ChrisA

I'm in the same boat you are. 2 cars are insured all the time. But one car is only insured when I want it. Usually from April to October. I tried getting "collector insurance" from a comapny and they said my "daily driver" must be newer than the car I wanted to insure. Daily driver is a 72. Wanted to insure a 73. Also, the "collector insurance" limits you to a certain mileage you can drive per year. I think it was 2,000. If I just insure the 73 for seven months I save some money. I think I've heard the higher your deductible the lower your payment. Its up to you to work with your agent to get the best deal/best savings. Much luck.

For anyone interested, the ZoNE Club is having a show at Stan Olsen Nissan in Omaha on April 18th from noon till 4:00. Rain date is April 25th. Its not posted on the website but I got notified by email. Come one come all.

My Uncle in Naperville would be "Green" with envy if he saw your car. He loves Z's but his wife says he has too many toys already. It looks good. Welcome to the club.

I think Tomohawk wants to know if there is a plate like a "Protecto Plate" on GM cars and trucks. Which GM used to stick under the seats. I dont think there is in a Z car. I have heard that some people have found stickers/labels/tags on the underside of the dash pad. But they were in Japanese. Domo Arigato

Congrats on the trophy!! Some awesome S30's at that show.

Okay folks, I got the 73 out of winter storage and drove it today. I primed the oiling system first then fired her up. As I was driving I noticed a puff of smoke out the exhaust in between shifts. Anyone have a guess as to where the oil is getting in at. I would guess a valve stem seal. Havent run a compression check yet. Car was great before put away for winter. All gauges good while running. Could it be a PVC valve issue pulling some weird issue under the valve cover? No smoke while idling or under throttle in any gear, just between shifts. Thanks in advance.

jack up the front end, put the car on jack stands, spin the front tires. If they spin easily, and you'll know if the brakes are dragging cuz the wheel wont turn easy, then do the same for the rear of the car. Make sure you block the wheels that are on the ground so it wont roll of course. If you find a wheel thats dragging you'll have to get to the brakes and get the caliper pistons to release by pressing them in with a C-clamp. If the pistons are rusted to the bore of the caliper you'll have to either replace the caliper assembly or rebuild it. Easier to replace the whole thing and not as messy but more expensive. You'll also have to bleed the system after doing either repair. Enrique I think is refering to the proportioning valve thats plumbed in below your master cylinder (where the fluid is). I am not 100% on its function but I believe it regulates how much brake fluid goes to the front and rear brakes when you press the pedal. Also, check the brake pedal in the car to make sure it is not stuck down. There is a spring that makes it swing back towards the seat. If that spring is bad the pedal will drop towards the engine possibly applying the brakes on its own. Much luck Fever!!!

Sounds like you have brakes dragging. Brake light being on could be several different things. Switch on hand brake stuck on. Hand brake cables messed up and dragging. Disc brake wheel cylinders not releasing. Lots of things to check.

You lost me dude. I dont want to assume you're missing a limb. Your picture doesnt tell. Didnt intend to offend, sorry if I did. I only have one test_cle if that helps:D

My 72 with L28/SU's and auto tranny will power slide around any coner on dry pavement which leaves my hands on the wheel. It is most fun. Since I drive it like a wild man, I never have to worry about missing a shift or keeping the RPM in the power band. Plus for around town between stoplights its sometimes nice not to have to shift all the time. My 73 is 4 speed though so I get the best of both worlds. I have heard that auto trannies will get you to 60 faster than manuals also. If properly set up and working right. My grandma never learned to drive period so I dont hold it against Tomohawk.

I'll take two in XXL Mike! Great idea! Never enough Z shirts!

Hey Craig, I dont know how it is in OZ, but you'd be surprised how many Chevrolet trucks are TBI in the US. I have a 4 of 99 S-10 and its throttle body injected. Thats pretty modern no? My response to 280ZX fever is: I have seen many Z's running the down draft webers that Victoria British used to sell, (they still might). I think Motorsport Auto may sell them also. Yes, they do I just checked. Weber DGV carb kit. Looks to be downdraft to me. They cant be too bad or people wouldnt run them right? My old 200SX was downdraft before I switched to twin SU's. Basically the same motor less two cylinders. Can you share as to why they would be no good?

Ed, yes the anti-seize will protect against rust. My 72 has 180,00 miles and has always been in the salt belt. When I remove my wheels there is not a trace of rust on the studs or the area on the hub where the stud holes in the wheels are. I use Permatex #80078. It resists heat up to 1600 F. It really works well on exhaust manifold bolts/studs as well.

I wonder,,,, if you were running a set of down draft webers, could you adapt those Holley squirters somehow? That might be cool. Just dreaming folks!!!

I have been using anti-seize for years and have never had a loose lug nut. A little goes a long way. Tomohawk makes a good point about cleaning the threads. I use agood wire brush to clean them up then the anti-seize. I had a set of the American Racing Libre/Libra? wheels and they were a bitch on nuts and studs till I started using the anti-seize. I guess its really a matter of preference or security. In my case being in the salt belt, the anti-seize protects the contact between the stud and nut really well. As a side note, I have always used the stock lug wrench that comes in the car. Never broke a stud, that would suck!!

My Grandfather taught me an old trick long ago. Get one of those small bottle torches like plummers use. Apply some heat to the nut, it will expand slightly to break the rust bond. Then they should come off. Put some anti-seize on the studs before you put them back on. Works for me. Just dont heat it up to much or you might damage the wheel area around the stud. Much luck!!

Hey Guys, just for kicks, a Mack Truck Engine (straight six) short block weighs 1758 pounds. The V8 3/4 engine weighs in at a nice 2281 pounds. Thats 998 cubic inches!! I have the 750 pound stand for my L motors, I added a brace between the vertical and the horizontal support for more stability. It really wobbled before I added the brace. Just be careful folks!!

Thanks Eric! I knew I had to get both pedals but I wasnt sure about the mounting. I'm assuming the location to hang the clutch pedal will be in the car even though it was an auto. I should probably get the pivot pins/return springs as well right?

I think my spacers are 40 mm thick to mount my 40mm offset wheels.

Does anybody know the production date change over to the 9mm rod bolts in the L24?

Hey Matthew, what part of Iowa are you in. There is a Z club in Omaha.

Questionable mileage aside. Drain all the fluids. Put some light oil down each spark plug hole and let it soak into the rings. Then ever so gently, turn the motor over by hand with a socket on the crank bolt. If the motor turns over, great, if it doesnt you might have a stuck piston or two. That's not fun to fix unless you're into that like me. Your carbs and manifolds on your Z will bolt to the ZX motor. Keep the ZX distributor and go to an aftermarket ignition. If you get the motor in and running do a compression check on each cylinder. Hopefully the valve train is good and the valve stem seals arent to cracked from age and leak into the chambers. Engine will smoke pretty good if those are bad. Keep us informed on your progress. Much luck. ChrisA

That would have been the fusible link I mentioned in my post. I have bought Z cars that had the connector broken and the slightest bump would disconnect it. Hopefully you have a true fusible link there and not just a piece of wire. That could cause a fire.

I marked around the bolts on the hinges with a marker before I took the hatch off. After the new seal went on the hatch closed harder due to a less smashed seal. Basically you want to have a good transition between the roof metal and the hatch metal. Look across the seam after you put it back on, you'll see if the hatch is high or low.