Markyb300

Jimmer has worked his magic and the car is running sweet as a nut ! Actually I think it's quieter than it's ever been ! Jimmer himself said he's very happy with it, commenting that it's a very strong and sound engine so I'm happy too. I think it's a wonderful testament for these cars that after standing for so long it's all positive. The rot has all been cut out and new bodywork sorted. This included the front radiator / air conditioning crossmember/mount that had rusted to dust almost. Removing the a/c proved difficult as it was in a fragile condition so it was replaced. Now it's respray time......I'm going for Ford Frozen White as it's a nice bright modern white. I considered a metallic or pearl but I'm worried about colour matching if it should get damaged. I had to source a replacement drivers door which proved difficult but I finally found one in Scotland on Gumtree of all places. It's currently in transit to Bristol. Complicated of course by the change in seatbelt mount in '93 (mine being a '95). I'm following FunkiSi's advice and removing the tailgate glass for the respray. So it's getting there :-)

Thanks for the advice Si, very much appreciated. Mark

Looking for a rust and dent/damage free drivers door from a '93 onwards (no seatbelt mounting). It will be going on an import TT but I'm not sure if that makes any difference. Colour unimportant as being resprayed anyway. Many thanks email : markbaigent@hotmail.com mob: 07715 995402

Hi guys My car is at Jimmer's having been sorted mechanically and rust-wise too. It's looking a little forlorn but now it's paint time ! I'm going for a full respray - white again but something brighter and more modern I think. In discussion with Jimmer and his paint guy I'm sure I need all four side window trims and all six roof trims. Are there any ancillary parts for these or is that all I need for door and roof ? I'm going to replace the bar that runs across the centre of the roof as well. The end rubbers have perished and I understand this cant be broken down. I am also going to acquire a replacement new third brake-light strip for my tailgate as I have no doubt that getting the existing one off without damage will be all but impossible. Apparently the tailgate glass is very difficult to remove from the tailgate itself and prone to breaking. As it's no longer available from Nissan I'm thinking I'll have to leave it there and paint it in situ - not what I hoped for but apart from trying to remove a rear screen from a second hand tailgate, on the basis of if it breaks I've risked nothing, I cant think of an alternative. Does anyone who's been through this have any other thoughts on what I should be thinking about parts-wise ? Also I need to replace the front bumper supports left and right as these have rusted quite badly. Can anyone point me to a Nissan part number resource online that will hopefully show me the part and its number ? Thanks in advance everyone.

My memory is terrible but does anyone remember a green LWB with a beautiful cream leather interior by a Rolls Royce trimmer ?

There was another black SWB with a wide-arch kit. De-spoilered rear I think. I remember (vaguely) a silver car owned by a guy called Stuart I think - Reg SMW....something, that I seem to remember he'd spent literally 10's and 10's of thousands on (£70k rings a bell). Is it still alive ?

For me its the Z32. The 40Z despite being a great car is IMHO a Japanese MGC (that was I think the one with the straight six). Sure it was better in every way but each of those ways was an incremental development of an existing feature of plenty of other cars. A bit like the MX5. Yes I know it is still a desirable car but in the cold light of day I wouldn't want to run one. The Z32 was straight out of the box unbelievable ! FOUR WHEEL STEERING for Gods sake !! Twin turbochargers ! A cabin that was like something out of a fighter jet.....so much glass that the first time I drove one in 1991 I felt like a 'pilot' and I was totally hooked. But setting all that hyperbole aside.....even today some 27 years after it arrived on our shores it more than stands the test of time. Its multi-schizophrenic ! It's a commuter, a weekend shopping trolley, a country lane blaster, and a track day weapon (ok not many laps before brakes are boiled I agree) And it's gorgeous to look at ! Ha or I could have just said I prefer the Z32 :-)

V For Vendetta It's a brilliantly perceptive observation of the rise of a fascist dictatorship and how a how easy it is for a gifted orator to grab hold of a society by first creating crisis and divisions and then offering solutions.......the price of which is of course power concentrated in th hands of the 'saviour'. Sorry if that's a bit heavy.......it's also got Natalie Portman :-)

Any ideas if these are available anywhere ? I'd like to get some vacuum metalized as I think it might give the face a more modern look without losing its character. I know 'chroming' wasn't all that durable back in the day but I'm under the impression it's moved on considerably. Thanks for any guidance.

Had an update from Jim this evening. The car is in the body shop having all the rot cut out and replaced with new metal. Is quite disconcerting to witness if you're not familiar with such processes. If I'd known how bad it was I might well have scrapped the car but to an experienced eye it seems nothing is too bad or indeed as bad as you fear ! It's definitely an art !

A good friend of mine owns an Aston DB6. It's a beautiful car and certainly no trailer queen. He goes to Sainsbury's in it and fetches the take away amongst regular use ! If ever ANY car gets attention its one of those (presumably most think its a James Bond silver DB5) He was telling me about a trip to Europe which resulted in a head gasket issue. He paid £14,500 for a head gasket replacement service !!! It currently requires a replacement front windscreen - but he daren't ask ! On the plus side he found out that the brake master cylinder - for which Aston wanted £,000's - is actually a Lucas part that was fitted to numerous contemporary cars and could be had for £45 he seemed to think he paid. I'd always regarded modern dealership rates as extortionate but this is a whole other game !! My son's recent replacement radiator on his Audi A1 TFSi at £600 doesn't seem so bad !

Agreed !!

That red Z that didn't sell at auction at £9,800 didn't sell again on the 12th. I don't know what it got up to but it seems to suggest that there's definitely a ceiling in place for the Z32 at the moment.

With Jeff's retirement I guess Jim is about the only place left for our cars (I'm sure there are others but none so regarded). My first Z was initially looked after by a guy called Martyn Butler in Sussex but he is gone now ( to where I have no idea). Do owners of Supra's and GTO's find themselves in the same predicament of almost no broad choice for places that will work on their cars ?

Oh right cool :-) Are you the panel guy or the body guy ?

Ps Si & Andrew did you see ANY other Z's n that trip ?

Quick update: Had a call from Jim to let me know that the replacement front calipers I gave him with the car are apparently off a Skyline GTST despite me buying them as off a Z32 and they being indistinguishable (to my untrained eye) from the same. It appears that they require bigger discs. I'm not unhappy about this at all, thankfully Jim has a very trained eye. He is rebuilding them with new pistons and seals together with a coat of graphite grey to go along with the wheels. The car has been fully serviced and is running sweet as a nut !!! Once the brakes are sorted front and rear the next big job is the body, for which he's currently awaiting repair panels. Very happy !!!

Thanks guys, I hadn't considered the glare issues presented by a glass roof and such an expansive windscreen coupled with the rake of the dash. Some more food for thought.

Can anyone offer thoughts on the available options for a double din centre bezel please ? Z-Thirty Two or Interior Innovations I guess are the choices ? For the stereo unit itself principally I want a good GPS, radio and phone (Android) unit (touchscreen preferably) Thanks

Every now and then a manufacturer absolutely nails a design. The E-Type springs to mind among many. I think Nissan hit the Z32 out of the park......it can hold its head high in some very exalted company in my opinion. Interestingly I was on a BA flight a couple of weeks ago reading the motoring section of their in-flight magazine and the journalist was going on about some new car that had four wheel steering and how cutting edge that was ! Our cars were way ahead of their time !

Thanks guys yes I'll update as I hear from Jim. Si I think you may have beaten me to a couple of stops on my route :-)

The apple of my eye (let's hope my daughter doesn't read this!) is now safely at Powerzed. I delivered it last Wednesday to Jim and his initial positivity has been backed up by a strong compression test result so it's full steam ahead on the mechanicals. He was also very positive about the bodywork issues that, whilst to me seemed terrible, were not as bad as feared. We did have a very hairy moment when getting the car off the trailer.....as the drivers side rear wheel left the ramp it kicked it off the hook and I carried on oblivious until the front fell off the trailer and sat on its nose ! Some quick thinking and a handy trolley jack later I'm happy to say there was no damage !! Phew !! I'm waiting to hear from Jim once his bodywork guy has looked at the car but my European road trip next year is looking ever more possible :-)

Following on from a previous thread about the red Z that failed at auction and the comments about classic cars..... I went to a classic car auction just very recently and was genuinely shocked to see that MOST of the entries were what used to be called Tetleys (Tetley Bitters) ! Much rust on display and a lot of them hadn't even been hoovered ! Very few were what you would consider immaculate/restored. They mostly seemed just tired older cars. The most surprising entry of the day was a 2004 BMW 640 Convertible.....not immediately considered a classic imo. It's appeal ? It used to belong to Tara Palmer-Thomkinson ! It was an interesting day out but it did make me feel that the whole classic car thing has gone a bit mad !

The auction house advised that nothing less than £11,500 will buy it.