26th-Z

Now you have me standing on my head looking at the picture!

I assure everyone that the grill is for the Japanese Domestic S30, S30-S, PS30, and PS30-SB. Meaning 240Z. HS30-H observes that the mesh pattern is finer for the PS30, however this could simply be a difference in manufacture. None-the-less, the contention that the grill is for the 260 / 280 is incorrect.

Hi Kats! I sent your picture to Jim so that he may view his cars. I will look at mine also and reply, but it may take me some time.

Can hardly wait! Congrats, Ron. It must give you smiles to see a publication after all your hard work.

I couldn't get over to look at it. It sounds like the seller got tired of answering the same questions and took an offer yesterday.

I thought you were the guy who asked if it could be driven to NC

Another logo from the '60s. A logo from the '70s, a lighted dealer sign from the '70s, and I think that just about does my collection.

Ok, I found some more. From left to right: DAT circa 1916, (2) DAT Cars circa 1920 (this is the logo I use), DATSON circa 1931, Datsun logo from the '60s.

And a couple more

Hey Gav! I collected these pictures of Datsun emblems from eBay for you. Several different font styles.

There should be no reason to take the engine apart. Take the spark plugs out, squirt some 3-in-one oil in each cylinder, and hand turn the engine over a few times. Once you get power in the car, crank the engine on the starter motor until the gauge shows oil pressure. The engine should be fine. Put new spark plugs back in, wires, points, condenser, and distributor cap. Drain all the fluids. The gas tank probably needs to be cleaned. Have fun and be careful with the old vent hoses. If they crack, replace them. If not, wipe them down with a good rubber treatment (no silicone). The carbs probably need to be cleaned and or rebuilt. All of that can be done with them still on the car. Get the video from Ztherapy and read up on carb cleaning. Replace all the rubber fuel lines with new and install a new fuel filter. Replace all the rubber brake lines and the clutch line with new. Bleed out all the hydraulic fluid and flush the system. If you are lucky the master and slave cylinders will not have to be rebuilt, but be careful. The rubber O-rings in the cylinders could be bad and / or the cylinders will need to be honed or replaced. Flush both systems with new fluid before you attempt to bleed them up to working order. Old hydraulic fluid will be black and new fluid is clear. Make sure all your brake and clutch fluid is clear and not contaminated. Replace all the rubber water hoses with new. Once you get the car running, do a complete cooling system flush. Pressure test the system for leaks. You will be lucky if the radiator still holds pressure. I would take it out and have it serviced if not re-cored. If it is a 2-row radiator, get a new 3-row core. While you are there, replace the water pump. You probably don't need to replace the gear oil in the transmission and differential, but I would. Drain it out and fill it back up with new oil. Replace the tires. That should get you up and running - short of what was wrong with it when it was put away. Be careful with your brakes. There are good rubber dressings to help you with body rubber and vinyl. If the dash isn't cracked, it is very brittle and should be dressed. I don't like any product with silicone. Do some research and buy the good stuff. It will treat you better. Have fun

The Daytona 24 is a different sanction than LeMans these days. The cars you are watching at Daytona will not necessarily appear at LeMans. I think this year's spectacle is staged mostly for the stock car drivers to get some practice for the road racing. It ain't like the good-ol days. Daytona International Speedway has undergone some significant changes this past summer. They cut a new tunnel and the garages have all been redone so that spectators can view the cars without getting in everyone's way. I have had lots of stuff stolen by people walking through the garages and lifting things out of tool boxes etc. Florida has winter in February. Its COLD down here! We used to construct pit shelters from 2x4s and visqueen, but things are much more sophistcated now. I'll tell you it is damned cold standing on the pit wall at 3 in the morning. The best place to watch the race is from the grandstands. It is clean and from way up there you can see most of the entire track. My favorite place is all the way down at the end of the grandstands past turn one.

Try the "roman" group of fonts, Gav. Numbers and letters that were stamped on the car - like the paint number - seem to be that group. Advertising lettering seems to be various and more of a plain block print type than anything else. The BRE / Interpart font is "micro-gramma bold extended".

You must be on-line with me, Alan. I was going to say the same thing about the air cleaners. The car didn't go fast enough to consider anything like "ram air". I was visiting my local British car friends this morning and looked at an MGTD having body frames replaced from termite damage. Although oak to replace ash, the frame pieces are available from Moss. Imagine....

I read a review that said the '72 was oversold, Carl.

Yes, Mk II Sprite or Midget. Could be later. Is that a 1275? The hood is not attached to the hinges.

Alan, The Neko Publishing "Fairlady - I" shows the S30 as well as the S30-S without rubbers. I didn't think the 432-R had bumpers! But isn't this a 432-R? So...should we refer to the solid chrome bumpers as 432-R bumpers?

Kats, Is the film with the cylinder head off the car from the heavy maintenance period, November 1969? This would be after they made the Southern run to New Orleans and back? Notice the mustache bars laying on the floor? I wonder if they had drive shaft problems during that run.

Remember? VB has that big missing gap in the 1970 range? The later models may be pretty good, but still...isn't the production date stamped on the door jamb?

Very good explanation Ben! Yes, the 218,079th HLS30, Lachlan. Up to the 260Z, the serial numbers were 5 digits - ie. HLS30-00026. Hey! I want to point out that the production date is stamped on the door ID plate, no? Why are you guys talking about the VB reference? We have discussed that inaccurate document a bunch of times!

Adam, Of course you can put 240Z bumpers on a 280Z. Hell...people are putting V8 engines in these cars! It is going to take some work. The mounts change and you are going to have to adapt your body shell a bit. You will probably have issues with the front valance panels and the rear fenders do not have the indentations, do they? Do keep in mind that the 240Z style bumper is NOT going to protect the car from any sort of contact. Not only will the bumper fold up, but it will take your body shell with it because the ends bolt to the sheet metal. This situation may have insurance consequences. So I always comment to someone considering such a move that they should understand that hitting things with your car is against the rules. Now, there is nothing "Euro" about the bumpers you are describing. This "Euro" term must be a crossover from the BMW and Porsche guys or something and I usually consider its meaning as "aftermarket" in these discussions. The solid chrome bumpers you describe are most likely replicas that have not been drilled for the rubber strips. I have a front one and it is identical to the authentic one - just no holes. Use chrome head carriage bolts to attach them to the brackets. I'll also add that the solid bumpers painted charcoal to match the grill and tail light valance is a real good look. Have fun.

Bravo!! Bravo!! Thanks Kats. Great. I like the custom sound effects!

Looking closely at the pictures I posted, there are some things to notice. There is a Z car in the garage with the hood up. The number plates from one picture do not match the number plates from the other picture, ie. 4 distinct cars. Not only is there one gumball in the middle of the roof, but smaller lights to either side. The 432 car seems to have a radar pod mounted to the roof as well. To make a 432 replica patrol car would be a little expensive to begin with. Don't you think? A 280Z-L 2+2 might be a little more reasonable. Your model looks excellent, Guus.

He wasn't in the stock class, Will. Good move on his part. He "got away" with lots of "modifications" in the daily driver class. My opinion about correctness has only to do with show car judging and beer drinking conversation. In the stock class "correctest" rules and you make a good observation - it's a visual thing. No one is going to tear down my engine. On the other hand, I'm going to great lengths to have my original 40 amp alternators rebuilt rather than simply replacing them with modern 50 amp units which I can still buy. Correctness is also a great subject whilst swizzling beer and carousing with your Z buddies. It's like a game. On the one hand, it makes for great pride in the effort it took to make it right and on the other hand, a great opportunity to use the POS word. But to answer your poll directly - with my opinion - a '73 replacement part that is not identical to the original '71 part is not appropriate for authenticity boasting rights.

Chris, they are metal short little things covered in a black rubber like vinyl stuff. The long plastic ones go on the side of the body and there's a difference. Mark, that is the same as the rotor first one I posted - I had it turned and powder coated. That poor rotor fell out of the box when I bought it and it was lost in the back of a FedEx truck for a few days. I don't like the powder coating - the experiment that convinced me to paint instead of powder coating. Patrick, the early amp gauge went to 45 amps and the early oil pressure gauge went 140 pounds. Very early speedometers (20mph) have flat slotted screws holding the face plate on instead of phillips head screws. The early tail light panel had no access plates to change the bulbs. I have been looking for one of those.