psdenno

May the youngest among us live that long........ Part of the issue with Zs is that there are still too many of them around. Buyers have many good cars to choose from when Z shopping and that tends to keep prices down. Not that the number produced always impacts collector value - for example, the 1963 Avanti R1 made the list at $33,000. An astute buyer could probably pick up two or three relatively nice examples for that amount of money. The R1 is the least desirable version of the Avanti. The supercharged R2 or R3 and dual carb R4 are the ones to have. Total Studebaker Avanti production was just 4,643 cars. Add to that the fact that you can just about build an Avanti from the NOS and Repro parts that still exist and $33K becomes wishful thinking. I've owned my Avanti R2 for 35 years and appreciation has barely kept ahead of inflation. As with the Z, about the only folks who are making money on them are those who sell parts and services. Enjoy the ride and don't consider the Z as part of your retirement portfolio. Dennis

Nice to see the often overlooked Avanti listed also. I have one in the garage. Interestingly, the Z was the only car of the seven listed that wasn't made in the USA. Dennis

Porsche 944 borrowed from the factory. 148 MPH on the Autobahn in southern Germany. Wife driving, me hanging on in the passenger seat. Dennis

I stopped by MSA yesterday, and they're looking forward to the April 16th event. Easter is April 24th - the following week. The MSA event does fall on my birthday, however. If I attend, gifts are appreciated. Dennis

That's because red stirs the senses and sells more sports cars than yellow. Nice PhotoShop skills, by the way. I wish it was that easy to paint the real car. Dennis

It's after market. No early Zs came with factory air. If it had the original dealer installed A/C, it would have a large York compressor unit under the hood. It sounds like you have a smaller rotary compressor from either the later car that your motor came from or a more recent add on. The control box with the "Colder" knob is the temperature control and probably the On/Off switch if there is no other switch on the box. If the system is working properly, it will cool the interior of the Z. My '71 with A/C is in the same climate zone. A set of rear window louvers also helps by blocking the sun that turns the interior into a "greenhouse" environment. Dennis

It looks "needy", but if you're looking for a project that will keep you engaged for a while offer less than $500 (IMHO). Dennis

Cleaned up the battery cables, put in a new rotor, and found the source of the transmission fluid slow drip leak - speedometer cable seal (I hope). Dennis

Welcome to the group! The early Zs are great cars and it looks like you have a good start for a project. Keep us posted on your progress. Dennis

Not wishing to start an argument or debate - just looking for consensus. What is the statute of limitations on reviving a long sleeping forum thread? And why is it a "bad" thing? Granted nine years is a long time for this one, but as they say, everything old is new again. Quite honestly, I've seen threads that are a day old that shouldn't be resuscitated. Dennis

Welcome to the Group! Great looking Z. How nice that you'll now have a LHD Z and will be able to park at the curb and step out onto the sidewalk and not into traffic Dennis

Still registered in AZ as an Historic Vehicle? Any plans for completing the front bumper trim & vertical pieces? Dennis

There's a metal trim ring that holds the larger boot in place on the tunnel with screws. When I put a 5 speed in my '71 Z, I enlarged the hole in the tunnel, got the later style boot, and used the boot as a template for making a new trim ring with screw holes matched to the holes in the boot. Actually, the metal shop class at the local high school made the ring for me based on the paper template I gave them. All went together nicely. Dennis

After you take out all of the screws that attach the console to the Z, disconnect the battery and take the lid off of the fuse box. Then pull the console toward the rear of the car. You'll also want to disconnect both the choke lever from the bottom of the console and the rear window defrost switch electrical connection. And don't forget to disconnect the battery or you'll blow fuses and cause sparks to fly as the console slide out. Dennis

Can't go too wrong with a '71 Z. Welcome to the group! Dennis

It's been done, but requires quite a bit of fabrication. I have a spare set in my garage and looked them over before deciding to go with BMW seats - which also required fabrication to mate the seats to Z seat rails. There's no back recline on the 914 seats, but the original Porsche adjuster lets you put a little slant on the base of the seat. They are a comfortable and lightweight seat compared to others. Dennis

I wonder if Permatex would sell it by the pint or half pint instead of the little bottles. However, even at the price you paid, that's not bad for getting the defroster back on line. Enjoy having one of the few early Zs with a working grid! Dennis

Hoping to shed some Christmas light on the subject.....according to the book I found under the tree this morning, "How To Make A Small Fortune Maintaining Your Porsche", Chapter One is titled, "Start With a Large Fortune and a Used Porsche". As the long time owner of a six cylinder 1970 Porsche and a 1971 Datsun Z, I can assure you that the Z is less demanding on the bank account. While there was a significant cost variance between the two when new, it becomes a moot point 40 years later when both have proven themselves to be enjoyable, spirited, modes of transportation. Dennis

The Z is definitely less expensive to maintain and buy parts for than a contemporary Porsche or most German cars in general based on my 39 years as a Z owner. Having owned several Porsche 914s, including the 914-6 I still have, a 944, and an Audi, I am only too familiar with the costs. We went back to a Japanese car when we recently sold the family Audi and replaced it with an Infiniti G37 Convertible. Perhaps the Datsun Z should have been called "The Rich Man's Porsche" due to the HUGE amount of money that could be saved in maintenance costs over the term of ownership when compared to the cost of maintaining any Porsche. Dennis

If you've turned it over (started it with starting spray) you've already moved the pistons in the cylinders. It's a good idea to change all the fluids if it's been sitting a couple years. The gas is probably quite icky by now. Don't forget the brake fluid and clutch cylinder fluid. You may find that you have leaks at/in the master cylinder, brake cylinders, or clutch cylinders. You don't want to find out that the brakes are bad during that first spirited run when you finally get it started. I speak from experience with too many underused older cars. :stupid: Dennis

Also, let us know what your "FREE" Z ends up costing Welcome to the group! Dennis

If the price is right and the quality closer to original than what's currently available, you should have no trouble moving 20 sets. Personally, I wouldn't care about early vs late hole configuration. However, I wouldn't want to drill & chrome a set. Dennis

The Yen to US Dollar rate at that time was 360 to 1. So 16,000 Yen works out to about $44.45 which seems like a bargain even 40 years ago. Dennis

Why don't airports validate for parking? Why do highway signs say, "Lodge Road Exit 1/4 Mile" or "Next Rest Stop 3/4 Miles"? No instrument on a car measures distance in quarter mile increments. Dennis

I agree that it doesn't appear to be the right one for your car. Interesting that the width looks right. How does it look when you slide it to the top of the glass and leave a gap at the bottom? Dennis