Marty Rogan

The vintage pumps are just ornamental. They are both just tourist stops now. Judging by the visitor log, they get a surprising number of people visiting each year from all over the globe.

Here are a few more pictures.

That's really a shame they did not preserve any of the history out in CA. There is quite a bit of it in Illinois. I hear there are quite a few cool things to see in Arizona, and a couple other western states. There are actually several books written about it.

Hey is only 2448 miles. How long could that take, a week? My friend that organized the trip wants to drive it from Illinois to California. Now, THAT would be one hell of a cruise!

This past weekend, a group of friends who are car enthusiasts took a short Fall Cruise down a stretch of Historic Route 66 between Dwight and Pontiac, IL. It was a gorgeous, sunny and blue sky October day. We had 10 people in 9 cars. I was the sole Z, and sole import for that matter in the group. One guy had an awesome 8K mile 1970 Superbird that was really mint. Other cars included: Factory Five Cobra, '66 Mustang, '71 Torino,'74 Grand Am, '76 Trans Am, '67 Camaro convertible, and a 2015 Mustang. The new Mustang was designated chase car in case someone broke down. Fortunately we did not need to press it into duty. The first stop was an old Texaco Gas Station that was built in 1933. It was the longest operating gas station along Route 66 until 1999. Next stop was a Standard Oil Gas Station built in 1932 and operated until 1975. Both had been restored back to their original condition. We met people from all over. At the Standard Station I met a father and son from Oregon. They were really excited to see my Z and talk about Z's. The son has a '72 Z that was handed down form his aunt, who was the original owner. It was his first car, at the age of 15! Lucky guy. We had lunch at the Old Log Cabin Restaurant which was built in 1926, the year Route 66 opened. The food is really good too. Unfortunately I did not get a picture of it. We ended the tour in Pontiac, IL. We saw the Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum, along with multiple other museums. Lastly we saw the Oakland-Pontiac Automobile Museum. They had some beautiful cars on display. They have 51 cars in the collection. Eighteen at a time are on display and they rotate them periodically. If you are in the area and have the chance, it is well worth the time to take the tour. The Texaco Station had a map of the World, with push pins stuck in it, which showed where where visitors had come from. There was as many visitors from abroad as there were from the U.S. Route 66 clearly has a special place the hearts of travelers and car people from around the globe.

I have a 2009 Lexus GX470. It has the same V8 that the Toyota Tundra has and is rated at 6,500 lbs towing capacity. Although I don't tow a Z behind it anymore. I have a Featherlite aluminum trailer that weighs about 1,100 lbs, and my Bondurant Mustang weighs 3,410, so about 4,500 lbs total. I hardly know it is behind me when towing. I use a Teckonsha (sp?) brake controller. It has a adjustment wheel that you can turn until the truck and the tralier are stopping approximately at the same rate. Overall, I am really happy with this set up. Marty

If I recall correctly, there is a threaded hole on the top and the side. Just move the plug to the top and plug the other hole. That's what I did on my '71.

I don't remember who I sold it too. I bought it from John Coffey, who originally made it. Maybe John has a drawing of it? Would not hurt to ask, I guess.

This design does not mount to the bumper. It mount BEHIND the bumper. It only uses the bumper bolts to secure the bar, which is plenty strong. If anything, it adds protection to the body that the bumper sadly does not provide.

HA! That's the back of my car. The diff plate was made to mount up to the existing holes in the cross-member. The part that is not shown, connects just in front of the ball. That bar mounts behind the bumper and uses the existing bumper mounting holes. I added a couple of pictures, but it is hard to see the cross piece. There is a gentle bend to it to follow the curve of the rear of the car. I used to haul my track tires and a large tool box on a Harbour Freight trailer. It worked really well. I sold the hitch to a member on this forum years ago. If he is still around, maybe he would sell it to you. He seemed to only need it for a move that he was making at the time. Good luck with it. Marty

I saw this website years ago. It was never clear whether they actually produced any shells or not. I am sure shipping to the US would be pretty high.

Mark, In Illinois there is a cash lane. You will pay twice the toll, but you don't have to have an I-Pass. I believe Indiana and Ohio have cash booths as well. I live in a NW suburb of Chicago, if, heaven forbid you have car trouble in this area. I even have a car trailer that I could pick you up with. I will PM you my cell number. Marty

Here is a picture of my old track car. It shows you what round fog lights would look like on a car.

This is the second person that said it was a steal. I am curious as to what a car like like this goes for today.

Congrats on finding what looks like a real gem!! Hopefully the time in Ohio did not let rust creep into it. It looks really clean from the pictures. Looks like the dash is not even cracked. How many miles are showing? I will be watching to see how easy this car come back to life. Enjoy the process. Marty

You absolutely DO NOT want to use Armorall on the dash. Many people have found it to cause the dash to crack. Warm, soapy water is good for cleaning. I use Vaseline to protect the dash. It put back some of the petroleum oils into the vinyl, and makes it look shiney. It helps to soften the vinyl too.

Well done!! Your car is in beautiful shape. That is exactly the kind of guy I like to buy cars from. You can really tell the pride of ownership that he had. Enjoy it!!

I stongly recommend that you use a relay and wire in the oil pressure switch. You really don't want the fuel pump to keep running if the engine quits, due to an accident or anything else. I wired mine up like Jarvo2's diagram. It was not that hard to do, and I suck at wiring. Good luck! Marty

This is what I did on my '71. Just make a small jumper to go from one side of the T Plug to the other. That will get you running. Then you can get a relay and wire in the oil pressure switch.

Great looking car! Could you show some detailed pictures of the roll cage? Especially around the dash and windshield. Thanks!

That thing is so rusty that it looks like it was parked IN salt water, !!

I have that one. I think you will like it.

I bought a Quick-jack BL-3500 from BendPak http://www.bendpak.com/Shop-Equipment/QuickJack/BL-3500.aspx I got the 12v versions so I could use it on the race car at the track. It works well, lifts the car 17" off the ground and it is much more stable than jack stands. If you will never use the portability of the lift, it comes in a 110v version as well. My only complaint is that it is kind of heavy, but that is because it it very well built. Marty

I removed the vent tank with no problems whatsoever. It is a U.S. Emissions device. Non U.S. vehicles leave them out, per Nissan's design. I even used a Nissan hose from a non-U.S. spec vehicle that deleted the tank. That was many years ago and I don't have the P/N any longer. It may be in the parts manual though.

Doug has got this right. I do contracts for a living. Without a signed contract, the owner has absolutely no recourse against you. Even if you had a signed contract, it would cost him a lot of money to sue you and enforce the contract. Probaly more than the car is worth. Just treat the $500 as a valuable lesson learned. You should post pictures of the car and this person's EBay name so others can stay away from this joker. Next time you find a car that you think you want, send a post to the community here and see if there is a member that lives close by.who would be willing to check out the car for you and possibly help close the deal. I have had members here go look at a car for me. I also have checked out a car for another member. He ended up buying the car and was thrilled with it. Don't get discouraged. There are still plenty of good 240Z's out there for sale by reputable owners. Good luck with the next deal. Marty