BARACU

Thanks, CanTech. I appreciate the info. Never thought they were they were repros.

Friend of mine, who goes to them, just told me it's a $1500 fee up front for Mecum and BJ. Then 8% on both sides for Mecum and 10% for BJ. Plus transportation costs to get them there.

I believe they were called "euro' or JDM bumpers. They are in original Nissan wrappers. Not repros.

Small 240 bumpers without holes.

I recall 8 or 9 years ago, the parts guy at the dealer told me they're were NLA and he had bought up the last of Nissan's inventory, which was 3 front bumpers and 3 sets of rear corners. He gave me a "deal", so I bought the whole lot. I haven't seen NOS offered anywhere and the places that do advertise NOS show them as unavailable, so I have no idea of their worth. Nothing wrong with repros, but there are people out there who will only want NOS stuff. I'll put them up for sale on the auction site someday, in the meantime I'll keep them, they don't eat much. AL

Chuck, thanks. I'm up just north of Scranton. Except for the past few years, I've gone to all of the White Rose Z events in York. I've been there with the 76 yellow Z Roadster or the red 75 V8 conversion. I'm aware of the various repros out there, just haven't seen any NOS stuff for sale.

I've been away from the forums for a few years. I've lost interest in my two custom Z's and am in the process of selling them. I have several NOS parts in the original boxes and wrapping . I would appreciate some imput on what value they have...... 2 front bumpers # 62650- E4103....2 rear bumper corners #85005-N3400...2 rear corners # 85006-N3400 and 2 "Datsun" sill plates #76950-E4100. I'd really appreciate any help on these. BTW, Zs have been in my blood since the 70's and have had 7 of them, just tired of building and working on them. The two I have are being replaced by a 2014 370Z Roadster. Thanks again, AL

Dave, There was one Gold medallion awarded. Roger Casanova from Syracuse with his 300ZX. I've judged his car at some of our local shows and it was well deserved. He has 2 Gold medallions. Both his cars are identical with the exception that one is a turbo. AL

Michael: I didn't take your comments to be controversial, at all. As Will said, it opens some of the judging areas up to comment and conversation. If some of the national judges are members of this forum, perhaps a thread on Judging may be appropriate. Chris, I knew you'ld chime in on some of this and I appreciate your input. BTW...where is my "special top " award? During the initial judging, I actually opened up my umbrella for the judges to look at(hehe). I realized a few years ago. that you can't lose points for something that isn't there. hence, removal of the entire roof of the car. I didn't lose a single point for headliner, rain gutter trim , roof or quarter windows! I appreciate the difficulty in getting judges for a show and the time the judges spend . I also understand that you can never have the same teams of judges at all the national events. This is all the more reason that the rules of judging and method of judging be refined and/or rewritten to insure that the judges, regardless of the event, be on the same page. Since any judging is both objective and subjective, I think the National Committee should strive to remove as much of the subjective factor as possible.One area thatI have witnessed over and over is the disproportionate deduction of points in a given area. AS an example, in Cleveland , I was deducted 2 pts for "paint discoloration behind bumper". Let's break down the entire Exterior category. The entire exterior is worth 100pts, within that are there are 10 individual areas for judging. It should be safe to assume that each individual area is worth 10pts. Section E3 is PAINT (condition and color). If one were to break down the exterior area of the car there are probably 13 major individual areas to be judged for paint . Hood, hatch, roof, cowl, 2 headlight buckets,2 front fenders, 2 doors , 2 rocker panels, 2 rear quarters. That's 14 areas worth 10pts. 2 pts for discoloration BEHIND a bumper seems excessive. (BTW..I still haven't found that "discoloration"). The same disporoportionate point deductions were taken in another area with "paint discoloration on valance" 2pts. (Can't find that one either) One can't help but wonder how many points would be deducted if the valance was missing. I ,coincidentally, missed The Gold Cup by 4 pts. I agree with others, that a Show is not about the awards, but about the cars. Also , more importantly to me, it's about the people and new friends that we make. But , for myself and those like me who may spend a thousand or more hours in building a car ( I do 99% of the work myself), I not only expect but deserve a fair and equitable set of judging rules and guidelines. Thanks, AL

I have attended three National Conventions over the last several years and I have found the judging WITHIN a class to be fair and impartial. The inconsistency comes into play when awards are given for the show ,as a whole. That is the "Best of Show, Engine, Interior and Exterior" and the Gold Cup and Gold medallion qualifying. With the number of judging teams and the number of classes it is virtually impossible to have any consistency in the judging and the degree of leniency between judging individuals and judging teams. At one National, not one car in an entire class did not score high enough to qualify for Gold judging (there were some VERY good cars in that class), while more than half of another class of 16 cars qualified. The judging sheets tell a judge what areas are to be judged , however more attention has to be paid to HOW an area is to be judged. I saw some judges using flashlights to judge , while others used nothing. Some judges virtually crawling under cars to judge , others just giving a cursory look. Some judges actually FEELING for dirt under components where it is impossible to visually judge. I don't believe a judge has any right to touch a vehicle to find deductions other than to open doors ,glove boxes ,etc. If you can't see it....don't deduct it. Judging in an enclosed building is at it's best very difficult. If anyone thinks my comments are in the form of complaining or "sour grapes "..they're not. My car won 1ST Place in it's Class and Best of Show Interior and Best of Show Engine. Will mentioned ,in an earlier post, that the ZCCA is looking at rewriting some of the judging guidelines . I think they should be commended for this and would be happy to share my thoughts with any members of that committee. Thanks, AL

The wire wheel appears to be the same ones that I bought in the late 90's. They were a special run made by a company in CA. called Wheelsmith. The company had a small ad In ZCAR Magazine and was selling the wheels for $95. A very nice wheel for the money. IIRC, the center caps were chrome plated plastic that didn't hold up very well. I believe that the caps snapped into place. I had contacted Wheelsmith a few years after I bought the wheels to get additional caps and was told that they bought the caps from an outside source and were no longer available,I never had much luck in finding a replacement. AL

hey Dave: (the "baby blue 2+2" tipped me off to who it was.) Me and my little yellow RoadZter don't need any more competition in Ultra Mod class (hehe). AL

I got my judging sheets today. So...they're in the mail. AL

I used a replacement electric fuel pump from a 72(?)Z that I got from Autozone. I mounted it in the original 280 bracket and used the original wiring. No regulator, no return line and it has worked perfectly and is dead quiet, unlike the Holley pump in my other Z. FWIW AL

Hi Chris ! Thanks for that picture. I was wondering if one of those would ever surface. I had an absolute blast at the convention, once I got there. The ride there was...uh....challenging. Fortunately, no rain for the 400 miles back home ....how boring (hehe). AL

I"m a member of this board, although I don't post very often, I was fortunate to win First Place in 1st generation Ultra MOdified and also Best of Show Interior and Engine. Hats off to the Cleveland club for an EXCELLENT convention. AL

There are three of us meeting at the junction of RT 80 and Rt 81 in PA at 8 am. first exit after the intersection. Exit 256, if anyone is interested in joining up with us. I'll be driving the 76 280Z yellow TOPLESS RoadZter. Forecast looks like rain for most of the morning.....should be a MISERABLE drive (hehe) AL

I recently bought one of these color wiring diagrams. I wish they had them for the 280z years ago. Well worth the $28! AL http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-280Z-1978-HUGE-COLOR-Wiring-Diagram-11-x-17-x-3_W0QQitemZ320017435042QQihZ011QQcategoryZ34229QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Marty: Muffler body measures 14" long. On the V8 Z I have the MSA fiberglass bumper and body kit,so the muffler is not visible from the rear. On the 76RoadZter, I have the 240 Z bumpers, so muffler shows a few inches below the rear valance. Some black hi temp paint makes it disappear. AL

Marty: I have the XLERATOR muffler on both of my Z cars and it's fine. I'm using it in two totally different applications and am very satisfied with it. The 75 Z has a 350SBC,2 1/2 " exhaust with a 24" Thrush flow through "cherry bomb" type muffler in the trans tunnel to act as a resonator and the Xlerator muffler. The exhaust is quiet under normal driving (I'm 56 and don't like loud exhausts), but with a "throaty" tone.Under hard acceleration it opens up but is not annoying. I also used a similar set up on my 76 RoadZter. Engine is the L28 with SU's, MSA coated headers and 2 1/4" exhaust with the Thrush in line and Xlerator out the back. Again the exhaust is quiet at normal driving . I've had the exhaust on the V8 Z for 3 years and was pleased enough with it to use it this year on the RoadZter. Hope this helps. AL

Matt: Here's a link to the bumper conversion that both I and another guy did. Both are along similar lines. It does require some fabrication, but it is relatively simple. AL http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=109717&highlight=bumpers

I'm using a mechanical advance Mallory distributor with a Pertronix II ignitor. Just another hose I was able to eliminate, I have this "thing" about sanitizing engine compartments! AL

If you're not too concerned with stock, you can eliminate some hoses. AL

Here's another source for PowderCoating equipment. http://www.columbiacoatings.com/index.htm I have their Deluxe kit, which includes a Chicago Electric gun (Harbour freight)tape, plugs ,etc. 4 lbs of powder and Handbook for $154.95. I've recently been coating some stuff and am pleased with their powders. Service and support is also very good. AL

You can get a 4 bbl. intake from Clifford Performance. Use a Holley 390cfm carburator and cable throttle linkage. It's a pretty straightforward conversion.