Hello, guys! I'm Grant, from Tuscaloosa, AL. I'm 20 years old and have been a Z owner since Nov. '08. I own a '74.5 260Z that is and has been an ongoing project. I recently got the car back on the road and more dependable than ever. I love my Z!



Most recent "good" pics.







Recently took the front bumper off. Still scratching my head on how to build a smooth, clean looking bumper for it.



Best pics I have right now of the engine.



Currently finishing up new air cleaners.





It's impossible to be a member of too many Z forums, isn't it?



-Grant

Hi Grant! Welcome aboard!

Yessir ~ it's impossible to belong to too many. We're glad you're here, but we wish you had found us sooner. (We're free, too!)

Your Z looks great! Glad to see those round-tops on it, too. The linkage and polished bells make me suspect Z Therapy supplied them for you?

I don't see an airconditioner hiding in there anywhere. I understand it gets a bit warm in Alabama during the summer. Will you put one in at some later date?

Frank T
MbrshpDir/CTZCC
Apr/70 240Z

Thanks, Frank! You are correct about the carbs. They are from Ztherapy. I fiddled with the flat tops for far too long. The car now runs beautifully with them. About the a/c.......the Z had an a/c system on it when I first purchased it. However, the lines had been open for quite some time and I knew there had to be gobs of trash in the system. I'd need a lot of new parts to get the a/c going, so I opted to just remove it for the time being. Possibly permanently. Yea, it gets hot here, but it's amazing what those fresh air vents and 2 windows rolled down will do.


-Grant

Hey Grant,
Welcome to the club. You are our first member from Alabama! Please officially join by clicking the "Join our Club" icon on our homepage (www.ctzcc.com). As Frank, mentioned, it free and easy! Welcome aboard. Ross

_________________
Ross Williams
1978 280Z Black Pearl Edition 38k Original Miles

Done! Glad to support the south with my Z!



-Grant

You're one of several proud representatives from Dixie! We have members in Georgia, Texas, Florida (AND NC! ).

Frank T

*(PS ~ I've always envisioned a Z with just the chrome bumperettes on either side of the grille, with the center section removed (like the Cobra). If you found an old '71-'72-'73 junker, I'll bet you could cut the bumper into three sections and use the outer two. Even if the chrome was no good, you could flat-black the outer sections and it would look cool on any color car. I did almost the same thing on my '70, by blackening the center section when the chrome started flaking off. Then I painted my black grille silver and had the reverse contrast from the original scheme. I didn't know if I would leave it that way or not, but I grew fond of it quickly and I'm happy with it now).

Envision no more!











I think the story is that he got into an accident with his Z which bent the bumper in the center. Rather than find an expensive replacement, he pulled off the mod that you mentioned. Looks pretty cool and original. I might fab something similar for mine sometime; along with a new grille. I don't want to be stoned for chopping up a 240 bumper.



EDIT: Beautiful color on your Z. What headlight covers are those?



-Grant

Ooooo! That looks just as good as I thought it would!

And I think they whip you with barbed wire now, instead of stoning you. '70 Z cars are becoming very precious and scarce.

Never learned who made the lenses on my car, and I've not seen another set like them. The car came back to me (after 23 years of searching for it) with these unusual covers on it. I dislike this blue on a Z car (reminds me of a Mazda Miata) and will repaint the car Pearlescent Pewter maybe this winter. At that time I will swap these covers out for more slender units.

Thanks for the kind words.
Frank

Ah, barbed wire. Same result, different technique.


about those headlight covers............

Just remember who wants those covers before you get rid of them...


I've been looking for a way to fab up a grill like that orange Z has for a while, pretty much since I bought the Z. Thankfully that guy tried and succeeded, so I have a good idea of what it'll look like on mine.

_________________


-Chris

Welcome Grant,

Mark your calendar for Saturday, October 17th and come to our Fall Outing. Well worth the trip. Casual time full of Z's, friends, and food!

We look forward to meeting you one day and chatting with you around the Forum.

_________________
Keith Hultmark
2009 370Z Touring - Sold (5 years owned)
1993 300ZX - Sold (5 years owned)
1976 Porsche 912E. #163 of 2200 - SOLD (3 years owned)
2018 BMW 330i GT xdrive daily driver
2004 BMW Z4 3.0i ….it is a Z

I'd absolutely love to make it, but that'd be quite a road trip from Alabama.




Frank, I kind of like those covers. I like the fact that they don't have the tabs and screws visible inside the perimeter of the lens, as well as the black rubber. Those have always seemed kind of tacky looking to me. Then again, I see yours have a trim border all around. At least they're painted to match. I guess it's about the same either way you go. I'd like to make a way to mount mine with no visible mounts. Fat chance of that happening. What other mounting systems have you seen?



-Grant

Well, these are kinda unique to my experience ~ maybe someone else will recogniZe them and tell you who made them. They mount by screws directly thru the lense boarder, and then the boarder is painted so the screws don't show unless you stare at them real hard . Also, these mount in such a way as to allow air circulation under them; they don't get rain in them but if they fog up when I wash the car, they clear up as soon as I leave the driveway; even the lowest rolling speed makes them clear again.

When I replace them you can have them. (GOT THAT? FREEBEE FROM YOUR NEW Z CLUB! A Welcome Gift )
Frank

Welcome, nice 260. Many options for bumpers out there, one would be a front facia, which includes the air dam and bumper all in one. You can also get the old style bumpers on the 240 and early 260 and get the brackets made for the covversion. MSA sells fiberglass and carbon fiber bumpers. (since the original are hard to come by and will cost you more in most cases unless you get lucky on a good find.)