AZ-240z

Jerry, did you see the set in this classified listing? ouhttp://www.datsunclassifieds.com/auto-parts/datsun-nissan/interior/72-240z-seatbelts-50.00-240z-3527.htmlr

Some of my ideas! This club is all about an appreciation of an iconic sports car, developed by hightly respected individuals, and designed with a beauty and functionality that transends the decads since its inseption. Why not use a technique called ghosting popularized by some very innovative paint designs to visually pay respect to how well the z-car has withstood the test of time. Could you not use this ghosting technique by incorporating elements such as the stylized, recognizable lines of a sugar scoop, images of Mr. K and Matsuo San, and the hood ornament or the Datsun logo shown above in 26th-z attachements, all ghosted together in some form. Incorporate the name of the club in smaller font so it would not dominate this ghosting theme but makes one actually look for the name represented in the images. These are just my brainstorming ideas which could give a unique look to a logo, but I don't have the creative computer talents to formalize a look. FWIW Dan Just had another thought concerning the club name. You could overlay the entire logo with the club name using a watermark technique which would not obscure the logo images but fit nicely with the ghosting technique. Just a thought

Nice Job Jerry! Glad my belt assemblies are old school series 1. Look foreward to seeing the end product. Dan Original Owner 1971 hls30-20419 Gold Medallion (Definitely Made My Day)

In upper right corner of this page, click on advance search. Then, do a search for "removing heater control panel". Takes a little time but not hard to do. Good Luck.

Hello Carl, When you refer to the tail pipe, above, are you making reference to the tail pipe "finisher" which is tacked onto the exhaust pipe extention at the rear of the muffler? If so, given the fact that the later bumpers extend farther out from the body, yet the tail pipe finishers were shorter, I have no explanation for this. I do recall in a post from Kats, that he used the later rear muffler assembly, ie., # 20100-N3300, on his car and had to add about 1" to this section of tail pipe so the older finisher shown in DatsunZGuys picture, ie., rusted longer finisher, would fit correctly. Knowing this, I am assuming that the earlier rear muffler assembly, # 20100-E4100, had a longer tail pipe section extending from the rear of the muffler to accomodate, and be correct, for the longer finisher. I understand your reasoning and question, Carl, and this explanation seems to contradict reason given the differences in early and later bumpers. I can tell you that the earliest exhaust finisher is the longer, mostly black, finisher with a short chrome banding at the tip. I am looking at one still in the wrapper with a part number sticker of 20105-E4100. I always associate the E4100s number as being the earliest. Carl, you would have been my "Go To" person to flesh this out so, I will still add my disclaimer that this is just the facts as I see them. Perhaps someone living in Lutz could shed more light on this? Dan As a post script, my one other thought is, for whatever reason, the shorter, mostly chrome, finishers may have been used exclusively on muffler tail pipe assemblies supplied to post- production parts resources found in your local dealership. I say this, because, when looking at part # 20105-E4100 in my parts CD, the inclusive dates are "up to 7/73", and there is no part number for a later finisher. Just thought of something else to add to the mystery. When the tail pipe assemblies were available at the parts dept., (and maybe somewhere in the country at some remote dealship you may still find one) I ordered #20100-E4100. What arrived was an assembly with #20100-N3300 embossed on the bottom of the exhaust tube with the shorter, chrome finisher attached. When the earlier assembly #20100-E4100 was available over the counter, was the earlier, longer finisher part of the assembly? Why could you purchase the earlier finisher separately over the counter, and not the later, short finisher? I'm going to stop, now, because " I'M GETTING CONFUSED"! So, as you would say Carl, FWIW.

Just to corroborate what Jerry, Carl, and Motorman7 have stated about quotes from Hagerty, I, also, recently called Hagerty directly, talked to an underwriter supervisor, and was told that the maximum agreed value policy that Hagerty would write was for $32,500 for my 1/71 240z. They would consider increasing this with pictures and an appraisal. Dan

Hi Ed, I'll give you my take in answering your questions. From the picture, it "could" be a stock (round) muffler but, without the chrome finisher installed. The pipe size "could" be the stock, approx. 1 7/8" dia. The finishers shown in your second picture in the front would be correct for the 240z up to about 7/72, and the one in back for cars up to about 7/73. These finishers came with, and were tack welded to, the muffler pipe, and they were, but no longer are, available separately from Nissan parts departments. The exhaust system, as it came on the car from the factory, was unpainted raw metal. If purchased from your local Nissan parts department, it would be in black paint for shelf wear protection. One would have to examine the muffler for a part number to know if it is, in fact, original stock. This is only my opinion based on past personal experience and research. The first picture I have attached is my car just after purchase from the dealer in March of 1971, and the second picture is after a complete restoration completed this summer. Dan

Take a look at ebay item # 370643164502. It shows the stock original strap mounting bracket used on early cars. The picture shows this bracket attached upside down. It should extend down from the bottom of the antenna, and, as mentioned above, is secured to a threaded stud you should find by a wing nut. With your antenna installed, I think you can fabricate this bracket by determining the correct bends and length to the stud. This bracket is secured to the bottom of the antenna with the correct size machine screw. If you google "Datsun 240z power antenna" you should find some pictures of a lime car with the antenna installed for visual confirmation of how it is installed. . Hope this helps. Dan

Thanks, Jerry. As you and Carl B. have pointed out to me, my rebuilds are "Inserts" not "Cartridges" such as those you have. I did not realize that the Nissan made "drop in" cartridges for the 240Z. I thought that these drop-in cartridges were all after-market supplied, and I admit to not having any hands-on experience with this. The Seal Kits that I bought to do my rebuilds are part #54308-E4126 so, I'll leave it to the experts to figure out what was done to rebuild my struts/shocks. I apologies to all for my semantical misunderstanding, (or, as Rosana Dana Dana would say, Never Mind) but couldn't be happier with the job my shop did rebuilding my struts/Shocks with factory "Inserts". Dan

Carl, That is why I hire a mechanic that has done this type of thing for the past 35 years. Please look at the attached pages of the FSM that explains what he did. I believe, when they refer to "packing" they are talking about the seal kit. I am just reiterating what I watch him do to rebuild my shocks/struts. The next time I see him, I will try to get more definitive explanations of the process. In the meantime, please see the attached FSM pages that explain what I am unable to adequately do. Carl, I will always defer to your knowledge so thanks for your explanations. Dan by the way, from my recollection, the inserts or cartridges used looks exactly like the "OEM Replacement Cart." shown in your attachment. As I understand the FSM description, this is placed in the strut casing or tube, a measured amount of oil is then placed in the strut casing, and then the "glands packing", or "seal Kit" is screwed into the strut casing, The oil is drawn into the cartridge during the dampening operation. Please take a close look at page FA-13, Fig. FA-32. I am now mentally prepared to be corrected.

Also, if you compare a Nissan thermostat to an aftermarket, you will see that the Nissan thermostat opening is about 30% larger than aftermarket. Less restrictive/ better flow/better cooling. FWIW Dan

Carl, Thanks for the clarification of terms. You are exactly correct. I should have said factory shock "inserts", and not cartridges. These inserts, along with the seal kits, are used to rebuild the shocks. The FSM outlines the process including the correct amount of oil used. I guess, along with your NOS inserts, one would also need a set of the seal kits. As I mentioned, I found mine after searching the domestic Nissan parts inventory. So, unless one could find more of these rare kits, future rebuilds may not be possible. FWIW Dan

Jerry, I remember this discussion but don't recall how many cartridges you have, and the specific part number for each one. The #56105 - N3785 would be for the front from 11/74 cars. The @#56205 - E4125 are for the rear from ll/69 - 10/74. Could you tell me if you have 4 cartridges and the respective part numbers, and, are these dry? You pictured 4 in the initial post. I could be interested in having some spares. Earlier this year, the shop that does some work for me took a set of factory cartridges off of a customer's car which were rebuildable. I scoured the country and found 4 NOS seal kits needed to do the rebuild. So, I guess I am one of the few that does have a set of rebuilt factory cartridges on there car. With a new set of reproduction springs, the car now sits at factory specs. I got very lucky in a lot of respects as things just seemed to come together, if you know what I mean. Thanks, Jerry Dan

Great Story with a Terrific Conclusion, Jerry. Much Deserved, so Enjoy! Dan Original Owner hls30-20419 Gold Medallion

E, Thanks for clarifying my very poor discription of my intended meaning. Same thing I have on my series 1, except it hooks on a smaller J- hook on the side of my seat. I can always count on you to back me up! Dan

I think that the resin or compound you are seeing is actually a sleeve made of some kind of plastic material that is threaded for the shift lever. It should be a very light beige or amber color. This sleeve is actually glued into the hole in the center of the wooden shift knob. As you suggested, if there is no locking nut under the knob, you may be able to slowly apply some heat from the top where the shift button would be to slightly soften this liner material to release the shift lever. Just a thought Dan

The open loop of the chrome metal male seat belt fastener on the shoulder harness rests in the "J hook". I think you will find everything you need if you do a search for "J Hooks". Dan

I thought I would update some information that hls30.com included in a thread he posted detailing rear view mirror restoration. That thread is now closed but you can do a search for "Rear View Mirror Restoration" for the complete article. He included a website, www.mirrorresilvering.ca, used to have his mirrors resilvered. This website is no longer in operation, but I did find a business in the northwest that does do resilvering. There website is: www.hylitemirrorandglass.com I gave them a call and they quoted me a price of roughly $70 + shipping, more than one would like, but there seem to be very few businesses that do resilvering these days. Since new mirrors are NLA, I thought this might be useful for a perfect mirror restoration. FWIW Dan

If originality is important to you, I have dealt with an ebayer who is in Canada just north of you. His ebay ID is "nikkibid1972", seems to have, or is able to find, early hardware, and I thought he had sold these screws on ebay at one time. Good luck. Dan

Awesome car, Jerry. Been there, so I feel your excitement. Just a thought, but I would agree that possibly a more tradition tire profile might erase some the the concerns you mention. Enjoy! Dan

Thanks, Guy, much appreciated. I do need to take some detail pictures to post as soon as I get close enough to the ground to reach for a camera. I would also like to get some real good pictures taken to create a portfolio for my scapbook. Dan

I'm just staring into my PC trying to think of something to say, other than a simple "Thanks". You, and Classiczcars, have all helped to provide me with the motivation, a huge wealth of knowledge, sometimes help sourcing really neat parts, and just a great place to spend time. As many of you probably already know, I bought this car new in Tucson on March 25, 1971, and, when Nissan started the "Restoration" program, it became an obsession with me to restore this car to the condition it was in when new. I promise that I am not going to give you my life story, just that "The Bucket List" is finally starting to get smaller, and I have been able to revisit some of the same excitement and feeling after 41+ years. Rich, it was really great to meet you and see what you have done with your really nice survivor car. That patina of originality should always remain untouched. The neat thing is, I never want to stop tinkering and making it better. So, Thanks to all for acknowledging what Zulaytr, one of my biggest motivators along with Kats since the 2004 ZCON, I, and a few others have been fortunate enough to experience. Dan Original Owner hls30-20419 2012 Gold Medallion

abas, I think Alan has nailed it. When I started my car project, I purchased a quart can of "3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner" from my paint supply store. It didn't damage vinyl or anything else, removed glue, and worked great. If something needed to be re-glued I would then clean residue of the 3M cleaner with a wax, grease, and silicone remover made by Grow Automotive. In my opinion, strong solvents like lacquer thinner are way too caustic and could damage paint and vinyl. Just something that worked for me. Dan Original Owner hls30-20419 2012 ZCON: 1st place stock 240z Best Exterior Gold Medallion

Chris, that was indeed the "04 convention. This is only my second convention, probably not on the scale of recent conventions, but I think very well organized and at a terrific venue. Hotel and track withing throwing distance, organized day trips to towns of interest such as the red vistas of Sedona, and the tour of the Nissan North American test facility 45 minutes south of the hotel which I am looking forward to. Looks like the 2014 convention will be in San Diego, so close that I'll probably need to try again at another show. Dan