Carl Beck

Hi Arne: We've had this discussion before, but I think it is worth refreshing it ever so often. I deal with basically three different types of "Z Car People" all the time. Collectors, Restorers and Enthusiasts. A few people are all of these, but the broad market is segmented by these three types. All three type of people - buy quite different examples of the Datsun 240Z's and they value them quite differently. I have not seen your Z in person - but following along here for years - I wouldn't be surprised if you could find a buyer willing to pay $12K to $15K this year, and maybe $18K in a few years from now. But you know you would have very hard time finding a replacement for $12K to $15K. You seem to have a nice #3 condition 240Z, but your location keeps the price depressed a bit, and the current economy keeps too many 240Z Enthusiast on the side lines - or looking for current suppressed market bargains. {and they are out there now too} In the lower to mid level Classic Car Market price ranges - cars recognized by the majority of Collectors as being true Classics {ie. of timeless beauty}, all seem to establish their relative values based somewhat on tradition or historic expectations in that market, but mostly on economic facts. {as Guy correctly points out} Such that if a #3 condition example is $12K to $15K - then a #2 example will sell for twice that amount, and a true #1 example will sell for 2.5x or more that of a #3 condition example. There are certainly overlaps in these price ranges and different buyers see things differently - but nonetheless that seems to be an established rule-of-thumb there. If I bought your Z for $15K - what would it cost me today to restore it to #1 Condition and how long would that take? Answer: I could easily spend an additional $30K and I'd feel lucky if I could keep the cost down to that. If a Collector bought the car and farmed everything out to professionals - it would easily cost him $85K+. So any #1 or #2 condition example already completed and ready to set in his collection for less than 1/2 that amount is a bargain to him. For that matter 240Z's are a bargain Classic when sitting side by side with the Ferraris, Porsches and mid year Corvettes in his collection. To the people who are "restorers" - they won't pay for a #3 condition car because they are going to strip everything to a shell and restore everything anyway - so they look for good #4 condition cars in the $5K to $8K price range. All of this leaves #3 condition 240Z's today in fairly good supply and somewhat low demand in this economy. So I believe that the rational that if a good #3 condition example in the Enthusiast Market is worth $15K it leads to an assumption that a #2 condition example in the Collector market is worth $20K or $25K is not supported by the economics of the situation. Nor for that matter the actual prices being paid for true #1 and #2 condition examples. At this point in the economy - very few buyers are doing anything. This too will pass. I could have bought a Ferrari 275 GTB/2 in Miami during the 1991/92 melt down for $85K as Atlantic Bank flushed their repo's... {but I didn't want to risk the cash then either}. This too will pass... FWIW, Carl B.

Does "all original" also mean it has been sitting for years or several months between being driven? If so - the clutch discs can freeze/rust themselves to the flywheel. The resulting symptoms can be the same as a hydraulic failure. In this case, you will have fluid in the Master and when someone pushes on the clutch pedal - you can see the push rod on the Slave Cylinder move outward about 3/4". As mentioned - first check the fluid level in the Clutch Master Cylinder - if it very low to dry - first try filling it with fluid, then "bleed" the hydraulic system. You bleed the system by having someone sit in the car, pump the clutch pedal slowly and easily two or three times, then hold the clutch pedal to the floor. While they hold the clutch pedal to the floor, you crack open, then close the little "bleeder valve" on the slave cylinder. {takes a 10mm box end wrench}. The first few times you should get nothing but air out of the bleeder valve. After a few times you should finally get nothing but fluid out. At that point the clutch should work - as mentioned check for leaks. If the clutch isn't working, have someone sit in the car and slowly push the clutch pedal down - as you watch to see if the push rod on the slave cylinder is moving out - it should move out about 3/4". If it isn't moving, your slave might be gummed up/corroded. If you do replace the Master and Slave cylinders - replace the rubber hose between the body and the slave as well. FWIW, Carl B.

CarbonBlack240 Questions: a) how long have you been driving this Z? how often have you ran it hard or floored it? Brown smoke could just be rust from the exhaust system blowing out of a car that sat too long. Black smoke could just be carbon built up on the cylinder tops and flooring it breaks some loose. The image is too low a resolution to blow up much. The Carb's pictured are S.U.'s manufactured under license by Hitachi. Even or uneven Air/Fuel distribution from a single 4 barrel, to an inline six depends upon the design of the intake manifold. {the length and diameter of the runners etc have to be finely tuned, no reason distribution can't be even to all cylinders}. FWIW, Carl B.

If your heater hose is leaking, you can simply cut the leaking hose and move it out of the way. Then cut the good hose near the firewall and loop it to the connection that the bad hose was on. That will allow you to drive the car home, if your fixing things on the side of the road. You can see the two heater hoses in the picture below {well at least part of the two heater hoses} Or you can buy enough new heater hose at the parts store to form a loop in the engine bay. Make sure you can get the old clamps off, or pick up a couple new clamps. Make sure you add water to the radiator!!! Take a gallon with you... Changing the heater hoses at the heater core is something that you will want to have some time to do. It's a tight fit up under the dash - and a job best done in your driveway. You may want to order all three hoses from your Nissan Dealer. Two run to/from the engine and one connects the heater valve to the heater core. All three are preformed with fairly tight bends. Heater Hoses to/from heater core regulator 27118-N3300 Intake 27181-N3000 Output 27181-N3300

The Search Engine revels: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30409 The only way to go.... FWIW, Carl B.

Someone on this forum used smoke a few years ago to check their rear hatch seals etc. You might want to do a SEARCH for that... FWIW, Carl B.

I may have a line on some - I'll let you know.... Carl B.

Hi Bill: You are correct - I had Cibie Biode's in my first Z. HLS30 01777. Burned the entire engine bay wiring harness up. The Biode's had metal backs - worked great when the headlight housings were out of the car - - - at that point they grounded as they should though the wiring harness. Once I reinstalled them in the car, in the headlight housings - they created a dead short though the body metal... Very expensive lesson!! Lesson learned - we put rubber insulators at the three mounting points on the back of the lights - and added relays etc. They were FANTASTIC! The high beams would light up road signs miles down the road. Very directional light pattern as well. They used a two bulb set up.. After much experimentation with several other suppliers - I finally settled on the Hella lights for many years after that... Today I use GE or Sylvania Halogen Sealed Beams - they are tough to beat for $14.00 to $16.00 each. Very good lights for street use here in Florida and I drive very little at night anyway. If I were to upgrade headlights today - I'd go all the way with HID's. No matter what headlights you are going to use - their performance potential can only be realized if your wiring, connectors, power source and ground are up to the job. FWIW, Carl B.

The Parts Catalog shows: up to 10/71 = 17 teeth 3.36 11/71 to 11/74 = 16 teeth 3.36 12/74 280Z forward = 17 teeth 3.54 FWIW, Carl B.

Did you find Kroil at ACE ???? Amazing stuff, but I've always had to order it from Kano Labs on-line. It would be great if ACE started to stock it. FWIW, Carl B.

Welcome to the group - I'd say that for your $300.00 you got a really great deal. A few dents but in otherwise amazing condition for the money. Good luck with the project - and most of all - enjoy the process.. FWIW, Carl B

Nice Collection Mike: My favorite is still the original BRE Team Jacket - - but I like the Australian Datsun Rally jacket a lot as well. By the way - at the Datsun Dealerships, the Jackets and Liners were separate items. You could buy one or both. As I recall the jackets themselves were something like $8.95 and if you wanted the liner they were an extra $2.00. Because these were promotional items, I and many of the salesmen at the Dealerships purchased them ourselves and gave them to people that bought cars from us. The Service Managers also gave them to customers that had larger service bills. I still have my Jacket from the Dealership - - - but it seems a lot smaller now... FWIW, Carl B.

Well - one "pinion" gear is in the differential. Item #58 in the below Parts Catalog Page is "Assembly - Pinion Speedometer" Item #65 is the Speedometer Drive gear. While the speedometer pinion gears, no matter how many teeth are all the same in both the 77-80 and then 81-83 transmissions. There are two slightly different "assembly sleeves" used, between the two types of transmisisons. See Item #59 in the diagram.. FWIW, Carl B.

Is that supposed to be "I told him" ? With a 73 it could be simply a matter of a partial vapor lock in the fuel lines - had you recently filled the gas tank? It could be simply a matter of a plugged fuel filter. It could be a fuel pump going bad. Yes - get a boy friend that knows something about cars. Keep the boyfriend you presently have away from your Z. Differentials that are badly worn - make a lot of noise {as previously mentioned} Differentials that break - stop your car from moving all together. If the rear brakes were dragging - it would wear out the rear brake shoes, but it would also result in a lot of heat and most likely a lot of smoke... First try changing the in-line fuel filter - it is on the inner-fender, on the passenger side of the car. Take it out - take it to the Parts Store near you - and match it up with a new replacement. Find a good Z mechanic near you... FWIW, Carl B.

The crank case vent pipe is located on the front of the engine block, on the left side. A hose connects that vent to the PCV valve that is screwed into the balance tube between the two SU's. If your PCV valve is not operating correctly ie plugged - pressure will build up in the crank-case. This usually shows up as oil burning in the cylinders - and blue smoke coming out the tail pipe.{ and/or oil fouled spark plugs} The vent on top the valve cover - is just that - a vent. The hose from it runs to the air cleaner. With the engine at idle speeds - pressure that can build up in the crank case should not be high enough to cause "exhaust gas" to be pushed out there. FWIW, Carl B.

I'll add a little to what Phred wrote: When the 240Z's were new - one of the services that were preformed at 1200 miles - was to re-torque the head bolts. As I recall the procedure was to simply break them loose, then torque them down again. <pre> Head bolts should be torqued down in three stages - in the same sequence outlined in the service manuals. 12 8 4 2 6 10 14 11 7 3 1 5 9 13 </pre> - first torque them all to 20 ft/lbs - second torque them all to 45 ft/lbs - third then torque them all to between 47 - 61 ft/lbs Lots of people report having no problem if they never "re-torque" the head bolts after initial run engine run in. As I recall some head gaskets were promoted as not needing to be re-torqued. Nonetheless, I still re-torque all head bolts after the first thousand miles, if I've had a head off. {note that I said: "if I have had the head off"} I am always hesitant to tell a non-mechanic to re-torque the head on his engine. Especially if he didn't do the job in the first place. You have to keep in mind that the possibility exist, that you can twist a head bolt off in the block. Not something you want to deal with if you're not willing to tear the engine down yourself. If you have a head gasket leaking oil, the possibility exists that whoever put the head on in the first place - may have stripped a head bolt to begin with... or worse. BTW - For the people with early L24's - they used three lengths of head bolts from the factory. This was reduced to using only two lengths upon replacement and/or on later engines. FWIW, Carl B.

They call it Lime because most people can't spell chartreuseROFL Carl B.

E: - - Specifically "where" do the two wires join together? Carl B.

No. Other than what they are made of - plastic emblems are the same style as the early metal emblems. They are OEM replacements as well. If you were restoring one of the 69 production 240Z's or very early 70 {Jan into Feb of 70} - that had the "chrome Z" as original - then yes having the incorrectly styled emblems could reduce the value of the car by at least the current cost of proper replacements. Worse than the reduced value on a 69 restoration - using the incorrect emblems sends the wrong message to any potential buyer - that short cuts have been taken there - which in turn starts them looking for others or wondering about the quality of the entire car. FWIW, Carl B.

It is not so much a matter of how may miles you drive the car per year although there are limits - - - so much as it is a matter of your intended and actual use of the vehicle. Classic Car Policies cover driving your Classic for Pleasure Only - - they can not be used to cover cars driven for daily or even occasional transportation purposes. You must have another vehicle, insured and used for transportation - ie. a Daily Driver. You must have your Classic Garage kept. You must have a good driving record. If you use your Classic for transportation - when your daily driver is out of commission for any reason - then you are NOT covered. FWIW, Carl B.

Hello Matt: I'm glad to hear that you found a good Z to start with and glad to see the progress you've made with it to date. It was a pleasure having you visit. Just as a point of information - I'm currently helping another Original Owner with the restoration of his 73 240Z. Using PPG products - we spent just a couple dollars under $2,000.00 on materials and supplies alone. Looking at the work you've done on the undercarriage and the primer on the entire car I'd guess you have $600.00 to $700.00 in paint, primers, sealers, supplies {cleaning supplies, masking tap, sand paper, thinners}. The good news is you have the undercarriage, engine bay and suspension all done - the bad news is that in order to keep it clean while the car is in the body shop - it will take additional time to seal everything off. This also means that you have to find some pretty professional and caring people to do the work - without screwing up what you have already put so much effort into. I'll check with couple shop's I've used here in the Clearwater area but they may be to far outside your current budget. If you stick with PPG's better quality materials you're looking at $1,000.00 + and it is reasonable to think that it would take a couple weeks of labor {80 hours x $45.00 to $55.00 per hour} - $3600.00 to $4,400.00 These are shops that will get your car in - work on it - and get it out - - rather than letting it sit for six months to a year using it as side work. I'll check with them anyway - just as a reference point, but I think your budget might be a bit too low - to match the quality of work you've already put into the car. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Michael: There is a very large difference between a Stated Value Policy and an Agreed Value Policy. With a Stated Value Policy - you state a value and the insurance company bases the premium they charge you in part upon that value and in part upon the liability rates for your age group in your area. If you have an accident or the car is stolen - You will deal with a Claims Adjustor and he will in most cases "adjust" the value down do to the use {months from the appraisal date, or miles accumulated} as well as what the Actual Cash Value would have been without the Stated Value. You are better off with a Stated Value Policy - - - but it really isn't all that different legally than listing Actual Cash Value on your policy. Note I said above "..you state the value".... That is NOT THE SAME AS the insurance company Agreeing to that value and agreeing to pay that amount in case of a total loss {accident or stolen}. With an Agreed Value policy - there really is no claims adjustor. There is no question about the current value of your car. Most Classic Car speciality insurers sell Agreed Value Policies. Classic Cars have very low loss rates and are rarely exposed to risk on the highways/streets because they are driven only for pleasure. If you drive your Z only for pleasure - you have it garaged - you don't use it when your daily driver is out of commission - then your best coverage is with a Classic Car speciality insurer that writes Agreed Value policies. Take your Agreed Value Insurance Policy - and sit down with a lawyer. Don't listen to any insurance agent - the agent that sells you the policy won't be the person settling a claim should you ever have one. Ask your lawyer what the legal difference is between Stated Values and Agreed Values... If you do use your Z as a second car for transportation - it would not be covered by a Classic Car Policy. If you drive your car for your pleasure - no matter where - if it was for your pleasure and you have other cars for transportation - then you should have your Z on an Agreed Value policy. Hagerty will issue and Agreed Value Policy if you e-mail them current pictures of your Z - and if your driving record is clean - $15K would be no problem - in fact $18K for a super clean 280Z is more reasonable in my opinion. $18K Agreed Coverage would run you ABOUT / AROUND $150.00 PER YEAR {not every six months}. FWIW, Carl B.

To get reasonable recommendations - it would help if you would tell us: a) what condition the car will be in - when you are ready to take it to a body shop for body and paint work. Will you have all glass, chrome, trim, lights etc stripped off the car? Will you have the interior out of the car? What metal work needs to be done? Define in terms of the "price" you expect to pay, what a good paint job should cost. c) What kind of turn-around time do you expect? 90 days, 6 months, 12 months??? BTW - I believe that D'Elegance only does mechanical work - so they can do the engine rebuild. FWIW, Carl B.

Is that the VIN taken from the firewall or the Dash? HLS30 035147 would have had a Build Date of 06/71 12/71 Build Dates are from aprox. HLS30-56xxx into 62xxx FWIW, Carl B.

Item number: 180611367694 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-Z-Series-260Z-Unbelievable-Survivor-240Z-260Z-280Z-Nissan-1-OWNER-74-/180611367694?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2a0d46c30e If this one owner, 98K mile 260Z can be purchased for $7K to $10K - then a 240Z with a salvage title would be worth about half that to me. Why would you buy a potential problem, when for the same money you could buy a jewel? I'm not saying that the salvaged Z isn't worth something, nor that no one should buy it. I just don't see how anyone would expect a salvaged 240Z to sell in the $7K-$10K range in todays or tomorrows market, when so many other clean Z's are available in that price range. Am I missing something here? FWIW, Carl B.