TomoHawk

I was only 10 when the 240Z came out!

I'm used to build sheets. You might be familiar with other things. You can call it a production order, build sheet or brochure. In any case there has to be a record, someplace, of what equipment a car has. Either detailed with all the options added on, or just the standard equipment. I wouldn't buy a new car without one.

Can somebody tell me where the ballast resistor is supposed to be on a 280Z? I thought it would be very near the coil, but the only thing I see there is a noise cap. thx.

There are bearings inside for the advance mechanism held by a plastic cage. the cage often breaks and the advance fails. http://www.geocities.com/zgarage2001/engine.html

I have a notebook full of ideas on the subject. Not having machining tools & stuff means I gotta get somebody else to do it. Nor am I a shifter engineer. My specialty is Chemistry, so I'm be better at designing a new metal for the shifter, or a new paint. And like I said, I can't use a manual-shift transmission. And, AFAIK, you can't get a sequential transmission to to fit the L28 engine. It would be easier & cheaper to just change the shifter. It's not a question of being a manual shift wannabe! It's just a different kind of sporty shifter! How many people haft 'short-throw shifters?' By your logic, you don't need that, do you? Pancho- Sorry, typo. My fingers are tired & tangled. What's a dog-leg shift pattern? thx

I dunno how long it took to develop the thing. I heard about it in 1990, then tried to buy one in 1993,when I orderd my GTO stuff, and then the salesman told me they stopped making them. That makes 3 years. Unfortunately, The biggest problem was that it didn't catch on like you would think. It's such a different idea that it would take a while. That part you got right. Many NEW ideas take a while, like paddle shifters. I'm not hot for those myself. Nor do many cars have them( I can think of 3), so why do they bother offering them in cars?

Yeah, I'd buy one if it would WORK. I'd make a mount for it with a nice box & everything. Many nice mods in my car already: full-size wheel in the back flip-up toolbox lid fancy shifter handle euro-style trunk pull & door pulls modern day/night rearview mirror power steering supportive seats etc

They just need to fix the problem so they can get it (certified for competition). The idea/design can be adapted for different shift patterns, like it is for Ford C4-C6, Chevy T250-350-TH700, Mopar, etc. It should also be relatively easy to make a change for the Nissan shift gate. Remember the S30 auto trans is a LOT like the one in the Maxima, et al.

What does the 90-96 Z32 have to do with a shifter designed in 1991?

No, no no..... You're thinking backwards... B&M designs and build shifters. They're experts at it! I saidthe shifter would be put into a million cars, it would earn $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ !!!!! You're thinking small. thing BIG. Make it an idea that WILL happen.

It doesn't have to FIT the aS30 car. We just need them to start making them again. I's not a "pretend" shifter. I see it as the evolution of the straight-gate now used. I see it as the shifter you'd get in any performance-minded car ( which is a LOT of them). I don't see to many rachet-shifters on street cars, so they must be useless too, huh? the H-pattern is just the name given to shifters for the 4 and 5-speed transmissions. You might also call it a horizontal-gate. Tthere is also a vertical-gate or "Z-gate" shift pattern. No need for a clutch pedal, because there's no clutch. B&M WAS interested in 90-93. They designed it, patented it, and marketed it, but they suddenly took it off the market before it hit the shelves because if a problem with the reverse lock-out that racers needed. I thought there might be somebody here with connections at B&M that might use the clout of this group to resurrect the project. To our benifit of course. thx

gnosez- why didn't you chime in a year ago, when this topic was started? For me, it was the first time "Official Z.C.C.A. Z-Car Judging Manual" was mentioned, or at least the first time I noticed it enough to go look into it.

Carl- I first thought of the idea for use on streetrods, but it could be used on MILLIONS OF CARS!! Not just Z-cars! It would be a fully-functional shifter, with an H-pattern for three speeds forward, 1 reverse, and Park (5 gears total). How many cars have paddle shifters, but don't need them, like the Lincoln LS? You gotta stop thinking negatively! Get your heads out of the BOX. RICE? How about those guys trying to duplicate the works rally cars? Those aren'treally works rally cars, so they must be RICE? Pancho- What do you mean by log-leg pattern? And it -is- a GO on the H-pattern. It's been patented already. (Shift gate) What shift gate? On what console? My car has no center console. Just a shifter with as nice leather boot around it. In my photo album. ???? I thought you guys were open to new ideas ???

Another idea--- Based on the same new shifter, the button could be hooked up to the clutch, so you can eliminate the clutch pedal! squeezing the button disengages the clutch!

RICE? Adding a period-looking shifter doesn't sound like rice to me, and it would definitely be cool for us with the automatic trannies, and would be as functional as aesthetic. Like I said, it would make the auto-shift cars look like the manual-shift ones, from the driver's seat. To me, rice-stuff degrades the look of things. I alao like the idea because I'm unable to drive a car with manual transmission, so the new shifter would be cool- even a retro-styled idea to replace ratchet-shifters. STICKERS Stickers suck, and were meant to cover rust-spots (rust being a four-letter word). I've been working on this idea since I started building streetrods. They all have column-shifters (boring) or floor-shifters that belong in contemporary cars (looks funny). I don't play video games. Same to you. thx

I like the definition from the ACCA: STOCK CLASS: Vehicles exhibited must be configured exactly as shipped from factory (NOT DEALER). Cars with Dealer add-ons such, as wheels, other than stock tires, side moldings, etc. can enter this class with deductions for same. Radios, paint color, tires, etc. must be as shipped. A/C must be factory installed except 240Z which may have same A/C as installed by dealer, i.e. ARA or Frigid King, with basic York compressor. Daily Drivers can enter this class if desired. The reason is that of documentation. You can look up what was on the car from the build sheet (which has the add-ons) or the manufacturer's brochure. That way you won't have to depend on memory. The new preoblem we have now is that since these 240Zs are being reduilt/refurbished/whatever, we (or they) need to decide if the condition at sale is F-stock, rebuilt-stock, or whatever. I haven't heard of any non-stock extras being added to the cars buring rebuild, but the the possibility is there. thx

I saw a $120,000 Mustang GT500 on ther Barrett-Jackson (Arizona) auction recently, even though it's a re-run from last year( just musclecar auctions). It had an automatic transmission. MANY of the Shelby Mustangs had them. Plus, the Nissan Maxima uses the same transmission- with or without overdrive, which would help simplify things. What's a "slide-o-matic?" Mine already has a shifter, with an updated, sporty-looking handle, which has been mistaken for a manual shifter several times!. Then, I dunno which other shifter would fit the car & trans shift pattern. Some people on Hybridz.org have adapted generic shifters to the JATCO unit, but it was not easy to get the gear 'notches' to match. Wouldn't it be really NEAT if they made such a shifter that looks like the manual one? Then you wouldn't be abler to tell what kind of transmission was in the car by looking at the the shifter! The idea isn't to improve the shifter, but to get the 4-speed pattern that most people associate with older-, or sporty- cars. thx

It's not much but this isit: http://www.zcca.org/registry/FromRootFolder/judge.htm

If these cars are being sold as "new" with a warranty, etc., then they are STOCK as-is. There can be no other conclusion. Just because it's a"1972" doesn't mean it's not "new." Otherwise, either the owners are paying to much for a "used car," or the rebuilders are getting overpaid. Lots of streetrod builders register their cars as a new "1932 ford" thought it was built in 2004.

Is there such a thing? I'd like to take a look at it. There's never too many checklists to look over to see if there's anything left to spiff up or fix- it could be to your own benifit & safety if you catch something important, not to mention a little personal satisfaction that 'that guy' or 'the pretty girl' is checking you out. I'll go take a look at the z.c.c.a site... www.zcca.org right? thx

We "discussed" the differences in stock, original (vintage), etc. cars in another topic. I'm not sure where mine would be. I think we all got 'discuss-ted.' http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11413

B&m racing (transmission/shifter people) has a program where they borrow your car for a while to develop a shiter to fit your model. People in the in the Los Angeles, Ventura, or Orange County areas, should call them and tell them to put the S30 model on the "To-Do list." An aftermarket replacement manual shifter wold be nice, but I'd like to see an H-gate (4 spd pattern) shifter for the auto trans people! Since the S30 is THE MOST POPULAR SPORTS CAR IN THE U.S., they should design an auto trans shifter. They had one in the late 80s, so why not redesign it for modern cars?? thx B&M Car Search List Phone: 1-818-882-6422 Hours: 7am - 11:30am and 12:30pm - 4pm (all times are Pacific Standard Time)

Steven- I don't have that 'S' tube in the forground. Instead my 280Z has a vacuum head sticking up with several nipples for vacuum, and a rubber tube coming from the mystery valve. These are on my (fastfrog vacuum hose diagram), which is below. Maybe we can contact some Z-specialist to help us with this? It seems to be the key to several things, including how to get rid of egr valve. Assuming it doesn't help to have it still on there. The thing that pulls on the throttle linkage is a fast-idle doohickey for cars with a/c.