Mike B

I was finally able to get this cover off last weekend. I bought a set of putty knives from Harbor Freight that have metal ends so you can hit them with a hammer http://www.harborfreight.com/4-piece-stainless-steel-putty-knife-set-94325.html. There is a hole at the top left corner that I was able to use to insert the edge of the knife and then then tap with the hammer to get through the seal (circled in red in the first picture). This cover was really on there tight and there is no way it would have come off without a putty knife, so thanks for the tips Geezer and RIP260Z. It looks like the gear ratio is 4.375. I may see if I can get a 3.90 ring and pinion to put in it. I was also able to get a Mallory Unilite and an early Nisan 2400 OHC valve cover from the same car for another $100 . -Mike

Just for clarification that is HLS30-00231 and it has been listed on ebay and discussed here a few times. Here are a couple of old threads: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37252 http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39866 -Mike

Those are great close up shots of the #11 car Alan. Thanks for posting them. -Mike

If someone really wanted a blue 73 they could buy this other one listed on Hemmings for $10K and pocket the extra $25K (or buy a couple more Z's of the same quality) http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/carsforsale/datsun/240z/1127675.html. Somehow I don't think the "broker" will be selling many of his $20 photo packets, let alone the mystery car. -Mike

Here are a couple of pictures of the rally Z's at the Zama storage facility. The first two are East African Safari rally cars and the third is the #5 Monte Carlo rally car. -Mike

Alan, I believe he may be referring to the damaged left rear panel that the seller mentioned. From the ad.. "While being driven one of the old tires blew out (left rear) and damaged part of the passenger rear quarter panel." A photo of the damage is shown below. -Mike

It was also listed in the classifieds section on this site on Monday http://www.datsunclassifieds.com/showproduct.php/product/5569/title/72-fairlady-z/cat/1. -Mike

Here are some pictures. I am not sure if your car has the early rubber mats under the carpet like mine does. -Mike

Well, welcome to the site (and the low VIN club). We love to see pictures of cars, so feel free to post some of your new acquisition when you get a chance. Funny, I have heard of people googling their own name or someone they are dating, but never heard of googling your VIN#. I guess it makes sense though. -Mike

Just curious, but if you have gone to all the trouble to remove all the glass, hatch, fenders, etc. why would you just mask over the antenna, door handle, locks and mirror? -Mike

Yeah, just trying to get the diff cover off. I know it should be easy, but its really stuck. I was pounding on it with the rubber mallet and it wasn't budging. I thought putting the mustache bar on and pounding on that would do the trick, but that didn't help either. I'll have to see if I can get a really thin putty knife in there like Ron suggested. If that doesn't work I'll take it over to he-man Dave's and he can show me how to muscle up . -Mike

I picked up a used Nissan Comp R200 LSD yesterday, but I can not seem to get the rear cover off it. I removed the eight bolts that should hold the cover on and tried pounding it with a heavy rubber mallet, but the cover won't come off. I even tried putting the mustache bar on it and wacking that, but it didn't help. I also tried using a razor blade to cut the edge around the gasket. That didn't have much effect either. It looks like there is a small notch on one of the bottom corners that I may be able to insert something to pry it with, but I am afraid if I do that the aluminum cover will be damaged. I sprayed the edges of the gasket with some kroil hoping that might soak in and loosen it, but nothing yet. Any suggestions? Should I just take it to someplace that works on differentials to see if they can get it off? -Mike

That's what the FSM recommends. -Mike

Maybe it comes with all the tires stacked up in the background ? -Mike

Try searching for Konig Center Caps, there are several threads on this. Here are a couple of them: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31117 http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30329 -Mike

I guess no one read the thread that zKars linked to in post #3 above? If so, they would have seen the same grease idea offered by 2ManyZs back in 2002. -Mike

Kats, Did I ever show you pictures of the NOS windshield I put in my HLS30-00032? It is the clear glass 72631-E4600. I was very lucky to find it. Someone that lives near by had bought it many years ago for a restoration, but never finished the car. It is interesting that my windshield has a sticker on it that say S-30S-FH on it. The S-30S is the Fairlady base model, correct? I wonder what the FH means? -Mike

Kats, I don't recall seeing that seem on any of my 1969 production cars, but I only have one of them at the house now and it has original seats from a later car in it. Yours looks like they just had a piece of vinyl that they stitched together in the front, since it wouldn't be very visible. I would guess it is original rather than a repair. -Mike

Very nice Kats. Thanks for sharing these. Interesting that it had tinted glass, but no defroster. Was the rest of the glass also tinted? If so, did the earlier base model Fairlady's have clear glass? -Mike

Agreed. Here is my lesson learned story: About three years ago I was in my daily driver and leaving a parking garage when the guy in front of me backs up into me. There was a car turning into the garage and he had pulled out too far and it didn't occur to him that there was a whole line of people behind him. He paused for a minute, then left the garage. I thought he was going to pull over, so I catch up and follow along side him. He is in the center lane and going nowhere but straight ahead. I roll down my window and yell at him, and he ignores me and keeps driving ahead. I keep at it and he finally looks over and says "sorry" and shrugs his shoulders like "what do you want me to do about it". Then he finally pulls over. He doesn't say much and we exchange info and go about our way. I call his insurance the next morning and they say, yes, he has already called and said I hit him. His insurance company says it is my word against his unless I have a witness. Well, there were lots of other people in the garage, but trying to track them down would be pretty hard. Then it occurs to me that there were cameras in the garage, so I call around and get in touch with security. They look back at the footage and there is a shot directly at the exit that shows the whole thing. They send me a DVD with the footage. I send it to his insurance company and they cover the repairs. Next time I get in ANY kind of accident I am not leaving without calling the police. -Mike

Rich, Here is a link to the ZCCA judging manual if you haven't seen it before http://www.zcca.org/downloads/ZCCA_JudgingManual_2009.pdf. Dealer installed AC used to be the only dealer installed item allowed without a deduction in the stock class, but that exception was removed last year when the rules were revised. -Mike

A red "house" is what you get when you mean to type "hose" and do a poor job typing and proof reading. Also, what is the black HOSE on HLS30-00157 that looks like it connects to the left side of the radiator? -Mike

I'm not sure that they have a name, or even exactly what the purpose was. Maybe to save some (minimal) weight or for ventilation if water got in that area? That material that covered them was tar mat, the same as on the floor. The car was painted after the tar mat was applied. On the very early (first several hundred) cars they did not put tar mat on the rear deck. Here is a picture of the rear deck on my HLS30-00032 and you can see there is no tar mat. Your car is late enough that it would have had it. Sorry to hear about the problems you are having with the restoration shop. -Mike

Sorry guys, but I don't buy it. Here is a picture of Mark Lambert's 4,400 mile 1972 that was at Zcon this year and a picture of the low mileage orange 1972 from Seattle that sold on ebay recently. Carl, #157 may have the original 1969 dated spark plug wires, but I wouldn't say its engine bay is completely original. It looks like the some of the emissions hoses have been removed and plugged, it is missing the decal for the radiator guard, it looks like the upper radiator hose has been replaced with a later rubber one, the coil is not original, and what is the orange house behind the engine (looks like it covers the speedometer cable?). Maybe the owner of #157 replaced the fuel hoses with the ones that were being sold on ebay? -Mike

Nope, Arne is right. None of the original fuel hoses were braided. Even though people that know better have sold braided fuel hose on ebay, it is not correct for a stock 240z. Here is a link to a previous fuel hose thread http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37065. -Mike