Carl Beck

But how can you tell - without seeing either the back of the wheel or the material of the spokes? Dayton, Dunlop, Tru-Spokes - all look pretty much the same in the pictures? Is there something unique about the Appliance Wire Wheels? thanks, Carl B.

The BRE Spook without the air ducts actually puts more downforce on the front of the car. The ducts were put there to direct cooling air to the brakes - but in order to do that effectively, you have to run duct tubes directly to the brakes from the Spook. Unless you add the rear spoiler - the car is a little bit better balanced when you use the ducted Spook. The more downfoce you put on the front - the more you off load the rear. (ie pushing down on the nose forces the rear up). FWIW, Carl B.

Lowest VIN for an A/T we have so far HLS30 08947 build 08/70. Grouped with it are 8958, 9033, 9062, 9591, 9603. I need to update the list on ZHome. Carl B.

Hi Chris: I said ..."pictures from the factory".. I guess I should have said "pictures taken at the factory"... Brian Long wrote: "Photographs and other illustrations have been sourced almost exclusively from the factory, so dedicated Datsun owners searching for originality are also well catered for." In the next para. Brian writes ."....Matsuo gave us some excellent photographs of the prototypes" Mr Matsuo in his book shows a photo of the 911 and Z sitting inside - the photo shows the front of both cars - I say "911" only because that is what the caption reads.. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Jim: repro's of what? or for which? 1. The early cars - Oct. 69 to who knows when.... These cars do not have the cross brace between the rear seat mounts on the floorboards. So the piece of carpet that goes under the seat is quite different than the later production cars. These cars do not have the tabs on the front floorboards that hold the front carpet in place either (ie keep it from bunching up under the brake and accel. pedals) 2. The Later Series I and II cars - with the brace across the the floorboard, behind the rear seat mounts, and the tool bins in the floor of the rear deck. . These car do have the tabs on the front floorboards... Picture Below: later 70 carpet on the Left and 69 carpet on the right. Also it is going to be hard to find the exact same loop pile today...it's out there and you can bet it would be $65.00 per yard. So with labor, binding, and the cost of materials - you might be able to get it done for under $600.00 per set. FWIW, Carl B.

Yes - and pictures from the factory show a 911 sitting beside the Z... This was done by the Design Dept. However, Mr. K said he never suggested looking at the German cars, rather he suggested the XK-E and other Italian models.

Yes - Actually I was at the Porsche Dealer trying to trade my 67 911S on a 1970 911E... we couldn't close the deal, so I was on my way back to the Base when I passed the DATSUN Dealer and saw a 240-Z in the showroom window. I bought the Z and kept my 911 for another six or eight months... then sold the 911 to another guy on the base (for several thousand dollars more than the Porsche Dealer would give on a trade). I've been driving 240-Z's ever since. Over the years that followed, all manor of other Classic/Collectible and Special Interest Cars came and went - but the 240-Z always stayed. Without regard to "price" the 240-Z is the best Sports/GT I've ever owned. FWIW, Carl B.

Ops... sorry - actually I was mixing two thought there - and screwed that sentence up. Ill fated - 914 and later the ill fated 928, the first because it wasn't a Porsche and the second because it wasn't a 911. Agreed - the 944 had beautiful lines. As for "power", yes the Mitsubishi designed, counter-rotating crank, 4 banger ran fairly soothly... Actually it wasn't the number of cylinders in the engine - the early Ferrari ran 4 cylinders... Rather it was the fact that Ferrari did not produce, nor sell the "DINO" as a "FERRARI". It did not carry the name "Ferrari" as it was originally produced. It really was a separate Brand, that shared an engine with the FIAT Dino. It was followed by another "DINO" that did not wear the FERRARI name - the DINO 308GT4. (followig the Fiat DINO 2+2). What is the same - is that both the VW-Porsche 914/S4 and DINO were hyped into something they really were not, and most Porsche and Ferrari customers knew it and rejected them, because they really weren't made for FERRARI nor PORSCHE customers in the first place. FWIW, Carl B.

Good points... but remember this car sold for a Buy-it-now of $13,500.00. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/71-DATSUN-240-Z-COLD-AC-Finance-Shipping_W0QQitemZ180206914634QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item180206914634#ebayphotohosting I know it sold, I know who bought it, and I inspected it for the buyer - even told him I didn't think it was worth that much - he did and he was tired of looking at rust buckets Mally02's Z is in far better condition overall - even with the few flaws. Hard to believe but good 240-Z's are getting very hard to find - and when you do find one you can expect to pay for it. Get the right bidders involved and it should bring at least the reserve... if not .. sell it later.. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Kats: I can't say for certain that I haven't heard the phrase .."poor man's Porsche" applied to the 240-Z, but if I did, it wasn't very often. As others have suggested, that phrase was more often applied to the VW/Porsche 914 when introduced, then later to the ill fated 924/944... here in the States. In 1970 the Porsche Owners of America would not allow owners of the VW built Porsche 914 to join their club, as the car was sold in Europe as a VW. The Prosche Factory in-turn, threatened to withdraw support form and association with, the club... so finally the club yielded... Porsche introducing the 914/6 also helped the image of the 914 series here... but not a whole lot. Porsche sold to an up-scale market, with higher prices and more limited production here in the U.S., and the Datsun 240-Z wasn't intended to penetrate that market. I don't believe that any of the people that bought 240-Z's, that I knew, did so because they wanted a Porsche but couldn't afford one. (I sold my 911 about six months after buying the 240Z). For the most part the people that bought Datsun 240-Z's did so because first and foremost it was a strikingly beautiful design. I would say that the styling alone attracted about 70% of the buyers - very few if any of which had ever wanted a Sports or Grand Touring Car before. About 30% of the buyers were already "Sport Car People". The fact of the matter is that the 240-Z had so much "Charisma" - that the truly wealthy people were buying/driving them - Hollywood Starts, Leading Sports Superstarts, High Tec. Gurus.. All people that could afford a Ferrari.... and they were paying the Datsun Dealers $3K to $5K over MSRP to get to the head of the list. (per Mr. Sage at Universal Datsun in L.A.).... In addition to it's beautiful lines - it could be rationalized for purchase, as a useful second car for the family, because it presented great "utility" with the large cargo area and hatch back design. None of these people bought the Z instead of a Porsche. The Z car was built to accommodate the average size American with lots of head and leg room (something sorely lacking in it's British and Italian competition). It also offered performance that would keep up with traffic, as well as providing comfort traveling the long distances between States on our Freeways. The real PLUS with the Datsun 240-Z was the proven reliability of the previous Datsun's sold in the States - especially the wildly successful DATSUN 510. The Datsun 240-Z was priced about the same as it's market competition. Fiat 124, MGB-GT, Triumph TR-6, Triumph GT6, Opel GT, SAAB Sonnet, Capri V6 - - and for the most part they are the cars that went out of business as the Datsun 240-Z soaked up their customer base. (even if the Datsun buyer had to pay a Dealer premium far above the MSRP - making a Z purchase far more expensive than buying its competition at the time). FWIW, Carl B.

If the spindle pin will not come out - then you need both of the parts it holds together - YES/NO?? Plus a new spindle pin. YES/NO? If the shop can't get the old one out - they shouldn't be doing suspension work. If they can't get it out - they should take the assembly to a machine shop and let them take it out. It isn't your fault they have their lift tied up -it''s their problem. Tell them to just put the car back together - and leave the driver's side bushings inside the car... then take it to someone that knows what they are doing. FWIW, Carl B.

13 of 36 Put the luggage straps back in.. and retake the picture 19 of 36 The side of the dash "looks" like it has orange overspray - fix that. (or use 24 of 36 and photoshop the orange glow out - as long as it really isn't there to begin with) The door panels have HOLES cut in them - that will hurt the sale.. Your call as to replace them or not. Lose the half dash cap - it looks to much like a cheap fix.... and makes people wonder what else you cheap screwed. Just tell people the dash is cracked as usual. 31 of 36 Battery Area - Did you remove the surface rust - and repaint as necessary? (ah I see in 34 of 36 that you cleaned it up.. 32 of 36 72 Carb's with 73 air cleaner... No battery hold down??? - return to OEM!! Get the shock tower plastic caps in place or explain that the shocks are adjustable... 16, 17, 18 of 36 are good detail shots to use in the E-Bay Ad.... You need better close up's of the rear deck threshold, the doglegs/rockers.... Use: 04 of 36 = Front View 05 of 36 = Rear View 07 of 36=Right Side View 08 of 36= Left Side View Reserve = $14,500.00 Buy-it-now = $17,500.00

Hi Will: Thanks, I feel better all ready! I have to admit that it was a trying but very rewarding trip. I want to tell everyone here, that the entire process was made far easier, indeed possible by the help from some very supportive Z Car friends. Will in particular - scouted out locations for the photo shoot, made arrangements with the Park Personnel, and alleviated the concerns of Mr. and Mrs Brock related to State Permits etc... Nothing could have been done about the weather, but Will pretty much took care of everything else. Oh by the way, he also picked the Brock's up at the Hotel, brought them to the site and then took them back!! Dr. Bill Coffey and Dr. Rich Lewis (two Z Car Original Owners) showed up in Rich's 4WD Yukon.. which we used to pull the car/trailer through the sand dunes and resulting high speed wind driven sand drifts.. and out onto the beach!! 280ZMaster (John) filled in taxi duty, taking people to from the the parking lot / photo shoot; after they had their cars stuck in the sand and were not able to get to the beach... it was indeed a group effort... and I greatly appreciated the support. Will is right of course - Getting the BRE BAJA Z back together with Mr. Brock was a real thrill for me, and Mr. Brock could not have been any more generous in his support during the restoration process, nor in his review of the finished (will almost finished) result. I've been a huge BRE fan since the beginning and indeed a follower of Peter Brock since he pinned the first drawings of the mid-year Corvettes at GM. My appreciation for his capability in the field of Design, grew when I first saw the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe.... Of all the forms of competition he was involved in, competing at the Baja was the event he most enjoyed and most wanted to win. He felt that the BAJA represented the greatest challenge possible to any racing shop. Of course not too many of the Sports Car magazines carried much news about BRE's BAJA efforts with Datsun... so not many people today are at all aware of BRE's 510's, Datsun Trucks, and the Z Car they fielded between 69 and 73 at the BAJA. However the BRE cars and trucks, as well as Mr. Brock himself, are very well known by the Off-Road Racers. The BRE BAJA Z was really an attempt by Mr. Brock to bring the Off-Road Racing enthusiasts closer together with the World Rally Championship events, by fielding a very noticeable DATSUN 240-Z at the BAJA. The colors and graphic design of the BRE Z's and 510's were as important to the promotion of the DATSUN Brand, as the competition efforts of the BRE Teams. While the BRE Baja Z was as fast on the dirt trail sections of the race as Parnelli Jone's famous "Big Oly" Bronco .... the Z was simply not as competitive on Baja's boulder strewn, rock crawling sections... Being there with a very noticeable Datsun 240-Z was the main goal however, and that goal was meet. Indeed many years later, Mexico has a WRC event - that runs many of the roads (dirt trails?) used for the Baja 1000 over the years. My main goal in restoring the BRE BAJA Z was to bring this important piece of DATSUN/BRE History to the forefront again. It is really a shame that NISSAN dropped support of the Factory Backed efforts for competition in the US in 1973 ....With farther Factory financial support, off road and rally competition development, and above all Promotion - we might have seen the WRC cars running at the BAJA 1000 - in their own class, on routes suitable to them decades sooner. I was very happy to see the BRE2.net web site brought on-line, as it contains a lot of information about the BRE's efforts at the Baja, also not commonly seen in our Sports Car Magazines... Pictures below: The BRE Baja Z in 73 and a couple of WRC cars in the 2008 Rally Mexico FWIW, Carl B.

That's BRE2.net or http://BRE2.net

I'm not certain when - but the early cars had cut-out's for the luggage straps, and later cars simply had holes for the mounting screws to go though, with the fasteners on top of the carpet. I noticed this on my early production 72 Z (11/71). FWIW, Carl B.

- - - - - - - - - - 240-Z CARPET FASTENERS Bulletin Number TS72-56, June 13,1972 Predelivery Service: To keep the front floor carpet in position, four fasterners are now included in each 240-Z. These fasteners are in the glove compartment of each car, and must be installed at the pre-delivery inspection according to the illustration. Beginning Serial Number: HLS30-77533 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - That would be a build date of 04/72 and later.... Just an FYI... FWIW, Carl B.

Hi John: That car was made for your Daughter... It was great to meet you, your Wife and Daughter at Amelia. You have to be very careful what cars your kids stand next too for photographs when they are little..... you might wind up buying the cars when they are older!! Here is a picture of my son (the one that was with me at Amelia), standing next to a Ferrari that we saw at the 24 Hours of Daytona, when he was about 9.... 9 years later I wound up buying the car! Karma???

Hi Chris: I took the BRE Baja Z to Amelia Island - but not for the Concours. Pete Brock did a private photo shoot for Classic Motorsports/Grassroots Motorsports, and we staged the car at Huguenot Memorial Park just South of Amelia. I have an invitation for the BRE Baja Z for the Concours in 2009, but did not have it finished for planning for inclusion for this years event. The main purpose of the trip to Amelia was simply to get Mr. Brock together with the car again etc. As it was a private photo shoot - I won't be publishing any pictures from there, until after they are published by the magazine that paid for the photo's .. I've also ask the people that were invited to come along for a private get-together on the beach with Mr. and Mrs Brock to hold off publishing pictures from there until the magazine article is published. It was a rough weekend to say the least - but I think the pictures will come out looking great. Mr. Brock seemed quite pleased to see his Z looking new again, and I was able to fill in more of the history of the car and it's purpose etc. By the time Saturday was over - given the trying weather, the trip to/from Amelia and the long photo shoot - I was shot... it's hell getting old... so I didn't stay for Sunday's events... but rather took the time for the return trip to Clearwater.... FWIW, Carl B.

Mineral Spirits, Jet Fuel, Kerosene, Diesel Fuel, Fuel Oil are all refined/distilled products of crude oil... all of them are solvents for tar based undercoatings. Mineral Spirits are EXPENSIVE today - Kerosene would be the best trade-off between cost and effectiveness. All of them are FLAMABLE at various Flash Points... but used carefully, outside, with good ventilation you can use kerosene. Turpentine - is a refined product from tree sap... not related to the refined crude oil products. FWIW, Carl B.

I made a replacement for the OEM center finisher (deleting the original heater/fresh air controls) out of alumiunm sheet - then used the larger center vent from Vintage Air and mounted the V.A. controls there.... At the time - it was an experimental setup... kind of ugly... but it worked fine. For a really "custom" setup - I'd replace the entire transmisson center console - and build a new one with cold air pipeing through it - to deliver cold air to the rear deck area. There is a huge hot spot back there, that gets very little air circulation... FWIW, Carl B.

I'll check them again - but the columns seem to line up in order with the list you provided. I believe I stated that they very well could have been Standard on the Z-L, but none of the images you Posted had mention of them one way or the other. Yes - and I tried to take careful notes - to summarize the information in the theads. I have done that - and the Standard Equipment on the Z-L seems to be the same. The brief summary of "Standard Equipment" that I Posted at #10, was intended to answer Kerrigan's question - "what makes it an "L". My understanding was that the "L" had more Standard Equipment than the base model. I posted only the Fairlady Z to establish the "base model" and the Z-L so Kerrigan could see what was additional, and additional to what. I posted the 70/71 US spec. so he could compare his car to other US spec. cars around him. He said he had a 1971 model, so that is what I used. Looking at the Late Model 71 brochure - the Standard Equipment on the Z-L seems to be the same. I was simply trying to answer his specific question - not attempting to write a comprehensive article covering all models and years. I'm getting ready to leave for the weekend, so will have to stop for now. (I'll be at the Amelia Island Concurs in case anyone else is planing on being there) I'll review the earlier threads more closely - but a brief scan of the brochures you Posted - in the threads you referred to - still shows no mention of the six items in question (FULL CARPET, TINTED GLASS, UNDERHOOD LIGHT, MAP LIGHT and STEERING WHEEL LOCK) as being Standard Equipment on the Z-L. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Alan: The info for the Standard Equipment on the Fairlady Z and Z-L - is from the documents and translations you published here. I took your explanations and translations, and made notes on the images you supplied in several threads for reference.. You Wrote in relation to the images: Read across the columns to see what is Option and what is Standard Equipment. A blank means it is not available on that model. Gray Square represented "Standard Equipment" on the images... *5-speed Transmission. *165HR-14 Tyres. *Air Con Kit. *Leather Handle. ( 'Handle' = steering wheel in the Japanese vernacular ) *Leather Shift Lever Knob. *Car Stereo. *Stop Watch Clock. *Two Hands style Clock. ( the normal clock ) *Reclining Seat Device. *Passing Light. *Fog Lamp. and Again, reading from left to right across the top: *Dual Exhaust. ( that's the full twin-pipe system, standard equipment on the Z432 ) *Leather Top. ( actually vinyl ) *Racing Stripe. *Rubber Bumper. ( refers to the bumper trim which was standard on the Z-L and Z432 ) *Over Rider. *Electrically Heated Rear Glass. *Headlamp Covers. *Roll Bar. *Air Spoiler. ( that's the early-shape one, often mistakenly called the "BRE" spoiler in the USA ) *Assistant's Footrest. *FM Pack. The info for the US 240-Z is from the 70/71 Sales Brochures If you see information that is wrong - by all means add the correct info. and I'll correct my notes. FWIW, Carl B.

The Vintage Air - Super Cooler III - replaces the OEM heater box/core. So it sits up on the transmission tunnel where the OEM system was - and extends over the passenger footwell - but far above the Dealer Installed units of the 70's, and above the original position of the fan. The Dealer Installed units - were added onto the existing OEM heater/fresh air vent system. As such air is sucked through the evaporator by the fan, then blown through the OEM system. With all the parts put together, you run into "leaks" where hot cabin air is sucked in, instead of all the air flowing though the evaporator... plus the added restriction to air flow by adding the evaporator ahead of the existing fan. Upgrades to the fan itself help - but they don't overcome the compromised design. As you note - the Vintage Air unit combines the evaporator coils with the heater coils in one box, and the fan blows through it. The VA unit's fan moves about twice as much air as the Dealer Installed set up did. It will cool the car.. The downside is the unit will not use the original controls. You can disconnect them and leave them in place - then put the VA control unit in the glove box if you want to maintain the oem look. Personally, for my driver - I eliminated the oem controls - and installed a larger center vent to move more air toward the rear of the car, between the front seats.. Even so - there are still so many issues with the body design and construction - you will not get an A/C system to work nearly as well in a 240-Z, as you will find in almost any modern car. The Z is a rolling greenhouse - which leaks air at highway speeds, as the side windows bulge out. The inlet for any of these units is below the dash on the passenger side of the car - so cold air coming out the right side and center outlets, gets sucked back into the system before it can circulate though the cabin. The obstructions to air flow - the seats, the set up to the rear deck area - have to be overcome somehow... so rear cold air outlets really need to be installed.... None of the units use Fresh Air to mix in with the recirculated cabin air - they are all recirculate cabin air only. This can leave the cabin musty with stale air... So you crack a window to get some fresh air in - then the evaporator coils freeze up when the moist outside air hits it.... One could do a fully custom system - by taking a modern A/C system out of some modern small car. Then if your willing to cut into the firewall, or do whatever is necessary - you could install an A/C system with fresh air circulation, and one powerful enough to do a decent job... I'm sure it could be done ..... Second option is to install a Rear A/C unit - to circulate more air throughout the cabin. Of course you'd have to live with the looks of it... FWIW, Carl B.

4 Million Yen = $38,974.96 USD

Sounds like the "Midwest Z Heritage Fest" ... has been turned into the "All Nissan/Infiniti/Datsun Fest". Why do people feel that successful events have to be made ever LARGER, or have to be EXPANDED? Money, money, money perhaps... A desire to be more "inclusive" in order to dilute the exclusive nature of owning a Classic Car? A true belief that diversity will lead to a cohesive and well functioning group? hummm...... FWIW, Carl B.