Fairly Z

So, there's a really well kept, good condition Z32 being sold by a car dealership in my area. It's got 56,000 miles on it, and it's black on black - my favorite. It's also a Twin Turbo model, 5-Speed. There's only one thing that concerns me, and that's the fact that it's a 1990. It's the first year it was produced, right? In the U.S., anyway. I know a couple of changes that were made after 1990, like the driver's and passenger's side airbags and climate control and such. So, I've got a couple of questions before I go and purchase a 1990 Z32.

- Is it possible to install a driver's side airbag steering wheel from a newer model, and if it is what's involved?

- Is it possible to install the automatic climate control from the newer models?

- What other differences are there between this model and the updated versions?

- Considering that it will be not only my fun car, but my daily driver as well, is it worth buying? Or, should I simply go for a newer one instead?

Thanks for your help on this, guys. I feel as though the car is a good deal and that I should jump on it, but not if I don't have all of my facts down first.

entropy31

do you just want the steeringwheel for looks or for the airbag. if you want the airbag, thats not likely gonna happen. and i think i have heard of someone swapping in the auto climate control, but both of these things are MAJOR undertakings and not worth getting into. 90s had valve issues as well, do a search for this. and the front brakes are aluminum and smaller than subsequent years. the brakes can be changed to the later type. thats been covered before as well. the money and time you wold spend on the first two would get you into a '92+. and the later years had the better cloth interior if it isnt leather.

b300z

TTs always had the same size brakes


whats the price?

snwbrderphat540

my 1990 had auto climate control and airbags are overated you'll be much happier with teh sexier looking steering wheel, the only thing thats "bad" about the 90's model is the softer valves and early injector style

EDIT: and the PTU liek goofy said below but tehy are under a recall so if yours is still running on the old PTU i believe nissan will still replace it for free to this day!

entropy31

calipers were still aluminum though, right.

oscxj220

softer valves cause tapping noise when engine is cold?

Goofyz

the PTU is different, the computer program driving the fuel map has since been updated, if its near 60k miles it'll need the timing belt service done. As far as the airbag system goes...there are like 6 or 7 sensors at abou 200$ each, the computer brain for it that cost's god knows what, and the wiring harnesses throughout the whole car are different, The airbag steeringwheel is silly expensive (unless you get a used one). Changing from manual to auto climate control means completely gutting the dash, on the upside, if you do the SRS system first you can use that wiring harness

You can still find them in the later years say 93+ that have all the extra's you are looking for. Good luck.

ZLover4Life

I wish this goddamned myth would just die.

http://www.twinturbo.net/net/viewmsg...&msg_id=960673

1. It's only an issue for cars with engines manufactured prior to June 22, 1990

2. Only about 350 cars with this problem were imported to the United States

3. The problem occured with less than 50,000 miles on the engine

So the ONLY way you'd ever have to worry about soft valves is if you had a Z produced before June 22, 1990, and it still had less than 50,000 on the odometer. And that's assuming it wasn't fixed under warranty. (Did I mention it also had to be 1 of the 350 that were estimated to have been imported to the states? Considering over 39,000 were imported, that's about a 0.89% chance of ending up with one of the Zs that had the issue.)


As stated, they were not smaller, just aluminum (which I feel is a good thing since they are lighter).



As for the original thread... there's no reason to try to retrofit an airbag or the updated climate control into a 90. The climate control works just fine, and the car is very safe even without the airbag (and the thong-style steering wheel is considered fashionable in the Z32 community). I've had 2 90's, and neither of them had ANY problems that a later model wouldn't have.

And Eric - there's nothing wrong with the early style injectors as long as you know how to work around the ethanol BS. Look in the injector thread - I posted a link to rewiring them to prevent oxidation.

Fairly Z

I had done a bit of research on the matter through the Wikipedia Z32 article, which lists changes made throughout the years. Of course, I felt it'd be best to bring it up with you guys as well, because some of what you read in a Wikipedia article isn't true. As I thought, it's crazy expensive to add these features to a 1990, but having a car with an airbag is definitely something I need, believe it or not.

Of course, maybe the deal is too good to pass up, anyway.

Here's the listing on Yahoo Autos.

The vehicle seems to be relatively well kept. I'll be going to see it today - I know there won't be anyone at the dealership, but I want to see it first hand, anyway. You never know, there could be something immediately wrong with it.

When I first joined Z Driver, I didn't even have it within my grasp to buy a car. But, now I've finally got the opportunity to. I'm doing as much research as possible before I make any quick decisions. There are three candidates right now - the Z32 I just showed you, another Z32 in my area (Red Twin Turbo '94), and (don't hurt me) a '96 Mitsubishi 3000GT Spyder VR4. Yeah, I know my name's VR4Gasm, but my Nissan-to-Mitsu ratio has become about 75:25 since I joined. So, we'll see which car ends up with me at the wheel.

b300z

paint looks a little poor in the pics

how much are they asking?

entropy31

nice dent next to the drivers side headlight. ugh, the tweed interior. and yeah, the paint looks a little funky, but it could just be a crappy photographer.

snwbrderphat540

oh i know that avoid the ethanol added gas which i did and still do and dont use fuel system cleaner thats acohol based, go seafoam or something, or follow that nice write up on TT.net with teh seafoam and crab cleaner method, some people claim its a problem though so i threw it up there. and i didnt know it was that few with the soft vavles, im no longer biased against teh 90's any more, i want one infact! lol... thanks for that quik lesson

snwbrderphat540

if its for the right price id buy it in a second, i love doing body work and painting cars teh original color, its like seeing it on the car lot when it was brand new, bringing back teh past to the present.

and the 3kGT VR4 spyder's are rare, but even HEAVIER than just the VR4, and they are even harder to work on and even harder to make power from they just recently came out with a GT42 kit or somethign like that single turbo conversion for the VR4 and it only runs in the the 10 11 second 1/4 mile range. id stick with the Z.... trust us, in the competition of a 3k or a Z32 go wtih the Z's if ti was a DSM however idk... lol, jk id still take the Z32 and considered tradeing back to the Z32.... just mroe reliable and less prone to rust, stupid IL.

Fairly Z

The only reason I like the 3kgt is the fact that it's got a back seat, and it's big. Plus, a hardtop convertible is just sexy. But, other than that, the Z32 takes the cake. I'd take a hardtop convertible or '99 3kgt, though. Tomorrow, I go and see the red Z.

ZLover4Life

Dude, I've been in the back of my friends 3000GT VR4, and it is NOT big. In fact, it was by far the most uncomfortable passenger experience in my life.

And Eric, avoiding Ethanol has become almost impossible. I was referring to the fact that there are now ways to rewire your injectors so that you don't have to worry about it. By the way, there are other reasons that I prefer 90's too.

b300z

i like the steering wheel and no hamburgers

Murph Z32

+1

Totally agree. BTW I used to have a 3000gt, the back seat is worthless, unless you're a midget's chaufer. Why do you need an airbag so bad?

snwbrderphat540

yeah it is almost impossible, just about every pump ive been to lists like may be up to 10% ethanol content, its crap... and gas still keeps rising. *sigh* but there are still some out there.... or you can start buying race gas for 5 bucks a gallon lol

entropy31

am i the only one that prefers the airbag steering wheel and the hamburger?

snwbrderphat540

i think your lieing lol ^^^ what teh hamburger? lol, i dont think ive ever heard anything referenced to the hamurgur yet, and also the later model TT wings are GROSS! i believe it was you randy that said it looks like some one should be skiing on it. lol

ZLover4Life

The hamburger is the Nissan logo (the circle with Nissan written over it... looks a bit like a hamburger). They added it to the nose panel in 91. The smooth look of the 90 without the hamburger is yet another reason I prefer it to the other model years (though that is easily changed, just like every other reason I prefer the 90).

And yes, it was I who posted the pic with the skier on the 94+ TT spoiler (but I did not make the pic, so I can't take credit for the original idea).

and entropy31, yes, you might be the only person who prefers the airbag wheel to the thong wheel. =p

b300z

insurance is lower

Fairly Z

I like the airbag wheel!
But, anyways, I need an airbag because I feel safer with one. Firstly, I drive like an absolute lunatic that just broke out of rehab. Secondly, I live on Long Island, New York, known to be one of the most congested areas in the United States. Thirdly, I drive every day - like a lunatic. I'd like the car to be as safe as possible. Now, what are your opinions on the '96? I heard they dropped VVT? Does that make it perform less efficiently? And, as far as avoiding ethanol goes, which year would any of you recommend?

MikeZ

I like the newer style steering wheel+Hamburger. The old steering wheel looks kinda ghettto and out of place. Like it should belong in a Z31 or or something...

ZLover4Life

I repeat myself once again. The 90 is safe even without the steering wheel. And you don't have to avoid ethanol, you can simply rewire the injectors to a relay, it's not hard to do (I posted links in the injector thread in tech).

But to be honest, if you drive "like a lunatic," get the 3000GT. I don't want you wrecking a 300ZX.