Kathy & Rick

Hi, Mike, Rick here. Everybody before me agrees that she's a beauty, and I couldn't agree more! She will only get better as the project progresses. Great to meet you at Nashville (Franklin). You are one of the people I was hoping to meet, given our similar interests in Z Cars. I wish we had had more time to talk and interact; it all went so quickly. Now that I see the progress on your project, I will have to save up for a trip to Seattle so we can continue our conversation(s) in the presence of your little GEM! Having had auto body repair training, I was astonished to see the production markings which had been hidden under the paint. But I was not nearly as astonished to see how the primer and surface coats had "hidden" that information, as I was to see how the primer and paint had managed to "stick" at all. I don't know what material was used to make the markings, but unless there is what we call a good "tooth" for each succeeding layer to adhere to, or to "grasp" or "grip" if you will, the likelihood of peeling is very high. So, that is fascinating to me. Equally fascinating is your com-ment concerning the marking "No. 3." I suppose we will never know for sure if HLS30-00210 was indeed an early test mule that was eventually released to the public as a production vehicle. Based on what I have read, I rather doubt it. But if indeed it could be proven so at some time future, I couldn't be happier for BOTH YOU AND HER. Whichever VIN proves to be the accurate one for the car will never minimize the condition OF, and obvious bright future FOR, this spectacular find! All Z Best,............................Kathy & Rick

Great observation, Den; I was thinking about the 13'6" clearances on underpasses more than the CG. At least the guy doesn't have to be concerned about being thrown to the right on hard left turns--he is held firmly in place! FWIW,..........All Z Best,..........Kathy & Rick

Same here, Mike, great to meet you and to talk to you in person. That was probably the highlight of the Convention/Show for me, meeting you and several others who had previously just been names in print on a screen. Now I know y'all are REAL PEOPLE! LOLLOL I flipped over to the reference you provided, and sho' nuff, that looks to be the same critter. I had forgotten whether it had been in the Bob Sharp or the Comp Dept catalogue, or whether we just got it directly from Clifford. Being with Sharp at the time, it could have been any of those. BTW the downside of the over-and-under arrangement at the rear is that if your car is lowered at all, it is easy to find places to scuff the lower extension. Don't read any farther unless you are very brave; this is going to KILL you! I just looked into the file on the '70 car. In Apr 76 (at my price) the whole system cost me right at $250 installed! It sounds dirt cheap now, but it was about 2 weeks' pay at the time! FWIW,.............All Z Best,...................Kathy & Rick

I'm really surprised that no one has mentioned Clifford Research, since Clifford are inline 6-cylinder specialists. We've had a Clifford header and full length dual exhaust system on our '70 since about 1973 and we think it is terrific. Durable, nice looking, performance increase, nice tone, etc. One of the reasons we bought the '79 ZX recently, other than the price, was because it has Clifford products on it including a 4-barrel conversion on a Clifford intake. Having been pleased with Clifford products in the past, the Clifford element closed the current deal. FWIW,..........All Z Best,.................Kathy & Rick

See if you can get hold of Jim Jackson, VP of New York Z Car Club. Website is NYZCC.org, Jim goes by Jim260Z. Jim has had a car similar to your RHD 2+2 for some time now, and might be a valuable resource on what to do, how to do it, whom to speak to for what............... Or if you plan to go to ZCON2010 (hope you do, I'd like to meet you), Jim and his wife and daughter are going to be there too. All Z Best,....................................Kathy & Rick

Carl (cbudvet) gave you a really good rundown on things! Nice job! And Polecat (I like your "handle"), welcome to the World of Z. I was up against the same dilemma on replacing hoses: whether to spend hundreds of dollars on a replacement set of fabric covered or not. 26thZ to the rescue. Chris told me that in the show competitions it is recognized that some parts are difficult to find and others are nearly im- possible except at great price. So if I understood correctly, it is okay to have either all fabric covered or all black rubber, so long as the set of hoses is all the same type. I.E., no mixing and matching. Carl is right, the overrider bars were one of the earliest of the dealer- installed add-ons. In 1970 each dealer got an allocation of maybe 2 Z's per month to try to keep up with a waiting list of maybe 20 names. So it was common for dealers to increase their profit margin by installing a few "options." When the earliest person on the waiting list was notified that their Z had arrived, they could either "take it or leave it." Same with color. If you didn't take it, the next person on the list would. If you were lucky you would retain your position on the list. If you had a hard-nosed dealer you might be told "here's your deposit back, see you when you're serious." The front overrider bar (more than the rear) was one of the more practical "options," however. At first I didn't care for it (them) too much since they seemed to disturb the sleekness of the car. But when I began to see a lot of Z's with dinged or bent hoods, due to the point of the hood being so far forward as to be susceptible to people who "park by ear," I realized their value. So since you have it (them), I would definitely keep it (them). Not to mention you would have holes to fill or bumperettes to replace at sig- nificant cost if you chose to remove it (them). Your car being a 6/72 build date (unquestionably a '72 model year and what we call a "Series 2" car), the only thing you want to be concerned about the hatch is whether the defroster elements run horizontally across the glass. If vertical, it is a Series 1 hatch (1970-early 71). If no defroster elements, it is a 1969 hatch and I will trade you the hatch off my '72 parts car PLUS CASH for it. Welcome to the site. Ask a lot of questions, there are a lot of guys on the site who will gladly help you as you progress. All Z Best,.....................................Kathy & Rick

E, the R/F strut data plate is there. I got deceived the same way; the earlier photo just didn't go far enough down. One of the last photos spefically showed that plate, and one or two photos later we saw it was numbers matching by a photo of the engine casting showing L24-085210. All in all it looks like a nice, legitimate car. The owner didn't seem to be hiding anything, and I see a stack of receipts to verify what work had been done. If the car were not 3000 miles away, I might take a look at it myself.

And if Ron (Geezer) doesn't take it, we could be interested. I'm putting together parts to make the '70 original again if I should decide to. It is VIN HLS30-06289, build date 6/70. If the tank is for an older application than that, we might could use it on one of the '69's, as we are getting a lot of "mud and crud" thru the fuel system after their being laid up for 30 or more years. If you should be coming to ZCON2010, we will be there for the duration. All Z Best,....................................Kathy & Rick remjr12241@gmail.com

I am VERY interested in this information, Kats, since it is approaching very near to one of our cars. I have been interested in this type of information for 40 years now, and it is so nice to have more of it made available from a reliable source. So, domo arigato for that, and please keep up the good work. If you are able to make the ZCON2010 show in Nashville it will be a great pleasure to meet you, so that you are no longer just a name on an email post. All Z Best,................................Kathy & Rick

Roger that! Been w/them near 47 yrs myself, ever since a cadet, I think. ~Rick~

How about a pile of wet leaves on an unpainted/unprimered surface, resulting in an area that never gets dry. FWIW,...........Rick

Not all that far away, John! Close enough that we could get to see you sometime soon. Maybe even as early as Sat. July 17 if you would care to join us at the CT Z Car Club annual show at Middletown Nissan. Even if you don't enter the show, come on down and meet a bazillion great people from miles around, and see pretty nearly that many cars. All other readers of this post within driving range are also invited. If you have to fly in or take a boat, you should probably leave your Z at home, but come anyway and have a good time. We will provide shuttle trans. More details on CTZCC.com, go to "Upcoming Events." All Z Best,...............................Kathy & Rick

Moonpup, you' da man! I appreciate your sharing that, to show us what can be done if we should ever get into a similar fix. I would guess, however, that you have a real good carrier and agreed value coverage? All Z Best,.....................................Kathy & Rick

I could make 2 or 3 minor corrections, but overall, a really good article. It was nice to "relive what happened back in the day," but it would be even better to meet AND TO THANK the man who made it all happen. With Mr K being age 100 now, I guess we will have to arrange a trip to Japan for that. Being pretty near a charter member Z guy, I would find that a real thrill. All Z Best,.............................Kathy & Rick

I used to be w/Bob Sharp back in the '70's. Everything conedodger and gnosez said is accurate; in fact, we published a catalog of our own. Wish I still had a copy, that would be a nice collector's item as well as a nice memento of the times, memorabilia if you will. I knew (and know) the guy and his company that had the molds and made all the fiberglass parts for Z's, 510's, you name it. Haven't seen him for awhile, but I would bet that he would get the molds out to make a piece if requested.... Thanks for reminding me, I have to get a new front spoiler for the 510, or repair it. I broke ours. Coincidental that you should bring this up, bsharp, as I was just out to Vinny Bedini's shop today to see how work on our car was coming along. One 240Z in the shop had a 4-barrel conversion, and the intake manifold had a large "Bob Sharp Racing" in the casting. BTW Vinny was one of the car builders and mechanics on the National Champion BSR teams, and having had his own business for about 30 years now on top of that, is the "Go-To Guy" on the earlier Datsuns. If there is somebody better than Vinny, he must be pretty special. All Z Best,.................................Kathy & Rick

Agreed, Carl!! I couldn't have said it any better. It strikes me as being a lot like a marriage: a lot of love and a lot of great times, but sometimes you have to work thru a few difficulties to get back to the great times again (I said it that way intentionally; the love never stopped being there)! P.S.: Carl, I bet you have a great story on your 333 car! All Z Best,...................................Kathy & Rick

Amazing what they can do, isn't it, Mike? And even with the state-of-the- art advancing and new equipment and techniques evolving, I don't think anyone can beat an old-timey auto body repairman. I was top graduate in my class in auto body repair, and I couldn't begin to hold a candle to those guys. They smack and beat and look and smack and beat and look some more, and smack and beat and bend it a little and tweak it. And then they smudge in a tiny drop of lead or body filler, file and sand a little, and it's ready for primer. I have watched them in complete awe, and I guess you could even say in disbelief, except I SEE THE FINISHED PRODUCT, SO I HAVE TO BELIEVE WHAT I SAW! Sadly, they are a vanishing species, as are real good mechanics. What we have today (with rare exception) are parts replacers. It's all economics. It's cheaper to buy a new whatever than to pay the hourly rate for a skilled guy to straighten or repair the original. I hope that you guys with dents in your Z can find such a guy if you aren't one yourselves, because I don't have to tell you, a lot of Z panels and parts are also getting hard to find in any reasonable condition. All Z Best,...................................Kathy & Rick

Dave, I like the car. And as a former Paratrooper/Ranger I like the color! Dennis said it right, the right guy will come along and snap that car right up at four grand. I garn-dam-tee-ya (still got the Texas in me, I don't suppose I'll ever lose it) I would be that guy, except that I have this propensity for getting the zoning authorities on my case. Some of the vehicles I had to sell or dispose of to get them out of my face, I still feel angry when I think about it. I suppose that blue-on-blue Series 1 1971 was the worst kick in the teeth, that was one nice car. Distance is no problem, I would use the purchase as an excuse to take a vacation and visit a state I haven't been in, in a long time. In fact if I did the right routing, I could do ND, SD, MT, ID, and OR in the same trip, and then have all 50 covered. (Except for the other 7 Obama talked about.) HANG ONTO THAT CAR, I'LL CALL AAA FOR A ROUTING AND DEAL WITH THE AUTHORITIES WHEN I GET BACK!!!! (Just kidding, high property taxes and insurance rates are also a big challenge up here in the Northeast!) BTW that Tuff Kote Dinol is great stuff, it is what saved your car. It's a product originally formulated for military applications, and is basically the predecessor of the Ziebart process. I had Tuff Kote on a '71 510 and it was great (thanks for that loss, too, you zoning SOB's (Silly Old Boys))! All Z Best,...........................Rick (and Kathy too, of course)

Morning, Stephen! Morning, everyone! Well, guys, Stephen has me figured out pretty accurately! I do enjoy the bantering. When I contribute, it is indeed according to what I have learned and can recall from over the years, especially the 1970 decade. So in the cases where I don't have the information recorded in some manner, I have to rely on memory which, when talking about things of 30 and 40 years ago, can be a little "fuzzy" at times. I do it with full realization that someone else may have more accurate or more recent information. In that sense, I guess you could say it is for the purpose of generating feedback, which IS a form of reaction. I don't think that either Stephen or Alan is being nasty at all; in fact, I rather enjoy their responses, which I don't interpret as being nasty, but rather as an indicator of their zeal and intensity regarding things 'Z'. I really appreciate that! BTW, for the younger guys who are management prospects, a very useful technique for generating discussion among the staff is to make a statement or a proposal, then ask where your thinking is wrong or why the proposal wouldn't work. That way you can get the thinking of a whole bunch of people into the mix, while inciting some really lively, constructive interaction in so doing! Moonpup, no offense intended! I was actually agreeing with while amplifying what you had said. Mike B, thanks for your information, which I will use to update my data. And also for the excellent suggestion on where to find even more information; I will certainly visit those sites. Geezer (Ron), your contributions are ALWAYS very insightful to all of us, on how the internal operations of an auto manufacturing plant function and dovetail to arrive at a finished product. I totally agree that a guided tour of a plant, especially one producing 240Z's (no longer possible), would not only be instructive, but exciting as well. Perhaps something like that will be possible during ZCON2010 in the near future. Alan, thanks for understanding that when I abbreviate a VIN, I am not slighting or denigrating the Z population of any other nation or continent. GaryinNJ did a fine job of describing how I am using a sort of shorthand that most will understand while others make their regional adjustments. All of you fellow Z lovers are great, and it would be wonderful to have an opportunity to meet and talk in person with each one of you at some point in time!! What would keep that from happening? (Here we go again!) All Z Best,.........................Rick (and Kathy, of course)

Don't get nervous, guys, I'm just playing catch-up after a few days. Moonpup (re. post #1), I wouldn't have a problem with the odo reading 86747. On a 40-year-old car it could be that, or have a 1, 2, or even 3 in front of it by this time if there were enough places. If the car looks like it could still be on its first time around, I could accept that. After all, our #171 car has 28700 miles. And I know that for a documented fact because we bought her in Aug 73 from the original owner (whom we knew) with 26000 miles on her at the time (the car, not the PO)! Deadflo (re. post #2), that looks like a good early air cleaner box to me. I don't know of any variances in the lengths of the snouts, but all your Series 1 came without a carburetor preheater "valve", hence no control on top of the snorkel to regulate the preheater function. cbudvet (re. post #3), looking at my records, it doesn't seem like Datsun ran a bunch of cars of one color, then another bunch of another color. Though that would seem to be the logical thing to do: hit as many as you can while you have that color in the sprayer! The only things I can think of are 1) several booths are in operation at the same time with a different color in each, 2) several sprayers are prepared with product and a different one is used on each successive vehicle, or 3)there is indeed one color at a time but the cars don't run through in anywhere near perfect VIN-number sequence. #13 is gold, #16 was green, #19 is silver. Chris' #26 and 27 are both green, while Mike B's #32 is blue. I would say they could have been trying to get a variety onto the first boat out, but then, as another example, #210 is white, #215 is silver, #216 is white, #231 is red, #237 is silver. Other than Chris' cars, I don't see any other back-to-back numbers of the same color, though there could be some. BTW the brochure notwithstanding, the 231 car is the earliest I have re- corded in red, which leads me to believe that the actual release of the 905 red was a little later. This fits with #400 being originally red, just as Stephen's #488 and John and Bev Bianchi's #450 were. Likewise with the 918 orange, I know of none earlier than #741. More to follow; got to go check to make sure Kathy is OK. All Z Best,...................Rick (and Kathy, of course)

Carl, are you the original owner of your 333 car? I ask because the earliest 240 I have ever seen (over a 40-year period) with a vertical defroster is #965, 1/70, owned by Joe and Dottie Novak. I'm thinking a PO might have replaced the clear original at some point in time due to vandalism or other breakage, or simply because he/she didn't like being without the rear defogger and was willing to pay to get one! All Z Best,.................................Kathy & Rick

Well, JT, you are certainly in a hub of activity for Z cars. I can think of at least 6 or 7 clubs between York PA and all of NC, depending what end of VA you are in and how far you like to drive your Z! All Z Best in your search,.....................Kathy & Rick

Might be a solution, but in my thinking, rubbing soap on it would LUBRICATE the belt. Therefore the SLIPPAGE would still be present even if the noise disappeared. I would tend more toward a product called Belt Dressing or its equivalent, which would help a belt to gain traction without unduly tightening the belt, thereby risking frying the bearings. That's what we used to use at Bob Sharp's years ago; maybe there is something even more state-of-the-art in use nowadays FWIW, ~Rick~.

I forgot where I first heard this, but it does work: "When all else fails, use a bigger hammer." FWIW, ~Rick~

Yup, we are thinking alike. In item #2 that which I referred to as an air dam or stone guard, you called a nose cone. We had the same idea in mind, but I like your term better-- it describes the location and function better than I did. Thanks for bailing me out. All Z Best,....................................Kathy & Rick