EScanlon

Unfortunately, the exact type of transmission you are envisioning is an impossibility due to the inherent contradiction in purpose. An AUTOMATIC transmission was engineered to eliminate all but the most basic of gear choices, i.e. forward or back, and to eliminate the control of the slip mechanism required to connect a continuously moving shaft, with one that stops intermittently and occasionally. The separation of the forward set of gears into D, D2 and L; or D, 2 and 1, depending on what U.S. car you have drive, was made to allow the operator to LIMIT the transmission in forward operation to only one or two gears due to their characteristics (tipically higher torque, although I vaguely recall one that had an "overdrive" gear.) Since gear selection is basically down to it's most basic choices, a complicated arrangement of gear selection throws is not required. Typically the distance from one setting to the next on an automatic transmission is measured in DEGREES of turn on the main gear selector shaft. A MANUAL transmission requires that the operator choose the gear and operate the connecting mechanism to power the wheels of the vehicle. The operator is totally in control of what gear and in what sequence those gears are connected in between the engine and the rear differential, even to the possibility of stalling the engine or shifting into reverse (only in very old manual and only certain types of automatic transmissions). Since these selections are now being made by a human, the consideration of how much FORCE is required in order to make that selection becomes critical. Transmissions are typically heavy complicated collections of gears that receive a very high torque force applied to them and in turn, with the smallest reduction in torque force transmitted, transfer it to another mechanism to propel the car forward. Typically, the tolerances between one gear face and another are measured in thousandths of an inch and not in conceivable fractions of an inch. They also require lubrication at high temperatures that would cause many oils to literally "boil out". These gears are for the most part, heavy. Put all these factors together, tight tolerances, heavy oil and heavy parts and what at first seems like a simple slide the little doohickey over 2 inches becomes, literally, a big job. At this point, LEVERS are introduced to allow a human to comfortably change the gears. That lever and the type of fulcrum it uses is what defines a shift linkage as a short throw or a long throw. Levers are force multipliers. A given force on one side of a lever will, combined with the length from the fulcrum point of the force applied and the force imparted, either multiply or reduce the amount of force required to move the object being moved. A simple child's playground see-saw provides, in a most elemental form, a physical example of what and how it works. For those that may have grown up on video games, a lighter person can, if they shift the fulcrum, balance evenly with a heavier person. Just cutting or lengthening the length of the shifter, will radically change that force. Companies like K&M speciallize in changing the force equation inherent in the standard set of linkages provided by the manufacturer. To request a transmission that is automatic, implies by inherent definition, a transmission that does not require shift input from the operator. A manual conversely specifies that it will be. Sadly, your combination of an automatic transmission with the shift characteristics you requested, i.e. a "horizontal" H pattern for gear selection(someone explain that one to me later), and that it be automatic, i.e. that no clutch is required, is not possible with the standard automatic gear selections, i.e. PRNDL2, simply due to the complexity of the shifting mechanism with regards to the simplicity of the gear selection in the transmission. Now, a MANUAL transmission that does not require a clutch has been made and was sold by Volkswagen many years ago. This encompasses your wish to have a gear box that does not require a clutch, while still giving you the choice of what gear to put the car in. Having never used one, nor ridden in a car equipped with one, I can't attest to whether you would stall the engine if you insisted on starting from a dead stop in fourth gear. But, since you have stated that you cannot use a manual shift transmission, then why would you ask for an automatic transmission to be operated as if it were a manual. Wouldn't this make it non-operational by you? If you were hoping to keep the PRNDL2 format, but now arrange it in a typical shift pattern, you might be able to do it, but would become a very complicated and difficult to calibrate rube goldberg mechanism. It may appear to be a stick shift, when the car is stopped, but in operation would be obvious that it wasn't. The lack of a clutch pedal would give it away on close inspection. Enrique

EZ: To get the hatch unlocked, since the lock isn't functioning properly, you will need to access the hatch mechanism that is INSIDE the hatch itself. Remove the vinyl finisher on the inside of the hatch. This will probably involve your getting into the hatch area on your back to push the pins on the rivets, or remove the screws holding the finisher in place. Once you've removed the finisher, you will be able to see the latch mechanism in the middle of the hatch. Look closely and you will see a lever handle that is pushed on by the lock cylinder on the sheet metal face of the hatch. Pull down on this lever and the hatch should unlock and allow you to finish the adjustment you didn't make after installing your new gasket. If it gives you problems to release, more than likely the extra pressure you exerted on the hatch to get it to close is now acting against the latch mechanism and therefore not allowing it to disengage. You might have to have someone else push down on the hatch to relieve the pressure on the latch hook while you pull the lever down to release it. Once you have the hatch open, to adjust how high the latch hook sits, you'll need to remove the license plate, the license plate light and the center of the tail-light surrounds. From that view point you will see the two bolts holding the "upside down U" of the latch hook to the body of the car. Loosen and push up on the base and that will raise the latch point. Now remember something else, since you have new gasketing in place, it will tend to be spongier and therefore "taller" than older, now "collapsed" gasketing. You DO want a small amount of deformation on the gasket, as this is it's function, in order to seal the hatch to the body. The point I'm making is to NOT adjust to where you have so little deformation that you are actually not going to be sealing and also have the hatch sheet metal stick up and out from the back of the car. 2¢ Enrique

If the car is driveable, take it to SEARS Automotive and have them do a $10.00 system check. They'll let you know what you have and allow you to either let them do it, or you can decide to do it later. It's a cheap ten-spot and you can still get the parts and take it home and do it. 2¢ Enrique

Lowe's Hardware, go to the Specialty Fasteners Section. You'll find a bunch of different diameters, lengths and colors. The biggest reason the rivet is a 2 stage process, is that the plastic panels and the car aren't EXACT matches to each other. Using a hard fixed screw or mounting point would give you a world of trouble trying to get everything lined up exactly right the next time you disassembled. The best alternative solution that I read about, but have not seen nor tried, was to use a nail or screw as pointed out by Tomohawk and mlc240z. I did find some nails at the hardware store which held some promise, but I cannot recall details about them other than the shaft diameter of the nail was just slightly smaller than the head, while the head had a very softly contoured radius to it's edge. Very similar to a ball that's been squeezed almost flat. To my eyes it looked as though you could almost pull the nail out with your fingernails, or a pair of needle-nose pliers. Another friend of mine, when I commented on that concept (this was years ago on another board), he mentioned those copper studs used in bodyworking to pull dents out of sheet metal. The system these are used on uses an arc-welder to "pop"-weld this stud onto the face of the sheet metal, whereupon a slide hammer grips the body of the stud and can pull on the face of the metal. If someone finds the information for the nail or if the copper studs would work, please let me know as I now have a second Z to play with. Enrique

The only thing that I remember being on the underside of the valve cover that you would want to remove is that hard putty sealant that they put on the splash guard for the vent hole. That stuff IS hard, and after 30 years is bound to be cracked and ready to disintegrate into little shards of hard gunk. Probably not hard enough to damage a valve or a lifter, but I'll bet they cold play havoc on a small oil passage down below. Enrique

I found a website with some information on batteries, including whether or not they discharge on concrete floors. http://www.uuhome.de/william.darden/carfaq14.htm Has as it's first paragraph the one about batteries and concrete floors. http://www.uuhome.de/william.darden/index.htm This one is the main index for all the documents. I found this place by going to www.howstuffworks.com Now as far as the amount of moisture, temperature gradients, cooling off factors and condensation issues in storage, are you guys going to continue to split hairs? IDEAL conditions are always preferable. However, the money and time needed to attain those conditions are typically the limitation factors in attaining them. While some people can provide a humidity and temperature controlled environment for their vehicles, others find it hard just to get it into a garage. Rust isn't something that you can stop. At best, you establish a happy "detente" with it via the various methods we have at our disposal; paint, undercoating, zinc and other metal plating. If you REALLY want to rust-proof your car, have it dipped in Cosmoline or whatever the military is using now to mothball for decades. That will really slow the stuff down, however, the clean up costs are exorbitant. 2¢ Enrique

While I agree that the vagueness of the information given, the claims that to the knowledgeable eye are obviously misleading, and the plain lack of information would and do cause a careful buyer to slow down and evaluate properly. I also have run accross sellers that have absolutely little to no knowledge of the items they are selling, because they are, literally selling it blind based on what they got told. Sometimes this is because they themselves were mis-informed, and other times it's because they asked around and got told the "everyone knows" type of information. While you are right about the information being readily available (title, registration), you would be surprised at how little some people know about selling something effectively. Selling on the internet adds many factors that many sellers have difficulty in grasping. How many times have you seen people apologizing for having lousy photos? Or for information being "as far as I know" or "from what I've been told" type of info? That he has responded and corrected his listing shows that he's amenable to the suggestions given. That at least indicates his willingness to have a good sale. My whole point on denigrating poor ads, is that there have been occasions where the seller proved to be one of our own. Then we get to watch the written tapdance of people trying to justify their previous post whilst not loosing face and trying to lessen whatever "insult" or nasty comments they may have made. Many times there is a very good and innocent reason for the poorness of the ad. However, the main value of people posting about ads they encounter, whether good or bad, is that we can help to educate potential buyers and try to uncover the truly bad apples. Enrique

AFAIK, none of the Series I (as we like to refer to them here in the U.S.) were Automatic. It wasn't until the 71 models arrived that the Automatic was made available. But that aside, why must we presume that the seller has a malicious intent when the information he gives is not to OUR standard of knowledge? Many of you were just as naive when you first came on this site, and there's a couple here and there that need signs reminding them to breathe in and out. This guy may have just owned and enjoyed the car and is simply passing on what he was told. He didn't question it when he bought it, since he may have bought it for the looks, the performance or..... , and he never cared to know more. He may have simply driven and enjoyed his car. There are people like that. 2¢ Enrique

Now THIS, I gotta see! Which do you think will happen first, his battery gives out, or he gives up trying to get the oil pressure to increase by running the starter. Unless you are running one of those Mr. Fusion from Back to the Future, as far as I remember, without the coil wire, no spark...no spark no fire, no fire no run. But aside from that, why would disconnecting the coil give you any more protection than simply removing the battery, or just disconnecting the fusible link that makes the circuit? The old story about batteries on concrete I believe has been shown to be a myth, but I don't recall having seen it posted someplace. Putting extra pressure in the tires, presumably to avoid a "flat spot" may be valid, but then wouldn't just jacking the car up and taking the bulk of the weight off the tires be better? After all, if normal inflation will cause the tire to go flat, then over inflation would surely cause them to "crown" in the middle, giving you, essentially, a big bicycle tire, but we DO want flatness in that direction......hmmmm. I don't think you can actually fill tires up enough that you wouldn't get a flat spot, and I don't think you can actually get a flat spot that wouldn't go away within a couple hundred feet of rolling. In the Air Force, in winter with temperatures hovering between 20°F and -10°F (-6°C and -23°C), the crew chief of a B-52 would only have to roll the plane forward or back 6-8 feet every couple days or so. But that was because you don't want bomb filled planes that may or may not have nuclear bombs on them bumping down the runway for the first few hundred feet. I don't think that your 2500 lb car will effect that much pressure on 4 tires as to flatten them. Lastly, "Plus each and every time you start it up it'll be a cold start", can I ask you when that would NOT be the case....IN WINTER? Enrique

As far as I know, newer cars DO in fact have evaporative canisters. I believe that some gas stations have signs advising you NOT to "top" off your tank due to damage to both the gas stations system for re-circulation of fumes, but also your car's. But as far as having a bubble that would prevent you from filling your tank, that would only occur if your car were parked sideways on a pretty steep incline with the passenger side on the low side. At that point the only pocket that would be generated would be in the "thinner" section of the tank, since that part would be uphill, and when the level of gas reached the bend in the "L" of the gas-tank (as seen in silhouette from back side to front side). At that point you would fill up and not really have filled up. However, even if the car were level, without ANY vent hoses, Carl is right in that the exit of air from the tank would be going up stream through the filler tube. Now what would occur is that the gas tank would "burp" and possibly spray gas over the side or on you. There are methods of removing and caping the vent tubes, check with Beandip as he removed his. Enrique

NO!! While you can remove the hood from the hinges and hence the car, you can't remove the hood WITH the hinges. Those torsion bars twist against EACH OTHER. To swap out the torsion bars, first remove the hood, or have someone help you hold it very steady. Then simply unlatch the torsion bar by it's vertical component that pushes against the hinge. That is, pull on the rod, and move it towards the center to get it away from the push bar and you'll have released it from being compressed. Remember that it will be under torsion stress so get a good grip on it. Protect yourself and the general area in case you slip / or you lose grip on your tool. A good pair of vise grips will do, or if you're worried about marring the paint, wrap a rag or piece of rubber around it and then use the vise grips. Can't recall how much, but I don't expect it to be more than 30 lbs or so. Then do the same on the other (if replacing both). Now, just carefully weave the rod out from behind the grill and hood and unhook it from the other hinge. 25¢ Enrique

Punching in with my 2¢. Personally, having painted a few cars in my life, I would NOT use paint stripper on the car if I intended to save any of the paint at all. The paint stripper works by a chemical reaction that softens, bubbles and essentially breaks down the paint. In my experience that softening agent can creep way way down into the paint making "saving" the paint or any body work bondo or fiberglass repair totally useless after the amount of time to "save" it. If you truly intend to "get it down to the x color" then I would either hand sand or use a D/A sander. Then again remember that it is going to be hard to remove the paint in such a manner that you only remove a certain layer / coat / color. Whether chemical or sanding removal methods are used you will undoubtedly, if you are sanding correctly (i.e. sand the PANEL and not the paint), go through more than that top layer. So rather than waste time and money trying to "save" the paint, address the paint job by itself and don't worry about what's below. Now, that being said, let me address a point that you made initially. That your original paint is "stuck to the car" is true, and yes it can make an excellent base for any future work. But whether or not to get rid of it, depends on various factors, not the least of which is $ and how much time you want to devote to it. From what you've written, I would first inspect the car for any "dings" and other miscellaneous imperfections on the metal. Then I would begin wet-sanding the car with a 220 grit wet/dry paper to remove the bulk of the black paint and then follow it up with 400 grit. Then top that off with a good base coat of SEALER (to prevent reaction with your next layer of primer and paint). Then paint whatever color you wish. The stripper method is best when you are taking ALL of the paint off, and as Wayne pointed out, it is a job requiring care not only in the application but also in the disposal of the waste. Enrique

I don't recall and the package I have doesn't list it either. If I recall (from an older package) it was either 3.5w or as Tomohawk pointed out 4w @14.4v. I can tell you that my lights are nice and bright and that I even use the dimmer to bring the brightness down. Enrique

I'll have to go back and check to see what the Sylvania catalog says as I can't remember. However, and this is both my observation and what I feel needs to be a cautionary note for other Z owners. I HAVE noticed in some catalogs that there is a tendency to "assume" by some manufacturers that because the 7X car used 12345 that 7X-1 also used the same. With the Z's early year cars, there were various changes that did change year to year as well as items that were changed later and considered a RETRO-fit. Also, don't forget that as time goes on, and demands for certain things drops off, manufacturers will combine items that differed by only one or two minor things. Sometimes it's this part supersedes that one, or this one supersedes those two. When you have an item that is now in it's second or third iteration of this cycle, then suddenly it doesn't fit. I don't have any of the 194LL's that you mentioned. When I went to the store to try to find replacement dash bulbs, I had read TONS of comments on how the ones that the catalogs listed as the proper replacement did NOT fit the green lens inside the case. Or comments on how the green lens got melted, or ..... So I did what I was taught to do in the bodyshop, go VISUALLY and then mechanically. So I took one of the original bulbs and went to the store after having used my calipers on the instrument opening and the original bulb. Once there, the Sylvania #53 matched the original bulb to within a gnat's hair. I was able to cross reference the voltage and wattage and once out of the package dimensions. Went home, plugged it in it worked, no further questions your honor. So you need to check the 194LL for yourself, especially if it's cheaper. But as long as I can get the 53's I'm set. By the way, a BAYONET bulb is one where the pins that stick out from the side of the main cylinder body are at the same height. Typically this is done on single element bulbs where there is only one contact at the base. On bulbs where there are two bulbs of different values and the need to maintain the contacts for each separate, you'll find an offset bayonet (not sure of the exact trade name) this is where one of the pins will be located at a different point on the cylinder than the other. A good example of this are your 1156 and 1157 bulbs. The 1156 is a single element typically seen as "running lights" on most American cars. The 1157 is a double element where one is noticeably brighter than the other (brake and running in one bulb). The pins for the 1156 are on the same line since it doesn't matter which way you insert the bulb. The 1157 does have a specific need for the brighter element so the pin is offset and the bulb fits in only ONE direction. Hope this helped you. Enrique For those desiring a short / quick answer: I compared them and bought the one that matched. I don't need no "stinkin' catalogs". E

Geez you guys, why not just call up Geico and apologize for having parked in their insured's way? Heck, if you feel badly enough offer to pay for their time and trouble for his having filed a claim for having smacked your car! Don't take this lightly. First off, get a copy from the Wall Street Journal showing where the value of the Z is going up. Preferably write to them and get an actual back copy if available, or better yet a reprint of their article mailed from them (this authenticates the source again). Next, go to NADA (nadaguides.com) and get a classic car price, you'll find that a 71 240Z is currently averaging 8750 (as of April of this year) and has probably gone up since. (I checked, 9300) Note that this is the average, if you can "upgrade" the status of your vehicle by verifiable means, paint in good condition, no mechanical, interior complete but being re-worked all add value to the car, so you could get closer to the High Retail of 18,200. How much closer depends on the overall condition of the car. Next, see if you can contact an independent (i.e. not affiliated with the insurance companies) to give you an appraisal of worth. Then go get 3 estimates. The Nissan Dealer may not even want to, but try. Then find the MOST expensive CUSTOM body shop you can. Get an estimate from them. Then find the most expensive ordinary bump and paint body shop. This will give you 3 estimates. Preferably one exorbitantly high, another quite high and the last just plain high. The next item that may or not help is the type of insurance you had on the vehicle. If all you had was liability, well, that puts a HUGE damper on the case, but if you had comprehensive (usually if you owe money on the car, the bank/credit union will require this type), then you have a stronger argument in your favor. The insured's insurance company is going to try their darndest to intimidate you to settle out early. Don't accept anything, nor even tacitly imply that it might be satisfactory, until you get what you want. So, if the car can be shown to be worth 7000, then don't accept anything below 4000 or so. And insist on keeping the car, because that is part of the deal. That is, pay me for the damage and I'll get it fixed. The concept of totaling a car is based on the perceived worth of the vehicle. If the insurance company lowballs this, as they will (it's in their best interest to show that the car wasn't worth squat) then you counter with creditable and publicly available data (newspaper, nada guide, appraisal) that belies their data. The estimates are to show the judge how much they should pay. Now the tables has turned and now that you can prove a higher worth than they are willing to pay out, they'll give you some song and dance about this being all you will get, and how you'll get less if they have to go to court, and that if you choose to go to court that they'll take a long time, blah blah blah. Just tell them that you'll see them in court. Now, since they are already "fighting" with you, you go to court and file a claim against them and the insured. Yes, he's your buddy, but point out that this is to make the insurance company pay up. You can go to small claims court (if the amount is under $5k (check your county!)), OR if necessary a higher court. That you'll have to check with your state and county. Some states have a state office that accepts those claims, and others have you file through the courts. Now with the court claim having been made, the pressure is on the insurance company to perform under the time line that you've established through the courts. That is, you file and the court tells you that your hearing date or court date is ..... days away. I'll guarantee that the insurance company is going to go ballistic over your going to court, but it lets them know that you're done playing footsie. BELIEVE ME! They will up their initial offering QUICK!! Anyone else care to comment? Don't let them bully you around. YOU were hit, not the other way around. Look back on at least one other post where I recommended some of this "heavy" action and ask the member how he finally fared. Heck, some of you guys who know how it ended up, chime in. Don't let our fellow Z member take it in the shorts. Remember, if you have a group of people clamoring about how important and valuable it is, they can't just shrug it off as a worthless piece of .... (Isn't that what happened with the spotted owl?) Enrique P.S.: Have you ever seen a little dog tell a big dog to get the hell out of his yard? That's kind of what you are going to be doing, and believe me, it's in their best interest to make you happy and QUIET.

I'll see what I can find. Unfortunately my 71 doesn't have a fuel pump, and haven't done much with the 72 to be able to give good info. My car only has two relays and one other item (looks like a big capacitor) on the passenger kickpanel. Anyone else have a fuel pump car? Enrique

If this is an answer then congratulations. On the other hand, ALL of the car's wiring harnesses meet under the dash on the passenger side of the car. The two that comprise the Dash Harness, one to the back half of the car, one to the engine compartment. Now if you wish to be picky, there is also the wiring harness that connects the heater motor to it's controls.. AFAIK, the feed wires to the electric pump are part of the wiring bundle going to the back of the car up and through the rear fender plenum to the tail-lights where a very skinny section creeps under the car through a grommet in the rear floor and has the gas tank leads, the ground wire for the rear and your two wires for the fuel pump. So, WHICH harness are you looking for? Does this differ from what anyone else knows? Enrique

I'll see if I can post a picture of the package and bulbs that I have in my hand. Not only are they visually and dimensionally the same, they actually DO work, as that is the bulb I used when I replaced all of my burnt out or "fogged" bulbs. One point to be made here. If you check Voltages for automotive equipment, you'll not find a SET standard except in the most general of termms. I.e. Automobile Battery Voltage is 12V when in reality it is actually higher than that. A 12v DC Power Supply actually provides 13.5v DC. The charging circuit is 12v when it actually provides closer to 14-15. The variations are due to known expected losses through the circuitry, as well as inefficiencies of design that when compounded "average" out to approximately 12v. This is the "standard" that automobile electrical systems are designed around. The 14.4v voltage for the light bulbs you checked would be correct at 12v and would function correctly. The 14.4v rating is the Maximum working voltage the bulb can work with before it's service life is seriously shortened. How long depends on many other factors, variations in the voltage, spikes in the current flow, duration of use, etc. How short the life is, can be as sudden as a blow-out or just the darkening of the glass over time. This is caused by the element literally "burning up" and coating the inside of the glass with vaporized element. A light bulb basically operates because a small length of wire gets so hot that it gives off light due to the heat of the element. The reason for the wire getting hot is the internal resistance of the element. This is the "fight" if you will, that electrons must make as they travel through the element. The more they have to fight, and the more of the electrons there is, the brighter the bulb lights. More fight is more resistance, more electrons are higher voltage. If you reduce either one the bulb's brightness changes, brighter for less resistance and dimmer for less voltage. That balance is what the dimmer control effects. It either increases the resistance in the line feeding the instrument bulbs or it reduces it to almost zero (it can't, but that's another discussion), since it cannot increase the voltage in the line. Shunting it's wires eliminates whatever residual resistance is present through the switch at it's zero setting. Remember, the power to the bulbs all goes THROUGH the switch. If the wires are disconnected from the switch and not re-connected to each other, whether through the switch again, or directly, none of the dash lights will receive ANY power. Increasing the voltage is what those "capacitors" mentioned earlier are about. Their closest relative to something everyone is familiar with are your surge protectors. The surge protector ABSORBS energy over a given value, whereas those sound system capacitors make sure the voltage supplied never falls below a given voltage. Now the voltage of the bulb you mention was rated 4 Watts at 14.4 Volts. At 12v, supposing that your car's system functions at a perfect nominal 12v (it probably functions closer to 13 +) it won't burn as bright, but it will burn bright enough. The original specs for the dash bulbs were 12V 3.5W, so you're well within the margin of acceptable variance. Ok, hope this wasn't too longwinded nor too heavy an explanation. Enrique

Mark Edit your post, you don't need to quote to reply. You can post a stand-alone post (as this is). The bulbs you want are Sylvania 53. I found them at True Value Hardware. Good luck Enrique

Aren't those a pair of Flat Tops? Are you going for concours or just given up on getting a pair of round tops? E

Actually Richard, the VB catalog shows that only ONE of the tension rods is available. The other components, RH and LH Hinges as well as the LH Torsion bar are no longer available. That's why they're grayed out and no number assigned. It may be that that lone torsion bar is all you need, in which case, that's great. Let me know the outcome. Enrique

I would suggest you first find a plater in your area that SPECIALIZES in Auto Restoration Chroming. They'll usually have that in their ad on the Yellow Pages. Let HIM tell you what he would have you do or not. Many times inexperience is more expensive than to have it done by the pro's. Ask him also if he offers any kind of straightening, welding, filling etc. If he's just a plater, ask him whose work he deals with and who is the best if more than one. Many times you'll find that John over in that town does exactly what you want. As far as to what YOU could do, other than remove it from the car (done) and take it to the plater (to do).... you get my drift? Enrique

While it may be possible that one of your tension rods has... for lack of a better word, been tweaked, I think trying to re-temper the rod pair to match may be a good exercise in futility. Your hood could have received enough of a twist due to a number of reasons. You had the hood open at a show and a gust of wind, or that big guy who accidentally bumped it with his thigh, no damage visible, but enough of a twist that it twisted the hood, or travelling behind that semi a gust of wind hit the car just right. A twist just enough that even though the bolts and everything are in the same spot, the hood is stressed when down and that's why your hood pops up on the left front corner. Address the bolts to the hood. Then address the hinge bolts to the body. It may be as simple as loosening and re-tightening one by one. Or, you may need to adjust as those other posts mentioned. Hope it helps Enrique

Agreed on the second paragraph, but on the first one I differ. Without going into a long winded explanation (Who, Me?), think of EVERY Z transaction having an impact on the average price, not only in the region, but nationally. As prices in one region go up regardless of condition, which I think you can agree is the situation here, then those vehicles that are at or better condition will also see increases in their estimated worth. (Again, estimated, because the price won't be fixed UNTIL it gets sold.) But that is my point. Since banks and other lending institutions go by the national price of various statistic gathering books, then in a given moment I can borrow more money using the Z's for collateral, which in turn allows me to go buy yet another one. Thoughts? Enrique

But you forget that I'm on the West Coast. As a result it does. The more he gets for his car, raises the bench mark for which a poor vehicle on the West Coast will sell for a premium on the East. At the point where the sale price, less the transport fees yield a profit (how big is yours to decide), you'll see plenty of East Coast buyers scrounging around. The premium cars in the East Coast are garage queens as they are on the West. However, the next "step" down, i.e. a very good Sunday Driver, offers a good possibility if going from West to East, but is a sure loss going the other way. Simply due to the level of care each of these cars would have required and then received. The EC cars would have required constant yearly undercarriage washing and inspection, whereas the WC cars would not, or not to that extent. Simply due to the difference in winter salt use. Additionally, on the EC one almost "automatically" has their car "rust-proofed" right from the dealer, whereas on the WC (you U.K. readers, pipe down) it was uncommon almost to the point of non-existence. I'm not quantifying what effect that would have on the price, but only that it is almost an "environmental" requirement in order to care for the car. The point I'm making, is that a car on the WC will continue to be more desireable on the EC due to the conditions they have to operate their cars in. Those conditions take their losses of the available cars, if demand goes up, price goes up. Eventually, the cost of importing a vehicle in from outside the market area (the Where in my statement) becomes an absorbable cost especially when the level of expectation on a given "condition" is so unbalanced. A vehicle in what the West Coast (I told you U.K. guys to knock it off.) in what would be POOR condition would still be worth more on the East Coast, except that the cost of transport pushes it past the profitable stage. At least at this point in time, in my opinion. However, a West Coast Good condition would be considered Excellent on the East. It is these vehicles that will push the price higher, and therefore make my car that much more desireable. Not that I'm planning on selling either one of mine. Enrique