Daeron

My guess? Pact With Satan!!!:flamedevi:flamedevi

....must be on the same circuit as the clock.....

at home: Awful short evidence to work on, but the images he posted were much higher resolution. I would have to say that this car is certainly a GREAT candidate for the "anal-retentive" restoration effort, but the dollar value of the car as such is truly only going to mount high if there are a great deal of "Excellent" condition items already on the car. What do the doors sound like as they close? That is always a big "subtle" factor for me in determining how "cherry" a car is. For the record, I was joking earlier when I expressed interest. The car is awesome, but I am about as far away from "the market" as you can get.

im pretty sure the light on the switch will still come on, yes. If you are curious, you can check across the two tabs that come off the glass for continuity. There should be a medium-to-low resistance reading between the two terminals, just like a light bulb.

Suggestion: extend the "rectangle" zone you already have most of the way forwards until its almost even with the hind side of the fender "zone" and then begin a horizontal taper towards the center of the hood, leaving you with a "zone" shaped like half of home plate, and the diagonal cuts from the center of the car then outwards. I also don't like the holes/mesh idea.. but I DO like the thinking that a different shape to the vents themselves there would complement the "gill" vents in the fender, so maybe it will work better than I think. Any chance of finding a way to make gills that are somehow rounder (as opposed to the squarish look of the fender gills) so that the ovalish visual effect is retained, but its not just a straight hole? Here is a question that has been burning my mind..... Why not vent the intake/exhaust/turbo side of the hood (on L28ET cars) and leave the spark plug/battery side solid? Why waste that airflow when we can push it ALL past out intake AND exhaust tracts? Even on crossflow engined I6 vehicles, I would imagine it better to bias the flow on the exhaust side. Obviously there is a potential for off-center drag/thrust in this concept; would such an assymetrical ventilation setup be detrimental in any way?

people like Taurus fans units, I don't know how well it fits personally. I like the looks of the fans used on many Mercedes-Benz vehicles.. slim line, ought to be high quality.. See if you can find a 280ZX out there that you can play "test-fit the new fan" on. From what I hear, the throttle body upgrade all by itself is fairly limited in effect; its a good piece but the intake runners are at least as much a restriction as the throttle body. Do it, but don't expect much until later upgrades to fuel and spark and turbosity have been added. Injector leaks? If you find that you need to replace the hoses on the injectors, you NEED to use high pressure fuel injection line, and you NEED to use a specific kind of hose clamp, too, or you WILL leak again. Good luck, and HTH.

I personally LOVE the idea of the "early Z-31" tail lights on the S130. I really like the look of the later S130 tails with the filler piece in the center, but not so much without. The earlier S130 lights look better than later ones.. but if you ask me, the two best tail light clusters on ANY Z-car ever, were the Z-31 mark-1 style, and the Euro spec 240 setup with the amber turn signal and clear backup light integrated with the lens. 300ZX: Euro 240: The 86 300ZX that my dad drove was the only ZX I ever saw that looked like my dad when it was driving around in front of me. I can only attribute this to the tail lights. There are slight differences, but not many. Maybe for an S130, lose that center red piece, and find some plain looking license plate marker lamp to install above the tag, maybe even one from an S30. As for this: I think it was previously mentioned that those center pieces are aftermarket. And that also means you'd have to jury rig a new license plate mounting directly to whatever rear bumper you have. I almost choked. I hope we can be FAR beyond any historical differences at this point, but I was always under the impression that the phrase "jury rig" came from "jerry rig" and that "jerry" was a derogatory slur against the Nazis.. and you used the term speaking to a German. I found this irony delicious, and had to point it out. I am sure no ill will was behind the statement; I hope no offense was to be taken from either the original statement or my explanation of it. Like I said, I was just

fotos?? Was the car detailed inside and out before you bought it, does it look like it was simply well-maintained and a good detailing would bring some luster back, or does it look like it hasn't gotten a trip to the spa in a year or two, but a good wash/wax and thorough interior cleaning would make it shine like a diamond? Just curious, on that last question; the answer to that will help us appreciate what we see in the photos a bit more. If its as good as its gonna get, we need to know that, if it seems like there is actually significant room for improvement over the current good condition, then that makes a big difference too. FWIW, my impression throughout my whole life of being a Z'er was that the 72 240 was in many ways the most desirable year to get: original 240, early enough to avoid certain smog regulation and safety gear, lighter than later vehicles.. I haven't detected much favoring of the 72 model year here on HybridZ, but the classiczcar site may be a different story. HybridZ mentality== chop it, cut it, weld it, tub it, swap it, fix it, re engineer it, do whatever you want to whatever chassis you have. Basically, the multiplicative inverse of "keep this beauty stock, don't spoil it!" Other places you go will register VERY different opinions on this one; I would tend to lean in the preservation direction myself, IF the car is truly that fine an example. Its 35 years old... none of them are getting any newer, and none are being put IN to the market. Personally, I would LOVE to get a 72 240 and do a restrained "resto-mod" on it, paint it red, throw some slot mags and a urethane airdam on it, maybe a BRE rear spoiler, drop the bumpers, paint it red, and throw a high comp L in with triple mikunis... keep an r-180, maybe even keep it fourspeed, MAYBE even leave an old AM/FM radio in there if I could find one... BUT that would be my "lil 240" to park next to my big bad turbo 280, with all sorts of frankenswapping done. There's my sixteen bits.

+1 for Save The Z. 2+2's need love, too, Craig!!!

I hate to doubt you, but this is the first I have ever heard of this among all the alternator conversions I have looked at.. Granted, its possible that I overlooked the detail; I have a 75 280, which DOES have an ammeter, but the 76 and up 280s have voltmeters instead. It *may* be that I've overlooked a subtle part of the conversion on a 240, that has not been properly covered on the conversions for a 280 that I have read, because later 280s don't have the ammeter.... BUT, as I said, I haven't heard this before. Why did I not notice a difference when I switched from a 65 amp alt to a 55 amp alt? both were listed as replacements for my model at the parts store and the $15 difference made a difference at the time. Is there no way to keep the ammeter? Isn't there a shunt unit that could be changed out to accommodate a higher amp alt? Personally, the Maxima 90 amp upgrade is the no brainer in my book. Still Nissan/hitachi componentry, bolts up in the stock location, just needs a different pulley on it, and a newer style plug (new plastic = less bad) It is an internally regulated unit, so it will take some minor re-wiring. If you hunt around you can find more information. I also like to recommend changing the charging wire for the alternator anytime you upgrade an old car with a higher amp unit. Half the time, the issue stimulating the swap in the first place can be remedied (to a great extent, at least) by simply installing new battery cables, a secondary grounding strap, and replacing the alternator charge wire. I cannot recall if thats the main positive wire on the back, attached with a lug to the BATT post, or if it is the heavy wire in the T-plug, but if you dig into some of the write ups that have been done both on this site and elsewhere regarding alternator upgrades, you should find the info you need. Hope this helps, and good luck!

probably a fourspeed then; I lucked out with my 75. Don't be daunted by the passenger floorboard; mine was far worse than that, and the frame rail beneath was less than 100%.. it isnt RUSTED, but it had gotten hit by a few nasty speedbumps (or something, there are a few kinda crush-damaged spots that have rusted some in time) so it is, like I said, less than 100%.. I cut out that floorboard and replaced it with fiberglass mat for the short term, while I was continuing to drive the car. The plan is, ultimately, to fabricate new rails underneath the car as a matter of course, and replace both floorpans at that time. It really isn't TOO major a job, as long as you read what others in similar situations have done, and take it one step at a time.

Hey, you're in Panama City Beach? $300US.

wow.. I can't make a comment without making this preface: I took one look at that spreadsheet, and thought to myself, "Gee, that's GREAT data!! But its still WAY over *my* head, heh.." and skipped right past it. I am beginning to be able to understand what I am seeing in the flow and pressure graphics; the numbers will be examined later. Secondly, I must say that at least as far as I can see (with my limited understanding ) this intake looks GREAT by these standards. My "short-bus" interpretation is "Yah, he is probably right to point out the major flaw that is left; but he is hunting on the ragged edge of his intake design, and intake design is hunting on the ragged edge of performance anyhow..." Thirdly, a question of scale, in a sense. Once the pressures equalize to the "blue" zone (it seems to occur slightly earlier on the rearward cylinders) are they actually equal, or close, for the rest of the path into the cylinder head? (Given: all intake ports and combustion chambers on this hypothetical "ideal engine" are identical) Is this "blue zone" a wide and open-ended range, and there may in fact be slight definition and differentiation beyond the lines shown in the graph, or is it somehow "magically, just, all the same after that" ???

Agreed... but I live in South Florida. ANY color gets really frickin hot, and the Z is a greenhouse, so rear louvers and front sunshade are almost mandatory for the car just by dint of its shape, SOLELY for the purposes of keeping the heat out. 120 degree shift knob and steering wheel doesn't work as well as a 90 degree one So black or white, I am burned.. and black shows NO dirt. sssss... sssss.. Maybe we should stop the threadjack, preciousss..

Great description, but could you grace us with some photos perchance?

Is this gonna turn into one of those conversations, not unlike where someone brings up religion at a bar? Everyone fighting and screaming over which interior looks good, and which one makes you feel like you're drowning in merlot??? Really, the interior color needs to match the exterior for me. I am not very partial to the brown, but the red inside works GREAT with the white outside; I thought it was weird at first but it took me all of two weeks to change my mind. Really, though, in my un-hybrid-like heart of hearts, "A Z should have a black interior" along with a bajillion other things that we all agree to disagree on. The red-on-white will always be my "first ZX interior" though.

link straight to this thread in that thread, please. It makes it easier for us to read the update, then post our reply. EDIT WOW that oilpan IS low.... I cannot get over the looks of this swap, though. I am not the one who would say its a great idea to drop a four-banger into a Z... but i REALLY REALLY like this swap Keep up the good work.

Really?? The VAST majority of the S130s I have seen were either white/red, or brown/brown. My dad had an 83T that was black/red, and i've seen plenty of combinations.. but that white and red seems so common. Maybe thats just because the first one I rode in was like that, but I don't think so...

You're right. ye gods, I would have sworn that those bumper rubbers were smaller when I looked the first time... :jackass: Teach ME to post-whore, huh?

Heigh-ho, HybridZ! Being a Subaru owner (old POS FWD, but it IS a subaru) I am ALL too conscious of the sharing of design and parts sourcing between Datsuns and Subarus over the years. As I have been doing a great deal of reading up on drivetrain work lately, I have come to wonder what bits might be found on the tail side of a Subaru Legacy, or an Outback, that could potentially facilitate the installation of CV axles into the back of an S30 or S130. I would not be the slightest bit surprised to discover compatible spline sizes, etc between the two, but I have NO parts to check on. I have politely submitted a request to my subaru people for length of shaft, spline count, shaft diameter, bolt patterns on both flanges, etc... and this is where I do the same here for the shafts required for the Z. My thoughts are, that we stand a real good chance of finding the fitment pieces on a subaru, and then simply buying new 300ZX style axles... IF I should confirm my suspicion that the stock subaru axles (being designed for 4wd and all) are not beefy enough to handle the loading needed. Thanks for any help offered. All I ask for here is data: numbers, sizes, shapes, patterns. If anyone in the community has parts handy that they can compare, thats great.. but if not I will start getting greasy in the JYs and find out what fits. ANY and all discussion, suggestion, etc, is welcomed and requested!

that IS a very nice looking 510.. but asking for 24K or higher, he oughta have an R-180 LSD in the back instead of a subaru R160. I PRESUME its a 160 because he said subaru 3.7 LSD, and unless it is out of a late model WRX that means 160 and not 180.. but with CVs instead of halfshafts, in a 510.. I suppose a LSD 160 can hold up OK. Has anyone considered the rear CV setup out of a subaru??????? Must Research!!!