chickenwafer

^^ agreed, Carl

you're EFI, so it could possibly be the themorstat, but I'm doubting it.

I agree with Carl here 100%- he wouldn't have lowed the price $800 if he had someone interested at his asking price. Either he hasn't gotten any other offers or other people have been giving him offers for less. I don't understand that chicken wire thing you talked about. Sounds odd, like Carl pointed out. Also, a $130 radiator is either used or a piece of crap (more than likely a combo). And the whole welding-new-sheet-metal-over-the-exsisting-floorboards is a load of crap as well. Either he has no clue what he is doing or he is trying to take you for a ride. I knwo you want to believe the best in people, but his intensions are getting your money, not being your friend (as harsh as it may sound....) I don't know of any Minnosota club members, at least of the top of my head. At the very least take it to a mechanic- don't bring your car savvy neighbor along who had a "beaten" Z unless that is what you want. You need a Z expert....... Dave PS- This all must be discouraging, I know. You finally found a car and everyone is telling you it isn't the wisest choice to buy. If it helps, browse the classified section of this forum and buy a car from a Z member who you can trust. It will be much easier and less worrysome.

TomoHawk- I knew it wasn't Throttle Body Injected- I was just pointing out. You still have a knock sensor, don't you?

you're not idleing if your moving, so I'm affraid I don't understand what you are saying....... When you drive for a few minuets, and get to a stop light and come to a complete stop, how is the idle then? If you have your foot on the gas (which would cause you to move) the engine speed is going to increase- that's a given. Please explain a little more throughly...... Dave

Great news. Another Zed has been returned to rightful owner and in one piece! Lets throw a toga party! Dave

^^ okay, now that was good It could be the knock sensor. My buddies TBI Chevy is currently having problems with it and it causing the engine to "stumble" at WOT. His TPS is also shot, along with a few other things. I agree with 240ZX- the framajammer on the BFM, the one that connects to the YTC the OJT- those are bitches (i need this good laugh) Dave

i agree with hls30- ask a club member close by if they can swing by and look at it. Where are you located? And, a new paintjob, carpet, and tune-up doesn't qualify as a resto.... But the 280Z is the most reliable "first" Z made. It's fuel injected so you won't have to tinker with carbs and such, althought the SU's aren't finiky anyways. But they make for a good daily driver as long as you take care of them. Remember, this car is nearly 30 years old and it requires attension more than, say a 5 year old car would. And, these cars are prone to rust- it's our cancer that plauges almost every Z (except for western Z cars but even some of those have rust....). Like others said, crawl under the car and check for rust on the floorboards, frame rails, rocker panels, etc. Rust is a costly repair job and can endanger the safety of your car. Beware the current owner (or another owner) may have painted over the rust or Bondo'ed over it, which doesn't seal it away. Rust spreads like a bactria, and you have to eliminate it in order for it to stop spreading. Another thing- make sure to drive it. And don't be p**** with it either, drive it like you normally would. Take it on roads you usally drive. See how it feels and how well you communicate with the car. Another thing- ask the current owner why he is selling. If he gives some half-assed, un-genuine responce (maybe you can pick up he's lying...) then perhaps he's selling it because it isn't in as good of condition as he says it is. Be complete in your evaulation- you don't want to get stuck with a car you can't drive until you dump other 5K in it. And in another note- welcome to the boards! This place is a great community and we can help with all Z-related questions. Feel free to post with questions and comments, the only stupid question is one you don't ask. Dave

ROOPZ- how many Ferrari's, Porsche's, or Beamers have you driven Just joshing Dave

like anything else, welding is difficult. Especially if you're doing it on a car that you will be driving, where if one of your welds fails it can potentially cause a disaster. They have certified welders for a reason- it isn't something than anyone can do. Not to discourage you. And I know about the sedimental vaule- I own my dad's car he bought new. I wouldn't trade it for the world. I have been with the car ever since I was a little tike and I couldn't bring myself to part her out or sell her. She's part of the family. My advice- that your time. You don't have to get everything done at once. Be methodical and plan your way through. Don't just dive in or you'll get lost, dazed, confused, broke, and with a car in pieces in your garage and no money to put her back together. And sense you are planning on contracting out work, be sure you have the money to pay the people afterwards or they can keep the car/parts. Just don't get ahead of yourself, this is a big undertaking. Dave

this is not rice IMO. Rice is if you do something that serves no porpose, OR if you think this is going to make you faster. And I don't believe anyone here thinks white faced gauges are going to make you faster (unless they're calibrated wrong ). But back to the point, I think they look great. Like others pointed out, white faced gauges started out on older vintage cars then died, and now it's back. I think they look great, they're easier to read, and give a kind of "custom" look to the interior and doesn't make it so dull. Dave

I have those urges too, to run. I have a Yamaha R1. The funny thing is my neighbor is the sherif for the county I live in. One day I rode past on my bike and he stopped me and we talked a bite. He then said "Those things wizz me off" as he gestured to the bike. I asked, "Why?" for obvious reasons. He stated that they are too fast and accelerate too quickly for any cop car to catch, and they can even outrun a police helicopter (unless it's an Apache or some military-grade chopper). He went on to say that once you speed away they don't bother because they know if you wreck you will die, and if they chase you, you will only go faster and thus can create a traffic accident. I've never done it, but living in Southwest PA there is NO, and I mean NO coppers around. My township doesn't even have a police force IMO, they use the state troopers! I've speed numerous times in the Z, the bike, and other vehicles and have never gotten a speeding a ticket. Just lucky I guess. Dave

no fuel in the filter- bad fuel pump or line.

I think I will take a stab at the ciggerette idea sometime, but it won't be for a while........ Richlandia- sorry to hear about that. It's all to common too. No one thinks twice if a car is lifted by a tow truck. And what's worse, it's incredibly hard to "catch" the people. Even if you catch them red-handed, they can pull out a fake order slip from their pocket and ask you if you're "Insert some random name here" and you will say you're not then just appoligize by saying they got the wrong car and act adsentmindedly and walk away- no harm or foul. I know- it happened to me with my 3rd generation Mazda RX-7. Someone was trying to lift her at a grocery store in the middle of the afternoon, and luckily I was able to run out of the store and catch em. I remembered the towing company on the side of the truck (I won't mention it because I might have gotten it wrong). The driver seemed suspecious and when I got home I busted out the yellow pages and looked for the towing company- couldn't find it. I even dialed 411 info just incase they weren't listed in my area. They found like 3 listing, but they were all at least 7 states away. That's when it hit me that they were trying to steal my car. How fortunate I was...... Dave

goober, that's such a great word

Have fun. Just wondering, how come the car is currently de-badged? As far as your color suggestions, I am a fan of titanum metallic grey, a little different but similar to the gunmetal you mentioned. Blue is nice as well, if it's a darker shade (just my personal preference). You're lucky as the car look pretty straight as it is right now. I would bust a nut if my car I'm going to retore looked that good in the first place. Good luck and have fun! This is what Z cars are all about! And to agree with Ed, organization is key. Label zip-lock baggies and keep everything placed and organized. I like the journal idea he suggested as well- I haven't done that before but it would have been helpful if I had. When helping a friend convert a 4 cylinder '92 Mustang to a 5.0 we lost multiple bolts, screws, nuts, etc and probably ended up costing him an extra $400 bucks or so and countless extra hours (I would venture a guess at 9 extra days). Also, the pictures won't only help you but you can post them here under the technical thread section for reference to anyone else doing what you are doing. They can be invaulable- trust me, I know. Dave

they could fab me all new body panels Maybe some forged pistons/con rods too and blueprint and balanced a new forged crank for me as well........... Dave

sorry guys, i just thought it would be a fun topic.

I like beer

hey remedy, that's a spiffy idea!

make sure to use the flywheel and clutch from a 280ZX as well, not a normal 280Z. Otherwise they won't match.

I agree with that spark interest comment, and it breathes new life into our cars with a new Z in the media constantly.

i lay a 47 magnum on my dash The ORIGINAL security system! I have always thought disabling the car in some way is good as long as it doesn't take you all day to do it, like removing the spark plugs or something that would take at least 6 minuets if you're fast and would require you to carry a few tools all the time. I just don't have that kind of time. I am looking into a battery kill switch, though. The key is to hide the wires and the switch so if the theif can pop the hood they can't trace the wires and jump start it. Because we have these clip-style distributors it is also easy and fast to remove the rotor from the dist. Although, if the theif tried to crank the engine too many time it could flood with that idea.............. A solution is to have stiffer car theift laws. Dave

they run faster because they are more consistant, but this is a 1970-desgined automatic. Unless it is using a shift kit, hydralic shifter or something, it won't shift that fast. And, this particular autos gears are rather weak, and so is this case, I wouldn't recommend racing with it IMO. Dave