DougN

Welcome to the club! It sounds like the car has been lowered, but hard to tell as we don't know specifically where you measured from. If you do a search on "factory ride height" you should be able to find some posts with measurements at specific locations which will tell you what factory ride height should be.

Matt, I was able to get new rubber strips for the bumpers and overriders from my local Nissan parts guy without issue. They were something like $50 for a set IIRC.

And this explains the Atlanta traffic problems in a nutshell! - so many people have never heard of the "slower traffic keep right law" ("Upon all roadways any vehicle proceeding at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place and under the conditions then existing shall be driven in the right-hand lane then available for traffic...") and feel entitled to sit in whatever lane they feel like going whatever speed they want to. (please see section 40-6-40(, 40-6-184(a)(2) of the GA uniform traffic code if you don't think this is a law). Interestingly, here in Altanta, I usually drive in the far right lane and end up going faster than the far left lanes... Here is a website for you left-lane campers: http://www.slowertraffickeepright.com/ Sorry for the hijack, but left-lane campers are one of my strongest peeves and had to respond!

Glad to hear you and the Z were not injured! From the pics, looks like the guy in the Toyota truck saved the Z (intentionally or not) by running into the Saab rather than a Z given that he could have likely went either way. Looked like this helped create the pocket of protection for you and the Z. Hope they caught the A-hole that caused this all to happen. Unfortunately, I believe people that would make that move in the first place are so self-centered that they probably didn't even pay attention to the chaos that ensued afterwards

It would appear so, long side goes down

Randy, congrats on the new ride! You will definately need to get that lift now

I would say it depends on what the estimate is to get it restored. If you spend $10K to $20K to get it back to original condition, then you could probably get that back if that was your goal, perhaps even more than that once the economy gets turned around. If you want to have a low-VIN Z, then you don't have a lot of choices, and if the $$$$ are not a problem, go for it! Although I have not followed low VIN prices that closely, based on the ones I am familar with, I beleive you would likely end up in the $20K to $40K range if you wanted to buy a "finished" low-VIN Z - but others may know more

My understanding from speaking with Bruce @ Hagerty is that you can drive your car whenever and anywhere you want, provided you are doing so for "pleasure" rather than necessity. Necessity would only be when your DD with regular insurance on it is unavailable. If your DD is available, and you choose to drive your classic anywhere because it is a nice sunny day and it gives you pleasure to do so, then no worries.

Car looks great! One question, you said in your first post that you have a 240Z center console, however the one in your photos looks like a standard 280Z console to me?

In the glovebox - the 240Z owners manual fits fine, is there an issue with 280Z manuals (although based on Stephen's answer it would appear not)? BTW, did you pick up a new GTO (the one in your avatar) Stephen? If so, congrats!!

I guess I really don't consider my Z a "hobby" since I drive it fairly regularly :-) As long as the weather is good (which fortunately it is most of the time), I'll drive the Z for a few days, then I will get the urge to drive my MG, which I will do for a few days until I get the urge to drive the Z again, and so on... Now, having been born and grown up in Minnesota, I can understand the joy of finally getting the car back out on the road after several months of snow and crappy weather! I've always wondered why there are more "car hobbyists" in the Northern states where they cannot drive them all the time like those of us in the South. Perhaps this annual springtime joy is why -- since the rest of us can start to take our classics for granted since we can drive them pretty much year round?

Good point! I've removed him from mine so I can get full enjoyment from the posts as well

You obviously did not hear about the new "Week of the Living (dead) Threads" -- coming to a car forum near you

Welcome and congrats on your new Z! Looks like a solid car, and the 10% was some interior work. Looks like you've got a dash cap (not really an issue) and will definately need a heater control panel. Note that the '73 panel is different from any other year, as it is lighted wheras the others are not You can usually find them on eBay fairly regularly. Cheers, Doug

Stephen, you have not put him on your ignore list yet?

I would have loved to have kept the Lime Z, but did not have any room for her at the house I wanted to make sure she went to a good home, and I am confident that she did with JoelH! Who could complain when he insists the street cleaners come and make the street clean before he will take her our for a drive?!

Randy, I saw your car on eBay, and was planning to call and harrass you about it I agree with Mike B that the market is a bit soft right now, and would say that if you don't need the $$$ immediately (like to buy your lift, ) that you could spend $800 for new floors and get the engine bay cleaned up and repainted to look better and significantly increase your $$$ when the market improves

Congrats on a fantastic job on #32, looks incredible - one of my favorite colors as well

I just noticed that the bumper overrider strips on your Lime Z look pretty narrow compared to others - are they the correct ones?

Welcome to the site, best of luck with your project!

Congrats on becoming a Z owner! My advice is to drive the car for awhile before worrying too much about mods, etc. Once you get a feel for her, then, as mentioned, develop a prioritized list of must-do's and nice-to-do's and work or get the work done at a leisurely pace so you can continue to enjoy the ride

I guess I'll be the first to say it - I think you'll have a very hard time getting close to your insured value. It appears to me that values have fallen a bit lately, and the only things I've seen get over 20K are bone stock Series I 240Z's (one ultra low mile 73 240Z) and one very low mile 280ZX 10th anniversary car (which did not sell for the 22K it got to). While you've got a very nice Z, and may have won many awards at carshows, the "customization" is going to make it hard to sell for big bucks, as you'll need to find someone who is looking for that type of modified Z. My guess is that in today's market, you might get half of what you're looking for if you find the right buyer.

Welcome to the club! Sounds like a very nice gift. Don't forget to post some pics of your car, we love pics around here!

Congrats on your new Z, I'm sure you'll be very happy when you get to drive back to PA with her!