1 hour ago, Patcon said:

My suspicion is the lighter plate is for the very early cars.

Both of those plates are for 72, so it wasn't the very early cars.

Maybe the GVWR wasn't increased for the car itself... Maybe they were increased for the change in American drivers. 😄

Early 72 on left and late 72 on right. These are examples of the ID plates Nissan commissioned me to reproduce for the program. Begs the question - when did "late" 72 begin? About 4 or 5/72, no one @ Nissan were willing to stick their necks out more than that. However, my experience backs that up.

Also, This car has a factory radio delete plate. I have several in stock.

5 hours ago, zspert said:

Early 72 on left and late 72 on right. These are examples of the ID plates Nissan commissioned me to reproduce for the program. Begs the question - when did "late" 72 begin? About 4 or 5/72, no one @ Nissan were willing to stick their necks out more than that. However, my experience backs that up.

Late 72 began the production of the 1973 Model Year. The Starting VIN series was HLS30 120001 09/72. Nissan didn't need the "late 72" data tags, because they did not use any 1973 Models for the Vintage Z Program.

FWIW,

Carl

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-datsun-240z-366/

The factory radio delete plate on these cars is interesting as they still fitted an antenna/aerial. I know some cars in the UK originally were supplied without radios and there was a rubber plug fitted in the rear quarter panel where the antenna/aerial was fitted, but this car is a different kettle of fish I guess.

The only thing I am able to assume is that Nissan configured some of the program cars like this so that the new owner had the choice radio/stereo.

Assuming 26th knows?

Also interested to ask with the parts replacement on this car namely the rear wheel cylinders, steering rack and suspension bushes, spark plugs, rear main seal and exhaust system, if this car is now considered as not as per original factory program rebuild specifications or if the above is considered as consumables, ie normal wear and tear parts that need to be replaced from time to time? Am I being too picky? Maybe everything apart from the exhaust system.

Edited Monday at 02:07 AM3 days by 240 in OZ
Addition

Mr. Beck you're incorrect.

Sorry, partially incorrect

PATCON - don't know what the hell that is but I'm pretty confident it shouldn't be called a Z!

6 hours ago, zspert said:

Sorry, partially incorrect

PATCON - don't know what the hell that is but I'm pretty confident it shouldn't be called a Z!

Always looking for more correct data/information. What is incorrect?

I like stock cars but I also like modified cars. I like it when hybrid cars use a driveline from the same manufacturer. If I didn't have so many projects I would consider taking that one on...

PATCON,

Please don't misunderstand me - of course what one does with his/her car is his/her business. Hell, I've done a handful of what I call easily reversible personalizations to my 280. However, my point is that every Z that gets irreversibly modified means one less of a finite number. Cheers

Mr. Beck,

You're correct in stating that Nissan didn't use any 1973 model year cars in the Z Store program. One can only imagine the confusion and delay that would have caused!

However they did use - how many I have no way of knowing, more on this subject later - 1972 model year cars that required what I call "late 72" door jamb ID plates. Nissan sent me one of each of the plates they wanted me to reproduce. These were not new unstamped plates but used plates which were in good enough condition to serve as models for reproduction. I assume(ed) that they had come off of the cars they, Nissan, had purchased for the program.

After a 1 year apprenticeship followed by 10 years as a Datsun dealer mechanic - no, not a "tech" - I opened Banzai Motorworks in the summer of 1980. From that time until I closed my shop on 12/1/23 I retained copies of ALL of the repair orders I wrote. If stacked up they would have been 2+ feet tall. They all had production dates and VINs. From time to time I referred to those ROs whenever an anomaly got in my shop - saw a few of those - or a parts customer had a question or concern about where his/her car fit in the pantheon. A handful of those cars had 4 or 5 of 72 production dates and "late" 72 door jamb ID plates. Ran into this with a recent ID plate order. As I remember his is 5/72.

There is a lot of info/static about how many cars Nissan bought for the Z Store program, how many they planned to restore or how many were restored. However, I can state as FACT that they, Nissan, ordered 50 of everything I reproduced for them. That fact, and the first, second and third paragraphs of this rant, I'm comfortable standing behind. Why because, unlike the originators of so much of the disinformation surrounding the program, I was there as a direct participant. Cheers