Marty Rogan

Nate, As Michael stated , the 73 has a spacer between the body and the bumper and the upright guards are a little wider. I used to have a 73 and did not like the look of the front bumper either. I changed it out easily for an earlier bumper. Just remove the 73 bumper and spacer. Get mounting brackets for a 70-72. They are nothing more than plate steel, with a slight bend to it and some slotted holes in it. Nissan conveniently left the threaded bolt holes in the body for you! I never bothered with the rear bumper. It's been too long since I owned a 73, but they may have those pistons for the 5 MPH bumpers. That would make converting the rear one a little tougher, but I know it can be done. I would suggest you start now looking for parts as bumpers are starting to get NLA, especially the rear center piece. Rare means $$$$'s. I have seen people selling the rear center piece for up to $275. I believe front bumpers are easier to obtain new. Good luck and congrats on getting your Z. Marty

260DET wrote: "TomoHawk, you start with the suspension and steering in first class condition. In view of Steven's point this includes no bump steer. Then lower the car all round but with a bit of rake. Fit a modern scraper type front spoiler, not a spook or similar, I've seen a US one that I would love to have. Rear spoiler as well. " I am wondering why you do not recommend a Spook spoiler? I have one on my 70 and seems work very well. Marty

Victor, What can you say. That is a crime against nature! And just plain sucks no matter how you slice it. Hopefully, you have an agreed to value insurance policy. I learned to get one after my first 240 Z went up in flames after 7 years of restoration. I had about $10K into it (back in 1987). The insurance adjuster wanted to give me $1,900. I asked for a meeting with her bosses' boss. Came to the meeting with recent copies of Hemmings, detailed pictures of the car and a massive stack of receipts. Luckily the boss was a carguy and could plainly see that this was no ordinary used 240Z. It was a show quality car. I ended up walking out with a check for $6,700. Probably couldn't have got that if I sold it, so I was happy with the settlement. Not happy to lose the car though!!! I feel your pain. Hopefully you'll get it back in reasonable shape and not have to haggle with the insurance company. If it comes to that, just remember, you can negotiate their offer! Here's hoping they find it in good shape. Regards, Marty

Halz, Here are some instructions for vinyl painting (dyeing) that I have used with very good results. Marty Painting the vinyl and plastic in a Z is easy. There are 2 sources for the dye. If you don't have a paint gun, find SEM vinyl dye at a good paint store. SEM is the only way to go, and I have never found another product that works as well or lasts so long. It also looks totally natural. They have Satin Black for your 240Z, and Napa Red for your red 240Z. They have ZX colors, too. Please do not even consider any other brand. Been there, done that. In my experience, there is no other brand that has the correct gloss, durability, and chemical composition to bond to the vinyl. SEM is about $7/can. I use 4-6 for an entire interior on a 240Z. If you have a paint gun (door jamb gun is good, HVLP jamb gun even better). Dupont has vinyl dye that is comperable to SEM. It is about $20/quart. Does one car. Preparation is everything! Here's my process: 1. Remove seats and carpet 2. Use a couple of rolls of paper towels to clean all the vinyl/plastic (VP) with a water based cleaner (soap/water, ammonia, Mr Clean, Mrs Pineoil, ect). Let dry 3. Wet wipe the surfaces with lacquer thinner. Not Enamel or poly thinner, just cheap lacquer thinner. Wipe and scrub and scrub. You will notice the VP getting soft. Stop before you ruin the grain pattern. 4. Now shake your paint can. If using the Dupont, it is ready to spray. Mask off all the unpaint items. I use Big Gulp bottoms taped to the gauges. 5. Rewipe the surfaces quickly with a very wet paper towel, and start fogging on the dye. It is very thin. You may end up with 5-12 coats to get good heavy coverage. Let dry, and you are done. Note: DO NOT PAINT THE SEATS. IT WILL RUBv OFF EVENTUALLY ON YOUR 501'S. The Napa red is a precise match for the Datsun red interior. Even a patch of paint will blend in to the existing panel. The theory behind the lacquer is that it chemically softens the VP. When you apply the dye, it soaks in and grabs the substrate. Dupont also has texture paint to redue the texture for Ford Bronco tops. It so happens to look like vinyl when it is dry. I use it to redue the sill plates... It also works for roll bars to spiff them up. The stuff is bulletproof when dry. It does not match the Datsun sillplate vinyl exactally, but it is a lot easier than trying to recover that rusty piece with contact cement and vinyl. This paint has to be applied with a non-HVLP gun (your normal old fashioned gun is not HVLP). It's the pressure that makes the spiderwebs as it comes out, which then coagulate into the vinyl texture. This coating can then be recoated with black semi-gloss vinyl dye. Bare metal prep 101: The best metal prep for the average do-it yourselfer on bare metal is an epoxy primer. I use PPG DP series. DP40 is black. It gets mixed with a catalyst (DP401 or DP402). They say if you don't sand it within 7 days...don't bother. It gets very hard. It is applied with a paint gun. All modern paints with a catalyst have isocraynics in the cat. Use a respirator! The epoxies do a great job of sealing off all the substrates. Modern paints are very hot and agressive. If applied over a old lacquer or enamel job, it will likely cause the old stuff to bleed through. Smother the car in epoxy, then start the bodywork. Put more epoxy over the filler, then apply some K200 and K201 catalyzed primer. This stuff goes on thick, but sands wet sands like butter. The best way to wet sand is to apply a mist of black lacquer over the unsanded K200, then wetsand with 400 grit. The low spots will show up as black. Reapply filler, and do it over again. Good luck.

Thanks Mark. I figured that there must be some sort of bracket or clip to hold that cable in place. Hopefully that bracket is in my Z blt, 6/70. Yep, those round knobs are about as rare as hen's teeth! Can't wait till the weather gets warmer to install and try it out. That should make car warm-ups much easier. Marty

Here's a view of the cable that attaches to the gas pedal: Marty

OOOoops! That was the wrong one. Here's the side view: Marty

Here's a side view: Marty

Well, Chloe at Midwest Z has worked her magic again and scored me a complete Choke/throttle control assembly. I am so excited about getting this! The part is a really nice NOS piece. This part is really old. It has to be at least 33+ years old. This part should settle the debate about what knobs came on the original parts. It has rounded knobs for the throttle and the choke. One question for those of you that are using these. I understand that the cable attaches to the back of the gas pedal. I am wondering if it needs to be attached by a bracket or something to the firewall? It seems that you would need some way of fixing the cable up there to get enough leverage to pull on the gas pedal. I would appreciate any input you can provide on how this is installed. Here's a few pictures. Thanks, Marty

Victor, You can count me in too for one of your kits, if you don't have to cut into the wiring harness. Let me know how much you are asking and when they might be ready. My car is an early 71 if that matters. Thanks, Marty

Thanks guys. I had heard that Earl's hoses were really good. I am glad to hear that is what MSA is selling. I am going to order a set. Thanks again. Marty

Has anyone used the MSA stainless steel brake hoses? Are you satisfied with the quality? Did they install easily and fit correctly? If there are any better (or cheaper) alternative hoses out there, I'd like to hear from you. Thanks, Marty

That is REALLLLY optimistic in my opinion. Did you notice that he put 51,000 miles on it? How "like new" could it be after that kind of use. At this point, it is more like a nice used Z. Here's another one for sale right now for $18K: http://adcache.collectorcartraderonline.com/10/4/6/60451346.htm This is about the price of the last one that I heard of that sold. Marty

The interior on my 70 is blue. It's interesting to see others, as they are pretty rare from what I have heard. KAt's has a really nice looking blue interior on his 70, which was blt about 3 months before mine. White has to be a pretty rare color too. I don't see too many at all. Instead of changing to black, you might want to try SEM Vinyl Dye to whiten it up again. It would be cheaper than buying all black interior parts. I SEM'd my driver's door panel blue (from black) because they are impossible to find (Been looking for a new one for 5 years). SEM isn't recommended for seats, but new white ones are available. Later, Marty

The product is called SEM Vinyl Dye. IF you follow these instructions, you will have good results. I took then new door panel I bought to an auto paint store and they matched the blue perfectly. Marty Instructions: Painting the vinyl and plastic in a Z is easy. There are 2 sources for the dye. If you don't have a paint gun, find SEM vinyl dye at a good paint store. SEM is the only way to go, and I have never found another product that works as well or lasts so long. It also looks totally natural. They have Satin Black for your 240Z, and Napa Red for your red 240Z. They have ZX colors, too. Please do not even consider any other brand. Been there, done that. In my experience, there is no other brand that has the correct gloss, durability, and chemical composition to bond to the vinyl. SEM is about $7/can. I use 4-6 for an entire interior on a 240Z. If you have a paint gun (door jamb gun is good, HVLP jamb gun even better). Dupont has vinyl dye that is comperable to SEM. It is about $20/quart. Does one car. Preparation is everything! Here's my process: 1. Remove seats and carpet 2. Use a couple of rolls of paper towels to clean all the vinyl/plastic (VP) with a water based cleaner (soap/water, ammonia, Mr Clean, Mrs Pineoil, ect). Let dry 3. Wet wipe the surfaces with lacquer thinner. Not Enamel or poly thinner, just cheap lacquer thinner. Wipe and scrub and scrub. You will notice the VP getting soft. Stop before you ruin the grain pattern. 4. Now shake your paint can. If using the Dupont, it is ready to spray. Mask off all the unpaint items. I use Big Gulp bottoms taped to the gauges. 5. Rewipe the surfaces quickly with a very wet paper towel, and start fogging on the dye. It is very thin. You may end up with 5-12 coats to get good heavy coverage. Let dry, and you are done. Note: DO NOT PAINT THE SEATS. IT WILL RUBv OFF EVENTUALLY ON YOUR 501'S. The Napa red is a precise match for the Datsun red interior. Even a patch of paint will blend in to the existing panel. The theory behind the lacquer is that it chemically softens the VP. When you apply the dye, it soaks in and grabs the substrate. Dupont also has texture paint to redue the texture for Ford Bronco tops. It so happens to look like vinyl when it is dry. I use it to redue the sill plates... It also works for roll bars to spiff them up. The stuff is bulletproof when dry. It does not match the Datsun sillplate vinyl exactally, but it is a lot easier than trying to recover that rusty piece with contact cement and vinyl. This paint has to be applied with a non-HVLP gun (your normal old fashioned gun is not HVLP). It's the pressure that makes the spiderwebs as it comes out, which then coagulate into the vinyl texture. This coating can then be recoated with black semi-gloss vinyl dye. Bare metal prep 101: The best metal prep for the average do-it yourselfer on bare metal is an epoxy primer. I use PPG DP series. DP40 is black. It gets mixed with a catalyst (DP401 or DP402). They say if you don't sand it within 7 days...don't bother. It gets very hard. It is applied with a paint gun. All modern paints with a catalyst have isocraynics in the cat. Use a respirator! The epoxies do a great job of sealing off all the substrates. Modern paints are very hot and agressive. If applied over a old lacquer or enamel job, it will likely cause the old stuff to bleed through. Smother the car in epoxy, then start the bodywork. Put more epoxy over the filler, then apply some K200 and K201 catalyzed primer. This stuff goes on thick, but sands wet sands like butter. The best way to wet sand is to apply a mist of black lacquer over the unsanded K200, then wetsand with 400 grit. The low spots will show up as black. Reapply filler, and do it over again. Good luck.

Have you checked with MSA? A couple of years ago they had 2 passenger side door panels brand new. I bought one of them. They may still have the other. Its worth a try. Now if I could only get a drivers side panel. Those are impossible to find, so I used SEM to dye a black one. You can do that too. No one can tell mine was not originallly blue. I can post some instructions if you need them. Marty

Hey Carl, Does Bambikiller have a blue interior, or is that a seat cover showing through the window? Marty

My money is on the ballast resistor. I've had that hapeen twice. When strting the car, try holding the key slightly toward the start position (not enough to ground the starter though!), just don't let is spring back all the way. IF it stays running while you are holding the key, and then dies when you let go, it is definitely the balast resistor. They are about $5. Good luck. Marty

Eric, So how did it turn out? How close to OEM does it look? Show us a couple of pictures!!! Marty

Victor/Keith, One of our members on the email list posted a source for connectors a couple of weeks ago. Here is the link: http://www.mouser.com/catalog/615/606.pdf And here's another source: http://store.yahoo.com/eagleday/blco.html Hope this helps! Marty PS: Victor, I think you have a Roadster too, right? Here is an interesting parts source: http://www.datsunparts.com/

I ended up going with some NOS Euros that I got off eBay. They still had the Nissan part# tags identifying them as Stage I Euros. I was expecting them to lower the car by 3/4". Instead they ended up raising the car by 1+". I am hoping they will settle a little over time, but I guess that is trying to be optimistic. They are definitely stiffer and significantly reduced body roll. That is with new rubber bushings as well. The ride is stiffer over the bumps, but not harsh at all. I haven't really had a chance to put a lot of miles on them since I finished the project in Mid September. Someone recommended cutting them down to the height I wanted. I am not so sure about that idea. Well, thats been my experience with Euros. Marty

It's funny how Nissan inventory works. Last year when I re-did my suspension, NOS stock springs were NLA from everywhere. I would be surprised if Courtesy could get them, but would love to see it happen. Let us know if you can get them. The only other option I could find to get stock springs (and I looked EVERYWHERE) was from Banzai Motorsports: http://www.zzxdatsun.com/ As I recall, they were aftermarket springs made to Nissan specs and were around $360. Good luck, and let us know what you end up with. Marty

Hi Capt, Glad to hear it drove well on the way home. Sounds like you will have a fun project to improve over the next few years. As far as I know, 5spds were on option till they became standard on the 280ZX. They only thin I am not certain about is the Black Pearl model. It may have been standard on that. You can check out http://zhome.com/ They have info on a few special models and collectable Z's. Congrats on your purchase. Marty