CB30

Couple of things... Would you believe I found out that a local lady who owned one of those volvos, one I eyeballed jealously for years, dumped it for $500.00 US? I of course only found out about it months after the fact. Damn... and on to the VIN. My 78 2+2 vin starts with GHLS30

Wanted: inexpensive 2+2 (the only place I don't take my kids is to work) in nearly perfect condition. According to a recent census, I live in the second poorest county in the USA (aka average wage here isn't the equivalent of say...anywhere else) so I'm really looking for charity here... SOMEONE THROW ME A BONE!

It's just... Sitting in a Z with the wheel in my hands, even if stationary, makes me feel like Superman.

LMAO... Wouldn't he just sh*t if I (oops... excuse my French, I mean Freedom) if I handed him a bill for $3500.

I guess it's back to the drawing board. I pulled as much info off the net as I could about market value on the Z and he's still thinking he's sitting on a gold mine. Should've gotten all the financial/title/receipt business out of the way the day we "shook hands." At least he's willing to reimburse me for the repairs and parts. How much should I charge him for labor?:devious:

I voted SAAB just because there 80's era cars were so damn ugly they were cool. Does any other manufacturer have the ignition under the e-brake?

Sorry if this doesn't seem to quite fit anyone's idea of an emergency, but my purchase of a Z is falling through. The guy who agreed to sell me the 78 280z 2+2 for $600 was told by a gentleman in the next town who is selling his restored 73 for $8000 that the car I'm trying to purchase may be special. So, what I'd like all you Z buffs to do is refer to the pictures I posted on another thread (http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6739)and reply as to whether or not the car is worth thousands more. I need as many replies as possible by tomorrow. I'm not a rich man but have elbow grease to spare and want something that I can eventually be proud of. Thanks.

Thinking about purchasing new springs. I notice a lot of the performance springs lower the vehicle. How will this affect suspension geometry? Wheels/tires? Steering geometry?

What about this angle... Choose the Z and everytime Rosie and her sisters get anxious put them to work on the car. Soon the car will be so beautiful that you can take a drive down the strip and Rosie Inc. can take a vacation. That's what I'm shooting for. I live in redneck heaven, divorced, two kids, no pickup truck. You know how hard it is to satiate our biological needs driving a Subaru? When was the last time you heard a woman say "Wow! Nice DL."? On top of that, I don't think I've ever crouched in front of my Subaru and said "I just love this view. Looks like a jet intake." Nuff said.

Well... I did it. It was scarey. Some of the posts on the other thread I posted on this car made me a little timid about the car, but... I spent about half an hour pulling plugs, pre-lubing the cylinders, checking the fluids, installed new battery. It started after only two seconds of cranking. WOW! Tried to put it in gear so I could pull it onto the lift... NO CLUTCH. Tried to tow it to the top of the sloped driveway so I could coast it to the lift... REAR BRAKES FROZEN. Freed the rear brakes, towed it to the slope, put it on the lift. Clutch master cylinder seals shot, slave frozen. Bought rebuild kit for master (bye bye 16 bucks) freed the slave (all rubber was good) got the clutch working. Dropped the car and tried to back out of the garag... CLUTCH PLATE FROZEN. Pushed it to the top of the other slope, coasted, started it in gear... SHIFTS LIKE A DREAM. Pulled onto the freeway to head to the nearest gas station (five miles) and panics when I realized I was doing 85 in a 65. These cars are SMOOTH. But on to the mystery. I talked to the owner (who happens to have bought it off the lot - now I know all about the cars history) and he says that the engine dying/not starting when at operating temperature, then starting when left to cool, just started happening before he parked it. He said it sounded like it was flooded or something when he would try to start it. Said it gets spark and the whole nine, but just wont fire. I've run it up to operating temperature a few times, even ran the AC to get it a little warmer than normal, but it's started right up afterward every time. It never stuttered when driving. Not anything at all that I can notice. As this is my first ever project car, and a car I may have to rely on here shortly (CV's and lifter work on the family car about due) I would like to know what's going on or get some tips on diagnostic procedures. I appreciate all the help. Oh... BTW... For those that posted concerns about the rust on my last thread http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=41949#post41949 I've check the car thoroughly. The gas tank, floorpan, the whole works are fine. It's just the fender area.

What if I've got him talked down to $500 - $600? Should I or shouldn't I ? I've checked the floor pans from underneath the car and they seem solid. Haven't pulled the carpet up, but will do that before I lay down the cash. There's only one minor crease in the roof, the rest looks nice and rounded and should pop right out. Rust behind the wheels, though. Any more ideas on the engine enigma?

Thank goodness I'm divorced. If I were still married and the unit read these posts she'd castrate me for even considering it.

As best I can tell, this is the worst of the rust.

OK... low res dig pics of the car. If you think it's shiney, I would like to inform you that it was raining this morning.