AndysPlit

My 86 300ZX 2+2 is a great cruiser and daily driver. Well, was a great daily until the tranny died. Now I'm waiting to fix it. At any rate, my 280Z is more fun to drive, but the ZX's are great daily rides for the aforementioned reasons above. About the only thing that I find more enjoyable about my ZX over the Z are the T-Tops.

Go with NGK plugs.

....Honestly mine was a blue and silver 280ZX. A friend of my mother's owned one. I was really young, but I remember how cool I thought that car was.

The guy must be blind to do that to a Z.

The closest we ever got to anything "Top Secret" was at the end of HW 375 (the E.T. Highway), south of Rachel, NV. You will find an 8 mile dirt road off of 375 that leads to the "front gate" (no actual gate there) of the alleged Area 51 base. There are plenty of signs posted about being shot should you continue beyond a certain point. Needless to say we took these warnings seriously as there were cameras and guards posted in the surrounding hills above. I doubt many Z's ever get up that close to Area 51! Many parts of the trip were erie in some way. Even during the day when no other car was seen for miles, it was kinda creepy. Loved it nonetheless. As for getting too close, we got as close as we legally could.

It was great. I got a lot of compliments on the car while we were on the road. The valet guys at the MGM in Vegas were checking it out too. I found out that one of them had owned a 240 years ago. Even after the car was covered in dust and dirt from Area 51 (long dirt road) I still got a lot of interest in the car. Funny, it seem like more attention was geared my way as soon as we were out of town.

Thanks! Here's a link of where we went. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=12901639290065572154,36.063269,-116.752087%3B13838695603147431650,35.560990,-114.374330%3B13725028252890483574,34.115350,-115.508830&saddr=637+el+molino+ave,+pasadena,+ca+91101&daddr=shoshone,+ca+to:Badwater+Rd+%4036.063269,+-116.752087+to:furnace+creek+ranch,+death+valley,+ca+to:ubehebe+crater,+ca+to:1+Old+Mill+Rd,+Alamo,+NV+89001+(Little+A'Le'Inn)+to:alamo,+nv+to:3799+las+vegas+blvd,+south,+las+vegas,+nv+89109+to:US-93+S+%4035.560990,+-114.374330+to:oatman,+az+to:831+W+Rte+66,+Williams,+Coconino,+Arizona+86046,+United+States+to:grand+canyon,+az+to:prescott,+az+to:34.161818,-114.353943+to:CA-62+%4034.115350,+-115.508830+to:637+N+El+Molino+Ave,+Pasadena,+Los+Angeles,+California+91101,+United+States&mra=dpe&mrcr=10&mrsp=13&sz=9&via=2,8,13,14&sll=34.066312,-114.301758&sspn=1.563043,2.554321&ie=UTF8&ll=36.129002,-114.840088&spn=6.09445,10.217285&z=7

Horrible. Ugliest 280ZX ever.

.....It was a wonderful journey. The Z made it more memorable and fun! She got us home in one piece with no mechanical issues. Another testament to the car's reliability. I will have pictures posted very soon! Z-ya!

...Thanks. Vacation to me is taking the Z out for a road trip. That's the meaning of life right there!

Wow. Too bad you have to call for the pictures. Wonder why he didn't post them.

We'll be leaving on Saturday, and be gone for a week. I just changed the plugs, filters, and a few other things that were recommended. My Z shop (Sunrise) did the brakes. I haven't taken the Z on a roadtrip in nearly 5 years. I'm pretty excited. The last time was to New Orleans and back. I'll share some pictures when we return. I thought some of you would be interested in our exact route. I'll tell ya if we see any UFO's by Area 51! hehe. Check out this link. Again, thanks to everyone for the mechanical advice. It really helped. Z-ya! Andy http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=12901639290065572154,36.063269,-116.752087%3B13838695603147431650,35.560990,-114.374330%3B16408217798319478645,34.158693,-114.355876%3B13725028252890483574,34.115350,-115.508830&saddr=pasadena,+ca+91101&daddr=shoshone,+ca+to:Badwater+Rd+%4036.063269,+-116.752087+to:furnace+creek+ranch,+death+valley,+ca+to:ubehebe+crater,+ca+to:1+Old+Mill+Rd,+Alamo,+NV+89001+(Little+A'Le'Inn)+to:alamo,+nv+to:3799+las+vegas+blvd,+south,+las+vegas,+nv+89109+to:US-93+S+%4035.560990,+-114.374330+to:oatman,+az+to:831+W+Rte+66,+Williams,+Coconino,+Arizona+86046,+United+States+to:grand+canyon,+az+to:prescott,+az+to:CA-62+%4034.158693,+-114.355876+to:CA-62+%4034.115350,+-115.508830+to:Pasadena,+Los+Angeles,+California+91101,+United+States&mra=pe&mrcr=10&via=2,8,13,14&sll=35.782171,-113.444824&sspn=6.121221,10.217285&ie=UTF8&ll=35.969115,-115.125732&spn=6.106819,10.217285&z=7

There Ya Go!

It is indeed awesome. Make sure you get directions to where the car exhibition actually is that Sunday, as it is not in front of the shop like it use to be.

MSA is in Orange County, CA. The West Coast Nationals is April 25-27th. The actual exhibition is on the 27th. See you there. http://motorsportauto.com/

No signs of it running hot whatsoever. As far as I've been concerned it's been "tip-top" in that area. However, that does sound like a P.I.T.A. Is the silocone just for safe measure in case it leaks?

.......I'm going through my receipts from the last 11 years of owning my Z, and I discover that the water pump was last changed about 83,000 miles ago. I am about to embark on a 1600 mile roundtrip around the Southwest, as some of you may know. I've changed the thermostat, the hoses, and flushed out the radiator recently. Now I'm having concerns about the water pump since it's been a while. So far no signs of leaking, overheating, or funny noises. So, 2 question: -I heard these things (water pumps) can last anywhere from 50 - 250K. Is there an average for the 280Z? -I don't have my manual handy right now. Is the pump easily accesible for a roadside repair if necessary? gaskets need? ps....Just called MSA and was told there are no regular intervals recommended by Nissan. One associate claimed that his lasted about 130K. Anyone else?

WTF......I had no idea!

I changed a few things this weekend to get the Z ready for the trip. I changed the fuel filter, air filter, both radiator hoses, and the thrermostat. Before I leave this Saturday I will be doing the spark plugs. Oh, and I flushed out the radiator. I've done a few things on the car before like the starter, oil, and alternator. Believe it or not this was my first time doing those other items I mentioned. It felt good to know that I did it myslef...and that I saved some cash! Again, thanks for all the support and advice. I've already done my research about plug gapping and all that. This board has been great help, but it wouldn't be so great if not for the helpful users. Cheers, Andy

....Funny, as the years have gone by I get more and more compliments on my car.

This goes without saying but they are alive and well down here in Southern California. I see an S30 perhaps once or twice a week. Granted, not as often as a ZX, but they are around. When I was in New York City in 2001, I saw one Z. That was at the airport as I was leaving.

.....You can see an orange 240 in the town square of Hill Valley in Back To The Future.

I wish I had access to You Tube. Now I'm curious.

The one on my car is currently the OEM mirror. It is plastic. I don't have a picture of it at this moment. So, what do you have? I am open to aftermarket as well, but it depends. Thanks, Andy