Duckman

You guys are great. Thanks for all of your very good input and advice.

I'm new to this forum and I'm not currently a Z-Car owner. However, I've previously owned a '71 240Z and a '77 280Z when each of them was new. Yeah, I'm that old. I loved my 240Z but was always disappointed in the 280Z. Although the power increase from 150 to 170 with the addition of displacement and fuel injection was great and the 5-speed tranny was a welcome addition to the 280Z, the car was heavy and clumsy. I'm now thinking about getting a First Generation Z-Car ('70-72 240 or '77-78 280) but have some basic questions for which I can't find answers. Before anyone suggests running a Forum search, I've tried it but couldn't find the right questions or answers for my purposes. Here are some things I know about the cars. The early 240Zs weighed 2400 lbs. and were light and nimble. Power, at 150 bhp, was OK. The cars were nimble and tossable. The 280Zs gained approximately 800 lbs. (3185 lbs.) due at least in part to the silly bumper requirements of the day. The suspension was also changed to increase ride height, also at least in part to meet the new bumper regulations. Power of the L28 engine was up (170 bhp) and it was smooth as silk, due in large measure to the addition of fuel injection. Now for my questions. Did the goofy-looking bumpers account for all of the horrible weight gain? Was there something else going on under the skin that numbed the steering so much? How easy is it to find and install '70-72 bumpers on a '77-78 Z? Would that change fix most of the weight problem? I'm assuming the ride height and handling issues on a '77-78 Z-Car can be remedied by replacement suspension components. Is there anything else I'm missing or should know before going forward? Thanks in advance to all for any help you can offer.