Pumpkin Update: SHE'S HOME!

[SteveJ]

In my Air Force days, I would have to drive from Fairfield, through Petaluma, up to Point Arena. Twenty years ago, that was a pretty nice route.

[misscourtneymae]

That's a good point on the voltage regulator. The old external ones are mechanical with several moving parts inside. Your ammeter and a multimeter should tell you if the regulator and alternator are working correctly.

It will be interesting to see how often your boyfriend borrows your car. Why would you drive a 510 when there's a Z in the driveway...

HAHA! I'll be sure to not let my boyfriend see that last comment. He's already made sure that I'll let him take it from time to time. It's only fair, as I get to steal his 510!

And yeah, I'm definitely going to look into the alternator here soon. Everything is still running smoothly, but I still need to give the motor (outside of what I've already done) a bit of a run through to make sure everything is actually solid.

[misscourtneymae]

Looks like mine did at first, but it'll shine up like a new dime.

Ahh! Absolutely gorgeous! Before I got my Z, I always had this image of a beautiful, pure white 240. But I think that's partially because I didn't expect to get an orange one... I'm almost positive that when I eventually go to repaint her, I'll be keeping this classic color.

Props on such a pristine Z!

[misscourtneymae]

The Z looks very nice, and when it's parked by the 510 you have your own classic car show.

I also came South from Oregon, it was last Tuesday. The 5 has some major mountains (at least they seem like high mountains until you see Mt. Shasta), 7 mile / 7% downgrades, so it's a real test of the engine and also the brakes.

There are some great roads for the Z and the 510 in Northern California. The previous week I took the 20 from the 101 to Highway 1 near Ft. Bragg. Beautiful ride through the redwoods, well paved, and extremely twisty. Didn't take the Z (had a rental for car camping) but had a challenging drive anyway. In central CA, it's hard to beat Highway 1 from Monterey to San Simeon for scenery.

Exactly. The mountains were really one of the biggest issues we had when we were trying to drive the car back. It drove well in town (the Medford area, which is pretty flat), but then started to overheat at about 65mph on the freeway. We found that it was a dead water pump and a crappy fan that hardly worked. But once we did some roadside mechanic work, it ran beautifully--that is, until the carbs decided they couldn't handle the incline. Now that I have it home and have had some time to fix it up, there have been zero issues with the motor (keeping my fingers crossed!).

Also, couldn't agree more! I love the redwoods here in NorCal, just about as much as I love the coastal roads! Once the Z is 100%, I definitely want to make a day out of it and take both cars on a round trip. Highway 1 is a favorite, it'll feel good to cruise in my dream car!

[LeonV]

Leon,

Next time you're in Northern , CA try Cloverdale (Sonoma County) to Ft Bragg. Highway 101 to 128 to Highway 1

or:

Ukiah to Ft Bragg Highway 101 to Highway 253 to Highway 1.

Both of these routes are south of the Highway 20 to Highway 1.

I used to take these routes in my 510, 91 Sentra Se-R, and 76 280Z. FUN!

Dave

I'd love to do 128 sometime, I wanted to take it on the way home but it was not in the books. Thanks for the tips, Dave!

In my Air Force days, I would have to drive from Fairfield, through Petaluma, up to Point Arena. Twenty years ago, that was a pretty nice route.

And it still is! The roads around Petaluma are fantastic although some have gotten a bit run-down. There are some great Abalone diving spots along the coast as well...