26th-Z

Turns out I have two of them. Both used. One is the 74810-E4100, painted black in a rather old, wrinkled finish. It is in very good shape and needs to be refinished. The other must be a later style - perhaps for the 280Z?- because of the hole in the front. My parts books don't go into the 280Z model years. Finished in that Eastwood CAD simulated paint, it shows some dings and bends that could be easily hammered out. $135 for the black one, $100 for the CAD one. Plus shipping. I'll need to get a box made.

I have two of them but they are out at the shop and I don't have any photos of them right now. I'll send you a PM this weekend. Both are used and in pretty good condition... and I DON'T want $ 895! OMG

I'm surprised that you don't "know" about Konis. I suppose that if you knew anything about the Koni brand, you wouldn't write what you did. Good luck. I have a set of red spec; internal valve adjustment, which is a little more of a pain-in-the-arse than the yellow spec series we are discussing. The yellow spec series allows for valve adjustment while they are installed.

Hey! I recognize that front end. I didn't realize Hector had this car. Nice car. With respect to the chatter about the Konis, this is a great deal. IMO, there are shock absorbers and then there are Konis. As much as I appreciate the comments about Illuminas, they are NLA so that means that there is no comparison. But that pretty much is how I feel about Konis, and these are the adjustable version.

I should explain this photo, now that I look at it again. The sheath end of the cable should actually be inside the bracket. (This is not my car) The bracket is welded to the underside of the cowl and there is a set screw that is supposed to tighten the bracket around the cable.

The deal on hand throttles - They came as standard equipment on the very early imports and were supposed to be removed at the port of entry or the dealer during dealer prep. Very very few cars were sold equipped with the hand throttle. We have discussed owner manuals with the hand throttle label physically covered with a piece of paper. We have tried to establish how many cars came so equipped but the difficulty is within the idea that cars were not imported in sequential VIN order. There is too much documentation as high as three-digit VINs being sold in January 1970. So, you see, the hand throttle was never intended to be sold in North America. That being said, hand throttle systems could be sold over the parts counter and I have one; brand new in the Nissan bag. They are a very popular feature, somewhat prolific, but not necessarily a "required" early car feature. Another component to the hand throttle is the gas pedal arm. The cable from the lever goes to a ball and socket on the gas pedal.

Brake fluid is neither abrasive nor corrosive. It will not cause steel to rust.

Good. Must be the same characters!

If I recall correctly, Tom and his son Tommy? did the machining work for me several years ago. They did a very nice thorough job balancing the engine.

Z Fever would be good. You might try Amtex Cylinder Head and Casting, 1412 N 22nd Street, Tampa. (813) 248-9429

http://classicgarage.com/2419setof4ko.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIloHy-sTZ3QIVkIqzCh1CFQ7EEAMYAiAAEgIOTfD_BwE

Bigger sway-bars is going to give you stiffer body roll. The poly bushings are going to give a stiffer ride. I prefer the offset lower bushings in the front to help with alignment. I also prefer the stiffer ride. Sounds like you have a nice set-up going!

Yes, it could have an automatic. It looks like it has been painted. It once had A/C but the compressor is missing? Well, no A/C then... It doesn't appear to have a roll bar in it. If he has a 'factory' roll bar, really, it would be fairly rare. But do your homework about a 'factory' roll bar. They were quite unique. Those aren't 'factory' wheels. Yea, could use pictures of the engine bay and confirmation of the engine #.

Don't agree with your numbers and I would value the car at well above $30k. More like $50 - $60k.

762 isn't all that low but it's a bonified early car with that rare, OMG rare, gas door knob. This picture is the hallmark of provenance. The description says that the engine is "sized". What does that mean? Re-bore oversize or seized? I think you would have to buy this for half the asking price to make a restoration work $. The rear quarters are going to be expensive. Door, floors, front fenders... I would leave the CB antenna on the roof. Ha! Provnance! Love the back-up light.

Yea, this doesn't look very promising.

BTW Racing green with a butterscotch interior rules!

Oh, that dog just ain't gonna hunt! You are not going to find a series one with " something less than a quarter million miles". Or, you're going to pay dearly for a restored example. I have been wondering what all the obsession over mileage is all about. Yea, the dealer's a schmuck. So what! You can't just take someone's word and buy a car from the pictures. Well, you can; just look at how I bought 27th. As Beck put it; "How much worse could it be?" I would encourage looking at the car and dealing with the dealer. Point out all the non-original pieces and get him off his 'all original' spiel. We could make a list of all the stuff that is a replacement and not "correct". And the serial # is not that low. Hell, you know a guy who has 26 and 27! If it turns out to be a good running, soild car, it's probably worth the $20 grand. Offer cash and be prepared to turn and walk.

What is that hose thing with the orange shut-off valve? It could use some critical early pieces but it has a lot of correct stuff. The seats look newly recovered and the door cards look new. Could use a rear deck carpet. Clean the overspray off the gas tank.

Nice car! Don't be fooled by a claim of low mileage, however it's still a nice looking car. And, of course, I love the color scheme. It could use some cleaning and doo-dadding. I can see many items that have been replaced over its life. It appears to be a nice solid car. Always best to look at it before you buy it. Changing the radio back to stock is no more of a problem than it was to install the radio in it now.

Just finished reading "Road to Modena" which I got for Christmas. Recommend it. Pete Brock writes with interesting detail the process of design and body building the Italian way versus the traditional methods used at the time. He also writes about his relationship with Caroll Shelby and the Shelby organization during the mid-60s. Much discussion about the Cobra Coupes and the very beginnings of aerodynamic considerations in automotive design.

Take a look at the Service Bulletin. It wasn't the first 1000 engines. And the Kaku-U "vibrations" you guys are referring to concerns the suspension, not the engine.

"were you involved developing the 240Z for racing with the NMC competition department here in the USA" No. I raced an MG Midget in SCCA F-Production from 1971 to 1974. Then I raced an Alexis Formula Ford in 1976-1978. Before I got my license in 1971, I hung out with a group of guys racing mostly British products and a Brabham FC from around 1967. I was 14. One of the guys who hung with us at the races drove a Fairlady 1600 and later in 1972, another friend started racing a Datsun 1200 in C-Sedan. When his car ran well, it smoked the Mini Coopers. But I digress... The NMC competition department was nothing more than parts distribution. Datsun Competition Department, Nissan Motor Corporation in the USA distributed parts. The race teams we are discussing (BRE and Sharp) were East coast and West coast supported racing teams under private ownership and contracted to NMC USA directly. There was an amateur support program which paid money for victories and at certain races, the Datsun Competition Department had a support truck with parts. There were parties and beer as I recall. In about 1966, Lee Wiley, under the direction of Mr. Katayama, set up a parts distribution of Japanese imported competition parts for the SPL-SRL Fairlady Roasters. In 1967, d*** Roberts was placed in charge of the department. Information from the competition department came in the form of bulletins, 10 - 20 pages of part numbers and descriptions and prices sent to Datsun dealers. I have two distribution bulletins; one from "The Auto Works" in Granada Hills, California and another from Bob Sharp Racing in Danbury, Connecticut. Informational bulletins were also issued. I have one here; "U20 Racing Engine Oil Flow Improvement" issue RB-168. It's a three-page description, tools required, parts required, illustrated, step-by-step set of instructions. The Datsun Competition Department Bulletin from May 1, 1971, is my earliest "Datsun Competition Parts Catalog" although it was little more than 30 sheets stapled together. It includes parts for the 240 Z HLS30 both from the Japanese Sports Option Catalog, September 1970, and the standard parts catalog from November 1969. The first bound, published competition parts catalog, the red one, came April 15, 1973. It included Japanese Sports Option parts, standard parts as well as domestic manufactured competition parts. Flywheels, for example, were manufactured by Tilton. There is nothing in any of my literature that mentions the PS30, PS30SB or the S20 engine.

NVZEE, this forum is a drama in its own way and always has been; at least as long as I have been here. It's still the best game in town and after all the arguments, put-downs, sarcasm and revolts, this forum has the best information about the story of the 'Z'. In my opinion, of course! No one withholds information. Not on purpose, I would say. The information is all here in the library anyway. Where do you think Hoover gets all his pictures?