LowCarbZ

No it wasn't you. It was the typical "I'm American Man! Buy American! You want a Job? Buy American" attitude. Meanwhile every single moron with that attitude can be found with a "Buy Domestic" or "Out of a Job yet? Keep buying Foreign" bumper sticker. Dumping their paycheques at the local Wal-Mart on a Friday night happily buying everything that's "Made In China" and helping them to underpay their employees to help the rich save a buck and get richer. I just don't understand some peoples' lack of education or grip on reality. If you can operate a computer to post on a forum, use it to read up on some facts about what you're buying and WHERE it's coming from if you're so concerned. Get off the high horse of telling everyone else what to do because YOU are misled and think you're superior for following through with your dillusional self-fulfilling prophecy. /Rant

All this talk about domestic vs. import is ridiculous. Eventhough they began as "Asian" and "American" markets, they're now global juggernauts. GM manufactures A LOT of its stuff in Mexico. Engines, brake components etc. (ask me how I know. My parents have owned SEVERAL brand new GM vehicles since 2000 and all have had the brakes FLAKE apart due to improper metal treating manufactured in Mexico. Of course out of warranty at 35,000kms.... Every - Single - Time. 35,000-45,000kms. My father finally got sick of buying American pieces of Junk that are in the shop more than their driveway. Their 2002 Envoy they'd bought brand new was in every 3 weeks for something fairly serious. GM's problem was quality control. Overpaid, underworked empoloyees who have a sense of entitlement. (And I have family members who worked there for years and laugh at how much of a joke it is.) Anyway, it irks me to know end when people get that B.S. patriotic sentiment that "buying american" is somehow superior? Congrats, you're padding some CEO's wallet and funding overpaid employees while they sub the work out to chinese metal companies and Mexico. Not to mention, part of GM's product line IS import. The Vibe was a Toyota, the Suzuki Swift was also used, etc. GLOBAL. They're all GLOBAL. Honda has a HUGE plant right here in Ontario and my Gilrfriend's mom works for a company that manufactures Honda seats here in Ontario.

I think it's a smart move on their part. They're catering to a market to make a profit. No one ever made a buck by being stubborn.

One of the things i've learned: If you care about it, are enthusiastic, want to enjoy it for years to come. DON'T DAILY DRIVE IT. I drove modified Jeeps for a few years, used to off-road them on weekends and let me tell you trying to find a ride to work on Monday after busting your truck up Off-Roading on Sunday sucks. So finally I bought a low mileage 98 Cavalier to drive everyday. It's never let me down with regular maintanance in the 2 years i've had it. Cheap to insure, cheap enough on gas. I drive approx. 20kms one way to work. Doing so has allowed me to avoid the frustration of fixing my "toy" so I can get to work, focus the proper amount of time into fixing/modifying the Datsun and the same with the Jeeps. Also, daily drivers are subjected to far more strain in weather, people at large (door dings, accidents, theft, etc.), general un-needed wear and tear. Driving that boring automatic, gutless 2.2L Cavalier makes me appreciate the days I do drive the Datsun and Jeeps. I'll drive the Datsun to work the odd time, but having another vehicle allows me to always have reliable transportation.

That's the first place to check is worn out bushings. Could be anything really. Bearing, bushing, tie rod end, wheel out of balance. You'll just have to check each piece. No real way of just making a hazard guess of what it is. Personally I had a bit of a shimmy in the steering wheel at speed that was caused by worn strut rod bushings.

Obviously won't make it this year . I'll have to mark it on the calendar for next year and i'll bring my 260 and see if my dad wants to bring his 370Z up there. The lady and I have been planning to head up to Montreal sometime so it'd be a good excuse to hit up the Casino and possibly take in some "Montreal Smoked Meat" at one of the many acclaimed "Ballets". That and I could stand to put my French back into use. (I took french immersion in school the whole time right from the beginning through to graduation of high school.)

The underside of mine has been jacked in the wrong spots a few times in the past before I owned it. I'm just waiting a few more years until it absolutely NEEDS a full resto (as there isn't that much rust on my Z). Gonna rotisserie it and weld in stiffeners, pans etc.

Everytime I hear "Sam Adams" I can't help but think of the following Family Guy scene and laugh: Video Here: http://www.spike.com/video/family-guy/2795227 "Can I get you some drinks?" "I'll have a water" "I'll have a water, but with lemon" "I'll have a Sam Adams" "It's 9:30 in the morning" "Yeah and don't you have an outstanding D.U.I.?" "I need to get the taste of Weed and Hooker spit out of my mouth" "I'll have a Sam Adams too." I guess funny advertising really DOES work.

If i'm out to get drunk with some pals? Coors Light (gotta keep the budget in mind ) If i'm enjoying a beer on a hot summer day, Corona with a lime. Other than that I can't say i'm really all that picky on my choice of beers. The only one I ever truly hated was a tall dark glass of Guiness served at room temperature. Apparently that's "normal"?

Although this would be a good idea, i'd much rather have the excuse with the cops blaming my speedo difference.

I bought for $8,000 CAN, promptly put close to another $2,000 into it. Drove it for a year and put another $2,000 into it. Now, not all of that money was "necessity" some of it was just personal tastes etc. It's worth $12,000 on paper I suppose but I doubt i'd ever find the right buyer. But i'm not looking at all. I love it. It's a great car, with little rust. Very difficult to find up here in Canada. Plan is to drive it a few(several) more years, then strip it down and rotisserie it for a full restoration.

Wow i'm stunned. :stupid: Speed reading is bad.

So it's just a bumpstop then? Reason I ask is my rear shocks were shot and bottoming out. They'd leaked right out. So upon dis-assembling my rear strut assemblies I discovered a compacted dirt up the inner portion of the spring seat "retainer". I was unsure if it was just a greasy dirt or disintegrated rubber of some sort. It wasn't overly identifiable at all. My rear shocks had no bumpstops on them either. (Unless they blew apart and are no longer identifiable or on there.) The good news is I am replacing the shocks with Original Z Koni Reds. But get this: I pulled the old shocks out and they are too in fact the EXACT same part number of Koni Reds. I guess i'll have to rebuild them as a spare set. And thank you. I appreciate your quick responses and effort. It's very helpful.

Where does one find their CZCC number?

Here I found a pic online that I will try to use as an explanation and then put my MSPaint Skills to the test (wondering if anything goes within the red circle (on the shock shaft that sits up into the "hat" portion of the seat retainer) or if it's JUST the spring seat that sits on top of the coil with nothing within it?):

I suppose what i'm trying to say is, on the shock shaft at the top is there anything around it other than a bumpestop?

Where the spring seat on the rear suspension is located, is there supposed to be any kind of rubber insert (or otherwise) in the inside portion of the "hat" (for lack of a better term) on the upper spring seat? Or does it just simply sit on top of the spring and then the rubber spacer on top of it, and finally the upper isolator? Sorry I don't have a pic at the moment.

I waited almost 5 or 6 months last year for my kit to arrive from MSA. Luckily I wasn't in a hurry to put it in and it didn't keep me from driving the car any.

My old man has been hunting around very seriously for one the last couple months. Not many up here in Canada. And even fewer in the colour he wants etc. He test drove one a couple weeks ago. Took it around a cloverleaf at 120km/h plus and said it stuck like glue and definitely could've handled more throttle. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to look at it with him. I'm just hoping he gets one so I can egg him on to bring it out on track days and beat him with the Datsun hahaha. While I was on vacation in South Carolina I saw a black one parked. It is a stunning car in person. When it was first released I didn't like it. But it really grew on me and the performance on paper alone shadows any design quirks that I didn't like.

That Volvo is "VolVette". http://www.autoblog.com/2006/11/27/the-volvette-tt-ls1-powered-740-wagon/ Pretty decent swap. Notice on the Hemmings article they say the R1 is the "fastest production bike of its day in 2004". Ummm WRONG! Others including the Hayabusa.

Anyone had any success finding a Canadian supplier for Z car parts? I've been dealing with Motorsport out of California for most of it and I don't mind paying shipping and duties on larger orders from the states when it's one stop shopping and worth my while, but for smaller stuff i'd like to find someone this side of the imaginary line if possible. I'm in Ontario if anybody's got a lead....

Perfect! Good to know. I'm doing some work on the Datsun at the moment so it won't be on the road for then but I have to get down to Toronto for a couple of various reasons in the near future. I'll try and organize everything for the 18th.

Sometimes the answers are in the most obvious place you didn't think to look. I didn't think Koni would have any tech info on 35+ year old shocks. So the adjustment procedure is similar to what i'd had in mind. Fixitman, PM me what you'd want for your set of fronts. It'd be nice to match them up to the rears. Thanks everyone for the info so far.

Alright here ya go. The last one is this past september in Algonquin park. The fall colours were out in full force.

Maybe last July. Edit: I just realised you were talking to guy Geo not me. ! I'll post some pics in a few minutes here.... Also, anyone got any info on this meet?