Carl Beck

In 1968 BRE prepared a Datsun Pickup for Mary McGee to run at the Baja. In addition to their own 510. Conner was also running a Datsun Pickup at the Baja in 1973 - SIMONIZ as a sponsor. Lots of Datsuns ran the Baja in the last 60's and early 70's. FWIW, Carl B.

I hope that you are planing on treating the inside of the Frame Rails, the dog legs, inside the doors etc - to kill and prevent rust. After 40 years they are all rusting from the inside out...

Try Banzai Motorworks: Banzai Motorworks Motorsports Auto Z Car Parts.com -- Motorsport Auto -- Home Black Dragon Black Dragon Automotive - Datsun 240Z, 260Z, 280Z, 280ZX Auto Parts and Accessories They can supply some OEM parts as well as good reproductions in many cases. FWIW, Carl B.

Also - many of the other suppliers will simply put the part on "Back-Order" rather than cancel the order. Then you wind up waiting months to find out that it is never coming in. We have found that Nissan Canada is a different parts distribution system - in the past they have been able to order parts from Japan -that the US Nissan Parts System would not order from Japan - even if the parts were still available in Japan. Frankly it is amazing that any parts for a 40 Plus year old car are still avaliable. Good luck, Carl B.

Most certainly - make it Clearwater!! Then you can buy a Winter Home here as well.. Good luck... Carl B.

Me too - I worked on the Space Shuttle program and I miss them. Of course they flew about three times as long as originally intended. We supplied the Main Engine Controllers and Flight Control Systems for the Shuttles. Did you work Space Station as well?

I know what you mean -- I've gone out to the garage to check on something, then when I got there I had forgotten what I went for in the first place - Sorry to hear about the original engine - throwing a rod is not something we hear about too often. But then, it's not like you don't already have a good replacement... Great looking Z... FWIW, Carl B.

I should think that almost any Automotive Electric Shop that rebuilds starters and alternators could rebuilt it for you. Should be some in your local area. Just be sure to explain clearly how you want it to look when its done - make sure they understand you are rebuilding it for a correct restoration.. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Frank: HLS30 15653 was last reported as having a Date Of Manufacturer of 12/70, with Original Engine serial number L24-021132. Your signature line still shows 10/70. Does the Data Plate on the drivers door jamb now show 10/70?

Agreed! If you want to keep the "stock" or "original" look of your radiator - just have it re-cored with the 3 or 4 row core, keeping your original top tank with the finger guard and bottom tank. All that said - the most effective items I've found to reduce engine operating temps. here in Florida are; 1) changing to synthetic oil and 2) adding Redline "Water Wetter" to the coolant. FWIW, Carl B.

If your radiator has the little "finger guard" or "safety guard" it is most likely the original radiator. Most the after market replacements don't have them. As I recall Nissan called it a "splash guard", which might give some indication of it's original purpose. It didn't seem to provide any noticable effect on cooling on any of the 240Z's I have them on. No - you don't need it for everyday driving. FWIW, Carl B.

No the 72's did not come with the fan shroud. I ordered mine over the Parts Counter when I installed the Dealer A/C kit in 72. They do aid a bit in relation to engine cooling during low speed operation. FWIW, Carl B.

I was about to ask Frank to check the Date Of Manufacture - Looks like #15368 should be 12/70. I could understand it being built a month or two later - but very odd to have one number two months earlier than the normal sequence. #15189 is a Vintage Z with build date of 11/70... the highest VIN so far for 11/70.. Nonetheless very nice looking Z!! FWIW, Carl B.

Read this Post.... then stop by Home Depot and pick up the needed parts.. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/thread46013.html Pull the drive shaft and cap the end of the tranny off....good to go..

Neat Idea. I use the plastic caps from certain rattle can's - some are the exact size to slide into the tail shaft housing. I like your idea better.. makes a nice seal.. thanks' Carl B.

Hi Gus: Time for a progress report... FWIW, Carl B.

For the fender - Get a gallon of Mineral Spirits or Kerosine.... or for that small an area get a gallon of Diesel Fuel {which is about the same as Kerosine}... Soak the undercoating down and scrub it with a ScotchBrite Pad - it will wash right off. FWIW, Carl B.

Having pulled the center dash finisher, the heater control panel, the heater & blower motor out last week - I disassembled, cleaned, sanded, Ospho'd then primed & painted the heater box assembly. Today I'll be putting new seals in and re-assembling it. Heater core and heater control valve are in excellent condition!! Now all I have to do is find the new heater hoses I bought last year!

I've seen a couple of them - they were well made. One owner here in Clearwater had one, haven't seen him in quite a few years. As I recall there was an article about them in one of the old Z Car Club Of America newsletters. Nonetheless they are rare today... There was also another manufacturer that offered a fiberglass bucket seat arrangement that fit in the same way. FWIW, Carl B.

Zedyone_kenobi I think you are having waaay to much fun with this!! I'd also guess that by now you have spent at least as much on your Z as you originally paid for it. Another sign of serious addiction... Next step - - individual throttle bodies with F.I.... Yes, the path you have chosen always leads to a next step... When you run out of things to do to your Z - - - - you'll be looking for a 911 next... At any rate -keep up the good reports. FWIW, Carl B.

The hassle of towing it home - might be far less than the hassle of smelling your entire wiring harness burn up on the road. When a fusible link melts down - it is usually, not always but usually something seriously wrong in the electrical system. Individual fuses blow on the branch circuits with minor shorts or overloads caused by resistance/corrosion. The fusible links blow more or less as a last resort to save the entire wiring harness. Replacing the fusible link without first finding what caused it to blow in the first place - can be very risky. Personally I'd buy the car if I wanted it - I'd tow it home, then take my time to go over the electrical system with the proper test equipment. Might save a lot of additional headaches that way... FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Arne: There is an answer to a question there now - - 1/79. So these wouldn't be of much use to anyone wanting date correct wheels for their 240Z. Maybe good for someone restoring a 280ZX-R. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Arne: I'd go a little farther than that even. Not only were they never factory installed for North America - they were never shipped from the factory to the U.S. via Nissan's Parts System. I tried to order the Optional 5.5" wheels from Nissan in 1970, 71, 72, 73 and finally gave up in 1974. I worked for a Datsun Dealer in 71, 72, 73 & 74 and the Parts Managers did everything they could to try to get a set of the subject wheels shipped from Japan... it never happened. For several years as "Vintage or Historic" racing gained popularity in the 90's - we tried again to find any documentation that a single set had ever been sent to the US. So that the Z's could run wider wheels against the competing Porsches / Madza's etc. Again no luck. Narrow wheels and relatively small brakes put the 240Z's at a disadvantage against newer model competitors in venues where they had to run "stock" spec.'s Ron Johnson {Nissan competition Parts} sent me the following from his research back in the 90's - - Quote - - - The 5.5" optional steel rim (40300-E4600) was first shown as a option in the 12/71 update of the (US) Z parts book. It was carried thru subsequent updates until 12/72 when it was shown as "out of production". There is remained until the 12/75 update when its reference was deleted entirely. A Datsun in-house memo (dated June 2, 1970) indicates that the " ..... optional wheels have passed the FMVSS standards." Also, if you look on the spec page of the 1970 Z sales brochure (dated 2/70), you will note that the 5.5" rims are shown as an option. FYI, suggested list price for the 5.5" rim in 1970 was $13.50 each ($US). RJ - - - - -End Quote - - - - - - The Nissan Sports Option Catalog 1973 shows a "Road Wheel" PN 40300-E4200 5 1/2J x 14. Again, we never had any luck getting a set sent though the Nissan Parts system to the US. FWIW, Carl B.

If you don't have a Redline Dealer and you don't want to order it - - you can also use Royal Purple Max-Gear. Many of the National auto parts stores carry it in local stock. It is a few more bucks - but I don't like waiting of stuff to be shipped.. http://www.royalpurple.com/product-categories/automotive/#!max-gear GL-4 & GL-5 .. safe for yellow metals.. etc. FWIW Carl B.

It might make a difference. The three pulley system is there to support the addition of an A/C compressor. When these Dealer Installed systems were introduced - the third pulley was added, but the original bolt was put back in place. The end result was that the original bolt was now too short to get as much purchase in the crank as it needed - and over time many of them came loose and backed out. That usually resulted in the damper pulley being damaged and/or the key way in the crank being damaged. The "solution" was to take the original bolt out - before it backed itself out - and replace it with a slightly longer one - that was also slightly larger in diameter. Thus the crank had to be re-threaded, the larger bolt in stalled, and torqued to higher loads. It was also recommended that a thread lock {aka Locktite} be used. If there is a larger bolt in there - you may have to buy a deep well, thin wall socket from one of the higher quality tool suppliers. They have thinner walls that are also stronger than most consumer brands. FWIW, Carl B.