26th-Z

Wassa matter, "Krack"? Can't read my user name? CDavid jumped on you pretty hard, didn't he? So, what kind of paint job did you buy that would come off from the glue-on type? The only word for you to remember when it comes to paint and body work, Mcrack, is PREPERATIONH!!! Ohhh, you crack me up! Don't put side moldings on your car. Your'e stock, remember? Make up your mind, and go one way or the other. Where are you going to drive the car that it would get dings? Your'e better off with a bra. So put up some pictures of your blue-on-blue-baby. I know a photographer if you need some help. How did the carpeting turn out? Your'e done, right? Congrats on a 3-page thread. This has been pretty entertaining. Enrique, you crack me up! And the Her Majesty thing refers to the garage queen.

Her Majesty phoned me this morning with the very same question! What a coincidence! So I contacted the wardrobe department right away and spoke to Alsace Gesechtnik, in charge of accessories. He is actually a really talented man! I think he lives on the other side of the river, though. If you know what I mean. Anyhow, Alsace suggested white side molding with the metal caps on each end - in gold. With matching gold screws. He said the glue-on type was just out these days and that screwing with your car showed so much commitment. He also suggested you match the molding with gold hubcaps. You know, the kind that keep spinning at the stop light? Seventeen inch would be nice, but nineteen is much better. Then he made some snide remark about size. Sounded like a Corvette slur to me. So there you have it. Straight from the guy who consulted with Her Majesty and Princess. We talked about it a few years back and decided to dress in a traditional Japanese retro style. I went out on eBay and bought all the parts before everyone realized how chic the style was. If word gets out about side moldings, who knows where the price will go!

Arne, You continually offer good, solid advice. Pat on the back from Her Majesty! I have owned the concave lights we are talking about. Very nice. Good pattern. Nice lighting quality. But as Arne has pointed out, old technology.

Katsuhiko Endo http://www.geocities.jp/datsunz903/

There really aren't any concous standards, Bob, depending on what you mean by concours. The ZCCA has judging standards that are very liberal. As I have said in the past, cleanliness is probably the most important criteria. When it comes to nit-picking about parts and applications, there is very little documentation. Lots of discussion, though! The ZCCA gold medallion and gold cup, along with best-of-show at the MSA are probably the three most prestigeous awards to the Z community, but any award is nothing to sneer at. You sound like I did four years ago. My advice would be that you have a good starting book to read and that the more cars you look at the more you will understand what it is going to take. Have fun. Chris

If I may be so humble to chime in on this subject... I generally agree with what Carl Beck has said above and, sorry cbudvet, do not agree with the later reference to Shipways. I'm a designer. I have two degrees in design and I have worked in various deign settings from studio to private. I have a very strong opinion of how the design process of the S30 "Z" evolved based upon my own research, photographs, and conversations with the people involved. I never met Mr. Goertz, but I have spoken to Mr. Matsuo several times. On one occasion, I had the opportunity to speak to Matsuo-san about some of my most important research material and heard his opinion of it which allowed me to place the information in context. From what I can gather, Goertz worked for Nissan as a designer and was instrumental in the development of “A” prototype (not “the” prototype) that was powered by a Yamaha engine and later sold to Toyota. I understand that Goertz worked in contemporary techniques of clay modeling and introduced the media to Nissan. My understanding is that “the 240Z” was not revived after Mr. Goertz left Nissan. It wasn’t a 240Z to begin with. “It” was a sports car concept and very similar to sports car concepts being developed around the world at the time. The revival was Nissan setting up an independent studio in 1965 / 1966 to investigate a sports car design. I wouldn’t even say it was a revival; rather an extension of an ongoing corporate direction. In other words, Nissan wanted to market a sports car. Matsuo-san was put in charge of the new studio and his initial designs were roadsters. His process is well documented. There is quite a bit of information available about the concept models and sketches that eventually became the S30 / 240Z. Another remarkable similarity occurred in 1967 with the Maserati Mistral. What we seem to be doing is grasping at straws for similarities to one specific design and forcing it into a story of evolution that simply doesn’t exist. Designers talk to each other, share ideas, and travel to shows and exhibitions to see what other designers have to present. Designers do not work in a vacuum. Of course we are going to see similarities. What we do not see from Goertz is his process that leads to the car we are driving. We do see the process from the studio of Matsuo-san. Goertz influence is anybody’s guess, but to give him credit is too obviously incorrect. No more than to give me credit for inventing roller-blades in a think-tank class in 1972. Or, for that matter, let’s give my ex-wife credit for inventing plastic squeeze bottles for ketchup! Carl and Carl, I don’t think there is a “truth”. I think what I just described is the truth and that we are misted by one guy’s egotistical pursuit about how he should be getting all the credit. I’m a designer. I know how that goes.

Ok you guys...You got me started on U-Tube. Thanks a lot! This has nothing to do with a 240ZG, but it IS Japanese and it is just too funny not to share. Thanks Enrique! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5MBpnt80V0

Don, You came to the right place to find information about your car. I do not agree that a specialized mechanic would be needed - necessarily - but there are many unique differences. Within our ranks, you will find people with whom a great deal of knowledge about the RHD models is available. Buyers as well! We love pictures and we love discussing our cars. I encourage you to join us with your unique example and play Z with us. Chris

I believe the orange 432 in post #18 is a Fairlady 432R. Check out the seats.

The Zs for those badges came painted only in white. Your red ones have been modified. There are several different types of the "240Z" badge you have. Early badges had chromed Zs without any indentation (to hold the paint) and they came solid cast and hollow cast metal. White Zs in hollow cast metal followed. The latest variation is made of plastic and the Z is painted white. Fairlady badges came in hollow cast metal and I have one without the Z as well as one with the Z.

The last time I saw one of those key blanks for sale it was extremely expensive.

Private yard, NASA employee, MGs...yea, that's the one. I forget exactly where it is, but near the airport. I was there about a year ago and didn't come home with much. There were some interesting things, but I wasn't that desperate and the place is a serious mess. It isn't kept up. There is a Triumph Spitfire in the front yard that once raced in the 24 hours of Daytona.

The Sanford yard is pretty spartan. Mostly RX-7s

Justin, The G-nose you refer to is the model HS30H produced between October 1971 and September 1973. It came with a 2.4 Liter (L24) and either a five speed or three speed auto transmission. G-nose spare parts were sold to service the model, but it was never an option for the other various models. The 240ZG also came in the special maroon color. The model was not exported to America.

Hey there JTZ23. Guys, I got a great idea. The ClassicZ Golden Z award for best film etc. for the year. Carl, you are right. U-Tube is just going to get bigger. How many really great videos have we seen in the last year? Remember the Dutch guys who bought that rust-free Z on ebay and made that bizzare film about restoring it? We could set up an account, nominate videos, and vote for best-of various categories like best music, best cinematography, best edit, best nude women, etc. Every year, we could have a showing and vote; awarding a certificate from the club to the authors. Waddaya Thunk?

Nissan produced various body modification parts during the early '70s for racing homoligation purposes and the term "wide body" is used in American slang context. In all probablity, the ebay car is made up of aftermarket parts. To some extent, our cars are so old that aftermarket parts are considered rare. Let me share what little I know about the real Nissan stuff. At the time the Z was introduced, a series of "Sports Option" parts became available and were published in Sports Option catalogs. In America, the sports option parts were sold through the Datsun USA Competition department. The earliest Datsun competition catalogs date back to the roadster and 510. The Nissan Sports Option catalogs included many items for the S30 - Z - exclusively including engine and transmission parts, suspension parts, seats, roll bars, you-name-it, and body parts such as fender flares, spooks and spoilers. I most usually associate the fender flares on the ebay car with flare kits Nissan sold for the HS30-H. Those pieces included fender flares and front spook / air dam components. Fender flares from Nissan came in two sizes and I think MSA sell pretty good repros of the smaller flares. All of the authentic Nissan pieces I have seen are made of the FRP material we know from the early headlight scoops and were mechanically fastened to the body with rivets, screws or bolts. Having said all this, let me point out that there are many threads on this site discussing this very subject and the guy with the most information is "HS30-H". A search through the archives should reveal a wide range of discussions and has been the source for all the information I have collected. Other references I might suggest include Pete Evanow's book; "35 Years of Datsun's Sports Car" and Brian Long's; "Datsun Z".

And if you do, Mike, this is probably what that can of paint may look like. Not saying it definitely will look like this, but it may. This is for color 112 and who knows what it would be for the charcoal. But hey!

Here are a couple more model kits I have. Most of my kits were bought in Japan.

Big fan of kit models

I'm not trying to degrade your car either, Jim. I'm just trying to keep the playing field even and factual based. One thing I HAVE learned about Zeds is that every time something certain is established, the exception pops up. If the colors aren't the same, then what colors are they? We all seem to agree that Les has established a facsimile of "correctness", however if it is for only a certain application, then what is "correct" for the other? And to what years does this apply? Furthermore, is there an explanation why two different "colors" were used? (Actually, I think we are talking about tone / value, not color) (edit) Oh! I believe the paint is lacquer, Will. Not enamel.

Jim, Your car was a wonderful example but as we both know was NOT all original. I think you may be misrepresenting your example. The original question had to do with what color, not speculation on different colors. With all due respect, I would ask that the conversation drift more toward the fact side of the issue rather than the subjective. What specific color? A color code might be in order. Chris

Yes, Marty. 26th, 27th, and 403rd have the rubber grommet type. Part number 75150-E4101. Part number 75150-E8700 replaces the early type and no date is given because it can be used for all models. According to pictures in my Japanese parts books, the early type of shift boot with the rubber grommet coresponds to the console design with the early style ash tray. Consoles with the sliding cover ash tray were designed for the lace type (E8700).

The early shift boot has the rubber grommet and it was replaced by the shift boot with leather laces. Now, as much as ladies of driving pleasure enjoy lace, we ARE talking about the stick and it deserves a good solid rubber!

Here you go, Burt. This is a crop and enlargement of the 1970 dealer brochure showing a match in color. I am in negotiations to buy the original art work for this brochure. I remember using this information during a conversation about the color of distributor caps. Makes it kind of hard to argue the different color thing. BTW, Burt, if you aren't Burt, prove it. Lets see a picture of your car Burt. I thought you were kicked off this site and I will thank you to not send me nasty PMs in disguise as your crack.

Here you go, Burt. Give this to the guy. This is a crop and enlargement of the 1970 dealer brochure showing a match in color. I am in negotiations to buy the original art work for this brochure. I remember using this information during a conversation about the color of distributor caps. Makes it kind of hard to argue the different color thing. BTW, Burt, if you aren't Burt, prove it. Lets see a picture of your car Burt. I thought you were kicked off this site and I will thank you to not send me nasty PMs in disguise as your crack.