Since this thread has meandered a bit, I thought I would post this photo. It is of the underside of my center console. While my dash has some writing on it as well, I didn't take any photos while it was out of the car so I'll just have to wait on getting them.

Anyway, this writing was certainly not intended for anyone to see, other than those assembling the car.

zbane,

I think that the big one is the number '65' - in very characteristic Japanese style to my English eye - if you turn it through 180 degrees.

Curiousity got the best of me, so I looked at a few consoles I have. Only this one from a '72 had writing on the underside. It appears to have been done by dipping a sharp stick/object into paint, then scribing. Sorry for the glare.

Curiousity got the best of me, so I looked at a few consoles I have. Only this one from a '72 had writing on the underside. It appears to have been done by dipping a sharp stick/object into paint, then scribing. Sorry for the glare.

I downloaded it, converted it to a jpg, and tried to reduce the glare on one copy. I've attached both jpg versions here to save the download for others.

Thanks Arne, I didn't realize that I didn't convert it

Finally tore out the steering column on the 260Z and found this.... According to HS30 it might mean 'Chikara' ( meaning 'power' ) and the "OK" so I guess it passed.

Dave

Power and OK huh Dave - well I will have to check mine when I get to it and see if we match on the 260's. Yes I am starting to get back to mine after a layoff to complete other projects that were already up. Now if I could find some 260 plugs and get them up to you :classic:! Maybe then mine will have "power" - lighting power that is !

Edited October 1, 200915 yr by TexasRider260Z
sp

speaking of 260Z stuff, click on my "My 2/74' 260Z. Needs your 5 star votes!! Watch the rebuild unfold" link in my signiture. You'll like it.

The third is even more confusing. The first character is obviously Kanji, but I think it is impossible to read properly ( it's weirdly shaped at the top ). Also, is there part of another unseen character lurking in the shadows on the left there? I see what seems to be something....

The character on the right is the classic Kanji that reads 'Yama' ( meaning 'mountain' ) and this is often seen as part of a name ( a family name, or a place name for instance ). This would seem to point to the writing here being somebody's name - although not completely legible.

There's also a curious and fainter pattern underneath it, which I do not recognise as writing at all. Is it some kind of descriptive drawing / diagram? Don't know.

HS30 the third character means "see".

Finally tore out the steering column on the 260Z and found this.... According to HS30 it might mean 'Chikara' ( meaning 'power' ) and the "OK" so I guess it passed.

Dave that word does not mean power.

So you're just gonna leave it hanging? What the hell does it mean?

I'm with Dave on this one

http://japanese.about.com/library/bl50kanji_chikara.htm

My bad, your word is a phoneme, it combines with other words to make meanings;

eg:

クマ = bear (kuma)

クラス図 = diagram (kurasu-zu)

..but, Ive also heard that it can also have meanings such as a bow (bow and arrow) or to do something eg; to drink or to smoke.

Ive included a picture to show the different between two words, notice the strokes in power and ku, they are quite different.

Please let me know if Ive made any mistake.

Thach