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Jeff G 78

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Everything posted by Jeff G 78

  1. Jeff G 78 posted a post in a topic in Engine & Drivetrain
    I had several places tell me that they would charge $300 or more to recore my original 2-row. I could have bought an aluminum one off ebay for around $200 - $250, but after asking here, I decided against the aluminum due to the extra mounting hassles and the chance of cracking due to flex.
  2. Jeff G 78 posted a post in a topic in Engine & Drivetrain
    Ahh, so it is simply a loop cooler inside the tank. Gotcha.
  3. Jeff G 78 posted a post in a topic in Engine & Drivetrain
    I might be wrong, but doesn't that take part of the capacity away from the engine coolant? The trans cooler is a separate part of the core with ATF in it, no? Is it like 10%, 15%, or ???% of the radiator core volume?
  4. Jeff G 78 posted a post in a topic in Engine & Drivetrain
    FYI, I just received my 280Z MSA radiator and it is indeed a CSF radiator. I was bummed when I took it out of the box and saw that it is for an automatic, so I called MSA to ask if that's all they sell now. When I ordered it, there were different auto and manual part numbers, but he confirmed that they recently changed suppliers and that's all they sell now. I'm not sure who used to make them, but they are CSF now. He made it sound like the supplier change was within the last month or two. The website still lists two part numbers. The CSF part number for the 280 is listed on the box as 111 for future reference.
  5. Or do what I did and buy 16" wheels so your tire choices go way up. I wanted 15" wheels, but I could see the 15" supply dropping just like the 14's, So far, the supply of 16" tires is great. You could always use the Wats for everyday use and buy 16" track wheels.
  6. The approved rim widths for a 185/70R14 tire are 4.5" - 6" Those are really narrow for a 7.5" rim!
  7. Jeff G 78 posted a post in a topic in Funnybone
    I still think that's one of the best commercials ever made.
  8. Jeff G 78 posted a post in a topic in Open Discussions
    That's a great idea. I don't think I've ever seen a car trailer designed like that. Like you said, it works for semi trailers, so why not light weight car trailers. Some simple aluminum bowes would work as support. The semi trailers use drop-in sides with aluminum bowes and canvas above them. The same system would work on a smaller scale.
  9. Jeff G 78 posted a post in a topic in Open Discussions
    Interesting idea, but it doesn't look very long and I don't think I'd want to use it in the rust belt. I'd also want to check all the joints before every use. I could see it working well for some people, but it isn't for everybody.
  10. Interesting. Please keep us updated as to what the final answer turns out to be. Hopefully replacing the plates will straighten it up. New bushings are in order either way if they are original.
  11. Jeff G 78 posted a post in a topic in Engine & Drivetrain
    I have searched on different sites and have been unable to get a straight answer, so I will ask here. My 30+ year old radiator needs to be replaced and I am trying to decide between the MSA 3-row copper/brass radiator and having a custom aluminum radiator built. The MSA radiators are on sale right now for $180 + about $30 shipping. A local radiator shop will build me a radiator that fits like OEM for between $225 and $300. Once they see it, they will know better, but I did give them the size. My question is this: Which is better for cooling? I have heard some people say AL is better and others say copper/brass is better. Assuming the AL price is on the low end of the estimate, it comes down to which would be the better radiator. If they say it's closer to $300 then I would likely go with the MSA one. I see AL ones on ebay all the time for $200 + shipping, but they are all made with trans coolers and I'd rather not waste that cooling volume since I don't need it. Also, I have no way of knowing if they are going to fit or cool. The local shop came highly recommended and I know the MSA radiator is a quality part that will fit. So, which would you buy? Is there any weight savings with the AL over the brass?
  12. That is one clean Z! I would be afraid to get the underbody dirty.
  13. They should be easy to find at a JY. You might try Danny's Datsuns in Oregon also. I'm not sure what he has left since he downsized his Z parts business, but it's worth a try. He is a sponser at zcars.com, so you can find his banner there. You could also buy fancy billet ones from arizonazcar.com. His are PURDY! http://www.arizonazcar.com/diffmount.html
  14. What exactly did he tell you it needs? If the rear toe is off, he could offer anything from control arm replacement to eccentric delrin bushings, to "bend it back straight". Why is the toe off? Unless the car was hit in the rear, toe doesn't go out of whack on its own. We need more info before we can guess what it might cost.
  15. Jeff G 78 posted a post in a topic in History
    There's just something special about 8-spoke wheels on a Z. Generally, even numbers of spokes don't look as good as odd numbers on most cars, but the ZX 6-spoke wheels as well as all the various 8-spoke designs look great IMHO. Since you asked...
  16. In this thread, you will find my solution to mounting the Optima Red Top. Even though it's only an inch, I'd rather have the heavy battery mounted as low as possible for better CG. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29889
  17. Jeff G 78 posted a post in a topic in Open Chit Chat
    My dad bought himself a Honda S2000 as a retirement toy and when it was only a few years old, he was in a strip mall during a terrible thunderstorm. The lot was sloped from the road down to the stores and he was in a spot near the front waiting for the rain to let up. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an empty shopping cart rolling down the hill and picking up speed. Before he could do anything about it, the cart slammed into his car and put a nasty wrinkle in the rear quarter right at the wheel arch. After that I now always park as far uphill as I can get so a runaway cart can't attack my Z. Uphill might be closer to the front of the store or out by the road. If the store is the high point, I park far left or right to avoid the idiots who have no problem swinging their doors open and into the surrounding cars.
  18. We have one of the highest gas tax rates in the country, yet the worst roads. Just yesterday, I saw a guy get a flat tire from a chunk of pavement that had broken loose and was sitting on top of the roadway. I kid you not, the chunk was close to two feet square and a foot thick. Every day, I see potholes that are 8-10" deep with vertical walls. We have had times when they had to close bridges because the potholes were going all the way through and debris was falling on cars below. Michigan allows trucks to carry more weight than any other state. Many times, those trucks are full of trash coming over from Canada. Yep, it's cheaper to drive it across the border and dump it here than dump it in a country with vast amounts of wilderness. Ohio has the same if not worse weather and their roads are not bad at all. Also, we have more dirt roads than any other state. There are still dirt roads here right in the middle of very dense suburbs. I'm not talking farm land, I'm talking in cities! I really don't know where they hide all the road funds, but someone's getting rich! I laugh when people from Texas, or Florida whine about how bad their roads are. They would only have to come to Detroit once and they would never complain again. Sorry to rant. Bottom line, if your roads are good, go poly, if not, weigh the options carefully before choosing.
  19. It's funny how most of the people who recommend poly are from warm weather states. Keep in mind that road quality in the areas you drive will determine if poly is the way to go. I have full poly in my '78 and it is fantastic on smooth roads, but horrible on beat up Michigan roads. We have some of the worst roads in the US and I have to be very carefull when I'm on roads that I don't drive everyday. On the roads that I do regularly drive, I know EVERY pothole, manhole cover, frost heave and patch. On any given day, I drive in the same lane and follow the same weaving pattern to avoid the nasty stuff. My car really hates frost heaves. Any sudden wheel input will rock my car. I don't know how your Montreal roads are, but if they are anything like Detroit's roads, I would go with rubber unless you are really willing to trade off ride for handling. New rubber will be way better than old rubber and will still make your Z tollerable on bad roads. When I take my Z on a road trip and cross the Ohio line, I am in heaven. My Z responds beautifully and does a great job on rolling roads and small bumps. The minute I cross back into Michigan, I wonder why I installed poly, but more often than not, kick myself for ever moving to this crappy state with it's horrible roads.
  20. Jeff G 78 posted a post in a topic in Exhaust
    Welcome Zforce. Don't worry, this forum is not the same as other Z forums.
  21. Jeff G 78 posted a post in a topic in Open Discussions
    Unless the camera is playing tricks, it looks to me like the LF fender is bent in at the bottom. If you follow the body line from the back of the door forward, it should continue straight on the fender, but it bends inward just below the 280Z badge. Like others have said, the engine bay looks old and cruddy and the overall condition isn't THAT nice. It might be a nice car, but it might also be a turd with a decent paint job.
  22. Very nice Z! I'm bummed that my Z has to hibernate six months out of the year. We have had around four feet of snow so far this winter and it's only mid-January.
  23. Jeff G 78 posted a post in a topic in Exhaust
    I never thought of using a Halloween smoke machine. I tried something very similar to this last summer, but I removed the C pillar air extractor emblems and taped the shop vac hose to one side of the car and taped off the other side. Unfortunately, I didn't have a helper, so I tried to do it simply by looking through the hatch glass with a flashlight for a smoke trail with no luck. I didn't feel comfortable getting inside the car during the test since I was using a chemical reaction HVAC smoke bomb rather than a Halloween smoke machine. I think I will try again this spring while inside the car. I did extend the tailpipe which greatly reduced the fumes in my car, but I'd like to completely eliminate the problem like Derek did.
  24. Jeff G 78 posted a post in a topic in Introductions
    Welcome! Where in Michigan? There are quite a few Z's scattered around the state. You don't see many but they are around.
  25. Looks good so far. I can't wait to see the finished product.
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