26th-Z

I would be interested in the tire, Gary. It is by no means useable other than show. Her Majesty came with Bridgestones and Princess came with Toyos. Do an archive search - there is a thread by Kats about original tires. What do you think it would cost to send it to Sarasota, Florida 34236? PM me and we'll chat. I came back to edit this after you mentioned the date code, Arne. Yea, for the strick connoisseur, the date code is vital. But hell, I figure anyone is just fortunate to see one at all. I DO know guys, however, with correct tires that they show with. Chris

Whoops! Thanks

By royal declaration of the Z, Her Majesty the 26th has been extended the honored privilege to announce an autocross event to be held April 22, 2006 in Gainesville, Florida by the Florida Z ***ociation. http://home.earthlink.net/~cwenzel/index.html The FZA is a group of five Florida Z Car Clubs brought together for the purpose of organizing Z Car events and contributing to Florida Special Olympics. This is the group that grew out of Z-Fest and has bid to host the 2007 ZCCA International Convention. The track is a very nice facility offering Solo level speeds on a well paved driver training course in a lovely North Florida pastoral setting. Our schedule permits around 50 cars to maximize track time during the day. Register early for your spot and choice of car number!

Great picture, isn't it? Reminds me of a "Creature from the Swamp" movie poster. And it's the best picture I have! All the rest make her look like junk!

Mike, There are several threads floating in the archive about relative value for the early cars. There was a blurb in the Wall Street Journal not too long ago and Hagerty Insurance just published some research. However nothing really addresses the implied value of a low vin car. Of course, a car is only worth what a buyer is willing to spend at any given time, but the going trend seems to be around $18,000 + for a drop dead gorgeous, pristine example of a '70, '71 Z. You will see higher prices - lots higher, but the published values are lower. That has nothing to do with a low vin car, however. 27th was purchased in 2004 for under $3,000 sitting in my driveway. I know another double-digit vin project that traded less than a year ago for not much more - and it's a driver! The one low vin car I know of that is absolutely flawless (restored) is not for sale for anything under $30,000 - more like $40,000. Keep in mind that it will take $40,000 to restore a Z that is worth $40,000. Hope this helps. I would guess from your description the car is worth $4,500 to $6,000 depending on how original it is. Something like a missing seat is a big red flag to what else is missing. Chris

OSPHO is a 15% phosphoric acid which is actually classified as a rust encapsulator. I like it to treat metal before painting. RM makes an 801 metal ready product that is similar. These products treat (etch) the metal and prepare it for a primer application. Spray on and wipe dry with a clean paper towel. On the other hand, as beandip points out, a simple self etching primer at this stage of the game is all that is really needed. Just spot prime. RM and SEM sell self etching primer in spray cans. Neither one of these suggestions weather proofs the metal. NO-no outside!

Isn't that from the Pininfirina studio? Yea....Holy Crap is right. That would make me smile all day.

Sharp eye, Joseph. Yes, it would probably have clear hatch glass. I would have to look up the service bulletin for the vertical line demister, but a blanking plate would be on the console for the switch location. Early cars came with rubber floor matting as shown around the tool box area. Rubber floor matting was standard on the economy Japanese version S30 model. The luxury S30-S / Fairlady ZL model came with carpeting. The papers for 26th say she came with carpeting, but she also has the rubber mats on the floors, front and rear, and the rear deck.

Your post #34 collection is my favorite, Alan. Those are the cars of my youth - in awe of them to this day. I'm glad to see you post pictures of your favorites.

Well! Her Majesty barked a little? Sorry guys. I'll stuff a sock in her muffler. The presentation that will be made in Dallas from the Florida Z Association will be Daytona, the first week of October 2007. If the ZCCA approves of our plans and budget, we'll be cranking. I'm director of the car show and our plan is to hold it in the garage area of Daytona International Speedway. Come to the Dallas convention and meet our group. Just in the United States, Nissan holds an outstanding racing record and Daytona is no exception to the winning streak. For example: the 1990 IMSA GTP champion ZX-T GTP/Electramotive the 1991 Daytona 24-hour 2nd place finisher R90CK the 1992 Daytona 24-hour winner R91CP driven by Hasemi, Hoshino, and Suzuki the 1994 Daytona 24-hour winner 300ZX Cunningham These would have to be considered for the list. Chris

The grab handle is on the driver's door because the only new door interior panels remaining are for right-hand drive cars and they are cut for the passenger grab handle. There are a lot of other "contemporary" parts on the car. The wheel covers are not the correct color. Nice looking car. I'll be watching the auction with interest.

My dearest Ron and gnosez, Knock it off with the bad karma. Mr K. will be at the 2007 convention because Chris Wenzel and eight other guys are busting their arse to see that it happens. The Princess and I wouldn't miss it. In addition, Mr. Wenzel is busting his arse to see that championship Nissans and championship drivers attend the convention. He has his own list and it doesn't stop at ten cars. Look for him at the Mitty and Dallas. He's looking for cars to invite. He'll bring his BMWCCA and PCA experience to the table - gladly. Things are changing in the Z world and it's time to start thinking outside the box for ways to present our events. Return-on-investment is what it is all about. "Drive a Datsun - Then Decide". With all due respect, Her Majesty the 26th

Thanks Arne.

Carl, If your seats do not have vents in them, they aren't original. You may recall that the seats had a tendency to rip on the side bolster. Many, many people complained about the vents. At two previous owners and 65k miles, I would suspect replacement. Original 1969 American import seats had vents. Chris

The original cables on a 1969 240Z were woven strand type and were later replaced by solid wire. The solid wire will perform better, but thanks for the link!

Very tight. No play at all. Sounds like you done good.

The connections are soldered - not braised. Braising involves brass. Easy to remember BR (braise) = BR (brass) Good idea to take it to a radiator shop and have it soldered back up, Ed! I would suggest buying a new oiler for a couple of reasons. First, if you heard metal scratching noises and judging from your picture, you trashed the cam. The cost of a new oiler bar is the least of your problems. Second, the oiler didn't get that way on its own. Someone bashed it. Check for other damage. Check to see that your lash pads are still in place.

Thanks Will. Good article.

Rich, I'm registered on a bunch of the club sites around the state. I'm involved in a consortium of Florida clubs called the Florida Z Association, Inc. We're the guys who are going to put on the ZCCA convention in 2007. Daytona. October. The FZA is currently nine guys from five clubs and the last I heard, the South Florida club is jumping in. In addition to all the regional club activities, the FZA holds thier own events and our group evolved from the guys who put on Z-Fest for the last three or four years. We intend to hold several events annually, awarding points at each event, and awarding championships at the end of the year. Its called the FZA Challenge and it kicks off Aprill 22nd in Gainesville with a Solo / Autocross. I'm about a week away from an official announcement and registration form. Now, I'm over on the left coast and don't get too involved in club stuff out of my area. No, I didn't go on the run. My major problem being that Her Majesty continues to spa and relax at the body shop, however she does have some clothes on and she's not laying around in the bare metal any more. I'm hoping she gets off her arse and shows up in Daytona. I don't really know what's going on with my Suncoast club. The newsletter said picnic at DeSoto March 11. And then Rob and Jim and I talked about a picnic / car show on April 1 instead, but that's the St. Pete Grand Prix weekend, so we moved it to April 8. Then the autocross contract happened. Then, the 350Z club proposed a major car show with us in July, an FZA points event, so we may go back to the original March 11 picnic. I don't know. Its not my call. I hear Greg was introduced to the same character that got me into this Z addiction of mine. Watch out, Greg! He's dangerous! The next step to your sickness is going to be your visit to the Mecca! You'll fall into the same hopeless spiral I did! Chris

Just so we make this clear for the history buffs; there is nothing "NISMO" about this grill. This grill was used on the S30-S model. There have been some discussions about its use on the PS30 and PS30-SB, the size of the expanded mesh is different, but this is a stock Datsun part. You might notice the Fairlady 432 on the cover of Brian Long's "Datsun Z, Fairlady to 280Z" has this expanded mesh grill. And for what it is worth, I had a long conversation with Yoshihiko Matsuo, chief designer of the S30, at the ZCCA convention in Long Beach 2004. His original design for the grill was the horizontal slat type. I have one of these grills and think it looks quite handsome, but the reality of it is that it is an alternative grill type for various models of the S30, most of which we never saw imported.

See if this link to Kats' site doesn't take you to the seat part. http://www.geocities.jp/datsunz903/interior.html Here's the old thread http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9188

Dan, The seat cushion trim / guards are pretty, pretty rare. I think the only way to prove correctness would be be to research the parts manuals and see if they were included with a part reference. Kats has a very early parts book. I think HS30-H has early references also. I have never been able to come up with a part number for them. If you could find a dated parts catalog that references them, it would help determine their application. Chris

Screw how you pay for it. Does it work?

I hear quite a bit about this subject. I can't rationalize it. "Ugly as it is, this sort of thing happens in the business world. It is common for the winning side to erase the achievements of the opposing side within a company". But this is Takarabe talking about what happened to Katayama and mentions the destruction of Z records and tooling only in support of his point. He says that in 1975, Datsun became the number one import brand (America) surpassing Volkswagen. He goes on; "Nissan kept Katayama's achievement as a secret never to be divulged". So, most people I talk to subscribe to the idea that the "records" are long gone. I DO hear some talk of warehouses and lost records, but as far as I know, and what I read, there's not much hope. Chris

Hey Moonpup! MSA sells the rivets and you don't have to buy them off eBay! Hurray! They usually come in packs of ten and we just counted 46. Buy 50 of them.