Gareth Posted May 20, 2007 Share Posted May 20, 2007 Hi guys, today I phoned a travel agent to confirm that I'm going to the US. I'll be there from the beginning to the end of July, so I'll have plenty of time to search for some parts for my Z that I'm currently restoring. I'll be staying in New York. After 2 years of constant searching for Z info on the Internet I found out that there aren't many Z-related shops in the East, but I hope I'm wrong. Now the question is - are there any 240Z parts distributors in New York? I also started a research on what exactly I should buy for my car. I'm planning to create a semi daily driver/semi trackday NA car, which means that I can't go all-out when choosing some new parts. I was thinking of the following upgrades: Suspension: - thicker anti-roll bars, front and rear strut tower bars, polybushes for front and rear suspension, performance dampers and springs, 16x8 front and 16x9 rear wheels (Watanabes would be perfect), what else? Brakes: - Toyota 4 piston front calipers with 300ZX NA ventilated discs, rear disc brake assembly (don't know which one I should choose), maybe a full-blown Willwood 4-piston trackday brake kit? Steering: - what can I upgrade here? I read about WRX and Miata racks with PS being used in 240Zs, do they really work? Engine: - 280Z N42 engine, triple Solex C.40 ADDHE twin-choke carbs (I bought them recently, they are the Solex equivalent of Weber DCOE and Dell'Orto DHLA carbs) on a TWM or Cannon intake manifold (which one's better?), good 6-3-1 exhaust manifold (headers?) with a performance exhaust, longer-duration camshaft (Isky, Schneider, something else?), stiffer valve springs, KA24-based 89 mm forged pistons, ARP rod and head bolts, metal head gasket, Clevite bearings, maybe L20A rods for better rod/stroke ratio? Drivetrain: - factory FS5C71A/B gearbox (it came with my L24, this is the Euro-spec gearbox, still don't know if it's the A or B type - will have to disassemble it first), aluminum flywheel, performance clutch (single disc?), limited slip differential (european cars have the 3,90:1 R180), diff oil cooler, what else? I think this is pretty much how I would like my car to look like - the body is already being straightened up to handle the extra abuse, and the car will be assembled mostly by my friend, a racecar driver and mechanic (lucky me!) and partially by me. Is this plan reasonable? After a lot of consideration, I dropped the L28ET idea, just because a turbo engine would ban my car from most historic events in Europe. I just hope that I will be able to source all the listed parts while being in the States... And BTW: is there anyone who lives in NY over here? Thanks guys! Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted May 20, 2007 Share Posted May 20, 2007 Well, I am about 50 minutes outside of New York city and I don't really know of many shops for Z parts that you can walk into and make purchases. However, if you need to order some stuff and have it shipped to my house, you can then pick it up here. It would not be a problem. How do you plan on getting all the parts back into Europe? PM me and I'll give you the details of where I live and my contact info. We should try to get together some time. Where in Europe are you and where in NY will you be staying? It is a pretty big state. -Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted May 20, 2007 Share Posted May 20, 2007 Bad Dog Parts is in Bedford MA. Not a huge day trip depending upon where in New York you are. http://www.baddogparts.com/index.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Death69 Posted May 20, 2007 Share Posted May 20, 2007 i dont live on the the east coast but i think it would be easier to look for stuff on craigslist and e-bay and have it shipped somewhere there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Posted May 20, 2007 Author Share Posted May 20, 2007 Well, I am about 50 minutes outside of New York city and I don't really know of many shops for Z parts that you can walk into and make purchases. However, if you need to order some stuff and have it shipped to my house, you can then pick it up here. It would not be a problem. How do you plan on getting all the parts back into Europe? PM me and I'll give you the details of where I live and my contact info. We should try to get together some time. Where in Europe are you and where in NY will you be staying? It is a pretty big state. -Dave I will be located somewhere in the New Your City. Great thanks for the offer! Would it be possible to ship the parts to your house, and from there to Europe? I live in Poland, so I can pick these parts up from Hamburg in Germany or somewhere else. There is also a company in Chicago called Polamer (I think they have an office in NYC), and they ship freight from US to Poland on a regular basis. I may be able to transfer the parts transport to them, and that would make much less trouble to you. Bad Dog Parts is in Bedford MA. Not a huge day trip depending upon where in New York you are. http://www.baddogparts.com/index.htm Thanks! I have some factory parts that need replacing, so I'll definetely look for them there. i dont live on the the east coast but i think it would be easier to look for stuff on craigslist and e-bay and have it shipped somewhere there. Thanks for the suggestion, I think I'll do it this way in the end... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxjoeyxxeb Posted May 20, 2007 Share Posted May 20, 2007 Take a weekend trip to Cape Cod and the Islands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted May 20, 2007 Share Posted May 20, 2007 Bummer, "Wrong Coast" Currently there is a person in Ventura CA selling out of his Z-Business, and liquidating many vehicles. Though he's not returned any of my calls, so does me no good, and by July, I suspect all the 'good stuff' will be gone. You may want to coordinate through Frank Poll in the Netherlands (Frank280ZX) he and his bud Ad currently have three (four...) cars in my yard, and I will be packing a smaller sea container for them sometime in the near future once some other Homogolated parts are located and shipped to my address. There should be plenty of space in even a 20 footer with three cars in it, but you will have to coordinate through Frank for payment of pieces to pick up on this end. I will be going to MSA this week to pick up some of Frank's Backorders as a matter of fact. MSA has all the parts you were thinking of...too bad you weren't here last month for the MSA show... Matter of fact, you may be able to source your parts in Europe through Frank/Ad there in the Netherlands. 40 footer last year, 20 footer this year. Lots of different parts........ Good Luck. My buddy "El Dupa Griggs" (LOL) may be in Buffalo by the time you are there...we all call him Drewski. But alas, the wrong end of the state for you to hook up with him. That all depends on if his job offer in Buffalo comes through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Death69 Posted May 20, 2007 Share Posted May 20, 2007 Bummer, "Wrong Coast" Currently there is a person in Ventura CA selling out of his Z-Business, and liquidating many vehicles. Though he's not returned any of my calls, so does me no good, and by July, I suspect all the 'good stuff' will be gone. Really? Where is that at? wouldnt mind checkin out what hes got Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Posted May 20, 2007 Author Share Posted May 20, 2007 Bummer, "Wrong Coast" Currently there is a person in Ventura CA selling out of his Z-Business, and liquidating many vehicles. Though he's not returned any of my calls, so does me no good, and by July, I suspect all the 'good stuff' will be gone. You may want to coordinate through Frank Poll in the Netherlands (Frank280ZX) he and his bud Ad currently have three (four...) cars in my yard, and I will be packing a smaller sea container for them sometime in the near future once some other Homogolated parts are located and shipped to my address. There should be plenty of space in even a 20 footer with three cars in it, but you will have to coordinate through Frank for payment of pieces to pick up on this end. I will be going to MSA this week to pick up some of Frank's Backorders as a matter of fact. MSA has all the parts you were thinking of...too bad you weren't here last month for the MSA show... Matter of fact, you may be able to source your parts in Europe through Frank/Ad there in the Netherlands. 40 footer last year, 20 footer this year. Lots of different parts........ Good Luck. My buddy "El Dupa Griggs" (LOL) may be in Buffalo by the time you are there...we all call him Drewski. But alas, the wrong end of the state for you to hook up with him. That all depends on if his job offer in Buffalo comes through. To tell you the truth, I've recently contacted Frank on the subject of L28ET motors. In the end I decided not go with it for the reasons above. Fortunately, my friend offered me to take care of the shipping from the US to Europe. The only issue now is to locate a parts shop that would be kind enough to send them to a certain office somewhere in the States. From there on, these parts are going to be brought together in a single package, and then sent to Europe. My friend has been importing parts like these for a year or so already, and he had no bad experiences with it - I will pick them up from his house when I come back. This way, I will avoid involving other people in the whole mess. It's a shame that I'm going to the "wrong-as-far-as-the-Z-cars-are-concerned" coast, but then again, you can't have everything! The parts I'm searching for are small enough that I won't need a container that you mentioned, so I will cut on cost there. I will probably contact MSA or Modern Motorsports to get all the parts I need - I hope it won't be a problem for them to ship the parts to NYC or some other place specified by me beforehand. If it won't be possible, then I'll have to take a cheap flight to the UK and pay a visit to Geoff Jackson at Fourways Engineering. I really liked UK after my first visit, so maybe I will go to a travel agent soon to search for some cheap tickets... Anyway, thanks for being so helpful! Regards, Tony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TeamNissan Posted May 20, 2007 Share Posted May 20, 2007 I live right by the george washington bridge so feel free to drop me a line if you need help with anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zguy95135 Posted May 20, 2007 Share Posted May 20, 2007 Bummer, "Wrong Coast" Currently there is a person in Ventura CA selling out of his Z-Business, and liquidating many vehicles. Though he's not returned any of my calls, so does me no good, and by July, I suspect all the 'good stuff' will be gone. O_O where is this at?? I live in Oxnard and my dad is trying to start his Z business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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