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Hello from California (SF Bay Area)

Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2017 11:53 am
by MicVelo
Hello all!

This is my first post here on 311S.org - and pre-apologies if this is not in the right place - but just wanted to say hello and introduce myself.

I just purchased my fourth roadster but this is the first actual "runner" I've owned since 1983 - my last two being "test fit" cars, one for a 12A rotary swap and another, five years ago that turned out to be too far rusted - discovered after full teardown and media blast - to make it worth a resto. My last runner was a '69 SRL 311 I ran in SCCA D-Prod around 1980 while working for Datsun/Datsun Comp. Since then, only the aforementioned "never got off the ground" projects.

Since (and before) the last runner though, I've been a diehard Z fanatic, having owned, at last count, an even dozen ranging from S30s to at least one of every succeeding generation except S130. Current (and past Datsun/Nissan madness) can be viewed in my .sig below.

To keep this short, this is my pic intro to my current pride and joy which I won the auction for on BaT (and was prompted by 2mAn to join here, which I already had in doing pre-purchase research, thanks, bud!)

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I did a full intro (and short roadster history lesson to those that don't know roadsters :lol:) over on the Z33/34 forum, my350Z.com here: https://my350z.com/forum/other-vehicles ... st10894976 (But not sure if one can see it using this direct link without being a "member" there. My apologies....going to look into that.)

Why'd I post there? Because people there already know about my Nissan insanity. :smt002

Anyhow, look forward to being a contributor here. Already "know" (or know of, laff) a couple folks here (Hi Alvin, 2mAn!) and while I know pretty much every dang thing about Zs, this car is going to be a complete re-learning game for me!

Cheers,

Mic (MicVelo here and on my350Z.com)

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Re: Hello from California (SF Bay Area)

Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2017 1:23 pm
by notoptoy
Congratulations on your acquisition and welcome to the Forum!

Re: Hello from California (SF Bay Area)

Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2017 1:29 pm
by Roman
Congrats. We need more pics of this red beauty.

Re: Hello from California (SF Bay Area)

Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2017 1:38 pm
by Gregs672000
Welcome to the addiction... looks like you have already been hit, just modifying the car choice some!

Re: Hello from California (SF Bay Area)

Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2017 2:04 pm
by Alvin
Welcome! Let's meet up soon!

Re: Hello from California (SF Bay Area)

Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2017 3:46 pm
by AidanDawn2000
welcome! You got a great car at a great price.

Re: Hello from California (SF Bay Area)

Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2017 3:47 pm
by AidanDawn2000
Alvin wrote:Welcome! Let's meet up soon!
We are definitely overdue for a bay area fun run :wink:

Re: Hello from California (SF Bay Area)

Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2017 5:14 pm
by MicVelo
Wow, thanks all for the warm welcome! Glad to be here.

Now, ordinarily, I'm not one for taking credit for someone else's build - which this is for sure - but Roman did say "need more pictures". :P

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What amazes me most is I found this car in the 311S.org registry with a picture of it dated 2002 and it looks exactly the same, even down to the racing stripes so.... this was indeed an older resto and has been well kept by the gentleman I bought it from and from the previous previous owner who, I was told, was (is?) active here. That type of care brings a smile to my face.

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That's my "WTF Yellow Banana" S30 - and this, a shot that chagrins my wife since our eldest cars occupy the garage while the newer ones are outside. Ha!

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Yeah, this is the first car in a long time that I've bought and it really needs, well, not much. Almost embarrassed to admit that. Laff! Year+half ago, I bought a 1988 Nissan 300ZX Shiro Special and took a year getting it back to where I was comfortable driving it and I was very proud of that car. Then almost a year to the day, it got taken out in front of my house (!) by a guy who lost control in the rain and somehow managed to - out of some 50 cars on the street - hit mine, totalling it.

Before:
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After:
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What you can't see in this pic is the broken suspension and forged wheel broken from the car bouncing off the curb and the damage to the front corner from it hitting my wife's car (minor bumper damage only, fortunately).

Why am I telling you this? Welllll, I got the Shiro for little money, put some $$ and time into it, and its demise pretty much paid for the two cars in the garage. :smt002 After rejecting the insurance company's offer and documenting the provenance and rarity of the Shiro, they agreed to have it appraised and, well, the value came back favorably and that's all she wrote.

While I did not buy this car for attention or any form of "look at me", I was amused when my wife and I were coming home from a Father's Day celebration yesterday, the car got double takes, a thumbs up, and a "Nice Datsun!" (that from a guy who obviously knew what he was looking at!) I'm a little embarrassed by that kind of attention too but hey, comes with the shiny-bright-red-car territory I guess. Better than "Ehhhh, your car s**ks."

OK, used up my word allotment for the day. :shock: Again, thanks for the welcome and when I can offer up any wisdom, I'll certainly do so!

Mic

Re: Hello from California (SF Bay Area)

Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2017 6:13 pm
by 2mAn
Yes! You made your way over. This is a great looking car, Im sure you will enjoy it. You can make it "yours" with just a few changes to suit your own taste

Re: Hello from California (SF Bay Area)

Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 4:24 pm
by MicVelo
Thanks, Simon! And yes, taking the time to get used to the car as it feels both "vintage" yet "smooth" for its age. Shifter is sloppy with bushings needing renewal; brakes are tough after so many years of my being away from non-boosted brakes but I've gotten re-acquainted with it all now. Will make changes to tailor it more to me and my driving needs along the way; but in no hurry at this moment. Just having fun with it.

Posting these shots because Alvin will appreciate them. :mrgreen:

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Stopped by to get the Rob Fuller (Z Car Garage) "Good Carkeeping Seal of Approval".

He approved. Laff...

Re: Hello from California (SF Bay Area)

Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 4:31 pm
by Alvin
That place is alright!
Post your dyno results!

Re: Hello from California (SF Bay Area)

Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 7:19 pm
by 2mAn
oooo dyno!? yes we need results. BTW is this something you did at Z-car garage? How much did it cost?

Re: Hello from California (SF Bay Area)

Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 10:59 am
by MicVelo
Simon - No, this wasn't a pro consult. Rob Fuller (owns/runs ZCG) is friend of mine - and he does the work (that I don't do myself) on my Z cars. Just took it by to let him drive it (and show it off a little, I guess :D ). He noted a couple things just from his 10 mins with the car but gave it a general thumbs up. He doesn't do a lot of work on roadsters as he's always booked full of Z/G cars.

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Re: Hello from California (SF Bay Area)

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 11:15 am
by MrGuts
Hiya Mic! Very nice buy on your roadster. Driving it everyday will make it yours personally. If you head south anytime in the future, let us know in Paso. We offer complementary lodging for 311 drivers.

K

Re: Hello from California (SF Bay Area)

Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2017 4:19 pm
by MicVelo
MrGuts wrote:Hiya Mic! Very nice buy on your roadster. Driving it everyday will make it yours personally. If you head south anytime in the future, let us know in Paso. We offer complementary lodging for 311 drivers.

K
Hey, thanks, might have to take ya up on that. My sis-in-law goes down there all the time with her friends... wineries and such. Laff. But ya, have a couple friends and acquaintances in the area. Maybe on the way to Solvang next April.... :smt002