'Picked up my 280Z Today :D

[zman525]

mimregi is right. I have been riding dirtbikes and stuff for a long time now and i will admit, the second i stepped into manual car i could shift perfectly. It takes some practice but you will eventually get it, and Z's arent the easiest of cars to learn on. Good luck, and remember one thing... have fun!

[KDMatt]

Thanks guys!

I actually ended up spending between 30 to 45 minutes driving around my neighborhood getting a good feel for it. On top of that, I took my mom to the grocery store, and she was very surprised at how comfortable the seats are! She's as converted as I could have ever have hoped for a middle-aged mother to get, being quoted as saying, "Your car's awesome."

Anyway, between that and driving out to my friend's house, and hanging out and cruising, I have not killed it once since my last message. My clutching has definitely improved. Some of my shifts are still sort of rocky, but at least I'm not throwing her into first when I'm really aiming for third.

Both my mom and my buddy's mom were sort of amazed when I told them I could cruise along at 20 mph in third gear, and 30 mph in fourth gear... of course, neither of them have a car that generates the kind of power mine does, so... :laugh: *bragging rights*

I love driving my car now! :knockedou

Hey, Z's rule, I'm going to be setting up an appointment for my car to get into that exhaust shop I mentioned. That's over in East Saint Paul, Zip Code 55101, is that any closer than my home zip code, 55421? Maybe we could arrange a meetup or something? It would be great to have someone close by that knows these cars well to help me out, and perhaps even willing to help me 'get my feet wet' with engine work? I think I've said it before, but my car needs a tune-up pretty badly.

Anyway, I snapped a bunch of pics today too, so, behold!

[KDMatt]

^^^^^^

Picture Descriptions (forgot to add these):

1 - I think you know what this one is...

2 - This is a closeup of where a Datsun emblem used to be.

3 - This is some paint bubbling and peeling on the hood on the driver's (left?) side.

4 - This is the only visible major rust damage on the body directly in front of the driver's side door.

5 - Some minor rust near the door handle and lock on the driver's side.

-----------

Picture Descriptions (of below)

6 - The fugly aftermarker shift knob.

7 - The worn-out aftermarket steering wheel.

8 - Generic shot of the engine compartment

9 - Battery tray, with little visible rust.

10 - From the driver's side, look down the engine bay to the ground.

[dogma420]

This is kinda hard to describe...for a newbie shifting the 5 speed (or any manual) this is what I'd recommend:

1st to 2nd is self explanatory...no explanation I think is necessary.

2nd to 3rd...

for a while, hold the clutch in, push the shifter to neutral postion....let go of the shifter...it rests in the very center of the shifting action (this is the neutral position) then just push straight forward....this is 3rd...if you do this action at first slowly, like take 2 seconds to do it, you can get it down to very quick. The Zed tranny 'guides' itself...its very smooth all by itself. But I've noticed the 5 speed, much more so than the 4 speed, will easily shift by just letting it shift itself...let it center itself before shifting from 2nd to 3rd...apply this to all of the diagonal shifts.

I don't know if this will help......but maybe.

Also, on the parking brake, remember, you have to pull up before you press the button.

Apologies if these are very simple explanations....sounds like you're a young Z buyer, congrats.

[KDMatt]

Picture Descriptions:

11 - Shot of the rear, note the missing 280Z badging on the hatch

12 - The odometer, reading 83k miles.

13 - My CD Player... still loaded with a Van Halen CD from the trip over.

14 - Generic side profile.

EDIT: Thanks dogma, I'm actually getting it down a lot more now. Third, for whatever reason doesn't feel directly centered... it seems just a wee-bit off the right on my car for some reason, ah well, at least now I know where it is.

Yeah, my parking brake woes are pretty much over too, I'm just pumping it a few times now, and that seems to be keeping the car in place pretty good on a good incline, but like I said, I've still got that wooden block under the tire... juuuust in case.

Thanks again for all your support guys!

[dogma420]

If it doesn't feel centered (3rd gear) I'd say replace the bushings that everyone here has talked about; they are cheap, and the help a lot. Very easy to do.

[DatsunZsRule]

Yeah, that shift knob needs to go Courtesy Nissan carries the stock ones with the pattern which will help you a lot while your learning.

I also couldn't help at noticing that your Z is missing the fusible link covers might want to pick 2 of those up and take some electric cleaner and clean up the electrical contacts. Courtesy has those too along with the factory NGK plugs and the wires, distributor cap, rotor

Yeah, I don't know. I'll have to look at Map Quest or something to find out the distance. I'm horrible with zip codes . If you did need help with tuning it up, or changing your tranny fluid, then I wouldn't mind helping you. whatever is closer and easier for you. I'd get some covers for the fusible links though as soon as you can. Helps protect them and keeps them clean. You'll be amazed at what a good tune up will do.

Take it easy.

[DatsunZsRule]

Just did some looking at the map. That shop in East St. Paul would be closer for you.

http://maps.yahoo.com/dd_result?newaddr=&taddr=&csz=55016&country=us&tcsz=Minneapolis%2C+MN+55421&tcountry=us]

Good luck and remember that all of us on this site are here.

[KDMatt]

Thanks Jared(?),

I'm glad someone agrees that the shift knob needs to go... though, I have to say, I'm not very smitten with the stock one either. I'd like to avoid wood, it's already causing my hand to callous a bit. I'm probably going to go with this one from Too Intense Restorations. It matches the interior better and looks a bit snazzier IMO. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=4534583478&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT

Thanks for pointing out the missing fusible link covers. I don't have the little idiosynchrosies of this engine design down yet, and I'm very grateful that someone does, and can point missing stuff out to me. Oh, on that note, a question, there's no danger in my driving in the rain is there (should it happen)? I would hope that the engine compartment is waterproofed enough where I can't really short those buggers out, eh?

Also, can you give me the website/phone number for Courtesy Nissan? ... or is it possible I could order the stuff I need through a Nissan dealership?

... and yeah, it looks like that exhaust/brake shop is like a half-way point between my house and yours. I might just have to have the car professionally tuned for now, until I find someone a bit closer, I hope you're not offended, I just don't feel like spending an hour driving to get help with my car from, essentially, a total stranger (even if it will be a learning experience). Sorry.

...In other news with the car, today I discovered that the rear speakers don't work. The rear right does... sort of... ya know, putting out a fuzzy, low volume version of what's going on up front, but the rear left puts out nothing but fuzz. I'm planning to use some 14 gauge speaker wire to just bypass the wiring, since I'm assuming that's what's wrong. The speakers in the back are less than 5 years old, and the PO just probably wasn't enough of an audiophile to notice they weren't working (heck, it took me 48 hours to notice, and only because I was messing with the stereo with the car parked in the driveway).

Yes... that's right, it's in the driveway now (shadier, which is good, since hatchbacks are essentially unrated solar ovens). I also tossed in like three of those pine-tree shaped air-fresheners in the new-car smell. After only sitting for about 3 hours, it was already smelling a whole lot better inside... I'm not partial to 'old car' as a scent. I would get out of the car smelling like it, which I didn't like.

Heh, and I finally noticed someone looking at the car today too. He was a stereotypical guy on a motorcycle (full beard with shades), and his head just followed my car as I turned past him at a four-way intersection. I gave him the customary hand wave out the window (thanks for looking! nice bike!). Anyway, that's a good feeling.

[mimregi]

My philosophy on this (and if you have seen the interior shots of my car in my gallery, you know why I have given this so much thought):

1) I don't need a picture telling me where the gears are located (it's under my hand anyway!)

2) There are clearly not enough Z logos on my car

Thusly I have this on order:

http://www.zcarparts.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=50-3504&Category_Code=SSK

Pic

http://www.zcarparts.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=SSK

(I too am not a hge fan of the wood -- I need a new steering wheel and as much as I want to be stock original, I prefer the black to the wood)

[beandip]

Before you just drive the Z into any shop , ask for a estimate on cost. If you change the plugs your self they are around $10.00 for the set. The rotor and dist cap is a remove and replace thing as well. These things dont need to be from the dealer . Your local parts store can provide them . Do use NGK plugs, they work the best in these cars . The standard plugs are great , no need for any ''special '' type . Save your money . If the valves are not ratteling you might just wait and take care of the brakes , with the money you save on doing your own tune up. One thing nubeys do is tighten down the spark plugs to much . The head is aluminum and you can damage the threads if you tighten them too much . The rust shown in the photo on the low part of the fender is coming from the inside on the fender and coming through. This is caused form the cowl drain dumping into this area and the drain at the bottom of the fender being blocked or the cavity filled with dirt and leaves and stuff. This stuff holds moisture and rusts out the fender . Also this is the place where the rocker , frame rail , starts and if water is gitting in the rail it will rust it out also . Escanlon has posted a fix for the cowl drain , do a search for this . Congrats on the ''new '' Z enjoy the ride. Gary

[kenz240z]

A good, thorough cleaning of the interior might help reduce the "old car smell." If you are really adventurous and have the time, then take out the seats and front carpets and really clean the floor pan. Remove the rear hatch carpet & padding and clean the rear hatch area, too. Finally, remove all of the interior plastic trim parts and clean out the body cavity areas.

To do this you will have to push the center stems of the trim rivets into the cavities. I recall seeing a post here by Escanlon that demonstrated using a small vacuum attachment with a bit of pantyhose over the vacuum nozzle. The pantyhose would allow you to vacuum up the stems without having them get sucked up into the vacuum. The suction holds them in place, at least until you turn the vacuum off...

If your car hasn't spent too much time sitting in one spot then you shouldn't find anything too nasty during the cleanup. Years ago I bought an old Chevy Impala that had been sitting for a while. When I dismantled the interior I found mouse nests under the dash, under the seat, and up between the headliner and roof. Oh, and I also found four mummified mouse carcasses. Gross. But, at least that car doesn't smell anymore! Fortunately, my Z was only filled with a few dead flies, dirt, dust, and the usual garbage under the seats...candy & cigarette wrappers, sunflower seed shells, bits of old food. Cleaning all this junk out of your car will go a long way towards making it smell better!

Kenny P.