Av8ferg

Cliff, that picture is almost X-Rated. [emoji23][emoji23] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have no issue either with that, the Navy has tested biofuel in jets and it been successful but it’s tiny band aid not a solution. The military can’t be a testing ground for Renewable energy, there to too much at stake. Electric tanks or jets is not realistic We have a wider energy problem and I dont feel like we have a coherent plan to bridge us to the future. I can speak to electric cars because we own a Tesla. It’s a great great car but it has some limitations and isn’t for everyone. It perfect for the person that lives in the suburbs and commutes to work daily. This isn’t the best car for a road trips. I did a 400 mile round trip in my Tesla a few weeks ago. What make Tesla the king is the charging stations and technology to ensure you get to where you are going without fear. But its a bit inconvenient. I don’t let my car go below 25% and don’t charge above 95% (that’s a whole different discussion). This reduces your usable mileage by 30% on a 350 mile battery. That 350 is an estimate. Use your AC or heat and it drops so you need to not push it too low, why 25% is my min. Perfect car to commute 80 miles a day with out a doubt. It take about 20 mins to charge it back to 90% from 25%. Any other electric car brand is a disaster! Elon gave all his patents up for free but the way the other manufacturers are structured he knows they can’t beat him. Tesla made a massive investment in superchargers located all over the country. GM, Ford…VW…not so much. They opted to let the government build the network. That network is broken…Electrify America is a total disaster. Last time I stopped at one every one was broken, with stranded EVs sitting by wondering how they were going to get home. With Tesla you know exactly how many stalls are open and their status well before you drove there. More to follow…..I gotta head out.

I forgot to post this dashboard emblem restoration I did with a “liquid chrome” pen I bought on Amazon. This dash emblem was totally black before I did this. Took all of 5 mins to complete. I should have taken a before pic. Here what it looks like now.

A gallon of Ethanol contains ~ 75,000 btu’s and Gasoline ~126,000 btu’s. Gasoline has about an 81% production efficiently (energy expenditure to make vs how much it produces). Corn Ethanol has an 51% efficiency. It take 35,000 btu’s to make one gallon of Ethanol. These are the gov’t stats. I paid $4.99 a gal for non-ethanol 93 octane gas for the Z. They’re predicting gas to climb higher this summer.

Thanks, the only issue I have is I think those competitions wheels aren’t leather covered, they’re the rubber I think. Is yours rubber and do you like that feel?

Shak hands. You must have played for the NBA in another life Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wow…way outside my skill level. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks, my car was in need of a of work. More than I anticipated but what sold me the day I bought it was the lack of rust. It only had some minor rust on the passenger floor and otherwise it was clean. Even in the usually places it was clean. I think it spent most of its life in the CA Central Valley. This is what it looked like the day I bought it. Jan 2018 it had a seized motor and no interior or seats. It then sat 2+ years before I could bring it home. I’ve been full bore on restoration since this past Dec. I forgot to add…there is NO WAY I could have done this without the help of the great people on this forum…. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks to S30driver I’ve got operational headlights and brake lights. He recommend these LED headlights from Vintage Car LEDs. They’re beautiful and we’re plug and play. I had some gremlins in my fuse box that he helped me with also . All I have left to fix in the lighting department is the turn and hazards. I think I know the problem there. I got 120 miles on the car now. Running smooth still.

After finally getting my car on the road and logging about 100 miles this week, I’m considering going a different direction with my steering wheel. I don’t really want to go aftermarket but I can be convinced otherwise. Right now I have a nicely restored 240z “wood” composite steering wheel. It looks awesome. Here is what I don’t like. The grip diameter is small and a bit slippery. I know this was how they’re supposed fo be. I think 14” would be better, and I like leather feel. I also think it’s a little too big in overall diameter at 15”. So doing my research I see a few options and keep in mind that I don’t have the skills or fancy tools like Captain Obvious who probably installed airbags in his Z32 steering wheel modification. Options: 1. Have my stock 280Z wheels sent off for refurbishment and wrapped in leather - quote was $360 2. Buy an aftermarket one like MSAs or a Momo type, (my least favorite option) ~ $260 3. Buy the Zcardepot competition wheel that looks stock but just about an inch smaller (leaning this direction) 4. One I haven’t discovered Finally, I have three 240z composite steering wheels. Not the series one with open holes in spokes. I’d be will to make a trade for someone in the market for one of these. - one is totally restored and looks new -one is original but in great condition (bought it from a z collector in Montana on a work trip) -one needs restoration (pulled from salvage yard) see pics

I will need to do a similar fix on my air dam as you did on the BMW. Mine is urethane too.. I had another forum member message me a few months back about the terrible customer service he was having with his Xenon. He said the rep was not sympathetic. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Here are the crappy instructions for the Koni’s

Thanks, I think the height is right on. Yes, it is a Xenon 3125 air dam. That’s a story in itself. Mine was pretty warped and it took some time to get it right. It’s still not 100% but Xenon seems the think it’s an acceptable deviation. I know others have had a similar issue, and get the cold shoulder from Xenon. In the end it worked out just took some time to work it out. I’m in the process of building a back reinforcement bracket to reduce the flexibility at higher speed. I’ll post that once complete. My issue with the Koni’s is poor instructions. They come with the 1” metal washer of some sort. Didn’t show in the instructions where it went so I placed it (in the logical location) just under the plate that holds the spring. I think this os the rattle I’m hearing. Without an impact wrench I think this install is not possible. The instructions show a place to hold the shock but it’s not on the actual shock. I hate when companies do this crap. I’m going to call MSA and talk to Joe and see what he says. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dan, thanks! Right now it set where they came from the factory. I don’t have enough miles to make a determination of what I like. The ride is smooth, not rough like many would expect with a lower configuration. Some install issues with the Koni’s I discovered is that the strict spins inside the strut when trying to tighten the top nut, not the gland no but the one at the very top. Can’t really set a torque either so this may account for the small knock. Don’t happen on big bumps and can’t repeat it but pushing down the body. Happens at a higher frequency smaller bumps . I might call MSA and ask. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Finally got the car on the road today. Put about 20 miles on it and it ran flawlessly. Suspension is smooth, I have a small knock on the right rear in need to investigate when I’m bumps but it’s bad. Otherwise it’s running great. I need to attack my electrical gremlins next . Ride height with the Eibachs and Koni’s is perfect in my opinion. Here are some pics from today.

I have 5 of these. Do you still need one? If you live in a warm climate these aren’t really needed, just make the car run richer until it gets to operational temps. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

When did you sell the 240z? This is a mortal sin for a forum member. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My vote is 16”s, and that what I put on my car was 205/55R16 and you’re done. Perfect fit, no rubbing and lots of tire options. I spent so much time researching this . You’ll be happy. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I just complete the Eibach + Koni install on my 280z. I’m very happy with the ride height. I haven’t driven it yet because I’ve got to install the sway bar and trouble shoot a fuel pump issue that just popped up. Ride height is even front and back and I can fit two fat fingers between the tire and wheel well. Dan has got a lot of work ahead of him but the dirty part is done. Took me several months to do the entire front and back suspension rebuild. I did other stuff in that time period like a new dash and Fuel tank. Dan works fast….I have to do everything twice because I suck so he’ll be much faster is predict. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That’s what I was wondering too? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wow, that was fast. I have my backup transmission that needs a rebuild. Once the rest of my car is done I’ll try this rebuild. A technique I used to keep the transmission tail up when putting in the mount was to put a rope on the end of the transmission then trough the shifter opening in the body and tied it to a 2x2 that ran inside the car. When I wanted to raise our lower the tranny I would rotate the 2x2 tighten it loosening the rope . Worked great. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So removing the rear spring was uneventful. No helmet required. I got one side compete today. When I pulled the old spring and shock off I found an insulator from 260z. The only reason I know that it is because it has yellow writing on from what would be a salvage yard and said “74z. R” see pic. Height difference seems to be about 1 1/4” lower. Looks better, another 1/2” would have been perfect. I have Eibach springs, and a 240z insulator. See pics below. I think once the car rolls a bit it will sit lower. It just came off a jack so the wheels are still canted inwards. Also got the half shafts greased up used the Captain Obvious “grind” method. Thanks CO!

This will be my second solution if grinding the fitting doesn’t work. Good advice on the good search. I can see the conversation now! “Who was googling “grinding nipples, or greasing nipples”. I have a 15 year old, so it’s no out of the realm of possible. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks Bruce. I have a table grinder and googles [emoji41]….I’ll give it a go and report back. Hoping to get the new springs in today, we shall see. I have an old flight helmet to protect me if the spring compressor fails [emoji23]. Safety first ! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have a question about half shaft lubrication. I bought a standard hand pump grease gun to lubricate the half shaft joints. The grease gun fitting it too big to fit into the space where the zerk fittings are. I looked at three parts stores nearby and all the gun fittings are the same size (Clerk said its the industry standard) as the one I bought. Not sure if anyone else has run into this. I wanted to grease this joints up before I install the half shafts. Anyone ideas.