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I have got a new friend, a Cosmo Sports 1973. The owner of this car used to have an earlier version but sold to his friend. Then he wanted to have it again, finally he got the car. I have never seen a Cosmo Sports in person so this opportunity became my first experience. This car is so compact! My 240Z looked big GT car when it parked next to my 240Z. The rotary engine is smooth, fuel-kilometer is not bad at all. He said 5 to 6 kilometers per litter in town, 8 to 9 in high way. That is little inferior to my Z432. Kats IMG_0115.MOV

Hi Gavin, I will take pictures of the button tomorrow, please standby shortly. I found a nice picture of the FRP bonnet, this car used to be owned by Mr. Otsuka. Note the tire, Bridgestone Super Speed-2 (6.45 S14). Otsuka-san knows the tire, I think it was already so hard to obtain 5 original tires at that time. FYI, Z432 has Super Speed 5 (6.95 H14). From Car Magazine June 1995. Kats

Allow me to add one more point to the summation.... Guaranteed to generate endless debate and confusion 50 years after being introduced?: Yes

I was told that the diff cooler setup on '8D-433' (the '71 Safari winner) was removed when the car went back to Japan and began to be used as a display exhibit to celebrate the Safari win at shows and regional dealerships. Probably part of an effort to make the car a little more practical (and less smelly...) and for sure some effort was made to tidy the car up a little at that time. Back in Japan the car became visibly more complete than when it finished the Safari. Then, a few years ago, Nissan's team of volunteer restorers at Atsugi 'refreshed' the car once again as part of a program intended to make the car 'safer' and more presentable for public display (liability insurance concerns part of the deal) and - in my opinion anyway - they got a bit too close to throwing the baby out with the bath water. For example, they re-upholstered the seats (in the wrong shade of fabric, grrrrr...) and touched up paintwork that didn't need touching up. They even replaced the rear license plate with a new one (grrrrr...). They had done the same with the '72 Monte Carlo 3rd place finisher some years earlier, with similar baby-down-the-plug-hole results. Its hard to photograph the diff cooler in situ unless you can get the car on a ramp or lift, but - I think - in the '71 Safari winner's case it is no longer there to be photographed.

I'm thinking of getting one of these sniffers for myself. Lots of uses around the home to include measuring the potency of farts at my next Superbowl party with the guys 😆

See how we flock together? Like blackbirds.

I'd pull the float chamber top and check the float valve for extraneous matter blocking it open or wear on the needle or seat faces.

The only two ways I know of for fuel to leak out the throats is the fuel bowls are over filling or the float levels are set too high. Overfilling can be caused by too much fuel pressure or a stuck needle valve

Yep @siteunseenDoc was awesome. I used to spend hours in his shop just listening and learning. He’s the one that convinced me to only use Japanese reground camshafts….preferrably by Isky. Only time I ever broke in a new motor with a non Japanese blank, this happened after 100 miles. I was using Isky performance springs and the metal just wasn’t “up to snuff”.

Have you checked the starter mounting bolts? Are they tight? It sounds like the bendix is hanging, not returning as it should.

It's actually a Ringo song. Post-Beatles. By Hoyt Axton. He is a fascinating guy. Many bands covered his songs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_No_Song A different Axton cover...

But Goertz still designed our car - yes?

So: If I may be so bold as to offer a final summation: Made of wood? No. Made with wood? Yes Looks like wood? Yes to most, no for some, but it is one of the basic design design objectives of this damn thing, so Yes is reasonably correct. Which wood? Who cares. As long as it makes most drivers think “wood”. Feels like wood? Doesn’t matter. Original question is “wood yes or no”. See above. Made of plastic? No Made with plastic? Yes Feels like plastic? See above.

That's hilarious! My sniffer.

Thanks

Good call Charles and Mark! They can be disassembled and cleaned too.

Thanks I'll check the float chambers.

It's part of a line from an old Beatle's song. "No thank you please, it only makes me sneeze. Then it makes it hard to find the door." But they mispronounce the word "the" a little bit, and it sounds more like "dee", At least to me... After sniffing the houseplants. https://youtu.be/Ag6wyMNLv_A?t=34

There is wiring in the 240Z for an electric fuel pump. In the center stack, there is a 2 pin T connector. One wire is black/white (ignition), and the other is green. The green goes out to the fuel pump. The intent was for the other part of the connector to be wired with an inline fuse to power the pump. However, if you ever get tempted to install an electric pump, I advise including an inertia switch inline with the fuse to cut power to the pump in the event of an accident.

Settle down Cliff. Canuckistan is my next door neighbor, an hour and a half drive from my door, eh? Our weather guess (notice the temps never get to 50):

Yes! And don't forget the "...For The USA!" part... Tell that - just a few days after Christmas - to Frankincense and Myrrh. They'll Shellac you for it. Seriously, we don't know what kind of 'resin' was used as a binding/curing agent here. We are guessing. But given Japan's long history with lacquerware ('Shikki') I would not necessarily bet against the binding/curing agent being plant-derived. Another guess yes, but one with some supporting evidence. Incidentally, there's an old Japanese technique called 'Harinuki'/'Ikkan Bari' which is - in effect - paper composite. Japanese 'washi' paper was put into a mould or former and lacquer was applied in layers to 'cure' it into the desired shape. There was also a process called 'Shunkei Nuri' where wood was stained to bring out the grain and then lacquer applied in layers - sometimes with added metal flakes or shell fragments for decoration - to preserve the effect and make it water (or tea) proof. The artisans involved would probably find Izumi's wood composite work somewhat familiar, I should think. I would respectfully add that we are missing two key points here. Volume production and cost. Nissan specifically wanted wood steering wheels (they already had true 'Plastic' steering wheels for their more basic models, and they were made by a company called - wait for it - 'Nihon Plastics') but it was at that point fairly hard to mass-produce them. The traditional wooden steering wheel of the 50s and 60s was predominantly a low volume/hand made type of item attached to higher status/more sporting cars, or sold as a comparatively expensive aftermarket accessory with a brand name attached. Izumi's techniques allowed wood steering wheels to be mass produced (hundreds a day at least), and at a cost that made them viable for fitment as standard equipment. This is important.

Buying one of these might be worthwhile. https://a.co/d/2X8BFkY

There's a vinyl rectangle on the inside bottom of the rear hatch above the locking mechanism. Mine needed resealing I thought but after the simple first fix I found the evap hoses that run behind the interior plasic cover where the brake lights are was were mine was stinking. There's a couple of round rubber plugs that dry rot and crack also. That stuff seems minimal but the way the air flows over the hatch and kind of rolls over and over behind the taillights above the rear bumper it gets sucked into the cab pretty good. I used duct tape and covered everything to see what helped and what didn't. Once I figured out where it was coming from I fixed things and moved to the next possible source. Eventually it went away. During the mean time I kept the driver's side window down.

Just a nomenclature thing here - "resin" would be considered plastic. It is most likely a petroleum derived material, similar to what surfboards and boats are made from. Ultimately, the goal was to produce a product better than either wood or "plastic" alone. Wood feel, but with the dimensional stability and moisture resistance of synthetic polymers. It is wood AND plastic and better than either alone.

Thank you for the response!! Excellent, as always, I have enjoyed your responses on this site for the last 20 years plus. I guess I need to discard the thought of claiming the one lefthand drive 432 that made it to the states!!😁. David

Ironically enough, with a couple of coats of 'restoration' varnish/gloss coat on top of the wood composite of an original wheel, 'plastic' is pretty much what you *are* touching and feeling...

Good question. Let me ask Rod.

Hi @kats, Yes the holes don't align. I could modify / re-drill mine to make it work I think. the hub is the hardest part to get. I got outbid last time I tried to buy 1. I see your hub is black. I like it, but I also like the plain alloy look too. I do like your clear horn button too! I actually got my wheel off someone in the US that I've traded a few parts with in the past, and we often are interested in bidding on the same items that come up on Yahoo! Japan. Any help obtaining a hub would be appreciated. However, if you have any photos of exactly how the button attached to the wheel I'd appreciate it. It looks like it may attach to the hub itself through the wheels mounting holes is that right?

Best present ever! My neighbors, young money makers with 2 young babies that i took under my wing, helping in their yard and feeding their animals just dropped of my present. I'm speechless... There really are Christmas miracles.

Clamped it in the vice upright, got the MAP gas torch out (propane would be just fine) and warmed up the outer circumference for about 90 seconds. The race just popped out with minimal prying with a flat blade behind it. 5 minutes, both sides done. Bamn!