Carl Beck

From: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2011/03/donations-for-japan-continue-fiat.html ---- Quote - -- - The donations for Japan keep coming in, with Mercedes-Benz’s parent company Daimler announcing today that it will provide €2 million (about US$2.8 million at today’s exchange rates) as immediate aid for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in the Asian country. Daimler said it has approximately 13,000 employees in Japan through its subsidiaries Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation, Mercedes-Benz Japan, as well as Daimler Financial Services. The Fiat Group, which includes Alfa Romeo, Lancia, the Fiat brand, Abarth, Maserati and Ferrari, also announced a donation for relief efforts in Japan, albeit a much smaller amount at €100,000 (about $US140,000). While we’re not saying that this is a competition as all donations are welcome, we can’t but think that Fiat’s contribution, which equates to roughly half the price of a new Ferrari model or around 0.8% of the total compensation Ferrari boss Luca Cordero di Montezemolo and Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne received in 2010, is somewhat embarrassing for the size of the Italian company. - - - - - - - - End Quote - - - - - "somewhat embarrassing"??.... indeed. Also note the difference in wording between M/B's contribution "as immediate aid" and FIAT's contribution for "relief efforts". M/B's wording would seem to indicate that they will be contributing even more past the immediate period. Still these are very small numbers in my opinion. FWIW, Carl B.

To get food and water to tens of thousands of people in dire need - it takes a lot of MONEY. There are economies of scale in these situations as well. We usually use "Samaritan's Purse" for relief contributions. An organization that the church my wife attends/volunteers at supports. 90% of the funds go to the specific relief effort with about 5% for administration and 5% for further fund raising. http://www.samaritanspurse.com They assure that all funds donated to a specific relief effort - go to that effort. If the needs of that relief effort are fully satisfied - the remain funds go to the next relief effort. They do not accumulate nor hold funds donated from relief efforts, like the Red Cross. Samaritan's Purse have built a strong reputation for being effective with well organized logistics. They have already shipped 93 Tons of food/water from the U.S. via a 747 direct to the Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa. The USAF will air lift it to the effected area's in Northern Japan, where volunteers from "Samaritan's Purse" will distribute it to local shelters. FWIW, Carl B.

Is it just me - but does this strike anyone as being more than a little out of whack???? One Million Dollars - REALLY???? {see .jpg below} If Carlos gets $9,500,000.00 per year, we can guess that his top say 6 executives receive per year. http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/06/23/us-nissan-ghosn-compensation-idUSTRE65M0AS20100623 So NISSAN is contributing $500,000.00 to the Red Cross for the Japanese Relief Effort - and asking employees, owners and fan's to kick in a matching $500,000.00 - - So NISSAN can meet its pledge of ONE Million Dollars. I should think that Carlos and his gang alone would contribute at least $5,000,000.00, and NISSAN USA Corporate could kick in at least $40,000,000.00. NISSAN's Advertising budget in the U.S. alone was around $1,190,000,000.00 {YES $1.19 Billion Dollars}. What Are These People Thinking???? ONE MILLION DOLLARS??? FWIW, Carl B.

You are correct. Silicone fluid also protects the rubber parts in your brake and clutch systems. It will not peel your paint if you spill a little either. The downside is that it can be harder to bleed and should not be used for competition. I've ran it all my Z's since 1975. It greatly extends the life of brake and clutch components. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Randy: I'm 66 and bought my first car at 15. Great Job on the Z ... What's next? FWIW, Carl B.

Google "Targa California" as suggested before - you will see that the Targa California runs April 7-9. http://www.sportscardigest.com/targa-california-2011-information/ If I shipped a car from the East Coast - I might just go on both .... FWIW, Carl B.

Post Pictures of your present fuel lines at the engine etc.. FWIW, Carl B.

You can use high pressure pump - NO PROBLEM - - the Holly regulator is most likely FINE. The question is which springs are in that regulator. That regulator is available in either LOW or HIGH pressure versions - and the only difference is which relief springs you are using. If the pump is putting 9 psi on its outlet - that's fine!! Fix the regulator!! The rebuild kits are about $15.00 as I recall. The kit contains both high and low pressure springs... BTW - the pump pictures looks a lot like this http://www.holley.com/12-802-1.asp Note also that the above pump comes with pressure regulator 12-803 4.5 to 9 psi. Regulator 12-804 is 1 - 4 psi. They are the same body - just different relief springs. See: http://www.holley.com/types/Fuel%20Pressure%20Regulators%20-%20Carbureted.asp Don't waste your money buying a new pump - when the one you have is working. I've ran an electric pump on my 72 Z since 1975 and only had to replace it once in 35 years. Mechanical pumps fail just as often, and they don't keep the fuel lines pressurized. FWIW, Carl B

Dave not only builds and sells the headlight relay kits - he is glad to show you how to build your own. His write up is on the Z Car Home Page. See: http://www.zhome.com/DaveRelay/DaveBuild/DaveInstruction.htm FWIW, Carl B.

You can see the colors on cars here: http://zhome.com/History/ZColorGallary/index.html FWIW, Carl B.

I see your point. They don't offer the Eco-Boost V6 as an option in an otherwise "basic" regular cab 1/2 ton. The 8' Bed by itself is a $3175.00 option. On the model I'd be interested in - the engine itself is a $750.00 option. So in my case that's a pretty reasonable option price. The other optional engine on that truck is a 6.2L V8 and it adds $3235.00 to the price. <pre> F-150 Lariat $34,110.00 {includes Trailer Tow and Power Equip Pkg.} Super Crew Cab 6.5' bed $2660.00 Eco-Bost $750.00 {6.2L $3235.00} </pre> If I buy it before the end of March - the Eco-Boost V6 actually only cost me an additional $250.00 - as Ford has a $500.00 rebate on that engine in that truck. I'd say that Ford is trying to "encourage" the use of the V6 instead of the V8 in their most popular models - - perhaps to meet their CAFE standards? At any rate - I'll keep my old 2500HD Crew Cab for a few more years!! FWIW, Carl B.

$750.00 on the build a Ford site on top of the top line 2WD Crew Cab. Torture Test - included running the Baja 1000 http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2011/01/what-the-inside-of-a-torture-tested-ecoboost-v-6-looks-like.html FWIW, Carl B.

For 1971 as Arne said - all North American 240Z's had Air-Pumps. But it wasn't always so.... Late 69 production cars and some very early 70 production cars sent to Canada did not have, nor were they required to have Air Pumps. For that matter they didn't have Gasoline Vapor Recovery systems either. A few 69 production 240Z's imported into the US came though without the Gasoline Vapor Recovery systems - but could not be sold in California. California required Gasoline Vapor Recovery systems by 1970 Model Year. The hard part of replacing the AirPump and it's connected parts - is finding an Air Injection Tube assembly - that you could have sent out to be re-plated, or finding a NOS one. Getting one out of an old exhaust manifold can be done - if you find enough of them to try. You might get one out of 20 out in useable condition. Short of that - painting one in place or setting up your own plating process - is about the only alternatives. FWIW, Carl B.

Sounds like a good idea to me. Really hard to find OEM downpipes so the more you can do to extend the life of the one you have the better. If the price is right I'd do it. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Charles: I've used several different types of car cover for my Z's over the years. IMHO the absolute best is the original BRE Z Car Cover. Nothing else since has had the perfect fit that it has. Even after repeated washings over the past 39 years - it's still in excellent, although faded shape. It is 100% cotton with a soft flannel lining. As I recall I paid $39.95 for it in 1972. Motorsports Auto sells one that is somewhat the same material. Its a poly-cotton blend {soft flannel lined} and they fit pretty well. A friend of mine uses several of them and he is pretty happy with them. The fit is pretty good - and at $189.95 at least you'd be getting something more or less "known" by many, from a good vendor. http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/F/50-1101 For inside storage you want a car cover that will not trap moisture inside - and one that will keep fine dust from filtering though to the car. I have what feels like a nylon/rayon cover that I use on my White 72 - it is very light weight and folds up into a small bag. It is easy to wash/dry and has a zippered access to the drivers side door - that is a nice feature. For an inside cover it works very well. Trouble is that today I don't know of anyone that still makes them or sells them. I only mention it because the rayon/nylon material works well for inside storage. I've tried a few of the "paper based materials" that many of the cheaper car covers are made from today - I didn't like the way they felt - a little too rough a texture, and they didn't roll or fold up easily for removal. To some extent - an expensive and very high quality car cover is really a gift to yourself. It isn't absolutely necessary but if you like nice things, and you want to spend the money on yourself - what the heck, but when you get into the $300.00 price range it has nothing to be with function ;-) FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Guys: I do not have a source. Sorry. Some of you know that we found Bill's original 1971 240Z - that Bill bought new, then had to sell years later. One of the members here actually found it - give me the VIN and I knew it was Bill's Z. Long story made short - my son and I took a trailer up to North Georgia - way out the boonies.. pulled Bill's Z Car out of a shed and brought it home here to Clearwater. Then, I let slowly let Bill know that we had his Z - and if he wanted it back he had to pay the ransom and send a truck to pick it up. Which of course he did... the car was still in really good shape all things considered. The guy that originally bought it in Washington State and transported it to Georgia was - well - a bit odd to say the least. {well OK - really weird! } It took a friend of his, that was a friend of the Original Poster here - to get us an introduction to the seller - and to help us find his mountain hide-away - so I could pick the car up. This somewhat odd man, had a son that was actually going to work with him to restore a couple of 240Z's - The son's Mother lived near me in Tampa, Florida. Turned out that she was storing a Jeep for her son - who in the meantime took a job in another North Eastern State. The Father wanted someone to pick up the Jeep in Tampa and transport it to Georgia for storage. COMPLEX STORY isn't it? Anyway I was trying to help make arrangements because another friend of mine had just sold his 1986 Porsche 944 with 3,000 miles on it - and a transport was going to be here to pick it up - for delivery up North - but had an open spot in the car hauler. He was going though Georgia anyway... so I was trying to get both parties hooked... Turns out that the Jeep had several boxes of Z Car parts stored in it - stuff that the Father and Son were planing on using at some point on the Z's they were planing on restoring. Through a friend in Tampa, that knows a guy in Tampa - it "seemed" at first that it was POSSIBLE the original headlight covers from Bill's car were stored in the Jeep in Tampa. Try as I might - I couldn't get the lady that had the Jeep in her garage - to be home when I could be there. A friend of a friend kind of deal - intended to get someone to her house to pick up the headlight covers on the off chance that they were Bill's - also didn't pan out for several months. Not wanting to hold out farther false hope to Bill - I had to tell him the led didn't pan out. Nonetheless, I rarely give up on anything until I've traced it to the end... Now you and Bill know the whole story... BTW Bill - I did find the rear shade kit!! I'll try to throw it in a box for shipping when I get chance.. FWIW, Carl

That all depends... took me three days when I was trying to drive the BRE Baja Z back to Florida from SD. Gave up on that idea in Phoenix, loaded the Z in a trasport and flew home. That was the only time the AZ State Highway Patrol issued me a ticket for "Driving too slow on the Freeway. As such fun.... Carl B.

Hi Ken: Great to see you here. I too have owned, worked on and raced Z's for 40 years. Love them as much today as the first day I saw them. Had the pleasure of seeing Vinnie year before last at a CZCC Car Show. Back in the 70's our local Z Car Club {Clearwater Z Car Club} would always meet up with Bob Sharp and his crew at Daytona. I'd love to see some pictures of your rally cars. I restored the 240Z that Peter Brock ran in the 73 Baja 1000 and 500. I'm sure that by todays standards the suspension is quite "old school", but it's a really neat car to drive even today. FWIW, Carl B.

Except there weren't any 5 Spoke wheels for the 4 bolt pattern of the Z hubs. So those are out... "Documentation" - might include Ad.'s out of magazines published during that period. So start collecting some auto magazines from 1973, 1974 and 1974. FWIW, Carl B.

Here is good one from the 40's

Hi Dave: Great pictures and very nice welding on thin metal. Your local metal guy would seem to know what he is doing. Your tank looks nice and clean inside - We all know that water and gasoline don't mix.. so rinsing a tank out with water seldom removes all the old gasoline trapped in the varnish, crud, corrosion and rust in an old gas tank. Most professional shops, use chemical rinses mixed specifically to remove them, so they don't act as a sponge for gasoline and its vapors. You can rinse a gas tank out ten times with water and the old gas varnish will still be there. Filling the tank after its cleaned, with an inert gas is a good procedure as well. That would reduce the chance of flash rust forming on the welded area's - before you could treat them, or refill the tank with gasoline. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi grantf: I seriously doubt that you were. You never know who is lurking on the site, that might take everything at face value and proceed without thinking every aspect of an operation though. I'll be 66 this year and I've lost track of the number of times I've done something really stupid, when I actually knew full well that it should NOT be done and for what reasons. I just didn't think about it at the time. FWIW, Carl B.

My experience running the 280Z radiators would not support that. I've ran them in 240Z's since the late 70's and I've never had one damaged. Anything that will reach the area a couple inches below the bottom of the radiator core support - will also tear out the steering rack and front cross member.. FWIW, Carl B.

I'd recommend either a rebuilt and re-cored 240Z radiator, which has been built with 3 or 4 cores - replacing the original 2 or a 280Z rebuilt the same way radiator. True that the 280Z radiator extends below the radiator core support on the 240Z's - but is only a inch or two - and still well above the steering rack. These now 38+ year old L24's require far more cooling capacity than they did when new, and they had marginal cooling capacity even then. FWIW, Carl B

A shop that knows what they are doing - might use processes and procedures to limit the possibility of the tank exploding in their face. Gasoline vapors remaining in old gas tanks are very volatile and if ignited can produce very powerful explosions. FWIW, Carl B.