240ZX

Andrew, I think it looks great!!! Each to his own, I say. Tom

Welcome aboard Chad! Regarding your Z experience.....everybody makes impulse buys, especially when young! However, you have come to join a site with loads of archived information on Z cars (specificly 240, 260 & 280). Do yourself a favor and spend some time researching the archives, there is info on just about anything you may want to know or do to your 280. Happy hunting! Tom

Not to bag on you but, you mean you didn't check the fluid level after the install and prior to driving???? Better make sure you check the tranny fluid level. Bet you won't do that again....could have been a tough learning curve had you not checked! To error is human....someone once said!!! Tom

Is that the Corkscrew, at Laguna Seca, the 510 is carving through?

If it is what the seller says it is, and your the type that's into "keeping it bone stock original", my quess is, it is probably worth the $20K....OK, maybe $18.5K. Very nice survivor. I did notice, if you look at the interior picture on the console......I don't remember the 240 having any wood grain console inserts, and what appears to be a custom choke knob!!? Tom

Thank you Blake! Amen!

Geeze TomoHawk, you may be putting ideas in thier head, as we type, with your humor!!!

Andrew, People will generally put an E31 head (240 head) on an N42 block to increase compression however, the valve sizes are smaller on an E31 as compared to the N42 head, which have larger valves and a larger combustion chamber volume. Regarding carburation.....if you do not intend to use a larger cam profile and or addition performance engine mods, the SU's will work just fine and cost you much less to install than tripple webers. There are many posts regarding this subject, in the archives. Tom

Great story Goug! Sort of like meeting an old girl friend you really had the hot's for. At one point in my Z's life I had a hitch fabbed up so I could haul my crotch rocket to the track......the guy that did the fab and install on the hitch kept giving funny looks, like......are you nuts or something! He had never heard of or seen a Z with a hitch before I quess. Anyway, great story and welcome aboard....like your Z! Tom

I think Rick's reply is solid.....I concur, only a realignment is required for a 1" drop. You will pick up a little negative camber but, that will be a plus for performance driving.

Will, I believe early heater control panels and ashtrays would be fast sellers.....I'd be in for one of each for my 1970! Your a brave man Will for considering this effort. Tom

Thank goodness my Z doesn't have access to my credit card, otherwise I would be in the poor house! She'd love to have me completely disassembly her again and add a roll cage, a complete freshening of the chassis (not that it's necessary!), lay on a new coat of paint (would go back to the original white), add some nice CF parts for visual effect, remove the basically stock N42 motor and replace it with one of Dave Rebello's units, and maybe even upgrade the brakes again to some nice AP units! Oh, I'm sure she could come up with other items but, I control the cash flow so they will just remain on the big wish list! Tom

There's no question Zep tunes have blazed in my 1970!!! Tom

Yeh, from the looks of the pictures this Z appears to be a really nice unit. The V8 is certainly a personal choice type item but, all and all a really clean Z.....shouldn't take long for it to find a new home! Tom

......................and thank God for Z's!!!!

To start with, my two biggest money pits are my dirt bikes....Honda CRF450R and Husqvarna TE510! Then comes my two mountainbikes and one road bike....Ventana X5, Cove Hummer XC (converted to a single speed), and Colnago Ti road bike with Campy Record stuff. After investing about $20K on the make-over, my 1970 240Z now only requires fuel and general maintance. Of course there's always beer!!! You guys know how it is......just when you think your getting on top of the curve, there's always something that jumps up that requires $$$! Tom

I'm a dirt bike guy myself and own an 02 Honda CRF450R (set-up for desert) and an 06 Husqvarna TE510 enduro bike for the dual sport stuff (is plated). If you ride mainly on the road and occasionally off road, your bike choice was good. Enjoy! And, keep the rubber side down!!! Tom

Laura, My suggestion is to find a good mechanic who is very familiar with the 280ZX and let them assess the problem. Don't take my word for it but, with the EFI cars it's likely just a bad sensor. If it's puffing black smoke, you have a rich condition. A quick look at the plugs can reveal if the problem is local (one cylinder) or across the board (all cylinders). If it's local, it may be a fouled or bad injector and if it's across the board, it may be a bad sensor. Maybe Blake will jump in on this, as he is pretty good with problems on EFI Zs. Tom

Here in the Ventura County area of SoCal, I see maybe one or two every month or so.......most of which are daily drivers in dire need of some TLC! However, I'm pretty sure there are far more to be seen but, like mine they probably live in a garage most of the time unless the weather is fair.....which is usually most of the time. Mine goes out about three to four times a month, generally on a sunny Sunday cruise to somewhere and back. Many times I get the impression that most people have no idea what kind of car it is....even so, I generally get the thumbs up from quite a few folks. Tom

Ron, Watched the show last night and have to say.......you were marvelous! I think this small segment with you and the historic Z have done alot to bring our favorite Z cars to the attention of other car crazy folks! It's about time too. My quess is, that down the road....say maybe 10 years, the Z cars will become even more desirable and valued in the collector arena. Anyway, hat's off to Ron Carter!!! Tom

I believe one would have to either contact the cam manufacture or get ahold of the correct spec sheet, in order to find out lift/duration.....beyond that, it would be a SWAG! Tom

Looks to me as though the seller has recently thrown on a fresh coat of paint. Beyond that it looks to be worth.....maybe $5K to $7K at best! From the appearence of the engine bay, I'm guessing it's a good indication of the general condition of the Z.......!!? Tom

Welcome aboard Brooks! Your bringing back fond memories of when I first got my 1970.......oh the excitement!!!! Tom

I concur........very nicely done! The eight spoke wheels always make the Z look very cool IMO! Great job Juergen. Tom

There many variables that will dictate what fits and what will not fit.......suspension set-up (std or coilover), ride height, etc., etc. However, I have 17x9 wheels with 235-40 tires rear and 17x8 wheels with 215-40 tires front. No mods to original body and my ride height is less than 4". The rears are at the limit with my set-up...any larger or taller profile tires would cause rubbing at the rear. The fronts are not an issue....still have room to go with bigger tires but haven't because it would take away from the overall stance and look I wanted to achieve. There are no difinitive answers, you just have to figure it out....like most have had to do! Tom