What kinda of Z-car guy are you?

[Jack T]

I guess I would be labeled an enthusiast. Sometimes I feel guilty because I am making modifications to a '70 that stray away from originality, but I can't seem to stop. It all started when I needed to replace the wiring harness under the dash and could not find an affordable replacement. My answer was to redesign the harness and drop in a modern 16 fuse block. Then I upgraded the distributor to a Mallory, followed by replacing the radiator with a four core unit, adding a polished Euro style balance tube, replacing the alternator, adding a header, upgrading front and rear brakes, replacing the bushings, springs, and struts. Only the Z gods know when I will stop tinkering with what was already a good thing. I am thinking about redoing the interior, which had already been "customised" by a PO (but really needs replacement) and saw where you can now buy burnt orange leather accompanied by black vinly; sounds like an intersting upgrade.

The only things that eases the guilt factor is the support from members on this site that stress... its your car, do what ever you want.

My wife has now given my Z a female name and refers to her as my mistress,,, I spend a lot of money and time with her, she lets me do what ever I want, and knows that late in the evening I will go home to the wife. (My wife also gave up her spot in the garage for the Z.)

[Skyblue280z]

My car as of now looks great, but one day ill get an older 240z and make it like Wangan Midnights Devil Z.... Just for fun. ha.

[Terrapin Z]

I feel I fall between 1 and 2. I really like the stock look, but will make upgrade with newer components when things were out. This car had some modifications when I bought it. but retained the nostalgic look. After getting it home I found some rubber under the car had deteriorated. I feel if you can make an improvement to the stock 70.s technology without changing the original look I feel it is worthwhile. A semi sleeper if you will. For example I replaced the worn bushings, struts and springs, brakes and some electrical wiring (Dave's) There is a spoiler on the front that was on it, and thats fine but I would not do any extra body work. I like the way it looks. Not a full on racer and definitely not a trailer queen, something in between!!

[Reverend]

Definetly number 1. Im not the best restorer or mechanic on the world but im trying. Actually i dont even have to be, cause my Z is all original except the colour.

IdahoKidd, id love to see more pics of your Volvo PV, we have lotta of them here. I cursed my parents for not buying one in 70's. Now theyre driving VW Golf...

[studioti]

Everybody had great reasons mentioned above. I guess if funds weren't limited, we'd build multiple Zs. one for each day of the week.

And by the way, my apologies to any Z-car "gals" out there. My wife took my Z for a spin one day and came back 30 min later and said she got one "thumbs up" and another guy asking if she wanted to meet up at Starbucs to talk about cars.... YA RIGHT BUDDY... i'll be waiting for him with a crow bar.. haha j/k

[TomoHawk]

I'm with abruzzi,

I like the original design, and if anything extra goes on it, it'll be period-correct, except for the digial CD stereo, GPS, and the laptop/power inverter . Some of the modern conveniences can go well with the classic cars...

Under the hood, you'll see vintage Datsun, except for the parts that you can't get any more, so those get replaced with something a little newer than OE.

Oh- just a little extra paint here or there under the hood, and a little polishing (which helps keep the dirt off.)

When I'm not busy cleaning & repairing, I drive the car- autocross, track, twisty rural roads. And the local cruise-ins to remind people what real cars were like.

thxZ

Edited December 3, 2009 by TomoHawk

[Zedyone_kenobi]

What an interesting question. I am a blend of 1 and 3 with a dash of 2 in very small amounts. When I work on the car, I try to bring it back to stock. Things like rubber bushings I replace with poly most of the time. I kept the interior original and have fixed or had fixed a couple gauges inside. I like to think that I am bringing her back to the original glory, but with some modern materials improvements. I guess to really know what kind of Datsun person you are you have to ask yourself, what would you do if...

If my engine was to blow up, I would try to save the stock block and build another L24, so I guess that means I am a bit of a purest. But I would probably do some minor work to the head and install a high pressure pump and perhaps a very mild cam, maybe. So I guess that puts me more in the hot rod category. If the car was wrecked, I would want it repaired back to original body work, so that edges me back into the restorer category. I think I am a lot like most people here. I want to keep the beauty and originality of the Z but make incremental improvements that do not change the spirit of the car.

[mgood]

I fell in to the #3 category and all by accident. I am the original owner of my car and I did not have any plans to keep it as long as I have. Just by chance I did keep the car and now it is a unique classic here in Pittsburgh, most have rusted away and are gone.

I started adding thing like the louvers within a couple of years. The front air dam and rear spoiler came when I had to replace the front finders after they rusted out after only 4 years of ownership. This is when I didn't need the car as my daily driver and could just cruse the car on the weekends.

After many years of storage I started the process of getting the car back to what it is now. I was lucky in the fact that I just didn't want to part with the car after owning it so long. I am now working on the suspension, changing the bushings and removing the rust on the suspension parts and painting and plating the bolts and nuts.

I don't plan on any more mods than I have, just to clean and keep it from rusting. And hopefully give the car to my granddaughter, she is 2 1/2 so I have about 20 more years before that happens.