patzky1

Ohhh, Methinks think you snapped your transverse link pivot bolt (the big bolt that would go through the two holes on the bottom of Tim's picture) somehow? If so, GJ! Rust? If not that, the only other possibility is that you've broken the strut off of the "hub". Can you take pictures? Pat

I find it funny that the only things he spelled right / got gramatically correct in the email were the part descriptions and numbers... Edit: Actually, I take that back...

Hmmm...my parents must have had a lot of confidence in my driving to let me get a 280 for my first car. They're not exactly tanks or known to be up to snuff with modern cars as far as crash testing goes, either (no airbags, safety features in its infancy, etc.). Maybe it was just the fact that I would NOT drive an old taurus or whatever and just had to have the Z. As a matter of fact, the kid I bought it from had to sell it because his dad told him it was too "fast" for a first car. Yeah, right, a stock 280 too fast LOL.

My landlord owns one and operates out of a nearby nontowered (very small, one runway, etc... no traffic) airport. Based on my impressions from having recently earned a multiengine rating in the Seminole I thought I could beat it on the ground. So, we lined up across from each other. He was on the runway and I was on a parallel taxiway (shh, don't tell anyone...) about 150 feet away. I flashed a light at him and we both started, he was doing a short field takeoff with a rotation speed of about 75 knots (86.4 mph). I was just hitting 95 when he rotated, so I beat him to speed. Now, wheter I actually could do a 1/4 mile faster than him or not I don't know because as the airplane accelerates to liftoff speed the propeller slips less and becomes more efficient. Pat

Whew, for a second there I thought you were talking about my car! I instruct at KCMI (Univ. ov IL. Airport, Savoy, IL) and have a blue Z but its not a turbo, its an 8. Surprisingly, it out accelerates a Seminole (which has 2 180 hp engines and weighs the same) on the ground. Ask me how I know... Also, I would be surprised if anybody remarked about it right now because...Me needy new painty. Here's a tip for you guys: spend mucho time on the paintjob (especially prep) if you're doing it yourself or you WILL have flaws Pat

I was in the middle of installing my new poly bushings on the front control arms and strut rods when I realized that I didn't have torque specs for anything. Do I just tighten the nuts down until they're snug and secure but the bushings still "float" or are there recommended settings? Thanks! Pat

You know what, though? I like the hater attitude becase it guarantees that there will be people that want to race your "POS" and get it handed to them. I like this excuse: "It wasn't fair because your car weighs like 700 pounds less!" LOL, too bad. Pat

I used the door locks off of a `78 Caprice and they required a little widening of the hole, but nothing major, easy job with a dremel. Cost me $0 and works like a jem. The only thing is that I have different keys for the doors and hatch now. Pat

Thanks for the input, Joshua Yes, I will be doing it all myself... that's the fun part of a Z, right? Looking forward to the drilling, torching, and hacking parts 8^). I have already replaced the ball joints, strut inserts, I/O tie rods, etc... so the bushings will be my final suspension replacement. Sucks to have it all apart for one thing and put it back together just to realize later on that you really do want to replace something else, huh? Does anybody else have similar/contrasting experiences?

I am lookng into replacing the stock bushings with the good urethane stuff and was wondering what your thoughts/opinions were on the feel before and after. Does it really ride that much "tighter" than stock? Can you even tell? Increased vibration problems? Handling improvement, etc...? The bushing companies all say that it will make the car "sportier" but that's about all that I have found on the topic. Also, does anyone know the stock spring rates on a 280? Pat

Haha, the funny 5.0 video cracks me up, too. Stang -I don't wanna race UP HILL! Truck - WHY? What a douche, he just plain got it handed to him!

That looks just like an Illlinois plate, but it's missing the "Abe's head" in the very middle of the plate, leading me to think it's a photoshop. Funny plate, though! Pat

Go SKS. My dad has one and: a) its a blast to use ( love 7.62 stuff ) its easy to clean c) its reliable as hell Not the most accurate thing in the world, but it's pretty good, even with the iron sights. Of course, I have no experience with the Enfield, so take it all as you will. Pat

Yeah, but the few that it DID catch would be the ones that you would eventually have to throw back anyways! I don't know about you guys, but if they are that dumb they have no chance with me. Pat

Haha, I have the same thing going on currently in my car! 60 indicated ~ 40 real and 90 indicated ~ 60 real. Yes, I have timed these speeds to make sure. Wouldn't you think it would be easier for me to just get the right driven gear? LOL. The car does peg the speedometer past 160, but that is just 107 mph. I have calculated the top speed to be 118, based on no overdrive and my redline of 5500 with 3.54 gears and 225/60/15's. With an overdrive of, say, .8, I could get 148. http://pw1.netcom.com/~sgalaba/mph.htm

HA HA HAAAAHAAAAHA Love it. Favorite line: This F$#@ing operating system is as unstable as Charles Manson and I NEED HELP!! Pat

I like this one, think I'll stick with it! LOL Pat

Hey, Bush just said that UAV's make the military more mobile, effective, and facil...? What exactly does that mean? I know the Spanish word fácil means "easy," but I feel like I am missing something. By the way, just asking because you guys are sharp and I'm playing a drinking game where you have to take a swig every time Bush messes up a word or says "axis of evil." Pat

Gonna have to redo the connection on the sending unit, same thing happened to me. You probably just didn't get the nylon tube far enough into the brass reducer. It shouldn't leak if it's done correctly and I wouldn't suggest using any sealant on it since it's just a crutch and would probably still leak anyway. Pat

Vegas: Amen, Brother! Man, a 300 hp. enging and no overdrive with 3+ to 1 final drive really sucks on the highway. Seriously, when your torquey motor is happy to be in top gear at like 30 mph something is outta wack! I only get it up to about 70 on the roads just outside of town, but it is already whinning at me! I bet that if you did ANY kind of highway driving an overdrive tranny would pay for itself real quick. The JTR people are not kidding when they say to only to TH 350 or Powerglide if you intend only to drag race... Patzky

Well, .350" is gonna be slightly more than halfway between 5/16" and 3/8" if that helps at all. Either that, or 212.09 millimeters . Pat

I always get a smile from the 40-ish women at the gas stations. Then the other day an older guy, with his wife and minivan, says he reallylikes my 77. How the hell did he know it was a 77? I still don't know, must have been a lucky guess. Anyway, there was also a nice brand-new white 350Z with a flare kit at the station and apparently he didn't even notice it, so that one made me feel good. Thirdly, it seems that a few people here on campus (U of I = 36,000 people) don't know me, but know that I'm the redhead with the only Datsun. Pat

Hi all, My brother's 88 camaro with 160,000 won't shift into third gear anymore, only slips in the top of second. The slippage is pretty much total once it tries to go into third gear, but it holds first and second. Is there a clutch pack that may have gone bad? Or could it be a problem with a valve that is stuck? I read a little and some people fix a "no third" problem with a shift kit, which is a possibility for him. However, I saw nothing about the tranny actually slipping at the top of second, just not shifting to third. We pulled the pan and the fluid was pretty dirty so that may have been a culprit IF the prob. is a stuck valve. We then added new fluid and some tranny de-sticker/slipper to no avail. So, does anybody have any experienced words of wisdom for me/him? Should it just get rebuilt? Thanks, Pat

Hi again, I went to autozone, but they only had the RH side as well. And courtesy nissan can only get the whole assembly (inner and outer together for $128 a side), so I'm still looking for suggestions if you guys have any. Is it possible to order this stuff directly from nissan yourself? Pat

Where do you get them and how much did they cost? This is for a 77, by the way. The physical act of replacing them is not a big deal, but where can you find a pair of the friggin' things? I searched and all I could come up with was a Moog (Dana/Spicer) inner, listed only as RH side for like $65 and it sounds kinda high. Thanks in advance, Pat