Arne

Was it 919 yellow with Libres? If so, that was probably the sister mag Classic Motorsports' 240Z project car. http://classicmotorsports.net/project-cars/1970-datsun-240z/

I just got back from a trip to the post office to ship Z parts to Arizona. Not as warm here, but sunny and dry. I took the Z, of course.

No. My yellow car came to me that way.

Actually, from off-line conversations I've had with Gary, I am pretty sure that Goose does have the right site.

That's good news, it appears that Bryan has moved it off Geocities and over to a hosting service. Bodes well for it being available for the future. For geeks, here's the raw data: MacBookProArne:~ aberglun$ nslookup datsunzgarage.com Server: 68.87.69.146 Address: 68.87.69.146#53 Non-authoritative answer: Name: datsunzgarage.com Address: 69.89.31.121 MacBookProArne:~ aberglun$ nslookup 69.89.31.121 Server: 68.87.69.146 Address: 68.87.69.146#53 Non-authoritative answer: 121.31.89.69.in-addr.arpa name = box321.bluehost.com.

The Pioneer has a modern power antenna lead, so I replaced the factory antenna with a similar-looking chrome/stainless fully auto antenna. No separate switch anymore. Turn on the radio, antenna goes up. Turn it off, antenna goes down. Works great.

Actually, I do like the Alpine. But not quite as much as my Pioneer...

Well, in my experience then, shop around for the very best body you can find. Because the mechanicals are not all that expensive if you can do the work yourself. If you can find a non-rusty car that is a runner (or close to it) for less that $2k, it will be a good place to start. But for $2k or less, you should not expect to find a car that is ready to drive.

I think that finding a Z old enough to qualify for collector tabs and insurance, not rusty, and in a condition that will allow you to get it drivable and reliable in short order will cost more than $1500. A car in that price range is going to have issues. Many will be lacking mechanically, and most (if not all) $1500 cars will have significant rust, even here in the NW. My personal opinion is that what you describe will cost between $4-5k, either up front in a decent car, or in buying the cheapest non-rusty car you can find and then taking care of the mechanical problems that a cheap, non-rusty Z WILL have.

The flat black wheels I had were date-stamped 4-71, and came with the small tab caps.

Yeah, the R&T test car (bone stock, obviously) ran out of steam at 5800 RPM in fourth gear.

Road & Track showed a top speed for the original 4 speed '70 240Z of 122 MPH. The test data does not say "Est.", which in those days means they actually clocked it. That said, no way I'd want to try that in mine prior to the installation of the front Spook.

I've been running non-DOT headlights here in Oregon in every car, truck and motorcycle I've owned since I first discovered H4s in 1976. Never had a lick of trouble. And a lot of the later (non-standard shape) lights in modern cars have cost me a pretty penny. But being able to see at night is worth every cent.

I've done most of this myself, only without the modern stereo. I have Dave's headlight and parking light relays, the ZX alternator and the sidemarker conversions. I'm using H4 headlights similar in power to the ones you pictured, although mine are more vintage looking. Dave's stuff is great, you can't go wrong with any of it. Similarly, to maintain the vintage look, I have a '70s Pioneer Supertuner mounted in the dash, and a few totally hidden speakers. Doesn't sound anywhere near as nice as yours will, but it looks right and is totally reversible if I should ever want to go back to stock.

Randy, the original set of wheels I had were indistinguishable from Rustoleum flat black. I went so far as to paint half of one wheel, and you could not tell where the new paint started from more than 6 inches away.

Here's a picture of a Y-collector that a previous owner had built for the Hooker header that cam on my parts car. I'm not saying this is the best way to go, or that my example is ideal, but it does show a possibility...

Typically, the 350Z drivers I see while in my 240Z are too busy yacking on their cell phones to even notice any of the traffic around them. Seriously. I see two or three a day on my way to and from work, and the drivers (both men and women) are ALWAYS on their phones. Not so for Z32 drivers. Many of them notice my car, and lots wave.

Remember that profile is a ratio. 50 means that the sidewall height is 50% of the width. So a 205/50 is pretty short, but a 225/50 is taller. So if you go wide enough the sidewall won't look too silly. Problem is that while a 225 will fit on a 6" rim, pinching it down onto a rim that narrow doesn't do the handling any good.

IMO, the 205/50s will look too small. They also have less load capacity, and so will be working much harder to support the car. The handling difference between the 50s and the 55s will be minimal, the 50s might be slightly more responsive to steering input due to the shorter sidewall. But being that the width is the same, maximum side grip will be very similar.As for the width/profile question - width is somewhat more important for grip, profile for responsiveness.

Assuming you can find a good one. These days most of the used hinges are worn out.

Yeah, being only 6" with a 10 mm offset, 225/50s might give problems. I'd look into the 205/55s.

How wide are the rims? Both of the sizes you mention are rather small. If your rims are 7" wide, look into 225/50-15. If they are only 6" wide, look at 205/55-15.

My dealer told me these are NLA, and a dealer inventory search turned up NADA!

Link to the auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1970-73-Datsun-240Z-Stage-one-euro-springs-from-Nismo_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33582QQihZ014QQitemZ330210892934QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW FWIW - I have the reproductions sold by Courtesy Nissan on my 240Z with KYB GR-2 struts. The ride and handling is good, but you will have to shorten these springs to have a normal ride height.

The sudden change sounds like a hydraulic problem to me, as well. Check for fluid leaks, or a failing clutch cylinder - either master or slave.