Carl Beck

Mr. K is I believe, currently employed by Nissan Motors Ltd. So if he was there, Nissan Motors Ltd was there. Ah.. it is the BRE 510 that they currently have in their collection.. and which they transport around the country. While the 240-Z is the main car for me - I am a DATSUN fan. It's my Datsun 510 Station Wagon that I drive most often, now with 3002,000 miles covered. FWIW, Carl B.

If they used it - they would be risking their jobs and perhaps prison time. The DMV data in most States used to be "Public Record" - and anyone could pay for a records search. In that case a simple search by VIN's for HLS30' with serial numbers ending before say 200000 would have yielded the results we wanted. Today however, do to new Federal Laws governing "Personal Privacy" those records are no longer open to the Public. In cases involving law enforcement, or court actions - they can be searched for specific information. FWIW, Carl B.

When Nissan Motors USA was located in California - they took their BRE 510 #46 to the Monterey Historics - and let John Morton race it there ! This past month, Nissan USA brought their BRE 510 to the Amelia Island Concours, to support John Morton and Peter Brock's seminar on the Trans/Am 2.5 Challenge Series from the 70's... Since 1995 at least Nissan Motors USA has supported/sponsored all the Z Car Club Association (ZCCA) annual conventions which feature DATSUN Z's and ZX's as well as the later NISSAN ZX's There certainly was a period after Mr. K was forced to retire in the late 70's - that Nissan Motors Ltd. did everything possible to eliminate the DATSUN Brand Name in the USA. However with the elevation of Mr. Hanawa to President of Nissan Motors Ltd in 1996 - a major effort to refresh the image of both the DATSUN Brand and Mr. K. had been made here in the US. I'm sure that due to budget constraints - Nissan USA can't respond to every request for support to local car shows.... however they have been very supportive of the major events when possible. I think you'll see Nissan/DATSUN at some of the All Japanese Auto Shows in the future as well. FWIW, Carl B.

The solution to your situation is pretty simple - just find and buy another low mileage 280ZX. There are lots of them still out there - and they are still very reasonably priced. Many very nice 280ZX's can still be purchased for between $3,500.00 and $4,500.00 with less than 100K miles on them. FWIW, Carl B.

It's just my "guess" at the auction results. Without knowing the actual condition of the cars. Both look pretty good in the pictures - but the A/T will hurt them as to the number of people that will be interested, and of course being in California will suppress the dollars bid as well. I note that the seller of the 36K mile car - did not make the claim that the mileage was "actual" or "documented"... What's your guess? FWIW, Carl B.

The first one with 36K miles - $10K to $12K The second one with ??? 92K miles - $7.5K to $8.5K my guess FWIW, Carl B.

Typically - around here - that's at least $2800.00 to $3100.00 worth of parts and labor - if it includes him assembling the short block. He's doing the rings, main and rod bearing - as well as the balancing.. so he should be held responsible for the assembly as well. FWIW, Carl B.

Yes - but - you would have to subtract the Federal Income Tax, every year from interest income - and you wouldn't wind up with $13,266.49 either. Lets face it, if you are a law abiding citizen - your screwed. I agree with keeping the cars for the pleasure they provide - 20 years of enjoying your investment - vs - 20 years of having the bank use your money. Drop dead at year 15 - and you have enjoyed your investment in the car, drop dead at year 15 with cash in the bank - and someone else will enjoy buying themselves a new car - Life's decisions are so compound... :: later, Carl B.

Hi Alan: Thanks... It's been a fun filled project. The suspension is the Nissan Sports Option Race Suspension (54302- and 54303-), by Ampco. Gas/oil filled, adjustable coil-overs. The front hub/axles are fitted with tubes for the odometer drives. The original Nissan labels were still on them - although badly faded and beat up. I believe that you said this was the same suspension set up ran on some of the EAS Rally Z's. (label below). According to Dr. Logan, the man that bought the car from BRE in 74, the suspension hasn't been changed since he bought it. However very early pictures of the car do not show this suspension... so BRE may have ran the Rally Suspension at first, then converted to the Race Suspension... Or the early pictures were for publicity, before the car was actually completed. Mr. Brock said he really didn't remember any other suspension package, other than what is on the car now... I'm still trying to figure out exactly what happened. Documents from Nissan Motors mention parts special ordered from Japan, as well as the competition budget spent on the car, but are not specific in detailed part numbers ect. - Mr. Brock seems to think the present suspension is what they ran... Fritz seems to recall wanting to rework the suspension between the Baja 500 and the Mexican 1000 (aka the Baja 1000). What stopped the car? - on the Baja 500 a lower radiator hose leaked pressure - caused overheating - and caused one stop that was photographed in the 500. The guys at TrackSide Photo were near by and they loaned Peter a 5 gallon water jug.... which he has still to return ;-). I don't know what else happened on that trip, all Peter would commit to was "no one had to walk". For the Mexican 1000 race. Fritz Warren ran the car for BRE. Fritz said the front shock tower weakened and the front frame rail was bent slightly (large boulders), that lead to a failure in the steering rack mounts, then the radiator supports let go - letting the radiator interface with the fan.... end of day. At that point, the Baja Z was about 15 minutes ahead of the BRE Baja 510 (they started together)... Fritz tells me that the car was amazingly fast, handled fairly well, but they needed another season to sort everything out on the unibody... While any competition effort is serious, I get the impression that the first year for the BRE Z at the Baja was an initial shake-down run, aimed as much at generating publicity and additional sponsorship as anything else. Of course in spite of all efforts - Nissan dropped factory sponsorship for the Professional Teams in 73 for the US (BRE and BSR). (BRE received their first funding and cars directly from Nissan Motors Ltd. Japan). There were a couple other 240-Z that ran the Baja, and I have no idea of how/where or if they finished the race. Hard to see the names clearly but it looks like: 73 Baja 500 Car #105 Hendrik Blom Hans Ceo Crimm car prepared by Crimm Performance 1970 Mexican 1000 Thiel Motors, Modesto, Calif Car #111 Don Thiel **** Jaggard (shortened version of Richard) Still trying to find more information on both of these... Note: TrackSide Photo copied here with permission. Original Prints can be purchased on-line at http://www.TracksidePhoto.com I've been contacted by a couple of guys that were preparing 240-Z's for historic events in Europe. They were looking for information about the Baja Z - how it was prepared, what components were used and documentation etc. When it came to the Baja - Stroppe's vehicles were always very well prepared. Lots and lots of experience there... FWIW, Carl B.

Oops... you are correct of course... I guess I had that Bugatti girl on my mind.. If you have a full picture of it - you should post it so everyone can see it.. it was a Magnificent Machine Carl

I'll never forget it - when I was about 9 or 10 my Dad gave me a little model of a 1954 Ferrari roadster... I loved the look of it - and I've been a sports car person ever since.

Thanks for Posting the pictures. I'm curious - where did you come across them? I only saw four or five people take pictures of the sign. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Guys: Thanks for the kind comments. Parked on the other side of the Z's was one of my favorite newer cars, an Aston Martin DB-S... (window sticker is ONLY $265,000.00). So they had the "less expensive" cars parked together - . Behind and a couple rows over was another of my favorites - a BMW Z08 in Metallic Blue... I was certainly glad to see ZWOLF and Frank there. Another friend from Tampa was supposed to bring a Vintage Z and/or a 69 Production Year Z as well - but at the last minute a schedule conflict resulted in a no show. The organizer of the event really wanted to see more Classic Z's there this year, and most of the owners of the Ferrari's etc that I talked to - all had a great appreciation for and even knowledge about the 240-Z's. The Sign: ZWOLF is correct - the sign was completed, finally - and I picked it up at 8:00AM. The "sign" project was a first pass, and it was a totally screwed up process. What you see is NOTHING like the sign I had in mind... So I'll be taking another pass at that. I allowed a week to get the sign done... and it wound up being a rush job in spite of all efforts to coordinate. I will also tell you that standing off a bit watching the car and the people that looked it over - the sign has way too much information in words.. It was a huge show, and not too many people actually took the time to read all the words.. Lesson Learned.. Next one will have far more pictures and far fewer words... I've also now broke down and purchased my own copy of Adobe Illustrator - so I can do my own layouts, and not have to depend on other Graph Artists... (large prints require vector graphics file formats). kinfish ask: "Was the infamous, high speed, 200+mph, $1M+ purchase price also on display?" Only on the window stickers of a few of the new cars on display. I have to say that a very nice lady that owned one of the Bugatti Veyrons was very gracious showing us (my Wife, Daughter and I) her car, giving detailed technical and performance spec.'s and even offered to let my daughter sit in the car. The owner said she was a member of the Orlando Bugatti Club.... I remarked that they must have a very small membership list, and she said; "oh no - we have about 15 members now". 26th Z's last picture - was one of the most impressive cars there IMHO. A 1930 Bugatti that featured an engine with Dual Overhead Cam's, 4 valves per cylinder, and dual carb's. Amazing technology for 1930. FWIW, Carl B.

That's funny - I taught several young people to drive stick shift cars when I was selling Datsun's 71/73... usually started them out in a 1200, then moved them up to the 510. Only took an hour or so - and I sold more Datsun's that way! I have a 72 510 Station Wagon - it has 302,000 miles on it's original engine. Still runs like a top and is a blast to drive. Usually draws a crowd whereever I park it.. Pretty rare to see one here in Florida. The 610 wagon's were actually even better... but the "personality" of the 510 simply can't be beat. FWIW, Carl B.

It's more a case of the older gas pressure shocks vs the newer high pressure gas shocks. (not so much the specific Brand of the shock). If Bilstein still produced the exact same shock - it would not raise the rid height. The Bilsteins on my Blue Z were installed around 1975 (lifetime warranty but they are still fine). When the aftermarket manufacturers were building lower pressure gas fill shocks - they did not raise the ride height of the Z's. All the newer high pressure gas shocks seem to raise the ride height. We took an original set of springs off my son's 70 240-Z, properly measured on specialized equipment - they were within Factory Spec. - that is to say, that there was no "sag". It takes a lot of miles of harsh use to cause a coil spring to finally start to break down and sag. The Euro Spec. Springs installed in the North American Spec. 240Z's will raise the rid height, unless you cut a coil or two off. FWIW, Carl B.

With 70 series tires the Blue Z sits about 3/8" lower than the OEM spec.'s would indicate - 26" at the front wheel arch - and 25 1/4" at the rear wheel arch. FWIW, Carl B.

Stock Spring on the Blue 72. Larger front anti-sway bar, plus added the rear anti-sway bar (BRE). The car is very neutral and corners pretty flat... overall very nice for a street car that was used a few weekends for track events and auto-X's.. I sure wish Bilstein still produced the same shocks... they were expensive at the time, but well worth the 3x to 4x price over their competition. FWIW, Carl B.

Dear Pontiac: Please produce the Solstice Coupe that you originally presented at the Detroit Auto Show. The roadster is nice, but the market for a lighter weight, less expensive version would be 10x that of the roadster. You can easily trim 250 lbs off the roadsters 2860 lbs with a Hatch Back Coupe, thus bringing the weight down closer to 2600 lbs. Costs can also be brought down with a less expensive coupe, so we could see the GPX Coupe retail for something under $23,995.00, and the Solstice GT at $19,500.00. - - - - - - - - - - - - - 260HP in a 2600lbs car = 10lbs per HP 150HP in a 2350lbs car = 15.6 lbs per HP (240Z) $3526.00 in 1970 Dollars = aprox $18,500.00 in todays dollars. Then you have to add the costs of all Federal Requirements.. and your pretty close to $24K. Same money... A Solstice takes up about the exact space in the garage as a 240Z. If only they would mass produce the coupe... But that might eat into Corvette sales too deeply... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I had a 67 Porsche 911S and a 55 T-Bird when I bought my first 240-Z in March of 1970. Drove the Z for six months, then decided to sell the Porsche. Kept the T-Bird for a couple more years, then sold it too. The last "new" car that I bought for myself, is the 72 240-Z that I still have today. I've bought new cars for wives... but there really hasn't been anything that I could afford, produced that simply drove me wild... So what 911 do you have now Rob? FWIW, Carl

The number I keep coming up with is around 162,540. That is 152,767 Left Hand Drive (at the most) and 9773 Right Hand Drive 240Z's (at the most) (be they Datsun or Fairlady). So far we have VIN's recorded in the series, accounting for 148,957 HLS30's vs a total possible if all VIN's in the series were used of 152,767.(not likely but possible I guess). So I think 150K units would be close for a generic number for Left Hand Drive + 9773 for the Right Hand Drive.. Call it 160K units for "240-Z" of all kinds world wide. How many are left - Who Knows? It is no longer possible to ask the State DMV's for a records search - now that the Federal Government has declared these Public Records - Private... After 35 to 38 years - I'd be surprised if 3% of them were still around. One thing is for sure - it's fewer of them every years. FWIW, Carl B.

$4,500.00 to $6,500.00 based on your description. To be "near perfect" - the dash can't be cracked, the seats can't be torn, the car has to run and drive out very well. The small dent can't be bigger than 2", and in an easy place to fix. The repaint has to be the original color.. and the engine bay has to look pretty clean.. You can't tell if the car has rust issues unless you jack it up and inspect it underneath. You really need to Post some pictures that show the details of the car. FWIW, Carl B.

fixitman/FilipeA We've had a lot of discussion related to the effects of installing both the Euro Spec. Springs and the newer higher pressure gas shocks available today - on the ride height of the 240Z. 1. The North American Spec. 240-Z's actually had a relatively high rid height to begin with. Measured at the front frame rail - where it meets the fireall... they sat 6.5" off the ground. This puts the center of the headlight 24.5" off the ground. 2. Installing the Euro Spec. Springs - on the North American Spec. Struts - well raise the ride height between .75" and 1.25". If you want the car to set lower, you have to cut about 1 and 1/2 coils off the front - and 2 coils off the rear. (average reported by others over time - but it also depends on what shocks you install with them). 3. Installing most of the modern high pressure gas shocks will raise the ride height of the 240-Z. That is because there is only about 650lbs loaded on each spring to begin with.. A high pressure gas shock off-loading 50 to 100 lbs... will raise the rid height of the car. The stock front springs only compress an inch for each 83lbs of load... likewise the rears are 112 lbs/in... FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Derek: Most of the Nissan Competition Catalogs that I have, offer a couple options related to springs. 1) you could order the Euro Spec. Stage I or Stage II springs 2) you could order either the Factory Racing Suspension Package, or the Factory Rally Suspension Package. I do not find "competition springs" offered as stand alone sets - they all seem to come as part of the more inclusive "Suspension Packages". Note that I said above; "of the catalogs that I have".... there may have been something other offered in some other years catalogs. It is more likely that you ordered either the Stage I or Stage II Eupro Spec, Springs... Stage I Front = 101 lbs/in Rear = 112 lbs/in Stage II: Front = 122 lbs/in Rear = 140 lbs/in Spring in the Racing Suspension Package are listed as: Front = 218 lbs/in Rear = 271 lbs/in Springs in the Rally Suspension Package are listed as: Front = 149 lbs/in Rear = 174 lbs/in I agree with some of the earlier comments that it's the combination of Springs and Shocks that effect the ride quality - I'd also add that a new set of tires will usually result in an improve rid quality.. Tire inflation pressures also have an effect on ride quality - there is about 650 lbs being carried at each tire.. and as I recall (without going to look it up) .. the recommended tire pressure on a 240-Z with stock size tires was around 28psi under 100mph. Most people I've talked to routinely carry 32psi in their tires on these cars... the result is a somewhat harsher ride - and the center tread wearing out ahead of the outside treads... Then too there is the effect of all the suspension bushings... FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Rob: Sent you a Private Message...aka PM... great to hear from you... Carl

Cooling systems are closed systems, and pressurized only to raise the boiling point of the coolant. If the coolant isn't at it's boiling point - you won't have any pressure build up. How warm in New Jersey is it now? Are we talking 70 degree days or 85 degree days? The first thing to do - is pressure test the cooling system. If it holds 14 to 16 psi and the car isn't overheating - - I'd doubt you have a problem. If you don't have a cooling system pressure tester - find a shop that does and ask them to check it. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Zup: Sorry to join in late... The seller states: "Bone stock restored over 10+ years to the level of the Nissan Program 240Z cars of the late 90s." As others have pointed out, several of the details that are not bone stock - I'll add that I seriously doubt this car was refreshed or remanufactured to anywhere near the level of the Vintage Z's. The seller shows no receipts for complete engine rebuild, transmission rebuild, rear-end rebuild. Nor any mention of completely rebuilding the suspension, doesn't even show the undercarriage.... If we assume that everything not shown, or not mentioned - has in fact been done and done right.. I'd call it a low #3 condition example, in the eyes of the Collector Community. The Canadian Dollar is about the same as the US Dollar at this point - so IF everything on the car is as it should be - it would most likely be well worth $18K today. However - because everything is NOT as it should be on the car you'd have to deduct value for major items that would need to be corrected - to bring it into the mid to upper #3 condition category. A #3 condition example need not be "perfect", nor even "near perfect" - but judged as a Collector Example it needs to at least be STOCK with all major components correct for the model and year. Major Glaring Things: 1. WRONG DASH - series I/II dashes are $1,000.00 to $1800 today - IF you can find one that isn't cracked. 2. The engine compartment is far from STOCK - and a #3 car need not be "perfect" but it has to be STOCK. The finish on the fuel lines, brake lines, clutch lines would need to be corrected - take them out and have them properly yellow cad plated. Put the correct cast aluminum finish on the valve cover and carb's., put the proper stickers in place. At least black spark plug wires!! 3. Refinish the tail light finisher in the correct lt. metallic gray finish & put the correct rivets in place 4. Rework the sloppy job on the vinyl on the rear shock towers 5. He has the hubcaps - get the correct wheels and put them on the car All and all - it would take some time, some work and some additional money to bring it solidly into the upper end of the #3 category. Pictures show a nice 240-Z, and if the paint and body were were documented and done right - $18K wouldn't be a bargain, but it wouldn't be overpriced either. Over $20K it would have to have most of the items above corrected. just my impressions from the pictures... FWIW, Carl B.