Scottz

http://www.brisbanealloywheels.com.au/ http://www.2ndhandtyresbrisbane.com.au/ You probably have something similar in your neck of the woods.

Just keep practicing. Like any job, it's the setting up and preparation that makes the difference. Once you get a handle on carbon steel, try stainless steel and aluminum. Have a go at stick, mig (gas and gasless) and tig. Not all welding machines can do all the welding processes, but have a go if your machine can do more than 1. Bought my first machine when I was 19. An old SIP stick machine, back when they made the coils with copper, not aluminum and it is a heavy little beast. Still goes strong. Bought a CIG Transmig 175i multi-process inverter a few years ago and my friends have used it more than me. It is really versatile and easy to use. Only bad point is the cost of gas even in the small bottle size. Recently repaired my boat aluminum fuel tank with it.

Cut a piece out with a hacksaw. It will then easily come out. Take your time, you only want to cut the bushing and not the bar.

Is it a bit like the "The world according to Garp"?, where Robin Williams (Garp) is looking at buying a house and while looking a plane crashes into it and he says to the agent - "I'll buy it". The Realtor thinks and says "what the freak for, it's just had a plane crash into it, it's wrecked", and Garp says - "yes, but what are the chances of it happening again. It is now a disaster proof house". Garp's view was that a plane crashing into the house is a 100 million to 1 chance, so a repeat of the same disaster would be infinity to 1, or thereabouts. Not sure you can use the same maths logic for a race car, but hey! whatever smokes your wheels...... Price for this disaster tested pre-loved Z ? ? Keep smiling - always better days ahead. Scott.

Recession, recession, recession.......... or not? According to the government we did not have a GFC in Australia and the incentives paid out by the government were all about making sure we had no GFC. I reckon it was just a lot of vote buying myself. Reality is we have lived of the Chinamans back when once upon a time we lived off the sheep's back. Subsidies never work and never last. Wether it's for wool, wheat, bacon, steel or cars...they have all failed. Using government revenue to prop up an industry has merits, especially when you are kick-starting a new industry. But the subsidy is suppose to be a helpful incentive for the short term, not for ever and ever. I love Ford and wish them success, however the car industry in Australia is a very mature business, it is not a newbie, and if it can't stand on it's own 2 feet after decades and decades of government, industry and people support, it deserves a burial. RIP Mr Ford. We loved ya.

This pic shows the colour better.

Like.

Yep - First 2 pics - Rear proportioning valve or Pressure Regulating Valve (same thing) for 240Z, only 1 inlet and 1 outlet. Found at rear end exactly where first pic has it circled Keeps things in proportion, but not necessarily equal That is - It prevents rear brakes locking under heavy braking. For 260Z it is found up front on the firewall and has 2 inlets and 2 outlets (1 each for front and rear brakes). Last pic - Dual Circuit Pressure Differential Switch. Found in both 240Z and 260Z close to the master cylinder. This device monitors the pressure in the 2 seperate curcuits (Front & Rear). If you get a leak in either front or rear circuit the switch closes and illuminates a warning light.

Hi Gav, How much are you paying? I wanted to get my own website and email title (scott@xyzcompany.com.au). I was advised to check out crazy domains. Their prices are suppose to be very good. www.crazydomains.com.au If you're not paying much, keep both.

That was the 2nd worst zed I have questioned. The worst was another white 240Z in Brisbane and I wasted money on air fare and taxi to see the car. Seller (AM) was also a Boost member and originally asked 27K, later dropping to 23K. On inspection it was a rust bucket with lots of poor cut and shut retro fits and badly attempted mods. It had some good bits but all put together by amateurs. I was shocked when I found out a year later it sold for 16.5K. I did not need to go to Brisbane and inspect BM's car. I gave BM plenty of opportunity to show proof of what he was selling and he never gave me a straight answer, not to mention his txt style of writing was very hard to read. Also like AM, BM's car photos were pro pics with photo shop touch-ups. Plus, if a seller is going to sell without rego and no rwc that has to be stated up front not ...oh...my, by the way! Once I had that info from BM I knew it was pointless to do an inspection myself, but I spoke to a couple of people who had knowledge about the car. Last year I bought a '71 Mustang without rwc and rego. I had the car inspected by my mate (twice), the seller gave me the vehicle inspectors report (and I phoned the workshop to double check), we emailed several times, the seller gave me photos (that he took himself that day), my mate sent lots of photos from his own inspections, the seller and I spoke several times on the phone, we negotiated a deal and that was that. Car was dropped off at my mates house and 2 weeks later I drove the 2200km round trip with a trailer and towed it back home. Takes time but easy when you have straight up and down people and no bullshit. I've been to Melbourne, Sydney & Brisbane to inspect zeds for sale. Most were a waste of time. Here are some good and bad experiences I've had over the past 3 years: I passed on a zed in Melbourne when the seller changed venue at the last minute and made no attempt to prepare the car other than a hose down. Not to mention the paint was lifting, car was full of sand and like BM no proof for the supposed 7-8$K motor work. I flew to Sydney twice to see the same zed because the day I landed on the first trip, the seller phoned me to say ...sorry my employer is sending me too Qld for a few days work. I returned 2 weeks later, bought the car and drove it 1350km home. Went back to Sydney 18 months later to look at another zed. Great car but another buyer got in and made a slightly higher offer than mine. The seller generously gave me a chance to match it since I was first in and I had already got the car inspected by a 3rd party. So I went down to Sydney, checked it out, had a good talk with the seller, drove it about and decided I wouldn't go higher. My offer stood as is. Naturally I went home without a zed. So be it! Still worth the double check though. Some zeds I was interested in have been inspected by fellow forum members, but I have stopped asking for that assistance since the last guy gave me such an ear bashing when I questioned some of his answers. I have always offered to compensate people who do inspections on my behalf and only 1 person has accepted the offer. All others have very generously given their time and I really appreciate that. This is a great club. I'm sick and tired of phukers like BM and AM spruking their junk and telling everyone - "It's all good bro, trust me". That goes for parts sellers as well. This is a club and our standards should be higher. When someone is busted they should be exposed. Sure, they have right to reply and if they can prove their position - fine. Otherwise phukoff. There have been plenty of sellers advertising their zeds for >20K and plenty of watchers quickly making comments about the car. There have also been plenty of "parts cars" looking for optimistic $$ and just as quickly someone has inspected the rust bucket and out-ed it. That's the sell / buy market, it's all part of the business. But fakers and frauds, please phukoff ! While I'm at it, lets ban txt style print. It is so over over already. Scott.

Hi Gav, Looks like things are working in the right direction for you. Bit late now, but I was wondering how long you need to own the vehicle for so you can bring it to Oz as personal property and not an import (potentially for resale). This would be the key point on wether or not you buy another car. If you had bought a replacement, you may not own it for the minimum period before moving to Oz ! Anyway - it looks good now, and you know the work done. Not like buying another and wondering what work may have been done and will it cause issues down the road. Love the paint colour. Scottz

Uhmmmmm....Finding the time might be difficult. We are preparing for another flogging of rain in Qld right now so it will have to wait a while. The workshop service history manual shows first 1000km service date 53.4.28. I think this translates to 1978, April, 28th (refer to - http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2272.html). The last filled in page is dated 54.10.15 (1979, October, 15th) at 13,017 km. The remaining pages are blank templates. There is a repair order docket stapled in the manual dated 55.4.2 (1980, April, 2nd) at 13,987 km. You can read the numbers but everything else is in Japanese except "repair order". This is an unusual 2+2 zed. I have only seen 260Zeds up to 1977 not 1978. The owners manual has the chassis number hand written on the front cover and 3 hand written Japanese characters, so I assume this is the original manual supplied with the car, but it is a 280Z manual. Interestingly inside the front cover is the publishing date - 1977. My guess is this zed came off the production line about when the 260 was ending and the 280 starting. It's a Jap import with L20A efi, aircon and electric windows. It landed in Australia late 1980 or early 1981. First service in Aust was at 17,657km (no date) and 2nd service on 1st June 1981 at 23,740km. The owners name is on the receipts and he must have been a real enthusiast to get a used import in 1981. All the manuals are in Japanese, except the one of 280Z owners manual and the Aust receipts, and are in a red/blue/white Tokyo Nissan plastic glove compartment folder, with the original salesmans business card - Satoshi Chiwata, Manager President Sales Dept. Tokyo Nissan Auto Sales Co, Ltd. To copy it all is a big task. I might have to hire a secretary

Hi Luke, Great find and we look forward to your project updates. Welcome aboard. Scott.

Great stuff - Thanks Benny.

I guess they all came in the same format. My 260Z has a 280Z owners manual in English (size 148 mm x 211 mm) and a Fairlady Z (GS-31) manual in Japanese (size 181 mm x 257 mm).

Hmmmmm....did this topic die a natural death, or was it choked? Lets try a jump-start; 1. All vehicle sales are down due to GFC (if you believe it) and general appathy in the public. People are holding onto their hard earned $$ waiting to see what the government is going to shaft them with next. 2. March 2011 Tsunami put a dent in Japan's manufacturing and slowed down the supply chain. (14 months ago I was wanting to buy a Toyota 4x4 , but was told 6 months wait!). But don't under estimate their ability to rebound. 3. There has been a bit of noise in the government about changing the luxury car tax, but what ever the change might be, it is still going to screw us. Example, it may get raised for cars >$80,000 but the tax might also go up to 40%. Simply what is given in one hand will be taken from the other. But really - who cares, we just want affordable & reliable daily drivers, no matter what the badge on the bonnet is. 4. Talk continues on reducing import tarrifs further. 14 months ago while shopping around for a new ute I checked out the 2011 Ford Falcon utes. Very nice cars and the prices were really good, supposedly because the new 2012 models were about to be released so Ford discounted the 2011 models. I bought a 6cyl 'tick all boxes' Falcon ute in 2001 and the 2011 6cyl 'tick all boxes' ute was cheaper and had more gear n go. While talking to the Ford sales bloke I found out he had been a Ford Sales Manager for 22 years. He also told me the new models could be the last "made in Oz" Fords we see. I was a bit shocked, but he basically said it was 50/50 if Ford continued making cars in Oz. I guess we are still waiting to see if that happens. 5. When it suits us we want global prices, but we still want manufacturing jobs to stay in Oz. Can we really get both? 6. If car prices dropped 20% how many more cars would be on the road? 5% more or 50% more? Would the existing infrastructure cope? You can buy a car in a day (or 6 months if you want to order a Toyota 4x4), but a bridge or road takes a year or 2. I think we better get some serious dollars pumped into the transport infrastucture before we put more wheels on it. 7. A few writers have already noted that car prices have dropped in comparison with average p.a. wage and salary. But it has taken 20+ years. Do we wait another 20 years or can we speed it up a little? 8. Have you seen prices for car parts go down, similar to car retail prices? Yes and No. I still can't believe what decent tyres cost here in Oz ! Incidentally a total of 1,939,854,524 people, which comprises 34% of the world's population, resides in left-driving countries, and a total of 3,824,562,670, or 66%, resides in right-driving countries. Are we going the right way?

What is the size of the screen? How about a relocatable oil filter mount. Does your supplier have those as well. Example:

What parts are you trying to get hold of? The Tsunami story is a bit of bs. Probably accurate first 12 months after the event but not now. Plus the manufacturers already moved a lot of production to other countries when they went to the "Mass Vehicle Production" model, which allowed more manufacturing to be done out of Japan. Spread your net wider and try National and International suppliers. I got most new stuff from USA and used parts from this forum.

Final assembly.

When you have to get serious. Cut it. 1. Take out the assembly. 2. Cut the pin and knock out the end stubs. Careful to only cut the pin. Take your time. 3. Ream / polish the bore. If you don't have a reamer, make your own polisher. Do not oversize the bore. 4. Check fit of new pin. Use anti sieze. Do not use force to fit the new pin. Careful to align the lock pin slot. 5. Assemble. Do not over tighten threads. Check torque settings.

Some great photos in this story: http://smh.drive.com.au/motor-news/jay-leno-mulls-a-new-240z-20121204-2as0k.html Jay Leno travels to Nissan Technical centre in Atsugi, Kanagawa to inspect the Datsun 240Z, and see if another one is on the cards.

This storm is still brewing. More noise from the retail sector: http://www.smh.com.au/business/cut-gst-threshold-on-overseas-goods-myer-20121207-2azgs.html

Just a few words - SMALL CLAIMS COURT. Get the paper work and go through the process. Contact Motor Trades Association of Qld and Qld Transport for information - where to go, what to do, etc...However MTAQ can only assist if the repairer is a MTAQ member and they are a bit of a toothless dog. Qld Transport can get them for a dodgy rwc, but that doesn't fix your car, and they can advise where to get an inspection. Same with RACQ to find an inspector. (Are you a RACQ member?). Get some advice from a lawyer before proceeding with small claims court. Lawyer will advise if you take action against the 2 dodgys, the franchise owner or franchisee. General rule - go for everyone. Give the dodgy boys a chance to respond first, I'm sure they will decline. Write a letter to the business owner and franchise company and make an official complaint. Threaten to take it to the media (TV, newsprint and radio) and you should get a response. Find an expert to back your story and determine if any work was done at all - easiest place is Qld Transport Vehicle Inspection. (Problem is they will make you tow it, if it's as bad as you say, and that's a cost you don't need). Take lots of photo's in advance. Sort out your options, then lodge the forms and get them in court. Contact legal aid if you think a lawyer is out of your budget and contact the Office of Fair Trading. You can submit an on-line complaint form at www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au or call 13 13 04. You said mum helped you with a couple of items, so I'm guessing no dad about. Got any brothers? Put them to task. Do you use social media? If yes, then use it to spread the word. Use every available resource and keep at it. Sometimes a long road but the smile at the end is worth it.

Agree - if gst is added it should only be for new manufactured items, not used / 2nd hand items. Agree - adding the gst will not stop or slow down imports. The price difference is still too great, buyers will "shop around" and the internet has opened up new avenues of supply. Agree - revenue from tax never gets to the industry that it targets. Roads don't get improved, emmissions are not reduced, damaged state assets are not repaired, etc... Agree - like fluegel we are searching for items not available locally or incountry. Agree - taxes are screwing us, and people are spending less because of it (and a few other factors). And as thriller has touched on, some taxes are user pay (hidden taxes), such as cost of water and electricity. Tax margin stays constant but cost per Kilolitre, Kilowatt, or whatever, increases under the assumption that hurting your wallet will make you a more efficient user. But as we have seen with the recent gold plating issue of electrical infrastucture, we the consumer are using less and still paying more. User cost for those government supplied (although deregulated) services is just another means of making revenue. It's a tax without calling it a tax. But that's another story - back to gst for on-line purchases........ If the loophole is closed, will consumers spend less just to be happy knowing the tax office is the looser, or will we continue unchanged and cop another tax on the chin? When fringe benefits tax was introduced in 1986 it created revenue for the government, pain for businesses, and a new business enterprise for salary-packaging. See link http://www.smh.com.au/small-business/entrepreneur/entrepreneurial-awards-go-to-fittest-20121202-2aoy1.html Is there an opportunity to do something similar for administration and collection of gst added to on-line purchases, avoiding the nuisance of having to collect your purchase and do the paperwork yourself, as fluegel has mentioned? Comments?

Yeah - saw the headline on the smh webpage a few days ago. I didn't bother to click the link. It's like TV sensorship, just switch off if you're not interested. I'm an adult and don't need someone to make rules for me. What he did: Against the law - nope. Stupid - yes. Have you ever done anything stupid? - Yep, I think it ended with a Z, and I keep doing it over and over.