mimregi

you'll just have to trust that there are extenuating circumstances... no one uestions my love for my car

wow... you guys are are making me want to cry =-) Tough to keep thinking about it in the face of all the advice. Economically, if this guy at work makes a solid offer, I may not be able to say no... but you definitely have me leaning away from actually posting it or persuing the sale. We'll see... if I do decide to sell it (I would stand to make a healthy profit I think), I will post it here first, I would hate for it to go to someone who wouldnt appreciate it. Thanks =)

I don't want to sell it, but the thought has crossed my mind lately. I don't want to get too much into it (because I may cry), but essentially it boils down to this: we just moved and I have nowhere to work on the car, I'm a bit further from work than where I wanted to be and, quite frankly, gas is KILLING me (it is my daily driver). I am not quite sure yet if I am going to sell it, but someone at work approached me about it and it got me thinking... if I sell it now, I can almost certainly make a profit, buy something cheap to beat around for a year or two until we buy a house and then buy back in later (promising myself I will get a '72 before too long makes the whole idea much more palatable). OK, preamble aside... IF I sell the car, what do you all think would be a fair price? Check out my gallery here: http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=8707 The car is obviously in great shape. There is no rust anywhere on the car that I have found, the interior and extreior body panels are rust-proofed, the paint is near perfect, the interior is in wonderful shape (the carpets are a kit but a fairly good one). Mechanically, it is wonderful... starts right up, one crank, every time. The minutia: it does need some very little things -- I would loike to have a body person tweak the doors, hatch and hood (they are ever so slightly off), and the seals could stand to be re-done. The car takes on a very minimal amount of water when it rains hard (one of the pics shows the extra strip of rubber I silicon'd in to compensate for the doors hanging just off). It does not have AC (non-existant, not inoperable). There is a hint of a gas smell -- I am convinced that it is a combination of the rear hatch seal and the fact that the webers run very rich (if I do keep the car, I will eventually restore the original SUs, re-seal the hatch and get a tip for the exhaust which I feel certain will eliminate the odor). Those are the biggest things -- a handful of other small things persist (the driver's window is a bit sticky, I hate the shift knob and have not gotten around to re-ordering one, etc.), but ultimatel, the car is wonderful. NADA prices the car at about 8k mid and 12.5k high retail. I feel like the car easily qualifies for high retail or more. What do you folks think? If you were me and considering selling the car, what would you ask for? If you were in the market to buy it, what would you offer? Hell, make me an offer =) Certainly, there is a price point beneath which it just snt worth selling the car... so sad.. thoughts?

I'll check him out, thanks for the recommend =)

I know there are a few central floridians on this board -- can anyone recommend a mechanic? My car (finally) got here today, my tools and stuff wont be settled for a bit, plus things are hectic right now, so I'd like to take it to someone for an oil change and a tune up -- I am in Winter Springs, but will travel a bit for the right mechanic =) any suggestions? Thanks!

My philosophy on this (and if you have seen the interior shots of my car in my gallery, you know why I have given this so much thought): 1) I don't need a picture telling me where the gears are located (it's under my hand anyway!) 2) There are clearly not enough Z logos on my car Thusly I have this on order: http://www.zcarparts.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=50-3504&Category_Code=SSK Pic http://www.zcarparts.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=SSK (I too am not a hge fan of the wood -- I need a new steering wheel and as much as I want to be stock original, I prefer the black to the wood)

I probably will end up sticking with the webers, at least until I either a) have issues with them or have the money and time to upgrade (at which time I weigh the options of SUs vs. EFI) -- whichever comes first. Carl, are you talking about this: http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=16226&cat=500&page=1

I did notice that... the whole thing seemed a bit skecthy to me, I was jost hoping someone had maybe dealt with them before =/ I can wait and do it right =) Thanks for the advice Zrush -- you are correct in that is exactly what I'd like!

I e-mailed the guy... if I hear back from him before the end of auction, I may just take a chance on them. The price makes a bit more sense considering that there probably isn't bulbs (hadn't thought about that). I'll post again if I end up getting them and what they are like...

Seems interesting, but I find myself highly dubious... thoughts? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7986119019&category=33710

Carl, no need for the long intro, I know who you are! I have been doing a lot of research at ZHome already, and I actually lived in the Tampa area when I owned my '78, so I'd heard of you before =) Funny you should mention the SU's... I was literally _just_ talking to a co-worker about the webers and confessed that I had considered going back to stock just so I would have an easier time working on them (besides which, I bought the car to drive it, not race it -- the speed is a just a fun bonus! though by all accounts here, the SU's done right are hardly a performance hit). I am having a little trouble convincing myself to pull the webers out, but I suppose I can e-bay them and make some back. You mentioned the 70-72 SU's, I assume this is because of the smog stuff the '73's were hit with? I assume the older ones will bolt in just fine? I actually have not yet confirmed that the engine is original, but the owner told me it was (I am actually still in MASS finishing up some business, my wife is in FL now where the Murano blew an alternator last night... bah! 'nother story, 'nother forum). I would love to do fuel injectors, but that will be a "someday" thing, the AC and the various little things are (at least for the moment) a higher priority for my limited budget. I am downloading the Vintage Air catalog now, tanks for the advice. I have seen stock replacements at a few places for around 900 bucks, but i'd rather take the recommendation. Looks like they don't make a kit specifically for the Datsun, but I'm looking forward to looking around at the universal systems. Again, I am assuming I will have no trouble dropping the AC in to a car that never had one (I'll also have to track down a control panel for the dash, but I don't get the sense that will be a problem). And I'm not certain, but I too suspected that the car was lowered a bit. Not something I probably would have done on my own, but I'm not hating it. I have no idea what suspension is in there either (at least not yet), but it feels pretty ok, pretty comparable to how I remember the '78 feeling. In general, the car has a more "mushy" feel than I recall in the '78, but its been a while and I have been driving the murano for the last few years, so its tough to say. I want to get a front sway bar, and the car is as you know lighter than the other one, so I suspect that makes for the different feel. the paranoid part of me fears that the undercoating is hiding something and the unibody is structurally compromised, but anecdotal evidence suggests this isn't the case.. gah! don't want to think about it =/ Eventually I will get it up in the air, rip that stuff off and get a good look at it. Here I go again rambling... I'm really genuinely excited about working on the car (stupid job, getting between me and my Z)! So yeah... The car was obviously re-painted at least once, but the paint job is remarkably thorough to the point that I suspect it was originally yellow (yellow on black was an offering that year). I know exactly where that Tony Roma's is! It is not far from our apartment, I will definitely join you once I get settled. Do you guys have a website or anything? Thanks again everyone =)

If you can get your hands on a motorcycle or dirt bike, that was actually how I learned to drive a manual (for me, being able to do most of it with my hands gave me a good feel for the timing, wheich translates to cars really well; and most bikes are more forgiving of a novice -- just make sure someone doesn't put you on something with too much horsepower!). once i got the general feel and idea of clutching and shifting, it was a lot easier to learn to do it in a car. And don't be too hard on yourself =) The Z is not exactly a novice stick/clutch to learn on, but when you get it, it feels great! -m

Many thanks!

[re-posted from "Getting help with your Z" forum] So, I had a '78 in high school and a '77 briefly while in college (don't ask where they are now, it hurts too much... suffice to say that they are in heaven). It has been years, my wife and I have been sharing a Murano (LOVE that car btw, we just moved to FL, and I have never had such a satisfying road trip), but she's working now and we needed a second car, something we could buy cash to avoid another car payment. I started looking at Civics and whatnot when I slapped myself on the head and realized what an opportunity I had to finally get the car I'd always wanted (or something reasonably close). The hunt began... I really wanted a '72 but after much headache (I was pretty close to a really nice '72 on e-bay but was outbid) settled on a '73 I found in pretty nice shape. Long term, this will end up being a daily driver and I will eventually hunt down a '72 I can rebuild over a long-relaxing stretch of time. Anyway, that's my story. Where I am now is that I want to do most of the work on the car myself. I have a high general mechanical aptitude but very little actual experience working with cars (above and beyond simple brake pad and oil change related maintenance). I had to leave the car unattended for the first week and a half I owned it (the aforementioned Florida trip), and it is running a little rough now, noticeably rougher than a road trip from CT to MA where it drove like a honey. I want to tune the car up a bit myself -- I had initially thought to start with the carbs, but one poster suggested ignition timing (by the by, I have been shopping for good carb books and been looking at this and this and this , but am happy for recommendations). I'd love to get some advice on where to start with the car, including some help identifying which model weber is under the hood (pics up in my gallery). I have done a pile of looking on the internet, but most of what you see out there related to webers is fairly advanced, very little for a n00b such as me. The car really is in pretty nice shape, and I am pretty happy about the price. I have a growing list of things I want to do to it (mostly small project stuff, fun stuff) -- it needs an AC, that will be my spring project, and I will probably paint it at some point (though I admit the yellow is growing on me, but the blue and red chrome under the hood is still not my style) and re-carpet, the doors need to be re-hung (it's taking in water -- the weather stripping looks OK but will get replaced and I am 99% positive that the passenger door does not match the body) and it absolutely REQUIRES an original shift knob and steering wheel, plus the wheel caps are not Z. I have not decided yet if I want to go back to a stock chrome look for the bumpers or keep them painted as they are (I am surprised to admit that I really like the way they look, and I think that they have been taken in a few inches as well). I've even entertained the idea of possibly dropping in fuel injectors one day, but every time I do, i tend to back off (ultimately I think I would like to keep the car mechanical and not electrical, but I have a lot more to learn about it and it's low on the list right now). Oh, also, if anyone can identify that rollbar (need a front sway bar too...), I need to pad it (it is RIGHT at head height) and if whoever make the bar makes a pad, it will save me work custom-making one. I wish it was as simple as getting one off of a jeep or something, but the part right behind my head that I need to pad is where two bars meet... In any case, I am thrilled about the car and love how much of a community there is around them! Thanks in advance... I'll try to be more brief next post, but this reflects a lot of pent-up enthusiasm! -m

Talk to me! I'm a bit of a novice, but I would love to know how to get my shifting tighter =) Thanks! -m

[re-posted from "Getting help with your Z" forum] So, I had a '78 in high school and a '77 briefly while in college (don't ask where they are now, it hurts too much... suffice to say that they are in heaven). It has been years, my wife and I have been sharing a Murano (LOVE that car btw, we just moved to FL, and I have never had such a satisfying road trip), but she's working now and we needed a second car, something we could buy cash to avoid another car payment. I started looking at Civics and whatnot when I slapped myself on the head and realized what an opportunity I had to finally get the car I'd always wanted (or something reasonably close). The hunt began... I really wanted a '72 but after much headache (I was pretty close to a really nice '72 on e-bay but was outbid) settled on a '73 I found in pretty nice shape. Long term, this will end up being a daily driver and I will eventually hunt down a '72 I can rebuild over a long-relaxing stretch of time. Anyway, that's my story. Where I am now is that I want to do most of the work on the car myself. I have a high general mechanical aptitude but very little actual experience working with cars (above and beyond simple brake pad and oil change related maintenance). I had to leave the car unattended for the first week and a half I owned it (the aforementioned Florida trip), and it is running a little rough now, noticeably rougher than a road trip from CT to MA where it drove like a honey. I want to tune the car up a bit myself -- I had initially thought to start with the carbs, but one poster suggested ignition timing (by the by, I have been shopping for good carb books and been looking at this and this and this , but am happy for recommendations). I'd love to get some advice on where to start with the car, including some help identifying which model weber is under the hood (pics up in my gallery). I have done a pile of looking on the internet, but most of what you see out there related to webers is fairly advanced, very little for a n00b such as me. The car really is in pretty nice shape, and I am pretty happy about the price. I have a growing list of things I want to do to it (mostly small project stuff, fun stuff) -- it needs an AC, that will be my spring project, and I will probably paint it at some point (though I admit the yellow is growing on me, but the blue and red chrome under the hood is still not my style) and re-carpet, the doors need to be re-hung (it's taking in water -- the weather stripping looks OK but will get replaced and I am 99% positive that the passenger door does not match the body) and it absolutely REQUIRES an original shift knob and steering wheel, plus the wheel caps are not Z. I have not decided yet if I want to go back to a stock chrome look for the bumpers or keep them painted as they are (I am surprised to admit that I really like the way they look, and I think that they have been taken in a few inches as well). I've even entertained the idea of possibly dropping in fuel injectors one day, but every time I do, i tend to back off (ultimately I think I would like to keep the car mechanical and not electrical, but I have a lot more to learn about it and it's low on the list right now). Oh, also, if anyone can identify that rollbar (need a front sway bar too...), I need to pad it (it is RIGHT at head height) and if whoever make the bar makes a pad, it will save me work custom-making one. I wish it was as simple as getting one off of a jeep or something, but the part right behind my head that I need to pad is where two bars meet... In any case, I am thrilled about the car and love how much of a community there is around them! Thanks in advance... I'll try to be more brief next post, but this reflects a lot of pent-up enthusiasm! -m

Good advice (and thanks on the pics too). Is it noteworthy that the car seemed to be running just fine when I drove it from CT to MA (quite well in fact), but after a week or so of sitting outside it coughs a bit, tends to stall without a little choke and stalls if you slam the gas? Thanks!

HA! I HAVE thought about using a helmet =) I have also thought about possibly dropping in fuel injectors one day, but every time I do, i tend to back off (ultimately I think I would like to keep the car mechanical and not electrical, but I have a lot more to learn about it and it's low on the list right now). Oh, and the pics I uploaded so far we just the ones on the site I linked, so nothing new. But thanks for the kind words! -m

Oh, also, if anyone can identify that rollbar (need a front sway bar too...), I need to pad it (it is RIGHT at head height) and if whoever make the bar makes a pad, it will save me work custom-making one. I wish it was as simple as getting one off of a jeep or something, but the part right behind my head that I need to pad is where two bars meet... Anyway, thanks again in advance =) Just uploaded all the shots to my gallery too...