Zvoiture

Here's a good one...

Pix from a rag...

Here is what the '73 is getting:

Hehe... THAT is 60 gallons of 2003 Fairlady freshly pressed and resting gently on French oak. steve77

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Well, it's here. The UPS guy just drove away and I am the proud new owner of 2--count'em TWO--new Tokico peglegs. steve77

Is it too big? Huh? Huh? Is it? Does this make me look fat? Tell me the truth! Seroiusly, does it whine under acceleration or whine on decel? steve77 Geeeeeez, how could you type 'rear end' and 'whine' in the same sentence with a straight face?

If the Tokico springs are lowered, you won't need a spring compressor to get it off. The perches should just about be at 'zero' with the weight off it. You will need one to get the stock spring off the new unit though. If the donor car is sitting on its suspenion, you can wrap the spring with NUMEROUS wraps of baling wire WHILE THE WEIGHT OF THE CAR IS ON IT, tie it very tight, jack up the car, remove the unit, undo the top nut on the isolator and very carefully remove the wrapped unit. Then lay it down in your driveway away from EVERYTHING and cut the wires with some dykes. I wouldn't try this unless you have some experience with suspension. You just have to make sure the spring is 'loose' before taking the top nut off. If you kill yourself or your dog or your ex-best friend, don't come crying to me. Rent a spring compressor from Kragen. They cost $5 a day, but the deposit is like, $150. Not to complicate things, but if the early donor car is not available, and you have to get the susp. off a 280, the existing strut will not fit. steve77

When I bought my 77 I couldn't figure out why there were these strange scratches in it like it had run into someone really clumsy with a vise grip and a hacksaw. When I changed my bushings and boots, I found the last inch or so had been filed down to accept a threaded sleeve, which was epoxied on to the stick and, of course, the ball screwed on to that. Good thing the guy I bought it from didn't realize it had a 'short-throw 5-speed'. He surely would have charged me more for the car. steve77

One more thing....since MOST if not all of the rusting Z's down at Ecology are going to be 75-78 280's, you will probably want to take both sides. It will fit, no problem, but the springs and isolators are different and if you only take one side, you might get a little 'unlevel' problem. This will also complicate things a bit the next time you buy strut cartridges, but that's another story. steve77

That 'nameless part' is the cast bearing race housing which the strut tube is pressed into. Permanently. To the best of my knowledge, they are unseperatable (I just made that word up). It is all: Strut Housing. You also can not take the stub axles out without a 15lb slide hammer. Everything in that whole shebang is put together with pretty close tolerances. Your best bet is to just go get an entire strut assembly with conrtol arm attached and bolt it into your car. It is super simple. 13 bolts and a brake line. You need a 14mm on a breaker bar, a 12mm open end wrench and a set of visegrips for the brake line. There are dozens of junkyards in Riverside with these assy's still attached to the car. Don't forget the jack and the WD-40. steve77

Are you a member of GROUPZ or Empire Z or SOCALZ? You can easily find these parts if you can connect with some of these people. You can get the spindle pins from MSA down in Orange. Their prices are very fair. The control arm takes about 4 1/2 minutes to get off the car and about 4 1/2 hours to seperate from the strut housing. Post this to the GROUPZSCC forum and you can find one easily right there. Tony D probably has 40. steve77

Part of the problem is there just aren't too many 280's on here. There was a poll maybe a year ago and it seems like there was something like 12! Probably a lot more now..... I know you can eliminater the FPR and the EGR, as I disconnect mine at autocross and it runs beautifully. I usually forget to hook them back up and....come to think of it--They are still plugged now! Be sure and plug the hoses if you disconnect something. Nothing will make your car run funnier than a vacuum leak. Probably wouldn't run too well without the air control valve (I forget its real name) (sits above the TB and is connected to the valve cover vent and also has hoses that bypass the butterfly. Mine was faulty and while I can't remember exactly what it was doing, I seem to recall it not running too well. It could probably be simplified. It talks to the 'puter, but I don't think it necessarily needs engine air. I think you could lose a couple hoses there and it would still do it's job. Let's see, what else. Did you have an A/C? If so, I guarantee the throttle accelerator is still installed. Vacuum diaphram with a hook coming out of it that hits a little plate on the linkage. Gonzo. There are a couple hoses that run from it all the way around the engine bay to stuff on the passenger side. Rip it out! What else....... Just start plugging things. If it doesn't run, then youprobably need it! steve77

Where are you? I have a couple A-arms sitting here AND they have already been stripped of spindle pins. They are used and cost whatever Chloe charges +10%. She has the best price on Spindle pin sets in the world, too. steve77

I did a poll on this a couple years ago...would be interesting to bring it back now that there are 5 billion members! I paid $700 USD for the green 77 and the new 73 came as a package deal where I bought 4 Z's for $1000 from one person. Two '73's, a 77 and a 81. steve77

If you attempt this mod, one of the things you will be dealing with is sometime about '86, the R200 in the Z31 started getting a ring gear with 12mm bolts instead of 10mm. The cases are identical, however, the output to the halfshafts/CV's is 30 spline instead of 29. If you decide you want to do this and need a LS assy, I have one that bolts into the 12mm/30spline R200. It will be priced quite inexpensively, as I have almost completely talked myself out of attempting this mod. steve77

WHAT: Central Coast Z Car Club October Luncheon WHEN: Saturday, October 18, 11:30 AM WHERE: Scotty's Bar and Grill, 750 Price St. PISMO BEACH WHY: Because I have been getting e-mails all month from members voting for a meet in Pismo to close out the summer. WHO: Open to anyone who loves Z's. Club member or not. GROUPZ, CLUBZ, ZONC, SOCALZ, Empire Z, DZA, SDZC...yes, that even includes you TT.net guys! Club affiliation or no, COME ON DOWN! RSVP: So I can get a rough idea of attendance by Wednesday or so: ZVOITURE@aol.com Steve McConnell, Director Central Coast Z Car Club

Those are Eagle Alloys. They are still commonly available in 0 offset, 4.5"X4 configuration in 15X7. SUMMITRACING.com lists them, as I am sure others. I have a set on my car. Fairly inexpensive. steve77

Subj: RE: Different Length Tokico's... Date: 10/9/2003 3:15:34 PM Pacific Daylight Time From: info@autocarparts.com To: Zvoiture@aol.com Sent from the Internet (Details) Steve - We apologize for the inconvenience and had one already sent out. We are checking with the warehouse to see if we can track it down. In the mean time, we'll send another one out to you. If you receive two, please refuse the 2nd one. Once you're all set, we'll issue a call tag for UPS to pick up the incorrect shock. If you have any other questions, feel free to email me. Regards, Cuong info@autocarparts.com | info@Acura-TL.com www.autocarparts.com | www.Acura-TL.com www.NissanFairLadyZ.com Phone: 1-800-470-6388 Fax: 1-800-447-9257 -----Original Message----- From: Zvoiture@aol.com [mailto:Zvoiture@aol.com] Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2003 7:10 PM To: info@autocarparts.com Subject: Re: Different Length Tokico's... Coung: Well, another week has passed and still no strut. Perhaps there is a tracking number you could pass on to me? My rear suspenion is back from the machine shop and has been sitting here since Monday. I am so disappointed with customer service at AUTOCARPARTS.com. My credit card bill (since that really IS the ONLY receipt, invoice or packing slip of any kind I have on this order) says I was charged for my merchandise on September 6th, a mere THIRTY THREE days ago. Does that seem fair to you? How long would you wait before invoking the warranty clause in your credit card and deny charges? I could have WALKED down there and picked up this stupid strut by now. Be sure and send a voucher for the return shipping on the strut being returned. I will not be shipping it freight prepaid. I feel I have invested far too much time and effort in this fiasco already, and re-packaging the strut and arranging in my schedule to take it to the UPS depot will be tha absolute extent of my generosity. Steve McConnell 746 Via Bandolero Arroyo Grande, CA 93420 805-441-6856

>>>I wouldn't do that to my current Z, and at my current age , but it was cool back then<<< Yes, it is a bit immature! But I live a very responsible life and run a very responsible business and have a very responsible wife and live in a very responsible house and drive very responsible cars. The Z--and its fat stripes--are my only ability to vent. My Z HAS to be outrageous! It is an interesting juxtaposition to the rest of my life. People who otherwise know me are usually quite shocked when they happen upon me in the Z! Wait till you see the color scheme on the new one! I am doing diagonal stripes with some very...ummm......immature colours. I am using the M3 GTR in the September issue of Sports Car International as a model. Sorry, no pix. Now that you mention it, I just got home from work and am feeling a bit responsible. I think I will go drive the Z somewhere! steve77

>>>Is "nut up" American slang for going crazy <<< Something like that! Surely you have had the opportunity to 'nut up' on someone! steve77

Another week has gone by....Still waiting for my strut. Over a month since my original order was placed. If Alan's struts get here from England before my replacement one from Los Angeles, I am going to seriously nut up. This is getting SOOOO old.... steve77

Hate 'em. Wouldn't have 'em. So tacky. steve77

While looking for Suby LSD's at the junkyard, the owner mentioned, "Why don't you put a Corvette rear end in it? I've seen a couple Z's like that. It's quite a bit lighter." I didn't ask for proof, just kindof 'filed' the info and moved on. I have never seen such a transplant. Perhaps this is a common mod on V8 Z's? Has anyone seen or done a Corvette diffy install? steve77

>>>>It's just my subscription to Sports Car Magazine.<<<< Isn't $80 a year a bit steep for a magazine? steve77