26th-Z

I thought your answer was a little tame, Carl. According to me, if you buy the set of two, one side is free. Tell Charlie I sent you. And along with the "buy-one-floor-pan-in-June" special, a little pink welding elf is sent down from Santa's workshop to put it in place for you. Seriously, the metal from Zedd and Baddog is first class. So is the metal from TABCO. And speaking of metal panels and welding; here are a few of 26th taken today. They are somewhat pornographic as you can see the babe is stripping and somewhat in the bare metal. She should be completely bare and rust free in a week. I may pick her up and bring her home next weekend, but the company has sold since I left Her Majesty there last November and the new owners have set up a metal shop. The new guys are hot-rodders. I am considering leaving her for the metal work.

Here is a favorite reference http://datsunprojects.org/zpaintcodes/ I have the impression the 920 Safari Gold is one of the most common colors.

I have some Service Bulletin information about the names of colors and my best understanding is that these names apply to North American export models. 901 Silver Gray (metallic) - black interior 903 Universal Blue (metallic) - blue or black interior 904 Kilimanjaro White - blue or black interior 905 Monte Carlo Red - black interior 907 Racing Green - brown or black interior 918 New Sight Orange - black interior 919 Sunshine Yellow - black interior 920 Safari Gold - black interior This information is from early literature and does not include Patrick's number 112 paint color (Lime Yellow), but I thought I would post to let you know the proper (American) names for the early colors and that there is another yellow to consider.

Patrick, This is a BRE / Interpart front spoiler. Notice the difference in the shape of the duct. There should actually be a top piece that turns the duct into a tube for the brakes. I see you are having the same trouble with your stock Z that I have with mine. There are a few modifications that really make the Z look much better and perform better as well. The front spook / rear spoiler is one of them. The BRE style is classic and quite period correct. And the pieces are quite functional. Furthermore, the Japanese cars came with spooks and spoilers. So did the European exports. Consider that the front spook is worthless without the rear spoiler. If I were you, I would shop around for the exact pieces you want. You may decide to do nothing or you may decide on nitrous - I don't know. Anyhow, have fun. From all the pictures you have sent me and posted, I think the dash is original as well as everything else. Your new ride looks pretty cherry. Chris

Hello and welcome! You are not going to find a new correct dash easily. A used '72 dash is on eBay right now. But watch out for old dashes. The covering is brittle and fragile. The solution is to have your dash or a junk yard spare recovered. http://www.dashboardrestorations.com.au/index.htm MSA sells blue colored interior rivits and used to have vinyl interior kits. If Classic Datsun can't help, try Banzai Motorsports. Your visors were originally blue and the carpeting was black. Classic has the correct carpeting as well.

Congrats Patrick! Very pretty car.

Well...a judge could bust your balls for damned near anything Its one of those discretionary calls. And there are plenty of them. Do you use the larger diameter hydraulics or stick to the smaller diameter? Do you use worn but correct brake rotors or brand new incorrect ones? Rubber bushings or synthetic? Paint or powder coat? Do you intentionally try to duplicate the sloppy workmanship of the original build or the thin chrome? For that matter, when does rust become "patina"? This is a crazy game, eh? So far, my experience with judging cars has not led me to believe that anyone would get a deduction for incorrect balls. Let me finish my car(s), win gold, and I'll let you know what I got away with. :paranoid:

Her Majesty already has her balls taken care of. Not interested. This is a perfect example of the sort of thing the Vintage Z program faced. The 11mm size was replaced for a reason - think about it. The restorer is faced with the decision to keep the car dedicated original and inefficient or upgrading the service standard. What would you do? What would you rather buy if you were buying a restored car?

This book is on eBay right now. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4550027645 "All About Fairlady Z" is a soft cover, superior color quality book covering the history of Z cars. It is written in Japanese entirely. I highly recommend it and would love to discuss the text with someone. The book includes many historical pictures I have never seen, however there seems to be limited discussion about the export variants. Chapters cover major Z enthusiast events - Mad Mike is prominantly pictured and I even think I see a photo of Mr. B - Carl Beck The hstorical photos alone are worth the price. Two thumbs up recommendation from Her Majesty the 26th.

Confirm that, Marty. I e-mail with Keith quite often.

No paint is intended to be eaten. Keep the dust off toys, bikes, etc. In other words; don't sand the car down in the family garage. And wear a mask. No offense, Russel, but if you don't know this, you shouldn't be sanding on your car. It is cheaper to buy new plastic emblems than restore them however the plastic can be rechromed. The emblems are attached with a barrel clip which can rust and expand and provide more pressure than the plastic pin they hold. Most often the pins break rather than pop out intact. Use a penetrating oil on the clips and pins before you try to pry them out c a r e f u l l y with a flat blade. Chromed metal emblems are no longer available and must be re-chromed to be restored. A web search for chrome restoration will turn out quite a few places for you to try. Pick up a copy of Hemming Motor News and you will find many chrome restoration facilities advertised.

Thanks for the link! Yea...I was going to respond to Tomohawk to go talk to another rad shop - someone who knows what they are doing.

With pleasure I post these bumperless Z cars. Recognize that big square grill opening? And all these guy around here say the 350 isn't a Z ! ? !!

Hey, this is a great thread! I'll throw in my 2 cents. I just rebuilt 26th's engine. Stock except balanced. By a Nissan oil pump. Buy aftermarket water pumps and replace them often. New head bolts is a good idea. It doesn't matter where you get them. I would do the alternator upgrade if I were you. I don't think the engine bay harness is too difficult to rewrap. Nice touch and I don't like the sticky electrical tape - although Will posted a "correct" 3m refference. Humble or Vintage Z checklist? Can't really comment on the starter thing. Or the alternator upgrade for that matter. I'm stuck with 1969 POS. As far as POR is concerned, I hate the s**t. That's all I have to say about that subject. If you are going to autoX, a performance clutch is in order. Centerforce will do nicely. I would look into stiffer mounts for the gearbox. There was a suggestion about MSA parts and I concur completely. Most everything I have ever bought from MSA or VB has been very satisfactory. The dry cell battery is a good idea.

90950-E4101 - hatch deck grille outer. The plastic ones? The parts books list a self tapping screw, suggesting a different mounting than the molded pins. I have new ones at the shop. I'll check the number. They are plastic. There is a thread in the archives that talks about the grills and vent tubes. The "hoovers" as Chloe used to call them. It goes on and on about how that arrangement is mounted in the hatch. I always wondered if the grills were ever chromed metal; screwed into place. This club sells an excellent part reference on Cd. Well worth the investment. I bought one and at great time and cost, printed it out for a three-ring binder. For me, the parts catalogs are a basic requirement. I have tow other catalogs and the illustrations are what make them. Great illustrations. Hurricane season starts officially in June. 27th damned near got hit by a tree during our third one last summer. I think one of the reasons 26th is taking so long is because a good part of their roof was blown off. Some times in spring we get cold fronts blow in from the Gulf and they can be serious blasters. We call then "no-name" storms. A no-name was responsible for the Skyway bridge collapse years ago.

Yep! 26th has been with me for twenty years and is currently completely apart and her body shell is being dipped / derusted. I found 27th on eBay last summer and she is rusting comfortably in storage while I restore 26th. They are both racing green with butterscotch interiors. Both will eventually be restored to "pretty damned original" condition. 26th is scheduled to be enhanced with Nissan / Datsun optional and period correct parts. 27th will go dead stock. 26th went to the dipping "spa" last November and she is still there. She was supposed to be done in March but there has been a hurricane-or-two delay and I expect her back 100% rust free / bare metal very soon.