EScanlon

I also had the 3 piece hatch seal that had disintegrated into three dozen very hard and broken up fragments. I checked the "original" replacements, and from asking others found out that unless I was doing a concours restoration (i.e. TOTALLY and ABSOLUTELY stock, just as it came from the factory, or "I bought it and never drove it, just stored it since then" school of thought), I should buy the later one-piece seal as it works much better for rain. Since I live in the Pacific North West, and we occasionally get Sunshine to break up our normal year round rain, this was the way to go. Looking around the boneyards was a waste of time, since the seals are mostly gone on the cars there. Looking at new parts made me blanche. Then in talking to Andy Russell (The Datsun Dude), he let me know that he had access to a very good and reliable aftermarket replacement seal that was as good as if not better than the original Datsun one piece seal. I bought one, and believe me it is everything he claimed. Contact Andy at z@datsundude.com or at (480) 217-7322 for pricing. He is familiar with what's required to ship to Australia. Regarding your original (remember?) question. Forget what "they" told you. Get the 240Z Pillar Badges (note: they're no longer available in metal, just plastic. I have one of the ones in metal, but the chrome isn't perfect.) Andy sells these for $50US / pair. The Hatch Vent Grilles, KMack has a set for $10 each, but he's mentioned a couple imperfections, Andy has them for $55US / pair. Anyhow, hope you've gotten enough information to do your car right! Good Luck, and keep us posted.

I think the biggest thing to point out here is that what you are looking for is something to support and distribute the pressure exerted on the sand paper EVENLY. Metal, Wood, Plastic, and other similar rigid materials won't let you FEEL the sandpaper working on the paint. Since you are repairing CHIPS and not the whole panel, it is even MORE critical that you feel the cutting stroke. I'm speaking from my own experience, it may be that you feel comfortable with a rigid block, but I personally would rather have a semi-rigid foam block or even a rubber block to support the foam. There is a tool out there that is essentially a metal shaver, but this tool is to cut the bump OFF a run, sag, or even a hair, dirt etc off a DRIED and hardened paint job but not for a chip or scratch. For those you need to blend the edges of the chip down, so that when you paint it will flow out and hide the transition.

Glad it helped you. The Petersen's book is my latest addition to my Z library, and I got it specifically to look at and address what accessories were available. Although not all-inclusive, it is by far the best listing of accessories I've seen to date. It may be that there is yet another book out there that will complement this one. (Bonus Tid Bit: Did you know there was an outfit called F.A.R. Performance out of Mountain View California that produced a 2+2 seat kit for the regular 240? This was a fibreglass shell with a pair of seats built in to fit in the back area between the rear struts!) Fast comment regarding the "actual" manufacturer of any one of the mags/rims/wheels I mentioned: I hope that no one misunderstand me to say that the ones I posted are THE companies that provided the style mentioned. I mentioned these because the book gave me names and manufacturers, I am sure there must be at least a half dozen more OTHER manufacturers with similar if not identical wheels that could be the "original" sources. Don't forget that this is a BIG country, and the manufacturer and hence the "name" to HAVE in Pennsylvania may have been totally obscure and unknown in Iowa, or Arizona or Washington. Aside all this, if you have some of these older style wheels, or obtain them for your car, you might find that getting the replacement center hubs hard to get. Depending on the look you are looking for, you can get some from J.C.Whitney or find a good full line Tire Store in your area. Here in the Pacific North West Les Schwab is excellent for that. There I found 4 Universal Fit Center Caps. I also found 3 wing "knock off" style caps for the Center caps. Unfortunately, I have not been able to locate a "Z" emblem for the caps. (MSA is NLA) If anyone has info on a nice set of Z emblems for the center caps please e-mail or message me.

Jim: I hate to give you the bad news, but it sounds as though you fried one of the resistors inside the tach. I know this from personal experience. It is replaceable, although that is NOT what I did. If you choose to fix, remove the tach from the dash. Open up the case by first removing the shroud and lens. Next, CAREFULLY remove the indicator needle by a firm and steady pull on the center directly in line with the shaft. (that is straight UP off the face) Next, remove the two screws on either side of the shaft, and you should be able to remove the face plate. Next, go to the back of the Tach. Carefully remove the wiring harness and take note of which wire goes where. Presuming that you have the Loop wire 4 wire connector and not the 3 wire, take a close look at the loop connection on the back of the tach. This has a couple plastic pieces holding a LOOP of wire within. The wire is NOT bared, and the plastic pieces may be and probably are BRITTLE. Disconnect all wiring and then remove the "guts" of the tach. You will notice that the tach is comprised of two circuit boards and the needle mechanism. There should be a resistor between the two circuit boards, and more than likely it is fried. Before you mess with it, very carefully jot down it's color stripe sequence, (i.e. gold, black, red, red, green, yellow etc.). This is how resistors are "sized" and you will need to know this when you go to Radio Shack to buy your replacement. Resolder the new resistor and you should be functioning properly. Reassembly is the reverse of these steps.

The original FACTORY Wheel was the stamped steel wheel that most of us have removed and replaced. Many dealers had OPTIONAL wheels that were obtained from the same manufacturer and hence these have become known as "Original" wheels, with the mistaken assumption that they were Datsun/Nissan items. Appliance, Cragar, Shelby and Superior are but a few of the aftermarket Wheel manufacturer's, that were very popular in the 70's. Their sales reps would contact the individual automotive dealers and make arrangements so that the wheels would be offered as Dealer Options. Due to the popularity of one or two of the wheel models available, whether because of actual popularity or because the price and markup to the dealer were attractive, THESE wheels have become known as "Original" wheels. ===Side Note===== By the way, the term "RIM", if I recall properly, is in error. Rim refers to the split ring used on older truck wheels, where the rim was pulled out, then the tire could be put on and off the wheel body without having to stretch the tire around the rim of the wheel. This term nowdays, is used to refer to wheels that are assembled, i.e. center / rim and then either bolted or welded. Please correct me if you've heard different. "MAG" on the other hand, is used to denote a limited number of wheels offered in the early seventies which were true blue Magnesium metal (or primarily Magnesium). These were supposed to be much better due to their added tensile strength over Aluminum, and their light weight when compared to steel. Sadly, a wheel with a lot of magnesium in it can be burned up (literally). Nowdays, it's used to refer to one piece wheels with either polished or chromed finish. ===End of Side Note===== The most popular styles were: Appliance's Models: Dish Mag, this is the one famous as the Slotted Mag. Wire Mag, this one is commonly referred to as the diamond / honeycomb / wire wheel mag. Very often seen with a painted / anodized honeycomb and chrome center and outer contours. Steel Spoke, very very common for almost ANY car. Rarely seen on Z's nowdays, but nonetheless a very inexpensive wheel hence sometimes bought after having the car for a while. This one is the typical beefy rounded spoke with the lug nut wheel area being a circle behind the spokes. 4 spoke and 5 spoke designs depending on lug nut quantity. Unichrome: This is a very common and inexpensive option of the time. It was basically a solid steel inner with a Wire Wheel Basket to make it look like a spoked wheel. Shelby: Serpent, as described in the previous posts. The ribs extend from the outer contour all the way to the center cap. Cal 500; other than the depth of the "dish" another "Slotted Mag". Viper Wheel, this one is also known as the "Libra Mag" which must be the name for another manufacturer's version. Diamondback, this is another rendition of the Wire Mag (diamond / honeycomb / wire wheel mag). This one differs in that there is a "step" in the outer contour. Cragar and Superior, were but two other manufacturers that I remember from the era. Undoubtedly there are many others I don't recall or know about. For those of you interested, much of the information was obtained from Petersen's Complete Book of Datsun copyright 1975.

I think they are Appliance's version of Shelby's Serpent Style. Where the Serpent had ribs going all the way to the center cap, the Appliance's don't.

My 71 has it on the passenger side, unfortunately it has been wiped clean by some PO and I can't tell you if it's upside down or not. Months ago, I vaguely remember running into a reference about someone that reproduces these and the other stickers for folks wanting that OEM / Concours look. Anyone know whom / where?

I tried your link and seemed to get lost. So I called Troy Thacker (owner, Too Intense Restoration) and he mentioned that the Trim parts you mentioned are for the 260/280 but not for the 240. The 240 only has the horizontal chrome strip and no wrap around. Thanks, but these weren't the ones I need. Any other leads?

Sadly, the cost of replacing the bumpers depends on the year of the car, not only for availability but also for price. Years ago, replating a bumper would have been considered ONLY for special needs / show cars that needed / wanted extra thick chrome or specialty chroming. Replating a bumper was the last resort, and buying a NEW bumper was the FIRST resort. Nowdays, it's the other way around. Check with MSA, Victoria British and see how much it would cost you to buy new, then go check with your platers. And when you check with the platers, ask if they'll strip, grind, resurface and polish the new chrome. Then you'll know which way to go.

Old Body man here, DON'T use Wood as a backing for the sand paper. The possibilities that the panel you are working on is "perfectly" flat and that the wood you will be using is also "perfectly" flat are close to impossible. Use a Hard Foam or Rubber piece as a backing pad. This is what we used in the body shop I worked at. The main reason NOT to use something hard, is that it will NOT conform to the panel, and you will end up sanding IN grooves which will exacerbate the appearance of the chip repair. The BEST method is to use a medium hard foam piece, and sand using a DIAGONAL short stroke, moving from one side to the other, then on the return move (side to side) sand again in a diagonal maner but perpendicular to your original stroke. You want to "crosshatch" sand. If you choose to sand using your hand, use the heel of your hand and NOT your fingers. Lastly, it is far better to use 500 short LIGHT strokes than 50 short HARD strokes. 2ManyZ's tip about a wood block is correct for an EXPERIENCED body man / painter, but sadly, NOT for an amateur / newbie. Where experience teaches you to let the panel guide the sandpaper, the new guy tries to make the sandpaper / block combination force the cut. Just my 2¢

MrMoonshine: One of the nastiest things about rust is that, like an iceberg, you only see the top of it, and the bottom can be HUGE! Additionally, only taking care of what you see, is like stepping on the one or two termites that fell out of the light switch hole when you change the face plate in your home. Too many times have I seen "surface" rust be rust-through. Or seen "mild" rust turn out to be serious panel weakening ready to provide Flintstone brakes in a vehicle rust. The sad fact about the 240 Z is that the engineers used very thin sheet metal in order to keep prices down, as well as doing the Japanese market "no one keeps cars longer than a few years" mindset in mind. (Did you know that there are a couple outfits that import engines and other components from "junked" Japanese mainland cars to the US, simply because in Japan they don't restore / maintain older vehicles?) Additionally, since this was their first serious directed attempt at penetrating the US market, they were not aware of many of our "quirks" and idiosyncrazies. (In Japan they do in fact, own their cars only for a few years.) So, bottom line, do the "hard" work now, it will prevent it from being IMPOSSIBLE later.

I'll check, but a verbal description of it would equate it to a very ripe papaya fruit seeing as you are in San Diego, and with a last name of Serrano I figure you might --hablar español. Imaginate el centro de la papaya cuando esta bien pero bien madura, un color naranja pero todavia amarillento. Or for those of us who don't speak spanish. Imagine the center of the papaya when it is very very ripe, an orangish color but still slightly yellowish. If you don't know what papaya is, imagine a dark tangerine.

You definitely want to make sure between 905, 918 and 110. 905 Red (till 8/71) 918 Orange 110 Red (from 9/71 on) Too many times have I heard people say that their car was Orange and they meant Red, and others having heard that the original red was very orangish in hue mistook their true Orange as being Red. If the sticker on the radiator support is still legible (mine isn't) then check the code on it. Or pull up your carpeting or part of your vinyl covering on the tunnel to see.

A common problem with the Z distributor, whether point or electronic. The Vacuum Advance Plate which is plastic and houses a few ball bearings, is the plate on which the internal portion of the dizzy rides on. When the vacuum advance pot actuates and pulls on the rod, this is what allows the dizzy to advance timing. These things do go dry and brittle over time and eventually break, releasing ball bearings all over the inside of your dizzy. Depending on where the dizzy plate ends up when it busts, you could be right on, slightly advanced or .... And then it depends on whether or not you have enough vacuum to move the plate. When it went out on mine, my car went from peppy to DOG, and it would cough and sputter and backfire and geez....all sorts of crud. I was thinking I had blown the engine. Took it to a mechanic, figuring the worst. He did a complete tune-up, wires, timing, changed the advance plate, adjusted valves and presto zesto......zoooooooooom! 2¢

I used a paint from my R/C Boat Models. It is not only Water Proof, it is also Fuel Proof. It is Pactra Formula One Clear Polyurethane. Shinier than Semi-Gloss, yet not as shiny as Gloss.

Not sure of the formula. I believe it contains something similar to those high-gloss floor finish waxes, but not sure. Now that may cause some concern from everyone out there, but in the 8+ years of using it on my Acura have not had a single problem with it. I came across this product years ago when I was restoring a 77 Thunderbird with a vinyl top. The vinyl top was so sunburnt and abused that the owner had given me the ok to remove / replace or not or whatever I could do. Since I HATE replacing vinyl roofs almost as much as I do welding / brazing upside down (above me), I went about restoring it as best as I could. First I got the strongest vinyl cleaner I could, from a Marine Products house. Then after going to 6 different shops, and talking to 3 different boat maintenance places, I bought the Clear Guard. Yikes what a difference!! The cleaner removed the burnt and dried vinyl, but the Clear Guard was the kicker. It restored not only the GLOSS but ALSO the color. When I gave the owner his T-Bird back, he asked me how hard it had been to replace the vinyl. When I told him that I had not replaced it just restored it, he thought I was BS'ing him, and insisted I tell him the "truth".

Even the owner's manual recommended that the clock be periodically adjusted. They weren't supposed to be a chronometer as much as they were supposed to be a reference tool. There's a guy that sells both refurbished original clocks or the Quartz Clock from later years retrofitted into an early Z shell. Some one else correct me, if I recall his email was zclock4u@aol.com Give him a buzz and see, it might be worth it to put a new clock or refurbished.

I agree with 2manyZ's; using steel wool on chrome should only be done as a last resort, and then, depending on the damage, I would use a 000 or thereabouts grade. You might also check into a product by the POR15 people, called Artisan Metal Polish. In my opinion, one of the easiest, fastest and shiniest polish for the money, time and effort. You can also check some of the other brands/products but it all boils down to the current condition of your chrome. If you have just surface rust, and by that I mean NO pitting of the chrome, then most of the chrome cleaners out there will do what you want. It's when it goes through the chrome plating that you have problems. Another problem area is pitting due to acid rain or dried mineral (tap) water deposits.

For the most part, in order to get the white faces or other color faces onto the instruments, what they've been doing is changing the face plate or putting in an overlay onto the face plate of the existing instruments. Check on E-Bay. There's a guy there who's been selling the overlays for some time. He even has some with a picture theme that starts on the left with your Speedo and continues to the right with Tach, and the three center gauges. I've seen, Yellow, Red and Silver. Apparently he has scanned in the instrument face plates and using a color printer prints them out on plastic laminate in the different colors. Although time consuming, it can be done. Personally I would recommend removing the dash so that it will be easier to remove and replace all the instruments, and while you're at it, effect a nice clean up of the back of the dash, defrost hoses and also the back of the firewall. If you get real industrious, take the time then to remove and refurbish your heater and insulation. Believe me you'll be much happier for the little bit of effort.

Three engineering students and three law students were selected to attend a conference being held in another state. Both groups decided they would take the train in order to have fun and party on the way there. When they got to the train station, the lawyers were ahead in and each bought a one-way ticket. But only one engineer got in line and he bought a single one-way ticket. The lawyers chortled amongst themselves as to how foolish the engineers were. One of them approached the engineers and asked how they were ALL intending to get to the conference with only ONE ticket. The engineering student just said "Watch and Learn." Once aboard the train, and underway, they all heard the conductor call out "Ticket, Please!" at the other end of the car they were in. Quickly all three engineers jumped into one of the two bathrooms and closed the door. When the conductor knocked on the door and asked for a ticket, the door opened a crack and the lone ticket emerged. The conductor dutifully punches it, returns it and continues on. The lawyers smiled and nodded their heads knowingly. After the conference, the lawyers, intending on not being outsmarted by the engineers, and intending on doing as they'd seen on the outbound trip, sent one of their group to buy a single ticket, but the engineers didn't bother doing that. They didn't even buy a single ticket. Once again the engineers were approached by the lawyers and asked how they planned to get home. The engineers again replied "Watch and Learn." Once again, both groups heard the conductor calling out for tickets but this time both groups head for a bathroom. A few seconds after the lawyers close the door to their bathroom, one of the engineers slips out of their bathroom, and knocks on the lawyers' bathroom and announces "Ticket, Please!" When the lone ticket gets handed out, the engineer grabs it and ducks back into his group's bathroom.

DON'T USE ARMOR ALL! There, I've said it again, it is POISON to vinyl, plastic, rubber, and ANYTHING on your car. I equate it to HEROIN. Just use it once or twice and you are as HOOKED AND DEPENDENT as any junkie. No doubt someone will cry out that their experience belies that. I'll just counter with this: How OFTEN do you have to use it? (Give your car a "fix"?) I'll bet that it is every few weeks at first, and more like EVERY week after a few uses and warm hot sunny weather. Armor All has an additive (Silicone) which adheres to the elastomeric compounds in the plastic, these elastomeric compounds are more commonly known as the plasticizers, i.e. the "stuff" that makes vinyl soft and supple. The silicone OIL shines because ANY oil will shine when spread on a plastic surface. The main problem with Armor All is that as the silicone oil evaporates, it also draws out the plasticizers from the vinyl, and causes the PVC chain to begin deteriorating. Over time, UNLESS you use it religiously every time you note that the dash is no longer shiny, the vinyl gets hard and stiff. Then all it takes is one or two touches that would have normally just caused the vinyl to "give" for it to crack! Additionally, since it has silicone oil in it, go ahead and try to paint your car without discovering that you will have a rash of fish eye to rival the worst case of measles you've ever seen. Armor All, in my opinion should only be used on a car you don't care about, or for tires, since you KNOW they'll need replacing in 30 or 40 thousand miles. If you like the smooth shiny feel of new vinyl, use a product by Turtle Wax called Clear Guard. This is a product formulated for Vinyl. It leaves a soft smooth protective coating that will last WEEKS, if not MONTHS. I use it on the interior of my Acura and have had people wonder if I garage my car (I don't). What's more, I only have to use it like twice a year. During Spring Clean Up and Fall Prep. Other than that, just a quick wipe with a dust cloth and it stays shiny, and smooth. Since no doubt there will be people that say "Not Neither!" , I propose the following: Use the Armor All and WAIT till Fall to do it again. THEN tell me how long before you said that your dash looked as if it needed another fix. MY BET? 3 weeks TOPS, and more like 2 WEEKS! This opinion isn't just mine. On www.zcar.com a guy posted how he had gotten a complete dash from a parts car that was in perfect condition. He started using Armor All on it, and within 2 months it had started to crack. Another guy posted about the hazy white milky powder residue on his vinyl dash after a couple months of NOT using armor all (this was the decomposing vinyl). Use the poison if you want, but for MY baby? Clear Guard. Just my 2¢

When I bought my car, one of the things I had to do was get the seats back from the shop the PO had taken them in to be recovered. The PO had not obtained a recover kit, and therefore the upholstery shop had to redo the foam, straps, and the vinyl seats had to be custom fabricated. Total cost (from what the upholstery shop said) around $400. If the PO had brought in a recover set of vinyl, it would have been less than $200. The BIG advantage of using people that do the whole process rather than buying the individual parts is the savings. Yes you can buy the foam from Banzai, and the recover vinyl from MSA or Crown Victoria, or whomever, but then you either have to do it yourself, or pay someone else to assemble it. And then there's the problem of the nylon straps beneath the foam, and the hog ring staples and plier to work with them. You might save a few bucks on each piece INDIVIDUALLY, but as a whole, might have spent more than if you had had the WHOLE job done by a professional shop. My 2¢

Occam's Razor is the maxim that assumptions introduced to explain a thing must not be multiplied beyond necessity. (Named after William of Occam 14th Century English Philosopher) Webster's Unabridged Encyclopedic Dictionary Simply put: The simplest solution that encompasses all the facts. OR K.I.S.S.= Keep It Simple Stupid Taught to engineers so that they don't get crazy coming up with possibilities with regards to a process or repair. Remember Rube Goldberg?

It is a very strong probability, and using Occam's Razor, it's probably the problem.

DO YOU REALIZE THAT NOW WE CAN'T LET OUR WIVES LOOK AT THIS SITE? OUR SECRET WILL BE OUT AND WE WON'T BE ALLOWED TO BUY ANYTHING WITHOUT BEING ASKED IF IT COULD BE DONE CHEAPER!!!:tapemouth Geeeeeez!