xray

If you ask a spine surgeon the best way to treat a degenerated/herniated disc, they'll probably say surgery...if you ask a non-surgeon, they'll say to avoid surgery. If you ask the opinion of a group of people who enjoy the stock configuration of the Z, they'll say keep it stock. BUT, well executed V8 or other hybrid swaps can bring good money. To wit: a 1977 280Z sold for 17,000 this year at B-J. http://www.barrett-jackson.com/application/search/W_SearchSc08.aspx#gridview Several V8, RB26 and SR20 swaps have sold in the high teens to mid 20s. BUT (big one here) much MORE was spent in executing the swap than what it was sold for. IMO, Restoring a matching umbers Z to stock configuration has a higher probability of costing less than doing a PROPER and HIGH QUALITY hybrid swap. With one exception---#299 or similar junker-level early series I cars where new/NOS parts are too rare to find. The cost to restore that situation is prohibitively high. Another if: IF Zs get out of the "bargain collector" category, you'll have a better return on a stock Z than if you've modified. That's a big if, but SCM's (Sports Car Market) Keith Martin rates the Z a "B" which is better than prior year's "D" categorization. http://store.sportscarmarket.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=BG-DAT-001 Maybe there's hope after all.. With that said, unless you've got 25k+ burning a hole in your wallet you're better off doing a driver refreshing for 10k and saving the rest.

Wow...pretty cool. Can't wait to see that here in the US...oh, wait a sec....

you mean this? http://www.autosportcatalog.com/index.cfm?fa=p&pid=3962&cid=130 A bit much, IMO

....check your local DMV. http://www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/dmv/title/faq.html#A2 In NH, cars older than 16 years appear not to require a title. If your home state's DMV willa ccept a bill of sale from a state that does not require a title for old cars, someone could easily re-title the car. This is the situation I was in with my car. Bought in GA, no title for old cars provided on transaction--just Bill of Sale. NC accepted my documentation of my sale and the prior owner's purchase BoS and a new title was issued. So....if someone feels like parting with an insanely high amount of money to restore a car with a current value in the mid to upper 20s, I think it can be done. I, however, am not that guy.

Late to this thread, I know... You'd have to check and see what the NH DMV does with old cars. If it's a bill of sale only, then (at least in NC) a new title can be issued with bill of sale and copies of the prior owner's purchase documentation. If it's a title for all cars regardless of age, I would think it'd be a steep uphill climb to get that car legal. May require a bonded title or something... After going through a near-30k resto myself, for (gasp!) a non-sub-500 VIN car, that one is not salvageable for a reasonable sum. Folks who can do the body and paint themselves may say it's doable, which it is, but then you have to replace so much of the original pieces it'd take a lifetime to acquire them. On the upside, maybe the DMV will come through with a title by the time you're done.:stupid: It may be easier to cut the firewall to include the VIN engraving, take the dash/engine/door jamb tags and start on a better shell....(now, where's my Nomex?)

That vinyl looks just fine to me. I see what you mean about the passenger side, but I bet it's barely noticeable with the seats in place. Can't wait for the final pics! I know'll you enjoy it. Hey--what's the story on your carpet? BTW, your orange Z (and by the looks of it the green one, too) could easily take the place of my Z. Just submit a pic of it to the editors!)

Hi Randy, How'd the vinyl turn out? Looks good on the panels. I redid my plastic as well, but it was black on black. To get good adhesion I would scuffed the plastic with some 320 or 400. I then used some plastic primer (found at Lowes) which does a great job helping paint bond to plastic, PVC and similar materials. SEM's line of vinyl paint is quite good for the task. Good luck! Steve

Don't knock MSA for that...It's pretty standard stuff for carpet padding. Not defending poor quality materials, just saying it's not limited to just one vendor. This is as close as I could find to the definitive jute discussion: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9168&highlight=jute No one commented on a good source, I wonder if there are any updates?

Bo, I heard that about the carpet padding, thanks for conifrming. I bought a set of carpet from CDM, forgetting it was cut pile. The padding looked similar to MSA's but was well-bonded to the carpet and was probably of better quality based on your report... All the carpets look the same in photos, but with variable pricing...Is there a single vendor? That's what I want to know.

Oh, mon dieu! Your old Z's new home, c'est magnifique! He could take some very good photos of that car against that background---Z Calendar, maybe? Oops--don't tell the Black Mustang Club I said that....

If the diaphragm holds vacuum, then the problem may lie in gummed up/stuck/deteriorated roller bearings that sit under the vacuum advance plate. Mine was a little hard to move as well. Take off the points, disconnect the vacuum mechanism, and then remove the plate. Mine had a lot of debris between its plates , and after new lubrication of the bearings moves very easily.... Sorry I don't have pics at the moment.

Pics? Detail of edge stitching? Presence of slots for luggage straps? Padding quality? Thanks, Steve

Now, if this guy didn't come across as such a blowhard, maybe he'd make some money on this car. In a somewhat related event, at BJ this year a 280Z hybrid went for 17k and change. Looks like the market may be split between solid originals and well-executed resto-mods. Whatever you think of his tactics, his auctions represent a different group of car collectors than usually are interested in the Z, and it's good to see imports get some decent prices at his auction

I know you were fairly certain, but the pics you have supplied prove the TDC determination you made to be incorrect. Pic #1 is of the standard positioning of spark plug wires on the distributor of a 240Z. #1 is where I stated earlier, just clockwise to the front distributor cap retaining clip. Yours, as I mentioned earlier, is pointing to #3. Based on your first pic (edited below), the #1 exhaust valve is open, and intake is closed. That is very much not TDC. Disregard your crank pulley's indicator until you have TDC determined by direct observation as I outlined in my first post. It is not uncommon for the pulley's indicators to shift as the rubber between its components wears. In re: fuel....you have fuel at the return line, and that is well and good. You didn't mention what the state of your carbs is...if they are old, the float needle and seat/grose jet/whatever my be stuck closed, and fuel will bypass the float bowl and stay in the supply/return system. If they are new and there's fuel in the float bowl then you can disregard fuel issues for now.

Can't tell from exactly from the pics, but that doesn't look like TDC on #1 to me, so your "40 to 50 degrees" may be inaccurate. The marks on the timing chain and sprocket are likely reference marks for a chain replacement, but it's tough to say. Rotor appears to rest near the #3 position... At TDC on #1's compression stroke, Both lobes on the Ex and In should be pointing away from the rocker/valve spring (both valves closed), which would put the rotor pointing at about the lower screw on the distributor in the second pic (actually, just a few degrees clockwise to that screw). If you're at all doubtful, pull the number 1 spark plug and insert a feeler or thin gauge wire into the chamber. While some manually turns the crank, feel the piston raise/lower and determine TDC from there. Then, mark the crank pulley where the timing pointer is, and refer to that as "0." Cranking but not starting means that the starter is turning the ring gear. It does not confirm you're getting any spark, or that the spark is correctly timed to the compression cycle. How do you know you have spark and fuel? Hope that helps, Steve

Good points, all...But we should not be so quick to shout down someone's offering price. The cluster of "first Japanese sportscars" like the Cosmo/RX2-3, S600/800 and 1600/2000/240Z are gaining traction in the car world, and NADA/SCM values are reflecting that. FWIW, Leno has just completed his S600 restoration to go along with his Cosmo, so there's some support in the broader car market... Despite mostly reversible changes to the car (and the big assumption of body condition), this car should bring good money in the 16-18krange. If not, he's not selling it correctly (not supplying pics, the whole "been there, done that" commentary) and/or offering it to the wrong crowd by using EBay. Sure I'm hoping it gets more, but we should enjoy the improving market of the Z, right? Unfortunately, with the apparent upcoming economic retraction, interest in collectible cars may take a hit, but that's a different discussion...

15k is a great price, original unrestored excellent condition car... I hope it gets closer to the 20k+ it deserves!

iufan993, I like that resonator! I see you had to angle the muffler to give it a more "tucked in" look...Excited to hear the media file. Thanks, Steve

Whoa! $32!?!?! I think he's got the wrong part.... http://www.zzxdatsun.com/ I think that's Part RU-03...$4 each. Available from MSA also, IIRC Glad your car's going to paint jail...hope the final results are excellent! Steve

Hi Chris, I waited for the POR-15 to dry, then scuffed it lightly with 320grit sandpaper. After a coat of self-etching primer, I waited for it to dry then applied the Chassis Coat. http://www.por15.com/Data%20Sheets/chassiscoat%20directions.pdf Good luck, Steve

Thanks, Jim. I appreciate that, but this thread is about your car and how YOU have raised the bar! Good to see top-shelf restorations on this site...I hope your experience spurs others on the same way! Post up some more pics! Steve

Looks GREAT! Feels good to be done, doesn't it? What's the background on those wheels? I like them. A little bit of Fuchs, a little bit of Cragar.... very nice! Steve

2 year old Resurrected thread.... My tank was professionally cleaned and coated with Red Kote. No problems so far, and its warranteed against failure. The Red Kote manufacturer states MEK will take it off, but it needs to soak. Thanks, Steve

I've only found one place that has prebent tubing for the Z, and that's at ClassicTube. Check out their website, do a forum search here for more info. Your other thread on the same subject mentioned some other options. Black Dragon and Napa sell tubing up to 72", but it's not bent. Can't recall if BD's tubing is 5/16" for fuel applications, so check their site/catalog. To keep search results less cluttered and folks from getting confused, maybe you should continue to use that thread for this one topic? (Can a moderator merge these, please?)

...fyi, on TWC here in NC, Speed is running the EP race today (at 1p) and tomorrow morning (4am) so check you rlocal listings and set your DVR...