Marty Rogan

This is an issue with my '71 with an '83 L28 and '83 5 spd installed. I had a combination of issues happen while on the track at Road America. First, I think the fuel regulator started to go bad. I lost power and died. Had to get flat towed in. While diagnosing the no fuel problem, I got the car running again. Then when I was revving the engine, I started to get a real severe vibration through the stick shift. There was also a bad noise coming from the back of the engine. I could not tell if it was coming from the engine, the tranny or the clutch. The only thing that I could think of that could have hurt something was that I messed up a down shift and it revved pretty hard against the clutch once. It seemed like I smelled some clutch material for a brief time after that, but it seemed to shift and drive wihout problem for a long time before the fuel issue cropped up. At that point I decided to call it a day and limp home. I didn't get very far. The vibration got worse at 3,000 RPM or when I went above 60 MPH. I had to leave the car and come back the next day with a trailer. Not knowing where the problem was and not having time to deal with it, I decided to drop it off at a Z Shop as long as I had it on a trailer. He thought it was a clutch problem. Once he took it apart, he found that the ring of weights on the CenterForce II clutch had slipped to one side. This seemed to make sense, that if the weights were off center, that it would cause a vibration. I got the car back today. It still has a severe vibration that comes right up the shift lever. He thought it was the shift knob causing it. But I took it completely off and it still vibrates, so that can't be it. At this point I am starting to think some is wrong with the trans. Anybody got any ideas what would cause such a vibration through the shift lever? TIA, Marty

Nice pictures! Looks like you are having some fun. Seems like Cindy likes to pass Mustangs, ! Marty

The Autozone link does not work. The Z Store kit appears to be the non-vented rotor set up, which is not as wide as the vented rotor calipers. You have not said what wheels you do have have. All I can tell you is that if you go with the vented calipers (wide ones) and have wheels with a flat center section, they will rub. The Panasports cleared because the spokes bow outward. Rewinds also rub, but you can grind down the caliper to gain enough clearance. Good luck! Marty

If I were you, I would go with the Toyota 4x4 conversion for the front, with braided brake lines. Most of the braking is done up front anyway. The rear drums are adequate even at the track. I have used that set up with the vented rotors at the track for 3-4 years with outstanding results. The vented rotor set up is very wide though, so it may not fit under your wheels, depending on what you have. I know they fit under Panasports. The pads also make a big difference. I have been using Axxis Utltimate, a Kevlar/ceramic combination. Marty

I have one of those too, except the clips that attach it to the under-side of the hood are missing. If you have those clips and were going to give it away, I could use the clips. Ugly as they may be, they do stop rock chips and bug splatter on those long trips Marty

I am not familiar with that kit, however, I have a question on the intended use for your car first. Will this car be driven on the street or on the track? For a street car, the kit should be fine. However, for a track car you could do better. I would go with vented disk in the front. Definitely stay away from slotted and cross drilled rotors. Under the extreme heat generated at the track, the rotors can crack. I saw one case on a Z06 Vette, where the rotor actually exploded when he was going into the braking zone. It pulled the car into a wall and scattered bits and pieces of the car all throughout the corner. The carnage tore off the whole left side of the car. Luckily the driver got off with a mild concussion. Moral of the story, be sure the upgrade is right for the application. Marty

That is horrible news. 43 is much too young . I was wondering why we had not heard from them in a long time. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Vickie and her family. Marty

Great project! As far as I know, there is no source for these. I know a lot of us need these. Unfortuantely, I don't know what they are made of either. Like Carl and Beandip said, it's probably some type of oil resistant rubber, maybe synthetic. Marty

Good stuff to know. Thanks John. I'll look for something a little more main stream. Marty

I don't really know much about them, other than I want one, !!! If you decide not to use it, I'll buy it from you. Marty

I used stainless steel band clamps from Summit Racing The work great and allow you to take it apart when needed. Marty

Very nice video Dave! I love to Vette's bowing to the Z and pointing you by! I have my first track day of the year on April 15th. Can't wait to try out my new DOT race tires. Cheers, Marty

He does use some pretty slick wording in his advertising: "There was one full blown race car built for the street and the car you see here." Apparently, this isn't the "full blown race car for the street". It is still interesting as a nice condition 510, but I doubt it is worth much more than its current bid. Marty

Looks really interesting. So you think this is the real deal? Is Carl going to start his own BRE collection, ! Marty

Are the curved cross braces from a later 240Z the same as the cross braces for an R200 Diff? TIA, Marty

That looks really close to the original look and the dimensions look right. What material is it made out of? If it is the same type of material as original, I'll take 2! All I could find so far is a rubber grommet. Marty

I was in kind of a hurry to get the job done and I have heard that they don't fit, so I didn't bother trying them out. Next time I have the wheels on, I will try them and a Panasport cap that I have to see if either will fit. I kind of doubt it though. I noticed that the Panasports have a center hub that is probably twice as thick as the Rewinds. That is probably why the Pana cap works. Marty

Well, it's spring and I decided to go with the 15x7 Rewinds. The arrived on Friday and I mounted one on Saturday. So, if anyone else was wondering, the center hub of the Rewinds do rub on the wide 4x4 calipers. I had to grind off the inner rib on the calipers and then they fit fine. Marty

Very nice!! I think you have probably just made Chris W. (26th Z) a very jealous man! He has been looking for a set of those for years. Marty

Sorry, but it's been 20 years since I have seen a '73 bumper. I would think that they would have to bee different, otherwise the spacer for the '73 would not fit.

The front bumper on a '73 has an additional spacer and heavier mounting brackets. I believe the rear bumpers are the same. You can mount an early 70-73 bumper on a '73, by using the earlier mounting brackets. The threaded holes for the early brackets are still manufactured into the body on the '73 model. I did it with my first Z and prefer the look to the '73 5 MPH impact bumper. Marty

Thanks for the input gnosez. Do you think the car might be better suited for another class? I was thinking the daily driver class might make sense. I believe paint color isn't an issue in that class. If most things are pretty correct, and very clean, it might do well. I remember KATS car winning in the daily driver class. His and my car are fairly similar. Both are early 70 models, blue on blue, but not the correct 903 blue. Although mine is nice and pretty correct, I know mine would not come close to the level of detail he put into his car. I am just not sure what judges are looking for in the various classes. The daily driver class does not judge the engine compartment and that is one of the high points for my car. I would think going in the Nissan Modified class would not make sense, since it isn't very modified. I would think tastefull done, highly modified cars would take way more points than a slightly modified car. Thanks for the opinions. This is a good discussion, thanks for starting it Will. Marty

As you know, these cars are a work in process. That is somewhat of an old picture. Since then, I have replaced the coil with an OEM coil. The block is painted with the Nissan blue from Les at CDM. All of the CAD plating has been re-done. Have all of the original stickers. For the interior, I will be swapping the original carpets from my yellow car into this one, after I re-dye them black. Are judges just looking to ONLY have the original carpets in there? I have a set of NOS Adco rubber mats that the dealers sold. Would those be considered a deduction? I also have a set of NOS seat covers that I will be putting on. The arm-rest/cup holder lifts out. One other thing that I tend to loose points on is that the PO drilled a hole in the side of the console to relocate an antenna switch. Other than that it is in good shape. I picked up one of those repros from MSA. Which would be looked on more favorably by a judge? I also have an NOS hand throttle installed. Would that be considered a deduction? The outside has all new bumpers, door handles, etc. It has the correct Koito headlights. The paint is in really excellent shape, but of course its not the 903 blue that it should be. How much of a deduction would that typically be? I will also be putting the original wheels and D hubcaps back on. There are some additonal pictures in my gallery too. I appreciate any additional tips you might be able to provide. Thanks, Marty

I also have the stock radio, wheels, D-hubcaps, braided hoses, Koito headlights to put on. But I am not about to tear the car apart and pay tons of money just to get a stock color. Your last comment is so true. Even brand new they may not have qualified! Marty