Jeff G 78

We want pics! Congrats on the new acquisition.

Yeah, I was going to comment on the capitalization thing, but forgot. That was really weird. Who types like that???

Wow, that IS rare. Ever rarer must have been the L28 powered '89 ZX that the engine came out of. Why did he take a picture of a poorly cut piece of house carpeting? And why would somebody quit driving it due to the minimal damage done during the theft? A JY window can't cost more than $50.

I had triples on a '72 with a Holley pump and it was LOUD. After I sold the car, the new owner swapped it out because he couldn't take the noise. I think he went back to a mechanical pump and has been very happy.

Since you're in TX, this car might fit your needs http://www.zcar.com/forums/read/8/1811301. I just came across it on zcar.com. It is around the same money and looks much better than the one you were looking at from the one pic he posted. It might be a POS, but it looks decent in the picture.

Fumes get sucked in at every nook and cranny in the back of a Z. Replace the hatch seals, the tail light gaskets, the fuel hose grommets, power antenna drain seal, any rust areas, all wiring pass thoughs, etc. If you search here or at zcar.com, you will find more info than you can read through on fumes. The general answer to eliminating fumes is to seal everything in the back half of the car as though you were building a boat and were trying to keep it water tight.

No Tom, negative offset moves the tire and rim outboard. Positive offset moves the wheel spokes out which in turn, moves the tire and rim inboard. All modern cars use a high positive offset which moves the spokes out leaving more room for the knuckle. This creates less king pin offset and a proper scrub radius. In the case of these wheels, a +27mm offset will tuck the tires way in. Since they are so narrow, the tires probably won't rub on the struts, but they will give the car a narrower track width by over two inches versus stock.

You still have an offset issue. You should be using between zero and maybe +10 at most. As a 5.5" wide rim, they will be tucked way in with +27 offset.

Arne, I still have the set we talked about earlier, so if you don't want to buy that whole car, let me know. Once again, they are knockoffs in decent condition. They do need cleaning/polishing, but could be made to look nice.

Safety and emissions stuff really IS what is making cars heavier. It is very true that the creature comforts add weight, but the safety equipment adds up much quicker. Power windows are actually lighter these days than manual windows, so that one is a no brainer. As for the rest of the junk, the damn US buyer DEMANDS it! Why do you think the Track model 350Z died? It's because it didn't have leather, heated seats, or other such items. It sold in very low numbers so Nissan replaced it with a Grand Touring model which is basically a combination of a Track and a Touring with the Brembos, forged wheels AND the gizmos. I hate it too, but it makes no sense for a car company to leave the gadgets off to save a few pounds and then have the cars sit on the dealer's lots. In 2000, we sold the Cobra R with no AC, back seat, or radio as a track-ready super limited edition (300 total) Mustang and we got reamed by every major magazine for selling a $55,000 car without these "necessities". It was a factory built TRACK car with a factory fuel cell, Recaro race seats, a mega expensive differential, super sticky tires and an extensively tested aero package that added real downforce. If that car can't get away without the creature comforts, then a high volume car like the Z sure isn't going to get away with it. Personally, the Track model would be my only choice, but yet the Touring sold in much higher numbers proving that the US buyer doesn't care about extra weight.

Carl, I'm an auto engineer at the blue oval. My experience was based on a benchmarking drive I was on, so money isn't as available as it might have seemed. :disappoin That said, I live in Michigan where we only get about six months out of the year to drive a sports car. I already have my '78 Z and I need to own a truck for all the home improvement projects I'm working on, so a second Z just doesn't make any sense for me. If I ever move to a warmer climate, I could justify it easier since I could drive it year 'round. The only way I could justify owning one in Michigan is if I replaced my 280Z and that isn't going to happen. I've owned S30 Z's for 23 years and I plan to have one in my garage for years to come.

For quite a while after the 350Z hit the market, I read all the negative reports from the Z community about it being big and heavy and that it's not a real Z. I hadn't driven one yet, so I believed what I read while hoping that my opinion would change once I drove one. I really had no idea what to expect once I got behind the wheel. As an auto engineer, I drove one head to head on a lengthy drive against a C6 Corvette, Mustang Shelby GT500, Pontiac GTO, BMW M5 (~2003 vintage), and a Cadillac CTS-V. I was really surprised at how light and nimble the Z was compared with all the other cars. It reminded me exactly of the pure sports car feel of an S30 Z. The C6 weighed slightly less than the Z, yet felt hundreds of pounds heavier than the Z. The Mustang, GTO, M3, and CTS-V felt very heavy and cumbersome in comparison. The Z was not the quickest by far and rode the worst of the bunch (but still not bad), but it was by far the most fun to drive and was the only one that truely engaged the driver. I came away from that drive with a whole new appreciation for what Nissan accomplished with a one-size-fits-all platform. Is it perfect? NO, but it IS a true Z. I later drove the 300HP 350Z and was less impressed with the engine. I felt that it was thrashier than the 287HP engine with less low end torque and non-perceptible gains in HP. I liked the older tuning better, but the car was still fun to drive. The bottom line is that today's cars are HEAVY due to safety, emissions, and buyer demands for creature comforts. If the Z is driven back to back with its competition, it becomes clear that Nissan did a very good job with the Z. I would like to see a smoother engine (I haven't driven a 2007 yet), but I do like the car overall. I would be proud to park a 350Z in the garage next to my modded '78.

My regulator was frozen shut, so I went to my stash of spare parts and found one that was open. I gave it 12V and watched to see if the orifice would close properly and then reopen as it cooled. Sure enough, it worked, though when fully cold, it was only open about 1/3 of the way. With it open that amount, my idle now increases by about 150 RPM to start with and slowly drops back to ~800 when fully warmed up. Though I would like it to raise a bit more that this, 150 RPM is enough to keep the engine running smoothly and it no longer stalls when the throttle is closed when approaching a stop. This was a problem after I disabled the BCDD. Before I plugged the air passage, the BCDD would cause the engine to race whenever I slowed to a stop. It did drop at 10 MPH as it should, but hung at high RPM way too long. After plugging it and installing a working AAR, the car runs great and has just the right amount of throttle hang. It doesn't drop too quickly, yet doesn't race either. I suggest that you remove your AAR and take a look at the opening to see what it looks like when cold. Next, hook 12V to the connector (I used aligator clips wrapped in tape so they couldn't touch each other) and make sure it closes after a few minutes. Hold it up to the light after it has closed and make sure it seals completely. Next, let it cool completely and see if it reopens again. Did the valve open all the way? If so, it's working properly and there is no need to replace it. Of course you already ordered a new one, so you could just go ahead and send the new one my way. :laugh:

I have the Autozone calipers on my '89 Toyota 4x4. I wouldn't say that they are great, but with a lifetime warranty, it's not a big issue. My AZ calipers lasted about a year and a half before they started hanging up a bit. I just kept throwing free AZ pads at it every year of so, and just finally replaced them with new free AZ calipers and pads this past weekend. Of the two replacements I just got, I had to take one back since it didn't have a brake line seat in the port. Of course, I didn't notice until I bolted it back on and screwed the line on. The fitting went much deeper than normal and bottomed out on the hex of the fitting rather than the flare. Upon inspection, it was clear that the seat wasn't there. It was simply a drilled and tapped hole. I would think that if kept out of the salt and grime, the AZ calipers would have lasted much longer, but I can't say how long. For $39 per caliper, it's worth a try. I really don't like their pads though. Stay clear of them for a Z. On my truck, they work fine, but the feel is all wrong for a Z.

True Beandip, but I would think teflon would be needed so air is not sucked back in around the bleeder threads.

They have that same kit at Sears, but I don't recall the price. The aluminum one is much stronger looking than the plastic one, though I haven't broken mine yet. The handle flexes a lot though on mine. I just used my MityVac for a brake bleed job on my Toyota 4x4 yesterday. I can never get as good of a pedal feel as I can with the old two man method. I usually try to use the MityVac to get 95% of the air out and then have a friend or the wife pump the pedal to finish the job. Usually my wife gets tired and antsy if I have her pump from the start. The MityVac makes her job about 3 minutes rather than 10+ minutes without it. One MityVac tech tip is to remove the bleed screw and add teflon tape to the threads before bleeding. This way you won't suck air through the threads when you loosen the bleeder under vacuum. This doesn't matter with the two man method, but really helps when using the vacuum pump.

Did you change the fuel filter again after the tank refresh? What about the filter (screen) in the fuel pump? If yes to both, then you might have clogged injectors. Mine were clogged shut after my car sat for several years. I sent them out to be cleaned, but they were too far gone, so I bought a new flow-matched set. If yours turn out to be clogged, you might consider going to a new billet fuel rail and O-ring injectors from a more common car. Our injectors are expensive and tough to work with due to the style of hose and mounting. Try hitting your car with starter fluid to see if it will at least fire momentarily. If so, fuel flow is still likely your problem. Have you verified that you have good flow at the fuel rail? Remove the rubber hose that goes between the filter and steel rail and put it into a clear jar. Remove the coil wire and turn the engine over. You should get a consistant flow of nice clean fuel. If not, one of the filters is clogged, or the pump isn't primed. After I cleaned my pump screen, it took quite a while to prime the pump.

That's cool. My Toyota truck is at 235,000 and would probably go forever, but eventually rust will claim it. I think I can make it to 250k before it gets too ugly to drive in my neighborhood. At least you only have to worry about the mechanical stuff. Keeping a body alive for 500k is much tougher in the rust belt.

I was sure that "That Z Smell" would be one of the choices I love how the car fits. You become one with the Z when driving it. There are faster cars and better cars, but the Z has soul. I love that Nissan captured the true essence of what a sports car should be. It's simple, yet capable.

It's at $7500, but still not met and the seller lowered the reserve. I'm guessing that the reserve is around $12500 but it won't be met.

How long is that tailpipe? It must stick out 12" past the back of the car. It does appear to have lots of Bondo too.

Yes, yes, I know ALL about the hard work and appreciation part of it, but it would be kinda nice to actually be able to DRIVE my Z rather than constantly work on it. What's sad is that no matter how much time and money I dump into mine at this point, it will never be as clean as that car. Granted, mine is far from stock, but still... There's something to be said for an unmolested Z. If I were in the market for that Z, I would, of course, have to put some personal touches on it like Panasports, lowering springs, urethane bushings, 240Z bumpers... WAIT A MINUTE! Then I'd be right back to working on the car again I guess I'll just keep plugging away on mine.

All the specs on the bottom are for a '79 ZX. If you notice, it lists the brakes as disc/disc and shows 135 BHP which was the later testing method from the '79. Oh well, WE all know the real specs. The car is beautiful though! Any guesses as to what the reserve is at? I'll bet it's set higher than anybody is willing to pay for a 280Z at this time. Looking back on what I've spent and what I have left to spend, I would have been better off buying something like this car. Then I would have been driving it all these years instead of getting greasy and looking at it sit in the garage. :tapemouth

Yes, they will work, but you might, or might not have to roll your rear fender lips a bit. I have the same size tires on Panasports and they rub just a bit. Some people report a rub with that size and other don't. The interference is very minor which would explain the different results.

John, I have a set of Libres sitting in the basement. If you ever decide to buy a set, let me know. I don't have them listed anywhere, but if somebody is looking for a set, I'll sell them. BTW, they are knock-offs, not American Racing as they do not have the ribs in the back of the spokes.