russtic

Can it be? A kindred spirit?!! :D Russ.

Hm, good points, well made. To be honest I'm just a layman with my own fuzzy views. Still, in answer to your points: SELFISH MOTIVES I think this is a question of short term versus long term considerations. I think that these actions will have very destructive implications for international relations. I guess the biggest worry is that these actions - if universally condoned - require that International law is changed to more of a "might is right" approach. It suggests that international boundaries and sovereign nations no longer have a right to UN protection within bounds, but are subject to invasion based on whether some more powerful nations think it's right. The other implication of course is the effect that this has on perceived oppression and therefore terrorism. I personally think that this "war" is MORE likely to result in terrorist attacks on the west than a solution that demonstrated both International solidarity and greater restraint from the use of force. Just my point of view though. I have to agree that in the short term (at least assuming the casualties don't get much worse and there's no guerilla situation a la Chechnya) the result of this war will be good for all. Long term I very much doubt it. Whaddaya reckon? ATROCITY INTERVENTION A difficult one. Many people cite Kosovo as a "just" intervention to stop ethnic cleansing. This was after a UN resolution calling for a ceasefire while internal war was raging, and NATO agreed to step in. So the situation was very different - I hope you agree. My thinking is woolly on this one - I don't pretend to have all the answers. Still, I think that this Iraq "war" isn't an intervention in anything like the same way. What I'd ask for is that such intervention is performed with international agreement and in extreme cases. For instance I would agree that Iraq should be stopped from invading Kuwait as they were in 1991, but the Rwanda debacle demonstrates the extent to which this is governed by self-preservation on behalf of the "policing" powers of the world (france included!). HITLER A completely different situation, I think. Easy to criticise with hindsight but a bit of a simplistic argument. Tony Blair used a similar approach discussing Neville Chamberlain and his "I have in my hand..." appeasement. I have two answers to this: 1. Chamberlain acted entirely reasonably given what was known then. Pre-emptive attacks are in my view completely unreasonable in almost all cases. Seems to run contrary to basic human rights, doesn't it? If Kennedy had decided on a preemptive attack in the Cuban Missile Crisis none of us would be having this discussion. There're always two sides (at least!) 2. Blair may do well to consider another British Prime Minister: Anthony Eden. I'll leave you to check out what happened in the Suez Crisis with Eden (assuming you don't already know). THE FRENCH ...are as duplicitous and sneaky as the UK or the US. You're absolutely right that their fundamental reasons are not noble (at least in my view). Still, it's a happy coincidence for Chirac that a side-effect is that he's acting democratically - reflecting the will of his electorate. C'est la vie! Er, I'm acutely aware that I seem to be the only person on the forum with these views. At least in the UK I *can* have and express them without risk of torture or death (unless MAC gets his hands on me). I don't really want to preach or spend all day rebuking these very tricky questions! Maybe it's a colour-psychology thing: Anyone else with a grey zed that feels this way? ;) Russ.

Folks, Can anyone recommend a good garage to carry out an MOT on my Zed? I'm in North London but will travel a bit to use a recommended garage. Lemme know your thoughts, Russ.

Yeah, Saddam Hussein is by all accounts a malignant c#nt. but... it was less than a hundred years ago that british soldiers were shot by their own for desertion. [http://www.shotatdawn.org.uk/nuj.htm] Secondly I feel that a military attack is the wrong way to go about fixing this problem - indeed this is enshrined in International law. I quote Article 2 of the UN Charter: The Organization and its members, in pursuit of the purposes stated in Article 1, shall act in accordance with the following principles ... all members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations [http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/DJ09Ak02.html] I'd also point out some startling hypocrisies and inconsitencies: 1. The UN sat back and watched when Saddam gassed his people in 1988.[http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/2003/02/000294.html] 2. No-one attacked Rwanda when Hutu militia committed considerably more barbarous acts of genocide there (800,000 people murdered over 100 days) [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/evil/] 3. Ceausescu was successfully overthrown by his country (Romania), DESPITE U.S. backing for his dictatorial and oppressive regime. The reason Iraqis can't do this at present is because sanctions are forcing them to rely on the Ba'ath regime (as well as a general and well-placed distrust of coalition forces). [http://www.ceausescu.org/] 4. North Korea has *admitted* to developing weapons of mass destruction contrary to the UN, and has demonstrated it's capacity to attack Japan with ballistic missiles. It is still unknown at this time whether Saddam Hussein has *any* WMD, let alone nuclear weapons. But Iraq is attacked. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2564241.stm] 5. The stated aim of the U.K. was to disarm Iraq from Weapons of Mass Destruction. As we've gone on, the reasons have evolved to suit the purposes of the coalition (now it's to free the people). The powers that be have gone ahead with this despite U.N., E.U or NATO authority. Even the church (pick a religion - any religion) thinks it's morally wrong. The weapons inspectors that were sent in by the U.N. think more time is needed. Any sane person would question this action, wouldn't they? So I reckon force IS sometimes necessary, but not in this case, and not in this way. OK - I've said enough. A couple of disclaimers: 1. I'm NOT anti-war at any cost. 2. I'm mainly interested in the 300ZX - like you. 3. I'd love to see Saddam Hussein deposed - almost as much as Robert Mugabe. 4. I support British and American soldiers in Iraq 100%. I just don't think they should have been asked to do what they're doing. 5. I love you all. Peace, man! Russ.

Sorry to hear that Eric. Good luck finding something else! Russ.

Hi Peter - Well, I stuck 6.5" co-ax speakers in my doors. I had to drill holes in the speaker brackets for them but apart from that they went in with no hassle. You may be able to get 6.5s into the original holes but mine (Rockford Fosgates) didn't. You can't tell they're anything but stock. I think some people have 6x9s in the rear but I think that's a squeeze. I have 4x6's in the back, in lieu of a sub-woofer! They're pretty redundant though, to be honest. Again, the 4x6's are covered by the standard grilles. Hope this helps, Russ.

Yeah, I just couldn't believe that someone given such an opportunity would behave like that. Perhaps he wasn't really that bothered about racing (after all he's a computer games tester), and I agree that you need a certain amount of arrogance to be a racing driver. Still - he's answering back to the people trying to help him, swaggering like a t!t in Monte Carlo and elsewhere, and talking a gobsmacking amount of sh!te to the people interviewing him after the race. I was very satisfied to see him fail miserably. What an unmitigated c#nt! Russ.

Check http://www.zedworld.co.uk/ Jeff is doing Brembo brakes for £230 fitted (disks and pads), either front or rear. I couldn't possibly say if he'd cut you a deal for all four corners!

Amen to that! Had my car for 4 months now and the forum has been invaluable. For example Vijay took time out of his weekend to get his hands dirty on my car having never met me before, and I couldn't even get him a case of beer for his trouble! Top fella. Vivre la forum! Russ.

Andy - One thing to watch: Be very careful when getting to the head unit. The spring clips that hold in the metal strip on the centre console have a habit of falling into the dark recesses of the car, never to be found again. Also on my motor at least, the plastic is a little brittle and can crack and split. One more thing - you'll probably put your car into reverse or second gear to move the stick back a bit. Remember to stick it back in neutral when you're done!! Good luck! Russ.

Another possibility is that your speed sensor is on the blink. The Power steering is speed-variable. If your speedo occasionally plays up too then it could well be this. Russ.

Eric - I've got a stock UK TT. Here's what I think: 1) Power delivery The car's a real pussycat at anything below about 3000rpm. This is when the turbos begin to have an effect (there're probably other considferations like the engine dynamics too). My power band is between about 3100 and, well, over 5000rpm. I don't tend to get much beyond 6000. Basically the car feels strong and fairly tourquey, but not manic, until you get it into the power band. Then it's really quite frightening (not to mention brilliant). You can amble along quite happily. Regarding boost, you have a boost guage at the bottom of your speed counter. When the boost goes positive is when the turbos are actively affecting your car (in my view). So, you should be able to correlate the feeling in your pants with this gauge. You *can* get a kick, but this is when you've been accelerating up to about 3200rpm, then you floor it. Make sure you're pointing in a straight line! Typically though, if you're progressive with the accelerator, the turbos are smooth with little lag and will gradually bring you to warp speed. 2) Water gauge (temp) is notoriously unreliable as a gauge, but mine (which seems pretty normal) will find it's way to the halfway point after about 5-10 minutes of driving (depending on ambient temp), and will stay there. Note that if it's already high when you get in, you're not able to check the car from cold - caveat emptor! The fuel gauge should be visibly going down at all times ;) Oil pressure - I think should be arounf 15psi when warm and idle. Obviously the psi is a lot higher while the engine's cold. Can't tell you much more about this - sorry. 3) Handling: Well, I'm no road tester or race driver, but I have owned a few RWD cars (including a late 70's 911) so I know a thing or two about oversteer! I've only had the back-end out once, and that was on a damp road, and I was frankly a little gung-ho with the loud pedal. I've not heard that HICAS causes these problems. Bearing in mind I only have one experience of this, the oversteer is signalled quickly and is relatively slow and progressive, even in the wet. I caught it very easily though if I were going round a roundabout at the time it may have been a different story. I've not experienced any power-off oversteer so far. I've found that understeer is absolutely nonexistent. The HICAS makes the steering feel very positive and though in my case the power steering is very light at slow speeds, it weights up nicely at speed to give a very reassuring and grippy feel. Turn in is instant although with the tail down under hard acceleration you can get a little bit of wandering at the front (though if you're turning and accelerating hard you need to work on your driving!) You don't have to be too silly in the wet to get the back end out, but it seems fairly benign. Don't EVER take your zed out in ice or snow though - there were recently stories of autos spinning without any pedal pressure! The other thing to watch out for is knowing where the power-band is, and being gentle with it if your wheels aren't pointing straight! I've been quite, er, rough with the car in the dry and not even had a chirrup from the tyres. Maybe my definition of rough is different from others here, and don't forget mine's a "weedy" 280BHP Euro TT. :) 4) I can't tell you anything about the Auto box (I did have a 200SX Auto which was OK but not silky). I've got a manual - like a normal person. :p I'm sure many others have lots of thoughts... Good luck! Russ.

Hi all, I've been looking at this: http://www.z32.org/html/foglights.shtml It looks like it might be a good alternative to the "Jeff Headlamp/Baco-foil" upgrade. Has anyone tried removing the glare guard from their fogs? Any comments on this? Is it legal? Do I need to inform my insurance company? :rolleyes: Should I change the bulbs while I'm doing this, and if so, what type of bulb are they? Appreciate your thoughts on any of this! Cheers, Russ.

yeah that's Kubrick for ya. Most of his films were made in the UK, including Eyes Wide Shut, which is set in New York. Why is he dead?! All's not right! Russ.

Heh, well, as if that isn't enough - the fella's other site is http://www.pretentiousasf**k.co.uk/ That probably tells you all you need to know! Nice guy in fairness, for a simulant. Yeah I watched "Ring" on DVD and was underwhelmed by it. Japanese can make great cars (and many other things) but films?! Need to see "Battle Royale" before I say any more though! Russ.

I think I'm gonna hate it. I thought the Japanese "Ring" was mediocre at best. I am a certified miserable f**k though. That "Tainted Love" video is really good. Having said that, check out what I have to deal with (you'll have to replace the asterisks with the appropriate letters! http://www.gothicasf**k.co.uk/ Russ.

All, Has anyone else noticed this: It's quite specific so bear with me while I explain! Basically, when I come to a stop, and depress the clutch, I can sometimes hear a quite quiet knocking sound. The sound is coming from the front - sounds like it's behind the engine (towards me) but fairly low down. It also stops after a few knocks, as if something's been moved by the clutch and is bouncing back to rest. I've not totally pinpointed it - it could be the stopping of the car that's doing it (which would make sense if say a hose was loose or something) - but I've got a hunch that it's the pressing of the clutch that's doing it. I don't generally hear it in normal driving, only really when I stop outside my house. It's on a hill and it's most pronounced when the car's pointing downwards. So, does this ring any bells? Anything I can easily check? I couldn't see and loose hoses etc. when I had a quick look before - despite much manly waggling under the bonnet! Anyone else experienced this spookiness? Russ.

Hi - Mine does the same thing but I personally don't think it's anything to worry about. It's just the ECU keeping the cold engine from dying for a few seconds. If it gets down to Just my view - I'm not a mechanic! Russ.

So what's your verdict on the road then Vijay? Still shockingly bad or worth the trouble? BTW - how did you get on with that gear-knob? Russ.

If it's any help - I recently had my front bushes changed to poly bushes and noticed a squeaky-creaky noise whenever I drove over sleeping policemen (sorry boys). Seems to have stopped now though. :confused: Russ.

Those alloys are rude. Donwright dirrrrty. I LOVE 'em!

:( yeah, I think so! You have a private message, mate! We're gonna route the wiring through the headlights, right...? ;) Russ.

Hi, Does anyone who has run their own speaker cable to the fronts from the head unit mind sending me some information on how to go about it? My original wiring is shot and I want to run some new wiring. I've got no problem removing the head unit, and getting to the back of it, and I don't have any trouble taking the panels off the doors either. My only worry is how (and where) to run the wires from the back of the head unit, and through the rubber wiring tunnel to the door. I'm assuming I'll have to remove some panelling like the glovebox and/or bits of the dashboard, but I've not done this and can't find any info about doing this. Are there any pitfalls/dangers/showstoppers I need to think about? I've seen the write-ups that are linked to from Andy's 300zx.org.uk site but they don't give me enough information. Anyone able to help an amateur with a fairly verbose explanation of how to run these wires (and what bits of panelling I need to remove apart from the door-panels and centre console)?? Lemme know! Russ.

Vijay - I may just take you up on that, thanks! I've had a NIGHTMARE trying to get my stereo sorted, and I think it's only about 70% to do with my incompetent bodging. One more look at it this weekend and then I'll probably get someone who knows what they're doing to have a look (and a laugh). Russ.

In true geek mode, I took a look - the main thing about Titanium is that it's light in comparison with other metals, not that it's much stronger (in fact, one of mine is bent :( ). For instance it's described as "as strong as steel but 45% lighter". So, assuming "normal" keys are made out of steel, it should be fine to get it cut anywhere. Don't hold me to that though ;)