Carl Beck

$1.92.9 per US gallon for Regular - almost everywhere in the Tampa Bay area - $2.43.9 for High Test. Clean Diesel is about the same $245.9 per gallon. Carl B.

EZCarLift - has already thought of you "Purie" - they offer a "drive-over" option. You back the car out - place the lift on the floor and drive over it. Then position the ramps under your pick-up points. When your done - reverse the process, then roll the lift over to a wall and stand it up on end, out of the way. Visit their web site to see all the "options" and "uses". If you have a relatively short job to do - and your driveway is flat/level - you can also easily roll the lift outside to work. A big Plus is that if you move - it is very easy to take with you. Carl B.

I believe that activity was envisioned.. Carl B.

I've had several El Cam's - loved them all. Can't believe he bought that one for that money - it would be at least $4.5K in that condition around here.

It was a pretty easy compromise for me to make. The alternative was to raise the roof - and block the walls up another 3 or 4 foot. Or move somewhere else and start over. The truth is I don't need a full height lift 99% of the time. I like to lift the car for wheel and brake work, oil changes. Nice to have it up a bit for buffing/polishing the sides and detailing the area under the rockers etc. Also, nice to be able to lift the car when reinstalling and engine and tranny combination - you can tilt the whole assembly down to clear the firewall and not worry about jacking the car up as you go. Plus with this lift you can easily roll it outside for use. I couldn't find a four post lift with Posts that were short enough to roll out a standard garage door {6'8"}.Then in a small garage like mine - a 4Post or even a single Post just take up too much room all the time. This one takes next to ZERO room when stored. I'll get some pictures from under the car - yes you could remove the cross braces - they are held on with two bolts on each side (on each end). Each side of the lift has a larger footprint than any of my jack-stands. Although I did like the fact that the two sides were connected -it just seems to be a more stable set up - - most of the other scissor lifts I looked at weren't connected. The BRE Z is on the lift - because as you can see in the photo's - it is time to once again Polish the Mag.'s and detail the tires - - this time I won't be sitting on the floor for hours. If there is a compromise or trade-off involved - it might be between Price and Function. I really like the build quality of this lift - and the extra uses I can put it too. That however does come with a slightly higher initial price. Like most tools higher quality can cost more to start with - but I've never been disappointed buying Quality over Price alone. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Robert: Yes - two new 3/4HP Sears Chain Drive's. Best openers I've ever found. Seems that Sears will stop offering them - as all their newer models are now Tape Drives. {junk}. Had to replace the older ones - do to lighting hitting the Garage a few months ago. You might notice that two or three of the lights are also out, lightening fried the transformers in them - bought replacements for them today. Yes, the Blue Z is in for it's once every 20 year - refresh. Pulled the engine to work on detailing the engine bay etc - and to clean/repaint the block etc. One of the reasons for the lift was the three hours I spent under it, when it was up on Jack Stands...last month. Sent the White 72 home with my son. Sorry I missed you when you were at Jim's - FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Guys: Yes, it is a worm gear that moves it up/down. You use an electric drill with a socket adapter. The mfg. recommends a drill with at least 8 amp motor - that you can operate at between 800 and 1200 RPM. I had a 22 year old Craftsman 1/2 Drill but it was only rated at 6.5Amp. It had enough power to drive the lift - but the drill was getting very warm and pretty close to HOT. Well it is pretty old and worn. So off to Harbor Freight - right down the street..Bought a 1/2 Drill with 8.5 Amp rating. It doesn’t even get warm. The amazing thing is - the new Drill was $42.95, about $20.00 less than my old one cost 22 years ago. Plus for $10.00 HF warranties the new Drill for 24 months. I usually don’t buy store warranties - but given the questionable reputation of HF electronic products - for $5.00 a year .. count me in. Several owners that use theirs at tracks etc - say the 18 to 24 Volt cordless drills will do the job, but it takes a battery for each up/down cycle. Most have power converters in their tow vehicles.. so they just use A.C. corded drills. Dave - aka “Jarvo2” pointed me to the EZCarlift… I had been looking at scissors lifts for quite some time, but couldn’t find anything that really addressed my needs / desires. This lift does everything I wanted plus has several additional capabilities that I can actually use. When I checked the EZCarlift site - they were on sale for $1795.00 - a bit more than many others, but they do a lot more of the things I wanted. 1) open access from the side of the car, with nothing under the car; 2) can’t take up much room to store; 3) had to be easy to move & set-up; 4) had to be useful for most of our cars "While I was at it” - I thought might as well get all the options and be done. Bought the Vinyl Floor Protector Pads, the Hocky Puck lift point adaptors [for the M/B}, the movable Castor Kit so I can roll the car around in the garage on the lift, Ramp Extensions to extend the ramps from 60 inches to 68 inches {wive's E350}, and a kit to turn the lift into a work bench. Right off the bat I was glad I ordered the Hock Pucks..had to use them on the Z. So far, everything I’ve seen has been first class materials and assembly. Very high quality though out and all made in the USA. The only downside that I can see so far - it takes about 1 minute to raise the car to 20 inches, and another 30 seconds to go up to 26 inches. Doesn’t sound like much - but seems like a lot of time as you are waiting. Of course it is FAR FASTER than using a floor jack at each end and setting up Jack Stands. I put a few more pictures on my Web Page.. if anyone is interested.http://becksystems.com/garage/EZCarLift/EZCarLift.htm FWIW,Carl B.

Ordered an EZCarLift on the 15th and it arrived on the 19th. Every aspect of it is very high quality. Works like a charm... The picture is taken with the lift only 20 inches up - it will go to 26". Shown with the optional Vinyl Floor Tile Protectors - under the feet. Very stable.. Full easy access from either side or either end.

You left out the important part - :-) How much did it cost.. thanks, Carl B.

I think anyone that knew John - knows how baddy I feel at his passing. Really Great Guys are few and far between, so it is very hard to say farewell to them. RIP, Carl B.

Thanks Dave: I think I'd go with the EZcarlift. Compact storage, good array of alternative uses and I really like the fact that the two sides are tied together. Makes the platform far more rigid. I also like the fact that is is mechanical rather than hydraulic {less to mess with and less to go wrong}. I can actually use a platform to stand on - so I can reach the top of my 3/4 ton Silverado Crew Cab when it comes time to wash, clay bar, polish and wax. I've been using a step stool and that is a pain. Also for when I'm cleaning by Car Trailer.. I like the 26" lift heigh too. Maybe I'll order one for Christmas.. Carl B.

An ounce of Gold: $20.66 in 1928 $1200.76 today.58.12 times as much A $5.00 fender is $290.60 A $1.00 dollar tune up is $58.12 4 new pistons and ring at $7.00 would be $406.84... Things haven't really changed to much. Carl B.

I really love this one!! Peter Brock's Racing Helmet

Where are these made? Carl B.

I eliminated all the vapor recovery lines etc - about 20 years ago. Never caused any issues/problems.{as long as you keep that top tank vent open - i.e. making that 180 without kinking the hose}. Many of the 69 production 240Z's didn't even have it to begin with. Canada didn't require it, nor did the US in 1970. California did... and the rest of the US followed, so it became standard on all North American models. So it isn't so much a design element - as a last minute add on for California in 1970. FWIW, Carl B.

How about a retractable hardtop - in a package about the same overall size as the Z? Aerodynamics so well done, that even with the top down at 80 mph - you aren't blow out of the car. A car with a personality "kind of" like the Z... Very affordable, especially if you can do most of the small things yourself? Not old enough to be a "Classic", but Special Interest Enough to have a great group of followers? The more I drive this car the more I appreciate it.. http://becksystems.com/SLK230/SLK230a.htm Good luck with whatever you decide.. Carl B.

I agree with John - it sounds like a parts car. Might be worth something to someone that needs a 69 production date Z - to qualify for some Historic/Vintage racing clubs/series. Carl B.

Hi Ernest: That is a beautiful Z and I'm sure your friend will enjoy it greatly. Be sure to send him here, if he isn't already. Z or no Z - do keep in touch. Let us know what your replacing the Z with.. Kind regards, Carl

NO WAY - !! You started on that car Sept. 2013 - - and you have it put back together with the paint and body work done - the engine rebuilt and installed by the 23rd of Oct 2014??? That is a real accomplishment. I love the color - and you've got a good looking helper there too . Great Job.. Carl B.

What does the lid look like? Carl

Several people said stay away from a Salvage Title - I agree - - but didn't see anyone explain how to do that. If the insurance company wants to clam a Total Loss - they offer you an amount and they take the car. To avoid a Salvage Title, you have to agree to settle the claim for less than the value of the car they offered. Usually that has to be around 20% less. The reason is the insurance companies guess that they can get 12-15% of the value they paid you - back when they sell the car to junk yards or recyclers. So you have to agree with the insurance company to take less than the Total amount - and they have to agree to let you fix the car yourself. {in other words you don't want a body shop listed on the payment check}. You don't just want to keep the car - you want to keep it without it being declared a Total Loss by the insurance company. Good luck, Carl

Dale - was your Z insured with Hagerty - or some other Classic Car Insurance Co.??. Secondly did you have any physical damage to yourself or any medical bills that needed to be paid? Usually, if you don't have a physical injury, and you don't have a Classic Car Policy with an Agreed value - - and you are driving "an old car" - and insurance adjustors want to use their definition of ACV as the basis for adjusting the claim. Usually on a 240Z that is somewhere around $3K here in Florida. Most insurance adjustors pull the State Sales Tax records to get the price of used cars sold in the past five years. Just wondered how you got lucky enough to get a reasonable settlement - without going to court. Makes perfect sense if the car was insured on a Classic Car Policy - they don't want to get in a law suite with another insurance company. {florida is a no fault State}. Carl

Yes, thanks Charles. That gives me a better understanding of what's going on in the current market.

Hi Charles: Good point - I just want to be sure to understand what you are saying.1. Wrecked 240Z's are selling for more than $4K at auctions.2. Wrecked 240Z's with Salvage Titles are selling at auction for $4K. … you later mentioned that the car your working on would get a Salvage Title if later wrecked. Also - yes today - I wouldn't be surprised if Salvage Titled 240Z's might be bringing a bit more than the previous examples we've seen on this forum. The value of even good used 240Z parts has gone up significantly over the past few years. In #1 you aren't dealing with a Salvage Title car, in case #2 you are. I would agree that a damaged car without a Salvage Title is worth quite a bit more than a damaged car without a Salvage Title. I think in the past the Salvage Titled cars sold to the public - will bring 10 to 20% more than the junk yards will pay. Most likely a lot of 240Z's have been damaged and repaired. Usually the one's that were repaired fall into one of two categories. Private owners that simply pay for the repair themselves, rather than settling for a low ball figure from the insurance company, or 240Z's that were covered by an Agreed Value Classic Car Policy. Usually - not always - but usually the owners or the insurance companies themselves - do over-see the work being done - and exert some quality control over the process. Likewise if you are buying damaged Z's with good titles - you can afford to put more money and thus higher quality into the repair - because with a good title you have a good chance of making a profit on the effort. The normal course of events however over the past 30 years or so - has been that the damage cost more to repair than the insurance company felt the car's ACV would justify. They declare the car totaled and thus the salvage title. The largest problem with Salvage Titled cars has been created over the past 50 years or so, by cars taken out of the junk yards getting slip shod and very questionable repairs - cleverly hidden. In effect they are flipped to made as much profit as possible. Which unsuspecting buyers only later find. So in that case the Salvage Title is a Red Flag {justified or not}. So when it comes to Salvage Titles - why buy a potential problem down the road when you don't need to? Unless a super low price sways you. FWIW,Carl B.

Today the best thing to do with an old gas tank - is buy or rent a good inspection camera and look inside - then decide what you need to do. There are lots of different processes to be considered - depending on what you can see. I think the hose that is the more difficult to deal with - is the one that come off the top of the tank - and required a tight 180 degree bend. Various ways of accomplishing that.. several documented here on the forum. Personally - on the 240Z's I drive fairly often - I just eliminated the vapor recovery lines all together. But even so you still have to deal with proper venting of the tank, so it can be filled. Which means you still have that long line with the 180 degree bend to deal with. good luck, Carl B.