Pharaohabq

That's true, Shakespeare had a bit of a different intention then he wrote that. Much more IMO saying to "Live" rather than "be", But this is a different conversation, that should be discussed in another location. Right not we're talking about Rottenhope's ZCar dreams. So this could be phrased correctly as "To Z or not? To Z, is the question?" In my reply above I pretty much replied, Z if you can afford the time and money, but wear a condom.

Nice, Keep up the good work. It's always good to see a ressurection. PM me if you need to source any parts, we got a good yard here in NM. Though it looks like you've got a red parts car somewhere. It looks like you've done a ton of work in a pretty short time. Hope that sunroof doesn't leak. Oh and nice fender artwork Phar

Well Welcome to Hybridz. You definitely need to look into that car a little more before you buy it. It's a really good idea to know what you're buying. Look at the Door plate, it'll tell you the true year of the car unless it's been changed. These cars are 30+ years old, which is pretty old for a car. That means that likely there's a lot more than just fixing the engine that it'll need. As other's have said, you really should read a bit and use the search functions here, there's a TON of information. There's also "stickies" listing the difference between the 240,260 and 280 Z cars. for $1200, I'd expect a halfway decent shell, and engine that at least turns over and sputters. You really need to learn where these cars rust! Because, if you don't you might find one that doesn't look too bad, but is really going to cost a lot to fix even before you get to a swap. Keep in mind too that due to their age, there's not so many of them around so most of the time you'll be ordering parts, which means shipping costs. Not that junkyards can't be found, just that a lot of the parts are harder to find. Not to mention most of the rubber often needs to be replaced. As for the Swap idea. I'm in the middle of one right now, and even on the super low budget built side I've already spent more than 2 grand just for parts with more to go. I highly recommend you read all you can before you decide on this swap. Especially read AHoke's TwistedSixx build, it's very good. Remember though 40% of builds never get completed. You will also need to download the manuals. In the end though, it's your $$$$$ do with it what you will. We're here to give pointers and provide limited guidance based on our experience, but we expect to be well fed with lots of pictures. We love that. So read a bit and find out what exactly you're looking at buying. Make a list of costs and add 50%. If it still is something you want to do, then go tell your wife/GF that there's another woman in your life, A Fairlady... Good luck. Phar

Wow, I'll say, no time wastage at all. I just read your whole thread. Very cool, it's awesome to see how much you've done. That Swap has to be one of the quickest swaps I've seen. Did you have any issues with the motor mounts, Which ones did you use? Stock Toyota? How about the oilpan clearance, looks like it's sitting pretty low in the bay. Sounds like that Engine guy gave you an awesome deal on the engine. Mind letting us know who he is? We could all use a good deal now and then. anyway, nice job and keep the picts coming. Phar

Wow, no Cowel vents, that's interresting... So yeah okay, out the side then... You'll need to make sure you get waterproof fans like these since regular computer fans won't hold up. you should also include a fuse on that circuit just in case. Nice Side vents btw, Were they expensive to have put in?

This is almost exactly what I was going to say. Alternatively, you can start pulling fuses with the keys off and out of the ignition, till you get one that's arcing. That'll tell you which circuit has a power leak (short) From there you can troubleshoot what that circuit does and look for the short. A meter is a good idea. In the meantime, Autozone sells a bolt on battery disconnect that you just turn a knob to use. Phar P.S: if your headlights are dim, that could be a clue. Inspect the wires leading to the headlamps running lights and brakes. you may have a short there.

Another more stealthy option is to make firewall vents to your cowel area. This way the air is pulled from the top of the engion and out across your windshield. It helps lower the pressure in your engine compartment too. All without affecting that beautiful paint job you have. YOU might also consider opening up the vent holes in your wheel well to the fender vents, since those look pretty small to me. Think about the volume of air you need to exhaust, then the size of your vent holes. Now do you see your trouble? Holes about the size of his inspection lid vents would really help. I'd recommend the Cowel Vents tho they might affect your AC when not on Recirc since the Cabin air intake is also in the cowel. Phar

Nice Those rims look Sweeet! Good job on the Pedals and column, it's starting to really look like a car. So on the rear, are you going to modify the moulds to incorporate flares. I can certainly see how tight those wheels fit in back. Though your shell isn't actually mounted yet right? Phar

Welcome back, I seem to remember your name (maybe from a diferent forum.) Awesome about the new Z. Your $400 buck Z looks better than my $400 Z. lets see if I got a pict. Mines got a little rust behind the rear tires, and as you can see the same rumbleseat bumpers.

If you've been lurking a while, then you know this is not a malicious atmosphere. So don't jump on anyone who disagrees with you. Perhaps JC was harsh, but your retorts didn't help your case. As for your Swap Idea. I personally haven't seen anyone do it, Though Mark on here is Swapping Vette suspension into his 240Z VQ project in the Nissan V6 forum. Look into the suspension forum and see if anyone's done anything other than S13 suspension. It would be interresting to see how your Toyota Suspension swap compares to S30 Suspension in weight and performance. They'd said the S30 suspension was ahead of it's time, and I believe it in a lot of cases. So If you have reason that the Toy Suspension is better in your opinion then Go for it, Blaze that path. If it's amazing then people like JC can eat their hat. But without specific examples of why it's better, and worth the swap effort, you might not find support for your attitude. The Toy Engine swap has been done, but for the cost there's cheaper solutions to get to that power. But hey, it's your car do with it what you will, and F anyone who tries to tell you you Can't do it. So Go for it and show us why it's better and don't forget the picts, we love picts. Phar Phar.

Welcome to Hybridz, and congrats on your marriage to your automotive bride (in white, even). Really Owning a Z is one of the most fun, and most challenging things you can do. With a lot of love she'll treat you right, but don't expect her not to be moody. They are definitely fiery hot tempered girls. However tempermental she is, when she's running well you'd better hold on tight. Your Fuel issue is likely either a bad hose or a bad seal on the sender unit. Both are fairly easy to fix, but you'll likely have to drain and drop the tank to do this. It's a good idea to clean it out while you've got it off the car since it's likely to have 40 years worth of sand and dirt in there. Since you're in San Diego, it's unlikely it's rusted through. But if that's the case, a new tank is readily availible. As for the brakes, Yeah, try the fill and Bleed option first. If that doesn't work, then you're into replacing parts. If you separate the Master Cyl and the booster, then be careful because there's a "Puck" spacer that tends to fall down inside. If you replace the Master or slave cylinders, it might be a good chance to upgrade the brake system to 4 wheel disc, with a ZX Master and S10 Calipers front and ZX or other calipers rear (you'll need brackets.) It's pretty easy, but don't forget the proportioning valve. It's easy to spend a bit on these cars but that's the same for most any Classic. Another thing you should look into is keeping her properly insured, to protect your investment. S30's aren't even in normal NADA guides anymore so they're harder to establish a decent repair/total limit on the insurance. So look into Classic/modified car insurance from Companies like State Farm's Hagarty insurance. You can get an appraisal and an agreed upon value, (you'll have a couple limitations, but the rates are super cheap for full coverage). With standard insurance, the adjuster could look in the paper and on craigs and say oh I found 5 cars at under $1000 bucks, so that's what your $12,000 restored classic must be worth. No Way, farkin insurance adjusters! so protect yourself, it's cheap and easy. Do some searches on here, there's info on everything you could possibly want to do to your Z, and ways to do it safely. Not that some actions with your "girl" won't still get you jailtime in most southern states. At least she's not underage Phar And as always, if you have a question, don't be afraid to ask.

try a fresh battery. you should have about 8 volts at the coil. Check your plug order 153624. You might stop and check your timing. Put engine at TDC, put Dist at #1, Cam lobes should be pointing up at a V on cyl 1. All that should say you're okay.. Next check the AFM. it's got a flap inside, push it up and down a few times, and see if that makes a difference. Let us know what you find out. Phar

hehe Well you're a year ahead of me on my car, and I'm certain a few 100 bucks ahead too. How was the aircraft stripper? I saw you went ahead and blasted it anyway. Perhaps it's just better to have it media blasted and save the mess and fumes from the stripper. I mean I know there should be some sanding after the stripper. Tell me more about your coilovers. Where'd you get the kit? about how much am I looking to have to spend on it? Your project is looking really good right now. Don't forget to seal the holes beneath the rear where you did the bondo work, you don't want it to rust from the underside out.. Since you've got all the suspension out, you might as well seal the whole underside. Seam sealer and Eastwoods got a nice black epoxy sealer paint you might look at.

how many LED's per lens do you use?

sorry about double post, wouldn't let me edit my last one... That Blue car's hatch looks like it's a Series 1. You mind telling us the VIN on it?

I love the 86 Z31. it has the flared fenders, purty. but there's hardly any out there in decent shape anymore. Not much can be swapped to an S30 w/o some real work. It does have 5 lug spindles tho. Check the Diff to see if it's got finns. if it does you might have a LSD R200 which would be worth the price of admission.

Are you also making the lower lights in yellow/amber? My Z is fitted with clear lenses so I would need yellow LED's for the lower lenses. LED conversions should not have any heat issues due to the low amperage nature of the LED's. Will your kit require a change in the flasher unit under the dash too? Phar

pretty cool, I haven't seen a Zzaappp in a long time. If you get a buffing wheel and some rubbing compound you might be able to bring back a lot of the shine, though be really careful around the decals, you can't get those anywhere anymore. Too bad about the sunroof. You might if we ask the Vin? Phar

my my my purty purty... hehe Nice looking car. Looks like he did a great job. Don't wait too long on those steering boots, you don't want to get much rust on there or it'll ruin the rack seals. Car it looking prety though. Got any picts of the build? Phar

You might try some windshield adhesive. It works well and is non permenant so you can remove them later. More water proof and no buzzes if anything gets bent.

Yeah... If you've already got it torn down, why not put a real paint job on it? Even if you DIY with a harbor freight gun, it'll come out better than a spray can. At least you're painting it a lighter color which will hide a lot, but I doubt you're going to be happy for very long with it.

It's be really cool if you could do this kind of swap. Maybe post some pictures and we could see what the differences are. I'm not sure, but likely you'd have to move the whole wheel assy, and resetup the mounting points for your tie rods, tension bars etc. Alternately you might be able to swap in a different type of knuckle. We'd really have to look at it to know.

These vents are very nice. I wanted to ask if there should be any special precautions we should take when preparing to paint the Hood with these vents. (actually removing the vents and painting separately, but is there a particular primer that we should use? Phar P.s: thanks for bringing these back. I hope in the year since you've started production again, that it's been worth it.

Well the front grill is not a 260Z front end. It looks like a 280Z with a 260/240Z louver-less hood. It'd got the Cage built already, so that's a ton of work out of your way. It's really what is it worth to YOU. She says $4K if you show up with 3500 cash she might just go for it. If she says no, then tell her it's a standing offer and walk away. The car has some issues, but it's not a street car. it's a track car. You're not buying it to drive around town, and it also doesn't matter what your GF thinks, she's not your wife. Interior is cheap, you can get all the parts you need to make it decent off Ebay or through hybridz classifieds. You need to look at all the post concerning where to find Rust. There's a few guys on here who drive similar cars and have a lot of experience on the build that would go into what you've described. It would certainly cost more than 4K to build yourself a new one the same as that mostly in time/parts. But if the end result worth that? Hard to say. As for appraisals, you'll really need to talk to your insurance appraiser. They're going to be the one writing the checks if anything happens to it. and they're the ones you're going to Reach an "Agreed Upon Value" when buying the insurance. so really that's the car's value. Other than that, it's worth whatever someone will pay for it. PM me and I'll hook you up with my buddy who built his monster V8 240Z that looks very similar to that. Phar