Carl Beck

Just as a point of interest - someone running a 240Z at Sebring, Florida a couple years ago - was using a B/W World Class T-5. Any reason that can't be used in the Vintage racing scene? Secondly - some of the race teams in the early 70's also ran 4 speeds in the enduro's because of the weak 5th in the 5spd.'s. FWIW, Carl B.

Why No Headlights? FWIW, Carl B.

That could be - but the difference in price between cheap plexiglass and high quality Lexan can be 4X. Just suggesting that you be carefull when you "specify" the materials to be quoted and/or purchased. My suggestion was to reproduce the most common type sold here in the US - make it hard to tell the difference between the originals and reproductions. FWIW, Carl B.

I would reproduce the 63901/63900-E4126. They are the most commonly sold in the US, so if anything happened to someone's originals, they could also be used to replace the originals or any part of them. Secondly - if they were the same as the originals sold here - it would be harder to spot "replicas". Secondly - the originals have pre-drilled holes in the Plexiglass. If you don't have the proper type drill bits and/or experience etc - it is very easy to have these lenses CRACK thru the edges - while being drilled. Thirdly - you better learn all you can about the various quality levels of Plexiglass {generic name} that are available. As I understand it - which is very little - you would want to specify Lexan or some equivalent quality level of polycarbonate to assure durability etc. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Guys: Alan's Post re the E4100's rang a bell... The first Datsun Competition Parts Catalog here in the U.S., May of 71 lists them as: 63900-E4100 $52.74 No pictures in this catalog 63901-E4100 $52.74 By 1973 the Datsun Competiton Parts Catalog list them as: 63900-E4126 No price sheet included 63901-E4126 Can't find the 72 issues... FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Mike: I think you actually missed the joke. While they were talking about the "improvement" - - the viewing audience was shown the actual "improvement" - Mr. Matsuo's signature on the underside of the access panel. The tape on the underside was just a Joke... that the owner was let in on after the shooting.. 918 Orange!!! ....Da...I'll have to fix that. FWIW, Carl

Hi Guys: I hear you. I'm sure that Alan will tell you as well; having attempted to help one automotive writer or another along the way - no matter how hard you try - no matter how clearly you communicate certain facts - automotive journalists still get things twisted at times in the reporting/repeating. I too cringed when any mention of Goertz and the Toyota 2000GT were made.... ugh.... On the positive side - with only a short video - only a couple main thoughts can be presented in very simple terms - with the hope of anyone retaining them. While I understand what some of you are saying - I think we have to keep in mind that this video was more about the 40th Anniversary of the Z bracketed by the two men most responsible for first and latest. I too would love to do a History Channel Documentary with a more singular focus.... but maybe later. ;-) Of course my main goal was to get Mr. Matsuo as widely recognized publicly - as the designer most responsible for the original Z Car. In that regard, MotoMan helped a great deal and his video will be viewed by perhaps more people on the Internet today, than all the previous books published {containing the Goertz myth}. It is also good that so many people will actually get to see Mr. Matsuo - to put a name with a face. George {aka MotoMan} spent about four hours with Mr. Matsuo, Dr. Youchi Matsumoto and his son Jordi interviewing Mr. Matsuo and covering Mr. Matsuo's background, education and as many specific design details as possible - before the video was shot. {Youchi's Grandfather was the President of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd after WW-II}. Yoichi was born and raised in Japan, then came to America where he went to College - though to his Ph.d in Mechanical Engineering. Even so... only certain themes could work their way into such a brief video. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Gang: Jim Frederick ask me to Post the following here. = = = = = Our club's annual Christmas party is next Sat Dec 11 from 11am till dark. This is an open invitation to anyone who is not a member of our club who would like to attend. The club will provide food and drinks but asks anyone who will attend to rsvp to Jim240z@aol.com and to bring a covered dish or dessert. This is a great year end event and for all you snow birds who want to get out of the cold weather you will enjoy 70 degree sunny blue sky weather. Here is a link to view last year's party. http://zhome.com/Dropbox/ZMecaChristmas09/Jims09Christmas.htm Please email me with any questions or for directions. See you there. jim240Z@aol.com Jim Frederick Lutz {Tampa area}, Florida = = = = = = = = = = = == = = hope to see everyone there Carl B.

The MotoMan interview with Mr. Matsuo and Randy Rodriguez can now be seen at You can also find at: Apple iTunes http://www.CraveOnline.com Boxee DivX TV Roku Samsung HD TiVo Verizon FiOS OnDemand Vizio VIA I think everyone will enjoy this... FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Ron: Here is another picture from the 69 Tokoyo Motor Show.. at 1200 dpi you can see the screw better - I've marked it in the picture below. It might just be the angle of the photos - but the Orange 432 seems to have the front mounting screw lower, or closer to the bumper - than the front view Alan posted. What we need is picture taken at the same angle as the two I copied above - of Alan's lower trim ring in his picture of the pair together. FWIW, Carl

In or around Albuquerque - you should be able to find good rust free doors with good guts.. Even at $250.00 per door, it would be far better than keeping/fixing yours. FWIW, Carl B.

Yes - I have pictures in some books that show them a little more clearly than they can be presented on a computer screen. Using a magnifying glass they are clearly visible. They seem to match the drawing Kats submitted. FWIW, Carl B.

Agree - not the shade for your 260Z. {nor a 240Z/280Z}. FWIW, Carl B.

and I do not recall who the OEM was for Nissan - but the Racing Mirrors were Nissan Parts. They were $19.95 a pair when ordered over the Parts Counter. They were included in the Nissan Shade Kit. The rear shade was not sold by itself - only as a Kit including the Racing Mirrors. The Black Pearl's included the Shade Kit as part of the appearance package. While the Nissan Racing Mirrors looked a lot like the Mustang Mirrors - side by side they are shaped quite differently. FWIW, Carl

Hi Bud: Can you Post a couple pictures of the rust damage? If we can see it - we might be able to offer better advice as to the best method of correction at that point. FWIW, Carl B.

Thanks Chris - I was focused on looking for something earlier than that, but it makes perfect sense that Nissan would have been fully aware of any draft standards prior to any finished regulation. FWIW, Carl

Hi Ron: Just a side story on the headlight covers. I don't think that Nissan was caught off guard by any of the D.O.T. or EPA regulations. They had a very competent engineer working hand-in-hand with the Federal Agencies and the rest of the Automotive Industry while these regulations were being drafted, reviewed and finally approved. When Mr. Katayama became President of Nissan Motor Co. in U.S.A in 1965 - Mr. Kawazoe, {former V.P. of East Coast Division} was re-assigned to work that coordination between the Federal regulators and Nissan. Mr. Kawazoe reported directly to the President of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd on these Policy issues, and he was the Chairman of the Japanese Auto Manufacturers group that represented all Japanese Manufactures in D.C. Mr. Kawazoe and that group had quite an influence on the final wording of the regulations and the test procedures used to validate compliance. From my research, I was never able to find a D.O.T. regulation that would have made covered headlights unlawful. I did however find a few State Regulations that outlawed covered headlights - California being perhaps one of the most important one's of them. The covered headlight covers seem to have been precluded because when they got dirty inside - they reduced the light output significantly. D.O.T. revised their regulations at the auto industries urging years ago. The revised D.O.T. regulations supercede all State Regulations, and allow both covered headlights and bulb type rather than sealed beam headlights. Just a guess, but sealed beam headlights may have been required in the past - for the same reason that covered headlights were banned in some of the States. At any rate - it would seem that the covered headlights would be legal in all States now - otherwise almost none of the newer cars would be legal. FWIW, Carl B.

I've ran OEM, Fram, Purolator, NAPA - never had a problem with any filter. {FRAM was the only filter specified by the manufacture on my V-12 Ferrari} I run Mobile 1 in everything. Most of my Z's sit for prolonged periods and really don't get much use. The synthetics leave a film on metal parts longer than the natural oil, they reduce engine operating temperatures by about 10-12 degrees F. here in Florida. I started using synthetics when the boys and I were restoring and vintage drag racing 60's/70's muscle cars. I didn't like the lifter clatter in the V8 engines on cold start and the big blocks always seemed to run hot. Switching to the synthetics eliminated the lifter clatter on cold start up and lowered the operating temps. {made me a believer}. In the old days {pre 70's} - - lead in the gasoline, rich running carb's when the chokes were on or hung up, and in general rich mixtures poorly combusted - all combined to pollute the engine oil fairly quickly. Back then you needed to change the oil every 2K miles and usually spark plugs every 6-8K miles. The problem that still exists in our 70's era Z's is carb's that are out of tune - can still run very rich and the excessive gasoline {unburnt in combustion} can still dilute the engine oil. So oil/filter in the old Z's gets changed every 3-4K miles. I run my newer vehicles {1990+} 6K on oil and filter. These engines run very clean relative to earlier decades, and I live in Clearwater, Florida - which has some of the cleanest air in the US. Your location and driving conditions might be quite different. FWIW, Carl B.

and later Zup - are you still following this? The covers you bought seem to have the black rubber around them. At least the one's pictures on E-Bay do. Do the one's you received have gray rubber? If so, can you post a picture of the gray rubber? FWIW, Carl B.

I've marked Kat's drawing - with some notes. The "new style" / "old style" used in the discussion seemed confusing to me. So does "earlier" and "later" - - My OEM/NOS set, packaged in the brown box, marked with the 63900-E4126 & 63901-E4126 numbers are the "new style" on Kat's noted drawing. They have black rubber & the OEM mounting hardware. Looking at Ron's trim rings - I'd say his are also the new style - according to Kat's drawing noted. In the original Post - the headlight cover sitting on the new Red/white/blue box - would seem to be the Old Style - as noted in Kats drawings. {the front mounting hole is only a couple inches from the top edge}. Do I have kat's drawing marked wrong?? FWIW, Carl

The -.. "he paid someone in Mexico" - was also toungue in cheek. That is good to hear and also good to know. I have an NOS set, so I really have no experience with the repro sets. FWIW, Carl B.

Unkle - your money doesn't spend any differently ... I believe that the problem is - as was noted by someone earlier - he paid someone in Mexico and the seller disappeared. Buying/Selling within the US carries with it some legal protections, that do not apply, or can not be applied when buying/selling out of your own country. Hate to say it, but the level of outright criminal activity just grows and grows on the Internet. On top of that - if there is a problem - international shipping charges can quickly exceed the price of the item, or turn any sale into a loss of money. No reason to assume all these risks - if you can just as easily find a buyer in your own country. FWIW, Carl B.

"otherwise"??? Are you saying that it wasn't really Eiji selling these? How do you know that they are a reproduction set - and not NOS? Exactly what is different? thanks, Carl B.

Hi Chris / yoshi_w Just to make it clear - I recommended an "orbital" or "dual action buffer", not a rotary or direct drive type. It is close to impossible to damage any finish with an orbital or dual action buffer, that you wouldn't equally damage by hand. The main difference between hand buffing and using an orbital/dual action buffer is that the machine doesn't get tired and it makes more consistent strokes with a larger application pad. The orbital and dual action buffers run at far lower speeds {160-500 RPM} than the traditional rotary automotive buffers {1000 - 3000 RPM}. Orbital buffers move the polishing pad in the same elliptic/orbital motions as hand polishing, while the true dual action type turn the polishing pad while at the same time making the elliptical orbital paths. While you can find some on-sale now - the price range for the machines I mentioned are around $129.00 to $149.00 PorterCable/Groits {the Flex is over $300.00}. However $200.00 is closer to the total cost when you include an assortment of buffing pads, polish and wax - and shipping chargers. I still feel that if you buy good tools, you haven't wasted your money. Machine polishing/buffing gives you the best chance to save your paint - and even if the paint is shot on this car, you'll have lots of other cars in the future to use it on. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi yoshi_w Here is another way to look at the subject of "paint". Lacquer - - applied in liquid form via the use of solvents. As the solvents evaporate they leave a uniform layer of whatever solids were used. When dry, lacquers have to be buffed to attain a shinny surface. Enamel - - applied in liquid form via the use of solvents. As the solvents evaporate they leave a "skin coat" of solids, on top of the underlying bonding agent. Enamels dry to a high gloss. Both Lacquers and Enamels are thousands of years old, both have been made with hundreds of different formulas. There seems to be an endless combination of solvents and solids used over time. Lacquers will shine, until all paint is worn away, they will shine-up, right down to the primer used under them. Enamels will shine until the skin coat of solids at the top are worn away, the underlying bonding/sealing agents can also be buffed to a shine, but it will be only temporary and shin will fade back quickly. {because 90% of the solids that produced the shine in the skin coat of the enamel, are not present in the lower layers of the paint}. Materials: Nitrocellulose - made from organic cells/fibers and nitrate. Used as a solid in both lacquers and enamels for hundreds of years. Acrylic - is a clear polymer emulsion. {plastic}. Cast clear it is used to make Plexiglass/Lucite etc. Added to a Lacquer or Enamel paint - the acrylic bonds to the color pigments and other solids. It makes the paint more durable. Polyurethane - is a polymer, made by chemically combining monomers {plastic}. Depending on the exact mix and process - it can be a liquid, foam or solid. For the most part Polyurethanes are used to produce enamels. {there are exceptions}. Cleaning/Polishing: You can use any number of different products on the market today. One of the better one's I've used lately is Meguiars "Ultimate Compound" for abused and neglected finishes. It is really more a polish than a tradition "compound" so it won't take too much of the skin coat off any of the enamels. http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/detail/MEG+G17216 I highly recommend getting yourself a decent orbital or dual action buffer as well. It can easily turn a 12 hour job into a far better result in 4 hours. "decent" meaning one with enough power and low vibration levels - to do the job efficiently. Meguiars, Porter Cable, Griot's Garage all offer pretty good machines for around $129.00 to $149.00 I have a rather large pickup truck and car hauling enclosed trailer...both of which are usually neglected somewhat - so I upgraded to the FLEX dual action .. more money but well worth it. Invest in a good tool and you'll be using it for decades to come. Wash it, clay bar it, polish it, wax it. Wash it first... {I use Dawn liquid if I want to remove all wax/polish and grease from the surface}. Then clay bar it - that will remove surface contaminates, and prevent them from scratching the paint as you then polish it. Follow that up with any good automotive wax. {what you use depends somewhat on how often you want to do it}. FWIW, Carl B.