26th-Z

Oh cool! I need a RR quarter panel - no speaker holes.

Mike B, This car is in great shape for its age. It looks to me as though the firewall / battery box is your worst problem and I would like to see frame rail pictures all the way back under the floor before I would go off to replacing them. Some great low VIN items on all your pictures. I see you have the plastic inspection lid clips. Need a fuel door knob? Clear hatch glass? I don't see the lead for the demister. No deck insulation! On #237! How bout that! I cannot disagree more with the comment about value. This car in show condition is worth 20, easily. More like 30 when you are finished. So here's what I think of the cowl issue. Fix it correctly. Hope these pictures help. These are from the Fairlady Z parts catalog Pub. No. C-236. The firewall is not shown, but the cowl pieces help me explain what you will probably encounter. The first pic is the whole page. Then I cropped the area of the rust spot and drew an arrow to the fresh air chimney. The picture is reversed to show what it is like on our LHD cars. See the tab bent up all along the front edge of the lower cowl member? It is welded to the fire wall. Evidently pine needles built up between the fresh air chimney and the firewall and rotted out the bottom of the cowl pan and the face of the fire wall. To fix this with a welded-in patch of metal will require the removal of the dash along with the heater fan and fresh air box above it. It is almost impossible to work in the area from the top because of the upper cowl frame member. These two members, welded continuously to the firewall, make up the top cross brace from door pillar to door pillar. This box section is open to fresh air from the cowl vents and collects water. The picture of the passenger floor is showing the damage of the cowl leak. That whole area needs to be cut out and replaced. It needs to be sealed up from water, I suggest cutting out the weld spots and removing the battery box. That whole area needs to be cleaned up in a big way. I am not a fan of POR. Repaired properly, that area will easily last another 35 years with a proper paint finish.

Best of luck. Try Datsun Spirit http://www.datsunspirit.com/ CW-

I'll bet you find more rust behind that pop riveted panel on the firewall. The big rust hole above it is the seam between the cowl and firewall infront of the fresh air shimney. Taking the dash out is the way to attack the problem. Low VIN guy standing by to help. Thanks for the heads-up, Fred. Chris

Alan, You beat me to post! But I concur with your comment. There are no Nissan published "factory" associations that I have found.

Thanks for the comment, Arne. The article was reprinted by Nissan for promotional purposes. I didn't mean to diss Douglas Kott, or any writer for that matter. There are few direct associations with the word "factory" in any of the literature I have collected on the Vintage Z subject. But they exist. Nissan, of course, wanted thier restoration efforts to pack credibility. It is easy to see how one might get the impression that the cars were actually sent back to Japan to be restored. The businesses chosen to actually restore the cars were promoted to a certain degree in order to support the validity of the program. But thanks to the conversation I am looking at my research again; making some changes and updating some files. Quite fun to look back through all this again! My current working bibliography on the subject: Nissan Motor Corporation Related Publications and Documents “10 Nissan Retailers Selected to Host Z Stores”, from website www.nissannews.com, 20 November 1996. “240Z Restoration Program Quality Control Checklist”; January 8, 1997. “Datsun 240Z – Japan Reinvents the Sports Car”; (reprinted from Road & Track, February 1997). “Datsun 240Z Sports Owner’s Manual – Model S30 Series”, Issued Date: March 1997 (161100) “Greetings from the Z-Store at Nissan Corporate!”; Z-Store letterhead, Z Store.doc, no date (late ’97, 25 cars produced). “Hand written note from Pete Evanow to Bob Berke”, on Pan Pacific Hotel letterhead, no date. “News Coverage as of May 27, 1997”, market survey compilation.. “Inside Nissan – Heritage”; from website www.nissanusa.com, January 2005. Magazine advertisement (fold-out format) “First Solid Food”, 1997 Magazine advertisement “No Cup Holders”, TBWA Chiat/Day Inc.1997 Magazine advertisement (Slick) “The most popular…”, no date. “Nissan Proudly Presents – Vintage Z”; announcement and site map, May 3, 1997. “Nissan Z Store Merchandise Catalog”, Flyer # CAR412965 “Popular 240Z Restoration Parts”; Parts and Service Bulletin, April 30, 1998. “Rebirth”; brochure, 1997. “Restored 1970 Nissan 240Z Sells for $33,920 at Monterey Sports and Classic Car Auction”; 22 August 1997. “Spirit”; brochure, 1997. “To Our Z-Club Members”, letter from Pete Evanow, Manager, Z-Store, Z-Store letterhead, Z Shutdown\Signoff.doc, October 30, 1998. “Vintage Datsun 240-Z Sales Invoice”, HLS30-96203 “Vintage Datsun 240-Z Sales Invoice”, HLS30-80067 “Vintage Datsun 240-Z Certificate of Authenticity”, HLS30-96203 “Vintage Z Quality Control Launch Rally”; May 3, 1997. Letter from Tom Orbe, Vice President Marketing, registration form, preliminary schedule of events. “Vintage Z Program-Master Parts List”, inter-office correspondence / spreadsheet, February 20, 1997. “Z Store” Dealer Kit, November 13, 1996. “Z Car Parts Shipments, by Part no. & by VIN (Closed)”, spreadsheet, May 27, 1998. Publications from Independent Sources “240Z Restore Project by Nissan in USA”; Nostalgic Hero magazine, vol. 64, December 1997. “A Classic Reborn”, PPG Repaint Reporter, 1998 “A Once and Always Legend”, Sport Compact Car magazine, January 1997 “Back to Its Rootz”, Automotive News, October 28, 1996 “Cartoon”, Automotive News, November 4, 1996 “Datsun 240Z, Factory Resurrected”, Road & Track magazine, June 1998 “Datsun 240Z Sports Classic”, Nostalgic Hero magazine Geibin Mooks No. 471, 2004 “eBay Motors.com”, sales auction, November 2004 “eBay Motors.com”, sales auction, March 2005 “eBay Motors.com”, sales auction, May 2005 Excerpts from Z-Car Club of Washington newsletters - “No New Z For A While”; Marc Sayer “Reconditioned 240Z’s”; Barry Breen “Ground-up Rebuild”; Phil Deushane, IAPA “Restored vs. Refurbished”; Carl Beck “Later Z”; reprinted from Autoweek, March 23-29, 1998 vol. 48, no. 12 “Vintage Z’s Get New Pizzazz”; reprinted from Automotive News, Mark Retchin, March 10, 1997 “New-Old Z’s”; Steve Klepinger ”If You Wait Long Enough”; reprinted from PR Newswire, 1997 “New-Old Z-Cars”; Barry Breen “Update: 240Z Restoration Program”; Rex Jennet “Z-Store Opening”; Bob Bailey “History-Making Vintage Nissan Rally”; Z Car magazine, Rick Feibusch, Summer 1997 “Life’s a Journey”, Sport Compact Car magazine, December 1996 “Lust, Then Love – The Story of the New Z”, Ron Sessions, Publications International, Ltd., 2002 “Obsolete Nissan Parts Availability”; NewZletter, Z-Car Club of Washington, March 1998. “The Rebirth of the Legendary 240Z”; Old Timer (Japanese text), no. 34, June 1997. “The Way They Were”; Sports Car International magazine, August / September 1997. “Restored Datsun 240Zs Take a Step Back In Time”; Newsday, November 23, 1997. “Restore Your Z”; The NewZletter, Wayne Karnes, May / June 1998. “Restoring a Vintage Vehicle”, Enjoy the Ride.com, 2004 “Return of the Living”, Classic Cars magazine, August 1997. “Sports Car Chronicle”, Publications International, Ltd. 2004 “Tokyo Survives Another Typhoon, But What About “Mad”s Recent Visit??”; unknown, letter to ZCCA from Mike Taylor. “U.S. Paint Code List”, http://datsunprojects.org/zpaintcodes/ “Vintage Z Car Register”; IZCC website – www.zhome.com. “Vintage Z – Road Impression in L.A.”; J’s Tipo (Japanese text), no. 61, February 1998. “What Comes After Z…Store?”, Z Bits Maryland ‘Z Club, Paul Taylor, March / April 1999 “Z-Car: Future Classic?”, Z Car Magazine, Fall 1996 “Z Day at Texas Motor Speedway”; Z Car Magazine, Bill Reagan, November / December 1997. “Z-Speed”; Unique Cars, Howard Walker, October 1997. “Z-Store Update”; Z Car Magazine, Marc Sayer, Spring 1997. “Z-Store Update”; Z Car Magazine, Marc Sayer, Summer 1997. Films “Nissan Intro Spots / “Dream Garage” – Life is a Journey. Enjoy the Ride. Nissan Brand Campaign 1996, vhs/dvd “Nissan Z Store” – KNBC 2/15/97 and KABC 2/18/97 vhs “The Return of the 240Z (The restoration Process). TRT, no date, vhs Pierre Perrot, no title, no date(s), self produced video of events surrounding the Vintage Z program. vhs “Birth of a Legend” – Nissan Motor Corporation, USA: 1997, vhs/dvd

Carl, I might have RUN across something like what was written, but the dead give-away was the reference to parts Nissan has access to that we don't - wrong! One of the major reasons that the Vintage Z restoration program ended prematurely was because of a shortage of parts. How do you doubt that the seller wrote the text?

It appears that the statements came from the eBay ad that started this thread. I like your opinion of Hanawa-san, Carl. Carlos Ghosn did not arrive on the Nissan scene until well after the completion of the Vintage Z restoration program.

As many of you know, I took great interest in this subject two years ago and compiled quite a bit of information about the Vintage Z restoration program. I was interested in the restoration technique employed by Nissan USA as well as what happened to the 40-odd cars that were produced. I discovered a very interesting story. Most of the restorations were completed by PierreZ in Hawthorne, California. Several California restoration facilities became involved later in the program. Direct involvement would come from Classic Datsun Motorsports in Vista, Datsun Alley in Signal Hill, and Old Car Service in Huntington Beach. Two articles written about the Vintage Zs describe them as “factory” restored insinuating to the uninformed reader that the cars were returned to the original Japanese factory for restoration. One article appeared in the June 1998 issue of “Road & Track” magazine entitled; “ Datsun 240Z, Factory Resurrected”. Interestingly, Douglas Kott reports a price of $29,950 which may have been the case 12 months after the Z-Store program began. An article that appeared in the March 1997 Z Car Club of Washington newsletter references a factory restoration. Phil Deushane, IAPA, discusses the unprecedented task of a factory restoration and resale of an original car. He refers to the “restoration shop” during a discussion of the logistics of such a task, however it is vague concerning whom is doing what. Interestingly, Marc Sayer reports in the summer '97 issue of “ZCar” magazine; “…Nissan would prefer for people to think of these cars as having come from Nissan rather than from a particular subcontractor, a sentiment I heartily endorse.” Marc discusses the introduction of Pierre Perrot as reserved for the Vintage Z Rally; “I also think that Nissan wanted to make a big deal of the announcement of who the renovators were at the launch.”

How come I keep missing you guys? Carl? Where were we? Asleep at the switch! I forgot all about the national in Daytona. Kick my as!

That's a real one. Listed as the 31st constructed in Pete Evanow's reference, the car was originally sold to Ferman Nissan. The last one of these I saw sold in the low 30s. The two before that sold in the low 20s. The asking price is quite reasonable. A banking plate over the radio was common for these restorations. The plaque on the console is standard. I didn't like the looks of the carpeting and the luggage straps are missing? But loop pile would have been the proper replacement for these cars. If anyone has questions about the Vintage Z / Z-Store restoration program, ask away.

Really there were only 8 bidders and it appears as though a bidding war broke out between 2 of them with a third bidder throwing fuel on the fire. Too bad we don't have a clue to who was bidding. I hate that about eBay these days. As Will pointed out, we can't even tell if it went to a good home or if it stayed in the country for that matter. The selling price is way too much. Rest assured, everyone, that as an expert (and I'm certain the commander will back me up on this) I can tell you all with complete confidence that the valve cover is an aftermarket item. Furthermore, it is used. But what great entertainment!

Carl, The basic answer to your question is yes, they are still around, in private collections, sometimes shown and driven, and highly sought after. Chris

Therein lies the difference. I tried "people's choice" at Z-Fest twice. One year the ballot box was stuffed by a particular club and the last year, everyone complained because they were not judged in class categories. I know that most ZCCA shows include "people's choice" categories for things like best engine, best paint, etc. With a class judging structure, everyone has a better chance of getting a trophy. The playing field is much more level. And, chances are, the judges at a ZCCA show know what they are looking at. No doubt, judging activities and awards are quite difficult to manage. As I recall, ZCCA class judging can award around 90 trophies.

The filler cap would be my last choice. Check the flat rubber gasket inside the cap and if it looks half way decent, it is probably not the culprit. My bet would be a vent hose. Fuel fumes are flat out dangerous and I suggest some urgency to resolving the problem.

Surf the net and you will find a number of used parts places like Z-Barn http://zbarn.com/ Ask around. I picked up all my stuff for 27th used or given to me. I was surprised to hear that Nissan still has fenders and hoods. The correct hood for an early car is going to be really difficult to find. When you find used hoods. ask specifically if it is an early hood or a later hood (like for a '72). However, I concur that if you are going to use an incorrect hood, go for the obvious. This is 27th resting in her storage tent. The stripes on the fender are paint color samples used when ZRush was built. ZRush gave me a set of fenders.

This is the second time in a week that I have heard about interior panel squeek, rattle, and noise! Humphf! Now an attack on those cute "once-in-a-lifetime" rivets! When I started restoring my car, interior rivets were a premium on eBay, but now they seem to be commonly available again. In all colors. I believe the panels were originally fit with thin foam strips on the edges to keep them from making noise and I have used silicon sealant as a gasket in the past. Most of the old panels I remove have only the tattered remnanats of the foam remaining. Although screwing is generally a great idea, I like the drywall anchor suggestion. Keep in mind that a fastener like a screw may crack or chip the plastic panel.

I don't think anyone really knows for sure when the emblem changed from a chrome Z to a white Z. I know the chrome Z is quite rare and didn't appear on many cars. Kats discussed this some tme ago in terms of differences in the shape of the emblem. He maintained that the mold for the hollow cast white Z was different from the mold of the hollow cast chrome Z. I think white Z metal emblems on a March 1970 car are fine and I wouldn't slam points in a competition for it. I'm going to put hollow metal chrome Zs on my cars because I only have the one solid casting. I'm saving the emblem to talk about in Hooter's over a beer... or two. The bidder "old guy" is a member of this site and of the Low VIN club. But check out the seller's other items. Hand throttle, 'D' hubcaps, ash tray.

Oh my! Perhaps I have expressed myself in a confusing manner. There are two versions of the "chrome Z", hollow cast and solid cast. 76807-E4600 shows application up to 1-70 and replaced by E4601. E4602 shows application up to 12-70 when it is replaced by E8200 which I believe to be the round vented emblem to coincide with the vents in the quarter wings. Of the early 240Z emblems, they come in chrome Z metal, white Z metal and white Z plastic. I have no idea what part numbers go with these. The point I was making was VERY anal and just a point of interest. Before there were chrome Zs, metal cast, and hollowed out on the back side, there were chrome Zs, metal cast, and solid. Here is a picture of mine. Solid hunk of metal - quite heavy. This emblem, as I heard from Mr. Matsuo, was the original prototype production emblem. Several hundred of the first HLS30s were fitted with solid cast emblems and every one I have seen came off a 1969 production car- pre December. Of course, this is very anal. Once you put the emblem on the car, you can't tell the difference. I bought this on eBay many years ago and got into a bidding war with another member on this site whom I did not know at the time. I paid $100 for this.

Got a phone call about this last night. Always interesting to see early stuff for sale. This emblem is hollow cast, meaning the back is hollowed out rather than a solid piece of metal. The most early chrome Z emblems were solid cast. This emblem would be most appropriate for a later 1970 build car - say late spring / early summer 1970.

Paul, There are tons of articles on site about buying new vs replating either sending it out or doing it yourself. You will find that gold cadmium plating is rather difficult, but there are people around who do it. Several companies sell stainless steel kits for complete areas of the car and I also know of guys who have tried to get Nissan hardware. It all is an option, depending on what you expect from your project. I cleaned my hardware in a rock tumbler, wire brushed it all, cleaned it all up, and sent it out. I went through three different companies before I found the finish I really wanted and learned a lot about how to prepare the old hardware to be restored. You will find lots of stuff searching the internet.

Pictures of the heater face plate from 26th. 27th is the same. White letters on adhesive lables. Notice the "air", "temp", and "defroster" labels are not painted nor are the fan switch settings. Generally speaking, one will find that early cars were quite crude with respect to the individual parts compared to the later cars and later versions of parts.

Concure with MikeW. The 62300-E4101 shows application to the Japanese Fairladys (all versions) and the 432 Fairlady. The 62300-N3000 indicates from model year '73. The E7200 version is listed for the 432R. Our version of the grill E4601 is listed for the export models H and HL. This grill on eBay is used!?!??? Perhaps it is the E4101 version which is why Charlie wants so much for it?

Thanks for the PM, Ron. I have the original shipping information for 26th and she didn't arrive on American shores until May of 1970. What with the engine number and all, it is quite possible that she didn't see the light of day until after 357 was assembled. Interesting.

Yea, zhead. An armorer? You go, guy! 907 green rocks! The tail lights and valance are from a later model 260, I think. You should be able to find a valance easy enough. I may have one. Tail lights are going to be spensive! Nice project car! CW-