26th-Z

I am saddened to learn that Yoshihiko Matsuo passed away, aged 86, on July 11.

Technical Information: USA AND CANADA parts reference; revised December 1973 80900-E4600 RH and 80901-E4600 LH up to 06/72. Nothing said about the door handle and the parts diagram shows the RH (passenger) door. Nissan Fairlady Z Parts Catalog 1972 from 1969 80900-E4100 / E4101 (RH) and 80901-E4100 / E4101 (LH). Distinguishing between LH and RH drive and the parts diagram shows the driver's door without the handle. Both of my cars did not have the handle on the driver's door. My opinion of why the driver's door didn't get a handle is because it protrudes into the "sphere of control and accessibility" for the driver. We can't get proper driver's door (LH) any more because they are NLA and there are plenty of Japanese domestic passenger door finishers available.

BaT has no fault, here. They have no responsibility to preside over the petty banter from the peanut gallery either. They DO monitor, of course, as they select notable comments that enhance their business model. They will pull a posting if people complain...and think nothing of it! I have never had trouble with posting a comment however I try to adhere to automobile etiquette by not bad-mouthing someone's car or name-calling. It was all I could do to keep from commenting about the "originality" of the green car that sold for $300k. On the other hand, I saw a fellow collector bid up the last Vintage Z auction with the idea that he wanted to see a higher selling price in line with the value of his collection. He would buy it if it was going to sell that low. If Larry Steppford did what we are discussing, that's leaning in the fraudulent direction, definitely.

I just saw "The Guild"s Facebook page saying that the Franklin Mint Car sold again.

No, they don't leak oil. If yours is leaking oil, it needs to be replaced.

I would argue, in reference to the symbolism of the hood ornament, that "datto" is a prefix. What we really should say about the hood ornament and the DAT / hare correlation includes the prevailing philosophy of design (in Japan) at the time. The image of a leaping hare expresses datto - or DAT; lightning speed. DAT / Datsun really means "lightning speed". This is classic Japanese Art Deco. The expression is obvious and I can see with a stretch how the DAT / hare connection could be made, by someone who doesn't understand art, perhaps an American (sarcasm intended). The ornamental animal is posed in a way to express motion, or in this case, lightning speed, quick response, and as fast as... It is expressed from a hare which conjures the thought of quick response or lightning speed because those are the outstanding qualities of a hare. It is not a literal translation to "rabbit"!

What a lovely car! It needs a new interior, gaskets, and I think that original paint job could be preserved. Might be tough to match the paint in spots, but in all honesty, it needs a whole paint job. Depends on what you want from the car. Fix the seats and it looks like it would be a nice driver / conversation piece.

"following that with its Los Angeles debut two days later with the same car." Oh gosh, we have been down this road so many times...the Los Angeles debut was the next morning with a different car. This just grabs my craw. I can do the research from the comfort of my rocking chair. Why can't the "experts"?

I never collected owner's names and locations like Carl did. I just collected pictures. Carl's list on Zhome probably has the best answer to where they all reside. I did look through my collection of cars the other day and noted that three cars were unaccounted for. No pictures, no information on three recorded cars. I wonder if they were crashed? I missed most of the bantering, however I did post my objection to the VR name that everyone started using to describe the Vintage Z / Z Store / Dream Garage program from Nissan USA. To make that clear again; Vintage Zs were the result of a Nissan USA ad campaign and independent of any "factory" involvement. The proper (educated) description is Vintage Z, or VZ for short.

To the best of my knowledge, it sold with the stock wheels and hubcaps. $105k represents an upward tick from a VZ that sold 6 months ago for $101k. Wow. To think that ten years ago, these cars were in the $20k - $25k range. There was a mention in the BAT discussion about a certain collector who has a number of these VZs. They bantered around six cars, eight cars, or perhaps eleven cars in the collection. I remember when that shuffle from one collector to another happened, about ten years ago.

Banzai Motor Works has this particular bolt for sale if memory serves me correctly.

My apologies for the confusion. I was writing in reference to the emblem. The 1969 builds and probably less than the first 500 HLS30s had emblems with chromed Zs and solid metal castings. By April of 1970 and a serial number in the upper 2000s, I would suspect the emblem was the hollow casting white painted Z which prevailed until the cabin vent was relocated and the emblem was changed. Your car, RetSarge, would be considered an "early car", indeed.

Go no further than Beck's site. He has a write-up on the Black Pearl. I looked at this auction with passing interest. Didn't like the side moldings and the hub caps. Didn't notice that it also didn't have the 5-speed option! In that case; "well sold"! Nice looking car.

It originally had 240Z emblems on the wings. Probably white Zs with a build date that late and that high of a serial number. No vents, of course, as the hatch is vented. The emblems would have been metal.

Yes - H clips! I bought these LED fixtures that surface mount on the ceiling. They are 48"x12", four strip behind a diffuser, 4000K that put out 8000 lumens. I originally thought about a similar fixture that was 3000K / 5000 lumens, but I needed more fixtures ( 10 instead of 8 ) to cover the lighting. These might be a little bright. We'll see. I'm supposed to have overhead doors in two weeks and I'm still waiting on windows.

The foam insulation went in Monday and much to my delight drywall today.

Those fans: Bart, the metal fan is indeed painted "whale tusk white" and it is not plated. They were not properly balanced from the factory and at the higher revolutions offered by the engine, in a sports car, had a tendency to cause undue wear to the water pump bearings. By the way they are constructed, they had a tendency to throw a blade causing significant damage. That's why they were replaced with the nylon fans. The nylon fans flexed and self balanced and they didn't throw blades. If you plan to use the metal fan system, I highly recommend that you have it balanced and inspected for metal fatigue at the rivet joints. When you have your example balanced, you will be able to determine if the one blade you refer to is sanded for that purpose or not. If it is, then don't let anybody give you any crap for it!

At one point in my Z career I was a ZCCA chief judge. I orchestrated two significant shows, including the ZCCA ZCON 40th anniversary in Nashville 2010. I think I can offer some insight with my opinion on this matter. I think the valve covers came with some sort of aluminized paint finish that comes off with acetone. I think that a bead blasted valve cover leaves a textured finish and that some judge dinked you for "over-restoration" if not an improper texture of the finish. I think the the natural valve cover should have a uniform aluminum color with a cast aluminum finish "sheen" and very smooth. I also think that judging a car is a significantly subjective endeavor. Car show judges in most car shows are all volunteers with widely varying experience and the comments can easily vary between "sharp eye" and "are you outa your f'ing mind?" In that respect, I don't put a lot of stock in the perceived value of an award. It's sort of like racing; some days you're lucky and some days you're not.

Notice the Datsun Alley name. Datsun Alley was one of the four Vintage Z restoration shops.

I'm certain you will find something in your size, Zed. You'll look so cute!

Familiarity is all in your head, Zed. The Corvette is a polar opposite and quite more refined than these sketches. Sure is a pretty silhouette, though. Captures the concept behind the Z perfectly. Notice how the design leaps? Like a cheetah.

She's just trying to get into your pants.

This question has come up before and I recall jokingly recommending a clock hand puller. Much to my surprised delight, they are a Google search away.

That's a great picture, Rob.

I actually worked on someone's Z the other night. I did it for free. I only work on my cars for the most part and sub out various tasks like the metal body work, paint body work, engine machining, etc. I sent my carburetors out and I sent out all my plating work. The deal of the century minimum would be around $35 - $40 per hour for simple mechanical work. Shops are easily twice that and some fancy restoration shop would be north of $100 per hour. I always try to negotiate "projects" at a fixed price for a well described scope of work but even that is approximate. You know, things change.