Mike

Nice find, Vic!! Sounds like she had a bunch of fun things already done. How much?

Actually, there have been a few members of our club with convertibles. I don't think it's fair to say that it's a bad modification. When done correctly, I think it's perfectly legitimate. True the car was not designed as a convertible and was never sold from the dealerships that way. But, there have been a bunch of designs floating around for this kind of mod. Take a look in the forums and do a search on convertible. There are also many pictures in our gallery of member-rides with convertible modifications. Here's a link to our gallery with the keyword "convertible".... check it out... (you might have to search past the 240k cars) http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=all&page=2&si=convertible

I'd have to say the entire car has weak points. The unibody design and the lack of rust protection was a huge miss. It is now very apparent the body design doesn't accomodate for sealed seams, protected panels, and rust prevention. The engine and the emissions were not designed properly and seemed to be a major "afterthought"... They should have designed the emissions into the car and created a powerplant that could handle that kind of government regulation. The electrical wiring was not designed for an automotive application. There are many problems with moisture build-up and corrosion that cause melt-downs (fuse block) and main fusable link. The engine compartment connections would operate a lot better if better components were used. Under-panel foam seals rotted out and long-term maintenance was not planned ahead very well. Rear spindle pins were not sealed units and 90% of any modern restoration will include replacing these parts. Suspension parts were not planned for enough adjustment. Oil-based shocks leaked and required waay too much maintenance. Rear drum brakes are a pain and why didn't they think to use disk in the rears? Stereo system was not sufficient for adequate sound or enjoyment. Who wants AM radio and a single speaker? Most of the items I listed above are due to the ERA the car was designed and built. The 70's was still a major learning experience for the car industry and it wasn't until the late 80's and 90's that car manufacturers started to get things "right" with these components. I'd have to say a major portion of that advancement was due to the computer and engineering processes moving in the direction of computer simulation and design. When compared to other cars designed/built in the 70's, I believe Datsun was ahead of the game.

Man, your bunny picture cracks me up. Nice find on the car.

It probably depends on the kind of racing you'd want to do.

I really enjoy the 350z. It's a nice combination of price versus performance. You can't find a car for under $30k that gives you what the 350z does. I agree that it doesn't follow the lines like the early S30 cars, but, it's a different world today. Nissan did a good job with promoting and selling the car. When you speak motorsports, everyone knows about the 350z. The only car I like better, under $50k, is the Infinity G35. There is just nothing else out there that matches it. Of course, I would love to have an Auston Martin Vantage.... Now that looks more like the 240z. Anyway, it's obvious Nissan didn't want to go back to their roots (like VW, Ford, etc). The 350z is a totally new design.

It will be done.

Close, but, not quite. I love the old Datsun art and would love to find a copy!

A few more....

More Halloween goodies....

I'm in the $6k range. I had the entire inside, outside, and underside painted. The car was completely apart. If you're budgeting for a similar color (so you can skip painting the door jambs, etc), then you'll save money. Budget around $4k USD and you'll be safe.

I just love the Aussie words. Thanks for the clarification. I need to come see you guys again so I get more practice. One of my aussie buddies told me that I still accentuate my verbs too much. Bugger.

What the heck is bogging?

Yep, I just enabled the option. I wanted to see how it worked. Apparently, it's a peer-to-peer grading system. Since I just enabled it, I will need some extra time to configure the values. I can set up the titles to whatever we want. MikeW is correct, the values need to be adjusted and configured. After they are, I will need to run a database scan and put everybody where they should. For instance, I could start everyone at 0 and let the system work up from there. Reputation scores can be gained from other members, post count, and general contribution to the site. -- Mike

Hey Alfa, put the photos in our gallery. Use one of the empty event holders and I'll rename it for you.

Hahahaha.... a "little bit" about Z's? Dean, Carl knows more than he leads on. You're in good hands. Take Carl up on the offer as you will be getting advice from one of the biggest Zcar fanatics around. -- Mike

I would put the car on jackstands so the tires aren't under a load all winter.

Enrique has an awesome write up about wiring the fog-lights... In fact, it was so good, I moved it to our technical articles forum. Here's the link: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23465

The small hole, as shown in his picture, was intended (in the early cars) for a switch to turn on/off the fog/driving lights. The cigarette lighter is in the center console next to the fuse block and it won't fit in that small hole. If you look at the wiring harness behind the dash, there are two connections taped to the harness. The harness is already pre-wired for the lights. But, many cars never used the fog/driving lights.

Check out Motorsport Auto. They had a bunch of my heater parts in stock. http://www.zcarparts.com -- Mike

There are some people who supply NLA parts. Let us know what you need and we should be able to help.

So, what's the benefit of the Honda blower and which one do I buy? -- MIke

No, there's no difference.

What about aluminum? Billet parts are cool.