26th-Z

Oh yea, The wheel is date stamped 10/69 - original. I took this wheel over to a restoration shop in Wauchula, Florida. They have huge alkaline dipping tanks and they de-rust by electrolysis in alkaline solution. This is what I plan to do with the chassis, so I wanted to see how it worked. It was $60 to dip the wheel and I asked them to paint it “The same color”. Six weeks later, they called me to ask what color I want the wheel painted, it was dipped and ready to paint. Two weeks after that, I went to get it and it was gloss black. Now get this…the tab was $170. Sharp learning curve in this restoration business. Wouldn’t you say? This has been the spare tire from hell. You could hear the rubber cracking when I took the tire off the rim. It soaked in a lawn bag, and every few days, I would get it out, wipe it down, and re-spray it with preservative. Slowly, most of the stains came out. Most of the overspray, too. There are permanent indentations on the backside from the ribs on the bottom of the tire well. If it’s an original, it’s worth it. An original example in pretty decent shape. I still wipe it down and the shine on the wheel is probably from the preservative. It’s flat black and the backside is silver. It is also one of my few restored pieces. I just finished some ashtrays. I will start another thread.

Kats, I spent some time with Photoshop on this picture, but it is pretty good. If you can enlarge the picture, most everything can be read. I have trouble making photographs of auto parts! I changed the brightness and contrast - also took some stains out! This tire is my only one - the spare, and I have been unsure of originality. I know I never used it since 1984, however, it shows signs of use. And abuse! It was rust stained and the wheel was rusted before I restored them. The air pressure in the tire is by inner tube. I soaked the tire in rubber preservative in a big bag for two months. It had some paint overspray in spots below the holes in the cover board and most of it came off. It is not suitable to drive. I am told this tire is no longer made. Anyone want to help me out on this? Also, opinions of originality?

The last time I flew to Europe it was $750 round trip per person from New York to Dusseldorf and that was a big discount. I rented an Opel for two weeks - $500 and put over 2000 miles on it. We drove from Dusseldorf down to Mainz and then to Trier, Reims, Rouen, Caen, Carentan and then back through Chartres, Strasbourg, Karlsruhe, Heidelberg, and Mainz. We stayed in a hotel in Reims but camped everywhere else in a tent. I spent a fortune on gas. Hotel rooms ran around $70 per night for something an American would find quaint and camp sites for a tent were $5. Camping in Europe is completely different from America, usually on the property of some 16th century chateau (beautiful), however we did manage to find some "seedy" sites along the coast of Normandy. We usually stopped at a grocery store toward the end of the day for some wine and cheese and bread before setting up our tent. Set the bottle in a stream to chill and enjoy the late evening talking with other travelers - mostly Brits. Most camp sites have full bathrooms and showers, laundromats, etc. all within walking distance of some little village with bars and cafe's. I cannot emphasize how much fun it was meeting people and living the Euro life even though we were rich Americans on vacation. I spent a bunch of money, but I will never forget all the adventures and how much I learned about how the rest of the world lives. We are pretty lucky - Americans. You have a great idea, Caen Fred. How much do you think it would be to ship my car over for a couple of weeks?

"Made for USA Only" with inflation rating. See the "Made in Japan". Do you think this is original?

Tire size

Kats, I made these photos last night just to show you what I think is original tire - my spare. This is a Bridgestone 175 SR14 made in Japan for USA.

Truely an indecent proposal for someone like myself who loves Europe. DON"T TEMPT ME!!!! Your idea could be too much fun! I need to pour money into my restoration at the moment, but the next time I make plans to visit, I will look you up. Perhaps LeMans 2004? We'll see. For all of you who have never been to Europe or might have hesitations about going; this is the way to do it. With a friend who speaks the language - knows the ropes - and knows how to make arrangements. France is beautiful, the food is superb, wine, history. Who could ask for more? The Euro is about 1 to 1, so money is easy to understand. Great Idea!

Check out my gallery "Cad drawing", I made in AutoCad. The drawing dimensions well but it is 2d. The info you probably want is in the Nissan Service manuals. Pm me if you want my .dwg file

I will contact you the next time I travel. Bring parts to you and go home with wine!

Guten abend, Rolf! Wie gehts? I have friends in Mainz and visit frequently. I may come visit next summer. Perhaps we could meet. I have never seen a Z in Deutschland! Ich habe ein Strasse sehr gut am Schwangau gefahren. Did I say that right? The alp roads are beautiful with great vistas of deep valleys and snow capped mountian peaks above the thick forest. Just a total pleasure to drive and hard to concentrate on driving! I thought the roads were in fine condition, but traffic can be heavy in places. I will say one thing about driving in Europe. Slower traffic moves to the right - by God!

The hub adaptor is Momo part SC 7. Sorry, I don't have the box for the wheel any more

I was going to stop at the dealer in Saraota and take some pictures of the SMART, but you guys beat me to it! The roadster is as small as a Lotus and screams around like one. Little stop light leaper. The SMART sedans are hard to imagine cruising on the Autobahn at 100 mph, but they do! If you get to check out the Deutches Museum in Munich, do it. They have an Auto Union Grand Prix car, a Mercedes Grand Prix and the first jet aircraft.

The car has no side marker lights or the cutouts for them. I enlarged the wheel and in so doing, was able to look across to see the cutouts for the shark vents.

Are these the same cars, kats?

Take a look at Z tek http://www.z-tekmfg.com/cat1.html for the shift knob. The original walnut knob would do best with the wood wheel IMHO (although the Momo looks like mahogany). I haven't seen this particular wheel in a while. Just do a Momo search and all kinds of sites come up. I know the hub adaptor is available. I'll have to check the PN and get back to you.

Oops!

Is this what you are looking for?

I believe you will find American Racing Libras on the early BRE 240's. They were silver. If black is what you are looking for, I would definately suggest a Watanabe wheel.

And this

These are the best two pictures I have of the early hooks. They are coated metal similar to the straps that hold the wiring harness - thick vinyl coated metal. I do not own a set. I plan to make some.

My car is up on stands now. I use the frame rails in the front and set the stands no further back than the bell housing. I set the rear stands on the front of the differential frame so that the diff hangs to the rear of the stands. The car is very steady and the stands are in an out-of-the-way position for most of my work underneath the car. General rulle of thumb is to set the stands further apart for lighter weight chassis support. Don't be afraid or too lazy to move the stands as the weight distribution changes. Be very mindfull that working underneath a car on jack stands is very hazardous and should be checked frequently. Nobody drop a car on themselves, Ok? :finger:

SummitRacing.com

If I'm not mistaken, Datzun76, your wheels are clear coated. You may seek the best results by having those wheels done professionally. The slotted aluminum mags by Zs-ondabrain may not be clear coated. Either way, sealing them after all your work will ensure they stay that way - nice shine - nice tatoo - nice...

The concourse guy just wet himself! Give me some time to take photographs as I am not digital. I have some things that may interest you. Great shot of the hubcaps! Notice the difference between the tabs.

I asked Carl Beck about a splash pan some time ago and he told me they were not on my early car. That's good because I don't intend to drive the car in the rain anymore. The only thing my car is soaking up is money? ROFL ROFL