Zup

Well I've got 5! 2 parts cars--10/70 and 2/72 1 restorable--6/73 1 daily driver--2/73 1 being restored--7/70 Now if everybody would chime in with their totals we can get a start on how many are still around! Just somewhere around 116,707 or 101,570 left to locate!! Jim D. "Zup"

I certainly in no way meant for anyone to become involved with a shadey deal or a dishonest seller. I am astonished at the negatives that have been reported about this guy. I've had no contact. I just posted it up from the Zcar site to pose the question aboout it's merits or lack of them. Please don't think of anything I said as an endosement of any sort about him or the car. Thanks Unkle and back-to-zcars for the warnings. It may have prevented someone else from going through a bad experience! Just one more reason to love this site and it's members!! Thanks again for sharing the info. Jim D. "Zup"

HIP HIP HOORAY! Score for Mike!! I'm sure you are relieved---up---down---up---- anxious---- nervous---ELATED! Home to stay. Congrats! Jim D. "Zup"

:pirate: Will you must really like this car and are trying to throw us all off. Enrique captured the one thing that really stood out to me when he mentioned the hazard switches. I saw that too before I posted and knew damned well it wasn't right. Nonetheless, collectively, the comments have reduced this one in short order. And just from the few shots available----lord knows what it would become if all nooks, crannies, angles and such were to be revealed. I 'd be comfortable with a Z in this condition! :cheeky: Would those of you with a more learned experiance consider this Z to be "over restored" in some areas? If so, where specifically? Anyone have pics of a judged #1 they'd be willing to share? Jim D. "Zup"

Alrighty guys---would you consider this to be a #1 condition Zcar? http://www.zcar.com/forums/read/8/1912929 If not why not? If you think it's some other grade/condition why? Maybe Carl will see this and give an opinion--- Jim D. "Zup"

Bryan has replied and is working on the sample pile types, both cut pile and loop type. The pic I posted showing the jute sewn in is not meant to do anything more than to show the variety of examples we Z'ers have in our cars. It's not a big issue with me. Maybe we should try to reach a consensus amongst ourselves which might go like this: 1: Choice of a quality loop or cut pile type. (backing as yet to be determined--rubber, plastic, jute separate, etc.) 2: Serged and bound cutouts in various combinations case by case. (I.E.-carpet clip cutout, hatch strap cutout, notches for straps at rear edge, unsplit deck carpet, split deck carpet, etc.) 3: Optional colors for non-purists. :devious: 4: Patterns for early and later Series cars. (Storage or no Storage behind seat carpets) I realize that this is obvious and rather simplistic, but sooner or later we will have to address it and see what will come of this endeavor. Any and all comments or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks a bunch for everyone's input to date! Jim D. "Zup"

Hey Dan-- Arne is correct---he steamed the label and sent it to me. It is from his yellow 10/70 build date 71 part-out car. I also purchased his ignition lockset and key. The key is single sided, says "NISSAN" on one side and has the code "VH3913" on the other side with a faint embossing of "KS" below the code number. The "KS" most likely stands for KANTO SEIKI which is cast into the ignition lockset body along with the characters KV-3 and was the manufacturer/supplier. So it's a pretty safe bet that this is all original and goes together. Unfortunately the door key 7862 isn't accounted for. The decal has the following: KEY NO. VH--3913 FH-- Eng'/DOOR-- 7862 From my 7/70 build date 71 project: The decal has the following: KEY NO. VH--3737 FH-- Eng'/DOOR-- 6707 I have the well worn original Nissan single sided Door key that matches this label. Unfortunately the Ignition Key 3737 is unaccounted for. :tapemouth Both of the labels for the glove box have the numbers handwritten with poor penmanship. Hard for me to make out without a magnifier! Attached are poor pictures of these early keys. Arne's Ignition Key is on the left, my Door Key is on the right in the pictures. HTH! Jim D. "Zup"

Got into the storage unit and pulled out an old carpet from the 7/70. Shown are examples of the serged cutouts, etc. The label has an original Japanese character and reads 46.10.1 (poor resolution camera ) The heel pad and cutouts for the carpet clips were sewn before the jute was applied, then the jute backing was sewn together with the carpet as the carpet was serged on the outside edges. As can be seen, the carpet was a loop type pile. I am sendng a sample to Bryan Owens (LBO370) so he can source the carpet and determine if he can serge the openings, etc. Stay tuned if you have interest. :classic: Jim D. "Zup"

This is helping me make up my mind about them. webdawg1 and SBlake01--- That was one of the first sites that I googled up----you have to enter all sorts of crap to get a price for new ones--but I appreciate you taking the time to help. Mark--- I'm beginning to suspect that they are magnesium----especially since you commented about oxidization. I remember when I first saw them up close they looked as though they had a light coat of cheap arse aluminum paint or overspray on them! Thought they were knock- offs till I saw the logo on the outer face. I'll bet now that you are right and I was seeing years of accumulated oxidation. If they are aluminum or (better still ?) magnesium castings I think they will be worth getting. Are the magnesium casting rims intrinsically more valuable or is it just that they are older/rarer? Thanks for the heads-up about cracking! Jim D. "Zup"

Just a question about the value of a complete set of authentic Minilite rims with centercaps. I know of a set that are available in good condition. Eight spoke--uncertain if they are early magnesium or the later aluminum alloy. They need cleaning up, but are indeed authentic Minilite rims with a casting of "England" and "Minilite" in the rim face. 14" X 5.5 or 6, 4 lug, and fitted to a 240z so they must be 114.5 c to c I've "googled" till I'm goggled and haven't found much about their worth, especially used. New are quite pricey. They are most often compared with Panasports, which appear to be less expensive but similar. I know they were used primarily on English sports cars like TR6 and AH, but they look pretty good on a 240---- Anybody got a guess?!? I'd appreciate the comment before I make an offer infused with too much ignorance!! Jim D. "Zup"

I saw this ad on Hemmings a couple of days ago and got up the gumption to give a call this morning. He called me back, and I just got off the phone with Charlie---great guy--pilot for AA---he was in Dallas between flights. I've probably been on one of his legs as he flies in and out of Bentonville often. (Wal-Mart Corp. headquarters drives our entire economy here and I work for an Architectural firm that does lots of Wal-Mart related projects that send us out all over the country) Said he'd had numerous calls and some from individuals that were virtually insistent on him selling the car on the phone that moment, which he said he WOULD NOT DO. Much to his credit. He's the second owner, and yes it is the one listed on the ZHome registery. Said he would be sending out pics to those that asked for them when he gets back in. Next week I think he said. I want pics just to say I have them, as I am sure that my feable resources will not be able to match others deep pockets. I think whomever succeeds in buying the car will know before hand it's condition with no surprises. Charlie struck me as a really nice straight up fella. Glad to have made his aquaintence!! Well---we'll see where it goes and for how much----should be pretty exciting. Jim D. "Zup"

Danny, If it is that short (24") it is probably for the very bottom of the door, but mine were plastic push pins/rivets, not metal, that held it on. The other possibility is that you have the pieces for the inner fender to fender seals confused with the door parts. Those were held on with 6 metal clips for each side. Just guessing---pics are always helpful. Jim D. "Zup"

Moonpup---- MiniLites on the 240-----P/S 5 slots on the 260 Full set of caps on each. Jim D. "Zup"

Ron--- to get the ball rolling I'd be up for 2 sets if done correctly with the details we are discussing. One for an early (7/70 with no splits on the rear deck) and one for a 71 with the splits. If we don't try seriously, we can only then accept what is offered, not what we want. We will find someone to do it. There is only the questions of when and who. The sourcing of the carpet is important, and anyone that finds the "right stuff"-- please let it be known. Jot me down as a holdout. A snippet from an e-mail that I sent Arne--- My granddad was an upholsterer, among many things, and his machine could do this. It wasn't cam operated and wouldn't mass produce anything. It did have his skill to operate it and could accept many weights of fabric. I'm hoping to find someone with his ability and with an old time machine that isn't made to do one thing. Has anyone contacted Chester and Herod? http://http://autockm.com/ They claim to have been in business since 1948 and have patterns for Datsun/Nissan. They appear to be an amalgam of automated machines and attention to hand done detail work. Keep looking and posting! Jim d. "Zup"

Nuff said---great guy and will know what to look for and give good advice. Welcome and best of luck with the car! Jim D. "Zup"

It seems I remember it but also a yellow one. I'm kinda sleepy so I don't remember. Mally002--- I agree with Mike and Cark about the door panels. and yes remove the dash cap, try to rustle up some cargo straps, etc. While none of these individually is problematic, the sum leaves an interested buyer wondering "what else?". You didn't mention the documentation, if any, that you have to go with it. It is a very nice car as has been said , has some flaws as has been discussed, and is sure to bring great interest. But if you've got documentation to go with it similar to the car Carl just posted you've got a big plus. It may be less important to some but there are those that it will mean a great deal. Original owners manuals, "ProtectoPlate" card, window sticker/invoice, brochures etc. all really add to an unusually nice package that will command top dollar. The biggest detriment that I see is that most, if not all of us, responding here are already quite deep in a project and couldn't easly justify an additional purchase. It would be nice for many if we could turn the clock back and have started with such a nice car! Fulfilling the advice "start with the best car you can find/afford", as given by Carl and others, your car is a big winner. All the best of luck if you decide to sell. If you don't you're getting an "appraisal by committee" that seems pretty rare in it's own way, and that appears unanamously "thumbs-up". Carl's opinions alone may bump it a grand!! Jim D. "Zup"

MikeB--- Thanks for posting those pictures. They are the same as what I had tried to clumsely convey in previous posts. In particular are pictures three and four of the first group--it shows the cut made and then resewn to get it to conform to the rise behind the seats toward the rear. The carpet I have in storage is similar to both the styles of original you have shown. Some is rubber backed from the later car and the other is the smoother, more like plastic backed from the early car. All of the cutouts and notches match up to what I remember. Thanks again! I sent off a letter to Bryan Owens (LBO370) today asking if he could/would be interested in fashioning repro's. He's the guy that did the great job last year of fashioning the early style shift boots and handbrake covers that everyone liked so much. It'll take a few days for it to get there and I'll post up his response for those that are interested. Warmer weather-----YES!!!!! Jim D. "Zup"

Sorry for not giving due credit Mr. Blake---tremendous job ya did on those rims! It inspired me to do the same on a set of "iron crosses". They turned out nice, but nowhere near as sharp as your handywork. My paws hurt for weeks and I may have permanently changed my identifiable fingerprints! :hurt: Proxy--where'd those rims go?!? :bandit: You've got one fine piece of horsepower flesh there!! You should be righteously proud of the beast!!! Jim D. "Zup"

My 7/70, 10/70, and 2/73 build date cars have the L shaped metal clips on the front floorpans just in front of the seat mounting brackets to hold the Metal Carpet CLIPS that I mentioned to Arne and that BonziLon provided pictures of. These protrude up through serged cutouts in the carpets and the clips installed under the L shaped floorpan clips to hold the carpet and keep it from sliding. The firewall end of the front carpet was fastened by 2 female snap halves clinched onto the carpet and 2 corresponding male snap halve studs that were mounted on the firewall insulator near the juncture of the firewall/floorpan. Both the early cars had unsplit rear deck carpet (storage covers behind the seats----not pockets in the deck) with factory installed screw positions for the cargo straps in the rear deck metal. serged cutouts for this end, and notches cut and serged for the straps as shown by westpak at the rearmost end. The 2/73, of course, had the split for access to the storage bins, cut outs in the carpet that were unserged (the metal end screwed directly to the deck), and the notches at the rear for the cargo straps which were serged. The carpet pieces that went behind the front seats have a seam where it was cut and then resewn to make it conform to the rise in the floorpan as it meets the rear deck forward wall (riser). AZ-240---I can't say that what I have is original to either of the early Series1 cars when it comes to the pieces around the storage bins. I do have some pieces that go there, but they may have come from later series 240's. Surely someone out there has an early car that has the real deal from which patterns could be made. Surging shouldn't be a big deal if the upholsterer has the proper machine. It's just a side to side stitch, but it does have to be closely spaced to look original. Sorry I can't provide pictures of all of this, as my camera isn't very good and most of the carpet is at my storage building across town. I'm not buying any carpet until this is resolved. My next move is to get in touch with Bryan (LBO370) and see if he is equipped and willing to take the project on. Thanks to all for the contributions to this thread as it may have stirred the interest for us to get the "right stuff" once and for ever! Jim D. "Zup"

I remember ya-- You young whippersnappers---always coming up with some new fangled way. I think I remember you best for the awesome job you did polishing those rims---SWEET! Miss your posts! Glad to see you haven't forgotten us old geezers! :classic: All the best. Jim D. "Zup"

It is unbelievable that this is so difficult to get right. All of these "restoration" suppliers should easily be able to demand proper pattern and type replacement carpet/floor mat sets from their suppliers. There's nothing magical about loop carpet or getting the placement of cutouts right, or getting a proper surging of the edges. It's not like we are tring to get these for extreme cheap----$235 for replacement isn't a wallet killer, but it isn't chickenfeed either. What the hell is going on here?!? Not that I am doing one, but how are people getting concours restorations done that meet the mark?? Has anyone talked to Mike McGinness at Banzai? What has Charlie at Zeddfindings had to say? He's a judge for cris-ake! Judging from the quality of the reproduction work that Bryan (LBO730) did on the shift boots and handbrake covers I 'd be up for asking him to do the work for me. I've got original carpets that are good enough as patterns with all the proper cutouts, etc. and he has demonstrated his ability! Surely this carpet wouldn't be a limitation for a leatherworker/upholsterer that knows his stuff!! Should this become a "group buy"?? Why don't we have these anyway???? Knowledgeable people use this site daily as reference for their "works in progress", yet we never have shown the organization and purchasing power shown on TT.net or HybridZ.com My devalued 1/2 centavo/penny/rupee--- Jim D. "Zup" :mad:

Bryan Holmberg (dat240zg) has one of these that I saw in his garage when last we visited. He sent just the 240Z HCP cable controls (not the faceplate--the lever housing and levers behind it) to them and they sent back a factory modded panel using the 240 cable system to operate the electric servo motor controls for the "hotrodair" unit. He didn't have it installed into his car (#248) yet, but when it is installed it will look normal from the outside. The HRA Model was an Elite Standard SE and measures 7-7/8"D x 19"W x 8-1'4"H and has provision for heat and air and defrost. The heat and air can be mixed as well, giving it all the control functions of modern units. Here are some links: http://www.hotrodair.com/index.cfm?ptype=product&product_id=100&category_id=29&home_id=2&mode=prod and http://www.hotrodair.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=34/category_id=9/home_id=2/mode=prod/prd34.htm This outfit doesn't look like it's been around very long as their website is pretty incomplete, but if it is anythng like what it is cracked up to be it will be giving Vintage Air fits! Bryan said he spoke with them and they were very accomodating and responseful to his questions. By the way he picked the unit up used on E-Bay for cheap, told HRA as much and they still warrented it and the modifications for his 240Z. If I don't go "original Dealer add on" in my car this is the one I plan on using! Jim D. "Zup"

A search at http://www.nissanparts.cc/ shows that it "produced no results". Courtesy Nissan came up the same. The listing of that key number is in the area of the differential mount. I'll be interested to see what it is as I am ordering parts for this area as well soon. Probably NLA, but let us know if this gets resolved. Jim D. "Zup"

Mike B--- Sounds like a very fortunate deal indeed! Thanks for solving the puzzle---and I'm glad you got it for #237. Jerry-- Not to intrude---but who was your PM sent to? I guess I'm a little confused! If it is, or becomes available, I would like to discuss it with you. Thanks --- and many pardons if I've butted into a discussion you are having with someone else. Jim D. "Zup"

BEAUTIFUL JOB!!! Inspirational! You really set the bar high---especially the interior. Best "worst case" before and after pictures of an interior that I've seen. I really like the "small diamond pattern" vinyl that you used on the tranny tunnel. I haven't seen that before----where did you get that?? You should be rightfully proud of your work!! Thanks for sharing with the rest of us the beauty of your accomplishment! Jim D. "Zup"