BD240Z

Same here, my wife wants to go also which is kind of nice! I haven't gone to BJ for several years, I started going in the late 80's/early 90's. This was when the muscle cars weren't restored at all, they were in original, unmolested condition and they were fabulous! This is where I also got to see an F40 and a Porsche 959 for the first time. For me the WOW factor has slipped a bit. There are so many incredible vehicles that roll through that it has become a little ho-hum. AND in some ways it has turned into an event for the wealthy. Maybe I'm just jealous! Still, it is nice to see the cars in person, the level of quality and workmanship is the best there is. I don't think the TV camera captures how nice they really are. I'm looking forward to it, we just need the weather to cooperate. Bruce

I'm not an AC guy and I don't know if these systems have a valve/switch that keeps the clutch from engaging if the freon is low. I see you had the freon level checked but if it has this valve/switch and it's bad, it might prevent the voltage from reaching the clutch. The clutch clicks on and off when you applied voltage from the battery but it doesn't when you turn the switch from inside the car. Start at the compressor and work your way back towards the switch inside the car trying to find out where the voltage is going. Test the fuse with an ohm meter or replace the fuse, don't assume it's good. Do this first! The "professionals" that inspected the car for you should have given you some suggestions on what to check. Good luck with your car. BD

My wife has a 2007 G35 and I have a 2005 FX35, I believe they have the same 3.5 litre engine. Both vehicles were switched to synthetic at the first oil change and neither burns any oil. Her car is the four door and its really nice to drive, I think it's an exceptional vehicle. Like MikeW said, get it checked out, do the carfax and have fun. Bruce

Well, seems you pulled a Brett Favre on us, welcome back! I'm glad this thread was started, I forgot all about water wetter. I used it in a E36 BMW years ago and it made a nice improvement in the coolant temp. I didn't drain/flush the existing coolant either. It gets hot here, I need to use this in my cars. BD

Randy, I think you should feel lucky if you get the $4,300 that's currently being bid on the car. The pictures of the floor are scary. Then you have rusty front suspension components, leaky rack boots, rusty rivets for the VIN plate with overspray, rust by the tc rod mounting points, cobwebs on the lower control arm, etc. The patch below the ID plate in the engine bay appears to be tack welded only and not very good either. I wouldn't want to be the welder who has to undue those floors in order to install new ones. It's as if these pics were from two different cars, (one restored / one worn out). I hope you get what you want for the car and the new owner enjoys it for many, many years. Good luck with #797. BD

Auto versus stick is a personal choice. For me a sports car is more fun to drive with a manual transmission. At the same time I wouldn't want anything but an automatic in my suv. The engine in this car might be in better condition since it has an auto transmission. I would rather buy a used car where the "rebuilt" engine or transmission has some miles on it as opposed to "just rebuilt". This way I know the work was done the right way and it has passed the test of time. But you never know what might happen. I've owned two Z31's and liked them both, I'd like to get an 1984 turbo AE. Good luck with your decision.

Autozone use to have an R&R service where they would send your steering rack/gear/pump off to the remanufacturer who would do the reman and then return the unit to the store. The store would then call you when it arrived. Not sure if they still have this service. This was popular with restorers who wanted to keep their car as original as possible. I believe the warranty was lifetime also. There were two main players doing power steering reman, ATSCO Products in Phoenix and Cardone in Philadelphia. Both companies were ISO 9000 Registered at one time, meaning they had a documented quality management system in place. There's quite a few other local/regional outfits doing reman across the country. There's a big difference between rebuilt and remanufactured, remanufactured is better and will cost more. A reman unit can be a toss of the dice sometimes but they do cost alot less than new. However, your rack is a manual rack, so there's is less of a chance you'll have a problem with it, like it leaks. Maybe look for a local rebuilder to do the work, it should be cheaper than you're finding. Ask if they can get you new outer tierods for a good price while you're there. Good luck with your car. Bruce

Thanks Guy!! Glad to hear the repair has stood up so far, keep us updated so we'll know if this is a long term solution/repair. Bruce

I think the habs have won the stanley cup many more times than the leafs. The leafs are second but I believe they're a good 10 championships behind, redwings are third if I remember correctly. I can't brag too much, I'm a pens fan and we only have two championships. I don't play anymore but I hit the rink a couple times a month for the exersize. Bruce

I've paid Maaco $450 to paint a car and I've paid $4,000 for a body shop to do the same. Both lasted years and looked great during the time I owned the vehicles here in Phoenix Arizona. Like all of my vehicles, I cleaned, polished and waxed the paint on a regular basis. With the Maaco job, I removed all of the trim and then did the body-work myself. The panels were fairly straight so I didn't have that much filler work to do but I did the skim coat, guide coat routine just to be sure. If you have the facilities, tools and experience, try prepping it yourself then consider taking it to Maaco. Learning how to do acceptable body-work is achieveable and there are many references available for the DIY. This is one way to get good results and save some money. Good luck with your efforts. Bruce

I had a 280Z with a sunroof that I didn't like at all. I found a donor roof from someone local who was parting out their car and then got some quotes from two different shops to weld it in. Both shops wanted to cut the old roof off at the legs and then weld in the replacement. From what I understand, this is the proper way to do it. I can't remember how much I was quoted but it was high enough that it convinced me to do it myself. I took the donor roof and cut a piece that overlapped the sunroof hole by one inch all the way around. I took a bunch of measurements to insure I was cutting the metal from the same location on the donor to the corresponding location on the car. I had a friend spot-weld three one inch wide steel strips that ran the length of the roof to act as a stiffener. I then riveted the replacement panel into place at four points. The replacement panel got attached from the inside of the car. Then the fun began! With my son bracing the roof from the inside of the car with a block of aluminum, (poor mans heat sink) and gloves, I began to stitch-weld the roof in. In order to keep the heat down and prevent warping, I would weld a 1/2" to 3/4" bead and then stop and then go to the other side of the roof and repeat the process. We had to stop quite a few times and let the metal cool down because I was afraid of the metal oil canning. It took practically the whole day. After the welding was done, we ground the welds, did some tapping with some body hammers and then applied our body filler. Getting the roof straight with all the block sanding, guide coating, etc. took about two days total. When it was done I had the whole car painted and it turned out terrific. It took longer than I thought and was more work than I expected but we had fun. I was glad I didn't pay someone to do the job. I sold the car to a friend and see the car regularly and it looks just as good now as when we completed the job. Like all the work required on these cars, I like to do as much as I possibly can, especially since my son is usually involved. Besides, I think I do a better job than most suppliers would do anyway. Good luck with your efforts. Bruce

Nice looking bike, it definately looks lighter than a 650. I bet you can't wait to get out there and get it dirty. I ride a Kawasaki KLR 650, it's 350 pounds dry, fill the 6.1 gallon gas tank and you're almost right at 400 lbs. It's great in the dirt but tends to bury the rear wheel in sand, gotta keep it spinning. Dirt bike / dual sport, two different beasts! I'd never think of taking a jump on my bike unless I was being chased by a bear or something. I'm older and just use it for trail riding. Have fun!

I've also had several BMW E30's including an 86 325E and have had good luck. Working on them is fairly typical with the exception of the sub-frame mounts in the rear. They take special tools and some patience. If you buy this car, don't get your parts from the Dealer and you'll save alot of money. There are a number of suppliers (Bavarian Autosport being the largest), that sell many OE parts at discount prices. Get the Bentley manual also, they're excellent for these cars. Good luck with your decision! Bruce

Ditto!!! That is TOO funny, his responses were great. Thanks for sharing this one. Bruce

If it wasn't sticking prior to replacing the MC, I can't explain why it's sticking now. The caliper piston might be hung-up. You can remove the caliper and then depress the piston back into the caliper. I use a large c-clamp and a piece of wood. Prior to doing brakes, I always hose off the caliper assemblies with water to remove as much dust as possible. Once you have the caliper off, clean all the mating surfaces where the pads mount into the caliper. Make sure when you depress the piston back into the caliper that you don't overflow your brake fluid reservoir. Watch out for airborn brake pad dust, it's bad for your lungs. You don't need to disconnect the caliper fluid hose to do this job. Re-install the caliper, start the engine and then depress the brake pedal several times to get the pad to seat again. Then see if the pad is still sticking. A remote possibility is that one of the pads is sticking/cockeyed and won't release. The caliper/pad assembly has mating surfaces that can be LIGHTLY lubed to help make things work as designed. Good luck with your car. Bruce