nwcubsman

You have been advised well, to get rid of all rust. But, that doesn't mean you have to strip all of the paint. If the "NOT a quality paint job" adheres well, just paint over it. The quality of prep work will determine the quality of finish. Suspension is something you can do in a couple of weekends depending on your level of cleanup. I bead blasted mine and PORed it, so it took me longer. (Everything seems to take me longer) But, I'm learning as I go. They are basic cars so for most people these things are doable, and enjoyable. I'm fortunate that I have competent friends to help, and advise. You know who you are, thanks! Enjoy the car, meet some new Z car friends. Most of us are pretty good people.

You can search for all of this info. You'll need a mustache bar from an earlier 280Z, halfshafts from the ZX the R200 came from. Most of your info can be found at; http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Garage/6212/diffswap/diffswap.htm or http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/drivetrain.htm

Looks like a great buy. Nice to see you are going to put it to good use, with the kids. Let me know if you plan to replace that electric fuel pump. They are expensive for a new stock pump, and I don't think they are available. I tried last fall and there was one in NY. If you add an aftermarket, I'd be glad to know what you used and how loud the pump is. I still plan to replace the original due to its volume (loud). BTW, interesting name, Exdamyankee. Is there a story there?

I guess I was unaware there were different thicknesses on the insulators. The only 2 I knew of were with/without the water passages. The only reason you'd need to change them was if the studs on the intake manifold were too short to reach through or if you wanted to be sure you had water available for cold weather driving.

I meant to say that by "give away" there is nothing in the VIN, as a Ford that would give away that it was originally an automatic. Thanks for the clarification.

No, I think that was a dig at me. Beandip wouldn't do that to you unless he knew you. Be glad he doesn't, you may want to keep it that way. Actually, he is a good friend. For a crusty codger! B

Can't say what it means, but Spartan is a maker of dust collection systems. But who would credit the dust collectors on a retail product? Not me!

Well, as far south as Albany anyway. Thought I'd entertain you in your little dark, dreary room, Arne. Matt, if you plan to come down, give us some advance notice and we'll get as many of us together as we can. We do this every once in a while. But you have to promise not to drool on Arne's car. He has to rewax it every time I wipe off my drool.

Will, Effort points count! Nice try.

Hello Matt, Sure you can ID your head. And it doesn't have to be the head from the L24 to run SUs. The intake ports all can use the SU intake manifold. The 2 head castings from the L24 ingines were E31 and E88, the E88 being the most common. The L28s probably have more heads than i can think of, but here it goes. P90A, P90, P79, N47 There is a casting number on the lower RH side towards the front of the head. Very close to the block.

Hi jmark, Sorry for not seeing your question till now. Actually, Jock has sold them on ebay for years. He has told me so, at least. I only recently saw his ebay store for the 1st time. I have not personally used his header although he tried hard to sell me one. I opted for the MSA 6-2 and was sorry I did. I do have a friend that uses his 6-1 header and he likes it alot. His is a very strong car. Good luck!

The toughest part will be to remove the air injection tubes from the cylinders. Start soaking them with PB Blaster or better, now! Soak them and resoak them, for a couple of days. Maybe if you are lucky, you can remove them and keep the tube in one piece. I had to cut mine, to get an impact socket on the nuts, to get them out. I had some pix in my gallery, but they have gotten lost somewhere in the last couple of years. If I find them, I'll post them again.

Christian, PM me. BTW, did I see you driving your car over the river in Albany this afternoon? White truck with the thumbs up.

I own 2 '73s. The bumpers are different than earlier, as all have correctly reported. In my effort to move towards the Euro look on the Silver, I used the rear bumper and had the holes welded up and re-chromed. The front, I bought a '70-'72 Euro bumper. The back won't be exactly the same, but the chromer told me it was an easier project than the '72 rear bumper he had previously done. Tough to weld when they are thin to begin with and a little hidden rust behind the bracket inside the bumper.

You are right. There is no give away if the tranny has been swapped with another period correct tranny. The upside to an Automatic is that they, in general, have been driven less roughly. I bought an AT car a year and a half ago, because I feel I got alot of car for $5k. My 2¢.

Well, I am also hating this decision making process. I have an original Silver car and am trying to come up with something before I drop inan L28. Non-stock colors are difficult to picture on the car. I absloutley love the 350Z blue, but it is getting overdone. Take these 2 cars in the Portland Roadster Show (Sorry Loren, I know yours isn't 350Z blue). Darker colors hide some of the beautiful lines of the car, and that is just an opinion and not worth more than anyone else's, and I am afraid of the result without seeing it done first. The car Arne mentioned (Gail says thanks for the compliment) is great in the sun but can look blah! in the garage. Stock colors do make for an easier choice, but there is something to be said for being different. Now if I can only make a decision. Best of luck!

I used Meguiar's Mirror Glaze also. They have a cleaner and a polish. My results were very nice. Can be found at most chain auto parts stores like Schucks. Good luck.

Personally I prefer ranch salad dressing. No perfumes either! Sorry, just couldn't resist. This all seems so lame!