Another 240Z exhaust goes NLA

[jmortensen]

Congratulations on your exhaust building ability, however the monza system fit on my Z just fine, went on easily and was quite solid. For those without the equipment/skill/interest in doing their own exhaust it is nice to have more options rather than less.

I guess I could have taken a day off from work and spent it at a local exhaust shop having a custom one built or I could have driven 55 miles without any exhaust to go to a shop closer to work but those options had more downsides than up for me.

Even if some of the options are 'crap', I still say more options good, less options bad.

The point of my post was not to insult your exhaust system, sorry if it read that way. That said, there are other options to the ones you've listed there. Tow the car someplace. Don't have AAA, a tow vehicle, or a trailer or dolly? Rent the truck and dolly. And I've never seen an exhaust shop that wouldn't allow you to drop the car off in the morning and pick it up in the evening or the next day.

More options being better reminds me of Dennis Miller's old bit about the 1/2 off sale on short sleeve suits. "If they really want to screw you, they'll give you three of these things!" Give me less but better quality options vs a myriad of crap. YMMV.

[ta240]

Didn't take it as an insult on the exhaust system, just thought it was odd that it was a blanket statement that it had to be crap because it was from a catalog. Was merely trying to point out that the exhaust system in question wasn't crap, and even then what is crap to one person isn't always to another. To the guy with a custom stainless steel system a home built galvanized system might seem kinda cheesy.

Obviously there are other options, but just as obvious there are or were much better options for some.

Maybe I read your statement wrong that the catalog stuff was crap and there was no need at all for it to be available.

Seriously? Rent a truck and a dolly to get an exhaust 'system' put on the car? This isn't some high-dollar prize car, it is a daily driver that I enjoy. I think the price starts running up quite a bit higher than the affordable crap that is sold in catalogs at that point. If it were somehow life and death, yes it would be possible to get it there, just saying that there are things that make some options less appealing. Personally, if I'm going to pay a shop top dollar to make one then I'm going to want to be there when they make it so I can make sure it is done the way I want.

I didn't dismiss any of the options, just said that for some people some options are better than others. Every option listed above would work for some better than others.

The point of my post was not to insult your exhaust system, sorry if it read that way. That said, there are other options to the ones you've listed there. Tow the car someplace. Don't have AAA, a tow vehicle, or a trailer or dolly? Rent the truck and dolly. And I've never seen an exhaust shop that wouldn't allow you to drop the car off in the morning and pick it up in the evening or the next day.

More options being better reminds me of Dennis Miller's old bit about the 1/2 off sale on short sleeve suits. "If they really want to screw you, they'll give you three of these things!" Give me less but better quality options vs a myriad of crap. YMMV.

Edited May 15, 2009 by ta240

[Chart505]

I like the $150 exhaust story and to me it's a perfect DIY hobbyist solution to an expensive problem. Unless you are rebuilding a garage queen, big part of the fun is shade tree engineering stuff that works and is cheap without being junk.

I have a BMW and Porsche as well, and one of the reasons I got the Z is the relative economy of modding/restoring the thing. Everything on the german cars is $1,500 and up. I keep those basically stock. The Z is my tinker car.

These cars have always been relatively inexpensive, which attracts many hobbyists.

FYI, on the Porsche board you see many guys swapping stories of VW parts that are exact fits for Porsche parts (and of course this will get more prevalent since Porsche and VW are now one firm). Example, same part, the oxy sensor from Porsche is $200, from VW $39 bucks. That's fun to beat the man.

[alhbln]

Another reason why I'm doing my gradual exodus from the Datsun hobby. It's not just the 70-73 parts market that's drying up nor is it just the S30, it's all Datsuns. Like Greg said in post 4, there is much better support for other vintage cars.

I've just got in the Datsun hobby about a year ago, and are actually really happy with the availability (even though i need to order the parts from the states and pay for transport and taxes, as there are apparently less than fifty 240Z in germany). I do own several other cars from the seventies and the cost for work and parts is easily a multiple than for the 240Z. For some parts only recasts and handmade refabrications are available, and getting XWX tires for 205/70VR14 rated 240 km/h is setting you back about $400 a piece from Michelin (my other tires in 255/R14 are close to $380 a piece).

True, TRs are nice cars, but a TR4s drive is something completely different from the Datsun, so i'm actually quite happy with my 240Z

[Walter Moore]

Not to rain on anyone's pity party, but...

We are fast approaching the 40th anniversary of the 240Z. Personally I am astounded at the number and quality of parts that are still available for these cars. Forty years is a long time for a car as specialized as the Z. I mean consider:

The L series I6 that is the basis of these cars was only sold in the U.S. for 13 (model) years, and only in (I think) three models. (The Z, the 810, and the early Maxima)

Compare that to the small block Chevy that started life in 1957 and is still in production, or the small block Ford that was in production for nearly 40 years. If you need a motor or transmission in a Mustang or Camaro/Firebird/Corvette almost every Ford/Chevy from the past 50 years has a donor that will fit. The same goes for the beam axles (except for the Vette). They LOOKED exotic, but under the sheet metal they were the same basic car as everything else on the road. That makes parts more available used, and increases the market for new parts as well.

I could go on, but I hope you get my drift. I mean, try to buy parts for a 15 year old, out of production, Honda (from a dealer) sometime. Yes, the Datsun parts aren't as available as perhaps they once were, and the prices are higher. Still, the 240Z was considered (in the U.S.) a "cheap" entry level sports car in it's day, and that market rarely ever has any owner loyalty or aftermarket support. I am happy as a clam with the level of support and parts availability for these cars.

[TomoHawk]

I just got a new BD catalog, #Z.60, and the Monza exhaust was in there.

thxZ

[Inf]

The topic of this thread is the 240Z version of the Monza exhaust.

http://www.blackdragonauto.com/icatalog/z/full.aspx?page=73

Not there anymore.

[TomoHawk]

oops, I'm used to looking at the other one. You couldn't just substitute one of the others?

Edited May 19, 2009 by TomoHawk

[Arne]

Nope. The 240Z can't use the horizontal tips. Here's what the 240Z Monza unit looked like.

[Walter Moore]

You can't just turn the muffler sideways? :stupid:

Just joking... don't get mad.

[Zak's Z]

You can't just turn the muffler sideways? :stupid:

Just joking... don't get mad.

Or just cut the top stack off and throw some muffler tape over it to cover the hole. Then use a Sharpie to color it black so no one knows. THATS how to make it work.:classic:

[TomoHawk]

I painted my muffler with black BBQ grille paint because it was bare steel, and kinda shiney.

Edited May 24, 2009 by TomoHawk