halz

CAT: central area transit, a free inner city bus service (Mr.C, have you ever heard them change gear? Me neither, I think they have a huge centrifugal clutch...) WACA: Western Australian Cricket Association. 'The WACA' is W.A's biggest sporting ground. I've also seen a bright yellow roadster in Subiaco and yes, I'd rather have one than a MGB. In fact, the Z could also be argued to be a contemporary of the ratty old MGB. There is usually a roadster for sale out thre somewhere...in fact I've sometimes been close to surrendering in my Z-search for and getting a roadster instead...

So did anyone in W.A. tape the show?

How right you are! Hybrid engine swaps used to really grate but now I regard them with a more Darwinian tolerance..ie its another form of evolution - might die out, might work, wait and see. What really gets my gander are people who use the terms 'original' and 'restored' yet their cars have momo seats, pearl paint schemes, L28 engines etc, etc... Original is original - I will not pay a premium for an 'original' car that has suffered a random attack by a customiser..! Anyway, I'm just off to have a Bex and a nice lie down...

You're right - I definitely don't like the flares. The wheels..well, they're a tad on the Ricer-esqe side.... I prefer the older style Wolf alloys.

Nup...gotta lose those flares. Nice wheels are all it needs. Each to his own, though...

Looks like someone with too much money just stuffed up another good Z...

Talk. Talk to your friends, talk to other car owners, talk to classic car owners. They will all be able to tell you horror stories but hopefully they will also be able to recommend a 'tame' mechanic or two... They do exist, they do listen and they do tell the truth - its just a lot of work to sift through the dross and find them.

Can't knock the free beer..! Did you manage to sell the commodore?

While cycling home through Subiaco last night I saw my 1st 350Z. It was silver, being driven by a lady along Roberts rd. I got a brief look at the front and side. The rear (apart from those angular tail lights) reminds me a lot of the Audi TT. I'll need to see one close up in a Nissan showroom before making a final judgment...

Inf, Apart from the blue smoke issue, what you describe could be pretty well termed minor issues. You could spend another $1000 on a supposedly better car and still have the same problems bob up. We are talking about a 30 year old car here after all - its bound to have some niggles. As for the blue smoke - if it turns out to be rings then think of it as a chance to put the engine into the same great condition as the rest of the car...:cheeky:

The photo was taken in Feb 2003 (2 weeks ago) and the vines in the background are largely obscured by the Ecalypts on the far side of the track. I don't know too much about the grape growing side of wineries except that these vines are all in berry with harvest set to be around March (I think) which is our Autumn (fall). The winery is called Sandalford and yes, they have a website: www.sandalford.com. Being in the Swan valley, the winery could be termed a 'warm climate' type - it was 43degrees Celsius on the day of the car event - so the wines they produce would reflect the climate. I'm thinking that big reds would be good here. anyay, I hope that fills you in - check the wensite for more info...

Try this: http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=3320&papass=&sort=1&thecat=998

Guys, Attached is a pic of a 1970 240Z which was taken at the 2003 'Classic Sandalford' in Perth Australia. This event is basically a quarter mile sprint for classis and interesting cars held at one of the wineries near Perth (yes, those are grape vines in the background!) The owner is Rich Davies, a local 240Z identity. He and his wife Pat (both retired) regularly compete in Classic rallies, sprints and navigation trials in Western Australia... Now, after the odd disparaging remark about female drivers/navigators, he has asked me to defend Pat. Rather than paraphrase, I'll include Rich's own words which provide us all a lesson in growing old (dis)gracefully! "...so perhaps you would be good enough to do so for me , with tongue in cheek of course . In the last 5 years Pat has navigated me to 5 class wins , 3rd outright once and 2nd outright twice in the Classic Rally in W.A. As well as that she navigated me to 1st outright in the Cape to Cape Rally late last year. You are no doubt aware that these rallies are all tarmac rallies [ I would not use the car on dirt ] and are absolutely full on .The Classic for example had , I think , 27 driving stages and is run over 3 days .When you consider that the combined age of the car , the driver and navigator is 170 years I reckon she does a wonderful job . She is the bravest lady , and is usually urging me on in special stages. Anyway , if you feel like defending her and giving the guys who access the site a giggle I would be grateful..."

Morena and Agostino - my friend will be contacting shortly... Hayden.

ooo but notice the 3 instrument pods angled toward the driver? Presumeably that whole section of the console would be replaced for LHD cars.

Whoops! Looks like the worms are escaping from their can again!

Alan, I found those pics particularly interesting. The blue car (1st pic) is especially attractive... something about the increased glass area around the cabin and the slight 'swoop' in the shoulder line...a bit of 'E' in there..? The motorshow pic is also a good one. I like seeing cars in their 'new from the factory with extra spit and polish' state. That the shot includes a 432 is even nicer!

Mr C. check this site out, looks like they import just about anything that burns fuel and rubber from Japan...http://www.c-red.com.au/

Langwarrin is in Victoria on the Gippsland side of Melbourne.

I have a buddy in Melbourne who has restored several cars over the decades. He mentioned a shop to me that he knows of which specializes in period car accessories...he mentioned it because I asked him exactly the same question. If you like, I'll find out the details of the shop...

So...reading beteen the lines Mr. C... are you planning on frightening the paint off your new car by putting in a turbo donk?!