D.O.G

Just by way of confirmation, I also had an 11/'72 240Z that I bought in '78. The orange blinkers were mounted on top of the bumpers..............and I thought they looked fine. Pete.

I'd like to meet you guys one day, but my work situation has me unavailable for the next month at least. Some day it'll happen. Pete.

I drove one of these once in the mid/late 70's. It was so gutless, it left a lasting impression. I remember taking off from the lights and running up through the gears into top, before I was even through the intersection.

I'll be there.... if the GPS lady knows the way.

Yes, that's them. PM sent. Pete.

Guys, I'm after a pair of standard mag wheels for my series 2 280zx, with or without tyres. I don't like relying on the spacesaver spare I've got and I don't like the rear tyres this car came with. I plan on putting some new rubber on the rear and using the old ones as spares. I'm in the Blue Mountains (NSW) and am happy to pick up in a 150 - 200 km radius if that helps. Pete.

I'm busy most Sundays, but if you set a date I'll check my schedule. My daily might be rough, but at least it's a Datsun. Pete.

Be aware that the Xenons manuals are usually for American delivered cars. The EFI circuits for the 280ZXs are a bit different due to their pollution control regulations. Having said that, their still better than nothing.

This sounds similar to a problem my Nissan Nomad developed a while back. The battery drained over a couple of idle days, when the ignition (ie: nearly everything) was turned off. After isolating circuits while watching the ampmeter, I found it was the alternator itself causing the slow drain. A secondhand alternator fixed it cheaply. My point is, don't only look at fused items.

My 280zx has a 45A Bosch alternator (fitted by a previous owner). It, just, keeps up with all the electrics this has. I find at night, waiting at lights, with the wipers and demister on, the voltmeter swings back and forward in time with the blinkers. I have a 65A alternator that I'll fit when time allows.

As luck would have it, I bought one from an ebay contact 2 days before I saw Daewoo's post. :'( I'll see if I can snag this second one anyway and if the first box is OK, I can pass it on to another enthusiast. Pete.

Well, I'm one step closer to giving this a go. I picked up an '85 model R30 4N71B drive train, from flywheel to diff (inclusive) on the weekend. Unfortunately, I've got a couple of donor cars (Mitsubishi) blocking access to the garage, so won't be starting this mod until I can strip and dispose of these shells. Pete.

I'm not 100% sure I can make it but where and when are you meeting? The destination isn't that important.

I'm not really into racing much but Mt Panorama is special, so I packed the wife and son in the Datsun for an outing. My son and I had a ball on the Saturday, wandering through the pits, or watching from 5 or 6 spots around the track. It was great to see Zeds on the track and a few in the carpark. I was surprised at some of the other cars on the track but overall it seemed a great mix of odd and awesome. My wife was brave until lunchtime, then went shopping.

Lurch is close, the 84/85 R30 skyline 4N71B should bolt in (according to the writeup on Zcar.com), but it means custom rear mount, custom exhaust, custom tailshaft, plus using the flywheel from the R30. I'm still thinking about it for my 280ZX and have discussed it with a local auto trans guy. He said the original 3N71B bell housing should bolt onto any 4N71B, which would solve the problem of finding the right skyline box. I'm taking the 4 speed auto out of my '90 Nissan Nomad (no electronics), if anyone near Sydney has a spare 3N71B bell housing I'd like to see if he's right. Pete.

I came across some paperwork for my first Z. Compliance plate date: 11/72 Chassis No: HS30 10123 Engine No: L24122199 Rego No: GGB 385 White, Auto, Red interior, Bobtail spoiler, Aunger hotwire mags, A/C. Bought 1/12/78 for $6295 with 49,201 miles on the clock. Sold in 1988 with 120k on the clock to a young guy in Sydney (can't remember more than that). It's probably gone to Z heaven by now (I'd already done a couple of rust repairs), but if anyone recognises any of the numbers, it would be interesting to find out. Pete.

I'd forgotten that I never did get back to posting photos, so here goes. Pete.

The downloaded manuals from Xenon list both the series 1 and series 2 manual gearbox as an FS5W71B. There is a serial number on the top front edge of the bell housing, but it doesn't mention if the gearbox type is included. Mine is an Auto, so I can't confirm this as accurate for Australian delivered models. Pete.

Motorway revs are 3500+. Not a lot, but as this is my daily ride and fuel economy counts, it seems worthwhile asking. With a different final ratio I could split the difference and get a bit more takeoff maybe. You never know 'til you ask. Pete.

My 280zx has an original 3N71B auto fitted and I'm fairly happy with it but I'd like to drop the revs a bit on the Motorway. My Nissan Nomad has a 4N71B box fitted and I read on an American site that gearboxes from any L series or Z series motor use the same bolt pattern. Does anyone know if this is correct? Has anyone put any other 4 speed auto into a 280zx? Pete.

Am having trouble posting photos unfortunately. The car is a white auto, built 12/81, red interior. Quite original I think (still has the original radio and cassette). Has been repainted (badly) at some stage and carries a bit of minor panel damage. I've driven it every day (with a big grin on my face) and it seems very good mechanically. Targa roof dosen't leak but the windows do. I have lots of questions to ask but I'll save them for the correct threads. Pete.

Hi Folks, I'm a new member but not new to Zs. I drove a '72 240Z auto for 10 years, from the late 70s until I couldn't justify keeping it anymore (2 seats + 2 kids = trouble). My present ride has reached its use by date (480k +), so I thought "Buy another Z". Unfortunately, I couldn't afford the price of a restored one or the time to restore one myself. So I looked for alternatives and found the answer in an '81 280ZX auto in reasonable condition at reasonable cost that I picked up on the weekend. My plan is to use this as my daily drive, not sure yet if this is a practical plan but I'm going to have fun finding out. I'd love to hear from anyone who drives an S130 who might have some pointers for me.