CoastGuardZ

That seems a little silly, wouldn't it make more sense to purchase the vehicle that suits your needs for the best price? I'm not saying that Nissan is that vehicle, but it sounds like your saying that if is the best vehicle you wouldn't care because you don't want to support them... just sounds silly to me. Of course I'm a loyalist which is probably more silly... I'd buy it just because it's Nissan, but you'd play hell trying to get me to believe that there is a better truck for the money than a Titan... mmmm Titan... soon. This is a similar topic that has been discussed in the recent dream garage topic. It truly is a shame that a company that has a rich history is so negligent in promoting the past. "You can't know where you're going unless you know where you've been" comes to mind. I just find it hard to believe that between a name change and frenchy in charge that Nissan has turned us away. I've never heard of an avid Renault enthusiast, maybe that's why.?.

For the Kick Panel mentioned in post #25 or the Rear Strut Tower Pods mentioned in #23? While I think the rear pods are a great idea, my real interest lies in the Kick Panels. Like the style in the attached photo.

Dave... Please keep me informed!!! If you decide to make more than one set I want to be first in line :bandit: Nate

I agree. This is exactly what I believe Nissan should do. Hey Ron... as far as Nissan supporting A track I don't know... but don't limit them to a history of sport cars... They are the headlining sponsor of CORR (Championship Off-Road Racing). Here,Here! Well said Ron. Can anyone think of a way that would be proactive in rasing Nissan's awareness that they NEED to be out there supporting the past. It's not like they have the skeletons in the closet they need to hide from that other companies do... I.E.: Edsel, Pinto, Corvair, GM Diesels... Oh, God! I'm going to be sick!!! :sick: ~Nate

Damn... I'm an idiot :stupid: I guess I get all wraped up in the idea that young'uns shouldn't be in the front seat... that's all I'm thinking about with my first one on the way. No doubt though, I'm sure a Max is a safer ride than the Z.

I just find it a little hard to believe... I mean, it just seems like if a salvage yard was asked to crush old cars in good condition, assuming the panels were at least straight, and that most if not all the parts were there, that they would offer to buy the cars. They're there to make money too. Seems like they'd make more selling them to nuts like ourselves than they would make by crushing them.

Shiny... nice job! Add some Panasports and this is what you get...

Ramses- I once installed that style setup in a friends all orginal '81 Camaro... came out real nice, and the glove box is made of hard cardboard so it was easily reversible. My friend has similar setup in his '65 beetle and for the VW's they have a ABS plastic or fiberglass? insert that is sized up for a DIN radio.. maybe you could adapt one into the Z? Just a thought.

Well it does sound like they may be taking a little interest in these old cars, they did indeed lend some out to Lane. And I wouldn't say that they are trying to hide from the Datsun name, they use the old Z's and other old cars in advertisement and literature whenever it suits them. It's always Z this and first compact truck that... they just need a little push to get them to dedicate some permanent space. Hell, this whole thread is about the Dream Garage. That's not something we made up... Nissan did. And they spent a lot of money to do so. Maybe with all the money Nissan is dumping into the South (Tennesse and Mississippi), they will indeed build a Museum... Maybe we should start a petition

What happens when the 2yo starts school? Will you be driving Him/Her too? I've never paid any attention to the 2+2, but I assume the back seat is indeed for 2 not 3, otherwise it would be a 2+3. So I'm thinking the 2+2 won't work for long. I vote for option #3... Used Maxima. Outstanding car, as sporty as a 4dr can be, rock solid reliability and a full decade or two of safety innovations ahead of the 280... gotta think of your most precious cargo :cheeky: Nate

Dave (Zs-ondabrain), So am I correct that you travel without a spare tire? Which is also why you travel without a jack? I like the idea of the hidden sub but don't like the idea of no spare... I do too many distance trips for that to be an option. I remember some time ago that Pioneer had subs that mounted inside the rim of a spare tire. Hmmm maybe I'll just stick to the idea of building an MSA style box for an 8" and two 5.25"s or just two 6" woofers. Red Dog... Have you come up with a firm idea/plan yet? I'll be interested in seeing your approach...

And that is why I love the Brits! Hey Alan.

Whew! Thanks buddy!

The Patrol? WHERE IS THE PATROL?!?!?!?!? Oh dear God, please tell me that the friend of a friend of a Cousin's Girlfriend is wrong and if not please tell me the Patrol is safe... and looking for me to baby it!

I would stress Quality over Quantity anyday, unless you just want to rattle panels instead of listen to music. Just keep in mind the depth of the speakers when placing them inside the rear side panels. If you install coaxial speakers they will most likely touch the panel and kill the sound. In order to utilize the potential of any speakers in those locations I would consider using baffels behind them. And you are correct, no speakers came up front. Many have installed them in the doors, you just have to keep them small, in part due to the window cranks. And the better the speaker and bigger the magnets the more room they will take up. I tried to go with the Clarion 5.25" in the doors but I would have had to trim more metal than was previously cut and the handle would have contacted the grilles. Even with the Clarion 4" I still had to enlarge the holes where the PO's Pioneer 4's had been. Still the doors aren't that great of a location for front speakers, I would really like someone to develop front kickpanel speaker pods (a la Q-forms). Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

Did you actually see TWO speakers mounted in the rear? To my knowledge our 240's came with the latest in Hi-Fi AM technology and ONE, yes ONE speaker in the hatch mounted on the driverside between the wheel well and taillight panel pointed directly across to the right side of the car. Far from desireable. When I pulled mine apart I found the original 5.25" Hitachi speaker hanging out but disconnected. The PO had hacked up the door panels for some crappy 4" Pioneers and installed a Panasonic Tapedeck. I have since replaced them with an awesome Clarion AM/FM/CD/MP3/WMA with built in Flash Memory to hold a few hours of music... It's sweet! I pulled the Pioneers for new Clarion 4" in the doors HUGE difference worth every penny. Where I ran into issues was trying to replace the original 5.25" with new Clarion 5.25" 3 ways in the rear. First I was going to have to make a braket for the passenger side, and second the Tweeters stuck out to far from the speaker and made contact with the interior panel causing crazy buzzing from the vibration. Plus those locations are not conducive to good sound. I intend on purchasing the 6x9 speaker panel from MSA or making my own or to accomodate two 6.5"s ... maybe?

Shamus- Sorry, I don't have any other pictures of the silver Z. The darker color runs all the way back like a regular BRE, though. It really, really looks awesome in person! It also has the go to match the show, It's got a tripple carbed Rebello stroker.

A snippet from wikipedia... This platform debuted with the 2001 V35-series Nissan Skyline, and has been used as the basis of nearly all of Nissan's rear and all-wheel drive applications since its inception. That being said, the V35 Skyline is the near identical twin of the G35 sedan. This just means that the Z33 was the first 2 door... Nate

Hey, whatever floats your boat... I'm not a big fan of the "racing stripes" on the Z. On the other hand, I do tend to like variations of the BRE paint scheme. I've attached a pic of a fella's car up here in New York. I really like the colors he chose. I also like the 1/4" outlining pinstripe that candyblue refered to but I feel like that would look very out of place on a Z. That seem's to be more of a American Muscle Car thing, but I'd have to see it on a Z before I made I final judgement. See the picture of the Chevelle for reference. Another thing I like are Ghost stripes/flames, when the graphic is just a slightly different tint than the base color. Done right you can hardly tell it's there, except from certain angles. Attached a pic of a Cobra that show's what I mean.

Sure, I'll add my $.02... but let me start by saying I love ALL Z cars, even the 350 that so many seemed repulsed by. It all started for me back when I was a kid and one of my dad's Navy buddies had a black 280ZX turbo T-top... God it was sexy. As I grew older learned more about cars and the Z I realised the 240's were for me. I don't feel that the 280 is a "corrected" version of the 240. I feel it's more of a "fluffed" and "market friendly" version. I feel that the '72-'73 240's were the "corrected" models. Big bumpers and back seats aren't corrections, they're government mandates and a way to find more buyers for a niche car. I don't own a classic car because it's safe or starts easy, I have an '02 Pathfinder for that. My Z gives me the raw automotive experience that makes me want to wake up every day. So the question at hand, Why would I want a 280? For parts. Namely the F54 (zx) block and 5-spd tranny. I do not dislike the 280, It's just not for me. I get excited when any variant of the Z goes by, but it's the 240 that gives me goosebumps. Nate

Hope you don't mind but I made a couple corrections to your statement... "...at least one zed owners WIFE has set HIS priorities straight FOR HIM..." All kidding aside, I'm going to try and score some new seat covers out of her too!

Thanks Mark, will do.

Technically, yes! But the baby on the way thinks differently. I will be getting my Panasports soon though!!!

Just wanted to let everyone in on a Tax preperation website. www.taxslayer.com It was recommended to me by a close friend who has used it the past few years. The wife and I just completed our taxes on their site using the online version. You can also pay to download it. It is 100% FREE to Military and only like $9.95 or something for non-military. It was a breeze to use... Nate

:surprised OMG! She's so beautiful, I think I'm going to cry