Gio

What else do you expect to see from a Torquay hotel bedroom window? Sydney Opera House, perhaps? The Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeeste sweeping majestically across the plains?

Those MG Turbos were manic. VW Beetle VW 1500 notchback Triumph Herald Estate 2CV MG Midget MkIII Lenham front Cortina 1.6l Capri 2.0 Ghia VW Jetta GTi MG Maestro Turbo Vauxhall POS Carlton Calibra 2.0 16v MG Maestro 300ZX TT Manual S1 300ZX NA Auto S3 300ZX NA Auto S6 Oh and BSA Bantam D14/4, CZ 125, Kawasaki Press Fleet (hahaha), GT550

Not having a plate (or the right plate) just cost this guy his £400,000 Lambo "The Lamborghini Aventador was stopped in Newham because its front number plate was missing, causing police to carry out further checks." Hahaha. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-24374797 Minimise your risk, is what I say, don't give the plod extra reasons for pulling you (or extra things they can add to the list when they pull you for something else).

Didn't somebody post this before? Or are they going to have done so tomorrow?

Reminds me of the round-and-round-until-I-slammed-the-phone-down conversation with a car insurer back in my first phase of Zed ownership: "we can't insure that, Sir, it's an import" "they're all imports, they're made in Japan" aaargh.

Doing business is never easy and selling a business is even harder. Even with the best will in the world, nothing's settled until it's in the bank and even then not always. Jeff, Lynda, Jamie and Zedworld have been so helpful to all of us over the years, I'm sure I'm only folllowing everyone else to wish them well, a successful and profitable return to normal service, a good Xmas and a stonking deal sometime in 2014. At least that's what my Zed told me to say. All the best, Gio

Interesting discussion on same issue on Petrolheads http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=10&t=716215&mid=0&i=100&nmt=Can+you+display+your+front+numberplate+in+your+windscreen%3F&mid=0 Sticker plates grey area because of the vertical requirement and in windscreen even more so. All I know is that a gent with a blue pointy hat took issue to the sticker plates I had on the front of my old beetle. If the car has/had a "proper" place to put the plate and you choose not to use it, you're less safe. Airflow is a another interesting point. The correct UK Nissan place for the front plate on normal bumper would seem to be fine (otherwise they wouldn't have put it there and also Japanese plate on a 99spec ditto). LH is proper UK spec place and size. RH is just bolted on but is also UK size. I'm lucky in that my private plate G10 TLA (it's not TLA but you know what I mean) in the correct allowable import size if you can't "accommodate" the proper size (see pdf) just fits exactly the width of the plate area on the 99 bumper. But even so, a proper UK size plate there wouldn't obstruct the airflow meaningfully (and compare that to the UK plate fitment.) DVLA Number plates 3.PDF

Here's how to get the date and other info from the VIN. Not exactly what you asked but might help http://nissanhelp.com/diy/common/nissan_vin.php

Oh well, let's kick this off. Every forum I've been on where "everyone says" is wrong. Urban myths spread like wildfire and sometimes people who say the Emperor hasn't got new clothes are shouted down by "everyone knows". So, first step: let's have your mate give one link to one forum post thread where someone says backpressure is needed for efficiency. 2nd, I too did physics at college and efficiency of any engine is governed by the thermal differential between the heat energy supplied in, and the heat expelled (and don't forget to take off the frictional losses of the things in the engine whizzing round and up and down). You get a lot of heat energy in by burning fuel/air mix and when it leaves the engine, it's at a lower energy state (been burnt up), the energy released expands the gases which forced the piston down. That's it. eff all to do with "backpressure". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_engine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_efficiency 3rd, even my physics courses covered the 4-stroke engine and the 2-stroke engine. A little bit of standing wave low pressure arriving back at the valve while it's still open on the exhaust stroke could well help scavenge dirty gases out of the cylinder which is a Good Thing even for 4-strokes. And for 2-strokes it's a very good thing, as is the back pressure holding in the charge until the piston moving closed the port. Aided by reed valves in some engines. But "back pressure making engines run efficiently" is one of those million monkey / typewriter bits of nonsense. Perhaps we should put it on the list of cosmic "truths": There's a cheque in the post I promise I'll respect you in the morning Of course I won't **** in your mouth I can get 600 hp with boost jets and a remap My last run gave me 500 miles on a tank and dump valves are a good idea. Hahahaha can you tell I've had a highpressure day at t'office?

Yes that's right - clocks = speedo + rev counter. A bit like your globes :) Jeff also advised, as you found, the latest odometer can't be would back like the older ones. That's one of the reasons I didn't get a kmh>mph converter and added an ECUtalk instead so there's a little bit of Oz in my Z.

The tell-tales for sidelights, high-beam, air-bag, power (for the auto) etc - the things that used to be in the panel on the dash to the left of the steering column that is now blanked out - are in the same panel as the clocks. And yes, there are a lot of differences which aren't documented. As well as the ones that are (better brakes, more rigid structural members on S and other stuff on R). When Jeff did my cambelt, he discovered lightweight pulley, for example. Oh, and the aircon should be the legal non CFC version because that got changed from S4 on.

So someone else already had the headache of importing it. Nice find even though it is younger than mine :) I wonder why the Prod M/Y says 0003 - does it mean 0300 (eg March 2000)? I like the way all the warning lights are in the clocks - small detail but there you go.

In fuelly, you can choose US gal or UK gal and mpg or L/100km or km/l and it shows the figs appropriately so someone in US who has chosen US gal can see my mpg using US gals even if I input it in UK gals. Which I happen to note is 19.4 MPUSG or 12.1 L/100km :D

Well, let's not assume. Fuel tank on the Z is the same for NA or TT and SWB and 2+2. That's 72l which is 15.8 UK gallons (18.7 US). (And the light's supposed to come on with approx 15l left or 3.3 UK gals or 66miles the way I drive. But I'd never run it that past the light low because I'm a wimp.) In tracking my stock S6 NA Auto over 31,754 miles, it gets average 23.8 mpg (maybe 80% London commute) and best 28mpg (I think with restraint and some long motorways, I could get over 30 if I was really IAM-style). On my stock S1 TT manual, the average I got over 2005/06 was 20.57 over 12,489 miles (maybe 50% commute with worst tank at 17.4 and best 24.8 which was almost all holiday mway trips). http://www.fuelly.com has a lot of miles logged for 300ZXs unfortunately not split NA/TT but interesting to see what is recorded in the real world. You could log yours and then prove what yours actually does and it's quite an easy way to check before/after any mods, remaps etc. If the fig is 22mpg based on a 15g tank, corrected to the correct tank size makes it 20.9mpg and on that sort of run, I would expect 23 - 24 so probably gels with the chipped vs stock. As an aside, I measured religiously for some years Vpower vs Fuelsave (with the occasional run on alleged Tesco 99) and in TT there was about 10% better on VPower than Fuelsave. Marginal and possibly affected by knowing what I was measuring. When I did months of comparison in 11/12 between VPower and Fuelsave with about 6,000 miles on each (in my NA Auto S6), I found 23.5mpg on VPower and 23.4mpg on Fuelsave. So I don't bother with VPower anymore. If I ever get another TT, I'd repeat the test because it was a bigger difference in my old TT.

It is indeed. But, as there always is with Zeds, an oddity (the rear spoiler as well as the fascia as already mentioned) ). Take a butchers at the brochure (now I'm not claiming that the brochure is 100%, or that every option made it into the brochure): http://www.nissan-global.com/GCC/Japan/NEWS/257a.htm Gold clocks = 1999 Red Z Badge = 1999 red stitching = 1999 (I believe but I can't find the reference) those red fabric seats = 1999 Version S It's a SWB and the only one of those in the brochure is a Version S (but you could have NA or TT) the factory HIDs which were only standard for TT (optional on NA) that's not a 99 rear spoiler (or wheels or front bumper which I believe our Antipodean friends call a fascia) not the factory steering wheel either. Brochure Models: Version R TT 2+2 Version R NA 2+2 Version S TT SWB Version S NA SWB Version S TT 2+2 Version S NA 2+2 300ZX NA 2+2 300ZX TT 2+2 Very nice. How did you get it into Oz - I thought they had really tightened up on imports or is it an age / model thing?

Anyone with FAST (eg Mr F @MJP) should be able to double check chassis no against build date. The Japanese Export Certificate for my Series 6 says first registered May 1999 and which gels with a FAST manuf date of April 1999. GZ32-060314. I think there's at least one later that pops up from time to time. Black NA auto which was a personal import from someone who came back from Japan, IIRC. Edit: aha, found it http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?151055-1999-personal-import-ZX300-Targa-top-for-sale if DVLA allocation of S plate is accurate (far from definite), then not quite as old as mine which would be on a T. Still, I'm pretty sure someone posted a later one and also, if SIM300's seatbelt is to be believed, one later still.

Funnily enough, I agree exactly with that.

It was, wasn't it. Great view from that sort of block. Also pleasantly surprised by the sound quality - managed to fill Wembley alright. @steams - yep and with Wish You Were Here as encore. Cheers

Blimey, why has someone half built a .... d'oh You, yes YOU - stand still laddie Comfortably numb and a Flying Pig What more do you want on Saturday night at Wembley?

We're in 121. I'm just warming up before feeding kitties, wrapping up warm and heading to the train with a spot of Meddle and The Final Cut - oh, and a glass or two of Pedigree because I guess Wembley Stadium isn't crammed full of proper beer. Have fun ladies and gentlemen - BBC website says it won't rain ...

Changing the bumper to 99 spec does not change the car to 99 spec. And the idiot who spent £700 on that is, er, an idiot. Let's put your hands together, ladies and gentlemen, for that well known double act, stars of stage, screen and the 'Ackney Empire, a song, a smile and wheel spanner, hands across the seas, the Entente Cordiale made rubber, please give them a very big hand on their entrance, I give you.... Michelin et Dunlop :clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:

There's your problem, mate. You want one of those that go up to 11. [seriously tho', there is a lot of bull thrown around about audio - perhaps even more in car audio. Two sterling principles: a) less is more and b) listen before you buy. That means a) Putting things in the signal path: amps, equalizers, neon lights - just degrade the quality. They may add volume but can only subtract from quality. b) Your ears are right - they may not be as good as the snake-oil salesman's, but you do your listening with your ears, not his. A head unit of that vintage may need replacing. I just put a JVC DAB unit in my Z and it has better bass and musicality than the old Sony head unit I had from some years ago and I haven't even put back the Panasonic sub. Also remember that GIGO applies to audio as much as computing. Better to get the best quality head unit you can with budget speakers than a budget head unit with expensive subs, amps, equalizers and speakers. Cars are a more extreme environment for audio than homes but even so, there has to be a reason why, eg Meridian have been chosen for Jag and Nissan chose Bose / Panasonic / other good audio brands for factory fit.]

You're not the only one mate, I saw Floyd Animals tour at Empire Pool in 77 (I think - I was a student then so not exactly completely connected with reality all the time). We're on the south side of the stadium and the Bobby Moore statue is on the north side http://goo.gl/maps/La0kf http://goo.gl/maps/jceJu If you get replacement tickets (hope they're good ones) and they're on the south, ping me a pm and maybe we can find some refreshment somewhere! Cheers

Metropolitan to Wembley Park doesn't go from Euston station, it goes from outside and down the road a bit at Euston Square. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/standard-tube-map.pdf TFL have a fairly good journey planner http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/14091.aspx but there is also a direct rail connection from Euston station itself to Wembley Central which is only a slightly longer walk It lloks like Chiltern Railways go to the Wembley Stadium station from Marylebone which is between Euston and Paddington. That should get you there without running into a Wall. :) We're going too. Hope it's not raining. What block are you in? Don't get confused, Wembley Arena is not the same as Wembley Stadium. Arena = indoor venue (aka for us oldies the Empire Pool, Wembley). Wembley Stadium is the one where they play football (allegedly). So don't go to the Arena on Saturday!

Who are you calling old, sunshine? Welcome back :D