Go240Zags

For a moment there I thought your post was heading for "Dear Penthouse, I never thought this could happen to me, but a couple of ladies came out of the shop and approached...."

Woody also holds a special place for many of us who grew up in Washington State because he wrote "Roll on Columbia" and when I was in elementary school we all learned the song, which is set to Leadbelly's Goodnight Irene. (Woody Guthrie / Michael Loring) Chorus: "Roll on, Columbia, roll on, roll on, Columbia, roll on Your power is turning our darkness to dawn Roll on, Columbia, roll on Green Douglas fir where the water cuts through Down her wild canyons and mountains she flew Canadian Northwest to the ocean so blue It's roll on, Columbia, roll on Other great rivers add power to you Yakima, Snake, and the Klickitat, too Sandy, Williamette, and Hood River, too It's roll on, Columbia, roll on At Bonneville now there are ships in the locks The water has risen and cleared all the rocks Soon shiploads of plenty will sail through your docks So roll on, Columbia, roll on On up the river is Grand Coulee Dam The mightiest thing ever built by a man To run the great factories and water our land It's roll on, Columbia, roll on These mighty men labored by day and by night Matching their strength 'gainst the river's wild flight Through rapids and falls they won the hard fight Roll on, Columbia, roll on" It doesn't explain however, the British Documentary about Woody Guthrie and the Bonneville Power Administration which shows Woody singing with the Grand Coulee Dam in the background and it says it is in Oregon on the screen. That one time wonder of the western world is still in Washington State right here in my beautiful county of Okanogan, at least half of it anyway since the river is the county line.

The second to the last photo is the one I'd like. If it follows the N.American pattern (except as a mirror image, pun intended) it would be angled to fit on the door just right for our passenger side.

I think I'd be interested depending on finish and price. Price would probably be dependent on the number of orders I'd guess. It's nice to see people take an interest in reproducing rare parts and I hope the trend continues. Can hardly wait for Will's headlight covers... hint, hint. No worries, no hurries. GoZags

I'd go get that one myself, but a second car in my backyard, even covered, might lead to a neighborhood revolt.

Welcome, my youngest brother married a Slovakian girl that was studying here in the U.S. and she is very charming. Together they have a young son and daughter. We are about one-quarter Chech, so there are probably some close ties back in the "old country." I wish my 240Z was in half as good a shape as your car. These cars are truly "works of art."

I believe the hatch vents are important to the ventilation system. Maybe it is early emblems covering the vent holes on the C pillar. I've seen at least one Z where the owner "hallowed" out the early emblem circle to allow fresh air to enter on the side of a later car.

First car I drove was a WWII surplus Willey's Jeep up on the family ranch when I was about 12. The first car I drove legally was my dad's old 70's LTD and my mom's Datsun B210 (also the first car of her very own). Then it was a series of motorcycles in high school and early college. My first car that I owned was a 2 door 1964 Chevy Chevelle Malibu SS, 283 V8, factory 4 speed, semi-metalic brakes - all options but the Tach. My father bought it for me for about $2500 cash and a deer rifle he'd won off a guy in a poker game. I guess the guy wanted his rifle back. He had a son who was about 8 years old then who told me it was his car every time he saw me with it. By my count I was the 7th owner and it was in great shape. A former U.S. Border Patrolman in Oroville I know was the original owner who bought it new off the lot in Tonasket. He was re-assigned from the Canadian border to the Mexican border in Texas and his family was growing so he traded it in for a Chevy stationwagon. His father-in-law back in Oroville had said if he ever wanted to sell he'd buy it. The father-in-law just happened to travel to Texas to see his daughter and family and found out it was for sale on a lot down there. He bought it and drove it all the way back to Washington State. It had four more local owners before I got it. When I sold it I sold it to the kid who said it was his car and finally he was right (should have made his dad throw in the deer rifle). Anyway they were messing with the brand new 4 barrel carb I had installed and had a carb fire and sold it about two months later. Another local guy bought it and put 350 in it. Why couldn't he leave well enough alone, that little 283 got over 20 miles per gallon and went like a bat out of hell. Now it sits fading away uncovered near an apple orchard with the once perfect dash full of cracks and going no where because the guy has too many cars and trucks to insure them all. When my college friends are in town we go visit it and remember the good times we had cruising around Spokane and taking it on roadtrips to Idaho and Montana and how the California girls would squeel when we took them to "spin donuts" in the snow. Or as my old college roommate from El Salvado used to say "Let's go spin some Cuk-A-Nut Dun-Nuts." One girl, name of Nancy Longo (her dad was supposed to have owned the biggest Toyota dealership in the U.S.) I thought was going to pass out. I guess they don't do donuts in California. Next "car" was a '74 Bronco (the original, little Wrangler size one, and no, not a Bronco II) with a 302 V8. I'd put the soft top on in the summer and go topless until it got too cold in early September. It too was a fun ride. My daily driver now is a '92 Chevy Silverado K1500 4X4 pickup I bought new (last new rig I'll buy, lose to much value after you drive it off the lot). It has been a great rig, but even with the V6 it still only gets a max of 20 mpg on its best days and with gas prices at $2.60+ a gallon here it's getting expensive. My next cars were a 1971 (12/70 build date) 240Z that needs lots of work and a 1972 240Z parts car. It was a 2 cars for $400 deal. Still working on the 71, the parts car was parted out and the shell carted off. Earned way more than my $400 selling extra parts on eBay, unfortunately I've bought well over that in parts for the remaining 240Z. Also have an '83 280ZX Turbo 2+2 for sale to the right buyer (it needs work, but it's mostly all there). I have rambled on way past replying to the original question, it's someone else's turn.

I tried sending Dave an email the other day, but haven't heard back from him yet.

Pen280Z, I too live in the Okanogan Valley -- notice the proper spelling of Okanogan , however I live just across the border in Oroville, Washington. Where are you headquartered? Pen for Penticton maybe? Together we could form our own Can-Am Z Club. There are a few first generation Z's in Okanogan County in the U.S., but they are few and far between. Same seems to go for your side of the border. At least your car runs. I've hit most of the nearby wrecking yards for parts - from Brewster in the South to Penticton in the north. Found a perfect '72 dash outside Osoyoos. Mine's a 1971 Series I 240Z w/ a 12/70 build date. PM me if you are ever heading stateside.

Hell's Angels, borderline? I think they've crossed that border. Free expression is great -- make your car look like you want as long as it meets safety standards -- that's a given. I can't say the same for overly loud exhaust and stereos. I live on the edge of my small town by a small bridge--cross the river and the bridge and your out of town. Why drivers of these little loud cars think they need to punch it going either direction over the bridge is beyond me. Our local cops could be passing out tickets right and left if they just parked by my house. The percentage of Asians in Eastern Washington is small and nearly non-existant in my county. We have lots of Hispanic residents, but the biggest abusers of the loud exhaust thing are non-Hispanic. As far as loud stereos and exhausts go, the prize definately goes to the under 20 set -- no matter the ethnicity.

The 4.3 Liter V6 in my 1992 Chevy K1500 regular cab shortbox pickup is sneaking up on 150,000 miles and other than a couple of alternators and a fuel pump it has been worry free. I just make sure the fluids and filters are changed when necessary. It will get out and pass on the freeway and has hauled many a load and pulled a bass boat or two. Granted the best gas milage it has ever gotten is something just south of 20 miles per gallon (when it was still new, and all highway driving). It is after all a 4x4. If and when the engine does crap out I'm going to have it rebuilt or a remanufactured one put in its place. The style isn't so dated I can't live with it and at the cost of a new pickup nowadays, I could buy a whole lot of gas by staying away from the new models. I have quite a lot of respect for this little V6 4.3L. Maybe not the engine for my Z, but for the ol' truck it works fine.

Thanks 26th for the link to that thread. Gary

I think they are called barrel clips, not sure where you find them tho. I see the holes for my vent "grills" are a little too big and the clips do not hold them in. Might have to fill holes and re-drill I guess. Gary

The Testa Rossa, or red head, like my ex-wife :mad:, a firey disposition (Irish, not Italian) but not nearly as expensive . Gotta love Speed Racer, been a fan since I was a kid and the show first started. Getting kind of tired of the new Geico commercial tho.

What concerned me the most while reading your narrative was all the innocent people on the road that could have been injured by all the immature and dangerous racing, bobbing a weaving that was going on. About twenty years ago I had some fools in a Toyota pickup chasing after me in my old '64 Chevelle SS. I don't know what their game was but out here in rural America I used the open highway to pull away from them, but worried about being ticketed (it happened once before in a similar situation) I slowed down and here they came again, got ahead of me and slammed on their brakes in front of me and sped off. I pulled off the road and waited and then proceeded on my way. Then they'd come back. I felt like I was in that old movie Dual. Now I couldn't just go to a police station because the next town was several miles off. Couldn't call from a cell phone because, nobody had such a thing. My younger brother and I had gone to a bigger town to pick my youngest brother who had just flown back from Army bootcamp. Anyway this went on for miles. Eventually they sped off and as we came around a corner they were parked off the road waiting for us again. Enough was enough. We pulled over, the two guys got out of their truck and then, when the three of us, (one 6' 6" and two 6' 2") got out of my car they turned tail and sped off in their truck. Nowadays, at least in the U.S. we'd never have left the car, some idiot with a gun could have piled out and started blasting. Funny, but in rural America where nearly everyone has a gun at home, we don't have nearly the shooting problems as they do in the cities -- but times have changed some. Another time, late at night some one decided it would be fun to tailgate me with their bright lights on. I kept going faster and faster to get out of the reach of his/her high beams and of course going about 80 mph I saw a State Trooper with the WSP out of the corner of my eye. Thank God the Trooper must have figured it out because he pulled over the other car and I just kept going the 50 miles I had left until I got home. It's best to avoid these kind of situations all together, but if you can't do like was suggested go to a police station if one is nearby. No one can say what sets these type of people off, maybe they just don't like your car, or it represents a challenge to them. Sometimes its fueled by alcohol or worse. Stay safe everyone.

Camo, it's called Masonite in the U.S. as well. Lot's of things are made of masonite. As you know, it's thin and much stronger than heavy cardboard.

Yes, I have been following these auctions for hand throttles, I don't know why I keep thinking they will sell for less. I guess my question was more about adding a fabricated mechanical part to the other side of the choke holder (for lack of a better word) under the floor console. Then, if you want, running a throttle cable to the pedal. Somewhere I have the throttle knob, but can't remember if it is round or square. I bought it in an auction that described it as a choke knob, but definately has the symbol shown in the pictures that have been posted. I remember double checking a photo of a choke/hand throttle set up I had saved on my computer. Gary

I don't know if anybody, or everybody, has been following the recently completed auction on eBay for Datsun 240Z, NOS Choke- Throttle Assembly at this link. It went for $405. Crazy me I started thinking $150 wouldn't be bad, even though I knew it would go for twice that. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=7986384226&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT I know a lot of Series 1 owners drool over these things, myself included. I don't know why I am sure it is an unreasonable obsession, especially for those of us who don't have really early Series 1 cars. I guess it's just the something different factor. That being said, how hard could it be to fabricate one of these things? I am by no means offering to do so, but someone out there must have the skills, it has to be easier than the OEM-style headlight covers Will has been working on. If you could get the lever right and plastic knob it wouldn't take too much more than the cable. Or, for safety's (and liabilities) sake it could just be there without actually be attached to the throttle pedal. Maybe use it as a kills switch to deter theft. Just talking out loud, what does everybody think. I'd buy a good replica, I already have a few extra early choke units, plates, whatever they're called.

The North Cascades pass is a great ride, plenty of twisties to keep you busy. Winthrop is in Okanogan County, Wash. where I live. Those mountains would be a good ride in a Z or on a bike.

Welcome There used to be something called British Columbia Z Car Registry, but as one guy on the web describes it "it seems to have gone into stealth mode." I know I had their web address in my bookmarks, but seem to have deleted it. If you ever plan to make it down to the Southern Okanagan, give me a shout, I'm just 4 miles south of the border.

Gosh Enrique, how do you follow that. I know I've always liked the cars, ever since I was in elementary school when they first appeared on the scene. When I saw two sitting on the edge of a horse pasture I knew I had to buy them. One had an engine (1971) and the other didn't (1972). The price was right, but little did I know not only would these become a hobby, but a side line to earn a little income selling parts on eBay (of course I buy much more than I sell, oh well.) They're not the fastest cars, not the most aerodynamic, and the rust factor is terrible. They are, however, one of the sexiest cars, can be made to go fast and take the twisties better than a lot of their American counterparts. I've become obsessed and can't explain why -- just am.