gnosez

There is only one car show I participated in where I had my Z judged and that was in 2003. Every other show whether Z related or otherwise I entered the car in People's Choice then went out and judged other people's cars. Since I drive my Z and drive it hard, there are more than 20 points that could easily be deducted if I didn't spend a few hundred hours polishing, tweaking and a few thousand dollars getting the 10 yr old paint redone. So I'm not the person to answer your question(s) about car shows since I could care less. That said I take my role as a judge very seriously as a sign of respect for those that do care and have taken all that time and money to get their cars ready. Now here is why I responded: "further complicated by Nissan and sponsors throwing money at those that highlight what they are selling now-somethat addressed by the ZCCA with Gold Medallion/Gold cup". I am fully confused as to what this actually means and why if this is a thread on non-ZCCA shows what it's doing in the thread. No response is required as I'm out of here.....

At any show there will be someone who bought a car and won a trophy. That happens at Pebble Beach and at a Z convention. I believe I now understand your concerns but this is not a judging issue this is a moral/ethical issue and most judges are neither. Okay, maybe Chris and Jim are...maybe. I would suggest a re-reading of the rules concerning Cup and Medallion winners. One is for stock and the other is for anyone not stock. More than one car can win at any convention. In fact in Savannah a Z32 won in stock I believe with the highest score ever recorded if I remember correctly. You win one of these trophies because your car was as close to perfect as it can be whether it be stock or Ultra modified...

A club member has lost the one he had during a recent move.

Okay, please explain how the Gold Cup/Medallion are addressed by ZCCA and are influenced by Nissan and sponsors. Having judged 8 out of the last 11 conventions, started the pre-show free classification clinic series and conducted 4 of the judges meeting, I'm really at a loss to understand what that means. I am also very interested in hearing from others what the difference is between "winning with what they have vs winning with what is judged (aka. by the current car classification and judging rules)". Maybe I'm wrong but that sounds to me like folks who don't have the time or resources to get their Zs to a level of cleanliness and perfection required under the current rules. To me that smacks of an all inclusiveness requirement, like no one loses at T-ball. It would make judging easier I have to say since everyone gets a trophy. Or there is always People's Choice. If one starts with "STOCK" then everything that deviates from whatever the benchmark you set as "STOCK" is in some form or another a sub-group of the original stock vision. Say, by modifications for instance. Now there are other means as well to break out a new sub-group. No engine bay judging, just the interior and exterior. Oh, wait we have that, it's called "Daily Driver". What has been missing is a survivor/un-restored class. Judging specs would need to be written and I for one would not volunteer for that job. I guess bottom line for me is the fact that once a year, Z folks from all over the US and Canada get together to see who has the best car in their respective class. This is not a local club, a regional event like say ZDayZ or Bronson, this is the annual ZCCA convention. This is the place where the best car wins.

Would you be interested in selling me one?

I need some help determining the length of a 1970 driveshaft. Either from the center of each yoke or u-joint or just the length of the shaft itself up to the weld ring for the yokes. Thanks

Nashua, NH - 2013

Yeah, that dam liberal Sam Brownback co-sponsored bill made me trade in my 97 Exploder and get something better.

Implied, Mike, but not written. If the glove box light is there but not lit, there is nothing in the rules to say a deduction MUST be taken. Now if the bulb was missing or the bracket was scratched THEN a judge could deduct something. But lets expand on that thought and this really is for cars in classes other than stock since stock is the hardest class to prepare for and to judge. If something, if anything is attached to the car then it must be as clean as humanly possible. The rules don't say that it has to be period correct or in a color that a judge likes. I might not like the lime green engine block with the purple valve cover but if it's clean no points can be deducted. BTW, how many points can a judge take off for a dirty clutch MC? I've got a Z related day ahead (getting frame rails shipped out, meeting with Nissan dealers and car show venues for the 2013 convention, then taking the BSR head off the race car engine with Z-YA) but I will write more tonight and maybe I'll explain the secrets of judging 20 cars parked here, there and somewhere on the lawn on a 100 degree day and why the guiding principle of being consistent is the most important thing a judge(s) can be.

The tranny and diff (3:90) were made for each other and are a very nice combo. If you have room take the engine as well. You'll end up using a 280 driveshaft. Lights and trim if in good shape are always needed by others.

Okay, there is nothing in the ZCCA rules about working lights or the correct number of clicks the e-brake should make, so if points were deducted that was wrong. If a show is held indoors most fire regs require that cars have the electrical system disengaged. That means no horn, lights, etc. I've judged 10 out of the last 12 conventions and at none of those did I ask to see or hear a light work or the sound of a horn. As to showing respect, looking very closely at these Zs is what judging is all about. Don't want your Z inspected, enter it in People's Choice. You don't need to open the doors to judge the interior???!!! WTF? So the rip in the bottom of the door panel that can't be seen until a door is open, or say the door sill is rusted or dirty. Sorry but that line of logic just jumped off the cliff. Maybe we should forget your proposed 5-foot rule and lets just have owners submit photos or maybe a power point presentation instead. Or better yet, get yourself an old Lincoln and enter it in a regional or national event where your vehicle will undergo 2 days of inspection where they look for cleanliness, originality and working components like lights. It makes a ZCCA show look shallow and quick. If you and I are ever at a convention again, please ask me to judge your car and I'll walk you through the whole simple process while explaining everything that's happening and why.

The devil is in the details so why not actually give very specific information pertaining to each of these three points. Why, well for one, nothing gets operated in the course of a ZCCA judged show unless you're talking about a door, hatch, or hood. Second, if you enter your car in ZCCA show then you have already given permission to enter your car and THAT includes getting in the car itself. Third, there is no 5-ft rule and if one was enacted I would end my involvement as a senior judge. Spectators are not judges unless you're entered in the People's Choice section. Judges look for things spectators don't and look for perfection - cleanliness is next to winning. Picky is what separates those who have spent hundreds of hours preparing their cars for a "judged" show. A ZCCA judged show at the annual convention is exactly the occasion to be very, very picky. Being picky as a judge shows a level of respect for those who take the time to get things right.

ah, just what I want in a sports car, assisted steering in whatever means provided!!! Drive the Dragon in any under $50k vehicle with assisted (sissy) steering and then do it in a Z with the same suspension as one of say the BRE or Sharp 240s. That's 35-40 yr old technology (heim joints, bump steer spacers, better bushings, etc.)The folks that have upgraded to add camber adjustment, poly bushings, and the like would IMHO take the 240. Now maybe some folks would rather drive a car with the road feel subdued to make their travels less of a work out but after driving dozens and dozens of other peoples car on the race track as an instructor I'll take my modified 240 steering response over an Audi, an M3, 1M, boxster, Z3 or S2000. The estimated cost for one of the vintage 240s seems right on.

Ours fell out on Friday (maybe that's an east coast thing) while on the dyno at 7000rpm and wonder be told didn't destroy the cam or other moving bits and pieces in the head. Cam tower spacing was off. Our bad. Hope you recover from this event. It was quite a shock to have happen and depressing until we found out it was okay.

The story that isn't mentioned is the one where Newman, with Mario's urging, went over to Europe to see if F1 racing was a possibility. That it didn't likely meant that F1 was not to come to America. I really like the article on Craig's AX car. My current 240 has nearly the same set up but I drive it on the road.

I think I got the last gnose that MSA had and it was terrible. I got a partial refund which I gave to the body shop. Of course they didn't have hinges so I had ones reverse engineered from an original set Mike K loaned me. The front bumper is one that made for the gnose.

Since I have a heavily modified 240Z, let me list as many as I can remember and you can decide which one(s) move it into the "no longer a Z" column. Engine: 3.2L Rebello, triple 44mm Mikunis, TWM air box and K&N air filter, Pertonix in a euro dizzy, MSD 6AL and tach adaptor, MSA jet coated header-wrapped, AZ 6-qt oil pan with Brad Penn 20-50w green oil, GM 120amp one wire alternator, Coolflex hoses, AZ Z radiator, twin fans, custom dampener, 8mm mag wires, NGK plugs (#7), and Mallory comp fuel pump. Suspension: TTT LCAs, TTT T/C rods, AZJDM outer tie rods, AZ Z RCAs, STS front and rear sway bars, bump steer spacers, poly bushings, GC biscuit style camber plates, cut down struts, Tokico HTS shocks, 275F/250R GC springs, PDK front strut bar, roll bar and MSA rear strut bar, 2.2 neg front camber w/4 degrees caster - 2 degrees neg rear, 0 toe, and corner balanced. Drivetrain: 1980 280ZX tranny, race balanced drive shaft, Rod Tyler diff mount w/GM ploy bushing mount, 3:90 diff w/Quaife, 300ZXT CVs with MMS stub axles, BBS style CWW 16-inch wheels w/ Yokohoma 225/50 fronts - 245/50 rears. Brakes: 280 booster, 15/16 MC, Wilwood fronts and 240sx rears (Porterfield pads all around) Body: MSA g-nose w/headlight trim and covers, custom hinges, FG rear bumper, Classic Datsun rear spoiler, custom gnose airdam and splitter, custom mini-rear flare, paint, left side mirror reversed to fit right side, and AZJDM tow hooks Interior: Cobra seats, Race Quip 3-inch harnesses, 280 tach, Panasonic radio/CD and Boston Audio speakers, Classic Datsun carpets, dynomat, and CF pedals. Electrical: H4 head lights, LED rears, Zonthebrain relays, Pilot fogs, and Hella horns. If not listed it's still stock (un-cracked dash, wiring harness, tail lights, etc.). Without the since added headlight covers, trim and splitter. So is it still a Z?

So would that mean that neither the CP or IMSA styled and modified racecars wouldn't be considered "real" Zs (flares, bigger brakes, major suspension mods, replacement of interior parts, including the stock gauges, lack of a stock wiring harness, no mufflers, wings, etc.)? And I have had the opportunity to hear Mr. K specifically state that more HP (and John please drive faster!) would have been a good thing.

Nashua, NH week of August 5 through the 9th. More details to follow......

TWM has them in FG or CF. ITG has a engine bay filter setup with a blank backing plate that you cut out to match your intake needs. Have the FG box in my street 240 w/Mikunis and the old ITG filter sits on the 50mm Solexs in the race car. Madkaw, I really like the idea but you need to look at equalizing the air flow to the rear of the box by making it smaller in that section. You only need about a 3/8-inch radius for an effective velocity stack when you enclose intakes in a box. With just a filter I would run the taller stacks.

The one where "g" nose means Grande Nose instead of: Well, the A nose design didn't work and the B, C, D....didn't either.

Nice! Sorry to have missed the event. We did the VRG Historic the weekend before at NHMS in Loudon, NH. Put the 240 on the podium twice. Couldn't get away two weekends in a row. Hoping to see all you 510, roadster, 1200, etc. guys at the 2013 ZCON in New Hampshire. Bob Sharp will be our guest VIP for the week-long event in early August.

Will be very interested to see if your 2.7L makes or loses HP after say 6400 rpm.

That's it. Just mark the outer to remind you or your mechanic/alignment shop that the threads are reversed.

Not sure what harm you would cause by installing adjustable LCAs and TC rods. You could set them to whatever suits your driving needs and if the factory settings are what you want, then the alignment tech would just make a few turns and you're done. Time to do an alignment is reduced but I doubt you'll get a refund. BTW, the AZ and TTT arms come with ball joints. We have the TTT arms front and rear on our 240 race car along with the TC rods. My street 240 has the TTT front arms and TC rods and AZ Z rear arms. No issues after 7,000 hard driven miles.