v12horse

I get about 20mpg on freeway and about 15 in the city. If I am driving more aggressively I get about 10-12mpg in the city. I have gotten my car upto 105mph along time ago. I thought it was going to lift off. I never did it again. The top speed for a stock 260z is about 125mph. The stickers on the glovebox door are referring to the 175HR14 Bridgestone tires. I don't think it matches with new tires. I have 195 by 70 14" tires and I inflate to 32psi. the numbers are different for the original tires. OT: Thanks for the link Larry. I know that the California export 260z's were rated at 139bhp, but my car was bought from Illinois and the plate in the engine bay says 162bhp. I am assuming this is because the California cars had to meet the smog laws. Ben

Today is cleaning day for my Z. I am looking forward to the show. Marc (280z) and I will be Caravaning there from the south bay. If anyone is interested in joining our caravan, pm me before tomorrow morning. We will be leaving from Fremont at approx. 8am. I hope to see a lot of members there. -Ben

That is awesome. Someday I will go to Japan. -Ben

I didn't know that you had a home-market horn button Eric. That is awesome. I would love to add that to my Compe steering wheel. -Ben

Don't worry about the center caps guys. Eight spoke wheels look great without center caps. Just clean up the grease caps and the area on the rear drums that will show. The center capless wheels look more aggressive and they do not look unfinished. take a look at these links. When I get around to putting my eight spokes on I am going to paint my grease caps black. Ben http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=13358&cat=500&page=4 http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=11556&cat=500&page=9 http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=9745&cat=3126&page=1

I have never thought of the factory decklid spoiler as a "BRE" spoiler. Ron, the one that is on your car has the two bumps on the inner side, correct? I was under the impression that this was the first model of the spoiler. Is this true? Also, the smoother one would be a latter design? What was the function of the two bumps? I think these are great looking spoilers. I would prefer one in glossy gunmetal of the latter version. Alan, I have seen pictures of Fairlady Z's with ones that were painted body color and ones that were the color of the rear taillight panel (gunmetal). Was it a factory option to get them either way, a customer modification, or did it just happen by chance. I have seen early cars and late cars with the gunmetal or body color decklid spoiler so I am flabbergasted about their color's origin. Zhead, If my car was as original as yours, I would put the decklid spoiler on, but not the BRE spook as the decklid spoiler could technically be a factory option on your 240z through looking at the sports catalog. However, if you were to get the front spook I would recommend the european spec spook airdam as it is more original to the car. It is your car and I know you will do what your gut tells you. Make it your own by doing small period modifications with high quality parts like Lachlan said. Modifications of this nature will not detract from the beauty or originality of your car. Good luck with the car. Ben p.s. Factory spoiler, NOT BRE spoiler. BRE made it popular here in the states, but it is still a Factory spoiler.

Hi Victor. That is one beautiful steering wheel to add to your already beautiful roadster. Here is a link to one on ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4553304709&category=34200&sspagename=WDVW

Hi guys, I am really glad that I underwent this project because the results were amazing. There was quite a bit of oxidation on some spots of my hood, and the Mother's cleaner wax took out almost all of it. It is not perfect like Marty stated earlier, but there is only a small bit of oxidation still on the hood. 1. I first washed the car thoroughly with the Mr. Clean autodry system. 2. After the car was completely dry, in the shade and cool (the car had sat in the garage for a few hours), I started using the clay bar. I kept the surface lubricated with the Mother's California Gold showtime instant detailer. 3. I moved on to another section after the paint felt smooth. 4. After the car was done (about 4 hours) I started the waxing according to the directions on the bottle. 5. I waxed the highly oxidized areas about three times Karate Kid style wax on-wax off, and then I for the last one I let the wax haze before rubbing out with a micro-fibre cloth. 6. Once completed, I took a lot of pictures and stared in awe. I am planning to wax the car every 4 months. I really want the paint to last and look good, but I don't want to overwax it. Would this be the right amount of elapsed time to wax it? Thanks for the inspiration and kick in the butt. Here are some pictures. The first one is where you can see some fade on the hood. The others are after the complete treatment. It is ready for the Blackhawk show now . Ben

Hi guys, thanks Marty for the encouragement and help. I was going to do exactly what you said, but I went to the auto parts store today and bought the "Mother's California Gold Clay Bar paint saving system" instead. It sounded like it did the same thing. I washed the car thoroughly, and later tonight I am going to start using the clay bar. It said to lubricate the panel with mothers showtime detailing fluid. I bought 3 bottle of that stuff. The kit also came with a carnauba cleaner wax that I will use when I am done using the clay bar. I hope that I get the same results that you have talked about. Thanks again. -Ben

This has been longer of a project than I thought as I did not have a good gear. Before I took the antenna unit apart, I thought that the plastic mass reel line broke. However, the line was fine. My feeling is that the corrosion buildup overtime caused the gear to seize and the worm gear from the strong motor stripped one side of the gear. I bought one of the oem replacement masts from ebay and I am not happy with it because it is about 3" longer at the base than the original, so when the antenna is fully retracted it sticks out of the body about 3". I used my old mast as it was still in good condition. Thank you oldroaddog for the gear. I used a lithium based grease used for garage doors and a marine/auto silicone sealer to seal and attach the drain hose to the bottom of the unit. Thank you everyone for the input, advice, and gear. Help like this makes this forum and its members great. I hope I have not bored people with the pictures of my antenna. -Ben

Emil, I am not sure which Fujimi kit you are referring to, but I do have one of a racing ZG. I think it would be great if you made a replica of one of the SCCN ZG's. If you are looking for a nice replica of a g-nose, I would not recommend the MSA nose as it is a one piece. You will definately have to source many parts from Japan. It will most likely be pricey, but well worth the effort. Keep us posted and post a picture of the model that has inspired you to do this. -Ben

Abas, since you just assembled one of these recently I was wondering how the washer on the bottom of the black reel is fitted. Is it glued to the bottom of the reel or is it separate. Mine was separate when it was taken apart, but it appeared that it was glued originally. This is refering to the first picture on post #13 of this thread. Also, how tight should I tighten the main bolt down? should the spring be compressed quite a bit? Carl, that is too bad that you need a new gear. I was hoping that it was only your antenna mast. My mast cord was not broken. I thought that was it. Oh well. If I get a spare gear I will drop it by. Don't go to the Newark pick n pull. I checked. Errr. Ben

I went to the junkyard today looking for the oem antenna gear and there was only one S30 in there. It had an aftermarket antenna, so that was out of the question. However, I did get some really nice oem hose clamps from that car. I found a 280zx with an oem antenna motor and I took it apart and got the gear. The teeth were in perfect condition and the gear was the same size as the one found in an s30 antenna, but the shaft portion was slightly too big. I wish it would have fit, but oh well. I think I will have one soon thanks to a very kind club member. -Ben

I have not heard anything about those antenna's. I know that 280z has a newer antenna. Maybe he could chime in on what he got and how he likes it. Ben

Look up datsun speaker on ebay and you will get an auction for those brackets. I talked to Les (I think) and he didn't like the brackets either. If you get them, tell us what you think. Ben

That sounds awesome. Thank you so much Bill.