Smokey

The drums are effective in the rear of the Z. You could go to bigger disks, and bigger calipers on the front for increased braking. Gotta remember the El Camino is a land yacht compared to the Z.

Hmm, not sure if that tranny will bolt up to the L series engine. More importantly, trucks are geared lower to tow and do manual labor. The gear ratios will prolly be wrong for your application. Just because you are gaining another gear ratio in the box you may still lose a lot of performance from the 4spd. Find a manual (or spec sheet) from the truck and check the ratios to be sure they will work for you.

As far as the louvers and spoiler go, I happen to like the look. The spoiler is a taste thing, and can go waaaay over the edge. Simple ones are great IMO. Favorite one is a three piece that goes from quarter to quarter and is about 3.5 inches tall. One thing to keep in mind with the added weight on the hatch is the need for stronger supports. The stock ones (30year old especially) will not have the ability to hold the extra weight. On the wheel front, I have my suspicions about what designs you are talking about, but am not real sure. I think you would do better with a 15" rim. Lots of benefits with that. You get lower profile tires, which lead to better steering response. You will also give yourself room to add bigger brakes in the future. Tires will be much easier to find in 15" as 14" are pretty much a thing of the past except for econoboxes.

If only I could have been down there in time. Damn the traffic!! Get it fixed and buy a beater. You will be AOK!

Well, Sacramento puts you close to the wrong ocean for me . Looks like a wonderful car there, and I wish I were in a position (geographically) to get it. I hope things turn around for you so you can keep her, but if not, I hope someone here will take good care of her for you.

Not a total loss (except to insurance). The damage is very repairable, especially if you find a parts car with the parts you need. The quarter can be worked back to normal by a "real" body man. Not one of the ones that fixes new cars, but an old guy that knows how to work metal. It is still in good shape. Glad you were not hurt. I am sorry to hear that it happened. Let this be a lesson to those that want to drive in bad conditions with their Z. Not as easy to fix something that is 30+ years old as it is to fix a 3 year old Civic. Gotta be a little careful with vintage cars.

Try this link . You can get the info you need here.

Great post on the defroster, Carl. I was going to suggest the same process, but I could not have gotten that detailed. I have heard that the process is very good at fixing the problem, as long as you can identify all the breaks.

Get the header coated by Jet Hot, or at the very least wrap it in thermal wrap. Headers get very hot, which will affect the intake air temp. Lower temps=higher output.

Don't forget all the computer stuff and associated modifications to the wiring harness. It can be (and has been) done so it will not be a problem. Just make sure you have a donor vehicle so you are sure to get all the parts needed.

Sounds like you have a fun task in front of you. Guess you will need to locate a good copy of the wiring diagram for your car and start reconnecting. The search function will be helpful as you already know. Take you time, and do it right. Nothing will be worse than getting all the connections right just to have it catch fire. Dents are really no problem, at least the ones you are describing. The metal is thin and easily dented, and easily fixed with paintless dent removal. Just keep your eye out for rust developing in the damaged areas. You will find that the body rot monster is rather unforgiving on these cars.

Hidee Ho good neighbor. Looks like a pretty nice Z. Can't see any evidence of body problems. Get it out of the snow ASAP. The melting stuff will seep into all kinds of nooks and crannies and wreak havoc on the sheet metal. The electrical stuff is pretty common. Check your grounds first. There might be some corrosion or rust at the terminal ends causing bad connections. Seeing as how you have such wide spread problems, that is what I would suspect--short of blown fuses anyway.

So, Carl is bi......lingual that is . Never did too well at the conversions in school. Of course I can't do that whole guess your weight thing either.

Looks like the parts car is doing double duty as a shelf. You are a lucky, lucky man. You have all those Z's and a wife that not only puts up with you but gives up her spot in the garage for yet another one. You are my hero:love:

Nope, that is why we have a storage building outside. And if my wife wants to store it, she has the guest bedroom that has become her (rather large) closet . The garage is a spiratual place not to be adorned with brickabrack. In fact, there is nothing in the garage (cept for the trash cans) that is not used on a vehicle. Everything is broken up in sections. Detailing supplies, tools, parts shelf, used oil containers, ramps, and radio.

Cause I am not the recipient of this car. I need something like that. Tired of looking at partially rebuilt cars, and 5 digit cars with problems. I need me a brand new '72 with that new car smell and the white plastic protective covering still on the upper panels.

The few times I drove my '72 in the snow/ice it did pretty good for a RWD car. I really had no problems with it. Fortunatly salt had not been put down either time.

Somehow, I think he chose poorly.

Here is what he sold Sorry bout that, I forgot you can't view the pics.

This poor guy I don't see how in the world he could have made that decision. The 350Z is nice, but compared to a Nissan rebuilt 240......uh....there is not comparison. This makes me sad in pants :disappoin

You already have a good thing going. It is heated/cooled. All you need is an insulated door and good sealing to make it a climate controlled garage. As far as the floor goes try Rustoleum Epoxy Shield. I have no first hand experience with it, but when I get off my lazy butt, I will do this to my garage floor. Looks very nice, and the price is right. Just what ever you do, get the Z out of the weather!

I am still not convinced about this. All I see is some guy throwing his car into a barely controlable action. I don't see where there is any kind of competition in this. It is so easy to get a 900hp car sideways, Heck I've done it in a police Caprice LT1. There is not much skill involved in it, except to keep it out of the wall. You burn up tires, kill bearings, balljoints, among other things. I completely understand autocross, drag racing, and circle track. All of these require a large amount of talent, skill, and concentration. Drifting just requires mash the gas, turn wheel to left, then quickly to the right to break the rear lose. But, for those of you that like it, plow on. Just don't do it on public streets. Seen too many cars made into a squirrel guard for big trees and power poles.

Word of caution. That wonderful black paint job that "sucked you in" might be covering up all kinds of stuff. Be sure you go over the car and check for bondo. Look for any waves in the paint. It is an old trick for body men to give up on a project and spread some mud on bad spots, paint it purdy and sell it to someone that is unsuspecting. In my hunt for a Z I find myself shying away from anything that has been painted in the last year. That should give time for any problem areas to pop back up.

Not trying to be controversial, but what is the draw to drifting. I've seen it on TV, and heard folks talk about it. I just don't get it. Guess I am just too old (30) to understand. "Back in my day" we tried to keep the rubber firmly planted to get from point A to point B in the quickest time. Help me understand why this is so popular. Thanks.

It's a G nose kit. Some like it, some don't. You can get it through MSA last I checked.