Forrest

Although prices on all guns appear to have gone up a staggering amount (I say appear because I believe it's actually all due to inflation) I guarantee you could get a very accurate 1911 for far less than 1500$. At the last gunshow I went to, the SA 1911's I saw going for about $600-650 7 years ago were all around $800-850. I think you can still find deals like this: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=115084685 - if you are willing to buy something "like new" instead of brand new. As far as accuracy - I can shoot 12g casings off a fence at 20yds with my 1911, and I believe I could do the same with any 1911 that was made by a good company, no matter how basic a model it is. You just have to avoid the companies that are putting out junk, like Charles Daily and the cheap foreign made copies like the Llama you mentioned. I think USA-made Springfield Armory stuff is the best quality for the money. However, one thing I would stay away from is their GI spec 1911's. They shoot fine, but they don't have the nice beavertail grip safety, the extended slide safety, or features like a skeleton hammer, adjustable trigger, beveled mag well, etc, all of which were fairly standard until this rash of GI specs came out a few years ago. I don't really understand what the craze was all about - all those features were added onto the original model for a very good reason. Before I blab on any more about 1911's....does this mean you're willing to look at .45acp? I personally prefer it, but if you're sticking to .40, you have a much smaller selection as far as 1911 "style" guns are concerned.

Hey John, I used to shoot IPSC every weekend for several years before I bought my first Z (which subsequently took over my life.) I used one of the less expensive Springfield 1911A1's, which I modified for a slightly lighter load with a different recoil spring. Out of all the handguns I have owned, it is still the most fun to shoot, by far. Especially ruling out revolvers, it's no contest. Please don't judge 1911's by your experience with a llama. If you're looking for a fun gun, I beg you - test fire any polymer frame gun you're looking at before purchasing. They are excellent duty weapons or military sidearms - but they're the least fun guns I've ever owned or shot. I have to force myself to stay decent with my Glock, and I really don't enjoy shooting it. If I were using your criteria to buy a .40, I'd be looking at Paraordnance or Kimber 1911 "style" piece(SA 1911 lineup is almost all .45acp). Paras are very good for the money, and shouldn't be too expensive, relative to what you're looking at.

Am I missing something, or is there no way to do a search for an exact phrase from the Advanced Search page? There's no option for it on the page, and the normal search engine operators aren't working.

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Those look really nice. The question is, how well do they fit? I really hope you get them and let me know.

I -HATE- it when they do that.

MSA has that gasket - http://www.zcarparts.com

Those connectors definitely work on the stock Datsun injectors. The ones I sell on ebay fit as well, but those are quick disconnect, which is nice if that feature is important to you. However, it's not free...they're pretty pricey compared to mine. Connectors without heatshrink (still includes free dielectric grease) 6pc kit 2pc kit If those links are broken in the future, check here.

Good idea. Do you have any pics of that?

Do you know when they changed them?

It can't hurt to at least try to sell it complete for the price you want before going through the trouble to part it out. Dealing with tons of buyers is definitely a hassle.

No, it's not like that at all. What gave you the idea that they turned off VDC to get the "advertised performance numbers?" It -aids- vehicle performance.

Cliff notes: guy was an idiot who drove his car around with VDC off. He shouldn't be allowed to own a GT-R. As far as expensive maintenance - tried to get your G35 brakes replaced by a dealer lately? They're not much cheaper.

The seller is threatening to crush them all now. Someone go save them!

You're at the right place at the wrong time...Shibuya has some of the most amazing clubs in the world. Check out Womb if you have time! And if you're still in Tokyo on Sunday, go back to Akihabara and Harajuku and bring a camera. It is total insanity. Also...if they still have the full-size initial d simluator in the Sega center in Akiba, please take some pics.

おめでとう! If you visit the giant mall next to the train station in Nakano, look for the car model shop on the 3rd floor. They have some awesome Z stuff I have not seen anywhere else. (I only partially cleaned him out.)

Z's are great cars to learn on, (as long as you are not dependent on them to get to work while you're learning...this goes for any project car.) If knowledge and money are your main concerns, I would suggest taking it easy on the RB swap (one of the more expensive swaps you could do) and just spending time going over the primary systems of the car and making sure it is safe and reliable. There is plenty of time for dropping 10-20k on exotic engines and expensive/complicated upgrades later. I don't think how much we are spending on our cars is very relevant to how much you would have to spend or whether or not you should buy a Z. Some of us choose to spend a lot more than others, but that doesn't mean we had to in order to enjoy them. If you can be patient, do your research ahead of time, look for one in good condition, and do a little budgeting, the Z is a very affordable car to buy and maintain, and it shouldn't take very long to get into daily driver shape.

It's not really "all of the sudden" - the wear increases over time until it has crossed the threshold where it starts causing the car to die. I can't guarantee that it is your problem, but excessive distributor shaft play causes exactly the symptoms you are describing. It's very easy to rule out (especially if you have a spare distributor) so you might as well do so.

Check the distributor shaft play against factory spec.

Are you using a distributor?

As usual, your car is nothing short of inspiring. I love the outside shot of you sliding at the corner!

Absolutely they are.

So I assume you took the stock damper (mounted near the pump) off? I was debating this, because I'm installing a pump with a larger output line, and will probably run 3/8 all the way to the engine bay. Any higher HP guys chunk the stock damper? Results?

This could be corrosion in the harness leading to the fuel pump. Check your connections before you check anything else.

Gabe, stop..........hammer time! I tried using spacers to solve this exact same problem in my 77 (78 had no issue, strangely enough.) If your rear spacer is taller than your front spacer, you'll feel like you're being tipped out of the seat (even by just 1/2"). Adding 3/4" spacers made me feel way too high in comparison with stock, too. I solved the problem by buying a 78, using the racing seats in that, and putting the stock seats from it in the 77. Billy just used a hammer on his transmission tunnel.