hls30.com

What ever you do, put a Z from the S30 script in it and not the 350Z Z. Maybe sew in a pocket for a removeable magnet(or a steel plate for a magnetic parts bowl to cling to) to hold hardware/tools captive-the one in my set has been invaluable-nothing I am working with falls from or scratches the fender! Will

If you were sitting in a frog(misbadged AudiTT-er 350Z) and a more beautiful, somewhat sexy car(You have a ZX and not a 240Z after all!) waved at you wouldn't it remind you of your ugliness, spark your self conscious feelings, and chap your hiney? Driving a 350Z is not nearly the same as looking at one-great technology in a butt ugly frog shaped box! If I was driving one, I wouldn't make eye contact either-except in the rear view mirror-it is the only place a 350Z driver can save face! A 350z is a beautiful car-but only under its skin. Along those lines, here is what happened to me: A couple of years ago I drove my 240Z up to the Alltel office to discuss my bill, and parked right next to a new 350Z fresh from the Nissan lot! When I walked in, every person in their store commented on my car. Two fine ladies (schaawing!) walked out to my 240 to look at it. The 350Z driver was in the Alltel office scratching his head-he had no clue what my car was(other than old), and to top off his pain, the ladies didn't even notice the factory sticker in his window! I guess it hurt to realize that having ugly on the street and a freak at the track just didn't cut it the eyes of of a pair fine females. He would take me at a light, but then the ladies would have been in my car and he would have been alone... Will

Filling the radiator will take care of the block, but leave the cap off, and as the water pump burps the system, back fill it. On the start up, somewhere there was an adaptor for spinning the oilpump throught the distribitor drive that will prime the engine. if memory serves, it used a drill motor, and allowed for engine oil to be circulated before the major assembies started rotating-meaning all of them had oil before any being subjected to any rotational wear-but then, that assembly lube is for... I have also heard tell of using synthetic oils, but maybe someone else has the knowledge to share if using them on initial startup(not as good for seating and break-in as conventional oil as I have heard) or replacing the startup oil with them after break-in(mixing/changing oils is not supposed to be a good thing either) would be the way to go. I have never used a synthetic oil,(or anything other than Castrol GTX) but it has been 10 years since I did a startup on a completly rebuilt engine. Will

The cars came from Japan with only paint, Dealers and owners addes Ziebart and the like... Will

Your timing is probably to far advanced, adjust it back, and you can probably go back to regular! Will

At one time fender covers were being considered for club merchandise. Will

That is the same basic engine used in the GMC Cyclone/Typhoon-check google to see what you can getout of that jewel! Will

Feel at the back of the exhaust manfold, right under the EGR-it is very common for that are to develop leaks-two of my late S30s did. Will

I have pulled a used tank before to clean and ready so the car was only disabled for an afternoon-that is where the sender I pictured came from. The POR kit is hard to beat. Will PS. Florida is the snowbird capitol of the world-almost an annex of the north-give it time...

Unless someone recorded their install, you might be better off to buy the firberglass tape from Z-Therapy. http://www.ztherapy.com/products/videos/FiberglassInstallVideo.htm The production quality isn't that great, but the info is top notch! WIll

Looks like the link above uses Caswells "plug-n-plate" system. http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/plugnplate.htm I have one and it does work very well! Will

There is only one upholstery shop? Will

WOW!!! Now it is time for the blood pressure medicine! Will

Have it tuned up and do the body work one panel at the time, that way it is still on the street if you need it, but progress is being made. Will

David, What you have done is prove how smart you are! If you can have someone show or guide you the first time the lesson is easier and the success is insurred. Recognizing that is what brought you here, knowing your limitations and expanding them is what will make you successful-in everyhting! Taking your car to a shop may be throwing money at a problem, but your answer is also paying for instruction, not just handing off the issue at hand for someone else to deal with. When I started with Zs, I knew where the key and the gas and the seatbelts went. I didn't know a cressent wrench from a spring compressor. I caught Z-itus and despite the best attempts of my family, several of my friends, and the bitching and moaning of liquid uses of college spending money, I am still infected! As you no doubt are learning there is no cure. It isn't as bad as it seems, just keep a Z close by at all times, and make sure to introduce all significant others to the car early in the relationship-if the car gets jealous, the repair time/bills go up, and the reliability goes down... Will

I would either get a club member close to the car to have a look for you, or leave the car alone. There aren't too many things that can cause a rear suspension to shift that much, and none of them are good. Consider the car a running parts car and it is way over priced. Too many unknowns, and unanswered questions. Add that to the fact that the pictures show a place with lots of car work going on(multiple garages and a yard lift with a truck on it in the background) and you have a car waving a huge red flag! I don't know too many people who would put in a new clutch and just let the car sit-unless they found something bad while putting in the clutch...since there is a lift in the yard 20 feet from the car, putting it in the air would be very easy, and that would make getting under it to see what is bent and take pictures easy too-there is a reason he doesn't want to spend 10 minutes to do this-and you probably don't want to find out what it is after you have committed to buy the car. The seller knows the car is not economical to repair, or he would repair it and swell it for a profit-after all, that is obviously what he does on ebay! Will

Stephen some people want to know how to fish, and some people just want to know where the grocery store is-they will never get fishing! I am glad those of us with patience, time, and Money? learned how to do the things we post about, No need to post anything if the only answer is "pay someone to handle it." Tony, I have been in early Zs for 26 years, I don't know everything-don't want to-as Henry Ford said when thwarting an incomptency hearing-"I know where to look."-the forums here are full of answers from people that have been places and had problems with their Zs that I haven't. Some people have better answers than mine-your answer may fit this thread better, the only guy who knows is the one who asked the original question. I would rather give a "don't be afraid to get your hands dirty" answer than a "write a check" answer. Writing a check to answer a problem says to me I can't or I don't want to do this. I enjoy working on my Z-even when it makes me crazy enough to cuss and throw tools! I wrote this early last year and I still hold it as true: "To be into cars, at least two of the following criteria must be met on at least a yearly basis. Parts have to be occasionally in your living space(livingroom, dining room, bedroom....) Your hands have to get so dirty it takes a day or two to get them absolutely clean-even with scrubbing. Your tools have to have more wear from your own use than from your admiration." Notice writing a check, and charging a credit card are notoriously not present! With out meeting the criteria above, a person is not into cars, a person is into being SEEN WITH CARS. WIll

I had a set made at an uphostery shop-even matched the color of the car(different car) made of medium gage Vinyl with elastic bands to catch on the accessories in the engine compartment, a tuck for the front and a padded area for a magnet to hod the rear. I also had them make a removeable heavy felt liner with battens to keep the fender safe if I was going to get serious with the tools. The liner velcros in-but I didn't find it in time for the picture. Will

Tony, If the car was turbocharged you would be right, however, it appears to be a normally aspirated 1976 l28! in his current situation He can hear and avoid the detonation. Without a high compression ratio (whether due to forced induction or not) the problem can be addressed with adjusted timing, higher octane fuel and driving habits until the issue causing it can be found. The problem is one to be checked into, and dealt with, but unless he never gets his foot out of the go juice, he does not have enough compression to quickly kill the engine. A trip to the dyno will never stop detonation!!! It may give several potential causes of the detionation, but so do the symptoms the car already has. a Dyno run never repaired or temporarily helped anything!!! He will still have to address the problem! He could always take the car into a Z specialist(you know the same one he would have to use after his trip to the Dyno) and have the problem diagnosed and repaired in one sitting. Or he could get out his FSM and do a bit of troubleshooting and repair himself. Will

Only the shadow knows! Of the cars that are left, I would only use $1000 tailights on those with or undergoing concorse restoration-having said that I have a complete set of NOS lighting, interior parts, and removeable body pannels for my project-as well I have several sets of spares in wonderous condition as well as several NOS spares. The people who are doing a concorse restoration will pay what it takes to finish their cars. The real worry about holding on to parts comes from reproductions that are visually indistinuishable from OEM, but made from current materials. If you could have a hatch hinge boot that would not deteroirate-but looks exactly like the OEM rubber one which would you rather have? If reproduction taillights were 100% dead ringers for the NOS OEM but with better lens, bulb, and body seals, which would you rather have? Unless car show Judges start manditory parts testing looks exactly like an OEM part, it gets counted as one! When the top notch reproductions come out the prices of nos parts will fall. Because having the exact look with lower maintenance and replacement costs is preferable to having the look and not! Will

While a properly used Dyno can diagnose an engine very precisely, unless there is one close by, in less than the time it takes to drive over and back, you would be done-and your wallet would be grateful-but there is somethig to be said for throwing money at a problem-and here it is-if you go that route with an daily driven old car, you will have to keep doing it because you won't learn how to do anything else-in which case you would be better off throwing money at a car dealer and just buying a new car! Part of the enjoyment of an old car is getting to know what makes it tick, and what it takes to make it stop ticking... Dyno time-$100/hr or $70 for each run not counting the cost of the repairs(not included in dyno time) and round trip drive time and GAS! Timing gun $20ish wire brush $1, Carb cleaner $2 Spark plug wrench $4-totalling less than $30 and a trip to the parts store(usually much closer than a Chassis Dyno IE: There is a Napa, a Discount Auto Parts, a local parts place, and two Autozones, within two miles of my house. The closest Chassis Dyno is four and a half hours away(according to the phone book)). Timing test set hook up and use the timing light as per its instructions! Adjust the dizzy as necessary. Vacuum advance test-With the car off and the cap off the dizzy, treat the vacuum hose like a straw and watch for movenent in the dizzy. Plug wire test Wait until dark(turn off any lights that would shine on the engine, pop the hood, start the car and watch for sparks! If you see any the wires are bad(sometimes a good coat of silicone lubricant wiped all over the jackets works as a temporary fix) Plug check pull the plugs and check their condition. Clean or replace as necessary. Plug condition is a great troubleshooting tool. All of this could be done in an hour after work and dinner and you got to spend a little time with your car, and learn how to diagnose and take care of a problem. Will

Carl, Thanks for setting up my evening reading!! Will

My idea is the car doesn't like it when you do thatROFL ! Seriously-check your timing-and the working of the vacuum advance on the distributor, and your plug wires(they may be breaking down) and immediately after running it hard check your plugs. Will

Welcome, try the classifieds here on this site! Will

You might have the original carbs off a U20 which are big enough to take care os an L series 6! Any identifying marks-or as suggested above, pictures? Will