TKR514

Well, such words as "heavy" and "too complicated" and "luxury" were thrown at the 280ZX so that it's refered to as a GT rather than a sports car. I assume that since the 350Z that takes the "Z" idea even further into the heavy, luxury,hi-tech area that it is logically not a sports car and even less of a "Z". Just curious as to the psychology of marketing and enthusiasts....

Well... that's why I use a $19 funiture dolly. The chassis rolls out for sandblasting and rolls back in just fine. Ther's hardly 350# to deal with so the dolly works great. When the chassis is rolled out, I use the engine lift to raise one side or the other real high to address the rails, etc.. The process was so fast (1 day) that I'm glad that I did not spend extra on a rotisserie. This was just the way I did it, seemed cheap & effective to me...

Just painted the underside of my car this weekend. Did not use a rotissery. I found it just as easy to use an engine lift to raise the rear of the car and the front was supported by 2X4's in the rails on saw-horses. It was 2.5 to 3' off the ground and worked well enough without the expense of a rotisserie...

The 350Z is heavy, complicated, uninspired. I would have to call it a GT 'cause it's so heavy and "luxury" oriented. It's a good car, but lacks a bit of vision of the original...

The 350Z is heavy, complicated, uninspired. I would have to call it a GT 'cause it's so heavy and "luxury" oriented. It's a good car, but lacks a bit of vision of the original...

The new Z weighs more than a Corvette. The Infinity weighs even more. Now where are all the folks that said the 280ZX was bloated? 800 pounds more than a 240 is really fat, fat, fat. Sure the Infinity is not a Z, but then again, the 350Z is not at all close to the Z lineage either.... IMHO, of courseROFL

Infinity or Z car? I love going up to folks that have a Lexus SUV and say to them "nice Toyota truck". They usually get upset, since they paid so much for the thing. That's what I guess would probably happen if you told a G35 owner "nice Z car". They might get upset too..... Maybe Infinity owners might want to avoid this kind of lineage to a lesser priced car altogether?

] Bring back the body style? I like my 79ZX WAY better than a 280 2+2 "true Z" body style. Also the ZX is lighter....

It's always strange to hear that the ZX is "bloated" or "Heavy". My 79 is lighter than the 78 280Z(500 pounds lighter than the new 350Z). Also faster, better braking, better fuel economy, more crash-worthy and rigid, real aerodynamic improvements and high speed stability, less rust prone, No way could Datsun continue the 240 into the 1980's or beyond and things had to change. I use my 79 in Texas and it's fantastic for the roads down here. And it's a heck of a bargain, usually $1K-$1.5K will get a ZX in very good shape. Though not a "classic", it's a better car for the real world without giving up too much fun...

I'm facing the same thing. I'm NOT going to use ROR15 on the inside of the car. I just picked up a sandblaster and will clean the inside of the car, then use self etching primer and then body color paint. I don't know about POR15, but I believe that it does release cyanides when curing. Not too good in a closed car...

Putting in a V8 into a pristine 69-70 240Z will lower it's desireability. If you wanna put a V8 in a Z, why not get a non-collectable, say, a 77z or a 80zx? Most folks won't recover the cost of the swap anyway, and that would go double if you hack at a collectable...

Actually, it is a stick... there is a disclaimer at the end of the add and the manual is in one of the pictures so that's a very good thing! nice car!!! I still would do a compression check before buying since it sat inactive for so long...

ARG!!! What idiot would ask for a sunroof? That's a dealbreaker for me. Funny too, no pictures of the underside that's supposed to be perfect..

$28K would be reasonable for a 69 or early 70 that was a correct restoration and collectable. But I would not guess that a mixed parts car would be collectable. If I had $28K, I'd be looking at a new 350Z or a perfect '69 240Z. No offense, but if I wanted a customized Z, I would want to start with a $2000 average car and then put what I wanted into it. A $26K budget for my kind of upgrades and colors would be fun!

I cannot imagine anyone wanting to dim their tail/stop lights either. That would surely be dangerous (if not illegal).

Yep, I read the DOT report on the 3rd brake light. Data was derived from mounting it on taxicabs in congested urban areas. Of course taxicabs of that era had very small brake lights (usually dirty) and mounting more lighting helped. Well, duh. I would love to see their test repeated using modern passenger cars and SUV's. Quoting inferences from an old test who's data was derived from a non-representative sample is akin to superstition. Regardles, as a Z driver, I suggest keeping within the norm for brake/tail light brightness. Making things brighter than normal can be an annoyance to cars behind you AND there is ZERO test data that I know of that was done on brightness Vs. collision avoidance. To conclude that brighter equates to the higher/centered lights that equtes to the limited DOT tests that equates to lower accident rates is a bit of a stretch... And I think that stock looks cool :-)

Do they have Lions Clubs in LA ROCHELLE - France?

Don't know if the lack of a 3rd brake like causes accidents, or if realy bright brake lights will prevent one either. Heck, why not add a red stobe light (like some Metro buses have) if more illumination will prevent an accident? Stupid drivers will still rear end you on a wet road no matter how bright the lights are. Going brighter than stock is not neccesary, probably won't prevent accidents, looks like a ricer, and is a full time pain for anyone stopped behind you., IMHO. If it's a real concern, try Monokote from a hobby shop or aluminum tape from a hardware store...

Arg... Personally, I hate looking into bright tail lights. Just was behind some new bright LED lights this morning at a stop light and had to shield my eyes from the glare. Stock is good enough OR you can add all kind of mirror reflectors like the ricers have....

It looks damn good for a 72. Unless you paid $9K for a "showroom car", it looks just fine to me. No way will a 30 year old Z have zero rust so I'm not sure what the whining is about. Heck, even the so called "damage" from shipping aint no big thing UNLESS you paid top dollar for this car....

Hey, I just want to keep my car running... I (Like GW Bush) don't care what France thinks :-)

I'm doing my first Z restoration. I removed the front and rear suspension and fuel tank. There is no rust underneith the car except for some minor surface specks close to the rear bumber mount. Can I just wash it and call it good OR do I need to strip the entire undercoating /paint, then repaint and reundercoat?

Small grey print on black backgrounds is silly! Hard to read and cannot stretch the windows larger. Too much "flash" and not enough content. :mad:

I need to support the 79 280ZX for refurbing now that the engine is out. Can I support the body on 2 engine stands, each attached to where the bumper used to mount? Also, anyone have this pre-made in the Houston area that I can rent/buy/borrow? Thanks!!!