Carl Beck

If you can, get the Date Of Manufacture from the drivers door jam, and the original engine serial number from the data tag under the hood. Looks like it should be 01/70 and the engine should be in the L24-032xx to L24-039xx range. thanks, Carl B.

When I looked at the 72 the first time it had 0 bids... I think??? So is there a difference between a "starting bid" put in by the seller as a starting point - and/or a first bid put in by a potential buyer? Don't "starting bids" show 0 bidders? Carl B.

This 73 is every bit as nice - even nicer in fact... and the bidding is at a silly $4,500.00 or so... most likely honest bids... everyone is waiting until the last few seconds to put their real bids in... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-Z-Series-1973-Datsun-240z-Very-Original-918-Orange-and-Black_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6187QQihZ001QQitemZ110234022557QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW Where the 72 that the Dealer has - has been bid up to $10,500.00 at this point - wonder who is bidding it up that high this soon???? Will be interesting to see how these two end up.... miles isn't all that different 85K vs 32K... on a 240-Z you can't tell the difference anyway... I think the 73 would be a better value.. FWIW, Carl B.

Original stock will usually bring more interest from buyers that are willing to spend the money up front, so they will usually sell for more to begin with. If a buyer really cares about the car being "stock" but not fanatically pure stock - then things like mag wheels or a change in the steering wheel won't throw them off too much. This car has too many things to attract someone that wants to buy a low mileage "stock" example. It just wouldn't interest them... seats are wrong, dash cap, carpet is wrong, carb's and the engine bay need a lot of attention - a lot more than should be needed on a 32K mile example.. door panels have screws in them that shouldn't be there. It would take an additional $5K and some work to bring this car back to what the typical "Stock" buyer would want his car to look like... So they would just keep looking until they found a car that was close to Stock to begin with - even if it cost $18K it would be ready to drive/enjoy and still less money than the $16K they want, plus the additional $5K it needs.. All the above said with the full realization that there are no absolutes in the 240-Z market today.. I'd also want to go over that car with a fine tooth comb, before paying $16K... I don't like the fact that there is no real description of this specific car, nor any real clear photo's showing details that are important to any 240-Z buyer... FWIW, Carl B.

The Buy-It-Now is $15,900.00 - - - and "IF" it checks out underneath, and has a solid body it is most likely worth that... A lot depends on the quality of the repaint... Street mod'ed a bit, but $16K is a reasonable price for a clean 240-Z in that area of the Country. I know we've seen this car at some point in the not too distant past... If someone lives in that area - go inspect the car carefully and let us know what it is really like.... FWIW, Carl B.

I have a set of NEW 14" MiniLite's - I'll most likely not use them.. $250.00 each plus shipping, includes lugs and center caps. beck@becksystems.com FWIW, Carl B.

Amazing... sometimes you just luck out.. Great Deal.. I'll never understand how people can sell something like that for a hundred bucks... Looks like it might have been orange or red originally... but certainly worth restoring.. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Arne: Of the cars we've found - only a couple do not have their original engines. That is because the original engine from them had some problems that prevented proper overhaul.. ie cracked block, scared cylinder wall etc. Since we haven't Registered all 38 of them - I don't know what the exact percentage will turn out to be... but it would seem that every reasonable effort was made to keep the original engines in the cars. FWIW, Carl B.

L28 – Flat Top Pistons (79-83) & E31 Head Swept Volume of Cylinder = 458.9 Combustion Chamber volume = 42.4 Gasket Thickness = 7.7 Deck Height = -3.69 505.31/458.9 = 11.1 C/R with a positve deck height 509.0/458.9 = 11.09 C/R with 0 deck height Now mill the head to flaten it, reducing cc to aprox 38cc, then unshroud the valves to put it back at 41cc - or add an over-bore and you’ll push it even higher... With the crummy pump gasoline we have in most parts of the country today - I wouldn’t want a street engine with much over 9.5:1 C/R... Run higher C/R and you have to retard the timing -and that kills the engine response/power anyway.... FWIW, Carl B.

Yes - I'd say that two years and five monts is VERY LATE... understatement of the year perhaps? just too funny.... Carl B.

What do I think? - - 1) You should buy it - then resell for $5,500.00 2) I think that sounds way to cheap... must be something very wrong with it.....If I was looking for a good, rust free 240-Z, I most likely wouldn't even call about a car that the owner thought so little of... You can't buy a good body shell for $2300.00, let alone a sold 240-Z....... 3) I think it's a shame that it is so hard and expensive to get a car shipped from OR to FL... Truckers just don't run that route... and they want a very high premium to go that far out of their normal routes. 4) I think you should post some pictures and the owners phone number 5) I think it's crummy that we don't get deals like that back East... 6) I think that if the car is in OR of WA... I may have sold it to it's first owner... just some thoughts... FWIW, Carl B.

Great Ad - - - - I always believe that a BIN should be placed on items like this. The BIN lets potential buyers at least know the price range you are expecting the car to sell in. That can be accompanied by a note in the description saying "the reserve is set at a very reasonable level for a 240-Z of this quality"... OK - all that said - if it doesn't sell - don't be discouraged. It simply means that you put it on auction the week that no serious buyer was looking. Wait a week or two and put it back on E-Bay. There will be 150 lookers... for each potential buyer.... and there will be one or two serious buyers among the potential buyers.... You just have to have the luck of the draw... good luck, Carl B.

As long as you understand clearly that whatever the "Stated" or "Actual" value you give the insurance company - is what they will base, to an extent, the premiums on. Also it's very important to understand that the "stated" or "actual" value is what YOU believe it to be, supported only by your documentation and/or appraisal. It is NOT a VALUE they AGREE TO... just one you state. When you have a loss, an accident or theft - You will still deal with an Insurance Company Claims Adjuster to settle the claim. In almost every case - the first thing he will tell you is that "they" and/or "the insurance company" do not agree with your stated value or your ideal of its actual value. They will then propose their own idea of what your car is "actually" worth - based on their own market research and whatever else they can deduct for use, wear, tear for your car etc. An "Agreed Value" policy will state clearly, in writing, in the Policy - that in case of a total loss, the insurance company will pay the Agreed Value. There will be no "Claims Adjustors", nor Claim Adjustments - - - they just send you the check for the Agreed Value. or for whatever amount up to the Agreed Value that it takes to put the car back in the condition it was in before the accident. In most cases I've heard from people - and that has been many over the past 20 years - the car they "thought" was covered for a Stated Value of $12K+...... their Claims Adjuster put a value of less than $2.5K on - then the arguments and letter writing and hassles started.... They also found out that nothing their insurance salesman told them, held one bit of weight with the Claims Adjuster... I hasten to add - I have heard from one, maybe two people that did get their classic Z cars fixed, without major hassles rather than totalled... when insured on a Stated Value Policy - or when they had current appraisals that were close to the actual market value of their cars.. It does happen. But in all two many cases, what their Insurance Salesman (agent?) told them - just wasn't the case when they had a loss and tried to have their insurance cover it.... If you have a higer value 240-Z - say something at or over $12K - then take your insurance policy to YOUR lawyer and have them clearly explain who is going to do what, in case of a loss. Don't believe a thing an insurance salesman tells you. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Guy: Thanks for relaying the message - John is great guy and I'm sure your Twin Turbo will have a good home with him. Maybe we can all get together in Cleveland this year... not too far away for any of us. Wonder if John's son is back in the States now - or over sea's again. regards, Carl

Grounds should be bare metal to bare metal. Take the paint off a small spot, the size of the washer that will interface with the body. Attach the ground wire connector, lock washer and bolt... Then you can use a dielectric grease to coat the assembly, or even spray a small spot of paint over the top.. FWIW, Carl B.

Might be a very nice, low VIN car - but as I understand it - its Date Of Manufacture is 02/70. Yes, 02/70. Could have been held up on the production line for some needed correction... FWIW, Carl B.

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.