Oiluj

I tend to agree w/ Arne, but I'm no expert on wheels and tires. Depending upon tire availability, on my 15" panasports I plan to run no wider than 215's, but am really thinking of going with 205's. Regarding my selection of panasports, it's not nostaligia, I just like the way they look. I also considered the slots sold by MSA, but the panasports won out in the end. Just my 2 cents... Julio

I'm planning to do the rear disc upgrade. Discs are not perfect, but I like them better than drums. In my experience w/ various cars, I've found disc brakes to be more reliable and easier to work on. But that's just me...

I agree with BRE-240Z on 17" wheels. They just don't look "right" to me. I went 15" panasports, but 16" looks fine as well. One thing to consider is ride quality & potholes. I know two people with tall rims and low profile tires, (which is how I would characterize 17's on a Z). Their cars ride very hard and both have had to repair or replace rims after hitting a pothole on the highway. There's not enough cushion in the tire sidewall to protect the rim. Just my 2 cents...

I'm doing their lowest cost upgrade. Basic rebuild / bore-job where they make my L24 into an L28 with a mild performance head. Everything replaced on the head, all new bearings and seals below. Magnafluxed, etc. With exception of the machine work, nothing I probably couldn't do myself. Difference is I'm sure they do a better job... With this upgrade I should get slightly more performance than a stock L28, but am told it will still idle smoothly. According to their web site it should produce approximately 200 hp with increase in torque to about 195 ft-lbs. Gas mileage should not change if I can keep my foot off the throttle. *grin* Quoted cost was approximately $3,500, complete. Of course, it could go higher if they find something wrong. A bit pricey for me, but it's actually pretty reasonable for a "quality" engine rebuild. My buddy just spent $5,000 for a mild performance rebuild of a Ford V8. I figure it will be worth it, since I plan to keep the car till they carry me out in a box or the DMV tells me I can't drive anymore...

Rented a small tow trailer and dropped my car off at Williams Auto Body this morning. Now comes the 8-10 week wait... Showed William the light rust area I found and he will contact me after they have stripped it down and can see it better. Next I have to finish getting the engine ready to take to Rebello in about 2 weeks.

Very Nice Job!

If you remember I had a problem with some door panels I bought about 1-1/2 months ago on eBay. I filed a dispute w/ Pay Pal and yesterday they ruled in my favor. Seller agreed to refund my money upon reciept of the door panels. I'm out about $30 for shipping, but that's OK. Happy ending! Also, I purchased another set of panels from the seller in Canada. Very nice reproductions with chrome strip that appear to fit fine...

I phone ordered from McMaster. They typically ship the same day and are a great source for anything mechanical. Here's the link: http://www.mcmaster.com/

I considered that as my best back-up solution, one I would have used in preferrence to tapping the original fittings with the 1/4-20 plug option. Getting the correct fittings from McMaster is less work. Call me lazy... *grin*

I did a bit of investigation and verified that the air tube fitting threads are BSPP, not BSPT, That is, they are a straight thread, not a tapered thread. They are J.I.S., but J.I.S. is a direct copy of British standard threads). I checked in McMaster-Carr and they have various plug forms in BSPT and BSPP in brass, 304 stainless, iron & steel. They cost about $2 each. So here's what I plan to do. I plan to use a BSPP hex key plug, threaded all the way to the bottom of the exhaust port. I'll apply a bit of high-temp thread sealant to assure a seal. While this would be adequate, (my being a belt & suspenders kind of guy), I'm also going to use a BSPP hex head plug to cover the hole. I also came-up with an alternate approach: I tried this on one old fitting just-for grins... Looking at the tube fitting, I found that the tube hole on the manifold side of the fitting is 0.203" dia. This is the perfect size for a 1/2-20 tap. I tapped the inside hole of the fitting from the manifold side with 1/4-20 threads. I coated a 1/4-20 x 1/2" threaded socket head set screw with high-temp epoxy to help "seal" the threads and inserted the set-screw into the fitting. I then used a moto-too to grind the tube sticking from the hex-head side of the fitting flush and dabbed a bit of epoxy on to look more "finished". I'm not going this route because the fittings are quite rusted and the hex heads are rounded, but it is a viable alternative.

With a good dash, that looks like a great deal! At the very worst, you can sell the parts for much more than 1K.

I can tell you I was surprised to see what 240's were fetching in the market when I started looking last September, but then I'd been out of touch with Z values for many years. I think recent collector & auction interest in S30's especially early 240Z's is influencing prices. When shopping for my Z I found the average price for a nice "driver" with minor cosmetic issues or minmal rust issues was about $6K to $8K for a California / Arizona car. From what I saw, a "really nice", rust free 240Z ran from $9K to $14K. Without a very complete inspection, I would not pay that much for a "snow-belt" car, or one from the post hurricane Katrina area. Call me picky, but once salt gets into those enclosed body sections, it's tough to clean-out and will lead to problems. That said, I'll see for certain just how "rust-free" my Calif / Arizona car really is after media blasting... I already know of 2 small areas with a bit of surface rust (only), under the battery and a little on the driver's floorboard. I'll have $22-$24K in mine before I'm done and hope that in 7-8 years I'll break-even on cost to market value. Excluding financial duress, I have no intention of selling my Zcar until I can't drive anymore. Of course that could be tomorrow or the year 2031, (assuming I stop driving at age 75)...

That sounds great! Count me in when it's ready. I'll need the BRE spook film also. I'll be putting the film on a freshly painted car. Do have an idea of how long should I wait for the paint to cure before installing the film on fresh paint? Julio

When I spoke with the guys at Rebello, they told me that the stock exhaust manifold flows very well and would be quieter than headers. I can attest that this was the case when I put hearders on my MG, it did get louder. Also, you often lose a bit of low-end torque with headers. My bigger concern is as was pointed out, is heat under the hood. Later on I can always remove the stock exhaust and try MSA's 6 to 1 headers if I want more mid-range performance. I figure it would also require a better air intake system for the headers to do much good.

I heated the manifold area around the tubes with a propane torch, Then, while still warm, gave them a good soaking w/ WD 40. Waited 1 hour and repeated the process. Got 2 loose, but the rest were still frozen. Took a cold chisel and cut the tubes off flush at the nut. I'm sure the impact of cold cutting the tubes probably helped to loosen the nuts. Then just put a socket on the nuts and they all turned-out relatively easily. They were stiff, but theyall came out with minimal effort. Victory! Now I have to get some BPS plugs. I'll try looking first in McMaster-Carr. It is highly unlikely that this will ever occur, there are just too few old cars to make them worth the governments effort. However, I'll still hang onto the old parts, becuase if down the road when I sell the car, someone may want to make it perfect "stock". I also have an extra smog manifold that came with the car.

I've heard very good things about Kroil. Other than Eastwood & online, do you know who might distribute/sell it? I looked on the NAPA & Parts America sites and did not see it.

Yeah, but if married, do you let your wife drive it? *grin* Actually, my wife is looking forward to us having a 240Z again and will probably drive it on occasion. I'll just have to deal with it... *nervous grin*

Thanks! The heating / rapid cooling sounds like the right approach.

Now that the engine is out and on the engine stand, I'm planning to remove the air tubes from the exhaust manifold. As they have been in the manifold for 36 years, I expect they will be hard to remove. Any suggestions before I begin? Any wisdom from those who have done this? I plan to spray them with PB Blaster and possibly heat them with a small propane torch. I understand that the threads are BPT. I'm considering driling them out and making them std metric. Any thoughts on this?

Does that fit your timing for availability of the kits? Also, do you have an idea of approximate cost for a film kit for budgeting purposes? Obviously, there will be your material cost, your development time and some profit, so I know the kit won't be inexpensive. As I'm probably not in the same state as you, I'll have to go to a local installer, so I need to figure that in as well. Thanks again for making the patterns! I appreciate the effort and am certain that many on the site feel the same.

Is there anywhere to get the transparent-blue wires I used to get for my Z in the 80's & 90's?

Does look like a nice driver, but I wouldn't trust a 35 year old car to be "rust free" coming from a snow-belt state... I know it's possible, but I'm a wee bit skeptical.

No, I wouldn't do it. Not to a freind of a friend. However in the "may car will be in a movie" situation, I might consider it. I would require they sign a contract for full repair or replacement cost, (at an inflated value to cover high-quality professional restoration). Now I'll have to make sure I see "Milk" so I can see your car!

BKelly, This will be a great item for our older Z's! As I said before, I'm definitely interested, (assuming it's not too expensive).

Count my vote for the libre's, just as they are. Great classic look.