Mondo

It says he needs the money... ;)

Just found out that early plenums have no mounting provisions for these things - that's why they don't fit! [/thread closed]

I've just been reading up on the throttle spring covers that Jason bought for The Beast. Do they ONLY fit the later style plenums? And if so... why...? :)

Bird raises a valid point here, in fact. I imagine a lot of insurance companies (even specialist ones) would class a non-factory turbo conversion (done on a driveway and not by any kind of registered mechanic or specialist) as quite a high-loading situation! So that'd negate any saving that may have been made by buying an NA. I reckon that, unless Noel is able to sort something out regarding his LWB or unless a cheap diamond appears in the meantime, you're simply going to have to get saving!

It probably doesn't... if you're experienced in doing them. But as a TT conversion is more than simply swapping the physical engine, I imagine an unexperienced home mechanic (apologies Dan, but I have to assume that's what you are here) would find days turning into weeks. But hey, this is only my advice, Dan. Take it or leave it. :)

Ok, I've given this some thought... Dan: you say you need a car cos you don't have one right now, and money's tight... if you buy an NA and then buy all the associated parts needed for a complete TT swap, what are you going to use as a car for the weeks that your Zed is square-wheeled (when you start the engine swap)...? Surely you'd need to buy another car anyway to cover that time period? You're also hampered by the fact that you're arguably looking to buy a semi-convertible sports car at the wrong time of year. The weather's on the turn now which means the prices are going to increase - they always do on cars like this when the summer's on the horizon! So there's a couple of issues that look like they're going to count against you, at least. Not to mention the sheer amount of work that'll be required to swap all the necessary TT parts into an NA shell, which will see your Zed off the road for weeks, if not longer! Here's my thoughts: buy a runaround and get saving so, when the summer's gone and the prices have dropped a little, you've got a nice pile of money to hopefully buy a TT with. If you know what car you want, wait for one to come up for sale. Don't "make do" with a different variant as you'll not be happy with it in the long run! I always wanted a SWB, but there wasn't one available within my budget at the time, so I bought a LWB instead. As much as I liked that car, I never truly loved it... because it wasn't the car I wanted... I'm trying to give you some sensible advice here, man....

Ok........ good luck with this...

I thought the whole point of you looking to get a Z32 was because you wanted something that was faster than your Skyline...?! How have you gone from that premise to suddenly looking at NAs...? Why not just save up and wait for a good one to come available after the summer? I can't even begin to imagine the headaches associated with swapping a TT engine into an NA shell...!!

Fixed that for you, mate... ;)

So Dan's saying about a "click" (sic) on here regarding disagreeing with a viewpoint, yet he's the first to chime in on this kind of thread, saying "Stop being obsessed with value - it's a cheap car!" :lol: The primary purpose of this forum, I imagine, is for enthusiasts to come together and appreciate a car that they love. There'll always be those who don't share that philosophy and that's absolutely fine. The bit that isn't fine is when the "non-enthusiasts" start trying to shove down the enthusiasts' throats that their cars are cheap and the value is unimportant! Don't like the subject of the thread? Don't post in it. Simple. Dan wants to view his car as cheap and fun transport. Cool. FunkySi wants to view his car as something he loves passionately and a future investment. That's cool too. One of these people is bothered about value, but doesn't try to force that opinion on others. The other person couldn't care less about value... and wants/expects everyone else to feel the same way... One of these people is going to be disappointed........ ;)

How "fun and fast" is your cheap Z32 these days, Dan...? Hasn't it been up on blocks for, like, forever...? Spent much tarting it up yet...? The whole point is that these cars, whilst once undeniably cheap to purchase, will very likely end up not being cheap to buy anymore. Which, in my eyes, can only be a good thing :)

Am I right to be scared that he wants to test it on mine... instead of his own...? :lol:

Are the prices on the rise because there are simply less of them about? For instance, when I was first looking for one a couple of years ago, there were plenty to be had on eBay or Gumtree and the like. I paid £1800 for my original black TT because my budget wasn't that great - it was a very clean car with some subtle, tasteful mods at the time (wheels, interior) but hadn't sold on the Bay so I agreed an offer with the seller. I'm guessing it hadn't sold because it was "a cheap Zed." Just over a year later, I advertised it for sale for £1500 with a full 12 months MOT and was bombarded with PMs and emails from people wanting to buy it! As I said in another thread, the majority of the really rough examples appear to have been bought and stripped for spares, which takes a big chunk out of the market. That mostly leaves "enthusiast cars" which should, realistically, command a higher price anyway. But if these cars aren't for sale? What do people do then...? Case in point: yesterday's debacle over the Pistonheads Zed! 2 years ago, the only people who would've really considered paying £1k for a Z32 that had issues (or probable issues) with the cooling system, engine and bodywork would've been breakers... today though, we see that multiple people can and will go nuts for a car like that because the cheap Zeds have all but vanished! I'm guessing that this will be the beginning of the end of the attitude that the Z32 is a "cheap, fast car" because they're starting to cease being cheap. That should eliminate the owners who simply want to thrash them around till they explode and just leave (predominantly) the owners who view them as an aspiring classic and want to care for them. Which will drive the prices up more anyway! :) I mean, can you imagine the scrabbling on here if FunkySi (for example) was to put his Zed up for sale...??! :lol: I also think that, in the near future, this forum will become the main place that they will be advertised for sale. Because the owners will want their cars to move on to a like-minded individual, rather than Joe Public off eBay. These are, of course, just my thoughts on it all... :)

Someone has too much time on their hands, I reckon... :lol: Today sees us off to Bird's gaff, partly for a catch up... partly to grab a couple of bits... and partly cos he apparently wants to use Diesel as a test-bed for some sort of car/human/mind-meld/computer thingy he's cobbled together...!! I wonder if this means she'll talk to me (a la KITT)...? :lol:

Don't bother with LED bulbs for your clusters - just fill the space behind the gauges with white LED strips as it makes the spread of light sooo much better!

Looks like a bit of pwnage taking place... :lol:

I'm a busy man, Dan, and I don't live on Facebook. Now yes, I knew personally that you wanted to buy this car, but there's no guarantee that Noel knew the same thing, is there...? I knew from this forum, NOT from Facebook, by the way.

Yep. Posted HOURS after Noel says he first tried contacting the seller! So he would've been blissfully unaware that you'd agreed the sale, wouldn't he...? Whether he then rang him again later is irrelevant as, like you've told us all, the car was already sold. The seller had refused to allow you to make a better offer so it's highly unlikely that Noel would've fared any better, isn't it? So, in my opinion, he's done precisely nothing wrong and, again in my opinion, doesn't deserve your ranting at him! I get that you're disappointed and angry, but this is not the manner in which to be going about venting.....

Still no reason for you to be kicking off and swearing at Noel, ESPECIALLY seeing as I can't find anywhere on here that you'd said you'd agreed the sale BEFORE Noel tried contacting the seller...!!

God, calm down!! The car was up for sale publicly, yet you're coming across as if you expected everyone on this forum NOT to be interested just because YOU want a manual TT. That's just not how it works, I'm afraid. It's bad news for you that this car was sold before you could physically put the cash in the seller's hands, but going on the way you are to other people who have expressed an interest in the same car is just ridiculous...

And the buyer is.....?

Adding to Baz's comment here: take the instrument cluster out when changing the pedals as it makes getting the fifth bolt for the clutch pedal in an absolute doddle! I didn't change the brake pedal - I cut the auto pedal down and fitted a manual rubber instead :thumbup1:

Me and a friend did the conversion on my old black Zed on his drive, using ramps and axle stands... there's not a lot of room at all doing it that way! Took us 4 days in total, but a lot of that was spent trying to get the auto bushing out of the crank... Pretty straightforward job, really. Just hard work if you can't get the car up high.

Morning grouch... :D

Doesn't sound driveable if it's using both oil and water, mate.