcoat reapplied. Any thoughts on whether this would restore the finish on the car? Opinions appreciated. Thanks,

DEEDEE, Go to the Auto Zone site, URL below. It will allow you to print out the schematic you need. http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?ForwardPage=/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/1d/1d/80/0900823d801d1d80.jsp Hope this helps. ecp48

Sorry guys, I came late to this thread, but a couple of thoughts. Michelin's offer to repay the fans is the smart move by the company at fault! It is a good PR decision. FIA has continually stepped on their putz in this matter. The regulating body should have stopped the race due to the safety issue, it shouldn't have had to fall to the Teams. The chicane was the logical fix, but FIA has lost track of the ball. They still think they own the game!

I last drove a 280Zx when a friend of mine bought an 80 new from the dealer. I had a 75 280 at the time. My 280 had stiffer springs (mulholland) and headers and ran well. The ZX affected me as more of a secretary's car (nothing against secretary's, my wife was one!) However, it was more "looks like a sports car" than acts like one. It was in essense a "sporty car". The only ZX that would tempt me would be 280ZX Turbo 5 spd for obvious reasons, and even there you had to overcome the "boulevard" ride. It is all what you like. My friend thought his was great. It didn't ride rough like mine did. Of course mine, (75 280) got a second in the Bay Bottom Crawl in 1980. (240 was untouchable.) Enough reminiscing.

My Z's are my toys. I want to enjoy them as sports cars. Obviously, I'm not into restoration or "show cars". The latest one will remain closest to stock ('78 280), with a breathed on engine and ZX 5 spd tranny and 3.90 Rear. A fun car for the street, that a Honda won't walk over, thus the "breathed on". The others will probably end up as a highly modified 2.8 or 3.1 fuel injected '78 280, with a highly modified suspension and a '76 280 which will probably receive an LT1 w/ six speed and coil overs if the money is there at the time! I love the cars, but the seats are the pits, so they will be changed. A little work achieves an additional 25 -30 HP without compromising the drivability. The suspension can use a little work, lowering and tightening on the 280s particularly, as they were raised to meet the bumper height requirements. The cars are my entertainment. Not knocking a fully restored 240Z, but it is not for me. I am a hot rodder at heart who enjoys a sportscar for its handling and performance. As background, My first sportscar was a 100-4 Austin Healey. My friends and I did at least four V-8 conversions on Healey's. A h*** of a lot of fun! Everyone has an opinion on this. The car was made to enjoy!

Due to interference between the arm and the crossmember, 7/8 is the maximum with the stock arms. 3/4" or .75" is the norm and the suggested amount in the JTR manual. I've modified my crossmember and arms (rounding off the inner top end for clearance, but haven't had time to install them yet. Everything is sitting with new bushings. I did not move the mounting holes outboard. By lowering the car 1.5 inches, I did not feel I needed more negative camber in a "street Z". Good luck!

I have just acquired one, based on price and what it will do. I am building an upgraded 280 L6. The stock fuel injection would have to be fudged through a resister reostat on the temp comtrol in order to provide appropriate enrichening for the header and other changes. You would then still have the problem of the restrictive AFM. I like the idea of being able to reprogram the fuel curve and utilize an o2 sensor. For what its worth.

CVP911T, I know what it is to have the Z itch, but after watching the lists, ebay, etc. You ought to be able to find a good one in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In the alternative, look at New Mexico or Arizona, less rust.

The 280Z is a continuation of the first generation Z (the 240), the last version. The ZX was the next body style. The engine, transmission and differential of the ZX are basically the same as the '75 to 78 Z, i.e.: fuel injected, 2.8 litre, etc. The suspension and body are different. I like the 280Z in that it looks like the original with the benefit of fuel injection and a designed in AC (rather than add on). A little heavier than the 240 and slightly higher due to revised bumper requirements. And bothe the 75/76 and 77/78 had the ugliest bumpers mounted on a Z. (I have both a 76 and a 78, both with the original bumpers removed.) As to which is better, purely a matter of taste. They both RUST