zspert

Currently there is only one manufacturer of the diamond pattern trim. The company is Distinctive Industries in CA. While their product is of very high quality it takes a skilled hand to achieve a good look, especially when it comes to the rear strut towers and rear wheel arches.

inside

Did someone say V-3 kit? Part2 A little color to what may be for some a very boring tale. As I mentioned - the Datsun dealer that was employing me circa 1972-1976 was in the heart of Bethesda, MD on a very busy main road. Bethesda, home of the National Institute of Health, and my birth place, The Bethesda Naval Hospital, is just outside DC. The dealership had been a Dodge franchise in its past life. The showroom could accommodate 5 cars and the service department had 10 bays and room for a a modest parts department. The chassis dyno and a flat stall were in a dedicated building adjacent to the main shop. For an early 20s hot shot mechanic like me and my mates the area had a very positive vibe. There were lots of excellent places for lunch well within walking distance. There were 2 high end stereo stores - remember them - only a couple of blocks away. AND, the streets were populated with lots and lots of attractive well dressed women! Think the Shelby Venice shop in "Ford Vs Ferrari" but with suits and dresses instead of bikinis. Final chapter to follow.

For your consideration, would the rarest Z be a 74.5 - only 3 months of production - 260 2+2 with automatic trans?

Yes, and the wood blocks seal the deal.

When I see their ads in Hemmings I don't bother to read the text.

Did someone mention V-3 kit? The following is an edited version of an article I wrote for the Z Car Club of Northern Virginia many moons ago when we still had a monthly newsletter. 1972/73 found me working as a mechanic at a Datsun dealer in Bethesda, MD. We sold our first 73 240 to a member of the Redskins football team as a promotion. Only problem was it got towed back to the dealership for the next 3 consecutive evenings - so much for the promotion. This was in the early fall when the weather was still pretty warm and the car was exhibiting very rich symptoms. The owner of the dealership was pretty pissed as his name was starting to turn to mud with the guy who had bought the car with a lot of hype. Long story short, about a week later we were visited by 2 engineers from Nissan Japan. We were the only dealer within bunch of miles of the Eastern headquarters in NJ that had a modern chassis dynamometer. For the next week or so these engineers and one of our mechanics spent most of their time with the Z in question on the dyno and on the roads surrounding greater Bethesda. The result of their work was the V-3 kit. The kit included an electric fuel pump, fuel pump relay, asbestos like/aluminized engine compartment fuel line wrapping, carb floats and needles and a handful of other parts that, when the weather was warm, did little to address the problem(s). Until Datsun/Nissan could start fitting the kits at the factory it was up to dealer mechanics to install the V-3s to those cars already in distributor/dealer hands. A real rush was put on the program and we started getting kits about a week or so later. What was the problem? Adding an EGR system to the induction system raised under hood temps a great deal and moving the float bowls from the side of the carb to the bottom of the carb often resulted in fuel percolation as there was almost no movement of air in the very confined space between the float bowls and the exhaust manifold. . The 1969-1972 240s vented the carb float bowls into the atmosphere through the air filter housing. The 73s and 74s couldn't do that anymore because of tightened emissions regulations. Those years vented the float bowl, now mounted in a confined and hot space, directly into the venturi. Now you had hot fuel vapors, unmetered, entering the venturi resulting in a very rich condition and LOUSY performance. More later.

I was going through my stash of factory service literature and refound this. It's a training aid for parts personnel that taught them how to identify Datsuns from day 1 in the US through about 1975. If you see one for sale don't hesitate. It's really cool and very informative as well as a reliable source of correct model info.

Sorry to say, I agree with you. Bragging rights and nothing more. I enjoy touring with my old cars when the weather cooperates.

I don't know him

While these ultra low mileage cars are indeed a rare find; they will require a lot of $ before they can be considered safe and reliable. Of course, if one like prancing horse just wants bragging rights - well that's another story, no?

Dealer installed V-3 kit.

Incorrect outer deck lid seal. Should be one piece. The 3 piece style appeared much later.

Splash pans appeared in a hit or miss fashion on the 70 and early 71s. Later Z cars all had one. We saw a VERY FEW hand throttles on the early Zs. I also saw hand throttles on the odd Volvo and MB as well.

Congratulations to Mark G for his second MARRS ITS championship and for setting the ITS lap record . Mark you done good!

When the marketing geniuses at Datsun US dreamed up the Z Store program, so many years ago, they were completely clueless about the restoration process and probably didn't give a damn given the rarefied atmosphere they enjoyed. It wasn't until the program was turned over to those who would have to make it work that it was realized how few 240 parts were still on the parts shelves. For example, there were only 60 or so dashes, windshields and back lites remaining in stock. There was NO soft trim. So much for the 200 or so examples the geniuses wanted to run through the program. What to do? Pierre knew about me and my, at that time, very modest offerings, so he had the Datsun procurement people get in touch so the ball could get rolling, like yesterday!! I was in almost weekly conference with 2 and much later 3 individuals at Datsun. Pierre, Les and I had quite a few conversations as well. During that time there was some back and forth about a book that would, among other Z car related topics, address what the early 70s were like at the Datsun dealers during those golden years. Fast forward a lot of years and I get a call from a publisher asking if I would like to help them sell a new Z car book. Deep discount for volume, official endorsement, etc. I asked for a copy and a few days later it appeared. Turns out it was written by one of the chaps I had so many phone conversations with back in the day. Upon reading I found it to be far less than it might have been and while I was listed as a recommended vendor it also had what looked to me like a broad, multi page, endorsement of our friend in OK. Thinking that the author might have been conned by the fellow in question I sent him, the author, an email. I asked him if he remembered me and thanked him for giving my business a recommendation. I also gave him a brief on the Guild backstory. No, don't know you from Adam and the 240 Guild seems to be a very solid operation with significant bona fides. I left it there. It's taken me a very long time to establish the reputation I enjoy. Those like the character in question make my job just that much more difficult.

I have much to add regarding the book in question but we're waiting for the arrival of guests and don't have time just now, keep tuned.

I'm not going to do anything until more info is forthcoming.

Ditto

Thank you HS30-H for putting it in the plainest of terms. He worked the Mustang crowd and then Volvo owners. Now he's concentrating his efforts in our direction. However, my spies tell me he has branched out into wooden speed boats! The first time I spoke out about him, after hearing my first 240 Guild horror story directly from one of his "marks" I got a thinly veiled threatening phone message upon arriving at my shop one morning. One can see how effective his threat was. I invite any interested parties to Google Robert Jackson Madill, OK for the full story.

A guy with multiple convictions for fraud can't be trusted AT ALL. Why would anyone with the tiniest bit of common sense think, and act, otherwise?

I envy you guys who have access to salvage yards that contain older cars. Around the greater DC area real estate is just too expensive. The local yards rarely have anything older than 2010 or so.

Given his record I can't believe a word he says.

Ouch! Blue oil pan? Folks, you have one chance to do it right, don't let it slip away!!

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