Nigel Mulvey

Have to 'fess up Rick, I'm actually a Pom so a little less of that Northern Hemisphere bit 'eh. Came to Australia (pronounced Orstralia ) in '89. The Kiwi's haven't copped any yet - ever asked one to say "Tim Finn put six tins of wizz in a chilly bin"? Go on, try it. And anyway there's no such thing as an Australian, they're just Poms that got here before I did. :stupid: Let's have a bit of fun, but remember, we may have our aural difference but we are united in our passion for our cars and any one of you will always be welcome to drop by for a beer or ten.

Pronunciation is one thing but what intrigues me are the different meanings words have in different English speaking countries. For example, some years ago I was working with a team from the US Secret Service preparing for a visit by President Clinton. It had been a long day and I was desparate for a cigarette so I told the agent I was with that I was just going out to "smoke a fag".

The wife now knows and 24 hours later I'm still in one piece. I have looked at plenty of potential project cars over the last two years and they have been either too good to strip down (like my immaculate 240z which I picked up for only AUS$4,500) or like some dogs I saw recently that looked more like filligree jewellery for ridiculously inflated prices. Maybe I was spoiled when I found the 240 for such a good price. Sportsclassic in western Sydney sells shells for around $2,000, I looked at those and they still needed a lot of work this recent purchase appears solid under the battery tray and along the frame rails, there is no rust in the wheel wells or at the base of the rear hatch. The car has already been dismantled to a degree as the previous owner had intended to restore it but ill health prevented him continuing. There has been some filling done in certain places and there is some pinhole rust at the bottom of the doors, the only apparent major rust out is at the front of the body where the bonnet (hood) hinges attach (or at least used to) I'll just cut the metal I need from the 2+2. I appreciate the benefits of getting the best car one can afford for restoration because of hidden costs, but I sometimes wonder wether we are kidding ourselves if we think we are going to find rust free z's on every street corner. I don't know how things are in the US but there are not many z's left in Australia at all and I think it's up to us enthusiasts to keep Mr K's dream alive - just look at Mr deGroots immaculate rebuild when he started: http://www.usq.edu.au/users/degroot/240z/

Hi guys, Well I have finally found (and bought) my project car. I have just purchased a 1977 260Z manual with an L28/N42 combination. I had originally planned on modifying the 240 but it's in such good original condition I haven't got the heart to bastardise it. I will keep hold of the 2+2 for a while as a parts car but I don't think I'm going to need much off it, so I MIGHT part it out - I'll let you know when I have done an inventory. The new 260 is a little on the shabby side, but there doesn't appear to be any rust where it matters. The wings and doors are solid and there is the usual rot around the hatch lid. Two owners ago a new dash was put in and the last owner had it in his garage for two years. I plan to get it stripped to bare metal to really assess the damage and take it from there. The next purchase is a digital camera so I can post some photo's and set up a project site. Just got to find a way to tell the wife .

Can any of my fellow Australians give me some idea of what a good paint job is worth here. I know there are plenty of variables like preparation and type of paint but I am just trying to weigh up the following options to utilise my 260z 2+2 bits: 1. buy a 260z shell for around AUS$2,000 and strip and re-spray; or 2. buy a 260z that has been offered minus the bits I already have (engine, box, etc.) but which has been recently resprayed for AUS$5,000. Any thoughts guys?

Oops that shoudl have been fade not dade. Yippee made it to 50 posts at last.

Woah .. brain dade. I mean't to say: ... and not as common as Hyundau Excels.

...or as common as Hyundai Excels.

I'm actually in the market for a 2+2 at the moment. I'm want to transfer all the good bits off my dead 2+2 onto a decent shell. I'm not necesarily looking for a runner, it doesn't even need to be registered I'm just after a solid shell. If anyone in NSW (or close by) knows where I might find a contender please let me know. Obviously because they're so repulsive I don't want to pay much for it

I have two L26's and I'm just up the road in Camden. One I bought just for the SU's so it is carby-less although I have a pair of the dreaded flat tops. The guy I bought it from said the engine ran OK in his 260 before he did a V8 conversion, I don't know how long he had it standing for and I have never seen it running. There is no box. If you're interested it's yours for $200. The other engine is in my 260Z 2+2 which recently came of worse for wear in a confrontation with a Falcon. The engine was fully rebuilt less than a year ago with a mild cam and the SU's from the above engine rebuilt also. I put about 4.5k into the engine (I still have all receipts somewhere) and I'll consider an offer on the WHOLE CAR, it's not a driver but the engine is running and I'm umming and ahhing about whether to buy a shell and bolt everything over. But it does have a few interesting spares such as original radio and cassette player. This one has an auto box.

I have one of each, although the 2+2 is looking a little worse for wear after a recent intimate moment with a Ford Falcon. I have no problems with the 2+2 after all it is a zed and with the kids the age they are at least I don't have to be seen in the Camry too often!

Geez! Even Mel Gibson looks bad on his licence photo! Come in spinner!

Just wait 'till you slide it.

Just doing a bit of forward planning. I'm still trying to make up my mind how to approach the preparation of a 260 shell I am getting to transplant the parts from the 2+2 I wrote off a week or so ago. Does anyone have any thoughts on the following strategy: Strip all parts, put the shell on a rotisserie and remove the paint underneath using paint stripper. Paint underside with POR15 including inner fenders. At the same time have the running gear baked enameled and refit with new poly bushings etc. Once a rolling chassis again ship it of to a body shop to have the top side stripped and prepped for painting. The alternative as I see it is to have the whole body dip stripped and primered right at the start. Are there any advantages/disadvantages to these methodologies. Thanks in advance.

Finally got to see EPII yesterday. Anyone notice the striking resemblance between the upper rear quarter panel of the speeders in the early chase scene and our beloved Z Cars. Damn thing even seemed to have an air vent.

Thanks for the response. Keeping the 2+2 as a parts car is my intention. I was going to try and find another 2+2 shell and swap everything over (except the bits that got damaged in the prang). If I can swap most of the parts from a 2+2 to a 2 seater though I increase my options for sourcing a recipient shell. Hence my question.

As many of you know I had a bit of a mishap with my 260 2+2 a week or so ago and the shell is now beyond economical repair. I had thought about buying a replacement 1974 2+2 shell and swaping all the parts over - dead easy. However, I have found a 260 shell for sale (not a 2+2) and I was wondering about what parts I could swap over to that. I would have thought that the only thing that I would not be able to use would be the prop shaft which would be longer on the 2+2. Does anyone know of any other incompatibilities there might be?

FYI The gear ratios on the Aus and UK five speeds which were available from 1970 were: 1st - 2.96 2nd - 1.86 3rd - 1.31 4th - 1 5th - 0.85 Diff ratio 3.70:1 Source Road and Track Magazine, January 1970.

Royce, According to the literature I have, on cars fitted with either a four speed manual gearbox or automatic transmission, there is a sliding sleeve at the front end of the prop shaft which engages with the splines of the transmission unit output shaft. On cars fitted with a five speed manual gearbox the sliding sleeve is still present but it is an integral part of the prop shaft which connects to the box via a universal joint. I'll crawl under my '71 later and check it out for you. Sorry for veering off topic.

Bloody fast enough! PS. A 5 speed was available as an option on the 240 here in Australia and in the UK from 1970.

I've been driving my new 240 around for a few days now and have noticed an awful lot of clunking and creaking. I've just bought the Z Therapy video and I'll get round to changing the bushings over one day - that should sort out the clunking. I'm a bit concerned about the creaking though, while it seems to be coming from the interior decorative paneling which does not have all of its plastic rivets in place surely the cause of it is the body flexing. How much 'flexing' should a 240 do before I should worry? I'm not driving like a maniac, quite the opposite since I wrote off the 260 last weekend. I'm driving it like a Volvo with a fish sticker in the rear window.

I'd always wanted a 240, a 2+2 was never a consideration. However, my first z was a 260 2+2 because I found one in such good condition and at a price I couldn't knock back. After a while the shape grew on me - it is a Z after all. I eventually bought a 240 and yes I think it does look sportier but I still like my 2+2, so much so that after crashing it last week I've decided to do a full restoration.

Just wanted to vent my spleen over the buzzards that prey over the poor victims of MVA's. Today I was involved in a smash that has all but written off my precious 1974 260Z 2+2. The accident happened no more than 500 metres from my home. In a rather confused state after the accident a tow truck driver thrust me some paper work which turned out to be an 'agreement' to allow him to tow my vehicle. I was in a mild state of shock and didn't think to ask how much it would cost. When we got the vehicle home he handed me a bill for AUS$204. When I complained he said the costs were set by the State government. When I told him I had another car collected from over 50 kilometers away yesterday and it only cost me AUS$140 he told me that I had signed an agreement. Tow truck drivers have received alot of bad press in New South Wales and do you know what? They deserved every f@#$%^g bit of it.

I am researching the oft practised transplant of 2.8 engine into a 240z a project which I propose to do along with adding a 3.90 diff while I am at it. The plethora of information available on the subject originates principally from our Northern American cousins. The information I got from Brian Little's Datsun Garage says to obtain several parts from a 280Z, viz. the curved rear cross member, moustache bar, half shafts, drive shaft and front cross member. As I understand it this is because of the difference in size between the stock 240 diff and the R200. My question is this. As we did not have the 280z in Australia where can I source the parts I need for this project. I know it is possible because I've seen plenty of L28'd 240's in for sale ads. Were the later 260's fitted with R200 diffs? If so, is this where I can source the parts? Thanks in advance guys!