D-Webster

How do we make the rear of the car fit with that thing? I suppose we could hang one of them thar shiny mufflers back there that the tuner car folks seem to have a penchant for ... you know, the ones that look like you could flush a toilet through them. :sick:

I was born in Helena Montana as were my parents and my grandparents. From there to Boise Idaho until I was three and then back to Montana. After high school I moved to Texas for a bit and then back to THE mountains of Montana. I followed that with a short stint in Utah and then Seattle before making my next return to Montana. I moved from Montana to the Detroit metro area about seven years ago. Since I've been in Michigan I have also lived in Cleveland, Oil City - PA, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Boston when work required relocating. Needless to say I do go back to Montana at least twice a year.

1973 240Z: Chevy ZZ3 crate motor with: Steel crank and pink rods 4 bolt mains Roller cam and lifters Aluminum heads (ported w/roller rockers) Aluminum intake with Carter AFB 625 cfm MSD ignition Turbo 350 trans with lockup converter Johns Car mounting system 1983 280ZX: stock efi L28 with five speed

I got my Z cars out a couple weeks ago and, while driving the 280ZX, ran across a 350Z that proceeded to beat up on me pretty bad. I talked to the guy and said I'd be back out in a half hour or so with my `other' Z ... would he still be aound? He would be and so I brought the 240Z out and, after severely adjusting his attitude, responded to his question `What is it?' replied with my usual "nail in the coffin" answer `Paid for'. imho ... 350Z's are not an evolution but rather an orphan wannabe. I will say this about them though ... they did manage to make the final version of the 300Z more appealing visually.

1. US 12 between Lolo Montana and Lewiston Idaho. 100+ miles of curves and gorgeous scenery. 2. US 191 between Jackson, Wyoming and Grants Village in Yellowstone. The Tetons and the Rockefeller Highway are breathtaking. 3. The Going-to-the Sun highway between lake McDonald Lodge and St Mary's Montana is another killer drive for the scenery. (Know the enemy, if you get a ticket in Glacier, Grand Teton, or Yellowstone it's a Federal offense. These roads can also be clogged with RV's and wildlife induced traffic jams, adding to the "experience". There's still a lot of fun to have because once you pass one park ranger on these stretches, your done seeing them.) 4. US 550 between Durango and Silverton Colorado. Make sure your Z can hack the altitude here, and in Wyoming. I like your choices but would add that you missed another great road. Beartooth Pass runs from Wyoming back to Montana from inside Yellowstone Park. I took my 240 over it once and discovered that 10,600 plus feet above sea level is a rather lean experience for the engine. Another high mountain pass in Wyoming brought my 280ZX to a surging condition at 9600 feet above sea level. At least the 240 doesn't drop into limp home mode at high altitudes. A word of caution though ... not all park patrol cars can be recognized. I went through Yellowstone in a 3000GT with a radar detector and discovered that there are a lot of unmarked cars with radar in them. Also, Going To The Sun road has a length limit on it. Anything over twenty feet long is forbidden on that stretch. I've been over it when that wasn't the case. `Just how do we bend this 44 foot motorhome around that corner? Why, I guess we'll just tie up traffic from both directions.' I like the limit on length a lot! Getting a speeding ticket in the Parks is a federal offense and they do enforce it. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Another nice drive (undemanding but gorgeous) is I-15 from Great Falls to Helena through the Wolf Creek Canyon. Lots of curves and bridges crossing the Missouri riiver through the canyon. The canyon walls are spectacular to see and the entire drive is very scenic. My personal favorite though is Going To The Sun on the west side.

I put a 350 in my 240 and it was actually a very easy conversion. I bought the mounts from Johns Cars in Dallas Texas and everything fit like perfect. The biggest headache is getting an adequate exhaust system under the car and out the back. The Chevy setup actually makes more sense (to me) than the original inline six because the fule feed for the Chevy is on the delivery side of the Datsun body and does not have to cross over the motor to get into the induction system ... thereby removing the likelyhood of vapor lock. Everything about the swap makes me wonder if the Datsun folks didn't have designs on using a small block in there to begin with. No holes to cut, no welding, and the only modification was moving the passenger side brake line to the outside of the frame rail (easy enough).

I have a 83 280ZX that I'm willing to part with. There is a picture of it in my gallery. I bought it a couple years ago in Texas.

Mine has the original diamond pattern too. I bought the car from the original owner and he stated that he had never replaced any of the interior.

I had a 71 without the louver and it was more stable than my current 73 with the louver. My current 83 doesn't have a louver either but the last 83 I had did but I doubt I've ever had either car where I would notice anyway.

Datsun had a good idea when they came out with the Z body style. Nissan has shown a tendency to repeatedly shoot themselves in the foot since they took over. That prototype looks like they `borrowed' the front fenders from a Audi TT ... who borrowed the design from somebodfy that designs rotary lawn mower bodies. If it don't go ... make it purty. If it ain't purty ... make it go. I'll take the go thank you.

Colt also has a few models. Unfortunately, those suggestions aren't viable options for our owners down under. I like my 29-2 with the 8 3/8". As I don't have a mechanical fuel pump on my 240 I opted to hide a switch for the electric pump. It is hidden and not anywhere near any of the other switches. Easy access but I have forgotten to turn it on too. :stupid:

Get ahold of Andy Skinner in Helena - Montana. Skinner Enterprises. Last time I was in his shop he had a 300ZX turbo motor laying on the floor and a 280ZX turbo car. He was talking about putting the V6 in the 280ZX body so he may have the inline six available as a pull out. Or, he may be willing to let the V6 turbo go.

If I could afford to spend as much as that Zepher went for, I think I'd have a Mustang with a Merlin in it.

My point about the old Zepher was that the original motor being used makes it kinda tough getting parts for it. Lets say I'm going over to Woodward and I lose the water pump or fuel pump ... good luck on finding one of those anywhere. The site to see this gorgeous car is: http://www.barrett-jackson.com/auctionresults/common/cardetail.asp?id=175730 Put a 350/350 in it and it would have gone for probably 40-50K but it would have been useable to some degree. I guess I'm to practicle to appreciate it all that much. :tapemouth