ta240

I actually wish they were less expensive but I can't do anything to make them more plentiful. I miss the days when Z's were more affordable fun. I'd love to pick up a 280Z with A/C but anything clean is just too expensive. I guess as prices go up there is more incentive for people to fix them up but I see another Z on the road about every 2 months anymore and I miss the days when they'd be running all over the place, everything from beaten up ones barely still running to pristine examples all being driven.

As I said, it is just entertainment. And heaven forbid someone on TV have different taste in cars. What kind of country would it be if people liked different things.

I get tired of the 'what car do you want to pull up to a restaurant in to impress people' line on there. Because that is what driving is about? Maybe where they live and maybe if you aren't a real car guy. For entertainment purposes I'll take Top Gear USA over it any day. But that is just my opinion and we all know what opinions are like. (hint: we all have them and some just smell worse than others) I'm just glad there are a couple car show choices. I guess none of them will ever really cover a new car with actual comments though as they are afraid to annoy an advertiser. Guess that's a plus with UK shows not having ads.

Martian! Without any actual details the two accusations are about as relevant. Trevor http://240Z.me

good point, at the very least they'd put the additives in their oil and require you buy their spec of oil.

That was my first thought. Years ago when my job took me regularly to a guy that rebuilt starters and alternators he told me more than once that alternators were for maintaining a charge not charging a battery from dead. The other thing that worries me with the old Z's with an AMP gauge and charging the battery from dead while driving is all that current for charging the battery back up is making a big loop through the inside of the car and the dash and actually through the amp gauge before getting to the battery. Trevor http://240Z.me

great artwork, very talented. I like the more modern interpretation while holding onto the old styling cues (something the 350 never had for me) Sadly the pedestrian crash requirements won't let cars (with the engine in the front) ever be really sleek like that again. The hoods just have to be too high to absorb the impact so that it can absorb the impact before the engine stops the movement. The new Subaru/Toyota car gets some help with that by using a flatter engine. But unfortunately, there's a regulatory reason behind the more modern big high hood look. Trevor http://www.240z.me

I've only seen episode 1 of the the car show since they don't put them online until 30 day after they air. So I can't comment on it much. That being said I often find the US Top Gear to be more fun than the UK one. The UK Top Gear makes me chuckle sometimes and drool occasionally over the cars but the US one makes me laugh out loud several times on most episodes. The first season wasn't very good at all and I just gave the 2nd season a try because I'll watch most things with cars (even motorweek). They improved so much over the early episodes, they now play well off each other and seem to be having fun. They also appear to have gotten a much much larger budget this year. The early episodes had a lot of what appeared to be just 1 camera shoots. Now they get lots of good and multiple angles and in-car cameras and cameras on the cars and some real production value. The UK Top Gear seems to get a pass and is always assumed to be great. There have been great episodes of it and there have been just awful ones. I honestly think it may have just about run its course and they are running out of stunts to do that are really good. I've got season after season of UK Top Gear on Netflix and the latest season on Amazon VOD and I'll always choose US Top Gear over those Trevor www.240z.me <- my Z Site

Anyone know of a source for a new lower washer (with the rubber on it) for the mustache bar on a 73? I want to replace the bushings and don't want to go with urethane and it appears the lower washer piece is discontinued. Trevor New Z Site in full operation: http://www.240Z.me

I don't think the seafoam will get the really hard stuff to come clean that quickly but at the same time it isn't designed as a parts soak. To get the tons of smoke you have to really slowly add the seafoam to engine while holding the throttle open a bit. Kicking it up occasionally will get you a burst of dark smoke (the white stuff seems to just be the seafoam itself burning) Then let a little more go into the engine till it kills it, after it sits a bit start it up and then blast the last of the stuff out the tailpipe. The only time I used it was on my old beater of a 280 that would barely idle after sitting for months. After that it idled smoothly.

although it did really smooth out my 280 back when I had it the thing that gets me with the sea foam is all the people that post the videos of the whitish smoke coming out as a sign that it is cleaning. The white smoke is the sea foam. The burst of black when you gun the throttle are the carbon.

and their speed shine makes a great lube. But as has been mentioned the lube does make the clay slippery and it does like to fly out of your hand. Trevor http://240Z.me

In theory the clay should mostly just be grabbing contaminates out of the paint. I've used clay several times on single stage paints and they don't pick up much if any paint color. If the paint is properly washed prior to claying and when a good amount of lube is used the clay just glides across the paint. Don't put pressure on the clay. It shouldn't leave any marks on the paint. I don't have any really dark colored cars but I've never seen it leave any marks even in soft paint. You just have to keep the paint lubed and fold the clay a lot to bury the contaminates deeper into the clay. All of the detailing forums I used to read got bought up by companies selling supplies so they aren't quite as good anymore. Datsun 240Z links and info

Claying does make a huge difference (and is a must before any buffing with an orbital or DA). I would be cautious with modeling clay though. I can't say it wouldn't work but I would worry about abrasive levels and quality control. The automotive clay can be found in different abrasive levels so I'm not sure what the modeling clay level would be and if it would be the same from one brand to another. The other area would be quality control, if a bar of modeling clay has some slightly larger chunks of grit in it nobody will ever notice, but your paint will. I'd just recommend testing it in an area that isn't going to show as bad. I'm all for saving money and hate the thought of paying 20x too much for something just because it has a fancy name on it but since claying is a once a year at most job for me I may stick with the fancy stuff.

looks great, plenty close enough to a 'mirror' shine. Anything shinier and you wouldn't want to drive it

my prior z did the same thing. Got home from work one day and followed an oil trail up the driveway to where my wife had parked the Z. Cleaned it all up underneath and then ran it for a bit and oil was coming out the same spot between the transmission and engine. Took it in to a Z guy the next day and he just about glued the engine oil drain bolt in place thinking that was causing the drip (that was fun a couple months later when I went to change the oil). Eventually he decided it was the rear main seal and replaced it. what brand of stop leak did you use?

I sent them pictures of the MC in action and they sent a return label. I haven't gotten other yet as I just put my old one back on it. anyone ever rebuild their MC? I've done calipers and wheel cylinders in the past but my comfort level with doing the less expensive repair on brake parts isn't very high anymore

I like the Roadster Retractable Seat Belt from http://wescoperformance.stores.yahoo.net/resebe.html with the 11" sleeve end I hope to have pictures online soon but I used a spacer and a couple washers on the retractor to hold it out away from the interior so it wouldn't crush anything when I tighten it down. Took all of 10 minutes to install each side. It is so nice now. When I want to I can reach over to the passenger door without undoing the seat belt now (at a stop of course) Trevor http://www.240z.me

I spent quite some time bench bleeding the master cylinder before I installed it and kept going long after no air was coming out but anything is possible. I don't have a vacuum pump though. It will shoot a nice solid stream of fluid up out of both reservoirs with even minimal pedal pressure, making me think there is a defect in the inside of the tube.

it shoots out when I press the pedal. It seems to have normal resistance for having the bleed valve open on the wheel cylinder and I've bleed a fair amount of fluid through it already.

So I got my new (non-reman) Beck/Arnley master cylinder. Bench bled it, installed it in the car and as soon as I tried bleeding the rear brakes got a fountain of brake fluid shooting up out of the reservour.

here's the link: http://www.perthmint.com.au/catalogue/datsun-240z-1ozsilver-proof-coin.aspx

well, I've ordered a new one and will see if that takes care of it. It was a reman one I put on a couple years ago and always kicked myself for not waiting for them to order the new one then. A couple months ago I removed it and re-bench-bled it with little effect. If it takes care of it I'll have to remember to stop double braking all the time

The first time I press on the brake pedal it goes down a fair ways and then the brakes grab some. If I let off and then press it again they go down just a bit and feel very solid. It never takes more than pressing it a second time to get it to work perfectly. They aren't awful with the first press but are much better with the second. I read through the threads on here about the reaction disk in the booster and did the test where I remove the MC and pull the rod out and snap it back in and listing for a clink, meaning the disk is missing, but mine was a nice soft thud back into place. I've bled the brakes several times with no real change. bad master cylinder? Other ideas? thanks, Trevor 1973 240Z

yep, all those years of fighting with old worn out carbs and then spending money buying different old worn out carbs to fight with. The Ztherapy carbs are the best money I've spent on the car. Trevor