Carl Beck

Which price ranage is that? I like the direction of the styling displayed in the Genesis.. but have no idea what it would weigh. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Guy: Here for example is the "peanut head" W53 from an L16. The valves seem to be set quite a bit deeper in the head. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Chris: If matching numbers didn't mean anything to you, and having driven the car you were happy with it - what does it matter if its an L24 or L28 block? It's still the same car... Looked at another way - you can start saving your money for a rebuild on a spare L28.. and when its done drop it into your car - should be a noticeable performance difference!! I have to admit that it is kind of strange to put an L24 in a "280Z" body... but what the heck - it made for a great deal - right? Don't let it bother you - we all make the same kind of mistakes. Sometimes they turn out being good things in the end. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Guy / Brandon: Wow - great pictures. Quite a difference from the E31/E88 chamber design. The quench area is quite flat compared to the more hemispherical design of the earlier heads. Looks like some very fine work there. Very interesting.. I'm going to steal some pictures from you guys for my image files.. This time I'll remember to put names on them... Early E88 on the Left and late {73/74} on the Right thanks, Carl B.

Hi Arne / Kurt / Steve: I don't know if you or anyone has been watching Hyundai in general - or not. The Genesis Coupe is most certainly a step in the right direction for them. The 3.8 Track model at $30K is certainly getting closer to what I want - - - but still too far above $20K. Is the Genesis going to get a 2.0L turbo - or is that the Kia Koup? Since Kia was merged into / absorbed by - Hyundai in 1998/2000 - there has been some significant management changes and overall direction of the combined corporation. Somewhat like Nissan. Tom Kearns took on the responsibility of Chief Designer at Kia Motors America in 2005. Prior to working for Kia Tom worked for G.M. where he oversaw the development of the Cadilliac CTS. Since joining Kia his group has created some of the best looking Kia Concept cars including the original SOUL Concept {by Mike Torpey}, the award winning KUE Crossover and the stunning Kia KOUP Concept. Mike Torpey talking about his design. http://www.kiasoul.com/#/design and click on the button at the bottom that says "design". I find it very interesting that Hyundai/Kia putting the "individuals" that design their cars in public view. Good to see talent recognized. In 2006, Dr. Peter Schreyer took over as the new Kia Global Design Director. He left the VW/Audi Group after establishing Audi's unique styling across its entire product line. The Kia Forte Koup should be available soon with the 2.4L 173HP engine {or a possible 2.0L Turbo at close to 290HP}. The Kia Forte Koup doesn't have the high end performance of cars in the $30K to $40K range yet - but at $19K it's closer to building truly "affordable" fun than most. Give me 173HP in a 2400lb sports coupe at $19K - with great styling and design - I'll buy. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Guys/Gals: In 1970 my first Datsun was a 240-Z that I paid full MSRP of $3526.00 plus shipping, rear window defroster and tinted glass. Oh yes, and the Dealer already had slotted mag.'s on it... But we'll stick to just the MSRP for now. What cost $3526.00 in 1970 dollars - would today cost $19,337.66 adjusted for general inflation effecting the U.S. Dollar. A BMW 2002Ti in 1975 had an MSRP of around $5K as I recall - adjusted for inflation that's $19,795.11 in 2008 dollars. I guess this story is a little bit about the tremendous advancements that have been made in the design, development and manufacturing of automobiles in the past 40 years. {gee has it been that long?} Now don't go off on a tangent of trivia or fine detail at this point - I am speaking about more broad general concepts here. { agreed that nothing every has been or ever will be the Datsun 240-Z, and that I am comparing a Sports/GT or Sports Sedan of the 70's to cheap sedans of today } Over the past few weeks - - I looked at and drove; a) Honda FIT, b)Toyota Matrix, c) Nissan Cube, d) Pontiac Vibe {same as the Toyota Matrix - only with a $3,000.00 factory rebate}, Suzuki SX-4 Crossover, e) Scion x-Box and f) Kia SOUL. All in more or less the $16K to $20K range with various rebates on some. What simply amazed me - granted I haven't looked at new small cars for a long time - is that if you equipped them all with about the same standard equipment and options - in the $18K range - the amount of automobile you can buy today for more or less the same money as in 1970/75 - amazes me. I'm sure it has do to many factors including improved mass production processes and machines; as well as global competition in the market place. In effect the efficient use of capital and ever increasing productivity. The list of what is now considered "Standard Equipment" on almost everyone of these "cheap" cars is amazing to me at least. Skipping a hundred small design details that add to the ease of use, I'll list a few of the major Equipment items - from memory... STANDARD EQUIPMENT on models in the $18K range Automatic Transmission (4 or 5 spd A/T) Air Conditioning Cruise Control AM/FM/CD Stereo Power Windows Power Door Locks Power Steering Power Brakes 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS !! 16" Mag Wheels 1.8L to 2.4L OHC or DOHC with Fuel Injection Steering Wheel controls for Phone, Radio, Cruise Bluetooth enabled hands free phone {in the radio} UBS and iPhone ports 12v Power Ports Air BAGS - air bags - air bags everywhere 4 or 5 Star Safety Ratings 2009/2010 EPA and Safety Standards Met Average Fuel Economy of at least 26 mpg {most with 30+ highway ratings} Factory Warranties - between 3yr/36,000miles and 5yr/100,000 miles Every one of them have BRAKES to dream of. They all handled very well and at 70 mph were dead silent on the Freeway { relatively speaking - hey I'm talking about "cheap" cars here }. OK - so most of the standard equipment isn't "necessary" - if you don't want it - then the base price of some of them is a low as $13K brand new and even then they are far from what was considered "stripped" in the 70's. Bottom line - we seem to have had a 100% or 200% improvement in productivity between 1970 and 2009/10, given the current crop of "economy" cars. I find it amazing... but then maybe because I haven't really been watching the market closely over the years and all this comes as a surprise to me. Makes one wonder - what kind of Sports/GT could be produced today - if you stripped it down to the basics and spent the money on power and performance - - for $18K. FWIW, Carl B.

$1,895.00 brand new for the PL510...and now what? $85,000.00 for the GT-R? Wow - that's progress!! Great photo... FWIW, Carl B.

If you started it up without first cleaning the gas tank and lines - you'll suck varnish into the fuel rail and carb.'s as well. If you didn't clean the carb's and float bowls everything in them will be "sticky" as well. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Darren: I think you will enjoy the 240Z as much or perhaps more than any other Z you've had. The 240Z's have their own unique personality - that makes them a joy to drive. Wecome to the group here - FWIW, Carl B.

I should think that any woodworker with a small lathe could easily turn the wood in the newer knobs down to the exact same diameter as the earlier knobs... then you'd just refinish the wood. Yes/No??? FWIW, Carl B.

Nissan as well as almost every other manufacturer - supplies "replacement parts" such that owners can keep their cars operational for extended life cycles. Manufacturers do NOT supply parts with the intention of providing exact replicas of the original part. Why? - because in the manufacturing process, original dies and molds simply wear out. Over time "improvements" are made that either reduce the costs of manufacturing, or increase the quality of the part. As mentioned, different vendors with different dies/molds etc can supply the parts to Nissan as well over the years. If the form, fit and function of a part produced later, is the same as the part produced earlier - and both come from the vehicles manufacturer - then the newer part is considered to be an OEM "replacement part". Appearance is similar, but need not be identical as far as the replacement part supply is concerned. If you want an exact duplicate of any part - you have to find someone that has the exact part as New Old Stock. Only the original, exact part should be labeled NOS and the original Part Number should be given. The rear hatch seal supplied by Nissan for a 280Z is NOT NOS for a 240Z - it is however an OEM replacement part for the 240Z. Because of massive misuse - the term New Old Stock has become almost useless today. FWIW, Carl B.

The stock air cleaner is about 3", the stock air filter is about 2 1/2" and the stock air horns are about 1 1/2" tall - so the HS6 ram pipe should be about perfect at 1 1/2" height. At $32.00 each that is IMHO a very reasonable price... FWIW, Carl B.

You need to put an Ohm Meter on each individual wire and check to see what resistence readings you get. Could be a lose/bad connection on one end or the other of the wires. Just a thought FWIW, Carl B.

I don't actually recall BRE selling one exactly like the one you have pictured. I have a BRE Spook for the 280Z... and anything is for sale if the price is right. FWIW, Carl B.

hi Bruce: APT is very neat business - thanks I like their Ram Pipes and at 1 1/2" tall they should fit neatly inside his 3" tall air filters. http://www.aptfast.com/Images_Parts/SU/RP-HS4.jpg APT uses "HS2", "HS4", "HS6" SU's in their part descriptions. Do you know what/which or how that translates to the SU's on our Z's? I'm guessing that for the OEM SU's on the Z's it would be HS4? http://www.aptfast.com/APT_Parts/SU_Parts/a_SU_components.htm thanks, Carl B.

On dyno tuning runs at Sunbelt - they found that removing the stock air cleaner top and filter, yet leaving the stock air cleaner base in place with the air horns - yielded about 10 hp. I would suggest that you find at least the base of the stock round top SU air cleaner - and take the air horns off of it - then added them to your custom air cleaners. You can lose that 10hp without the airhorns - and that can translate to reduced fuel efficiency as well. An alternative is to measure the diameter/length of the stock air horns on a stock air cleaner base - and then look for aftermarket air horns that you can modify to use. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi richard1: Actually that is not right. A mix of cultures is what you typically see in Europe, Central American, Africa and which for centuries has resulted in war, strife, class warfare and tribal divisions etc. etc. What built America was an agreement among the emigrants that came here, to define and build a new culture ie the American Culture. For more than 200 years the great American Melting Pop took in emigrants and output Americans. Emigrants that came here, not to "help" America, but rather to help themselves. Emigrants that given the personal liberty and freedom to build the best lives for themselves that they could, knew that they and their families would be far better off being "Americans". There are deep and fundamental differences between the American Culture that resulted, and the older cultures that had developed around the world in prior centuries. Two historic documents contain the building blocks of America. The Declaration Of Independence, and the Constitution of The United States of America. People retaining the culture of their country of origin and thus becoming hyphenated Americans, aren't really "building" this country. Rather they are immigrants dividing America into diverse cultures, all working to promote their own good, to the detriment of the other hyphenated Americans. There is an important difference between the words "immigrant" and "emigrant". Most politicians today want to blur the difference. They claim that "America was built on immigration" - it most certainly was NOT. An emigrant leaves his country of origin and moves to a new country with the full intention of becoming a Citizen of the new country, and adapting the culture as well as the language of the new country. He fully intends to leave the culture of the old country behind - that is why he left. An immigrant leaves his country of origin and goes to another country to work and/or derive the benefits from the new country - but then intends to return to his country of origin. An immigrant retains the culture and language of his country of origin. He sees only economic benefit to be derived in the new country, and nothing really wrong with his country nor culture. In small numbers, immigrants can be beneficial to the host country as well as providing benefit to the immigrant. In large numbers immigrants have destroyed every country that has allowed itself to become "culturally diverse". This is nothing new... George Washington attempted to warn the American People of the dangers of diversity. The dangers of allowing themselves to be once again "divided" by Political Parties, by Geographic Boundary, by Language, by Religious Beliefs etc. in his Farewell Address. Washington wanted us all to remember that our strength as a Nation depended upon our common culture - the American Culture and that it must always be our first concern. People that fail to learn from history are destine to repeat it.... FWIW, Carl B.

Does "everything" include removing the Torque Converter bolts? Or do you mean that you have the bolts out of the bell housing? FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Dennis / Dan - everyone: Thanks for digging back into the archives - - I guess at some point I mentally merged the words in the Owners Manuals with the pictures in the Service Manuals. Drives me crazy when I'm sure I remember something, but then can't find it... Nonetheless - once I start looking for one thing - I usually get side tracked reading a lot of other interesting things I wind up digging up... I have to say that I too find it interesting that given the details tracked by the Technical Service Bulletins - - there doesn't seem to have been one documenting the addition of the hot air from the manifold to the air cleaner. At any rate I think we have a close enough date documented via the dates on the various Owners Manuals. 15 Nov. 1970 and perhaps a couple months of production prior to that date. Looks like Jimbo was right on the money. Mike - next trip to the garage I'll start looking at old manifolds.... FWIW, Carl B.

Ah.. Thanks Arne - I see it now. I was looking for a Picture that I thought I remembered - - and failed to read the printed pages. Now I'll go back through some of the earlier Owners Manuals and see if they have any references "written" on the same subject. Edit - Oh.. now I see that Mike already has... Carl B.

"Being There In The End" - - isn't that one of the hallmarks of the DATSUN's ? Thanks for Posting that link Mark - great race to watch. Greg ran away from the field right at the start - and John Brakke broke his car trying to maintain a pace faster than that old Z could run...:stupid: OK - so the 240-Z's reliability is a major point in its overall excellence ! Nonetheless great racing was had by all. I was also glad to see the Group 3 FB race. Mark Jaremko finished second. He was running D Sports Racing... I've known Mark since he was about 10 years old. Bought my first Z from his Father Paul Jaremko in Spokane. FWIW, Carl B.

Thanks Dennis Do you still have your original Owners Manual? If so, can you review it and see if the directions for use of the Summer/Winter position of the lever on the Air Cleaner is outlined there? Also a picture of the installation would be useful. thanks, Carl B.

Hi Ron: Yes - I have SB 137. Nothing in there about the Summer/Winter switch or air cleaner at all. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Mike: Thanks for looking for that - I don't have a copy of either of the SB's, nor could I find them in the of Technical Service Bulletins list that Geezer {Ron} had. Can you scan it for us. The individual Technical Service Bulletins have "TS" numbers like TS71-10, TS71-11 etc. Does the SB "Volume" contain all the individual TSB's? OK - that puts the Summer/Winter switch for sure in the 72 Model Year... Looking at my combined version of the 72 Service Manual - I see the Summer/Winter switch shown on the pictures of the complete engines - as well as in the Emission Controls section. Maybe that is the picture I thought I saw in the Owners Manual... it looks like the image I had in mind... I have a 15 Nov. 70 Owners Manual for the Series I - that adds the A/T to the Owners Manual, nothing in there about a Summer/Winter switch. I have a 1 June 1971 Owners Manual - nothing in there I have the Second Edition, 20th Oct. 71 edition I have the 6th Edition, 31 May 72 I have the 7th Edition, 30 June 72 I looked through them - and don't see any mention of the Summer/Winter switch either hummm..... I guess I'm still looking for anything that would document a Summer/Winter switch applied before Sept. of 1971 for the start of the 1972 Model Year here in the U.S. or Canada.

Was there a air cleaner housing that had the provision for hot air from the manifold - but that did not have the Summer/Winter switch aka "flapper" ? Everything I have found so far in terms of documentation - seems to indicate that the Summer/Winter switch - started with the 72 Model Year here in the US. {ie Aug. of 1971}. FWIW, Carl B.