Carl Beck

When I bought my first Datsun 240Z, I had just been at the local Porsche Dealer trying to trade my 67 911s in on a new 911E. The Webers on the "S" were always loading up and fouling plugs in stop & go traffic. It was very hard starting in the Winter and the shift linkage was worse than the Corvairs I'd owned before. I couldn't get together with the Porsche Dealer - they wanted too much for their new car and offered way to little for mine. On the way back to the Base, I passed the Datsun Dealer and saw the 240Z. Stopped and long story made short - I bought the Z. Three months with the Z - and I sold the Porsche. Never wanted one again. Over the years that followed I did add Corvettes, Jag's, and a Ferrari to the garage - and over the following years I sold them all except the 240Z. Nothing since 1970 has ever been better than the 240Z.

Wow - still trying to understand the $31K difference between this 73 - and the Silver 72 - 4 First Place Street Mod Awards, 3 2nd Place Street Mod awards.sold last month. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-datsun-240z-152/ Carl B.

The clear coats solved the problem with metal flakes - but created another problem - over a short period of time in hotter sun regions especially - the clear coats started to crack - at first it looked like fine scratches in the paint, then got worse over time as the clear coats increased “grazing” until they started to flake off. The problem as explained by the BMW Factory Tech's - was UV light passed though the clear coats and heated up the color coat under them. The difference in the coefficient of expansion of the two coatings caused the clear coats to crack as the color coat expand more rapidly under them. In 1972 BMW and VW had such problems that new cars sitting in stock were crazing before even being sold. I worked for a BMW/DATSUN dealer then. Lots of customers with BMW’s had their cars stripped and repainted - under extended factory warranty - cars up to 3 years old were covered. The solution at the time - was to mix a small amount of color with the first application of clear coat - then put a second clear coat over that. That made the heat transfer between the color coat and the final clear coat more slowly and evenly… Do agree that by the 80’s newer paints solved the problem by more closely matching the coefficient of expansion of the two different materials.

As far as I know - all metallic automotive paints in the late 60's and early 70's were clear coated.(I worked for Datsun/BMW and VW in the early 70's). My 1970 Silver 240Z was clear coated from the factory. The reason was that some of the metal flakes mixed with the paint being sprayed - did wind up at or near the surface skin coat of the paint. Any polishing/waxing or compounding at that point would have resulted in the metal flakes sticking above the surface. So metallic paints on the 240Z were clear coated. FWIW Carl

4 Bidders still in above $25K 3 Bidders still in above $30K 3 Bidders still in above $35K -knocking on the door at $40K 1 Bidders still in above $40K I thought that it would sell - given the last couple months of the market - at perhaps $25K to $27K. Yes, it had most of its original paint - but still - lots of non-original and quit frankly less than cosmetically pleasing stuff. Nonetheless, glad to see the market showing a lot of strength. It will be interesting to watch the Silver 71now.. Carl B.

#00064 was dark green and they were asking $50K for it - it was in florida. That First Green Z - the pictures were for a car sold in Bring-A-Trailer...

Agreed - I wouldn't worry about them at all. I have ran 20 year old tires, that have been garage kept - showing no signs of side wall cracking - on Classic Cars driven only occasionally with no problems. The one exception - 1991 Thunderbird Super Coupe, with 10K original miles. Original Tires Goodyear's V Rated... At 21 years old, took it out for a drive and felt the tread separation take place... wobbled my way home - and replace them all the next day. (kept the tires as proof of the mileage on the T-Bird when I sold it in 2002). That said - I'm always keeping an eye open hoping to find any good 195/70R14's for my Z's.. (good looking/brand name/sports car style etc). FWiW, Carl B.

@Namerow As it relates to Nissan - circa 1926 and William R. Gotham. You might enjoy this book: - William R. Gotham: An American Engineer in Japan. (get the hard copy for study/reference - and the digital copy to read etc - all for less than $20 Bucks) https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/don-cyril-gorham-translator/william-r-gorham-an-american-engineer-in-japan/paperback/product-1jprm8.html?page=1&pageSize=4 CHAPTER VII. TOA DENKI /TOA ELECTRIC COMPANY VII.1. TRANSFERRED TO TOKYO After finishing five years at Tobata Foundry, in Taisho 15 (1926) he (Mr. Gorham..cjb) was transferred to Tokyo to become Chief Engineer at the Toa Denki KK. This firm was later to be amalgamated with the Tobata Foundry Company and the Tobata Foundry Company itself was renamed in Showa 10 (1935) as Kokusan Kogyo KK/ National Industrial Production Company. This [Toa Denki KK] was an existing firm that was taken over by Mr. AYUKAWA’s Kyoritsu Kigyo. It was Mr. YAMAMOTO Soji who had taken care of the preliminary investigations [with respect to Mr. Gorham’s transfer]. Not only was the aim to improve the products currently being produced, but also to produce electrical equipment to be used on automobiles sometime in the future. This was the ultimate purpose for which Mr. YAMAMOTO was to take over the management. At the time concerned, this firm [Toa Denki KK] primarily concentrated on electrical communication machinery, but was also building drills, grinders and other electrical tools. The first President was Mr. NERI-I Kikuma, who formerly served as Chief of the Electrical Bureau of the Ministry of Communication. When the management of Toa Denki KK had run into problems, Mr. AYUKAWA stepped in to help them out, after which time Toa Denki KK was to prosper significantly. Although it is understood that this was because management was doing a fine job, everyone realized that the strengths of Mr. Gorham, when added to this played a significant role. (Toa Denki KK was later amalgamated by the Hitachi Seisakusho KK, but the President for many years was Mr. MURAKAMI Shosuke. Mr. Gorham was to help Mr. MURAKAMI cooperate with him fully and establish the foundations of the firm.) Mr. Gorham had already become fully conversant with Japan’s national situation. At the same time, compared to the Tobata Foundry experience, he was restricted very little and was able to exercise his personal methodology with amazing results. The following are the primary accomplishments of Mr. Gorham: the upgrading of the hand-operated telephone exchange to an automated telephone exchange, improvements to the motor drills and motor grinders, and the design and production of air-driven riveting hammers and iron mine rock-crushing machines. In addition, he was to contribute significantly to increases in production and efficiency. Mr. Gorham was well renowned for the breadth and depth of his academic and technical knowledge. During his university days he had graduated with a degree in electrical engineering, thus it goes without saying that his knowledge in this area was extremely deep and he was particularly adept at improving the manufacture of electrically operated tools. As a result, the electrical tools produced by Toa Denki KK were extremely well received and came to be a favorite in the market. In particular, Toa Denki KK’s electric drills and grinders had already established a reputation as the best in Japan, and they continue their reputation to this day under the name of Hitachi drills and grinders. In addition, Mr. Gorham applied himself to the production of electrical equipment for automobiles and built, among other things, an advanced starting motor and ignition coil. As regards the manufacture of electrical equipment for automobiles, his deep knowledge, broad experience and accumulation of many years on the job all tended to contribute to this achievement. There was nothing he did not know about automobiles. Although the gasoline engine was his crowning achievement, electricity was something he learned professionally and he had an established reputation for his knowledge of machinery in general. It was only natural that he would experience brilliant success at Toa Denki KK (Because of Mr. Gorham’s deep devotion to the improvement and production of electrical tools, Japan’s own electrical tools did not suffer any degradation when compared with the best of imported equipment. At the time, they became designated purchase products of the Army and Navy Ministries, as well as the Railroad Ministry. Further, these products were eventually to replace imported products in the general market.) 'FWIW, Carl B.

From my notes on #556 For Sale 14 Jan. 2014 - Craigslist - Bad Rust - in Texas For Sale 25 Dec. 2017 - EBay - Beverly Hills, CA - looks like new floorboards&Frame Rails - bid to $20K - RNM FWIW, Carl B.

Not True - If the customer wanted it, or if the Service Dept suggested it be added with the A/C Kit - the shroud had to be ordered via the Parts Dept. individually. Yes, you had to remove the finger guard to install the shroud.

A friend of mine had been looking for that VIN for 20+ years - but I think he got the VIN wrong because he was looking for a Blue/Blue combination. This one was Gold/Black.. Anyway surprised to see it show up. Yes it looks like a reasonable by at that price...

A good friend of mine got one of the first 1964 GTO’s in Ohio. His Mother owned part of the local Pontiac Dealership. When word of the GTO’s reached the Dealerships, the Sales Manager ordered one for him. 2dr., Post Sedan, White with a Black Vinyl top. Perhaps the best American Car I’ve ever driven. Fastest thing on the street. Five or six months after he got it - the Service Manager ordered a “Performance Package” from Royal Oak Pontiac - made it even faster. But straight line performance wasn’t its only strong suite. It was just as much fun on long road trips, short wheel base and light weight with a stiffer than normal suspension. Very little of the usual American Car body roll. He let me drive it often over the following year - but the 65 or 66 Models came out and that time he got a 421 Catalina 2+2. If I bought a GTO - it would have be the 1964.

Hi Zed Head: First let me say I appreciate the dialog and suggestions. If you are using a Browser on a home computer - for example - you can tell it to open hyper-links in a new Tab or new Window. You can set that feature up in the Preferences and/or by using a command key while clicking on the link. If you copy the URL displayed in that new window/tab - that would be the URL to that individual page. If you are using an iPhone you tap and hold the link, then tell it to open in new window or tab; or if you tap the link with two fingers it should open in a new tab/window - https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/use-tabs-in-safari-iph3028ebf68/ios Since this is a BAT related thread - user "ar1950" did not seem to have any problems Posting a URL to a single page on ZHome.com Scroll down about 5 comments here https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-datsun-240z-163/

I don't know where you copied that URL from - - When I visit the Page - the URL Shows up as http://zhome.com/History/BlackP.htm on my Browser. (no "www2" and no "com.81") The sight uses Frames - Index on the Left and Subject Matter displayed in the Right. If you want the URL to the specific Subject matter - just open the link in the Index in a new Browser Window and copy the URL from there. As I recall all the links were converted to internal links, to solve the problems we had with http vs https addresses.

Having lived in Spokane, Washington 1969-73 I can assure you it was common practice to run 4 Snow Tires (usually with ice studs) in the Winter months, especially on light weight sports cars. Snow Tires or Tire Chains (on all 4 wheels) were required, if you were to be allowed in any of several mountain passes in Eastern or Western Washington during the winter months. Among sports car enthusiast Pirelli and Semperit winter tires were most popular and broadly available in town. Of course Michelin had great winter tires, but usually their cost was significantly higher.

When we discussed this earlier - Kats and I believed that the North American Test 240Z's were #4 from Aug. and #5 from Sep. One with A/T and the other with 4spd. #6 from Sep. and #7 and #8 from Oct were used for the New Car Shows in North America & Press Relations. FWIW, Carl B.

#1776 had a Date of Manufacture data tag stamped 12/69. So it is a 69 Production Year example. As are all the specific individuals on that list. Correct, not all VIN's below #1776 and above #00500 were 69 Production Year examples - only the specific individual examples on that list have been found to be 69 production year examples at this point. Carl B.

Yes - #1776 in that list - is an HLS30. We have not found any HS30's produced in 1969 still in existence. HS30 00004 was sold in Australia, based on its original engine serial number and the Australian Compliance Tag on the Z - its owner at the time and I believe it was produced in early 1970. FWIW, Carl B.

@Patcon @Namerow Hi Guys, thanks for the kind words and Marry Christmas wishes to you as well. I think this has been a tough year for everyone, but so far we are doing well. Mostly staying home, but did attend Jim Frederick’s Z Mecca Christmas Party earlier this month in Lutz, Florida. Great turn-out with Bob Sharp as an Honored Guest. Florida weather co-operated with a bright sunny day. Stay safe and healthy to enjoy the holidays with your friends and family. Carl B.

There were two different groups of VIN's for Datsun 240Z's produced in 1969. One for the Left Hand Drive models and another for the Right Hand Drive Models; HLS30 and HS30. Both had their own series of chassis serial numbers. Because all new cars offered for sale in the USA were required by Federal Law to have their Date Of Manufacture (DOM) affixed to the car; the Left Hand Drive HLS30's produced in 1969 can be individually identified if their original DOM Data Tags are still on them. It would seem that some 543 240Z'z were completed in 1969. Best guess is that 2 or 3 of them were HS30's with the remainder being HLS30's. The first 13 HLS30's were not sold to the public. Because the units were not completed in perfect serial number order, there are a few with VIN's higher than #543, that were also completed in 1969. (as shown above with #587 being completed in 12/69) http://zhome.com/History/69ZArticle.html FWIW, Carl B.

Thanks- @chaseincats I guess that confirms what I wrote; “I know nothing about the F.I. on the 280Z”. Have to say - even in 1978, I’m surprised they sent the level at 3675ft. - given California is 282ft below sea level in one place and 14,000ft above in others. Perhaps its more an Emission Control thing for Calif.

Air pressure at 14,000 Ft. would be closer to 8.26 psi. Still an L28E ruling at factory spec.'s shouldn't have any problem going up Mt Evans even at 60% power. I've driven a stock 72 240Z up there. Just thinking out loud - I know nothing about the F.I. on the 280Z.... but for some reason I'm thinking the ECU on the 280Z is an analog computer. I'm wondering if that Gold Canister that @chasincats pictured, with the Blue&Black wires - is a sort of altimeter - that outputs an analog signal of varying strength. So it is not a matter of sending ON/OFF signal to the ECU - so much as sending an analog signal of the correct strength to the ECU - to adjust the air/fuel mixture for different altitudes. Like a fuel level sender in the tank, or a temperature gauge. Jumping the wires together - might send the opposite signal needed to the ECU and make things worse at higher altitudes. Does the Factory Service Manual tell you how to test that Gold Canister, or give a signal strength that it should output at Sea Level ?

Thanks to everyone for the help. Especially to @heyitsrama and @jonbill for the detailed analysis and suggested corrective actions. I passed them on to our Sys. Admin. and he was able to implement the cure. 🙂

Hi Guys - I think we have ZHome.com working... If everyone would give it a try - The broken links will be address a bit later - but 95% of the links in the Left Hand Frame should work with either http or https - thanks, Carl http://ZHome.com

Hi Al - Good to hear from you. Yes, its been a while and we’ve had a long journey in the Z Car Community together. Doesn’t seem possible its been 34 years! Unbelievable how this ARPANet /Internet and WorldWideWeb thing as evolved! Someone earlier referred to the Web Page or perhaps me as being a Dinosaur - LOL. I guess he got that right. I do actually think of you, Paul and Stef quite often. You and Stef were both in Grad School when we started this journey - today my Daughter is headed there. For those that don’t know “Pilgrim” aka Al - When the "Z Car List" had to move off of Princeton University’s computer systems - Al worked with a friend at Texas A&M to get us a new Home and keep us going.