DougN

Arne, My old tires (seen in my gallery) were 195/60/15, the new ones (seen below) are 195/65/15. Due to the age and treadware of the old tires, the diameter increased about .6/.7 inches or so. The tires seem to fit fine on the rims, here are a few photos (hopefully the side shot shows what you were after):

I am running 195/65/15's on my 15 X 7" rims on the car now (as of Wedensday). Those give you the same diameter as the stock tire (25"), and they don't rub on the front or back, even if they tuck into the rear fenderwell. I also like the look as they give you more sidewall with the 15" rims, making them look more proportional. I'll try to get some pics of these new tires posted over the weekend!

Yep, signed here as well -- Long Live Top Gear!!

I'll 3rd (or is it 4th) the recommendation for Z Therapy. I just got my roundtops for the '73 rebuilt by Z Therapy (actually you send yours in and they send you a replacement set) and they are terrific! Highly recommended, and well worth the $$$. Cost is around $600 if I recall correctly.

Alright Arne, we'll let you stay as an honorary alumnus in the Yellow Z-Car Club. Of course, you could always paint your new car yellow to regain full membership status! Try the "D" caps for awhile - just bend those tabs out and make sure that you cannot pull them off with your hands - and they will probably grow on you! I really do like the look of my friend's car with them on - and he has a complete second set that came with the car in case you lose one :cheeky: Of course, you could get a second set of refurbished "D" caps for daily use, and save the good ones for shows!

Arne, Congrats on the new car! I think your just trying to stay one car ahead of me (I just picked up an interesting '72 on Friday - but it is also the original yellow-green color) Unfortunately, it looks like we will have to revoke your membership in the Yellow Z-Car Club Seriously, looks like a great find! As for wheels, why not drive around with the steelies and the "D" caps on? Certianly not common, but definately original and correct for your new car! My friend bought an all orginal (paint and everything) 5/71 from the same guy I got the '72 from and it has the steelies and "D" caps on it and it looks really good. My "new" 72 has steelies and "Z" caps on, and while my original thought was to replace them, they are growing on me very quickly and I'll probably keep them that way.

Thanks guys, I found a nice set of center caps for my friend to use with his 6-slot wheels!

Does anyone know where I can find a set of the screw on center caps? A friend is looking for a set of them!

Anyone have any info on the 6-slot mags with the screw holes for the center cap?

There was another thread on this subject, where we discussed how much you could drive your cars if you had various companies collector car insurance. Most all now allow unlimted mileage, including Haggerty. The determination seems to be on whether you are required to drive the car, or whether you are driving the car for pleasure. At Carl Beck's recommendation, I talked to Bob at Haggerty, and confirmed that I can drive my 240Z and MGB as much as I want for pleasure and still be covered. The main requirements seem to be that I have a garage to keep them in, and that I have a "normal" car (insured by a traditional insurance carrier) that would be considered a "daily driver" regardless of whether I drive it daily or not.

If you can have a car transported from LA to Atlanta, I may have a need for that :classic:

What were you doing on Okinawa then? I spent some time there with MAG-36 in 83 and 84, and I agree, the Z was the hot car on the street

Nate, what is your height like compared to a stock set up? (ground to top of wheel well would be good!)

I beleive this is the company rdefabri was refering to as experts on the 2000GT: http://www.mainelineexotics.com/ Looks like they have about a half a dozen there between their private collection and cars for sale.

I have the 15" American Racing wheels (that look just like the 14" 5 slot mags common to Z-cars) (see my gallery for photos of the wheels). I am currently running 195/60/15's on the car, and will be switching to 195/65/15's (to get a little more sidewall) with the next set of tires this fall.

Great, now my car is demanding to go to Oregon to see all of it's yellow siblings! If this keeps up, we're going to need a yellow car subgroup! Seriously, glad to see the restoration back underway, that car is going to look terrific when it's done! BTW, what color of yellow is that?

Congrats, sounds like an excellent bargain!! Be sure to post some pics in your gallery so we can all see your good fortune!

Like most people, I can get annoyed at idiot drivers. However, when I do, before things get out of hand or I get carried away, I remind myself that while they are typically in a non-descriptive later model SUV/Truck/car, I am driving a very noticeable car (either my Z or my MGB). It would be very easy for them to remember the car and spot it parked somewhere and take their anger out on it when I am not there to defend it. Or worse, spot me driving it at a later date/time and have them proceed to start the antics up again. Better to just let sleeping dogs lay as they say...

In addition to the Z, I also drive a '66 MGB and a '01 Audi A4 (Turbo) Quattro. The challenge is in deciding which car to drive on any given day :-)

I have noticed the same thing with other Z owners in my area, the closer to the 240Z they are, the higher likelyhood they will wave or acknowledge my 240Z. Unfortunately, the 350Z people for the most part seem not to even realize the connection between their car and my 240Z sitting next to them. I also drive an MGB, and when I am in that, every other MG owner (regardless of the type) will almost always honk and/or wave back (99%). I see the same thing, but to a lesser degree from other British cars of the era, with some of the Truimph and Healey owners waving back, but not all. Interestingly, if the new Chinese MG company follows thru with their plans to sell new MG's here in the US, I think that I will see a lot of the same thing from these "new MG" owners as I do from 350Z owners now. My thoughts are that it is in part due to the car manufacturers not educating their buying public on the heritage and lineage of cars like the 350Z (or a new MG if they come out). It seems to me that maybe Ford has done a better job with this regarding their new Mustang, but since I don't own/drive/ride in any Mustangs, I cannot say for sure -- any Mustang owners out there to comment on the waving/honking/acknowledgement of new Mustang drivers/old Mustang drivers?

If you can't find one anywhere else, this may be an alternative: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-240Z-260Z-280Z-Rear-Hatch-Deck-w-Glass_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ34204QQihZ010QQitemZ200007955961QQrdZ1

RickX, I've got to add myself to the list of people who are having a hard time trying to follow what your saying in your posts. Also, you seem to be over-reacting a bit to those who have said the same thing. I case it's not clear - no one is attacking you here, we are all just trying to understand what you are trying to say. For the record, MikeW lives about 5 miles from me here in Atlanta , and he is a decent, stand-up individual who is very knowledgeable about Z-cars, willingly shares that knowledge with others and is very helpful to any who ask his assistance.

If my car was built 10/72, but is registered as a '73, which year should I select for this poll? :stupid:

Actually, I bought my car via eBay, and got a fair deal on it -- no regrets! I got over 100 detailed photos of all areas of the car, as well as lots of documentation on the history of the car, as well as spoke to the seller (as well as the guy who did the refresh on the car) several times. I also had Z-car expert from the board help me out and cast a second unbiased eye over the car (all the photos, documentation, etc) before I purchased it. And, I would purchase another car from eBay as well! I call it a fair deal as there have been a couple of things I have had to have fixed that I did not plan on, but most of the cost I have put into it since I have bought it is for correcting minor things that look fine to 99% of people out there, but I am very anal about the car and want it to be perfect. Overall, I don't think (hope) am not to bad off in the money invested versus what I could sell if for equation. I don't necessarily agree that the value of our cars are declining, as Hagerty seems to have no issue with a declared value policy in the $20K range (as found in a different thread here). The 240Z was also featured in their quarterly publication as a good value now with value upside potential. The NADA book value of cars always goes down over time, since most of the examples of a particular car are getting older, more miles, more worn out/run down until you get to the point that there are only a few pristine examples left in the world, when it will go back up. With all that being said, like most others, I bought my Z because I love to drive it! Once in awhile I feel a little guilty putting miles on it (because it is a low mile car (50K), but it is so much fun to drive, I get over it quickly! :classic:

Arne - if you don't need the $$$ right this minute, then I'd hold on to them. You can always sell them later, and it's not like they are getting worth less each day. I don't think its a good idea to list them right away after this current auction ends either, as that will make them look less "rare" since two nice sets would be auctioned so close to each other, people then will think (correctly or not) that their availability is better than it is. As stated, if you really need/want to sell them, then wait a few months.