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Marty, you may also want to check Victoria British..they list one (item #71-600) for 20 bucks that fits 1971-Feb 1977 Zs and one for 40 bucks (71-602) for 78-83Z/ZX. Good luck, Steve

Bigger displacement is almost always better---unless it's accompanied by parasitic smog pumps, beefier bumpers, fat luxurious seats and other unnecessaries that make the car heavier (and therefore slower.) There are also issues with gearing to make the car better for highway driving that may adversely impact performance. Off the top of my head, there is NO disadvantage (performance-wise) to putting a bigger displacement engine into the lighter 240 body. Some folks transplant the fuel injection also, but that can be problematic unless you know FI well and are attentive to details.... It's very easy to put carbs and NA intake on an L28 block and head, and you've got near-instantaneous 30% increase in power (150-ish to 180-ish) If you have the means, I highly recommend picking up one....(apologies to Ferris) Steve

Ed! Nooooo--the horror, the horror! Sure hope the damage is limited...I just looked through your pics for motivation, too.... Good luck with repairs, Steve

I basically trusted the folks at NAPA. Told them what I was doing and they hooked me up with the right bolts with thread pitch/diameter to match the trans bell housing. The engine is not that heavy--250 lbs or so for the block, 50 lbs for the head, 40 lbs for the rest of the stuff. Ha Ha---hope it doesn't fall.:nervous: Steve

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I think Delhomme has five completions...two to SEA DBs (DOH!) Can't compete in the NFC Championship when you're using your fourth string RB....Not lookin good for my Panthers Steve

It's out, baby! Took the engine and trans out yesterday BY MYSELF, thank you very much...Only managed to spill about 1/2 cup coolant (unchecked heater hose--doh!) and a smidge of leftover trans fluid. No dings, scrapes, bent pipes or other injuries. Old motor is now mounted and being disassembled. Surprisingly, not many bolts are frozen, but a bunch of the screws on the hose clamps are. Now the next 3 months will be spent inside the engine bay scrapin, grindin and sprayin--at least it beats the undercarriage! S

Agreed...I think PIT is more trouble than DEN for either of these teams (SEA or CAR) given the Steeler's dominant, time-chewing run game and linebacker crew...But, winning three road games in the playoffs is a pretty tall order. While I favor the Panthers, I truly just want three knock-down, nailbiter great football games to keep me entertained!

Delhomme to Smith----TD! Too bad we may be one-dimensional with Davis and Foster out. i wonder if Goings has what it takes? Steve

Ben, Great work! Since I bought your 14 x 5.5 slots, I feel I may have helped (in some small way) fund the upgrade..... Steve

Chris, Carl, Vicky... Thanks for the article. It helps me get armed with info before my car is restored and I have to haggle with insurance companies. I am also in the market for an "entry level" British roadster, and have to say that there are many restorable cars under 8k. I have not seen the cars Carl refers to as "basket cases" but $4500 should buy a restorable TR6, MGB etc. Of course, my definition of "restorable" has been skewed by working on my Z.... Steve

This...thread....useless...without...article....please...scan! Seriously--what did it say?

Sorry to be off-topic... Jackhammer, what kind of insulation are you using? How heavy is it? Costly? Thanks, Steve

Beating the dead horse.... I like this car as a restoration candidate...Looks solid, and with original paint, wheels and OWNERSHIP trail back to date of purchase---all solid components for a stock resto. If only the Z would hit the levels of muscle cars.....sigh....

Dude.....I love the smell of melting tar in the evening...it's the smell of victory! It took me all of an hour to do both sides of the floorpans with a heatgun, so time's not much of a problem. Longer to do the wheelwells, mainly because of the angles, grooves and overall bigger square footage.

Hi Gregg, Welcome to the forum! If you do a search for "floorpan" or something similar, you'll find about 100 threads and basically two different ways to deal with that stuff...Good reading---I've been there. 1) Scraper and a heat gun. (what I used) Better if used when it's colder weather so you aren't drenched in sweat (like I was). Once an area's been heated for 30 secs or so, a putty knife will scrape that crap off easy. Then, a little lacquer thinner takes off the last bits... 2) Dry ice. Freezes it so you can chisel it off. Probably more enjoyable in the warmer months. When I did my floorpans I found only a smattering of pinholes, but felt that overall the pans were not in good shape--flakes of rust, thin spots etc--so I bit the bullet and bought new pans from Zedd Findings and had them welded in--total cost about $900 The soundproofing extends a ways up the trans tunnel, so I would take as much of it off as you can. Here's the thread with what my floorpans looked like: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15103 Good luck, Steve

(Playing devil's advocate) So.....paying $2-300 for a carpet kit is OK, but $500 for a "quick respray" isn't??? It might sell for more if it had a 4-speed in it, so why not do that? Oh, and then it'd probably sell for more if that dash was replaced, and maybe if the engine was washed, and the interior plastic replaced....ad infinitum et nauseum. Brand spankin new carpet in an interior with a cracked dash and faded cracked plastic quarter panels may look a bit out of place.... My point (some of which was missed) is that if you spend a little $$$ buffing up the car, it might sell more quickly and it might sell for a higher price than if you did nothing, but it might not sell for higher than the original target sale price of the car + $$$ spent on the buffing. Selling your car is sorta, but not exactly, like that goofy HGTV show my wife watches called "Curb Appeal." Spend a little time and a little money in strategic ways to make your car attractive, but not so much that you risk losing that "gap" money gained. It's an interesting thing to think about--"how much should you spend on your car before you sell it without looking like you're hiding something?" Whatever you (Mikey) decide to do, I hope you're pleased with the outcome... Steve

Not to flame, but I never said it was of NO value. Just doubted that it would enhance the sale price beyond the cost of the carpet.....

I would strongly recommend against a respray. People looking at old cars (like me) recoil at new paint jobs immediately prior to sale as it practically screams out that serious issues lie just under the surface, waiting to bubble up in 6 months.... Some good buffage and cleaning may help. New carpet? Doubt it would enhance the sale value beyond the cost of the carpet. But it might hasten the sale if someone sees it included...Probably better just to ditch the old and leave the floorpans exposed for potential buyers to inspect since its "rust-free"-ness is a big selling point. Clean it up, take accurate pictures, and don't look like you're trying to hide anything. The car will bring a good prioce on its own merits, although it may not be immediate. BTW, Bill McKay....nice Lotus. Green with envy here. Steve

I don't mind these threads, personally....I've been around long enough to know that most people's critiques of "extraordinary purchases" is not meant as serious insults--more like a bunch of folks just chatting. Nothing personal or serious intended...unless "He who shall not be named" is involved. One must realize that a group of people watch these auctions (some quite closely) and activities related to them are going to be discussed, whether one wishes it or not.... I do find it interesting how we pitch fits over $1200 hubcaps and $100 keys and $400 taillights and $1000+ dashes, then grump about how our cars don't generate a lot of revenue when fine examples are sold on Ebay, other auction sites, or NADA/KBB estimations. Guess it just depends on what side of the fence you're on as far as whether you've finished your resto or not! Someday, when I have disposable cash, I'm gonna pay a mint for something inane, and revel in the glory of having my own "crazy Ebay auction" thread.....someday.....:stupid: Steve

Here's a nice review from PCWorld.com. They seem to like Webroot's product, and I was somewhat surprised how poorly AdAware and Spybot performed... http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,119572,00.asp

Mark: Just remembered another option...I know some folks on hybridz.org who have mated a 240SX transmission with (I think) a 240-280 bellhousing. IIRC, still requires some creativity with the driveshaft, but a search on their website (and maybe a google search also) could help with some new ideas... Steve

70 mph at 3000 rpm is normal. I recall someone posting their dyno chart of a Rebello 2.7 and the HP curve was a steady inclined slope to 7500. Perceptions of maxing it out at 3000 rpm are likely inaccurate--you could also call up Rebello and talk to them about it. Zs will not give you "top end cruising speed" because of inherent front end aero instability. Even with airdam and some rear downforce, most don't make it past 140 without generating sizeable lift. ...I suppose you could toss the stock R180 3.36 back in there. You'd have sluggish acceleration with the 5-speed, but you may have better top end. Good luck!

I got a 1:18 sunstar 240z model...a black ballcap with "240Z" embroidered on it, and a navy mechanic's jumpsuit with "Stevie" stitched on the left chest. Also got a $100 gift certificate to Eastwood, which was just spent....Not bad at all!

From the sound of it, I bet you have a 77-79 five speed...I know of two options off the top of my head: 1) Change your diff final drive ratio to 3.54 2) Swap in a late (1981-3) 280zx non-turbo 5-speed. The fifth gear is supposedly taller and spins at a lower rate at highway speeds. When you say "topped out," can you clarify--like a speed/rpm/gear point (5th gear @60 mph = 3400 rpm, for example)? What makes you sure it's a 3.7 ratio? That's pretty rare in 280zx (1979 only, I think) but popular in 300zx models. If it's from a 280zx, odds are it's more likely a 3.9 or 3.54 ratio 2 cents, Steve