Mitchell

Lexol, arguably the industry leader in leather care, makes a product called Vinylex. It is for vinyl, plastic and rubber. I bought a bottle a while back, but have yet to use it. Friends say it works great, but only time will tell with products like this. Check out: http://www.vinylexprotectant.com/ I have used Armorall ever since it came on the market, with no problems other than the effect being rather short-lived. Seems that once you start using it regularly, you had better keep using it, because cracks will appear in fairly short order once you stop. Mitchell

For those who don't want to flare their wheel wells, this style of wheel is also offered by VTO Performance/Pack Racing in a size 16X8. They recommend using different offsets front (+8) and rear (+16). They also have smaller sizes, like 15X7 and 14X6. Don't think they have sizes for the monster meats, tho'. Their website is: http://www.vtoperformance.com Price is $200.00 per wheel, which is a bargain compared to Pana$ports. As for me, I have come into possession of a set of 17X7.5 Rota RB's with a +20 offset, definitely not a fit for the S30. The same size is offered with a +12 offset, which might be more appropriate for the early Z. I am trying various thickness wheel spacers in the hope of cramming 225/45's into the stock wheel wells with a lowered (springs), but otherwise stock suspension. The Rota's appear to be a fairly high quality piece,though I suspect the Pana$port sets the standard for this type of wheel. You can call me a newbie, as this is (I think) my first post, but I have been lurking for a while. I still have my first Z, a '71 that I bought used in 1973, as well as a collection of 280's and 510's in various states of repair (and disrepair). I have been messing with these cars for a long time, so I hope to make more contributions in the future.

Ambitious project! I've been restoring my '71 since 1979! As for your (very expensive) plan to farm out the paint and body work to a good shop, I suggest you contact Doug Bakke at Awesome Z north of Houston. He enters cars in the Houston Autorama each year and is not that far from College Station, if that is where you are located. His phone # is (281)219-0015 and he is a Z Club of Houston Member. An enormous amount of help from others is almost a necessity for an endeavor like this, so belonging to a good club is another advantage for getting advice and parts discounts. I understand there is a good sports car club in Aggieland (forget name) or you could join the Z Club of Houston at http://www.zclubofhouston.com. Ideally, you should buy a POS parts car of around the same vintage, if only as a guide to reassembly. One more thing: bag and carefully mark all small parts removed from car (you'll thank me later).