Jeff G 78

FYI, my rear tires do rub the fenders, so I plan on rolling the lips as soon as I can swindle a wooden baseball bat away from one of the neighborhood kids :bandit:

You COULD always go with 16" graphite Rewinds. They look great and are quite a bit cheaper that the Panasports. I would have considered them, but they weren't being made yet when I bought wheels last summer. Here they are for $600/set. These particular ones are silver, but they would probably sell you either finish. They seem to rotate the ads for the various colors even though the pictures are for graphite ones. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/AE86-510-240Z-260Z-280Z-16x7-Datsun-Konig-Rewind-Wheels_W0QQitemZ200095198135QQihZ010QQcategoryZ43955QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Consider for a minute that you could get two sets of Konigs for the price you will likely pay for one set of Panasports :stupid:

They are not easy to find. I got the last set that K-Speed had before closing up shop. Someone on this site found them on ebay and posted a heads-up. I jumped at the buy it now of $900 which was a lot better than the $1300 that MSA wanted at the time.

I have seen pictures of what look to be progressive front 5020 Tokicos on a 240Z and I don't doubt the owners. All I was saying is that Tokico does not CURRENTLY make progressive springs. The rates came right from the Tokico. Of course, Tokico doesn't actually make the springs. They are a brake and shock absorber company. They are made to Tokico's specs my a small company in the Carolinas. Hopefully, I can get Geezer's springs rate checked soon and we will know exactly what the 5020F & R springs really measure.

I spoke with a Tokico engineer that I work with and asked him what the rates are for the Z springs. He said that the 240Z springs (5020F and 5020R) are 140 lbs/in and 165 lbs/in respectively and that the 280Z springs (5022F and 5022R) are 185 lbs/in and 200 lbs/in respectively. This info is straight from Tokico, not from a distributor, so it should be accurate. Since he only gave me one rate, they SHOULD be single rate and not progressive. I told him that some people claim to have progressive Tokico springs and others have single rate. He said that there is always a chance there could have been different specs at one time and some of those parts may still be in warehouses. He didn't say that this was the case, just that it's possible. I am working with Geezer to find out for sure what his 240Z Tokico springs measure. He hasn't installed them yet, so I will take them to work and rate check them. Hopefully, this will happen within the next month. I just need to drive across the border to Canada and pick up his springs. My 280Z Tokico springs are single rate for sure. I will rate check mine the next time I have some downtime and can pull them off the car. One more thing... I think Cethern quoted the something wrong above. He said that he thinks the REARS are progressive, but all the reports of progressive Tokico springs have the fronts as progressive and the rears as single rate. Eibachs, on the other hand, are single rate in the front and progressive in the rear.

Wow! That would be cool. That would make it much easier to see how close many of the VINs are to each other without scanning 13 pages of posts.

41 and living in SE Michigan

While I understand and appreciate Carl's point of view, I think it is important to understand that NOT EVERYBODY wants an original car. Yes, the carpet, wheels, and door panels are not "correct", but many of us would much rather have large Panasports, a 5 speed trans, and other non-original items than 14" steel wheels with perfect condition D hubcaps and period correct skinny tires. Just because there are much more original 240s on the market for similar money, it doesn't mean those cars are right for everybody. Maybe the high bidder WANTS a car with full carpet, a 5-speed trans, rear disc brakes, Panasport wheels and modern tires. He might look at a bone stock Z and see dollar signs for what he will have to spend to modify that stock Z into his idea of the perfect Z. I love to see a bone stock Z at a car show, but I wouldn't want to own one. My Z has mods that make ME happy. For some, a V8 swap makes for the perfect Z. Others might go for fender flairs, or a carbon fiber hood. My point is that $14,100 might be a bargain if the car meets the buyers needs and is as clean as the seller claims. A car show with only showroom original Z cars would be rather boring. When the majority of the cars have been modified in one way or another, it's obvious that I'm not the only one who appreciates well done upgrades.

I paid $725 for mine back in 1990. It was little more than a rolling chassis. Since then, I've put about $7000 into it - give or take a few thousand and it's not even close to being finished. By the time I do 240 bumpers, body and paint work, different seats, a stereo, and brake upgrades, I'll have another six or seven thousand in it. Those $10,000 "overpriced" 240Zs for sale all of the sudden seem like real bargains...

I think he wins the "Worst Wheels Ever" award. Early '80's 4 cylinder Mustang wheels just don't look right on a Z. Otherwise, the car looks like a fair deal.

I have always found that Redline MT90 will make Z trannies shift like butter. You might try that before looking for anything wrong inside.

My bad. Now that I look closer, I see the shape better. The angle of the photo made me think that they were Rewinds. You'd think I could tell what Panasports look like :stupid: You'll have a bit of work to do on the body, but from the pics you've shown so far, it looks restorable for a DD.

Looks like a great free car to me! The rust from the other thread appears to be mostly cosmetic. I think you can have a very nice Z with some work. BTW, the rims look to be Rewinds, not Panasports. Nice either way though!

We need pics! It sounds like you can't go wrong for free. Welcome.

Nice Z. I don't remember ever seeing sidepipes on a straight six before. Quite the artwork, too.

I completely agree Arne. I was going to add similar info, but got lazy.

Rust is the main enemy. Most Z's have it. Sometimes it's been hidden and sometimes not. Look under the battery tray, check the floorboards, take a very weak refrigerator magnet whenever you go to look at a Z and go over the entire body. If the magnet falls off, you have found filler. Keep a close eye on the frame rails where the tension/compression (T/C) rods attach. Look just behind the front tire at the frame and you'll see a rod that comes from the front control arm. The area of the frame where it attaches must be free of rot. Many Z's have rust at the bottom of the front fenders behind the wheel opening. The cowl drain dumps behind the fender in that area and causes trouble. Once you get past the rust issues, different Z's have different issues. 240's for example, will have various carbs. They either have round tops, flat tops, or have been converted to Weber DGVs or maybe triple carbs. Do a search and read up on the various carbs and what to look for. The 280s will have FI and should be fairly trouble free as long as the car is a daily driver. Cars that have been sitting are more likely to have corroded connectors which will cause all sorts of grief. The dash pad on most Z's will either be cracked, or cracked and covered with a dash cap. These can look very good if installed right. They come in half caps and full caps. Full caps are more convincing. My advice is to buy the best body and paint you can afford and don't sweat the mechanicals. You will spend less time and money on the engine and suspension than you will on the body and paint. Bumpers are expensive to find and rechrome, so look for a car with nice bumpers. Z cars are very easy to work on for the most part and don't have many weak spots as far as mechanical design goes. The best thing you can do is ask for help! There are plenty of Z folks in California, so if you find a car you want to look at, ask on this site first to see if someone can tag along and help you. After you have been coached and have looked at a few Z's, you will know exactly what to look for. Good luck and welcome!

I have a question about the full caps, since I have never seen one in person (here in Michigan there aren't many Z cars). Does the cap wrap into the gauge pod holes? If so, is there still room to remove the gauges from the dash with the cap installed? I always wondered how that worked since the gauges are not much smaller than the outer part of the opening at the face of the dash.

I would say that the strut towers are more likely to sag towards each other due to body flex, than away from each other. Therefor, adjusting them to have a tiny bit of pressure outwards should make them the most efficient. You might want to take a measurement of the towers according to the FSM and see if the distance between them is too big, or too small. All of the dimensions are on one page in the body section.

That's not curb, that's GVW. IIRC, the GVW of a Z is around 450 lbs for passengers and cargo + the curb (full of fuel, and other fluids). That would make the curb weight around 2300 for a STOCK Z. Wider wheels, larger tires, new paint over the years, and other mods will increase the weight from stock.

It might be worth a shot, but after cleaning and resealing my '78 tank last year, I can't imagine that you'll have enough room to work through the sending unit or filler neck holes. They are not very big and there is a large pipe running vertically in the center of the tank that might block your stick. Do you have pics of the dent?

I've never seen a '77-'78 anywhere near 3200 lbs. Most are between 2750 and 2850. The '70-'72 cars were closer to 2250. The later cars had more structure, more features, heavier engines, transmissions, rear axles, and of course, the big bumpers. All the little things add up quick like retractable seatbelts, air conditioning, wider wheels and tires, fuel injection, etc.

I really hate winter. I just spent 3 weeks in Phoenix and again realized just how much it sucks to put all my toys away for 6 months out of every year. I spend half my life waiting for nice weather... Until then, all I can do is get my fix here by looking at all of your beautiful cars.

I have a set of US Indy Mag 5 slots as well. I was told by a wheel dealer years ago (don't know if it's true) that US Indy Mag either turned into, or was bought by American Racing many years ago. The bolt-on centercaps are usually all interchangeable. MSA used to sell them, but I'm not sure if they do currently.

If anybody happens to be looking for a set of no name Libre wheels, I have a set in my basement. They were on a '76 I bought back in 1986. I took them off right away and they have been in storage ever since. I figured that I would clean them up and sell them someday, but if anybody is looking for a set now, I might sell them. They are straight and in good shape, but need a bit of scrubbing and polishing to be show ready.