Marty Rogan

Hi Burt, Do you still have the original tires that came off the car? Those were the ones it came from the factory with, right? Do you want to sell them? Marty

Dwight, Thanks for checking them out. The price is really good! I think they are way too stiff for my tastes though. Even Stage II Euro Springs are only 122F/142R. Those would probably be better for racing than a street car. I guess I'll keep looking. Marty

Hey Dwight, Have you found out anything from your local guy? Marty

Hi Ben, I have been looking for some new OEM springs for my 240 for some time now, to no avail. The closest I have come is an offer from Banzai for some reproduction springs to the original specifications. Not exactly cheap at $165/pair, but they are supposed to be a direct replacement for the original stock springs. Hope this helps, Marty

Just be careful that you get an "AGREED UPON VALUE POLICY". An Agreed Upon Value Policy is one where you both agree on the value to be paid in advance of a claim. Do not confuse this with a stated value policy. On those, they will charge you premiums on what you state as the value, but will look at book vlaues on the car when you go to make a claim. As always, READ THE FINE PRINT on how they actually pay out on a claim. Remeber, most insurance claims agents are there to settle for the lowest possible amount. By the way, I have a little known Classic Agreed Upon Value Policy with State Farm. It costs me about $40 for 6 months, and they will pay me $9K if my Z is totalled. Good luck! Marty

Hey DatsunZguy, What kind of clear did you use? Was it more like polyurethae for wood, or a clear coat paint? When I did mine, I used a clear coat paint. It went on real thin and not very smooth. After several coats of painting and light sanding, it looked pretty good, but not up to my usual standards. I really would hat to strip it an start over though. any suggestions? Marty

Mr. Peabody, You should know us by now! We want details!!! Tell us all about your new toy. What is has, the mileage, what has been done to it, where you found it and what it cost. Congrats! Looks nice from the photos, except maybe for that malignant thing growing out the back. Marty

Burt, Thanks for the reply. My interest is alway perked up when I hear of very low mileage 240Z's. I talked to Larry 2 years ago about your car. IT would have taken me to win the Lottery to afford his $18K price. I have kind of kept my eye on it though, to see if he ever reduced his price. He said he would hold out to get his price and I guess he did. That is one beautiful Z. I am sure it will give you many years of enjoyment. Take good care of her. Marty

Bert, So is the car restorable? I hope so. How did you happen to get a car with 14K. I would be interested in hearing this story. Marty

I too had the one dim headlight syndrome. The cure may be even simpler than others suggested. First off, I would instll a brand new fuse. But, before you install the new fuse, pinch the mounting contacts toward each other. They get loose over the years. I pinched my contacts together and the problem went right away! So, I did that with each fuse holder, and have had no problems since. Marty

Why are you stripping a car with only 14,000 miles? What year is it, Series 1 or Series 2? Marty

In addition to getting the tension correct on that big bolt, there may be another issue at fault in the first place. The pulley is kept from spinning on the bolt by a key slot, that I belive goes into the crank. If the key slot retainer pin breaks and falls out, the pulley can spin. I would suggest you remove the pulley and make sure the key slot retainer is still there. If it is missing, you should be able to get one from the dealer. Good luck, Marty

Hi Rzola, Is the type A 4spd out of the car with 57K? Were you driving it before it was pulled? Is there any crunching of the synchros? Let me know what kind of shape it is in. TIA, Marty

ZSled, Sounds like you got one of those once in a life time deals. I am jealous!!! ITs seems that your car could have been worth 2-3 times what you paid for it. As someone has said the year makes a difference in how rare a colored interior is. Of all of the colored interiors that I have encountered, I have seen red the most. Usually a white car with a red interior. Well, enjoy the Z, they truly are great cars. And this is a great club for info. You might want to consider signing up for the email list too for more info on 240Z issues that members are dealing with on a daily basis. Marty

Welcome Zsled, Interior colors is an area that I am interested in also, but have not been able to find any real documentation on it. I have a 70, with a blue interior, and I was told that blue was the second most rare color. It is cool to have a rare color, but it is a real bite trying to find parts. I have been looking for a new blue OEM drivers door panel for 4 yrs now. From what I have gathered, I think the order of rarity goes something like this: White Blue Tan Red Black By the way, I was in Seattle on October 28 and wanted to go look at that car. I was informed that it had just been sold. Now we know who got it!!! The pictures look pretty good. And you said it only have rust on the back ledge and that is it? What is the rest of the car like: milage, interior, paint, etc.? It sounded like a steal for $900. Marty

Carl, You said that you can install the sender without have to remove the tank. I need to check the wiring at the sender, since my guage stopped working. I looked under their yesterday and could not even see the thing. How do you get to it? Thanks, Marty

If dollars are a problem now, they will be a BIG problems when you start restoring that car. Body work will cost you probably $2-3,000. I see it needs bumpers, those are $600 for new ones. It looks pretty needy and parts are expensive, if you can find what you need. But hey, if you are into big challenges and don't mind a real long project, have fun with it. Just be forwarned, buying a cheap car is a false economy. Marty

I have seen many 240Z listed in http://www.collectorcartraderonline.com/ rust free from CA, in the $2,500 - $4,000 range, many with new paint or rebuilt engines. Air fare is pretty cheap right now. My advice to you is fly out for a vacation, find an nice rust free example and drive it home. Believe me, you will still have plenty of projects to do to bring a 30+ year old car up to snuff. But mechanical projects are alot cheaper than body work. I bought an IL rust bucket once before and would not do it again. It cost me WAAAAAYYYY more than buying a complete, restored car from the start. I bought my current one with a new paint job and am money ahead. Your by-line says you are in the Northern IL suburbs. Which one? I am in Arlington Hts. Are you a member of the Windy City Z Club yet? That may be another source to help find a good Z. Marty

Thanks Daniel. I have a spare gas guage. Maybe, I'll hook that up to see what happens. If it read fine, then it probably will be the contact problem you describe. That is if that one isn't old and cruddy too! Looks like a deep dive into the dash is in order. Thanks, Marty

I have been reading this post with interest. My gas guage was not too bad until recently, it completely lost its mind. At first it showed 3/4 when it was full, like someone else mentioned. Then it began oscillating back and forth, at about 1/4 tank increments. It just kept moving as you drove. Later one it just quit all together and showed pegged to empty. It comes back to life once in a while, but I can't trust it at all. To find the wires coming through the floor, do you have to take the rear, inside plastic finish panel off? To check the sender, do you have to drop the tank? TIA, Marty

Hey Guy, didn't you just get this car, after waiting quite a while to get it? Why are you selling it so soon? Marty

Does Dashboard Resorations work exactly match the factory shape and texture of the vinyl? Do they make a distinction between the early and late 240Z designs, or do you only get the later design, like if youordered a new dash from Nissan? TIA, Marty

The color is Datsun Blue. If you want to get an exact match, contact Les or Dennis at Clsic Datsun Motorsports: http://www.classicdatsun.com/ This did some of the restored 240's for Nissan's Z Store Program. They sell it in rattle cans of heat resistant paint. It is isn't cheap if I recall, but this is as correct as it gets. Marty

Forget WD-40. That stuff rarely works. Buy some Kroil. This stuff is really amazing. I have used it on really rusted bolts, like on an exhaust down pipe and they loosen right up if you let it sit overnight. I liked it so much, I bought a gallon of it! Here is there website: http://www.kanolabs.com/ Good luck, Marty