Carl Beck

There was a very nice TR-6 at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club Classic Car Show last month. It had been restored and was for sale - As I recall the asking price was $17,500.00. A 240Z in the same condition would easily bring that much or more - and sell faster around here. FWIW, Carl B.

If a DATSUN 280Z is runing well - and you can drive it for 30 miles without incident - then you have a very good chance of driving it a couple thousand miles without incident. A couple of hand tools and minor spare parts onboard - and I'd take the chance.. A Jensen Healey Interceptor on the other hand - NO Way... Was the A/C compressor the only thing that caused an issure on the 280Z?.. Really the video seemed to be about fixing the Healey.. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Jerry: Since you have to remove the center console - to install the vinyl shift boot. - I'd suggest you order a new mount for the choke lever. This mount allows you to mount the choke lever directly to the transmission tunnel - rather than having it screwed to the plastic center console. Not only is it much stronger - it makes taking the center console out and putting it back in FAR easier. EBay: Datsun 240Z 1972/73 Choke Cable Lever Mounting Bracket Item number: 281018241353 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Datsun-240Z-1972-73-Choke-Cable-Lever-Mounting-Bracket-/281018241353?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item416dfe1149&vxp=mtr FWIW, Carl B.

Because they are people that have never owned a DATSUN. Carl B.

Really !! What was Don doing in Gainesville - he lives in Ocala, has a museum there as well. FWIW, Carl B.

Sounds like a fun project - Does "set back" mean you plan to make the dash less thick/deep? To get better A/C in the car {bigger evaporators} - the Dash in the 280Z's was made deeper. Making the dash thinner wouldn't really give you more passenger/driver room - and it would make working on it later - just that much harder. I'd also want to make all the gauges/instruments and lights easy to remove/reinstall from the front of the dash. I'd also use all electric actuators... I'd love to fit the entire A/C & Heater System out of our Kia Soul {or any of a number of modern small cars} - into a 240Z. Before you build that custom Dash - maybe you can consider making it easily accomidate some other Factory A/C system. One that people could go to the junk yard and remove -to transplant easily and at relatively low cost. But that's just me.. Good luck with the project.. FWIW, Carl B.

Ah..Good Thought... Carl B.

Good point - I'll keep that in mind as I search for a container - that is long enough to fit them in, yet with a small enough total volume. FWIW, Carl B.

Sold for $7500.00 - too cheap IMHO. If the car really had 49K miles and runs strong.. FWIW, Carl B.

With the cost of living in California - I don't see how or why anyone would do it on the cheap. I had a set done by a person that specializes in that type of work here in Florida - Very Presentable but not "perfect" - they were $80.00 each. "Perfect" was $160.00 each. When they were done - his "Very Presentable" looked near perfect to me...heck, they weren't "perfect" when new. I have a couple of used sets that need to be refreshed - I think I'll try boiling them in Lemon Juice to see how they clean up. Now these are parts that should be economical to reproduce... especially in SEA.. FWIW, Carl B. The last NOS set that I saw on EBay went for about $110.00 each.

Why not just buy a good set of used bumpers and have them rechromed or Show Chromed? That way they would be "correct" and not reproductions? Are the repro's really that much less expensive? FWIW, Carl B.

Oops... never mind... Carl B.

With that amount of RUST where it is - one has to wonder what the inside of the frame rails look like, or what is under the tar mats on the floorboards, Wonder how much RUST is in the rear dog legs and rear wheel arches.... I've dismantled a lot of 240Z's and haven't seen rust like that, in that area on any of them. Hate to be pessimistic - - but the deeper you dig - you may find a lot more problems exist than you can afford to fix. College Student Budget. Start saving your money and buy a far better condition example to begin with. Sell that car to someone that has the metal working skills necessary to fix it ... Don't throw good money after bad.. Just my opinion.. FWIW, Carl B.

Exact same thing happened to my last XJS - the wife was at a major intersection waiting on a Left Hand Turn Light - she saw a small amount of smoke come up from the cowl - the light turned green and she make the left hand turn - a few feet down the road the "smoke" turned to "Flames" and she pulled into a shopping mall parking lot - got out of the car. The Fire Dept. was located at that intersection - so they were there in a flash. Even so the fire totalled the XJ-S. I had it towed to the Jag. Dealer - the Service Manager there bought the car for a V8 Conversion.. The Jag Dealer appraised the car for the Insurance Company - - - so I got fair market value for it. Beautiful driving car with a wonderful V12..smooth... but I'd never own another..Electrical problems were constant.. ah not to mention the fire. FWIW, Carl B.

I have the FIA 4 piston calipers with ventilated rotors on the BRE Baja Z. Yes, they are paired with larger diameter rear wheel cylinders. In short - IMHO - they are a huge upgrade over the stock system. The main difference between them and the OEM Brake set up - to me - is the drivers ability to modulate brake pedal pressure and the feedback in braking force. It is FAR easier to haul the Z down from any speed with a precise and desired speed/distance ratio reduction with the FIA set up. The brakes are smoother - more linear in application of braking force vs pedal movement. In the stock system - you seem to have very little braking force applied to the rotors at the top 1/4 or 1/3 pedal downward position... then the brakes come on more suddenly and fully at that bottom half the pedal pressure - where you have to really apply a lot of pedal pressure to get the clamping force you need at that point. The actual stopping distance might very well be the same between the two with an experienced driver - but the ease of making controlled speed reductions is far better with the FIA set-up. It is a large difference that one feels at once. To me - that feel and control are a major upgrade to the Z FWIW, Carl B.

All of the above is great advice. I have a small Craftsman Canvas tool bag with a basic set of hand tools and some spare parts { a few feet of wire, spare fuses, ignition parts etc.}. In addition to a set of mechanics gloves and clean rags. I also carry a tube of hand cleaner. I also carry a small rug - it protects the original carpet and gives you something to lay on if you have to get under the car. A good high quality fire extinguisher for GAS/Electrical fires is a MUST as far as I'm concerned. Too many 280Z's are still running around with their original or 20+ year old rubber fuel lines. Which current blends of gasoline can destroy. {blow a fuel injector hose and you can have a fire in a heart beat}. In addition I carry a couple extra hose clamps - to clamp off a heater hose if one lets go. If you have mags on the car - make sure you have a set of STOCK lug nuts to mount the spare.. For sure I would have one or two extra fuel filters along - one tank of bad gas and leave you stranded with a clogged fuel filter. Most common things I've seen happen on longer trips to 70-78 Z's - These were cars that ran great for decades around town and on short trips - but the owners had left many things unattended because they never failed..until the stress of a long high speed trip was put on them. Blown Heater Hose Blown Radiator Hose Blown Fuses... headlight and high speed heater fan Failed Fuel Pump Or Clogged fuel filters Electronic Ignition Module - over heated and failed No stock lug nuts to mount the spare wheel/tire {I've given three sets away on the road - to other Z owners} As I recall the trip from Tucson into California is pretty much a very dry desert... I'd certainly have a lot of Gator-Aid and Water with me - in a cooler with lots of ice. A gallon or two of fresh water wouldn't hurt either. Stay hydrated and stay awake.. FWIW, Carl B.

NINE BUCKS!!! Nine Bucks??? How the hell can they make and ship something like that for NINE BUCKS? Maybe we should contact them and see if they can duplicate the OEM 5spd knobs for $90.00. Gee... Carl B.

Just flip the headlight switch ON/OFF several quick times. The contact points get a film of corrosion on them - and rapidly flipping the switch will usually clear some of it off - and the headlights will work. I'd also installed Dave's Headlight Relay System.... that way it only takes very low voltage to turn the headlights on/off... and saves the switch FWIW Carl B.

I can remember clearly when we received our first Lemon Green 240Z at Valley Datsun in Spokane, Washington. UCK...what the hell is that? We sent it back to the "Detail" shop and told them to do something with it. They DID. They threw a set of 14x 7 Appliance Wire Mags with 195R70x14 on it. The used Brown and Red over Bright Yellow pin stripping down the body line... Polished and buffed the paint to show quality. We put it on the showroom floor and called the next person on the waiting list... He originally wanted either Silver or Metallic Brown... He saw the Lemon Green 240Z on the showroom floor and changed his mind - that is perfect!! FWIW, Carl B

Hi Jeff - Yes, I know the car. It was originally sold here in Florida. Two or Three people that all worked at the same place had owned it one after the other. Our friend in Atlanta talked to all of them before he bought it. I located several of the 240Z's that wound up in his collection. Over the past 15 years or so - I've personally seen about 25 240Z's with less than 25K original miles on them. If they were driven and garage kept - they all had cleaner engines than the subject car being advertised. That Silver car was kept in a Car Port for more than 10 years before it was sold - but it has always been a beautiful example. Mileage is important but it is only one factor that goes into the value of the car - Condition is perhaps the Top Factor. Our friend in Florida, then our friend in Atlanta owned a White 72 with 16K original miles. I was there when it came off the truck from California. We went over that car for more than an hour trying to find one thing that wasn't perfect - couldn't find it. Engine Cad Plating everything still looked like the day it was on the showroom floor. As clean an undercarriage as the day it was produced.. 8K, 18K, 28K original miles doesn't matter - the condition of the engine in the Z that is the subject of the Thread knocks the car out of the Top Money category. Not to mention none of us have a clue what condition the fuel system is in etc etc. Just my opinion.. Carl B.

I think they can dream all they want - it cost them money to hold a car. No "Dealer" that I know of would pay more than $20K for that car in todays economy. If you really like the car tell Steve you are a buyer at $25K - and in the mean time you'll keep looking. It's the end of the month and nearing the end of the year - Christmas is comming and Winter is here - all this adds to VERY SLOW Sports Car Sales... In the mean time we'll keep looking for you... If the Dealer wants to be silly - let him keep the car for a few more months.. As long as you show a lot of interest - they won't DEAL.. FWIW, Carl B.

Oops...missed the latest updates.... Never Mind.... FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Mark: Thanks - very nice looking engine compartment, that looks like a super low mileage example. Of course if you to the original carbs back on - you'll have to install all the original fuel line wraps etc. The yellow dot on your fuel pump shows that it was returned to the Dealer for Fuel System modifications as well. Look at the Cad Plating on the parts on your engine and then look at the one Advertised. The amount of grime on each, the condition of the blue paint on the block etc. The staining and grime on the valve covers. I'd love to go inspect the Car Advertised... I still say that even given the super low mileage is correct - the car still needs a lot of elbow grease to bring it up to a standard that could command something above $20K in todays market. I do know a few Collectors that LOVE super low mileage near perfect examples - and they have paid silly money when they find the right car.. FWIW, Carl B.

Is it a complete, more or less Stock example? Is it used for pleasure only? Is it garage kept? Do you have another car insured as a Daily Driver? Good driving record? Over the age of 25 with no youthful drivers in the home? Is it presently insured with a Classic Car Insurance Comany or not? If it is indeed kept and owned as a Classic Car used for pleasure only - then yes it is under-insured. I'd have an Agreed Value policy on that of at least $12K today. That would assure that if it was damaged it would not be totalled for some minor repairs. Also prices on very clean 240Z's are going up again and they are getting harder to find. It won't be too long before a decend car will cost more than $10K and really nice one will be over $16k. If you have a regular insurance policy - you may have an "Actual Cash Value" or "Stated Value" Policy. In which case if it was damaged the insurance adjustor would say the car was actually worth $1500.00 - they would total it and settle for something close to $1500.00 {or run you around endlessly - until you settle}. If you have a Stated Value policy it is better - but still up to the adjustor to agree or disagree with the Stated Value. With an Agreed Value on an Classic Car Policy there is no adjustor.. they either fix the car spending up to the Agreed Value - or they send you a check for that Agreed Value and total the car. FWIW, Carl B.

QUOTE=mjr45;415659]My experience with Hagerty and other "specialty" insurer's always had this caveat that the car had to be "limited in driving to and from show's or events and not used for daily driving"" which makes the car a trailer/garage queen. Just my 2 cents. Not True - at least with Hagerty. There is no specified mileage limit and the only restriction is that the car can not be used as "transportation". Nor can it be used temporarily in place of your transportation vehicle if it is in the Shop. Automobile Insurance is sold State To State - and the General Insurance Companies/Carriers aka "Full Line Carriers" have certain legal restrictions/requirement etc specific to every State. They sell the broad line of insurance products - Auto, Home, Liability, Business etc. But there are things that they really can't handle effectively for any number of reasons. Classic Cars/Boats etc are one such category. That is where Speciality Insurers come in. Classic, Collector and Special Interest Automobiles are a small market and require specialized knowledge. The Speciality Insurers are limited by law to specific insurance products not commonly offered by the Full Line Carriers, but for which there is need. Cars that you use as daily drivers ie for transportation to/from work, for trips to the shopping mall etc etc must be insured by one of the Full Line Carriers in your State. Cars that you own for pleasure and which are not used as transportation - fall to the Speciality Insurers. The Speciality Insurers usually issue an insurance policy that has an "Agreed Value", where the Full Line Carriers usually issue policies that have "ACV" or "Stated Values". When you have a loss on a Classic Car there is a huge difference in how you deal with either. With the Policy that Hagerty issues - you can drive your Z for pleasure as much as you want. Drive it cross country to the next Z Car Convention etc. On average Classic Cars are driven less than 3000 miles per year - and the underwriters do watch that over a period of years you average something close to that - that is because miles of exposure on the highway equals "risk".. if everyone drove more the risk would go up and the premiums would too. I can drive my Z car to work to show it off every once in a while - that is pleasure use. But I can't use it to replace my transportation vehicle {it has to be fully operational sitting a home}. Always READ you policy - Agents will make off handed remarks that have no force in the policy. Before they issue a policy they may ask you how much you drive the car, what insurance company issues your Auto Insurance for the daily driver {you have to have one}, where the car is kept etc. and not everyone gives the right answers... On the up side - Classic Car Insurance is about 10% of what my daily drivers cost.. because the loss rate is very low for them. FWIW, Carl B.