KatoKid

Saw this on the side of the road on the way to pick up my daughter from school yesterday. Its a 1/74, unregistered and no RWC, rough interior but all there and very original. Its got fresh paint which makes it hard to know whats underneath but apart from some bubbles in the doors and sills it looks pretty good. I didn't crawl under it but the floors, rear hatch slam panel battery tray etc all looked pretty good. I only looked over it pretty quickly but would say it definitely warrants a second look. If I didn't have one on the go already I would be tempted! Guy who owns it doesn't come across as a Z enthusiast, told me some story about buying from a lady who had stored it for 12 years. I reckon hes come across it by accident through his business (tree loper), got it cheap, given it a coat of jam and then sell it on for a profit. Good thing is its not advertised anywhere, hes done some internet research and has an idea what there worth. If you're keen to look call: Russell 0405 645 836 5 Seasons Tree Work, 252B Liverpool road Kilsyth. Opposite Glasgow road.

I'm a long way off needing wheels for this car but that's not to say I'm not looking or thinking about options continuously. Ive always loved the tough look that black wheels give and I had considered painting wheels that I liked or going for something already black, probably Wat's until I saw biscuitballs post these http://www.xxrwheels.com/sportmax_513.shtml for sale. As soon as I saw them I realised they ticked all the boxes for me....old school, tough and satin black.....giddy up. Picked them up from the freight depot yesterday and am in love with them...just need a car to hang them on and that's good motivation for me to spend more time in the shed.

Mike. 16th is no good for me as the boss has something prearranged so will have to be 17th at the end of the cruise. For those going on the cruise Benny will have my address and will lead you there. For obvious reasons I'm not going to post my address here so for those not going on the cruise but wanting to catch up with Mike at my place send me a PM and I will provide details. Cheers.

So plan is to finish at my place as part of the catch up with Mike NZeder as per this thread http://www.viczcar.com/forum/index.php/topic,9805.0.html Im working with Benny to suggest a good route from lunch time and ending at my place.

Holden red six?? Ive heard of backwards engineering but that's ridiculous! Each to his own I guess.

Happy Birthday Ben.....you young fella you!

Looks great Mossy.....getting closer so good motivation,

Need to check with the boss (wife) but Friday 16th or Saturday 17th may work, thinking late arvo - evening BBQ? How does this work for you Mike? Edit....16th proly better so Mike can go on the cruise on the 17th?

No offence taken....I think one of the great strengths of this forum is the different perspectives and creative solutions offered up. There is so much out there (on the interweb) and some amazing builds that I think its worth drawing attention to anything that could be utilised as an alternative, even if just a small component is utilised. My favourite cliche'..."you don't know what you don't know"! Whats been done in that build isn't outside of the realms of any back yard builder.... reproducing the quality of fabrication would be a big stretch though! The man can weld!

Didn't mean to imply that level of intricacy or incorporation, just looking at the concept and what could be done with bolt in alternatives. More or less an expansion on the X frame we discussed.

Im happy to host Mike and anyone else at my place for a few frosties.

Hey John. You know how we discussed engine/trans mounting as well as chassis strengthening? Have a look at this for some inspiration....some pretty interesting tube work going on here http://www.theturboforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=99393.100 Realise this is very drag orientated but some good ideas worth considering. David

Welcome David

Such is the way of importing bigger bits from OS! These same issues drove me to wait for the shared container space to be available, I was fortunate that nothing got damaged in transit which was my biggest concern. Its not easy when you have to rely on others to make it happen on the other side of the world, sounds like you got some great help. I found the whole process to be pretty stressful and wouldn't recommend it even if you had to pay a bit more to source something at a lower risk (through a local importer) it would be more attractive.

Very nice Simon. Hope your daughter is OK?

Come on Craig.....the suspense is killing me! Must post first driving impressions ASAP.

Wally. If you haven't seen it then check out my thread http://www.viczcar.com/forum/index.php/topic,7174.0.html, there are other options so suggest you check with your engineer before deciding.

I know I'm late to make comment and I really don't give a hoot either way about Karma but now that its gone I think that's the right decision. I do feel compelled to make comment about the content of the forum........some say there is to much "banter" which it seems can get a bit personal and if I was on the receiving end I may feel a bit miffed but then again I might have been a knob and deserved it. I think the banter is an important part of this forum and makes the forum more personal and more of a club than a purely on line community...especially when combined with the odd BBQ and cruise. Newbies may find the regular posters a bit intimidating but I certainly didn't probably because I reached out for advice and made an effort to meet the people I could. I like the self moderation. I like the genuine effort to help others and the mateship (not evident on other forums I'm active on). I like the technical competency and quality of posts in response to requests for advice (some forums are just rubbish in this respect). I do like the banter....don't get involved much but it makes me laugh! In short I think its a great forum, provides everything that I think makes a good forum a good forum. The only caution would be to read your post before you send it off into cyberspace......the written word can sometimes be misinterpreted and may not come across as intended. Oh, and one more thing....if your really steamed about something, sleep on it and respond in the clear light of the next day chances are you will post differently. Keep it up guys and girls. David

Does rust qualify as a colour?

Stuck OS at the moment and a bit bored so been doing some surfing. Still love my drag racing and keep an eye on whats happening so had a look at the APSA forum and came across this footage of Rob Campisi running a 6 ohhhh @ 246 earlier this week http://www.youtube.com/user/rotorg33k#p/u/5/L6Ir2CZazeE thats nuts!!!! Easy 5's around the corner for this new combo. This led me to this alternative bolt in front end for a LJ Torrie http://www.scfracecars.com.au/scf_front_assembly.htm ....race use only I know but the concept is very clean and simple and could be easily applied to a Z for engines with sump clearance issues. Ciao

Bugger the segue with the segway....whats with the monkeys???

Customs/quarantine costs.......I copped $875 for steam cleaning plus more for fumigation of the timber pallets. I reckon close on $2k of BS costs!

Always the way John!

Im there!!!

Just had the member from the BMW forum come around with his scan tool. Cleared all the codes and ran the engine again and hey presto no cam position codes! Tim, codes are read by this aftermarket tool http://www.peakeresearch.com/fcx3.htm its a basic tool and no where near as refined or capable as the BMW factory diagnostic system but good enough for my needs. Teeth on the wheels are different yet they are similarly spaced, sensors tell what position of advance or retard the cams are in. On most BMW engines that use a single VANOS, the timing of the intake cam is only changed at two distinct rpm points, while on the double-VANOS system, the timing of the intake and exhaust cams are continuously variable throughout the majority of the rpm range. Double-VANOS improves low rpm power, flattens the torque curve, and widens the powerband for a given set of camshafts.