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The original E41 design WAS a two-part system. Just look in the factory parts manuals. The spongey rubber part was the 'Weatherstrip' and the U-shaped 'Welt' clipped over one side of it, sandwiching it onto the body seam. Most people don't notice because they can weld themselves together fairly well over time. The two component parts are also on different pages in the factory literature. Many think that the 76801-E4100 RH and 76802-E4100 LH show a one-piece system, but they are missing that the 76920-E4101 Welt A and 76921-E4101 Welt B parts are shown in a separate diagram for the body side. With all of the proprietary off-the-shelf/universal seals the main problem in my experience is that the Weatherstrip part is the wrong shape and/or made from a material which does not compress anywhere near as easily as the original. In my experience this is worst at the front vertical edge of the door where the seal is being asked to compress more than anywhere else, and with nowhere to go. The original Weatherstrip is also a 'flap' cross-section rather than a 'bulb'. The new S30 World versions are the closest to the originals I have seen.

I hope when voting this year many think this way... Haha.

My car for the Chinese Franklin Mint model.

My attitude as a business man and human being is this - If you've been convicted of fraud I won't believe a SINGLE WORD you say! I'm just surprised that more don't have the same attitude. However, I'm certain that a sucker is indeed born every minute.

For reference, here are a few pics of the OE welt and weather strip to show how the two piece design worked.

Those are big drops, with money tied up while sitting in his collection. Is the overall collector car market really that bad? Maybe he just got tired of them. He set the reserves pretty low. 124,240 (6/19) - 106,000 = 18,240 15% drop from the previous BaT sale. 62,500 - 39,000 = 23,500 38% drop from previous. The 72 actually sold for less than the first time it was sold on BaT. $41,250 (10/18), 62,500 (7/20), 39,000 (10/24). https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-datsun-240z-64/

$106,000 end bid.

My Movie-720p30H.MP4 Got my LED dimmer figured out. This pulse width modulator was $16 on Amazon. The brass rod in the background is a rotary knob extension I will use to make the OEM Datsun knob reach this thing once it’s buried in the dashboard. I just need to figure out how I’m going to mount it.

Mixed emotions on this particular example. To your point, it was clearly done to a high level during a time where few (if any) 240Z's were restored to this level at all - and for that, it certainly commands the accolades it has garnered over the years. I'd guess it will match it's previous sale point +/- a few thousand. Whether or not the seller will let it go for that price point remains to be seen. The early 240Zs are special to me precisely because they have so many special first-year-only parts- parts which may appear the same to most enthusiasts, but on close inspection have their own unique characteristics. Unfortunately for this car, much of it's "early car-ness" has been replaced with s30-correct, but later MY replacement parts. So for me, much of what makes the MY1970 so collectable is no longer present here. That said, I'd say that 99% of the Z community probably wont notice or care. Even taking your post on judging guidelines into account, I could foresee a non-zero possibility where this car would show up to a concours where there was another top MY1970 car, with all it's MY1970 parts still attached, and a really knowledgeable Judge may rightly place this Franklin Mint example below it in a tie-breaker because of it. An additional $10-$15K spent on sourcing many of the correct MY bits would go a long way to alleviating that worry. Even with my own nitpicky standards, I think if I purchased this car, I'd probably leave the hood as-is, and just replace all the newer parts with as many MY1970 parts as I could source. It appears to be a fantastic example, and worth this exercise, IMHO. Such is the challenge- and potential reward- of properly restoring an early car to the highest level.

Yup, if you don't like the proces of restoring your own car, it's much cheaper to buy one in restored condition.. As i'm a bit tired of it, if there is someone that can put my engine back in a already restored 280zx, i'm all ears! 😉 (To tired/sick and to much chores/odd jobs overhere.. Carlift and every sort of tools available!)