Marty Rogan

Hey Bill, Now that you have the '73 painted, you will have to change your signature line! Marty

Click on the link in my first post. 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. The driver's door came out so well, that you can't tell the difference in color from the original panels. Marty

Welcome to the club! You have come to the right place. I also happen to have a blue on blue '70. It is both a blessing and a curse. The blue interior is very rare, so you don't see many around. But trying to get original parts for it is nearly impossible. If you don't have to have Nissan parts, then best place to get aftermarket replacements is Classic Datsun: http://www.classicdatsun.com/ They were one of the original shops hired by Nissan to perform restorations on the Classic Z-Car Program. They carry the interior plastic panels, seat covers, and diamond vinyl. Maybe the headliner too. Getting door panels is next to impossible. I have owned my car since 1998 and still have not found a new blue drivers door panel. I bought a black one and dyed it blue to match with SEM vinyl dye, great stuff. I can send you instructions on how to do it if you need them. Visors were blue, carpet was black. New dashes for a 1970 are also pretty impossible to find. Occassionally they might come up on ebay, but be prepared to pay big bucks for them. The correct Datsun paint code is Blue 903. A good body shop should be able to match it. Post some pictures. We always like to see pics of a new member's car. You can check my gallery to see mine. Marty

These guys have given some excellent, sound advice. The only thing I could add is, take your time and be picky. It is well worth the extra time to get a good one. Also, save up your money and buy the very best example you can find, even if you have to buy a plane ticket there and drive it home. I did that on my last 2 and it was a blast. Buying one that has been kept up or partially restored will save you a lot of money in the long run. Check out the Z websites and here: http://www.collectorcartraderonline.com/ There are about 100-200 Z's for sale most of the time. It just takes work and patience to find the right one. Hey, the hunt is part of the fun! Good luck on your search. Marty

Several months back he got dis-enchanted with the website. He didn't really say why and I didn't ask. WE trade emails occassionally, mostly about racing. He seems to be doing well. Marty

Thanks for the calculator website. So it looks like the the 4.44 will drive up the RPM's slightly. Does that mean it would accelerate quicker than the 4.11? I'll have to play around with the calculator. On the track that I normally compete at I can get up to 80-90MPH. I will be doing an event or two at Road America, where I can get upwards of 110+. I wouldn't want to drive the revs up too much for that. Marty

Having a flat can be a real pain. It's better tha have one and avoid being stranded somewhere. I just take my spare out when I get to the track. Marty

I have a '71 240Z that I use for High Speed AX at the track, and for lapping days, along with street driving. It has the stock engine at the moment. In the near future, I will be installing a 5spd from a '78. I have been looking into diff choices. Was thinking of using a 4.11 out of a '84-85 Nissan 4x4. I might have a shot at an R190 with a 4.44 ratio. My question is, how much difference would there be between a 4.11 and a 4.44?? Also, what would the differences be? TIA, Marty

Ben, Who told you that waxing the car would make it worse?? Maybe with some Walmart wax, not with a high quality wax. Which do you think would last longer (fade less), protected pain or un-protected paint? The longer you wait, the more damage will occur. I believe the Zaino was has UV protectants in it. I witnessed the proceedure I detailed to you at a Z-Show held at a Detailer's Shop. He took one of the members 280z daily driver that looked like it had not been waxed in about 2 years. It had really dull and faded paint. After he did the hood, the difference was amazing. That faded hood really shined! It did it on my own car and had similar results. Well, its your car, and you can do what you like with it, but it won't get any better on its own. Let us know the results on whatever you do. Marty

I have a car with a blue interior and I can tell you they are black. All of the seat brackets, arm rests and consoles were black, no matter what color your interior was. Marty

Thanks for the info. That is good to know. Do you still have to cut the dust shields to make them fit? Marty

Just remember, you are paying the premiums for a reason. To fairly compensate you for the loss of YOUR property. It is not only being paid to make the insurance company rich!!! Consider whatever they offer you as a starting point in negotating a fair value for the car. In 1987, my first Z (1973 240Z) caught fire and burned. This was after I had spent 7 years on a ground up restification. The inexperienced young female claims adjuster offered me $1,900. I told her that her offer was completely unacceptable and I demanded an in person meeting with her supervisor and his boss. I brought to the meeting several pictures showing all angles and features of the car, a monster stack of receipts, and recent copies of Hemmings Motor News showing comparable cars for sale. Fortunately for me, the boss was a car guy who had just restored a '68 Camaro. He knew the value of what I had done to the car. After about an hour of negotiating, I walked out of there with a check for $6,700. It was short of the $10K I actually had into the car, but I am sure that I could not have gotten more than that if I had sold the car. I was bummed at the loss, but reasoanbly pleased with the settlement. Moral of the story. The settlement is negotiable. The more you are prepared when you go in to meet with them, the more you will walk out with in your pocket. Today I have 2 240Z's and both have stated value policies on them, so I know what they will be paying. I hope the car is found in good shape before you have to go through all of that. It can happen, just ask Vicotr. Good luck! Marty

$5,900 sounds pretty high for a car that has rust. For that price, I would expect the car to run and drive well, have decent paint and only have some minor things to fix. Keep looking. There are lots of Z Cars that come on the market. Be patient and wait for the right one. You won't be sorry. Check all of the Z Car websites weekly (daily). Check here: http://www.collectorcartraderonline.com/ Ther are 47 240Z's and 76 280Z's available right now. Don't be afarid to call on cars in the rust-free zones. Several members here have offered to look at cars in their area for other club members. I know I have done it. The cost of a 1 way airline ticket could be substantially less that the cost of rust repair. Good luck and enjoy the hunt! Marty

Lance, Check here: http://zhome.com/ There are some good tips on what to look out for under "Buying a Z Car". I really don't know much about the price ranges for a 280Z. As they say pictures are worth a thousand words. A test drive is even better! Marty

jamrk, I went back and looked at your pictures again. Your car has the ash tray in front of the shifter, so it DOES have a Type A tranny. You said it has vertical defrosters? And I see it has the fresh air vents on the side instead of the hatch. It appears that you have one of the transition cars. Right on the edge of the change over to the new style. Dogma said: "I was wondering, I know for a fact that the stock bushings make a huge difference from the old worn out ones to just new ones (the 2 side ones and the ball part that drops into tranny)....what kind of difference is there between new stock and the performance ones you have? Any links on where to get them?" What you are describing sounds like a Type B trans. The kit that I have and what jmark showed from the Courtesy website are for the Type A trans only. I have seen sound so-called "performance bushings" for the Type B trans on Ebay, but I have not first hand knowledge of how well they work. Anybody out there use those?? Marty

What's the build date stamped into the door jam? Check Bambi's response: "Notation at the bottom of that page indicates it's for 240Z's mfg'd up to 8/71" If you have a Series II, you have a Type B tranny and this kit won't fit. Marty

Jmark, That's the one. The Type A tranny was only used on the '70 and early '71 models. When they swithed to the "Type II" series 240Z, they switched to the Type B tranny. All the 5spds are considered Type B trannies too. Dogma, the short shift kit is a different product that what we are discussing here. We are discussing a bushing only kit. I would sell you my delrin kit for $15. I would like to wait until I have the 5 spd in my hands though, if you don't mind waiting. Marty

The Nismo shift kit I am describing is only for a type A tranny. It basically replaces the rubber bushings with aluminum ones, or in the case of the knock off kit, delrin. Either one gives a very positive shift with a lot less slop. Marty

Mark, FL is pretty rough on a car. That could explain the fading. You mentioned that he is giving you the paint. Is it SEM vinyl dye. I used that to change the drivers door panel from black to blue. Couldn't find a blue one. That stuff works great. PM me with your email address and I can send you instructions on how to prep an use SEM. I put a NISMO shifter bushing kit in and it works great. Takes a lot of the slop out. The kit consists of 2 aluminum bushings and new washers. I bought a knock off kit off of eBay that uses 2 delrin bushings instead of aluminum. Haven't seen another one listed for a while. I am planning to put a 5 spd in my '71. When I do, I won't need the knock off kit. Marty

Mark, You can try wrapping the shifter threads with some plumbers teflon tape. Sometimes that is enough to tighten it up. Some of the very early cars I have seen have had a darker shift knob. My '70, blt 6/70 has a darker knob. The car looks very nice. I am partial to cars with the blue interior. It's very rare. My '70 has it as well. It is somewhat surprising that the seats would need to be replaced and the interior panels are faded on such a low mileage car. Even the paint for that matter. It must have sat outside for some of its life. With 37K, it's hardly broke in. Nice find. Marty

I used to have 16" wheels on my Z when I first got it. The rear had 225/60/16 tires on it with no rubbing problems. The front was another story. If you put anything bigger than 205's on there, it would rub the front of the fender well on full lock turns. I didn't like the look at all and dumped the wheels for some 15" Panasports. Now I have 215/60/15's on there. After a minor amount of rolling the front fender lip, I don't have any rubbing. A 50 series tire would not probably rub at all. This car is more of a cruiser, so I was was trying to save some comfort. Marty

I remember reading an article, maybe in Sport Z magazine, about a guy restoring a 240Z in the UK. Sorry I can't remember his name, but it was a green Z. The guy had done a quite extensive restoration, the car was beautiful. That is the first time I saw them. I looked around and could only find one, not so great picture of the ones I am talking about. Do you have a picture of the ones Datsun UK fitted on them. Thanks, Marty

Nice pictures of the UK Car. That brings up another thing that I have been wondering about. I have seen a few pictures of UK cars now. Did they have different rear view mirrors mounted on the doors than the US spec model? Most of the pictures I have seen show dual mirrors and they seem to have a more bullet-like or streamlined shape. I really like the look of them. Marty

I bought the MSA seat covers. My bet is that they are the same ones that Too Intense sells, since the description sounds just like what Mike W said. I visited Classic Datsun once and saw their covers in person. I could not tell the difference from on original Nissan cover. The grain is the best match I have seen out there. Marty