gnosez

Marty - sign your Z up in Street Modified and take your chances. Spend as much time and money as you think is right for you. After a ZCCA event, they should mail to you a copy of your judging sheet so you know what areas will need to be fixed. You can also ask some people in a local Z club to judge your car. We did that for a guy looking to see if he wanted to go all and prepare his Z to become a "gold" medal vehicle. Three different people did all three (interior, exterior, and engine bay) areas and then the 3 sheets were incorporated into one review sheet for him to go over and use as a guide.

Tomohawk - a good question and observation (re: judges off the street) but it's late so I'll reply tomorrow. There's answers to both...

Fred, I always wanted to thank you for posting those '05 Japan Z Feast pics. Looks like a great time was had....

Marty - the console is judged as part of the: console/shifter/parking brake group and if all you had was that one hole you might lose a point or two assuming everything else is in excellant shape. OEM beats aftermarket so stay with the original console and get a piece of black plastic rod and fill that hole. The throttle was a factory item on 1st Series. The Adco rubber mats are a good question. I'll ask during my call to Todd on Tuesday and will post his reply. The paint job is the killer, as you know and until that is resolved you will not win a gold medal in "stock" class. You could get 2nd or 3rd in your class if the rest of your Z is in excellant condition. It's up to you as to what's important in all this. Tomohawk wanted to know if there were detailing secrets for Zs and I told him no. Paying attention to the details is what detailing is all about. I find that the more people go over their cars the more things they find out about the car (like finding out they have a loose bolt or damaged part) and in turn about themselves. Each and every Z that is entered in a car show has a story to tell. That's what I get out of going to them.

Tomohawk - since some indoor shows require owners to disconnect the battery there is no way either a dome or glove box light can be checked, hence these are no longer judged (working vs not working). Now they are judged as to being there and what condition they are in. Hope that helps.

You need a 40 micron or larger "pre" filter between the gas tank and the fuel pump. Both Mallory (40um-metal) and Holley (100um-plastic) sell them.

Kat - judged it in Long Beach as well. I ran the pre-inspections/judging in the back parking lot of the hotel. We had a number of cars that were in the wrong class but we were able to steer them to the right one after going over their cars. Tomohawk - the glovebox/domelight was resolved 2 years ago and no one will be dinged for those again. As to the diability deductions I see this as an extremely limited potential for being an issue. The senior judges, the ZCCA Exc. Director, and the host club would get together and come up with a ruling on it if it comes to be. Your concerns are premature at best. If you have a personal concern about any add-ons to your Z or someone you know, please provide specific details. The issue can be resolved in a matter of days. I can and will make the calls to get it going. PM me if need be. And His30, I'm over 50 mods and counting. Get yourself a few more and you'll be "ultra mod" (not ultra man, however). Post or PM me your potential mod list and I'll be happy to give you a nod as to what is or isn't considered a mod.

Kat - I judged your car at the Vegas convention and remember it well. Do you remember what was in your center console ashtray? Your comment about taking time to concentrate on the items that judges pay attention to is a very good one. If you look at the judging sheet for "engine & engine compartment" you will see that there are no line items for such things as clutch master cylinder, transmission, speedo cable, or the windshield washer bottle/pump/hoses. None of these are considered when the car is judged. For the "interior", judges will not look at the spare tire or in the two tool boxes. Nor will a judge check to see if you have a 4-spd vs a 5-spd (when you should have a 4-spd in a "stock" 240). Seat belts are also not listed. The rear hatch shocks are not included either. There have been issues with gloveboxes being locked and if the owner can not be found in a timely manner a 10 point deduction has been given since a judge can not verify its' condition. Many shows make a pre-show announcement requesting permission for judges to open (and close) gloveboxes, gas lids, etc. On the "exterior" list, I always leave my antenna all the way down. The only portion I need to detail is the top and mounting cup. Nearly 100% of the exterior is subject to judging (as I believe it should be). Now, Tomohawk wanted to now about detailing secrets for an S30 so here goes: There are none. Repeat, none. I'm not talking about having points deduced for a part that isn't OEM "stock" such as a fiberglass fan shroud (instead of a metal one) on a Series I 240, I'm talking detailing. Whatever you would do to get a VW, Corvair, Mustang, or Civic (shudder) ready for a car show is the same thing you do for a Z. If you think it's clean enough you most likely need to do another 10 hours getting it better. I spend 3 hours mounting a set of pedal covers on an ultra mod car (gold medal winner-not mine) that already had a nice set on it. I mounted a similar set on my car in under 30 minutes. I won the Mr. K award and missed a gold medal by 2-pts (290 is the cut-off). I left wax and wheel polish on the entire right side of my Z (I was running the car show and got called away before I could finish.). You need a team. You need cleaning supplies and different length Q-Tips, knee pads, a mirror. Money and a whole lotta time. I can however tell you what judges look for (I have taught the judging course 3 times in the past 6 years). Here's a few: 1) pedals - wear on these is easy to spot (just as easy to replace). Paint the bloody arms. 2) brake booster/MC - rusted bolts/nuts, caps dirty. Clean, replace or paint. 3) battery - corrosion, rust, dirt, grime, mashed terminal ends. Replace, clean, cover. 4) dash - scratched, dirty gauge lenses. Replace, clean. 5) glovebox/ashtray - junk, ashes, dirt, coins, candy wrappers. Clean, replate ashtray. 6) engine bay (general) - grime, dirt, rust, oil, paint overspray, damaged labels (better to take them all off if not in stock class). Clean, scrape, paint. 7) radiator - insects, clamps dirty, fins mis-aligned, fan dirty, nicked. Clean, paint, align, replace. Going for a "gold medal"? Buy thousands of dollars of new parts and then spend hundreds of hours cleaning everything you don't replace. Ask Charlie Osborne or Paul Gasparola how much they put into their award winning Zs. That's the secret. But if you're just going to a car show, clean and replace what you and your wallet can handle. Look at the other cars in your class. Talk with the owners. And remember, purchased in bulk most trophies run about $8. a piece, so put this whole thing into some sort of perspective.

Welding seems to be a better answer....

The simple answer to all your questions/concerns re: mods is that on a non-stock class Z, all the mods you are planning or have done are just fine and no deductions would be taken if they are clean. Look at the number of mods and see which class you might be put in. As to single vs mulitple deductions, an item listed on the judging sheet may have more than one part included in that line item but the deductions are for the overall item itself (cooling sytem includes the radiator, radiator cap, hoses, fan and fan clutch). Points taken off are done in a holistic mannner. I need a break from work, send bus fare and I'll come and judge your Z.

ZHead - contact Charlie Osborne in Kingston, and go see his two (2) gold medal winners. Then compare them to your Z.

Other than a right side mirror (required in your State for a vehicle over 25yrs old?), there is nothing on that list that is required by any MVD that I am aware of. They are options an owner might want to add but may or may not be stock (AT was). So I am again confused by this concern on your part. If you added PS to your 280 and it was not available as a stock item from the factory it is a deduction, IF and ONLY IF you entered your car in stock class. You can take an extremely clean but ultra mod Z, put it in stock class and get points deduced. You can put an almost stock Z in stock class and get points deduced for non-stock parts. You can say screw this and put the car in daily driver. Going for a stock class trophy is harder than say Street or Nissan Modified. Unless you think your car is a very good candidate for stock, then put it either of the above classes. Unsure? Take it to a Z club near you and have the members who enter their cars in ZCCA shows go over your car. As to detailing tips, I will start a list and post that later as I need to do my Saturday chores.....

Can you provide some specific examples of a part or piece of equipment that are now required on your Z to make it legal to drive that wasn't there when it was new? As to detailing a car there are hundreds of articles on the subject matter and several books as well. It's important to note that the items listed on the judges sheet are the ones you need to pay the most if not all your attention to in the detailing process. But as I've said to many a owner at a car show, "the winning trophy costs about $8., here's $10. stop whining and go buy your own". Unless you're going for a gold medal (trophy cost more than $10., is big, your wife won't let you bring it in the house and no matter what, you will have spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars getting your Z in shape regardless of class in comparsion to the price of the trophy itself). Unless car show and detailing are your thing, stop worrying about rules, etc. clean your car as best your time and budget allows, then bring it for everyone to see. It's not whether you win or not, it's the story behind your Z and you that make the whole thing worthwhile.

Tomohawk, I'm more than a bit confused as to what you mean when you stated (and I'm paraphrasing) "your car will not be allowed in because a judge(s) says so". ZCCA judges don't decide who's car is in or out of a show. Can you restate your concern. Thanks

Unscrew the bolt on the bottom of the tank, don't siphon it.

I have judged national ZCCA car shows since 2000 and for better or worst am considered a "senior" judge. That being said, I leave the judging of "stock" Zs to someone with a lot more experience and knowledge as to what was and wasn't stock for each and every Z model. And yes, there is a stock 350 class. Some of the recent changes to carshow procedures and rules changes have resulted from work I have been involved in. Pre-classifying cars (a sort of tech inspection) a day or two prior to the show allows people to make chages to the class or how they want to present their car (adding or taking off parts). There was a long thread on this topic a few years back (Chris Wenzel I think started it), but let me sum it up for those involved so far in this thread. Stock class is the easiest class to lose points in than any other class (street, nissan mod, ultra) making it the hardest to get a high score (290+ out of 300) Unless you have mis-classified your car (have a V-8 and put it in street mod), the only issue is how clean and well presented your car is as opposed to the others in your class. Once you move out of the stock class cleanliness is god (not close to god). In stock class you are judged on BOTH the cleanliness and the correctness of the parts on your Z. From the three pics included of the 240Z Series I, it has the correct steering wheel but aftermarket carpets and a nonperiod correct armrest/cupholder. The metal fan is correct but the coil is not. Post more pics and I can walk you through any other items that will be considered a deduction. Those three items alone would lose you more than 10 points out of 300, then take points off for the usual wear and tear, grime, rust, etc. and you have a 270 car at best. Depending on your competition you could win in your class with these items left as is. People spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to make a "stock" Z stock as far as judging goes. Got questions, I'll try and answer them for you.

Alan - nice simple design. I just took the OEM SU fuel rail, cut off what I didn't need and added 3/8 lines (in and return) and then covered those with velcroed silver insulation from the same compnay that does header wrap and spark plug covers. This not only hides the aluminum lines but helps with heat raising off the header. I tried the stock fuel rail but it restricted the flow too much, so I just ended up running a new 3/8 line all the way from the tank (put in new 3/8 line there too). I liked being able to use the original mounting points. I slit the insulation at each carb for the inlet line and made a loop at the end to bring it back to the gas tank.

Unless I missed something the only way an OEM mirror can be attached to the door is by tightening 2 nuts from the inside of the door panel. Hence, you (or the bodyshop) will need to access the door internals no matter what. A quick look should confirm the location of the holes. If memory serves me right it took a bit of knuckle busting to get it on right.

Since I have not installed a set of ZTherapy 2" SUs on a stock L24 engine or triples either for that matter I have no proof they do or do not improve the quickness of a Z over say FI. Doing head work and then installing either of the above will indeed increase hp (for money of course). I've only put them on 3.0 and 3.2 stroker L28s. I don't doubt a conversion to EFI w/a megasquirt might get me a few more hp and some better driveability, but if you have never heard the sound of the triples sucking air as you push down on the gas pedal, then you can't imagine the great pleasure it produces in the brain (and the seat of your pants as well). Not withstanding the other re: ZX dizzy, 3:90 diff and ZX 5-spd which are all good suggestion (ones I've done as well), if you looking to do faster there are only two ways that I am aware of: 1) add more hp/torque 2) reduce the weight of the vehicle (lose 300-400 pounds) More hp is a money issue plain and simple. Reducing weight requires money as well but will force you to make changes to your car most people are not willing to do for a daily driver or weekend vehicle or perhaps allowed by their respective State MV laws.

As an owner of a '72 with a '75 engine, an 83 tranny and an '89 diff I welcome your efforts to compile all this info. It will be nice to be able to reference the necessary info without purchasing every tech/service manual for each year part I have in my Z. Let me know what the final cost will be of the materials you've collected. Regards and thanks.

Bought my first Z (and new car) in 1974 off the lot at Bob Sharps in CT for $7,280. (in cash from 4 months of overtime). Bob had a deal where they would mod the car (springs, carbs, shocks, rollbar, etc.) and you were set to go at Limerock. It was stolen in '76 and by then I was getting married and had to wait until 1999 to get my next one.

Carl/26th - whether intentional or not Nissan has really stuck to its' message all these years. Given the arse kissing that ZCCA thought it had to do after Mr. K sent his public letter critical of Nissan's decision to move to Nashville, I doubt Nissan believes that the ZCCA is in a position to counter any moves Nissan wishes to make. That the ZCCA has never stood up when comments by Nissan officials are made they most likely think we are all a bunch of wussies. Once Mr. K is no longer a force what will Nissan's position be towards the Z community? Not good I would think. I would like to see that stop and I would be very open to suggestions as to how we (the Z community) get Nissan's attention. I am leaning towards the SportZ mag approach of going all Nissan and bringing together all the owner's clubs. An all Nissan convention in Nashville in 2010? And how do we get Nissan to see that their past can also be their future by using the aura of "Datsun"? What is with it with these guys? I was asked to manage a complex policy project in the early 90s involving the development of an environmental plan for the Mexican-US border area. Without the plan the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement - US/Mexico/Canada) sign-off by the US Congress would not have happenned. After a series of meetings in the US and Mexico things were not going as well as I would have liked to say it mildly and at the end of one long day I took the floor and told the attendees that we did not need to wait on Darwinian evolutionary events to take place to make this plan a reality. That we needn't wait to grow bigger brains to come up with the necessary solutions. That we had all the resources right in that room or in rooms like it all over North America. Nissan could reach back and bring its' rich and hard won heritage into the 21st century. It can show potential new Nissan owners that Nissan like Porsche, BMW, etc. too have been there and done that. That cars made by Nissan/Datsun are still winning races, restored and loved by collectors, and driven day in and day out by folks all over the world. Give me control of a portion of Nissan marketing ad budget for one year.....

At the 2003 ZCCA convention I did a twist on Jeff Foxworthy's, "you may be a redneck" which included: * if you consider your Z parts hoard as part of your retirement funds * if you store parts under your bed etc., etc., etc. I got it so bad I started my own small company mostly to stop having my wife yell that there were too many (too many??) parts laying around. After 4 years, I think I have more than I did when I started.

Actually, I buy my vehicles based on performance, price, reliability, and durability. I won't rule out a vehicle from Nissan just because they can't seem to even take a peek back at their history. Nor will I let my love of Zs cause me to turn a blind eye to their diminishing support for the Datsun/Nissan collector community. As Nissan's marketing manager told the ZCCA 2 years ago, "the reason why it is increasingly difficult to get funds approved to support the annual ZCCA convention is that Nissan is all about ROI". The term ROI stands for "return on investment" and the direct monetary support Nissan gives to the ZCCA is all of $25,000. (or the price of one new Nissan vehicle). Now as this statement was being made there were over 25 new 350Zs and a half dozen or so Titans parked just a few hundred feet from the meeting room or as I would like to think a rolling profit statement of $25,000. in OUR commitment to Nissan's "return on investment". Support is a two-way street.....

I will see that this is added to the Z Car Club of New England's (www.zccne.org) website events list. Sad to say many of us are already commited to driving down to the Tail of the Dragon weekend event and will miss meeting up with you this year. Good luck.