Virto

Tom, The car will launch here at around 18k. The ForTwo is the only model currently planned for export, and the ForFour is officially dead, at least in the UK. There is also a roadster and they were supposed to be working on a new model as of yet unreleased. You can see about 60mpg from a ForTwo. They are quite comfy inside, but by no means are you gonna look "cool" driving one. Check out smart.com and go to the UK pages, you'll get the most relevant information there.

No worries about the woohoo's mate. Glad you've jump started another heart!

Ha ha, yhea I see a few of those X90s every day. I've tried fitting in one and I'll tell you it's not something for the weak-willed (or fat). The Smart ForTwo is going to be sold here by Mercedes dealers (who own Smart, which is far from profitable). The cars are made in France and shipped whereever. They're mostly plastic which makes them light and cheap to service and insure. All Smarts (ForTwo, the now discontinued ForFour and the Roadster) have a 690 (700) cc turbo petrol engine, good for 60 horsepower there or thereabouts. I'd actually consider one when they hit here, but Merc is telling dealers to expect to sell them for EIGHTTEEN THOUSAND! Sorry, I'll buy a Yaris...or if you want a rebodied Renault, buy a versa.

Start here: http://www.geocities.com/zgarage2001/z.html Lots of questions can be answered here regarding the transmissions and differentials. You'll probably want to match the proper diff to the proper transmission, and once you determine which you want, you can get the correct propshaft. They made a four speed be because it was cost effective and common. 4-speed transmissions were quite good when this car was available. By the time of the later 280Zs, a five speed should have replaced the old four speed model, and in fact it was an available option, but not standard. The engine number should be stamped on the side of the block. It will contain either L24 or L28. Both are reliable and can be fitted with carbs. The setup most preferred by Z drivers and builders is the twin round top SU carbs standard on 240s, not to be confused with the flat-top models of the 260Z. Use the 5-speed, unless it's somehow damaged. Use whichever engine you prefer. The L24 is higher revving and might be better suited to a good 250GTO replica, but both are pretty much bulletproof if treated properly. Also check hybridz.org. They specialize in this kind of thing.

Sounds like you'll be up and running in no time. Man that's awesome. Keep up updated if you can.

They do make a difference when it comes to engine bay cleanliness. I've still got to put mine back on. Because they were often removed and forgotten about, you can find them once in a while on ebay, but you might get a hit from someone with a parts car on here.

I think the 280Z (1975-1978) used the R-200. http://www.geocities.com/zgarage2001/z.html for more info.

The GL was an options package for the standard car...meaning you can have a 280ZX GL or a 280ZX 2+2 GL. I'm not sure that all GLs had the digital dash, but they did sport things like power windows. I wish I had my book with me, I could tell you more. Basically the GL is the "luxury" model of the standard car. The 2+2 is a different body than the standard car, with more length and headspace. It's also more difficult to get body panels for, and personally, the standard car looks better to me.

Wow, it's gonna be a monster. Hopefully you bulked up the frame a bit, that much torque will give the body a good twist, and that's beyond a pain in the a$$ to fix. Looking forward to hearing more about it.

I can attest...my 280Z has springs. Never seen rubber mounts before.

Yhea, I'm with big E on this one. That rust is no big deal. If you were doing a full restoration, I could see cleaning or replacing them, but for now, screw it.

Z owners are not totally reluctant to part with thier cars, often times then need a sudden cash injection or life otherwise requires one less car in the drive (or one with more seats). That said, pristine cars that are loved by owners sell for high dollar amounts. You can certainly find one that's been loved and cared for well, but don't expect it to be a 2000 dollar roller. Also, these cars are getting up there. My 78 is 28 years old...meaning early 240s can be 36+. Old cars are not without problems, and these cars aren't american built from iron...they're pretty complex, especially if you get to the fuel injected models. If you have no mechanical inclanation at all, it's best you learn a bit...otherwise you'll have a hard time finding someone that specializes in these cars and a harder time paying for the work.

Look for: No or little rust Avoid: Rust It sounds self-defeating I know, but these cars are very thin skinned and super prone to rusting. Since they're unibody, any rust can end up affecting the structure of the car. Other that that, you'd need to decide if you're looking for a project or for a restored car.

I had a tree that's been hit by lightning 5 times in the 13 years I lived in that house. You'd always know because it would blow off a new section of bark and take out half the neighbor's electrial system. That tree had a massive ant problem as long as I can remember...it's pretty much done for now. It wasn't very unusual to come out and find a big honkin branch on a car in the drive. I've seen some of the 100+ year old trees at our farm come down in ice storms, but this is a new one. Even better than the Z, glad it didn't hit the house.

Holy friggin crap. Was it a weather or age related collapse, or was somebody playing Paul Bunyan? Truly God is a Z fan.

In reality, the danger of damaging the USB port on the radio or the flash drive would minimal...there isn't enough tension between them unless was was made very poorly to hold them together. In other words, you'd knock the drive out of the port before you'd break it. Besides, USB's flat pins are pretty damage resistant. iPods are fine, but unless you have a stereo with honest to god iPod control, any MP3 player works just as well. My iPod works wonderfully, even though it's well past its prime...but you never know when you'll need a removable hard disk...and it fits the bill nicely while also playing music I enjoy. If I was going to buy a new head unit, I'd pick up one of the cheepy models BestBuy has that support MP3 CDs. We just put one in my brother's truck that cost like 70 bucks. It has the USB port and supports MP3 cds and sounds surprisingly good. You just burn the MP3s as files to the cd, fit a few hundred on there and the deck does the decoding. The factory unit in my Focus does the same thing, and I'll tell you, you'll never want to make another audio cd again.

Love Z's in black, and love BRE-look spoilers. Looks like she'll be quite the monster. I even like the headlight covers against the black...and I'm not a big fan of them. Don't care for the wheels...they seem too...modern. But when it's all said, it's not my car, so my opinion doesn't matter. Do what YOU like. Make sure you let us know what's going on as you progress.

I think the velour might be a bit easier to live with as long as you take proper care of it, since it can stain and fade. From what I understand, there was no option to the seats, they were always vinyl. Ken, unless you bought leather covers or the PO did, your car also had vinyl seats. Personally, I love the vinyl...even with the heat. I think I prefer them over the leather seats in my I30...but I'm a pretty strange guy.

You misunderstand...I can't really afford either, but beer is easier to sneak past the little lady. Even if I needed a few kegs, I could pass that off as a "party expense."

Tad bit out of my price range for sure. In fact, to fit my budget, someone would have to be offering one free, bring it to me and install it. Of course I'd have a new friend and provide plenty of beer to consume...hmmm...

Welcome to the party. As a fellow Chicago-metro-area resident, I know what you mean about winter. Too bad that usually also includes summer, spring and fall.

http://www.geocities.com/zgarage2001/z.html Click "performance tips" and scroll about halfway down. All the speedo gears and ratios are laid out for you. Good reference to bookmark.

VERY nice. I love the Healeys.

Actually I love the guy in the 260Z commercial. He reminds me of the announcer from Death Race 2000. And in the 280Z commercials...apparently they want you to think you'll look like an astronaut with your new-fangled fuel injection. Mylar suit with a race helmet...

Yhea, the 10th Anniversary commercial. It aired during the Super Bowl that year...and in 1980...it's wasn't at all funny. That was how things LOOKED. Nice finds though, I hadn't seen the Turbo ZX one before.