psdenno

Nice job! Thanks for the write up that has answered the questions many of us had about the radio and the install process. I think going with the flat black knobs was a perfect choice. I'm a little surprised that RETROSOUNDUSA hasn't joined back in the discussion and offered you a new faceplate. Dennis

Have you tried closing the rear hatch on a long strip of paper (waxed paper 2 or 3 inches wide works well) and then checking to see if you can pull it out? Do this all around the hatch sealed opening and you'll find out if there are any gaps, or weak sealing points, between seal & hatch. Dennis

Reverb units! I forgot about those. I added one to my dad's '66 Chrysler to give "depth" to the AM tunes. I'm intrigued by the Retro Sound install, too, and look forward to reading about it when it's finished. I pulled the AM radio out of the Datsun in about 1972 and installed an AM/FM aftermarket unit. That radio is now about at the end of its days. What has kept me from going with the Retro Sound is the lack of a new faceplate, since the stock one can't be used. I didn't want to install it in the glovebox and I didn't want a poorly carved (by me) faceplate on the dash. So, last week, I picked up an original Z AM/FM and will use it with my XM satellite service. The Retro Sound unit still calls out to me, however.

Vinyl in a moving car? I think SO! Check this link or google "car record player": http://www.flickr.com/photos/4kleuren/104338856/ A little history....... Long ago, in the days before Freeways, people used to actually talk and sing songs together while driving. Then, in the 1930s, someone thought to put a radio in a car - a radical idea considering the size of radios in those days. Later, in the 1960s, before FM stations ruled the airwaves, clever folks added cassette players and 8-track players to their Hemi-Cudas and Camaro Super Sports. Soon after that, AM stations faded from favor. In the 1990s, CD players began to replace cassette players in cars. The turn of the century brought us satellite radio for our commercial free listening pleasure. It appears that satellite TV will be next. I remember putting an underdash cassette player in my '66 Olds Toronado in the late '60s and a CB radio in the Z in the '70s. Times change. Dennis

Earlier today, I spent a couple hours with a "retard", as you so lovingly use the term. At this point I prefer his company to yours as his social skills are much more highly developed. On the other hand, if you posted to just bait an argument, please go away. Dennis

Either type of antenna switch (top or side) is easily removed from the early stock radios. Dennis

You can probably get by for much less money than that. A generic Facet brand will cost less than half of what the ebay unit costs. Other brands are even less expensive. Does your Z have a fuel pressure regulator installed? Dennis

Be careful about removing the seat risers, even though the seats you're looking at sit high. I've read some posts about how they add to the structural rigidity of the Z. If you get the VW seats, check to see how much of the base you can remove in order to lower them. That's the problem I've had with the BMW seats. It's doable, but takes some creative mounting of the Z seat rails. Dennis

91% for me, too - a good way to start the new year. I hope the remaining 364 days go as well. Dennis

Similar Recaro seats are in the late '80s BMW. Great seats. Mounting can be a creative adventure, however. Ask me how I know. Dennis

And chrome....lots of chrome. Dennis

Welcome! Feel free to take it for a drive on any of the other six days of the week, too. The fun never ends. Dennis

Always nice to add another original owner to the fold. Welcome! Dennis

Go with the full cap. Only a few bucks more and a much better look. Dennis

I agree with the items lonetreesteve added above. Those plus the four corners (headlight buckets, and all lenses) that are prone to crash or bump damage. Window metal trim pieces will also hoard well. Dennis

While I'm sure there are a couple others who have owned their Zs longer, I do still have my Bill of Sale for HLS 3028911 dated November 22, 1971. Dennis

38 years, 1 month.

Speaking of paint, I'm curious about how well it takes other car doors opening against it in a parking lot - rips, peels? Looks good initially and it might be fun to have a shrink wrapped Z! Who will be first? Dennis

Put me at the head of the line for the tail lights/lenses if in good condition. Dennis

A wife who helps you dress your mistress - good woman! Dennis

Check the installation on a Porsche Boxster at: Dennis

It was a bone chilling 41 degrees here this morning and the closest snow is several thousand feet up the mountain. Winter in the California desert is actually the best driving season and preferred time of year to be outside working on the car. The Z is a little harder to start on these mornings but the Porsche comes out of the garage and the top comes off! Dennis

I paid $350 for mine and have an estimate of $650 for a "worst case" rebuild. Dennis

Question for seller of the Porche 280-Z: How many miles and does it have gullwing doors like the 270Z V12 did? Dennis

However, when a list is titled "25 Best Cars Ever List" one tends to think of it as covering a fairly long period of time - like forever. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there would be a Factory 5 Cobra replicar had there not been a Cobra somewhere in that "Ever" timeframe before it. Perhaps the title should have been, "25 Best Affordable Cars Built Since 1985, In Our Opinion, That Maybe Could Be Raced By The Average Guy Who Reads This Magazine and Dreams About Doing Stuff Like That, But Probably Never Will, List". Dennis