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Yesterday, Samus got a much needed wash and wax. The guys from Detail Garage were right, it did the paint well, and it looks 100% improved now. Today, we went to a car show, hosted by the Custom & Classic Car Educational Foundation at a vineyard about 17 miles door-to-door. Their mission is to educate youth about classic cars and develop an interest in the classic car hobby. Met a few really cool people today and had a blast! I was the only Datsun there. Lots of cool rides, like an Opel GT, a few old Monte Carlos, a split-window Corvette, a Corvair, Cords, a fleet of highly customized conversion vans, and many others (usual assortment of Camaros, Mustangs, Mopar, and other American muscle). Most disturbing comment I overhead about my car was that someone's family member and four friends were killed in a bad accident in a 2+2 280 just like mine years ago, and the most interesting was that a friend had a 280Z back in the day and it was great in the snow. Can't imagine that that was good for the underbody, considering Maryland's overzealous and copious use of road salt at the mere threat of snow. I did notice that the left rear hatch latch spring has fallen over and it is resting in a horizontal position. That could be the reason for the rear hatch springiness I noticed in the closed position during washing yesterday. This was the longest trip I've taken since the TIU and coil replacement. Only one small hiccup that seemed intermittent. A few pops, possibly misfires during the trip home, and a rough idle at a few stoplights about halfway home. It seemed to go away towards the last 3/4 of the drive. I'm making a mental note to check the coil and spark plug wires and connections to the distributor.

So I started off the day tapping the holes for the visors, mirror and coat hook. They are all 5m x 0.8 I pulled the front windlace off and redid it a little bit. I tried to get it tucked to where the edge was pretty even across based on the RV mirror bump out. Then I clipped it off. Then I pulled off a few clips and ran the windlace from the middle out. My windlace had a small white dot on it near the middle. I don't know if that was a factory thing or not. I used a rubber mallet against the windlace and hit it with the brass hammer to seat it. Then I trimmed it back The kit I have is from MSA and the foam is grey open cell with some kind of backing on it I found the middle of the header piece and marked it. Then I used the spray adhesive from the kit. It works pretty good. I glued it up into place and then trimmed it and cut all the visor and mirror holes. Then I used weld wood contact cement and glued the header piece in. I didn't pull it very tight and after the clips are on it looks good. The sides are actually the harder portion. I had to slide the pieces from the kit backward and forward on the ceiling to find the right place where the A pillar material would hit right. Then I installed the windlace. Then I glued the upper edge of the roof trim above the door. I drew a line where it meets the seam so I knew where to run cement. Pull it a little and clip it off Then I figured out the fold technique and locations. Y'alls pictures were really helpful with this Then I glued the inside edge of the A pillar and clipped it. Then I did the outside edge I'm not really sure where to stop the bottom of the A pillar? This took about 225 19mm clips... This where the window trim fits. So the roof trim gets covered from here back That is good to have that about behind me. There is a little detail work I need to do at the folded seams to try to fasten them down and make them look good. I might use a little super glue for that. Would have been much easier on the rotisserie!! "Tuition"...

I bought a product called SHARKHIDE several years ago with the intent to clean many aluminum Datsun things like wheels and valve covers. Finally got around to trying it today. THIS SHEITE IS DA’ BOMB! I have a set of lovely original D-slot mags on a 71 that I’m restoring, and this stuff took them from grim to perfect in the fastest easiest way I’ve ever imagined. This stuff is seriously bad for you, the instructions have scared me away from even trying it until today, but damn, it does what it says it will do. Just ragged it on, scrubbed the grime with same gray scotchbrite scrub pads then rinsed it off. 15 min per wheel tops. Obviously you have to the clear coat off first, not sure these ever had any. At the time I bought it, 10 years I think, it was only available thru boating companies, no retailer would ship it, so I picked up a bottle in Salmon Arm BC on the way back to Calgary on vacation that year. Now I see it on Amazon of course. I’d buy it from sharkhidestore.com, it’s $29.95 a quoart vs $97 on amazon, big surprise. If you want serious power, this stuff is what you want. Just be dang careful with it.

So pointing out that the Mecum description for 'PS30-00105' is effectively a pack of lies is "missing the point" then? Call me old fashioned, but I still expect an auction to get what they put in writing right. What they hide, and what they don't know, is part of the game. Lies, not. @ "armchair experts". This thread is a veritable parking lot full of deep-buttoned silk velvet upholstered wingback armchairs. That's what we do. That's what classiczcars.com exists for. Who else is going to do it? The poorly-informed, portfolio-building-and-bailing-out-at-the-right-time-investors who bought something because their 'advisor' told them it was cool won't do it. They don't know sh*t from putty. What do you classify yourself as then, Tonto?

It's been off the road for a while. I think I see a 94.

Maybe this guy will run a comparison. He does some pretty neat stuff. https://www.youtube.com/@ProjectFarm

I would just lock in the front hubs and gas it.

I'm glad @siteunseen responded to this thread. It reminded me to talk about going to Resurrected Classics. Max did show me many of the products that he is offering, including the emblems. They are plastic, but they look good to me. If you can find someone who can make pot metal emblems like the originals, buy them. I think I still have a couple of old NOS type Datsun script emblems and pillar emblems in my parts collection.

I've installed a 1978 FPR on the passenger's side firewall. The couple of aftermarket ones I tried leaked down. I ran a T out the rail end closest to the windshield, one side going to the CSV the other to the FPR. I've cleaned it up a little since this picture was made. No zip-tie. Don't use a low pressure glass fuel filter like I have at the front end of my rail. It was a temporary way of checking for trash after I relined my fuel tank

That comment was in reference to the generic "exceptional investment opportunity for collectors" sales fluff that they all seem to trot out. When (and if) the new owner - or any future 'investor'/'collector' - check the car out thoroughly they will probably be in for a few surprises. What concerns me is - for example - a 1970 production-dated car being sold as a 1969 production-dated car (with, I'm convinced, some perceived value added for that 1969 cachet) and it being described as having the correct R192 differential when it arrived in the UK from Japan with an R180 in its place and it left the UK that way. There are many, many other examples. A simple Google search of the chassis number brings up a fair amount of past discussion of the car. If I was intending to fork out that kind of money for a rare car I think I'd do a little Due Diligence first. They could buy a much better car from Japan - without the irreversible issues and question marks - for not much more than they just paid.

Looks like one of my reproduction "OK" decals v

This just came to mind when you were talking about a “side winder hose”. Here’s a couple of pics of a line that came with my fuel line kit from SS Tube. Hooks to the factory pump configuration but might work on other applications. You can order it separately and possibly continue on with straight hose. Just a thought. Good luck with your project.

I agree, it should be a set and forget item but it is nice to have for roadside diagnosis or just making sure the pump and FPR are good

Awesome! Thanks. I can probably do it tonight then.

Hey Matt, The OE paint was pretty cheap and slapped on with a brush, probably a cross between flat and satin. I would recommend satin as flat will hold dust and dirt. I used gloss on my radiator support just to make it easier to wipe down.

IMO, the fuel gauge is a real time reference point on how the fuel system is operating.

I tried busting a couple dry rusty lug nuts with a tire iron last weekend, and failed. I'm going to keep the wheels and hub caps. I sprayed the lugs/studs with Kroil earlier today and picked up a cheap electric impact gun because I can't find my cordless Milwaukee during the move. If I am successful, she will be listed on ebay with the bead blasted slotted Shelby mags and new tires.

So you are talking about their aluminum cleaner? I've been using the their protectant for many years and it is great on aluminum, keeps the finish from oxidizing for years with kind of a satin finish.

I can definitely make that rail myself, I saw the last thread on making one. I think the rail is definitely an inflated item. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No no, I was making a joke about the comment at the end of the classified. I found it amusing. I never reached out to anyone about that car. The internet definitely has its limitations.

To the best of my knowledge, Chester & Herod manufactured carpeting for the first 1800 cars imported into North America. They used a closed loop pile material as per Nissan and used patterns from the rubber floor mats. This according to e-mail correspondence dating back to 2006. Hi. We copied the rubber mats for our pattern but they had 5 prototype demos and they were all different floor. When they (decided) on the one that they would produce, they put a jack behind the passenger seat with a cut out on the rear mat for it & we made 1800 mats that we had to take back & make that cut out for the jack. Those rudder mats is what they (were) going to use until they saw our carpet. We can make rubber mats but carpet comes with padding. We can make wool carpet if you (want) it'. Hi We have the original pattern. The original was loop. We made carpet for the first 1970 Z (1800 cars) that (were) shipped to the U. S. A. We can make the carpet any way and out of any carpet you (want).

Hi Patcon, I can say I am convinced about the jute for cars up to January or February 1971. Our cars have only one jute for both sides of front floor, for any cars Japanese and all the other destinations. That is why there are cut outs for the seat mounts forward brackets to be utilized for all the destinations. And the shape is the one shown here from the Green BAT 240Z (04/1970). My car HLS30-02146 (03/1970) still has the one on the right side. I can make a template for you Patcon (including rear floor and luggage floor) I will send you papers which I draw. Easy homework for me! Kats

I can confirm they're great (and fun) in the snow as long as it doesn't get too deep.

It’s far more complicated than “copper is better than aluminum.” Yes, a chunk of copper transfers heat better than a chunk of aluminum. However, if you look at computer heat sync design, you’ll see that they frequently use a copper base to pull heat out of the devices, but then have aluminum vanes to radiate the heat because of aluminum’s ability to transfer heat to the air. I don’t know the science in this, but I have read in a handful of places that copper is better at absorbing heat and aluminum is better at expelling heat. That might be suspect, but it might be true. Also, copper radiators are tin soldered and aluminum radiators are brazed/welded with aluminum. Tin soldering inhibits the heat transfer between the copper pieces, reducing the overall efficiency of the radiator as a whole. Welding doesn’t introduce this problem, so that brings the net effect closer together. Additionally, aluminum is stronger, which allows manufacturers to use different designs and to have denser tubing throughout the core, not to mention parallel flow vs serpentine, etc. A copper radiator made the same way would weigh 100 pounds. Add into that the quality of the manufacturing and you are 100% precluded from saying a copper/brass radiator is always better than an aluminum one. I already know that (on a test bench) a Koyo cross flow is more efficient than a copper 3-row, and that is because of the design. But that doesn’t mean the Koyo is the better option. The fact that it can’t take a shroud negates some of that better design and manufacturing. But people still rave over their Koyos, which is why I am looking for real world experience with Champion vs Koyo. So if we could get back on topic and look at the performance of specific radiator models against each other I would appreciate it.

I think the $66k is with the buyer's premium included

Here are some more pic's $60k for S83

So I received the new collar yesterday I ordered a different one but it was out of stock. I selected another product and Rockauto shipped it for the same price as the cheaper one. Which I thought was cool! It looks to be about 10mm taller. I might go over to Cody's tomorrow and check out the total stack height

I get the impression that the vendor thinks the 432 is somehow the coolest and most collectable car in his Z-specific 'portfolio', and has brought Mecum with him on that. Kind of the blind leading the blind in that respect. An early 432 in good, original and un-monkeyed-with condition would indeed be the Creme De La Kremlin in such a collection, but this particular 432 has had a very bumpy ride through life and I don't see it as being worth anywhere near the lower estimate (325k USD?). It doesn't even live up to its auction description, let alone anything else. It's a nice enough car, but it's a long way from what they are saying it is.

I personally feel it's odd that Mecum chose to highlight this Z432 over some of the other cars from the collection. IMHO, there are some real gems on offer, which deserve the spotlight.

Original rubber flooring came on the early USA exports without any jute insulation. Carpeting was added at the port of entry with jute. The front mats probably look like this?

Hey Kats, My Z car came with dryed out rubber mats with datsun on it. Did they first years 240z came with rubber mats, that later changed to jute ?

Here is, perhaps, a reminder for us of the elasticity of the 'Series 1' term... I'm not a fan! Wasn't it only the very first (whatever that means...) few HLS30Us that were shipped without carpets and ended up getting the locally made versions? I have a 4/70 HLS30U and it certainly had factory-fitted carpet when new. The jute section in question looks like a factory piece to me (?). If it is, then I'd expect it to have - at least - the cut-outs for the possibility of a passenger foot rest bar in the same 'tits-on-a-bull' (pardon my French) way that the tar mat does on my 4/70 HLS30U. The cut-outs at the rear certainly look to be in the right place, and the right shape, to accommodate the Japanese market forward seat mounts. Plenty of other stuff on these cars is there only because they were designed with other variants in the mix, after all.

Hey Siteunseen. Yes, I used the barrel clips as they were still in the hatch when I bought the car and had been painted over. Yes, the machine screws are size #4-40X1. They are made by Hillman and are part# 491277. They come with 10 screws and 10 nuts per pack and can be found at any hardware store. You are correct, the barrel clips are removal as one of mine did come out when I test fitting everything. It did not hurt the paint and it went right back in. If you have any other questions just let me know.