hawaiiankine

Aloha Carl, You're right about the lack of Z-heads. I've only seen a few nice Z's cruising around. But, there's not much of a sports car scene down here at all, no matter what your preference is. There's no real roadcourse to hold events at, so I suppose nobody is into corner carving. Its all about drag racing down here (boring). aloha, Joel

Aloha Carl, Thanks for the heads-up. I understand the Z-oriented thing, but its nice to find people nearby when your 2500 miles from anywhere. Off to the discussion forums. :classic: aloha, Joel

Aloha, I'm new to Z cars...in fact, I don't even own one, but I'm really interested in these cars. I'm way out here in the middle of the Pacific and don't see too many of them driving around (salt air). But, I thought there would be more discussion on a web forum for Z cars, especially in the western U.S. with so many great racetracks. Anyway...hope to see more action in this forum, I've lurked for a while. Anyone else located in Hawaii? aloha, Joel

Aloha, Thanks for all the replies. It is a very subjective question, but I wanted to hear the opinions of Z owners about the handling of their cars. On a Porsche forum I frequent, someone mentioned the 240Z in one of their posts, which sparked a discussion about Z-cars in a Porsche forum. It seems a lot of Porsche guys also own or have owned Z-cars. But, when pressed they all say the 911 (pre-1973 models) are their favorite (of course it is a Porsche forum). I agree that the early 911's are supposed to be a real finicky car. You have to have a lot of driving skill in order to get the most out of them. But, I kind of like that challenge. The thing I don't like about Porsches are the pricetags connected to the parts. Anyway...I like the Z-car because of its looks, comparitive performance to Porsches (didn't the 240Z essentially drive the 914 out of production?), and its affordability. Every now and then I see a really cool Z-car cruising around the island here that just looks bad-arse. Makes me want to get one. Love the exhaust note. If I got one, I'd probably just use it for the street, possibly auto-x. I'd really like to get into club racing, but that'll have to wait until I can afford it. DatsunZGuy: I live on O'ahu in Kaimuki. I'm a transplant from Portland, OR. I don't think they have auto-x at Aloha stadium anymore. Supposedly, there's a group of independent guys who road race at Hawaii Raceway Park, but I haven't paid much attention to it. The road course is pretty crude out there. They still have the drag racing open to the public on Wed/Fri/Sat nights. $6 to race whatever you like against whatever lines up next to you! Great fun. Can you imagine a 1967 Beetle in stock trim drag racing against a Ducati Monster? That was my last race. Oh yeah...I had Zippy's chili & rice tonight. aloha, Joel

Aloha, I've been lurking on this site for quite some time as I have a bit of an interest in Z-cars. However, I have never really ridden in one or driven one. I'd like to know just how well they handle. Most of my current automotive interests lies with vintage VW's and Porsches. Most of the Porsche guys admire Z-cars, but still seem to look down their noses at them. They refuse to believe any other make and model can hang with their 911's. So, I thought I'd ask a pretty subjective question over on these boards. Just how well can you get a Z-car to handle? Mahalo for any and all answers. aloha, Joel

Alohas, That's horrible Leeroy. You think the policy makers would pull their heads out of their...well you know...and pay attention. Here in the States, the way I follow what is being said about these contraptions, they are a breach of privacy and put the burden of proof on the accused (which is illegal in any prosecution case). I honestly think if people made a bigger complaint about the issue and organized to present a real threat to the political survival of the policy makers, then a lot of these things would be taken off the road. There are far safer means to control traffic speeds and red light runners, AND provide employment for humans instead of expensive cameras. Then again...when a gov't sees $$...that's all they see. ~Joel

Oh yeah, almost forgot one more thing. In Oregon, the police were required to place a "highly visible, readable sign" about 50 meters ahead of where their camera van was located. They also had to have the parking lights turned on all the time. I think it was raised as a safety issue (although you know its to give the citizens a break), that ALL police that were setting speed traps had to have their parking lights on, as it would be the city/county/state's fault if for some reason their hiding a camera van or traffic cop resulted in an accident. I agree 100%. I think here in Hawai'i, they didn't have to have their parking lights on, which some people were pushing for. I think a few people took advantage of the fact that they could say, "hey...I was going the speed limit when I took the turn, your van was un-marked and difficult to see, sorry if I scared him" as they 'buzzed the tower' so to speak. ~Joel

Alohas, I've experienced traffic cameras in two States: Oregon and Hawai'i. In Oregon, they are only allowed to put them in residential areas where people are really concerned about cars exceeding the speed limit. You know, around schools, retired folks and such. Nobody in Oregon really tried to fight the cameras, so they stayed. However, I do know that it is the governments burden to provide the evidence that it is actually YOU driving the car. If they say you have to admit to speeding because they have a blurry picture of your car/you, then it is self-incriminating, which is un-constitutional. They have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it is you in the car. Here in Hawai'i, they were putting the cameras on the H-1, H-2 & H-3 freeways, and a couple other major roads. Very few of the cameras were near a residential area or schools, which made people livid, as they felt it was a complete revenue maker without any intention of making the roads safer. That being so, people down here protested at the state capital, wrote to their state legislators and told them "get rid of the cameras or we'll make sure you're out of a job." Well, needless to say, the department of transportation tried to usurp the authority of the legislature here and got their asses handed to them by the politicians who were afraid of losing their pathetic jobs. So, the cameras are banned in Hawai'i. I honestly did not know that other countries had implemented the traffic cameras. It really makes me paranoid if governments around the globe are photographing their citizens in the name of "traffic safety." How can we be assured they are not taking our pictures ALL the time? I know you see a flash, but your basic 35mm camera can take pictures in broad daylight w/o a flash, so what's to keep a multi-million dollar piece of equipment from doing the same? Personally, I think its a breach of privacy and personal rights. The government has NO right to collect information on citizens without just cause. Even if they are collecting information behind our backs, I find it upsetting that when they do it before our eyes, nobody really does anything about it. Just my $0.02 ~Joel

Alohas, Shipping from AZ? Hmmm...well, figure out the cost for shipping to L.A. or S.D. which is where it would have to be "shipped" from. Then add $827.30 to that price. BTW - There's only one or two companies that ship cars/containers to the islands and they both charge the same price. Did I hear someone say price-fixing? I'll just wait 'till I get back up to Portland to find a nice Z. Just got to finish that degree first. $500 on exhaust doesn't sound that bad. For my '67 Bug I spent around $475 (headers, muffler, ceramic coating). mahalos, Joel

Laffeaux, Wow, sounds like a nice project, though. Rust free is the key. Being in Hawai'i, its impossible. Thanks for the nice layout of your project. I'm sure you drive what I would call a "nice daily driver." I know there's a big margin in what that means for each person, but I was just trying to make a generalization. As a VW guy, I'm getting rather sick of paying too much for cheap parts that I have to replace before they're a year old. So, even though VW parts may SEEM inexpensive, it all adds up after you buy them twice or thrice. That's why I'm interested in Z's. Japanese made=reliability...well...more than a 30 year old Bug. Thanks for your reply! alohas, Joel

Alohas all, Just wanted to ask what seems to be the average overall cost of restoring a Z to decent daily driver condition. I know it depends on what the starting condition of the car is, but let us just say its your average Z that's seen better days. I'm a VW guy right now, but I'm thinking about getting into Z cars and just want a ballpark figure of what I COULD spend. mahalos, Joel

Alohas, Okay...I've just about had it w/ my 67 Bug. Has anyone ever spent over $5k on hi-po VW parts only to have it all crap-out on you when go to break-in the engine? Well...I have. I'm sick of it. So, what does this have to do w/ 240Z's ? Well...before I jump into another automotive hobby, I would like to know how reliable Datsun/Nissan engines are. How good is the aftermarket for parts? Do you have a few innovators in the market, who are then copied by a bunch of sub-par in quality manufacturers? Or, are most of the aftermarket components fairly well made? FYI - If you live in Hawai'i and have a Z car for sale...I'm interested. mahalos, Joel

Alohas, Thanks for all the replies. I guess I'm looking for a car that can reliable and let me take it out on the track. I think I'd rather get a lighter weight car w/ carbs. Not that I know anything about Datsun/Nissan fuel injection, but as a general rule, I stay away from fuel injection before the mid-80's. Are there any conspicuous areas for rust that I should look for? Down here things rust FAST if they aren't cared for. Mahalos again, Joel

Alohas, I've always thought Z cars were pretty cool, but I really don't know that much about them. If I were going to start looking to buy one, which model years are the "best" and what should I look for? I'm a aircooled VW guy right now, but its nice to try something different every now and then. What kind of performance can I get out of a Z car? Do you guys favor naturally aspirated engines or forced induction? Also, are parts expensive for these cars? I'm guessing it would be more than VW parts, but less than, say a Porsche? Any replies would be a real help. I just saw the coolest Z car on the road today and loved the sound, so I had to find someplace to get more info on these cars. Mahalos! Joel Simmons