=Enigma=

That's Eureka to the rest of us.

I'm sure she'd be overjoyed with any Z you built for her due to the fact you thought of her and spent the effort to make it happen. Don't kill youreself trying to find the original. Odds are either that you won't find it, or that it is no longer available for one reason or another. It doesn't take much to please Mom when the gift comes from the heart.

I voted for #1 because #3 isn't necessarily true due to the defroster grid on the rear window.

I've never heard of it either. I wonder what it's really from? A later Maxima perhaps, although I thought they used modified versions of the N42 & N47.

Have you tried cleaning the existing one up up to get it working? I believe there are some threads on here baout that, and at least one that discusses refurbished units which are available. Use the search feature and see what you can find.

Welcome to the board. Let's see some pics of that rig!

Sports cars were meant to be driven, not automated. My Z came from the factory with a 4spd but the PO had already swapped in an early 5 speed. How convenient. I like to have that 5th gear for highway driving to keep down the revs at cruise. I may change to a later 5 speed and a 3.9 diff as some point but for now this combo will do.

LMAO, you guys are killing me! Unfortunately I think you are probably right and I'm glad this is not somehting I have to deal with. Dealing with a teenage son will provide enough of a challenge as it is. Good luck with YOUR new Z.

Thanks for the heads up. BTW, there is no need to post this is multiple discussion threads. Most will see it using the "New posts" option anyway.

Sports cars were meant to be controlled, not automated.

Nice write-up Enrique. One question though. Why would anyone NOT want to raise the antenna all the way up? Is this mainly to preserve the "stock" functionality, or is there some other not so obvious reason to do this? I am assuming that not having to worry about maintaining the stock behavior would greatly simplify things.

Hey Rick. Nice ad but the tiny pics are a major turn off. I know there's a link to your website and larger pics, but some people might not see the link. Is there any reason you couldn't link to the larger pics in the ad. Does it cost more or something like that?

Yup. Maxima for sure. They actualy don't look all that bad. Definitely different.

Justin, Personally I like the knob you posted over the alternative replacements. If I were you, I would give the resto your best effort. Here's what try if it were me. This is untested. Start by chiseling out the remaining paint as you suggested, then go get some Testers modeling paint and a plastic eyedropper. Use the eye dropper to fill the voids with paint and let it flow into all the areas. Use a toothpick to manipulate it if necessary. You can also use the toothpick to get the black into the lettering. Once done, mask off the wood part and spray several coats of clear to protect it. Probably better to stick with an acrylic to match the Testers paint.

This post is worthless without the pic. Come on, somebody must have the article and a scanner?

I'm speaking without experience here but I see no treason why you couldn't wire any of these antennas to work off the stock radio, after all, it's bound to have a +12 volt trigger wire too. In the case of the old one it's manually activated rather than automagically like with newer radios. But I'm just speculating here.

I love the color. It looks to be fairly clean but I would be concerned that there are no pictures of the undercarriage. I would not spend this much on a car without first looking at it or getting a complete set of pictures of all the known trouble spots. I bought my car via eBay, or tried to anyway. In the end I went and looked at it in person after losing the auction as the high bidder. The auction had a fairly complete set of pics as can be evidenced here, PICS, as well as a few others including the frame rails and batt box.

Not another winged 240Z ricer. And on a 70'.......tsk tsk tsk. I suggest a 3rd stage for the wing.......immediate removal. I wonder how much rot is hidden under that paint? I guess he figured if he didn't mention it nobody would be the wiser?

As I've said before, this is a really beautiful car. Nice job on the resto. I'm sorry you have to part with it. Anyone looking to purchase a new sportcar for >$35k would be wise to consider this one instead. I believe this would be a better value and more fun. Plus, they'd be saving ~$20k for other toys!

Those are some sweet looking rims. What kind/type/size are they?

That's jsut scary. Don't stand too close in case it bursts on you. Hot oil is not a very nice thing to have sprayed on you or in your eyes. I have no idea what could cause that but hopefully someone can help. I'd check for a short somewhere. Perhaps the low side terminals are shorting out or something like that?

Welcome to the board Jeff. Some things to consider: As an older car, the 78 280Z received more smog equipment than the earlier versions, resulting in a decrease in power in at least one case(smog pump). To compensate for that and other things, the engine size was increased to 2.8L, up from 2.4L for the 240Z and 2.6L for the 260Z. Along with the additional smog controls and bigger engine, came more weight as well, including some in the body and accessories. Not nearly as much as the 280ZX, but enought to feel it in the seat of the pants according to some. In any event, this sluggishness could be due to any number of factors starting with bad spark plugs, spark plug wires, dizzy cap & rotor, poor ignition timing, dirty or worn fuel injectors (assuming you still have them), dirty mistuned carbs, or just too many miles and a loss of compression due to worn rings and/or valves. Start by checking the more obvious things (plugs, wires, cap & rotor, fuel filters, ignition timing) that can be easily and cheaply fixed or replaced. Next run a can or two of fuel injector cleaner through the system or clean up the carbs. If you have carbs, clean and tune then or get them tuned. If necessary get the valves adjusted or do ityourself. And if all that still doesn't help, I'd do a compression check to determine the overall condition of the engine and determine what needs the most attention and proceed from there. I hope this helps, IMHO, Adam

I guess this depends on the clearance we're talking about. I would expect that there would be some flex in the axle and some give in the backing plate due to g-forces, but if the two together are flexing more than a milimeter or perhaps two I would be concerned. Otherwise, bend the backing plate a bit and be done with it.

Well I wasn't able to make it after all.......Seems like there is always something else going on that takes precedence.

Welcome to the board. I love my Z very much, but if that's a 68' fastback, I'm not sure which I'd rather have. That car always got my attention.