Jump to content
HybridZ

King Z


skerry

Recommended Posts

So, I had an interesting meeting today. It was a place I've been dozens of times before. I usually need to get in and out as quickly as possible...but today I had to wait. And while waiting I noticed a wall that I amazingly has never noticed before. On the wall was a license plate that said "King Z". I immediately wondered if it had anything to do with Datsuns. A question that was answered by looking at the old picture next to the plate. It was a younger version of the man I've briefly chatted with a couple dozen times. I asked him about it and he says, "yep that's me next to the first Z with a V8, I was the first to do it". We didn't have long as he had a customer but he said that he did tons of conversions. I'm going to drive my car next time and get him to tell me more. Obviously, I don't want to give his real name but he said that everybody knew him as King Z. I'm in South Louisiana and I have no doubt that he's telling the truth though I'm sure multiple people probably did it around the same time. Still pretty cool to meet someone that goes so far back with these cars.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you have any pictures of the car from a distance? It's hard to tell from a bunch of close-ups if they compliment the overall style of the car. Also, what about wheel and tire specs that work without rubbing?

 

Nigel

That is a tale from Thibodaux on the bayou. ......the first to do it...... I think not. What year was the pic? My dad was the Vice President of the Z Club of Houston, my 240z is from 1 of the founding members. They were pulling these sbc swaps back in the 70s..

Edited by texis30O
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1973 was the date on the article. Like I said in my post, I'm pretty sure there are a lot of "first people to do it" and I'm sure they all come across just like he does. Just thought it was interesting to meet someone who has been working with the cars for so long.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only guys who say "I was the first to do it" either are isolated or don't look around.

I've hung around a few guys, Ron Iskendarian, Vic Edlebrock Jr., ... Heady names. Almost to a man they usually say "that was the first time that I know of it was done."

 

Anybody remember Bubblegiunea at ZCC? First kid to ever make a "dished piston high performance L-Series" to turn 15+ second 1/4 mile times...

 

Being proud of your achievements is one thing, being a self aggrandizing arsehole is another. Big Fish - Small Bowl Syndrome!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Absolutely, and he rubbed me wrong when he said it that way. That's why I corrected his statement in my first post. This isn't one of those things that you can definitively say "I did first". I did get back by there and talk to him some more. This time I brought the car, he complimented the "newer" way that the conversion set the engines further back. It's funny because talking to him I realize how lucky I am to be able to do this at a time when I have access to the web. He's giving me these tips that he learned over years and years of working with these cars. And here I am this mechanical novice and while I appreciate everything he's telling me, I already know most of the things he's suggesting. 20 years ago, it would have been valuable information and it still is. The difference is, now I don't have to know this guy because I have access to all of you guys. Then I just think, that must be kind of unsettling to him. There was a time that in this area people would specifically seek this guy out with questions. And now, I don't have to. Of course, I thank him for every suggestion but that same arrogance that allows him to make the statement about being the first won't let him hear the improvements made over what was best even 30 years ago. I think there's a fear of facing that maybe he's not "the guy" anymore so he overcompensates with ego. Still fun to talk to him though and hear stories.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As long as some people understand what you saw. Most don't, and aren't nearly as appreciative.

 

They would be dead in the water doing it without the internet.

 

The only caution is I would say you only think you know half of what you think you know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And here I am this mechanical novice and while I appreciate everything he's telling me, I already know most of the things he's suggesting. 20 years ago, it would have been valuable information and it still is. The difference is, now I don't have to know this guy because I have access to all of you guys. 

I had a roommate when I first bought my Z who was the local guru. He had worked in a Z shop for years, raced a 510, was a Nissan master tech, etc. Very well qualified guy, and very knowledgeable. Then the internet happened. I had taken all of his advice to the letter, and it turned out that his advice was disagreed with by other people out in the Z world. Things like "You should set your front camber at -1.2 and rear at -1.5 for autocrossing" or "stay with small cams for L series" were suddenly things that were for the first time in my experience (correctly) disputed.

 

Many of us were somewhat guilty of the small pond syndrome at that point, too. I got on the zhome email list with the attitude that I had this incredible resource at my disposal, and he was probably right (which made me right by proxy) and the people out there were probably wrong. He remained right a lot of the time, but one of the things that access to knowledge should do is to make you more humble about what you know or the value of a single source. Nobody knows it all, not even close. But if you can take a little from this guy and a little from that guy, a little from this forum and a little from that one, you can make some very surprising leaps forward. This is not a car issue either. The spread of all kinds of knowledge in the last 20 years is just astonishing. Truly an amazing time to be alive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My nephew is quite a bit mor blunt about it... He's 20-something and built a 9 second late model (80's) Malibu.

He is more than annoyed at people who milk him for information and then argue with him about it.

 

His attitude is "I busted my ass every second reading everything I could on the internet to keep my costs down and do it once."

 

He, as a result, started deeeep in the 10's first time out, and was in high 9's within the racing season.

 

He now simply says to people "it's all on the internet, get a high speed connection, laptop, and start reading same as I did! It's ALL on the internet, if you want to learn, go there."

 

Hahaha...I love it!

Edited by Tony D
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aaron was raised in a quasi Germanic family....

 

He looked at my L28 and (being a GM Offspring) exclaimed "Wow, EFI back in '75?"

 

I said "It's second generation, VW started in '68!"

 

Given Rochesters attempts with mechanical and electrical per dating Bosch... I'm surprised Mr Internet Search would be shocked at all! LOL

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I was working on my car today and someone stopped by and started to BS about Z's. In the conversation he mentioned his roommate in college( I'm guess ing late 70's or early 80's) bought a used king Z "from back when they used to make them", and it had a 327. He said it was fast but didn't stop worth a crap. I would have had no idea what he was talking about if I had not read this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've talked to the guy a couple times since. He really is arrogant even though I think what we have today far exceeded what he did then. A guy at work just sold his ridiculous Z dragster and said he wished he would have brought it by to "show him the real King Z" Lol I guess everybody can be a little arrogant.

 

Side note: Rob, you planning on going to the Leblanc Z Show in April?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrators

 

though I think what we have today far exceeded what he did then.

 

I would surely hope so. We have more available information (especially collectively), more OEM availability, more aftermarket availability, more technology, more affordable fabrication tools, and so on. If hobbyists aren't exceeding what was done decades ago we aren't using our resources wisely... or worse.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, it was pretty nice last year though I would have liked to see some more classic Z's. I think they had (4) 240Z, (1) 280Z, (2) 280zx, (1) 300zx and the rest were 350 and 370 out of about 25 entries. I believe they also had a GTR. But anyway, nice event. You received free lunch, tshirts for anybody who participated in the show which was of course free. The older Z's that did show up were really nice with the exception of mine which spit water and radiator fluid all over the ground as soon as I arrived.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got a nasty transmission leak and new fuel line to run to get it mine on the road but I should fix those this weekend. I'm shooting to have the interior done for the show in April. Thinking about making the drive to Memphis for the ZCon in July if my AC is installed and working by then.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...