Carl Beck

Would be nice to have our own engine dyno... maybe the guys at HybridZ woud throw in.. Carl B.

Millions and Millions and Millions of dollars worth of equipment when purchased new - now most likely being sold for pennies on the dollar... It will more than likely cost more to move some of the equipment, than prospective buyers will pay for it at auction. But that is little money compared to the value of the knowledge and experience that will be scattered... FWIW, Carl B.

Returning to an old and controversial subject. The design of the L16/L24 or the Modular Series of Nissan OHC, in-line engines. Per Alan's suggestion - that we take the word of the man that designed the Nissan L20 into account. I have had the interview with Mr. Iida, that was published in Nostalgic Hero, April 2004, translated by a professional source, and that translation then reviewed by several others who read/write both Japanese and English - feedback from everyone was that the article was as faithfully/accurately translated as possible - so everyone can now read the article in English for themselves. As with many Magazine articles, it is difficult to tell exactly when the author is writing/reporting his perceptions some time after he left the interview vs when he is accurately reporting what Mr. Iida actually said. (remember the Goertz Myth) I have followed that up with farther specific questions related to the names of the men working in First Engine Design Division that did design the L16, and I am awaiting replies from friends in Japan at this point. They are attempting to pin down more specific answers to any questions left by the article. Nonetheless the overall context of the interview with Mr. Iida comes though in the article. I believe everyone will be able to determine what part of the article actually relates the story of the development of the L20 and later the design and development of the L16, L24, L20A per Mr. Iida vs which part of the story is filled in by the writers perceptions or simply misunderstanding of the subject. {this is all too normal for magazine articles}. I believe that the Mr. Iida states fairly clearly the following: 1. There were two divisions of the Design Organization that did engine design. The First Division did engine design for small displacement engines (Bluebird) and the Second Division did engine design for larger displacement engines (Cedric and Truck). Mr. Iida was assigned to the Second Division in July of 64. 2. The L20 was a rushed design which resulted in many problems with the L20 engine for the Cedric 3. 4 months from the start of design they were casting development engines for test in Nov. of 64. 4. The L20 design cycle was completed in short order because Mr. Iida used the block of a 4 cylinder engine that was already in development, and added two cylinders to it. Then used the M/B OHC design. Mr. Iida makes the point very clearly that six cylinder engines are the result of adding two cylinders to an existing four cylinder engine. 5. Because of the rushed design, the pre-production test engines showed problems with the oil pump drive mechanism, and cracking of the cam towers. These problems were solved but then first production L20 still suffered from several major problems and many customer complaints {excessive oil consumption. excessive noise and poor fuel economy} Some of the problems in the production engines were mitigated in the second production run a year later when the HP was reduced and the engine fitted with a downdraft carb. - - but there were still problems and customer complaints. 6. Mr. Iida states that LATER the L16 having had an extensive design and development cycle was put into production, and as a result it was a much better design. Mr Iida does not state that he designed the L16, nor does he say that his engine "was evolved into the L16" (although the author of the article seems to have made that conclusion in his writings). Mr. Iida makes the very clear point that the L16 was the result of an extensive design and development cycle, that was well rationalized. It is very clear that the L16 was not developed by removing two cylinders from the L20, nor was the L20 used as the base design. Quite the contrary, the two engines had quite different design and development cycles and were done in different design divisions. 7. To take advantage of the better design and development of the L16/L13 engine, and to share these four cylinder series design and their parts, L20 was again designed. The new L20A whose development cycle was completed Jan. of 1968, was the result. 8. Mr. Iida also notes that engines that share design and parts are called "modular engines". Here we see that while the original L20 was first, it was not part of the L Series of Nissan's Modular Engines sharing their design and parts. Is the L20 part of the L Series? Yes. Is the L20 part of the modular L Series of engines that share common parts and were carried forward for decades? NO. The L20A however having been based on the L16 is part of that modular series. 9. The L20A was considered a design based on the L16 engine by Mr. Iida, in order to take advantage of the improvements made with a full design and development cycle afforded the design of the L16 in another design division, and one that could also share common parts with the other new modular engines. 10. The design of the L20A was completed in Jan. 1968 at which time the full responsibility for the L Series of modular engines was turned over the First Engine Design Division (that had been for small displacement engines, and in which the L16 was designed). At which point Mr. Iida and the Second Engine Design Division were assigned responsibility for development of the A10 engine. Additionally: Looking at the introduction dates (as opposed to Model Years) of the engines in Nissan's cars - 1965 L20, 1967 U20, L13/16, 1968 L23/24, 1969 L20A . It would seem that in fact the L23/24 block was put into production ahead of the L20A with its smaller bore. So again it seems that the author of the article assumed that the L20A was "expanded" to the L23/24.... Even though Mr. Iida told him that six cylinder engines start as 4 cylinder engines with two additional cylinders being added. Add two cylinders to the L16 and you have the L24. It is interesting (and understandable given the problems that the L20 suffered) to note that the 1998cc L20 was no longer offered with the introduction of the 1968-1969 Model Cedric 130 Series Mark 4, when the L20 was replaced with the new L23. Only with the introduction of the 1969-1970 Model Cedric 130 Mark 5 and the Fairlady Z do we see the then new L20A implemented. This article written after the interview with Mr. Iida is interesting and informative, but like most stories in the magazines, the authors perceptions or conclusions after he walked away from the interview seem not to line up faithfully with the information provided by the person interviewed. {ie. Goertz comment that he worked for Nissan prior to the introduction of the Z - or that he had been at Porsche - resulted in reporters writting that he had designed the Z, and the 911 - even though Goertz actually never said that at the time}. I've put the text of the article translated, on a web page and everyone can read it themselves and extract their own conclusions. The translation was done by a very seasoned professional Japanese citizen, with advanced degrees from universities in the US and over 20 years experience translating Japanese to English. I then ask several friends that have both English and Japanese language skills to review the translation. All agreed that the overall context was accurately conveyed. See: http://ZHome.com/DatsunLSeries/L20NH2004AprilTrans.htm FWIW, Carl B.

Hello Erick: We may not fully understand your situation. You say that the L20 you have was taken from a 1970 Datsun Truck. I do not know what models of Datsun Trucks were sold in Central America in 1970, so you may have to tell us more about that truck. Here in the USA and Canada the 1970 Datsun Pick-up trucks came with a 4 cylinder, 1600cc engine - L16 The Nissan L20 was an in-line, six cylinder, OHC engine, used in some Nissan vehicles in 1965 to 1968. In 1969 it was replaced with a new design and re-named the L20A. {cylinder heads between the two ie. L20 and L20A - were not interchangeable, nor could you mount a P79 head on an L20 } The Datsun Pick-up's here used the L16, then later the L18 and finally an L20B. The L20B was a four cylinder OHC engine. IF you actually have an L20A, in-line six cylinder, OHC engine - with the E30 head, then that would yield a higher compression ratio than using the P79 - - unless you modify the P79 by milling it down to reduce the combustion chamber volume. A second problem may result from using the P79 - - it has larger valves and they may not clear the bore on the L20A - unless you increase the bore on the engine or notch the cylinder walls at the top. I would use the E30 head to be safe. If you could send a picture of the engine - it would help identify it. FWIW, Carl B.

As far as I know - all 280Z, 280ZX flywheels are the same. The exceptions are the 2+2 and Turbo's. Likewise the starters are interchangable. As I recall - the 240/260Z's are the same as the 280Z/280ZX flywheels... The clutch pressure plates and disc are interchangable as well - same exceptions for the 2+2's and Turbo.'s. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Steve: My best advice is - cut your losses short now. Hard as that may be to swallow, it is the best medicine I could prescribe. If you cut and patch, cut and patch... and you wind up with anything less than an original looking undercarriage - - - the car will be fixed - but it's market value will be very low. Looking at the amount of rust under that Z - I would not devote the time and money it will take to fix it properly. On the other hand, if your just building a future street rod, or race car - fixing it "properly" to maintain an OEM vehicle - won't matter. To repair it properly, such that at some future point in time, it would still have the market value of a solid Datsun 240-Z - you would have to replace the original sheet-metal panels with new OEM panels, or very good reproduction parts. NOT just metal patch the hell out of everything. It is a uni-body car - so you would have to remove the damaged panels entirely - buy breaking the spot-welds, then replace them with new panels and re-weld the spots. Given the expense of OEM frame rails, reproduction floorboards - - - and what ever else is rust damaged - - - I would be far better to simply buy a 240-Z with a far more solid body to begin with. There are still lots of 240-Z's on the West Coast that could be far more easily refreshed or restored - and purchased for under $4,500.00. Put your time and hard work into a car that will be worth the effort in the end... FWIW, Carl B.

Where are they listed as "right side"? "R WHEEL CYLINDER" - might mean Rear Wheel Cylinder. Normally they are listed as RH or LH for Right or Left Hand sides. FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Chris: Well so far, my "show favorite" is the blond standing on your right in the other picture Wish I could have made it - but too many other tasks developed here, and I just couldn't get away. We started remodeling a bath earlier in the week - and things just went downhill from there. FWIW, Carl B.

44100-N3001 is the Right Hand rear wheel cylinder for cars starting 10/72 44101-N3001 is the Left Hand rear wheel cylinder for cars starting 10/72 The earlier Part Numbers were: 44100-E8700 RH 44101-E8700 LH And before that 44100-E4100 RH 44101-E4100 LH If they are both the same, and you're sure that they are both the same - it looks like someone put a wrong wheel cylinder in the box -- - It seems I've heard of that before... FWIW, Carl

Hi Bryan: Glad to see you, Roger and Jim could make it to this years Festival of Speed Show. I had my wife captive a couple of week-ends ago at another event, so this weekend was payback time. We had about four men here tearing out a bath for remodeling, as we ran around picking up new fixtures and supplies. Until the last minute I was hoping that we could work the schedule out so as to free me up Saturday... but it was not to be. HLS30 00016 is looking pristine for a now 40 year old, and I can see the headlight of your Black/Silver ZX peeking through. Hope you guys had a great time... looking at another thread - it looks like Chris did... Maybe he has some pictures of some cars .... na..... FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Guus: The pictures on the site are just fantastic!!! Kind of reminds me of daily driving in Washington and IdahoROFL Thanks... Carl B.

Hi Mike: THANKS for finding these and letting us know.... the pictures by Richard Owen are very good. Wish we had the LeMans wheels shinned back up before he took them... but that was late Saturday afternoon when we were putting the Race Cars on the Greens... very damp and foggy day... Hi Guus: That is pretty good - Thanks for finding it and letting us know. I'll have to get in touch with Mr. Cook... FWIW, Carl B.

The "best" set up is #2 because it has a return line. This keeps the gas flowing through the lines and therefore at a more steady temperature, which is normally cooler. The second best would be #4 - if you can get a good fuel pressure regulator between the pump and the fuel feed line. #3 Could also be used - "IF" you have it connected to a fuel distribution block, preceded by a good fuel pressure regulator. Just make sure that your return line is a size smaller than the feed - to maintain consistent pressure at the carb.'s. FWIW Carl B.

Wow... stuff from China has gone up in price a lot. Was $369.00 on sale at Northern Tool in 2003 - - - -and now it's $669.00 on sale at Northern Tool!! FWIW, Carl B.

This should give you a clue... As you can see there are 3 vents on the tank - all of which go to a Gasoline Vapor Recovery tank - that tank is then vented via #46 to the front of the engine compartment. No - the gas cap is not vented. It's a sealed system to keep gasoline vapors captive. FWIW, Carl B.

I can't blame him too much for not wanting to waste time with tire-kickers on a $2250.00 car - - - on the other hand, he should be happy to show you the car, so you can give an informed report to the Z Car Community va this public forum. No one expects a new car for $2250.00... but most prospective buyers would like to know that the car has been physically inspected by someone that knows something about these models.

Hummmm Interesting, closing what used to be "Public" Records in the States, was the result of the Federal Privacy Act. I wonder why/how Texas has been able to ignor that as it relates to "was register to you". Of course, in the case at hand, the person wants to track down the car he owned at one point. If he had the VIN and if it was ten years ago - he could could have done that - but not today. FWIW, Carl B.

It also lines the latch on the door up with the striker plate on the body - then cushions the closing door as it comes to a stop in the body. {if all the parts are on the door jam}

Hummm..... The Hyper-link from the Home Page is: http://ZHome.com/History/MacauZ/macau240Z.htm The above contains only a copy of the Vintage Motorsports Magazine article, and more current pictures of the car. I have eliminated the old link. Please up-date your Bookmarks... FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Paul: I believe that the reason there is so much disagreement, is that the people aren't really disagreeing about the same thing. It really isn't a question of which vacuum "source" to use. It's a question of matching all components of the ignition timing system, to achieve the timing curve and total advance that your engine needs. Ask the questions a different way..... 1. How many inches of Mercury does the vacuum advance on the 1979 E12-80 distributor require to work properly within its design range? That is to say, how many inches of Mercury does it take to just start pulling the advance in, and at what point is the total advance pulled in. 2. How many inches of mercury are present at the manifold source at idle and wide-open throttle vs how many inches of mercury are available at the carburetor. If you don't know the exact answers to the above - your safest bet is to use the Port vacuum source that the distributor was designed to use, with the engine. If you have specific answers to the questions above - you can purchase a vacuum advance mechanism to match your needs, in terms of total engine timing and the timing curve within your distributor. Saying that you can use either - is only partly true. You can use either manifold or carb. vacuum signals "IF" all the other components are matched to your ignition timing needs. FWIW, Carl B.

Interior looks "original" so it is not surprising to see the seats split out... I don't know how long it has been sitting outside in the grass. The original owner's estate donated it to the present non-profit. It all depends on how much rust is in the floorboards and frame rails - but the car has been in California - - - and dirt aside it "might" be a very solid car to refresh or restore. The blue on the right rear quarter panel - would have to be looked at carefully. No problem of the panel was replaced properly... but it could be work if it was a poor job to begin. Dust and dirt just lower the price, not so much the market value... wonder if that is a Super Speed 20 in the spare? FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Gang: Owner passed and left it to a charity. Someone should go look at this 70 Z. At $2250.00 it "might" be a car that could be saved. Looks like the right rear quarter might have been replaced.. but if the floors/frame rails are good... it might be a good project for someone. San Diego Craigslist: http://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/pts/1086609657.html Photobucket: http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/aa285/vpsvehicles/1970%20DATSUN%20240Z/?action=view&current=2d177070.pbw FWIW, Carl B.

Hi Arne: If by "S30's" you mean all First Generation Z's - as I recall Z Car Sales hit the half million mark in 1978.... ie in just 9 years. Production by the end of 1978 seems to have been 575,954.. Everyone: The supply of reproduction and after-market parts for the First Generation Z's seems to be growing every year. So if the trend keeps up - we should see more supply over the coming years.. One big difference between the "B" and "Z" is that everything on the "B" has always had to be replaced quite often - so demand for repair/replacement parts has always been high. Whereas the Z's ran almost forever without the constant and continued need for repair and replacement parts - so demand was low - and no one wanted to provide low demand parts.. But seriously - one problem is that MG went out of business, so the aftermarket could supply repair/replacement parts with no competition from the factory. Whereas Nissan supplied just about everything/anything for the First Generation Z's until just the last few years. I'm sure you'll see the aftermarket kick in once there is demand and no other supply. FWIW, Carl B.

There are lots of conflicting opinions on that, and very few well structured long term scientific studies. Then you have about 1000 different makers and formulas for the generic "bondo" .. or plastic filler. I think the truth is it will stick to both epoxy primer and metal of either are properly prepared to begin with. The point is that a mass of plastic {or two part epoxy matrix fillers} will have a different thermo cycle time, than thin sheet-metal will. The mass of filler will chemically dry out -and it will cause the metal on the opposite side of the bondo - to condense moisture. If you have dug enough old bondo off cars sheetmetal - you'll see that the metal was rusting from the inside out under the bondo repairs. That is usually greatly reduced when you have a vapor barrier between the bare sheet-metal and the bondo. Also sealing that bondo from the sheet-metal, and allowing enough time before the final sealing coat of paint is put on top - will greatly reduce the possibility of the bondo drawing moisture from the air and bubbling up a year after the car is done... The above is only my opinion based on 40 years of refreshing/restoring cars.. FWIW, Carl B.

Late 07/73 or more likely 08/73. FWIW, Carl B.