RichardS

Hey Paul, Good to see you're still around mate....!! Heh heh - yup that's me, second in from the left..... It's not every day you meet your namesake, who also has the same hairstyle and is standing on my right (or for those easily confused, the left of the picture....)....:w00t: Richard:cool:

Welcome to the club Harms - and enjoy your new toy mate!! Richard:thumbup:

Me too....:bow: But if you do decide on black - don't do the dish, paint the centre spokes instead..... Like the 2nd picture:wink:

There aren't that many active members in NI; however Gary took over running the area regional events a while back and he is certainly keen to improve the situation!

Welcome to the club mate!! Our membership secretary, Gary Wilson, hails from your way - he'll be pleased to have another NI Zedder on board..... .....And he used to own a tidy black imported ZX TT Auto himself; it could be his old car you have...!! Richard:cool:

LOL - that's what I was thinking.....:biggrin:

Nice one Jeff..... ....And to answer your oil pressure problem; no - the oil type/grade is not an issue as that was Nissan's original recommendation. My opinion is that even though you have had a new sender unit; do not rule it out for being faulty. Nissan has not always supplied fault-free OEM new equipment; just ask Jeff - he's certainly had bad batches of Nissan thermostats, among other items. Only last year I bought a new OEM rad-cap from Nissan, just to find that it was not up to the job:sad: And I have had 2 oil pressure senders fitted to my ZX in the 4 or so years (20k miles) that I have owned it. The first replacement went bad after 12 months....!! Richard

Yup - IIRC all UK spec cars came with cruise mate; manual or auto. So it is a possibility imports would follow suit! Which is why I thought that the early cars (TT) came virtually fully loaded - it was only in later years that Nissan started to skimp on the specs:wink: HICAS was an option on the NA; at least it was on the early models, so it still could have had it and been disabled later! As said, I'm still not sure either way - best thing would be to ask the seller if it is a TT! Richard:cool:

Well, the cam-belt looks OEM; as do the pair of O-rings.... The other drive belts aren't, but TBH aren't crucial enough to worry about - however the water-pump and pulleys are clearly not OEM according to the ad.... And from old posts by JeffTT, the OEM water pump has a much bigger impellor - which is crucial to efficient coolant circulation!! And finally, the big issue for me, is that buying this kit from the USA gives you very limited come-back if it's not what you expect!! My opinion - don't touch it mate. Buy the proper OEM timing belt kit from Mike at MJP or get JeffTT to sort it for you - paying less could certainly cost you dear on that mate!! Richard:wink:

I thought that - but having scrutinized the pics, I'm not so sure.... It's a 1991 model, so a TT would have the boost gauge - and I can't quite make out whether it does from the quality of the photos. Also there is definitely no cruise; I was under the impression that a 1991 TT would have had cruise as standard..... Only later import models started dropping the options; earlier spec cars were virtually the same as UK spec, albeit with the exception of leather being almost the norm on UK cars. It does look a tidy SWB though; and I do love that interior re-trim!! Richard:cool:

Many happy returns mate! Richard:cool:

Happy birthday mate! Richard:cool:

Exactly Scott.....:sad: ....Remember, at the development stage, Nissan considered the 4.5 v8 for the Z32... But decided on the smaller v6 (albeit with twin turbos) because, to quote from the Enthusiasts' Companion book, "....a big v8 might seem profligate in the future..." Richard:no:

Way to go Andy - congrats mate....:thumbup:

So it sounds like a rival to the Toyota GT86, which replaced the old Celica, which rivalled the 200sx; as opposed to a "proper" Z-car which rivalled the Supra...:sad: Unfortunately that is how it is for "mainstream" manufacturers; they are too concerned with emissions, fuel economy and generally "appearing responsible" to produce a decent, proper high performance GT/sports car nowadays.....:no:

It does indeed sound promising..... .....But will we get what we are expecting? Not necessarily..... In all possibility, Nissan could follow the trends being implemented now by BMW and Mercedes etc; in replacing big NA engines with smaller turbo-charged units. Just like with the M3 - the old one was a whopping 4+ litre NA v8, but the new one is a 3 litre in line '6' TT unit; and the old 6.3 NA v8 Merc AMG unit is being gradually replaced with the 5.5 TT v8 unit... Hopefully Nissan will retain the v6; albeit returning to forced induction and not dropping below 3 litres.... But don't be surprised if they announce a 2.0 in line 4 cylinder TT unit....:wink: I do sincerely pray that I'm wrong though; and a return to the "best" Z-car set-up will prevail...:hyper: Richard:cool:

LOL - I sure do look good for my age.........:tongue: ......Must be that portrait I have in my loft.....:shifty:

Many happy returns mate! Richard:happybday:

Looks very nice in the pictures Chris - and I do love that interior mate!! Good luck with your new toy!! Richard:thumbup:

Very interesting Jeff - I assume that means BMW sourced calipers can be used as a Z32 upgrade; given that the GT-R ones can be hard to come by...... .....Although the 850 is not exactly common-place either...:wink: Great advise though mate!! Richard:cool:

Yup - there are some really good, conscientious, dedicated professionals like yourself, out there too mate! Safe & Sound did the Toad installation in my current blue ZX (not for me though - PhilP, the previous owner had it fitted). And that looks a decent job...:thumbup: ...And you're dead right there Jeff! He closed down the installation part of his business for that reason - one of his ex-fitters now runs an ICE installation business from his former unit. He just keeps a small shop in the centre of town to keep himself busy ticking over, but without the hassle.....! Richard:cool:

Vijay's experience mirrored my own, when I had my black Supra...:sad: I used the company recommended by my (then) insurers to install a Sigma unit. All seemed to go well, until about 6 months later when the damn thing started going off at random. I called the company only to find they had gone bust - so I took the car to an ICE and security specialist that I had previously used; and well known for their high standards. To say I was shocked when they showed me the state of the wiring was an understatement. But those guys were really good - they basically re-wired the whole thing and gave it a thorough test, along with a new cat-1 certificate. And because they felt a bit sorry for me, they only charged me about £75 for an afternoon's work..... Needless to say, I continued using that company until recently, when the owner downsized his operation. He now just has a small shop selling ICE, but no longer installs. Richard:cool:

Agreed...... .....And agreed Steve...:wink:

Nice work Chris.... Richard:cool:

In my opinion, I'd question the need to do it compared with the sheer economics of it...... ...Perhaps if I was restoring an E-type or a DB5 which might end up with a resale value of £100k+, then it's worth the investment. And assuming I had such a car in my "collection" then I'd most likely have the loose change to afford such a luxury. However is it worth it on your stripped 300zx shell? Maybe, if it is not going to cost you the earth - but if the shell is good, with no traces of rust, then why bother? A decent spray-shop should guarantee their work anyway; so make sure they would rectify any defects that materialise within a reasonable time scale at no cost to you... Richard:clover: