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Like how he mentions the Scarab was his favorite Hybrid of the era and how they really did it right ;-)

I'm running the FS5C71A trans in my 71' with the later model L24 pressure plate and the only problem I had was the release bearing collar was too short. Had to get a late 280ZX release bearing assembly from Napa Auto Parts and she works like a charm now. The early transmissions with the removable bell housings used a taller pressure plate than is readily available today. In fact most clutch kits even for the 70/71 use the later shorter pressure plate from what I've seen. Now I wish I would of kept the old one when I took the car apart...... Hindsight is always 20-20 right ;-)

Welcome to the family man! I'm near Elk Grove myself, we should get together and talk Z's over a brew sometime.

I have that shift knob and it should have markings on the base around the hole where the gear shifter threads are. I can recall the name but it's printed in the plastic insert. Hope it helps.

Accept for the ShopVac in the neighbors front lawn ;-)

I got my JDM Type A 5 speed off Craigslist for $250. Just had to source the front half of the drive shaft from a Roadster guy on Ebay and I was in business. Nice thing about the Type A is no modifications needed to shifter hole or console for a 70-71 car and as long as you're running a 3.90 or higher rear it will be quite nice. All of the L series Z trans will bolt right in using the 71 trans mount but the shifter hits the opening for a type B trans requiring trimming like 3/4" off the forward lip. I wanted to keep mine all factory so i scoured CL to find a JDM 5 speed.

My 3/30 car had the manifold that has no bolt holes, and the corresponding carb head shield without the upside down "U" cut out in the center for the heat riser. My 4/71 car has the N36 manifold.

I'd keep her blue on blue, but I am partial to it as I have a 903 blue 71' with blue interior myself ;-) As for mods, it's your ride so do what makes you happy man. My only thing is I wouldn't do any permanent mod that could not be easily reverted back to stock. The 903 blue is really a nice color when it's in good shape and shiny but that's just my opinion. I've seen some really nice resto-mod series one cars with tasteful yet fully functional mods. Looks like a serious keeper, in better shape than mine was when I got it! Congrats my friend.

Thanks for the replies everyone! I have been running Lucas Break-In Zink additive since I built the motor. I plan on running that additive in every oil change, only like $9 from amazon so relatively cheap insurance right. Upon further inspection I think my cam wipe patterns are all messed up, a couple are off the edge of the pad. Not sure how the heck I missed that :-( For the time being, I'm working on cleaning up a few little things in the interior while I scrape together a few hundred extra bucks to send the head off to the shop. I haven't taken the head off yet, trying to postpone that until I'm ready to send it out. I'll be sure to post and update on the head when I pull it off.

Seriously, great job there! You'll have that baby back on the road better than ever. Very impressive indeed.

Your dog's not on a leash.....

It's been a while since I posted an update so I thought I would through up a few new pics and some somber news. We'll start with the good stuff, after reconstructing the front end and putting her all back together I had been slowly fixing things and making her look prettier. Here's how she looked when I put her back on the road after over a decade of slumber. And after a little buffing and having driven her for a couple months. getting tired of not making much progress on shining up the paint and removing the years of oxidation I got myself a 7" buffer and a nice wool pad, I think she's starting to look pretty good all things considered. And today I got around to cleaning up the taillight surrounds and painting them. Color's not 100% correct but I think it looks waaaaaaay better! First pic is BEFORE and second is AFTER. Also added the rear deck emblems a couple weeks ago. Pretty happy with the way is turned out, although I found out my license plate light assembly is pretty much shot. Two of the nuts are broken out so I had to JB Weld them back in to put it back together. Have to put that on my list of things to replace now. SO now for the bad news, the engine developed a coolant leak into #4. Not terrible, but enough to put a good bit of water into the cylinder on shutdown. Funny thing is it didn't push any exhaust or compression into the cooling system and appears to not leak while running. Only when shut off. Soooo, I started pulling the top end apart to see what I could find. Shame too because the engine has only about 1200 miles on it. Great compression across the board and oil pressure but the top end needs help. Water leaking out of #4 exhaust port.... And it seems the rear carb runs really lean at speed :-/ So the really bad news is that when I pulled the valve cover off (first time since setting valve lash 600 miles ago) the head was covered in a dark grey film. Like the engine had 1,000,000 miles or something crazy like that. After looking around I found two galled cam lobes and every rocker arm is experiencing extreme wear. And there are tiny flakes of metal all over the valve spring retainers. Looks like my cheapo resurfaced rockers gave up the ghost :-( No pics of that, I was too sick to take any. Just stuck the cover back on and walked away. I'll be needing a new rocker set, cam and hopefully the head isn't cracked. I'll have to send the head off to the shop next month and have them check it out. Now I'm on the hunt for rockers. The Z life can be a bummer at times cant it! Oh well that's why we love our cars!

I installed mine with the metal out, facing the manifold.

I ran into a similar issue with my 71' as well, turns out the early pressure plates were taller than the later and most replacements today are the shorter variety. to fix the issue you should get the corresponding throughout bearing sleeve to math the pressure plate. I ended up getting one from Napa for a 80's 280zx and it worked. I really need one that's even longer as my fork through is a bit limited by the shorter collar but it works.

Thanks guys. Well one unintended side affect of the mats is they stink to high heaven! OMG!!! Got in the car this morning and there was a faint odor of some chemical and rubber. Well after being closed up at work all day, WOW that stuff stinks! Took them out and washed em with Krud Cutter, and lots of rinsing. Hopefully they wont smell so darn bad in a day or two. Still like them though, I'm sure the smell will fade with a little time.

I had been looking for front mats for my 240Z for the last few months and only found one pair of ratty ones on eBay selling for over $20. Not wanting to buy a new carpet set just yet I got to thinking about making my own, only the automotive carpet they sell for $15~$20 at the auto parts stores isn't really that nice and would probably fray on the edges without the piping stuff sewn on. So I stopped by my local home improvement store and found these bitchin mats for like $6.00 each! They aren't quite all black and have a texture to them but they are backed with a rubber like material and seem very durable. Took some measurements and cut out a cardboard template for test fitting. Finished rough cut mat ready for trial fit: And the final fit in the car, looks pretty good if I do say so myself. Heck of a lot better than my rusty floorboards with duct tape covering the holes where im missing plugs and the various small rust holes ;-) Not bad for $12 and an hour of my time!