Carl Beck

Looks Great to say the least. Gee.. "what kind of Gas Mileage does it get"? On a swap of this nature - I always wonder about connections to retain the OEM Tach, Oil Pressure, Coolant Temp. gauges - as well as the OEM A/C hookup and Cruise Control etc. Did you attempt to retain any of that - or did you just swap everything like that out - and replace it all with after-market stuff? Carl B. What did you do?

Ah.. the joys of owning and driving OLD cars. First - most of our engines have cast iron blocks - the internal coolant passages on which are not coated with any corrosion protectant. What protects them is the use of anti-corrosives contained in what is commonly called Anti-Freeze & Summer Coolant. We used to call it Permanent Anti-Freeze, but that term was actually misleading to many people - they thought you left it in the car Permanently. Nothing could be farther from the truth - to remain an effective anti-corrosive protecting that cast iron - you have to change that coolant every year or two at the most. {depending on mileage/conditions}. The anti-corrosive chemicals do get diluted and are no longer effective past that point. Not too many people change their coolant every year or two - so most engines build up a lot of corrosion on top of the cast iron coolant passages. That acts somewhat like an insulation - and reduces the efficiency of the cooling system. In effect, the coolant is not making as direct a contact with the cast iron as is needed to extract the maximum amount of heat and carry it away to the radiator. This is not something that can be easily cured when you have an over-heating problem. It is something that needs to be addressed - usually over time - to prevent a problem. First step is to flush the cooling system, getting rid of all the old coolant and as much curd as it can carry away with it. After a through FLUSH - you need to add some type of Coolant Flush and run that though. Usually that requires leaving it in for a few days - so that it can dissolve and absorb as much of the built up corrosion as possible, then carry it out on the next Flush... Cleaning these old cooling systems out in the above manor - can reveal other "issues". Some say that these Flushings can "cause" other issues. In some heater cores for example - it is the built up corrosion that is the only part of the metal left - remove that and the heater core starts to leak. The only question is - do you want to be revealed while you are at home or when your on a long trip? Corroded Radiators are easy to deal with - you just pull them and have a trusted Radiator Shop flush and pressure test them - then flow test them. After you have flushed that old block a few times - you need to return with fresh Coolants that contain the proper anticorrosion chemicals and water pump lubricants. Then keep up with it - clean it out every year or two. FWIW, Carl B.

The name does sound familar - Robby I think.. The Club had a fairly large and very active membership. Around 1967 I joined the "Classic Thunderbird Club" in Columbus, Ohio. Another great group of people, but far more reserved. My Ashland High School 50th Class Reunion is this Fall - if I make it back there - it would be the first time since the late 60's. How time flies.. Carl B.

Joined the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Cub in 1963. The track came later, but it was the first road course I ever drove on. Had a 1959 Corvette then - aka "the plastic pig". Great group of people... Monthly meetings at the German Club of Mansfield's Beer Hall. Carl B.

PM Sent.. Carl B.

- Hi Bart - yes, and beyond that for Manned Space Projects. However my interests in Dr. Deming has more to do with his work in Japan for the Japanese Auto Industry among others. Deming and Juran actually. Amazing guys. FWIW, Carl

Burl: Looks about right for 90 degrees outside. But one always worries that it will go hig If you are already running a 50/50 mix of water and anti-freeze/coolant - then add a bottle of Red Line Water Wetter to the radiator. That will usually bring the temp down 10 to 15 degrees. Also, if you are not running a synthetic oil already, you can switch to something like Mobil 1. That too brought my operating tem's down about 10 degrees. FWIW, Carl B.

Interesting. I had a 1967 911S before I bought my first Z. I drove the Z for a few months before I sold the "S", and never looked back. Of course now, I wish I had just kept the "S" and stuck it away. But I'd still keep the Z and sell the "S". -

If AutoZone is buying crap from China - they can just as easily buy crap from any number of different Countries - including the US. If AutoZone wanted to buy top quality products from China they could. Apple seems to be able to - my Mac, iPod, iPad and the iPhone are all made in China. Wonderful products all with very high quality. Harbor Freight buys perhaps the best quality 42", 13-Drawer Roll Cabinets that I could find - for anything under $900.00. Then they put them on sale for $349.00. Low price and high quality. Quality is defined by the Customer. If an inexpensive set of screw drivers from Harbor Freight meets your needs - then by Dr. Deming's definition - they are of good quality. They may be inexpensive, but they are not based solely on price - cheap junk. FWIW, Carl B.

What year 911 does your friend own? What did he think about your Z? Carl B.

Just a second answer to your question: Get a copy of the Parts Catalog for your Z - it has the illustrations, part names and part numbers. FWIW, Carl B.

See: McMaster-Carr McMaster-Carr That - or you have to take a piece of the old seals to the junk yard with you - and match them up... FWIW, Carl B.

I think a documented and show room new - ie "perfect" 240Z with 1200 original miles would bring $45K or perhaps quite a bit more.. Other than that - I agree - these guys are dreamers.. but it never hurts to ask.

Very clean, properly cared for, low mileage 280ZX's are really a bargin at this point. Seem to be lots of them with less than 70K miles that are sold for $5K or less... just not much demand driving prices at this point.

Another possibility is that the site is in fact NOT infected - and the security software is giving out false Positives. I've seen that happen a lot with different "security" software programs as well as SPAM filters. I will say that if I were the Site Admin - for any site - I would have appreciated knowing of any possbile issue related to people getting to the site. FWIW, Carl B.

That is ONLY the Passenger Side - and I do not see the Frame Rail or Support section. The Pan's from ZF have both sides and both frame rail sections {supports} for $319.00. That would be $119.50 for each floor pan, plus $80.00 for both support sections. FWIW, Carl B.

A 5spd. for $100.00 sounds like a good deal to me. "it might need to be rebuilt" - that can be said of any used 5spd. found outside a running car. Large gap between 2 & 3 - yes {but not SO large} Plus 1st & 2nd are better matched to your stock 3.36 rear gear - than the later 5spd.'s are. Everything is a trade-off of some kind. Which options you choose depends on how you are going to use the car. No question you can find/buy a better transmission - heck if you have the money, buy a rebuilt from a known source - put the $675+ into it right up front and be done. But then that won't gain you any experience rebuilding transmissions... FWIW, Carl B.

I'm pretty sure that the round snap-on covers were only used on the 240Z. Different style were used on the 260Z. Don't know about all the 280Z's - but they did not use the 240Z type. Yes they changed with the 260Z and were used in the 75/76 280Z. Then they chaged again I believe for 77/78. I don't know about the demad for the 260Z/280Z, but there seems to be plenty of them out there in pretty good condition. - but I do know that it is pretty hard to find any good 240Z radio face plates - that could be used in a proper restoration. The screw holes have been broken in most - or they have been cut/modified for newer radios to be installed. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Randy: Thanks - I may have to do that - The SLK is so smooth it is easy to creep up beyond 80 mph on the freeways - and not notice the speed. Also just too much fun to kick the supercharger in around 50/60 mph and let're rip up past 100.. Not that the car is so fast - just fun for a 2.3L.. Really kind of tempting to drop a SBC in it aka Brabas - That Bronco looks amazing - very rarely see any of the small Bronco's offered for sale, unless they are total disasters. Maybe a "Big Oly" replica in the future to go with it?

All of the slotted mag.'s that I have had - use a shanked lug nut {as LeonV mentioned}. With all four shanked lug nuts in place - but loosened a couple of threads on the STUD - you should not be able to move the wheel up/down nor side to side. If you can - that wheel is shot, and needs to be replaced. OR the lug nuts themselves are worn and do not fit tightly in the holes. Or the shank is way too short for the wheel. You want to make sure that the shanked lug nuts you are using - are slightly shorter than the thickness of the material in the center of the wheel. That is to say they should not protrude past the back or inside surface of the wheel. The slotted mags do not use any of these types of lug nuts nor bolts. There may be an exception for "Uni-Lug" type wheels - but I don't see that in your case. If you have a Stock Spare Tire/Wheel - look at the holes for the Studs in that wheel, and look at the set of stock lug nuts if you have them. That is an example of the Conical / Tapered arrangement shown in the diagram. By the way - because the spare tire/wheel are usually the "stock" type - you need to be sure to carry a stock set of lug nuts in the Z - if you need to use the spare. Your lug nuts should look like theses - Yes/No? The washer used with these is not counter sank in the surface of the wheel like the "Flat Type" you show. FWIW, Carl B.

Rear Shock Tower Covers - NLA and now seeing "asking" prices of $50.00 each for NOS 240Z-280Z AM/FM radio face plates are different and not interchangable FWIW, Carl B.

Now that I look at them more closely. Are they really "correct"? I don't know - but they are not exactly the same as pictured in the 1st Post to this thread. Some reproduced items are very hard to distinguish from the originals. The caps at Motorsports may be from the OEM - but they aren't exactly like the originals supplied at the time, so it would be easy to tell the difference.. FWIW, Carl B.

Well - it is a Good News / Bad News situation. The Good News is that the valve caps are available for any one that wants/needs them. The Bad News is that FUN of having a set, or finding a set when they were hard to find - is no longer. FWIW, Carl B.

Something new to my garage. I was looking for something interesting and fun to own. It needed to have modern A/C for use here in Florida. I also wanted something that I could add to my Classic Car Policy. After looking at several alternatives - I found this 1999 Mercedes-Benz SLK 230. Purchased from its original owner. Garage kept with 50K documented miles. Super clean and in "as new" running condition. Everything works except the Factory Original Cell Phone.. {none of the Cell Carriers around here offer analog service} The SLK is about the same overall size as a 240Z. Slightly heavier but with a bit more torque and HP from its 2.3L Supercharged DOHC I-4. Performance stock for stock, is a bit better than the 240Z. A roadster with a retractable hard top - it gives me the best of both worlds. Top down - a fun roadster to enjoy when the weather allows. Hard top up - a well insulated coupe with really great A/C!. Also a very nice group of SLK Enthusiast to enjoy the car with - here in the Florida SLK Club. If you want to see more of it - I put some pictures on my Web Page.. See: Mecerdes Benz SLK 230 Sport FWIW, Carl B.

Auction Ended 2 June - winning bid $5K. If you bought it for $5K - I don't see where you could have gone too far wrong. I don't like the "custom" front end treatment but that is a matter of personal taste. If someone is looking for a Classic Z Car - then my usually advice is to find the cleanest, lowest mileage, all original, complete and pure Stock car you can afford. If you are just lookging for a Z to drive and enjoy - I think this one might be good for that use. It is all about getting the most value for your money. You just don't want to pay Classic Car prices for drivers nor cars with extensive modifications. FWIW, Carl B.