Story about my 2 loves....

[David K]

Hi all

 

Let me (re)introduce myself . I had an 89 5.7 IROC about 3-4 years ago. I had it for a few months when my father gave it to me because it had a major overheating problem, and he had it for about 5 years lol. He payed thousands to have the manifold changed, several times the cooling fans were changed, along with many many other repairs, and it still overheated. You gotta understand, i was about 18-19 and i dont know a damn thing about cars. My father is an attorney, so what do you expect him to know, other than law, right? So i get the car.

 

I hook up with SoCal 3rd gen. I trolled the forum for a while stirring up bs and crap. I went to Fudds down in Irvine for a car show, and thats where a fellow 3rd genner told me that i was missing my front air deflector for the radiator. DOH! Thats why it was overheating for years. So i went to Classic Chevy and ordered a new deflector, cost, $25. Damn i wish my father knew about this before he spent thousands on having 'professional' mechanics 'fix' the car. So i go home with the part, very excited.

 

The next morning i wake up, throw on some shorts, and go down into the garage to install the air deflector. I spend about 30 minutes jacking up the car and installing the part. When i was done, I took her for a drive.

 

I lived up in Anaheim hills at the time. I cruise down to the 91 fwy, and hit the eastbound onramp. I go to Green River Dr, and NOT one bit of overheating....YIPPEEEE! So i hit the westbound onramp to take her home. She is running beautiful. Im about home, and the transmission takes a major dump. I cant believe this, i just fixed her and now its going out!!!! WTH?

 

I get home, park her in the garage, and thats the last time i ever drove her. Keep in mind i didnt know a damn about any cars back a few years ago. Thats changed drastically, but let me finish with my story before i tell.

 

I sourced out a 700r4 by classifieds online, and i had a crappy computer back then, to make it all the harder. So anyway, i go pick this tranny up for about $200. I take it home and start reading archives on the 3rd gen forums and stuff about tranny work. I go down into the garage, and stare. I went back upstairs and didnt go back down into the garage for a few days.

 

I finally get the balls up to hit the garage. Dont know why i did this, but i attempted to do a tranny replacement (no automotive knowledge). Boy, that was a BAD idea. My pops decided to go along with it because being the stupid kid i was, i swore up and down i could do it, "no problem". You all know what i mean lol. Well, that poor car.....

 

I got the tranny in, forgot to do some stuff, took it out, put it in, took it out, put it in, took it out,....many many times i did this. After about a week of hard work, yes hard work (even a stupid idiot can put in some good honest hard work even though he doesnt have a clue what hes doing), i attempted to do a final install. I had problems with the TQ convertor, those pesky bolts (9/14's?) that hold the tranny in place with the engine....all kinds of BS. So i get it in. I decide to start the engine with my brother (who also knows 0 about cars). We start the engine. CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK. We shut it off and oil is pouring out from where the oil filter used to be,. We forgot to screw it back on, doh. So we put a new filter on, and about 3 quarts of oil for the test start. CLACK CLACK CLACK. The noise went on, but we ran inside and tried to shift. No luck, tranny aint moving. So we shut off the engine. We went under and messed with the tranny some more. We *think* we have it, so we attempt to start the engine. Uh, the engine isnt moving, at all. I click the starter, i hear a little ugmph, but the engine isnt moving at all. We blew the motor.

 

So we close up for the night, im almost in tears, 18-19 years old. I tried my hardest, and i screwed up and i felt like a failure. The car sat in the garage and i went on with my life.

 

A few months later i break up with my 2 year live in girlfriend who i had a very nice apartment with. I was in shambles. I purchase a 1989 Nissan Sentra to get around. Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do sometimes. I hear of a 3rd gen meeting at Sonic Burger in fullerton. I wanted to show up, so i did, and i parked away from the group as to not destroy the appearance of the f bodies. I tell the guys my story, and offer to take them back to my place since its on the way out to the Inland Empire. They agree. We hit the 91 eastbound, and i feel like a tool with these guys following me. I blow the headgasket on the fwy slightly, but we make it back to my house up in Anaheim hills. I show the guys the IROC, which i may add even though it had *slight* mechanical difficulties, it was Showroom quality everything. They guys look it over, and i know they are thinking im an idiot and the car deserves a better home. They decided to leave after a while and i send them on their ways. The IROC was sold about 2 weeks later for $200 by my father, which i didnt really care because i had other problems at the time.

 

Now, i decide to get a 1979 Datsun/Nissan 280zx. I knew nothing about this car, but completed a water pump swap no problemo. I was a cool ass car to me. I didnt know there was a following for Z Cars until i checked the net and found all kinds of clubs in socal and a bunch of worldwide websites. I decided to check up on these clubs, and i was in shock to find out all the z stuff and what could be done to these cars. Story goes on from there.....

 

I start my own SoCal Z club. I learn all kinds of mods and how to work on my car. I started picking up more Nissan/Datsun Z cars. To this date ive had 1 1970 240z, 2 1977 280zx's, and 3 1979 280zx's. I love these cars with a passion. I started doing small repairs, and before i knew it i ws swapping engines and stuff. All of those from the same guy who screwed up the IROC. I went to a few car shows, win a few burnout contests, if you guys wanna see a few pics just ask.

 

So i am here now. 23 years old, a month old kid, DEEP into car stuff, and for once i know my mechanics, due to myself having to work on my own cars. Ive come a LONG way since ive shown my face around those 3rd gen parts. I figure that ill be going back there to the third gen boards again, since im picking up another IROC, ANYDAY now, when i find the correct price.

 

Cool things ive seen though. I belong to a z site where hundreds of guys swap in 350's :tpi's, lt1's, ls1's....ford engines.....Nissan RB engines and VG30's.....any true automotive enthusiats that has no bounds and just loves cars will know all about those legendary engines.

 

Hey, one thing in common about the Nissan/Datsun and Chevy Camaro Z28 and IROC-Z's, they both have a Z in them, and they will both be in my driveway very very soon. I miss my old IROC and regret it, and explain to everybody i know how much i love both cars.

 

David Karey

1979 280zx (lots more Z's)

1989 IROC (RIP), lives on

Looking for another IROC frantically

 

IM A Z-AHOLIC!, anybody else? 8)

[strotter]

Well said, David. I think every person on this board can relate to your feeling of "Well, I'm a dweeb at this stuff, but maybe I'll give it a try..." I vividly remember sitting in my laundry room (red concrete tile floor, insane-asylum green walls), our only car's blown engine spread out on the floor in front of me, a greasy copy of "The Idiot's Guide to Volkswagen Maintenance" in my hands, desperately trying to figure out where all the parts went. I was 19, there was no money and nobody who could help. When, after all the work, the sweat, the frustration, the thing actually worked, some switch went "click" in the back of my head. You know what I'm talking about. The difference between "It needs to be done" and "I can do it".

[Guest bluex_v1]

Hey David, I know what you mean...I destroyed my first car when I was 20 because I didn't know that bolts were supposed to be tightened to a certain torque range at least it was just a little mitsu mirage that bit the dust when the crank pulley wore the key off of the crank, arranging a little inpromptu piston/valve introduction.

I did my first and so far, only engine rebuild about 3 years ago (a 302 for a 74 bronco I bought from a friend as a cheap replacement vehicle) watching someone do one cylinder and me repeating the procedure 7 times around. So from that to a pretty much trashed $400 260z...damn did I take a big second helping!

Now I think I've finally passed the halfway point on my restoration and SFI 5.0 swap (I still don't know how to tune a carb)

...much praise to the founders of hybridz.org and all its generous members! I have learned SO much here and I never could have started this without them.

Thanks y'all!