Carl Beck

Hi richard1: Can you post a picture of the NOAH on your Z? Is it as much a "custom" fit as the original BRE Covers? thanks, Carl B.

To much vibration and noise transmitted into the cabin for a street car. Not a good solution. The rear end already makes too much noise...

Hi TimG: Thanks for posting the links - great vid's. Your Z looked great, sorry you had a problem. Nonetheless it had to be a ball .... Hats Off to you... FWIW, Carl B.

As far as I know - it was used only on the 73 Model Year vehicles. I don't believe it would have been legal to use it on the 72's without certifying it with the EPA for 72... and that would have been a time consuming and expensive process, that Nissan would have wanted to avoid. BTW - that chart that Jim Wolf put together lists the 73 E88 as N33 and the 74 E88 as N33/P50. The 72, 73 and 74 heads all have E88 cast into them externally - I think Jim used N33 and P50 as references to the Nissan Part Number for them - so that they would not be confused with the casting numbers.. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Frankie: I am enjoying your reports from your Road Trip - but sorry to hear that you lost a Tranny. It can be a real bummer to be stick out on the road so to speak and expensive to resolve as well. We'll all hope that the transmission you have coming is a good one this time. It might be helpful if you specified exactly what town you are in. The bottom of MN is a pretty large area.... FYI - in general terms... Transmission Fluid is a usual name for Automatic Transmission Fluid. It is actually a very high detergent 10 weight oil. "Tranny Fluid" lubricates the moving parts in an A/T but its main function is to provide hydraulic pressure upon which the A/T operates. A/T's use a transmission cooler usually built into the radiator of the car to dissipate the heat. Years ago, in the 40's - DeSoto had what they called a "Fluid Drive" transmission - so who knows - maybe that is where the "fluid" term for A/T's got started. Gear Lube or Gear Oil is the usual term for the very thick lubricating oil used in standard transmissions and differentials. It is usually 75 to 95 weight and contains additives to prevent foaming when it's stirred by the gears rotating though it. Its main function is to lubricate the gears and bearings - and secondarily it carries heat generated at the gears to the transmission case - where it can be dissipated externally. Keep us Posted on your progress - we'll all be pulling for you. FWIW, Carl B.

From memory - The Vintage Air Evaporator Kit was something close to $495.00. That gives you the evaporator that includes a heater core, A.C. Controls and wiring, outlet vents and piping etc. The Vintage Air UniFlow Condenser {for R134a}, and Dryer was around $225.00 A rebuilt Hitachi Compressor from the 280ZX was expensive at $325.00, but I could use the compressor mount from the 280Z and the belt tensioners etc. Custom Built hoses were around $270.00 total Installed it myself so labor was free. $1315.00... plus a few other small items. I did this a few years ago so price will be somewhat different today... I would not recommend using the Hitachi compressor - it was too expensive compared to other offerings - so you might save a couple hundred in that area. Not really a perfect option if you want to maintain a pure stock look - but the Vintage Air unit will cool a 240Z here in Florida - something that the old style add on units that suck though the evaporator and then blow though the stock heater/vents would never do. With the new Vintage Air totally electronic controls - it would be possible to maintain a pretty stock look, but it would take a bit of extra work... FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Dennis: Prices change to reflect the ever lower "value" of the Dollar. Interesting that adjusted for inflation - using the questionable CPI - What cost $325.00 in 1972 would cost $1654.79 in 2008. Pretty close - yes? FWIW, Carl B.

First - are you certain that the "72" cylinder head is a "72"? The reason I ask is because cylinder heads from 73 and the 74 260Z's were also cast with the E88 casting numbers, but their combustion chamber design is quite different. The 73/74 heads are designed to meet the stricter emissions standards of those years... not for the best performance. You can see the difference here: http://ZHome.com/ZCMnL/tech/E31andE88Heads.htm The combustion chamber design is the same on the 70/71 E31 and 72 E88. The E88 combustion chamber has a 2.3cc larger volume. {42.4cc vs 44.7cc}. The E88 has slightly redesigned intake and exhaust ports. The radius of the curves in the ports was changed to improve the heads breathing. So with slightly lower compression but better flow though the ports the E88 produces the same HP as the E31 when mounted on an otherwise stock L24. The exhaust valve seat casting was changed slightly in the E88 as well. The E31's suffered from cracking around the exhaust valve seats. If you plan to use the E31 be sure to have it checked for fine line cracks in that area. Any good head shop can weld them up if they are otherwise good, but it isn't cheap. Since you have both - I'd have a good head speciality shop inspect them both - then use the one that is in the best condition. Consider the condition of the valve train at the same time.. New rockers and cam's aren't inexpensive. good luck with the rebuild... FWIW, Carl B.

Another alternative is the fairly simple solution used on the SCARAB's... Simply bend a 3/8's steel plate to wrap around the bottom of the cross member and put some rubber between it and the cross-member. Then bolt it to the stock mount. Search for Paul Richer Differential Mount on HybridZ.org. Simple to make and cheap too. FWIW, Carl B.

Mike: #22 is indeed 10/69 #27 and #36 corrected on the Register - thanks. Rick: We may never know exactly how cars came out of the factory - nor when the data plates were applied. We do know that they were required by our Emissions and Safety Regulations, and I have to guess that the employees of Nissan did everything they could to comply with our laws. "Waste not want not" - is certainly a possibility. Of 100 69 production cars reported with original engine numbers - 16 are 10/69 75 are 11/69 9 are 12/69 Still - someone needs to go see what car is for sale... FWIW, Carl B.

Put a jack under the front of the diff.. first...;-)

Hi Rick: #16, #17 and #19 are all 10/69, while #20, #22, #23 and #26 are 11/69. Then #27, #29, #30, #32, #36 are 10/69. The cars didn't come out of the factory in perfect sequential order. For some reason some were held-up during assembly and completed at a later date. As you can see from above -HLS30 00019 is date stamped 11/69 while HLS30 00020 is date stamped 10/69 etc. etc.. Since we have only seen about 1/4 of the 69 240Z's produced - we may never understand why there is such a mix of VIN's and Dates. #94 is a 10/69 production for example, #587 and #589 are stamped 11/69 while #48 is stamped 02/70... We do know that 52 240Z's were produced in Oct., 388 in Nov. and 97 in Dec. Their exact order of completion, nor the process for stamping and applying the required Date Of Manufacture data is unknown at this point. Two of the units were Right Hand Drive - so no date stamps on them. I seriously doubt the car in question carries a Sept. production date. I have #328 listed as: was in a scrap yard in Penn. - - reported parted out in Winter Park, Fl ????? Could this be #328 saved from the crusher???? I guess someone will either have to buy the car or at least go look to see what the VIN is. FWIW, Carl B.

Great news - and very trusting of your wife to get so far away from home on the first trial run. Good to have someone to share the experience with;-) Current pictures? Carl B.

Hi Rick: We always hate to see a 69 production year 240Z crushed. On this one we'd need far better pictures, and then we'd have to go inventory all the parts to see what is or is not there. Too much can get misplaced over the years. Low price aside - it looks pretty rusty. If he has new quarters, it is most likely because he felt the car needed them. I can't tell from the pictures -but that might just be more surface rust on the left rear quarter - instead of a factory hole.. Might be farther ahead to start with one in far better condition that hasn't been taken apart - even if it cost four to six times as much. $6K to $9K for a fairly sold, complete and restorable 69 is not out of the question today. An "unfinished project" with scattered bits and pieces - is always a pig-in-a-poke... it has to have a very low price to off-set the risk. One members several years ago - got a very good "deal" on such a project. After buying it and putting far more money into it - he found out that the doors wouldn't fit within the door openings on the body, nor would the windshield go into place. More time on the frame rack and he found that the body had just the slightest of twist and bend... nothing that more time and money wouldn't cure but ..... time and money he hadn't planned on. but who knows - it is worth going to physically inspect ... FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Coop: Alan's advice and that on the Web Site he listed - pretty much agrees with the advice given by the guys in our Materials Lab. {Honeywell Space Systems}. I'll add: These old mag's usually suffer from years of accumulated oxidation damage, which in turn results in pitting. Pits in turn offer the greatest opportunity for stress cracking to begin. X-Ray is a must if you plan to race on them or do any high performance driving. I have to say that I wouldn't use them for competition. Magnesium alloys can become unstable over time when subjected to stress. The guys in the Materials Lab said they wouldn't trust a magnesium casting produced to Manned Space Quality Requirements - for more than six years, subjected to Earths atmosphere. {keep in mind these guys are at the extreme end of risk/reliability and they never consider "cost" - you know the type ;-) }. I resorted my LeMans wheels for the BRE Baja Z - FOR SHOW ONLY. I'll drive the Z on them at reasonable highway speeds, in light traffic. Other than that - I'd switch to a set of Libra's. To your question. I had the wheels media blasted. Alan's site says to use only aluminum oxide - I used fine glass beads at relatively low pressures (60 psi) per the guys in the Materials Lab. Second step was to take them to a machine shop and have the outer rims / lips turned down - a few thousands of an inch, usually cuts the pits out. All of them had fine pits in the lips. See attached pictures - first is a closeup and second is the wheel after being turned. Past that point - I coat my wheels with Gibbs Brand Gun Oil. Ron said he uses WD-40, to shield the metal from moisture. I did not want to paint them - rather I wanted the magnesium to age to its natural deep gray on the spokes, while keeping the rims/lips polished. I polish them with Nevr-Dull wadding, then coat them with Gibbs Oil. This is usually done at least once a month... they are a real PIA... in the last picture you can see how the centers have darkened with time. I'm sure that if you are using them to race on - you'll want to have them treated and painted. For sure you want to have the inside of the wheels - inside the tires - painted, as well as the back side of the wheels. BTW - Les found another set for me - so the pressure to sell them to me is off. ;-) I now have a complete set of FIVE for the BRE Z plus a couple extras as spares. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Clive: Yes - I had that car last listed as belonging to Al Leri, IZCC #2925 in Peckville, PA. Thanks for the link - I now have File Pictures.. FWIW, Carl

Hi Mark: Yes - it is good to see the segments, more or less combined in one viewable series. I too get hooked when I start watching - and I can't stop! The work and video production are both amazing.. He is a very talented man, and he's put a lot of effort into sharing the experience with us. FWIW, Carl B. You have to love working metal, to take on a project like that!

Hi Guys: I can tell you that the Dealership I bought my first Z from - installed tinted rear windows with the defroster's - in cars that came from the factory without them per a TSO. This information was combined in a later TSB related to when the rear window defroster was changed for 72. See Attached. Tinted glass and rear window defrosters were supposed to be "standard equipment" on the North American Datsun 240Z's. Although the first sales brochures listed them as "optional" - but we know there weren't any "options" - other than you had the option to buy the car or not. ;-) There was no additional charge for these items, nor the labor as far as the Customers were concerned if they were listed on the original Window Sticker but not found on the car. If the Customer pointed to the sales brochures and was unhappy enough about not getting the "option" - he got them installed even if they weren't on his original window sticker - at no charge. Nissan shipped the parts and paid the labor at the Dealership, to correct the issue. As we see today, some people had the parts changed and many people didn't. So today or 30 years ago - it is really impossible to tell how the specific car came from the factory prior to the items being included at the time of build - unless you look at the wiring itself. If you see U.S. standard automotive electrical wiring - you'll know that the Dealer installed the tinted rear window and defroster, or it was done at the Port, before being shipped to the Dealer. Somewhat the same situation with "Carpeting" that was supposed to be standard on the North American cars - - - and which was produced locally and installed, or included with the car when shipped to the Dealer, after they arrived here. According the Factory Service notice - the last 240Z shipped without the rear window defroster {and most likely tinted glass} was HLS30 1455. This was confirmed by it's owner. Michael F. Hollander. Us old guys will recall that Michael was the author of a Book "THE COMPLETE DATSUN GUIDE" in 1980, and was very active with the Datsun Owners Assoc. {as I recall} in the early 70's. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Rick: Mull started this thread in 2003 -- - you will enjoy watching the Video's he has produced about "Project Hugo" .. his Z Car restoration story. He bought a "rust free" Z on E-Bay sight unseen, and had it shipped to Sweden. See: Part 1 though 17 here... You'll enjoy it.. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5664992189261881712# FWIW, Carl B.

Sounds like you ran into two very intelligent young ladies.:tapemouth Great story.. Carl B.

Hi Coop: Can you post a couple pictures - so I can see what shape they are in? Also tell me if they have ever been painted {if you know}... Any WIN in a 40 year old Sports/GT is Impressive... FWIW, Carl

Be aware that there are "Right" and "Left" hand cut keys and the matching locks on the 72's. You can not re-key a Right hand cut lock to use a Left hand cut key. Meaning that you can only have your hatch lock rekeyed to fit your ignition Key - if it uses the same R or L Key as your ignition. FWIW, Carl B.

Let me re-phrase that. One of our member's 240Z was featured in an earlier SI Swim Suit Edition - thus starting the association between the Z and the SI Swim Suit editions.... FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Richard: Good to see you here. I along with several automotive historians agree with you - the Datsun 240Z is considered to be one of the most important cars in U.S. automotive history. It changed the perception of Japanese cars in America, from being cheap little economy cars, to being high quality world class vehicles. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Guy: I have Hagerty - and I did have a claim {first one in 40 years} Absolutely no hassle - and all the kindness and help they could offer. The only thing they said was "take it to whatever restoration shop you use and have it fixed". "If you don't have a shop in your area that you trust to do the work correctly, let us know and we'll get recommendations from Collectors in your area". I started working with the Hagerty many, many years ago to get Agreed Values on our Original Owner's 240Z's -, from the Z Car Original Owners Register on the Z Car Home Page. At that time most insurance companies, claims adjustors were putting actual cash values on 240Z's of around $1,500.00. {no matter if you had $10K in the car}. The original owners simply wanted Agreed Values high enough to assure their 240Z's would be properly fixed, should anything happen, without being totalled out for a relatively minor accident. In most cases, if there was an accident, it wasn't the original owners fault. Nonetheless the hassles with claims adjustors from the other persons insurance company or their own were simply impossible to overcome. It is a whole different story when your car is insured for an Agreed Value by another insurance company. Funny how insurance companies don't like to sue one another.. Really great when you don't have any hassle about getting your Classic Car properly repaired... I think we have about 130 of our 165 Original Owner 240Z's insured with the Hagerty today, and something over 600 Z Cars insured with them 70-96. The people at the Hagerty are real "Car People", they support the Classic Car Hobby all over the nation. Needless to say I don't think you can do better. FWIW, Carl B.