Hinge Rubber Man

Says "used" but looks nearly new condition in the pics, plus there's books and it's for the cherished series one (to some people), so seller states If you don't need another shock, don't click on this link ... http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300661324101#ht_500wt_1182

No probs olzed, I believe the Govt here cracked down on ill designed new tires, NZ probably followed suit. My tire started making a faint "clicking" sound weeks before I had to get a quote from the panel beaters. I took it for granted that a brand new tire wouldn't do that and thought it could be a stone stuck in the tread hitting the road surface every revolution The habit I'm into now is to view a diagram of the cross-section of the tires I'm buying, if it's at all possible. Another good idea is get hold of a worn tire the same as the ones you're buying and cut it through cross wise with a 10" angle grinder, then check it for any design defects. Most of us may not be interested in cutting up old tires but the steel belt should have at least 3/4" or more distance between the outer edges of the steel belt to the outside edges of the tread....and the steel belt needs to be sunk well below the bottom of the tread grooves, not just a 1/32". For the advanced amateur investigator, they would submit a sample piece of the belt wire to be analyzed at a metallurgy business or lab to check for regulation brittleness (on the tread that parted ways on my tire, every wire had broken right through, the mangled tread, after retrieving it from the road, was one long length, not a circle any more, just saying). Last but not least, check the rated loading of the tires you're buying, it's usually embossed on the sidewall along with all the other info, example: Max 560 Kg or maybe 1,234 US Pounds. Multiply by four then compare the total with the weight of the car plus passengers. It must be equal to or more. Probably doesn't happen often with everyday cars but cops are obliged to check tire loadings if they have suspicions, especially on commercial vehicles If tires are under rated for the job they're doing, what can happen is the belt wires break individually after a while, at different times and they work their way up through the rubber and stick out like spikes...good for snow , but if a motorist ever notices a weird shiny wire protruding up through the tread, there's two things to do, 1) try to pull it out with a pair of pliers, 2) if it won't budge, get the tire off the vehicle in a flash Pete

"Went to another shop and got a set of Toyo's." Well I hope for your sake olzed that your Toyo's don't fly apart on ya, are they still on your car? The first set I ever bought, one of them separated the tread from the steel belt while I was passing a slow car on the highway, like a thrashing machine it was, flayed against the inner guard then the outer guard (fender?), very messy! On investigation, the steel belt was too wide allowing only a very narrow strip of rubber each side, those narrow strips couldn't handle even normal driving and let go. New tires, had barely 500 miles clicked up when one divorced it's tread from casing. Obviously "dumped" rejects from Asia!

It seems the car has had suspension and or steering problems even before you bought it, the telling clue is in your quote above and the new tires have amplified the "shake" due to the extra frictional forces exerted by the new deeper and softer treads as opposed to the harder and worn treads of the older tires We normally think that new tires are a fix, but often they will bring out the worst in suspensions and steering if indeed there is any play or misalignment in the assemblies, not to mention distortion in the body shell from years of twisting and pitching. A tweak from factory wheel alignment specs may be needed to get things right, this is after a new professional alignment, doing the best they can, and driving the car for some time to check handling and for any abnormal tire wear The increased frictional forces from the new tires can make any wear or play in steering parts even worse in a shorter time, try removing some shims from the pinion in the rack and pinion unit then fit new wheel bearings, not just adjust the old ones, they may have worn oval. Also, the brakes discs should not run out any more than 0.006" (6 thou) when checked on the car, 0-4 thou is much more acceptable. Loose and worn wheel bearings plus excessive disc run out, in concert, can cause major wheel shimmy, albeit under braking To correct the wheel wobble problem, you really need to trace back from the wheels all the way to the steering wheel eliminating play where necessary, even to the point of checking the steering column bearing just below the steering wheel. Firm up everything so that the new tires can't say "hey you're not giving us a chance here" Firmness of suspension/steering, tweaking the wheel alignment and lastly, a good wheel balance, will more than likely fix the "wobble" problem Pete

Thanks for the welcome, I see there's some of my valued recipients of my hinge boots on here testifying their satisfaction, great to see, thanks fellas. We all belong to one big Zed community, keep up the good work I've posted some pics of boots and one close up of my 240, it's surrounded by stored possessions at the moment ready for a move to a better location, a place of my own at long last where I'll be free to do much more resto work in a quicker time, if my limb joints agree

Hi, I'd like to introduce myself, I'm Aussie Pete and for some time now I've been assisting 240Z restorers' worldwide by making and supplying Hatch Hinge Boots so they can finish off the hatch area of their Zeds the way it was meant to be finished. It's a hobby, not a business so the price is very affordable at $58.50 plus postage. There will be a price rise soon. If you need a set of boots, send a PM and I will advise a waiting time, or keep an eye on Australian ebay but they don't last long on there, however I do list a set often enough, every other week when possible, more often if I have ample time to make them I have owned a 240Z for over 10 years now but finding it difficult to get around to finishing the resto, I'm still buying parts, many of which are ordered from the US. All I've managed to do so far is paint the shell, reco the motor, 5 speed box, front and rear suspensions but as old as I am I'm determined to finish the pride and joy - one day ! Thanks for the site and allowing me to register and post, it's a pleasure reading through the various threads relating to problems encountered, modifications and fixes etc, Pete