Virto

Umm...Yes please! PS...kidney for sale...only the cost of that thing plus shipping!

And any good body man worth his salt can fab you replacements by working the metal to shape...unless you need like a whole fender or something. Concentrate on the rails under the car, the hatch area and the floorpans...if you can't afford a full on restore job. The car might not look great by doing those first, but it'll be solid and you won't end up on the pavement. If you wanna know how much rust can be repaired...try asking 26th-Z!

If you want to pay for it. Most people that seriously consider buying a car from ebay either know exactly what they're getting into, as is the case here with most long term Z vets. But in the case of any newer car where the price seems a little too awesome, it's probably a grea idea. But when the car is 30 years old...you're probably expecting a basketcase unless it's supposed to be 100% restored. It really looks like it's in pretty good nick. I'm sure there's some hidden stuff to watch for but other than the dirt, it looks pretty solid. Odd though...no hood vents. Non original hood...or is there something I don't know?

If it was made only until 2001 that would mean it's based on the Zed 3 roadster M, and the Z3 wasn't exactly a very good car...so they didn't trash a perfectly good BMW, they trashed one that real drivers didn't much care for. They sure sold a lot of them to yuppies and ladies around Chicago though...

Yhea I know. T'was not ignorance, but laziness that prevented me from actually typing the Z and the X.

I stand corrected, I never knew the 280 had one. Sorry for being WRONG.

It was either the 1st or 2nd Gen 300ZX that was equipped with the voice box in some cases. I don't think it was a standard option, but there was a 300ZX on ebay just a couple days ago that was so equipped.

Hard to tell, but it does look a lot like it could be a Rinspeed design...but they aren't really big on making cars themselves, which means it would have to be a production car they chopped. It's certainly "interesting."

Oooooohh, why'd you have to go and bring up THAT little disaster. Glad I don't have time for breakfast this morning, because reminding me of that car has removed my appetite.

I like the color, dislike the wheels, dislike the flares but love the fender mirrors. Overall I'd drive it...or show it. Or drive it to shows.

Hey, she looks pretty good! I'm sure you'll enjoy as we all do.

Too bad the weather is currently nuclear hot. Nice to have another Chicago-near-close to-type person. Welcome!

You probably have a dead tach. Arne just posted a similar issue in another thread and the general consensus is that the tach bit the dust. Before replacing it, I've noticed you have posted a number of electrical issues...you may want to concentrate on the electrial problem first and make sure that they aren't related.

You have to be careful with how much you plan to bring back, you're only allowed to carry back up to a certain amount worth of goods. The rest need to be internationally shipped over so customs can inspect them. I had a buddy go over and buy a few new cameras for people and he had to have a shipping company box up everything else he had because we was over-limit. You should be able to ask the airline or a travel agent about the restrictions.

MSNBC.com was just running a bunch of "things to do in Japan" articles and slideshows. Check there under TRAVEL or i think there's some slideshows under multimedia.

You're in my neighborhood then. I'm about 30 miles southwest of the city, and I work in Arlington Heights. I've always liked the 280XZ and particularly in that color. Good luck with her.

Don't worry Arne, it's 11:30, I'm not running out in my jams to round up any DOT 5. I wasn't sure that DOT 3 was still available, but now I know...and knowing is half the battle. Thanks for the info.

The Z has just come out of storage this last weekend, alive and seemingly well. Now that it's NOT raining in Chicagoland, it's time to work on some general maintenence. I know the engine takes 4 3/4 Qts of oil with the filter, and I'm planning on using 10-W30...probably Castrol. Good call or bad call? The transmission, an automatic, requires per the manual, a DEXRON type gear oil, 5 7/8 Qts worth. Anyone provide a suggestion that won't break the bank, and that I can pick up at the ol parts store? Since the car doesn't see much use, I'm not looking for suggestions like Red Line, which cost more than the car's worth.... The manual also mentions DOT 3 brake fluid for the master cylinder...do they even make DOT 3 anymore...and if not, does DOT 5 meet the same qualifications? I know there's lots of Zs out there that still STOP so I'm sure someone can give me the answer I seek. I tried a few searches, but the auto tranny info really was hard to come by, so I decided to just kill 2...err 3 birds with one stone. Thanks all!

And it's entirely possible that this is just an extra step that's not required...but at the same time, what if there's a problem with one in one-hundred rebuilds? SOMEONE is gonna be unhappy, and frankly a half hour isn't long enough out of my day to justify having to rebuild your rebuild. It certainly can't hurt anything, so it might as well be done. If I rebuilt my engine tomorrow (unlikely, since I'd somehow manage to set the iron on fire, what with my mechanical skills) I wouldn't skip this step. And you mentioned the Ford guy idled his engine. Right there is the problem. We're not talking about idling an L series, I mean 1500 is almost double normal idle speed, and since you mention "driving it like he stole it" this indicates that it's probably a good idea to run MORE that 1500 RPM, as I said was probably in the engines best interest before. I know that in rebuilding various Mopars that we would always run the engine at about 2000 RPM for 45 minutes or so. Over the course of rebuilding 3 340ci engines, we never once had a failure, excessive smoking or a lack of power without using a dyno or the street. I'm certainly not looking for a fight, because I personally haven't done this, I'm just quoting a book on the specific subject of rebuilding an L series. God knows I'm not the best mechanic, or the most knowledgable, so take my advice with a grain of salt. Marty, it's YOUR engine and you can do whatever YOU want with it. Apparently this isn't a required proceedure. I was just trying to help...not create confusion or problems. :stupid:

Actually, aircon on most cars is belt driven...only a few cars, like Toyota's hybrids have an electrical compressor simply so the engine doesn't need to be turning. An A/C compressor is parasitic, and when you turn it on you may see reduced alternator output or an increased idle just because there's another belt being turned by the engine. You've absolutely got an odd problem Roger, but I can't really think of a cause right now if you've ruled out a too tight belt and you're 100% sure the compressor isn't crapping out.

Here is an exact wording of the run-in from How to Repair/Rebuild your Nissan/Datsun OHC Engine, by Tom Monroe: Once the engine is fired, it must be kept running at NO LESS THAN 1500 RPM and must be well lubricated and cooled. Lubrication is particularly important to the camshaft and rocker arms. This is why the engine should not be slow idled under any circumstances during initial run-in. If the engine won' maintain 1500RPM, SHUT IT OFF! This was taken word for word from Tom's book, so I was incorrect in stating 2000 RPM was the target. Before this of course, make certain you have good oil pressure. The main problem with poor oiling or a slow run-in is damage to the camshaft lobes, which isn't exactly cheap, and requires some disassembly. Sorry for misquoting the book, but hopefully this helps clear things up. Jmortensen: You're right, long term constant speed running is not so great for an engine, but the book states no LESS than 1500 RPM. If pressure is good, there's no reason not to increase the RPMs to a higher level and then drop back to the 1500RPM minimum. This is certainly easier with the car on stands or in neutral, but could be done on the street (if you have a mighty control of clutch and throtte), and some around the block action would certainly keep the RPM varied...although I wouldn't leave the garage to be honest. You're right in mentioning that bedding in the rings requires accel and decel, and this is possible in the garage without going below 1500. Tom Monroe mentions that as you run the engine, you'll see the RPM increase as the engine "loosens up" and things are mating together as they should. Marty: It should be noted that during this initial run-in the engine temp will be higher than normal, as the engine is "tighter" and tolerances are lower. As the engine breaks in, the temp will decrease. You should make sure you have a helper to watch the radiator and top it off as is required. Blowing a big ol' fan at it probably wouldn't hurt either. If the engine starts to overheat, stop it ASAP, since you don't want to warp anything.

I'm sorry if I caused confusion, it's 2000 and over for ~30 minutes. Specifically, he doesn't think letting the engine go under 2000rpm is a good idea until the cam is bedded in. I'll check the book (like all Z stuff, it keeps me awake at the office) and get back tonight, but maybe somebody else has it available and can clarify.

Yes, you'll still see oil flying about. The cam basically acts as the oil bar in engines with internal oiling. It's how I determined I had oil pressure when my gauge was acting goofy...not that they're very accurate when they work right. Also, the 2000RPM instruction should last you about a half hour. Enough time to bring the engine up to temp and keep it there. You can go longer than that without hurting anything, but apparently not doing it long enough could cause problems...so better safe than sorry.

Greetings to another plains dweller. Where exactly are you?