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Sometimes I do feel like BAT is some kind of “micro climate” with only a very few guys (that I can count with one hand) that have deep pockets and interests in the same car to bring those prices up. I’m not saying that it is a bad thing, I’m more implying that if you have anything from a good resto candidate to a almost original car and want to sell, BAT seems to be the venue at this time over CL or freebay... my 2cents.

Yes, but his customers and many other bidders want to spend too much, they want the best, they want the price to hurt a bit, they are not really looking for a "deal". It's all about preceived quality and all of us succumb to it at some point it's just these guys have deeper pockets than you and me. It's like a self sustaining bubble that bursts occasionally, sort of like the housing market. But hey, it's their money and god bless'em.

Don't worry, While pictures can change with age too I have a NOS one to judge by, and one that was wrapped within a week of being sold-between those two that have hardly seen the light of day in nearly 50 years, and identifying the resin used- I believe I the original color is pretty much locked down Look really closely at the "blond" in your wheel-it is the wood, not the resin... The wood might be a little lighter than original from sanding, but resin does three things with uv exposure and heat cycles ... give up its original chemistry, shrink, and darken.

Series 1 cars up to SN 21000 had a 140 psi oil pressure gauge using a 10kg pressure switch, it was a very common complaint that they read to low. SN 21001 and up has a 90 psi gauge using a 6kg switch so that the needle would read more to the center of the gage. It would make sense that the original owner added the extra gage to confirm he had good oil pressure. Here is a discussion on this subject:

There is some pretty work in this thread! Really the kicker here is that the resin that was used darkens with age. While it is not too difficult to get a wheel to look much better, it is another thing entirely to get it to look as it did new. I have been working on that for quite a while, and I am closing in on it, when I get it completely sorted out, I will put together a full article/video on what I have found out about the wheel, and what I think will put it right.

My '73 when new in '73 (from a Kodachrome slide that was digitized a couple of years ago) plus s From a 1971 or '72 brochure. Looks like a photo of the '70 steering wheel. (just scanned in today) 3 From a 11-72 brochure for the '73 240Z (scanned today)

I don't know any more. A few years ago, I would have agreed whole heartedly. Any more, I just don't know. I have a difficult time even guessing anymore

Well, I’ll add my 2cents since I recently went down this road. It’s hard to believe the original resin portion of the wheels was that light. I stripped mine all the way down until the natural color of the resin was consistent. It looks almost like straw when sanded down. I put polyurethane on after and it did picked up the Cherry color with just that. Do not attempt to stain as you’ll likely get a very dark steering wheel. In the pic here, I had completed the spokes refurbish and only sanded (lots of sanding BTW) the resin. You can see it’s pretty light. Again this is before the poly went on. I put 5 coats of poly on after and the color stayed fairly consistent between coats. I wet sanded between coat to make sure it was smooth as glass. Polyethylene is very thin and can easily get uneven due to orientation of the wheel during the application. I tried spray and brush poly and the brush technique is way more consistent and less difficult to make right. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Right. But somehow he has convinced his customers that he is. That is how he is able to sell cars at 2x their value which in turn contributes to artificially inflated values. Agree?

lets be clear, hes not the 'authority on all things z'.

EXACTLY. I know people are buying up these cars and their value is going up. But somehow, I am very skeptical of the BAT prices. BAT is a subculture. The bidders and commentary seem to be a "click" of a select few. Their comments seem to influence the bidding more than others. When they are gone from BAT, I think the gravy train will be over and price increases wont be as steep as they are now. The guild guy already mentioned sells "refreshed" cars for $60k. I own a car that after a nice 2 stage paint job would qualify as one he could buy and resell for $60k. I think he could sell my car for $60k because he is the "authority on all things Z". I on the other hand might get only $30k out of it since I am just some guy...His customers might not realize if they educated themselves, they could buy 2-3 clean cars for what they paid for one.

I am sewing up a move from Savannah to Saint Mary's, figuring out my garage and storage space, and have my white 'Vert in the air with her Auto on the floor and a 5 speed waiting to go in...probably 60-90 days...Prepping and painting the spokes and hub is about the same, the area with the real changes is the rim-and I go further than anyone I have seen on the horn connections-It will all be in there!

I already have the engine back down to the block in 21/2 hrs. its really easy after doing it the first time.

I like Sakamoto's work with Sylvian https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aokGEMTCWg but my fav Japanese band is P-Model: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCi9VDIDngw

Thanks Guys! I REALLY appreciate the kind words! My health has been steadily improving, and I am getting back into the Z community! I am also sewing up a move, so while I am a lot more active, I have a good number of things on my plate-that said I am getting my garage ready for sewing up some stalled 240Z projects in addition to sewing up my Z32 'verts. I am already holding my schedule for Zcon next year-and hoping to lend a hand in it! I do miss the old crew, but I hope to meet all of you there and be a part of a new one, and explore your Zs! Every time I see a 240Z I have to fight the urge to bring it home...and to get elbow deep in it! or immersed in conversation about it! This weekend I'll be going through your pics here and getting to know your Z adventureZ!

Have you tried the crude but effective "fuel pressure gauge hanging out of the hood" method. Real-time pressure readings will tell you if the filter is clogged.

Bidding always escalates during the last few minutes of the auction. I don't expect any movement in price until then. And I agree about the "Guild" guy, he should be barred from posting in any other Z auctions as it is really a conflict of interest for him.

True, and unfortunately, I get drawn into these commentaries on BaT. I can say it here, but dare not say it on BaT as I would probably get pretty beat up there, but I have to say that the 'Guild' guy is pretty hard to live with. He has sold a number of Z cars on BaT and is quite the salesman, but is beyond obnoxious in pushing his points. And, he pretty much thinks that he is the authority on the 240Z, often embarrassing himself. It is sad that he is pushing the paint issue. While important, the only reason he pushes it is that it is a service that he provides. While considering himself a restoration shop, I consider most of his work average and for the most part incomplete. He will do enough work to sell a car and make it look nice, however, the work is often incomplete and just general clean-up. Again, just enough to make the sale. The thing that bothers me the most is that he claims to speak for the entire Z community and to be the top authority. Sadly, he is neither of these. Anyway, this is just my personal opinion. Sorry in advance to any who are offended.

IMG_2433.mp4

Try ball point pen (Bic or other throw away "stick" pens) bodies with the refill removed - nice tube and can be cut to length as needed. Dennis

I fixed my 240's cracks with fiberglass weave and ABS black glue. Worked it on the underside and it turned out great.

Quite possibly the best in the WORLD!!

Hello dj, This may, or may not help, but here is what I have found in trying to understand the inherently low pressure readings on series 1 cars. Here is what Wick Humble in his book "How to Restore Your Datsun Z-Car" had to say. By the way, this low pressure reading is, indeed, inherent to our early cars as this low pressure anomaly was present the day I drove it off the lot with zero miles on the clock. My car has the 140 psi gage and the 25070-89910 10kg sender switch. I asked my mechanic to check my oil pressure with his mechanical gage and these were the reading: Idle - 22 psi 3500 RPM - 64 psi My stock 140 psi gage and 25070 - 89910 sender the reading are: Idle - 0 psi 3500 RPM - 35 to 40 psi My car is 100% stock with a pretty tight engine with approximately 5M miles on it. My compression readings are 167, 166, 168, 176, 167, & 175 for cylinders 1 thru 6 respectively. I have peace of mind knowing that zero psi really means at least 22 psi as everything on my car will always remain factory stock. I also know that many mechanics, to give owners peace of mind, would install a roadster sender which will always give a positive reading. I used one for a time, but don't remember what the specific readings were except that it was always positive. I hope this helps in your quest for a sender. Dan

Got the trans back in and it won’t go in/out of gear well there goes 2 hours of my life I won’t get back. Dropping it back out tonight to figure out what is wrong Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk