Marty Rogan

You might want to try wrapping the shift lever with some nylon plumber's tape. It might just give you enough additional mass to stop it from spinnig around. Marty

Congrats Craig! Looks like a nice spread in the magazine. Wish I could read Japanese! Marty

Congrats Paul! That's a sweet looking car. I owned a 1966 Tiger in '83-'84, at the same time that I owned my first 240Z. It was the exact same color combo as this one. An amazingly fast little car, but suspension technology was pretty crude back then, so watch those corners! They are really rare cars. Only 7,000 total world production were made. There are probably less than 2,000 left today. If you think working on a Z is hard, you should try one of these! They shoe-horned a Ford V-8 in there. To change the #8 spark plug, you have to remove a grommet behind the clutch pedal, lay up-side-down and stick your jointed extension socket wrench through the hole to get to it. It can take 2-3 hours just to change that one plug! It makes changing the heater hoses in a Z seem easy by comparison. Man, 20 years later and I still regret selling that car. Enjoy it! Marty

Thanks for the reply Bob. And its not too late. I got super busy lately and did not get to this project yet. I hope to soon. Marty

Might as well replace the valve too while you are in there. You don't want to do that job a second time. Marty

Well, I just got cleaned up after finishing this job off. When I sit back and look at the final solution, it just kinda makes me laugh. Any time you are working on the car, or any other job for that matter, ALWAYS use the the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid!!!) principal first! You guys all came with great suggestions as to what the problem could be: wheel bearings; tie rods; steering arms; ball joints; hubs out of round, spindle worn. After I got new bearings installed; still had too much play. After I got a new ball joint installed; still too much play! At this point I am really scratching my head because that ball joint really looked like it was flexing a lot. While I was under there pushing and pulling on the wheel, looking up at everything, I see the shock shaft moving. The lock nut that holds the shock into the top strut mount had backed off!!! DOH!!! Tightened that sucker, no more movement! The solution ended up costing me zero! Oh well, everything on that side is new so it should be in good shape for a couple more years. Just thought I would share this in case someone else forgets to use KISS first. Marty

Last night I was able to get one of my sons to tug on the wheel while I got underneath for a look. From that angle it was pretty obvious that the ball joint is shot. Hopefully that will solve the problem and it won't be a spindle and hub too. Thanks for the help! Marty

Thanks for the input. That's interesting to hear about the hubs and spindles. I could see how the spindles could wear, but I never thought about the hubs going out of round. Since I have play with the new bearings which have not had a load on them yet, I am suspecting the ball joint now. I'll have a look at that tonight. Thanks, Marty

I use my early '71 as a track car. With the tracks around here, the driver's front wheel bearings take a lot of abuse. While swapping tires the other day, I noticed some play in the wheel bearings. Tightening didn't help, so I took it apart for closer inspection. The outer bearing race had a visable shaddow where the bearings were rolling, but not really a groove that could be felt. I replaced the bearings anyway since they were about 2 years old, and like I said, it is a track car and gets a lot of abuse. With the new bearings installed, I still get some play in the bearings. I know the races were seated well. Any ideas on what the problem could be. I need to get this fixed before a track day on Monday. Thanks, Marty

What "spray bomb" product did you use? What kind of brush, soft brissels, or stiff brissels (liek a hair brush? Thanks for the input. Marty

Well, this would be used in an occasional driver, but the SEM solution does not sound too promising either. If I am going to go through all the time and trouble to do this, I would want something that lasts. Thanks Will. Anyone else have another solution? Marty

Sounds like RIT is not a good choice. Thanks Geezer! Marty

I have a set of original carpets in my early '71 that are in pretty good shape. They are the cut pile type. Problem is that the sun faded them while it lived in the South. What experiences have you had with dyeing carpets? Please share any tips and tricks you may have found. Things to stay away from would be good hear too. My first thought was to use RIT fabric dye. I have also heard some people say to use SEM vinyl dye. I have used the SEM on door panels with fantastic results. It just seems odd to use it on carpet though. The brown jute underneath the carpet is shot too. So far I have not been able to find a supplier for that. If anyone has found a source, let me know. TIA, Marty

I was thinking of getting Tabco doglegs for my car. I would be interested to know why you don't like them. TIA, Marty

Arne, Really nice work on that one. It looks fabulous! You really surprised me in how fast you got the sunroof gone and paint done. Working on a non-rusty Z really makes it more enjoyable doesn't it? Keep up the good work! Marty

I have the Toyota 4x4 brake conversion with vented rotors on my track car. The high heat eventually deposits a microscopic film on the rotors, which makes them vibrate like the rotors are warped. Is there a good way to clean them without having to get the rotors turned? One option I have heard is to use MetalMaster brake pads to clean them up. If there is a quicker easier way, I am open to proven suggestions. TIA, Marty

If you can get the R180 4.11, do it! IT is lighter and you won't have to monkey around with more conversion parts. I just put one in and it took me almost a year to find one. IT makes the car really quick. Marty

My car was built 1/71. My modified shifter ended up not working after all. It moved the problem from contacting at the front to contacting at the rear. I just bit the bullet and trimmed the tunnel and the console. Hated doing it at the time, but once it was done and working I was glad I did it. For the inner boot, get the mounting plate and rubber boot from a Series II car. You can use the mounting plate as a template for how much of the tunnel to trim. You should use the throw out bearing, collar and fork that are correct for the ZX tranny. The auto adjusting slave is much more convenient to use. Good luck! Marty

As long as you already have the tank out, I would take it to a good radiator shop. They can boil it out, weld/solder the joints and re-line the tank. They don't charge that much for this service. Once you have this done, you shoulnd't have any more gas tank issues. Marty

I took mine out for a little Sunday Drive this past Sunday. I put 100 track miles on it at Road America. Yahoooo, that was fun!!! The car ran and handled great. It was a little cold, with a high of 40 but the track was dry. I felt bad for the guys that ran on Saturday when it was raining and snowing while they were on track! Marty

It was interesting re-reading the jute padding discussion, started back in 2003! Man how time flies! I still have not found a US supplier that is close to the original jute material. Has anyone else found it? Marty

Interesting. I had not heard that story. thanks, Marty

What is ultra rare about the 280ZX?? Marty

I was able to get right into the site from Chicago. Marty

Not a bad idea. It will have to wait till the car is out of hibernation though. Pretty soon, ... spring is finally coming! Man it's been a long winter. Thanks for the ideas and info. Marty