MikeW

I think it's safe to call them "dealer" add-on wheels as opposed to calling them factory options. Mine are marked "US INDY MAG". The same thing goes for A/C system in 240Z's as well as some other options.

That's exactly what I want to do. I just figure that the hardest part will be finding a copuple of connectors that match those from the factory. I've already got two relays and eveything else I need.

I wondered about the round tops as well but the ad doesn't really claim that everything is original - just that it's all Nissan OEM with the exception of the coil (which is fairly ugly, I'd say).

What about the engine compartment itself? It looks as though it were poorly painted black and now the paint is coming off. Surely that's not original. I've never seen a blue air cleaner housing either but that doesn't mean it's not original.

What I'd like to see is something that plugs right in at the headlight connectors thereby eliminating the need to cut any wires in the engine compartment wiring harness.

Too Intense is a vendor of Datsun restoration parts. I got some seat covers and a carpet set from them. If you go to their web page you'll see the same car advertised. http://www.datsunrestore.com/

Amazing. It seems to me that it would have been easier to build a full scale replica. At least then he'd be able to buy some of the components (like the tires) instead of having to reproduce them.

All of the news stories I've read said 4 or 5 dogs a month, not per day as was indicated in an earlier message. Cold blooded animals don't need much food to survive.

There are several people on the net who've added the relays while still using the standard headlight switch on the stalk. Is this what you're talking about? Here are the links I have bookmarked; I'm sure there are more: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/pparaska/Headlight_Relay_pg1.htm http://www.zccne.addr.com/tech-docs/headlight-relay-upgrade.pdf

It seems to me the biggest factor in a V8 swap is the availabilty of properly engineered components. Unless you plan to do a lot of fabrication yourself you'd probably want to go with one of the proven designs of a commercially available kit. That, in turn, will probably limit your choices of specific engines.

According to a road test comparison from the Jan. 1973 issue of the British "Sports Car World" magazine, the two cars are roughly equal in terms of performance. 240Z (6 cyl, 151HP, 0-60 8.5). TR6 (6 cyl, 150HP, 0-60 8.5). However, the article makes it quite clear which car they prefer. Some quotes from the article: "To sum up: In tight bends, there's just no comparison between the two cars. The Z driver can just sit back and play games with the soft-cap TR man." "Really, the TR6 is just a poor old tired thing with a ruggedly handsome body and a beautiful engine." "The Z is basically an infinitely better motor car although it has its problems with that poorly developed front end, tasteless, plasticky trim and a noisy rear suspension that's harder than it should be". Keep in mind that people are fiercely protective of their favorite cars and tend to exaggerate their advantages. I wouldn't pay much attention to the boasting.

It's not very hard to completely recover the seats yourself. Plenty of places sell a pair of new seat covers (bottom and back for both seats) for under $200 US. You may need to add to that a small amount if the straps under the seat need replacing and another $90 or so per seat if you want to completely replace the foam core.

Forgive me for my ignorance but it doesn't seem like it would make much difference. Presumably your engine won't overheat until it's well above the boiling point of water (212 F). With proper antifreeze your boiling point should be over 250 F. In either case, both thermostats would be wide open at that point and therefore have the same effect on a hot engine. If you're engine wants to overheat at that point it seems like the problem would be elsewhere in the cooling system (radiator, water pump, etc.)

If one of the wires to the light is always hot then that means that the circuit is grounded when the tank level is low. You should be able to manually ground it and verify that it lights up.

That's my understanding, but as always, keep in mind that there's no clean cut distinction between model years. It's probably only safe to say that reclining seats started appearing sometime in the fall of 1971.

My 72 (very early 9/71 build date) has reclining seats.

Mine's the same; I think that's the norm.

I'm fairly certain this is an illegal form of gambling. After all, what's a used 2000 Boxster worth? Certainly far less than the $70,000 they'd make if they managed to sell all 700 tickets.

Nope, it's just a regular belt that happens to have rounded ridges on the outside; I'm not sure why. Here's on place to buy stickers and decals: http://www.zzxdatsun.com/

You can see where the decal should be in the very bottom right corner of this picture. I peeled off my decal and you can see the original green paint beneath it. http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=5340&password=&sort=7&thecat=500

I recall previous discussions of people finding factory inspection papers hidden in various parts of the car. I just noticed a hand painted marking on my dash frame right where the steering column bolts up. I'm hoping this doesn't say "defective" or something like that. Who has the answer?

My TiVo recorded it just fine on DirecTV channel 232 at 8:30PM EST. I thought it was a good show; lots of pre-production shots of 240Z models and drawings. The show covered the entire Z/ZX range in 30 minutes. Technically is seemed fairly accurate with the notable exception of continually calling the latest model the 350ZX.

Nothing on my clutch pedal. I think this contest is a scam and everyone who enters should get the prize. Here's the brake pedal:

You can either remove the heater control panel or the glove box to get to the clock. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages. You can search old discussions here for the details. As I recall, there's a guy on the net who repairs clocks and/or sells repaired clocks. I don't have the link right now but I'll look for it ...

I heard a story a while back about a kid with a soap box derby car. After he won the race he was asked why he painted his car black. Expecting a childish answer the adult asking the question was shocked when the kid explained that the sun caused the black surface to warm up faster thereby causing the air in close proximity to expand and therefore making his car faster due to the lower drag caused by thinner air.