Jesse OBrien

I'd suggest diamond wheels, 15 by whatever-you-want will be < $100 per wheel, they're solid, serious wheels, and you essentially get to ask for whatever bolt pattern you'd like ($10 extra if they don't offer 4x114.3 for that wheel type). I suggest the Wide-5 series (http://www.diamondracingwheels.com/pro.html), they show up powdercoated at your door and ready to run, and are a bit lighter (18lbs) than standard PRO series (22lbs). If you want wider than 10", go for the Challenger wheels, in 14" and 15" diameter. http://www.diamondracingwheels.com/challenger.html Just my .02, I'm not exactly the most cosmetically-minded z person out here. These may not be showy, but a 14x12 wheel with proper tires simply demands my respect, and is about as sexy as cars get. I really wish I had a picture of Braaap's old yellow track Z right now. I feel like drooling over it.

I'm a big supporter of Duplicolor wheel paint, it's treated me well on 3 sets of wheels so far. Prep work is really the focal point of any paint job though, make sure you take the time to do it right.

Grumpy, you advised me a few times on my old v8 build and I'm back for a little more info. I have a spare set of SBC heads that I believe are the 64cc combustion chambered heads (no accessory holes): 3782461 My question is: Are these heads worth keeping and finding a block/trans for, or should I just get a more modern engine and sell the heads to someone who already has a block? I've been considering a megasquirted twin-turbo lm7 with ls1 heads (or similar) as my end goal, but it's still quite a toss-up to my mind.

You realize the EGR significantly improves mileage at mid-throttle, right? It's very possible that without an EGR your combustion chambers will overheat, and can scorch your rings along with deforming the piston/cylinder wall. It takes a fair amount of heat, but if you're running around that rich all the time and still mashing the throttle I'd say it's possible that you're well over 2500 degrees in the combustion chamber. I'll assume you're not going to tear down the engine to find out, so double-check that drain plug. If you're dripping liquid from your gas tank drain plug, it could certainly be evaporating through it. Does it constantly drip fluid, or only after fuel pressure builds up? You may actually want to take it in to a smog shop to have your fuel lines pressure-tested (it's part of a standard smog test, and will tell you a lot about your lines).

Goldwing flat-6 motorcycle engine, it even has a driveshaft. Bolt it into anything, makes a moderate amount of torque (125 ft/lbs is plenty for a wee little car) and is fairly light. It also has reverse! Or mate a modern corvette trans, or a 944 trans to the extended shaft and get rid of the goldwing trans altogether. Fabricate a little one-seater chassis like a miniaturized Super-7 and drop a GL-1800 engine in there (with a turbo, perhaps?) and you'd have one of the best city cars available. Just think, you wouldn't even have to look for parking any more, just find an SUV or truck to park under!

HELP!!! I'm stuck to them! Those things are like fly paper to pavement, man!

You going to be done with this for the August 8th meet?

I can't think of what you'd swap it out for, even the s130 master/slave combo is the same size (but they won't bolt up!). I ordered both on eBay for ~$50, that'd be my suggestion. Are you happy with your pedal travel right now?

I definitely want to see what you make for rails. Are you going fixed location or sliding?

The Subaru engine would be the best bang for the buck, but if you can find a 13b-rew and a transaxle transmission, that'd be one of the most badass mr cars I've ever heard of. I did see a 13b swap into a Honda, using a transaxle transmission (although I don't remember which trans) so I think it's entirely do-able. Personally, I'm a fan of the run-of-the-mill v8-in-the-Z swap. Twin turbos or a blower sweeten that deal for me. Whatever you go with, make sure it ends up buttoned up in the end.

I'm 5'6" and 140lbs and they are obscenely comfortable. If I can find an identical set, I'll just put wheels on the bottom and turn it into an office chair. I would like hingeless seats, but these should do just fine for now.

I got them off Craigslist for $60 with the harnesses. I'm not sure I'll actually use the harnesses; they're supposed to be bolted in rather than wrapped around the rear strut bar. I'm pretty sure the seats are just from Summit. I'm not a big fan, since they recline (and don't even do so very well) but they do feel pretty secure and only required minimal modifications to the stock seat rails to get them to fit. I suppose I should do a writeup of exactly how they finally bolted up once they're actually in (right now nothing's bolted in, I still have to replace the floors before I add seats).

So far is really the key... Started moving some stuff into my new house (which has a garage), but I won't be moving the Z for another week or two (depending upon AAA). Nothing exciting has happened, but I did snap a few new pictures of it in its current location today:

E88 is the most common head on the l24. Surface rust combined with Bondo is a VERY bad sign. The fact that there even is bondo is a sign that there is most likely rust beneath. The floor boards tend to be the first victims to rust, but if yours are already coming apart it's likely that there's more rust elsewhere. A little white smoke at high rpms PROBABLY means bad head gasket and/or rings. You'll be looking at a rebuild or replacement in the near future. Get some hydraulic fluid, fill the clutch, and make sure it drives straight. If you're decent with a welder or know someone who is, I'd say go for it. $500 is a good deal for a running car, even if it does need some work. If the frame rails, dog legs, or firewall are rusty enough that you can see through them, it might be a better idea to just walk away from this one. Search for "Mull" on here if you want to see why, he's a perfect example (and a great story to follow).

You've just become another reason for me to come back to HBZ regularly. I wish I could offer more advice, but at least know that I feel for you. Everything looks fixable (that rear undertray area will be very difficult though, and make sure your fuel tank and fuel lines were not damaged) and the car looks like it completely deserves a full restoration. Make sure you get lots of pictures, including the underside. If rust develops or minor bends turn into stress fractures, the insurance company is well within their rights to point out that it could have been there before the accident and is therefore not their fault. If you can prove that there was minimal/no damage due to neglect prior to the accident, you'll come out of this a lot more satisfied.

Just ... wow. Is that the turbo rotary Z or just the regular n/a rotary Z?

Anything that has to do with electricity has a strong chance of giving you difficulty. Your best bet is to purchase a set of relays and take your time installing them into important circuits (like headlights, starter motor solenoid, fuel pump, and any other major circuits I'm forgetting. Also, get ahold of a camera so you can take some pics to show us Welcome to hybridz!

This project ended, I picked up a non-running 240z again. Picture gallery is here: http://picasaweb.google.com/madnessmanual/S30#

Now I call that sig-worthy.

The 240z comes with the l24, the 260z comes with the l26, and the 280z comes with the l28 (later models came with the l28e).

Z's are inexpensive and "cool". I see "criminals" in three groups: Everyday people who have little respect for the law and get into legal trouble without doing anything "wrong" Career criminals who can't afford the car they really want, but buy something cheap and cool Career criminals who buy expensive cars The first two groups generally end up with imports, muscle cars, scrapers, or Zcars. I have a strong feeling that most of hybridz's members are in that first group. Does that make us criminals?

Monthly installments is a good idea. I spent a fair amount of time as a tech contractor, and that's one way to keep work moving. Make sure he knows that you don't expect everything to be done all of a sudden, you just want consistent progress. If he wants these other jobs that are quicker/easier, he doesn't actually need your business and you should go elsewhere (even if it costs you more). Ask him if he knows anyone who can start work on it immediately, get some quotes, and if all else fails, I would just show up with a trailer unannounced.

I have a lot of respect for the way you're approaching this. I just want to see more

Keep up the faith. Keep putting effort into it and keep your heels dug into the ground. Eventually you'll work out all the kinks and quirks and be left with a nice, modern car that looks gorgeous. Remember that ALL cars have things go wrong with them, but since this is 30 years old, we know how to solve pretty much everything. If something goes wrong on a new car, you're up a creek without a paddle.