Price of parts

[Stickerman]

My guess is it all depends on what type of car you want and how much you already have in it. If you have a $4000 driver than spending $1000 on fog lights is foolish, if you have a $35K show car, it is a drop in the bucket.

If you think correct Z parts are expensive, try Roadster parts, then try 1500 Roadster parts.... I looked for a NOS washer bottle for my 1500 for 4 years, it was the last part I needed. When I finally found one, I paid a fortune (4 figures for a piece of plastic)

[AZ-240z]

Furthermore, if you have a non "as shipped from the factory" part, it will cost you points. Same goes for "options"...at the moment. Series One Zs did not have fan shrouds or splash pans. In addition, tire originality is specifically mentioned in the current rules, meaning if you don't have original tires, you get dinged.

Vehicles exhibited must be configured exactly as shipped from factory (NOT DEALER). A/C must be factory installed except 240Z which may have same A/C as installed by dealer, i.e. ARA or Frigid King, with basic York compressor. .

Just to substantiate what has been said, my car, a 1/71 series 1, did not have the radiator shroud or splash pan installed when I purchased it off the show room floor.

I am a little confused by the tire thing. How many of the recent Gold Medallion winners in Stock Class had a set of Bridgestone Superspeed-20

original radial tires on there cars, and, if none, how many points were deducted from there total score for non-original tires?

Dan

[gnosez]

Carl - that retro fit pump was being considered long before they installed them since the wiring harness and ends where on pre-'72 240s.....

[stevef1972z]

mbarjbar I agree. I did not do enough research before getting my 72 240. I figured with popularity of the car, parts would be more reasonable. Then I went to replace the rear brakes and wanted to replace the wheel cylinders, nearly had a heart attack! Instead they got a light honing and a rebuild kit.

I am always impressed with those that chose the original route, the dedication, attention to detail and desire are only matched by the depths of the pockets. The people that engage in total original cars a wonderful resources full of knowledge.

Fortunately, the hobbie has a place for them as well as racers, drivers and tweakers. Just wish the prices were a little more reasonable, I got to used to working on US cars with wide ranging aftermarkets and tons of parts new, used, NOS and reproduction.

[mbarjbar]

Stevef1972z, I am not intending to build a concour car, just a resto-mod that I can drive and be proud of. I agree that it is important for some of us to try to restore these cars to original condition. NOS or used original parts are understandably expensive, but where are the affordable reproductions?

I have a feeling that many cars are being cannibalized for parts instead of being restored...the parts being worth much more than the restored car. That is just a shame.

It would be nice if some of the aftermarket companies, like Year One, National Parts Depot, or LMC, would step up and reproduce more interior, suspension parts, etc.

Mike

[26th-Z]

Dan,

I can't answer that question and IMO John's comments are a perfect illustration of what has happened to the rules. In a recent conversation, it was suggested that a non-stock item in the stock class get an automatic five point deduction. Of course, that isn't in the rules - just a suggestion. Another conversation questioned the reasoning behind allowing A/C as an "option" but didn't recognize the full compliment of Datsun options available to the various model years. On that issue rode a first-in-class win with obvious dealer ad-ons two years ago. Point being that the rules are out of date. It is my sincere hope that revisions will be presented to the board at San Antonio.

Chris

[Arne]

I guess I was just surprised by the cost of parts and lack of available reproductions for a Z versus the MGB that I have restored.

I know where you are coming from, Mike. I also have restored a B in the past. For the most part, repro parts were easily available, and relatively affordable. (Except for the pre-'68 overdrive vacuum switch, which took years to find!)

But consider - they built more than a half-million MGBs over an 18 year run. Far more than there were S30s.

[stevef1972z]

Mike I certainly agree that some more good parts suppliers would be a great thing. My 74 Midget was easy to get parts for, this car is just as hard if not harder than the 70 Opel GT (besides being underpowered the cost to keep it going and upgrade became too much and it was sold). I too am working on a regular driver, stockish outside with some upgrades to make life easier an more fun.

I also second the feeling that many of these cars are being parted out, it is a common post, and some of the cars are in restorable shape, but by the time a person invests in the parts, its just cheaper to hack the old one up and buy one that some other person put the time and money into.

It might just be I am grumpy, replacing the floors and rails on what I though was a solid car may be tainting my view at the moment, and maybe getting it back on the road will lessen the pain a bit.

[mbarjbar]

Steve, Hang in there, your are committed now;-) When I bought my B, I paid way too much. This LBC was in sad shape under her new Earl Scheib paint job....But now she is a show winner and a blast to drive.

Arne, Good to hear from you. I found a 4 speed locally but have not installed yet. Your observation about numbers of cars is true, except, for example, I can buy a replacement pillow dash for a '69-'71 B for between $200 and $250. The number of these cars is probably about what the '69-'71 run of Z's were. Try finding a replacement dash covering for a '70 Z. Either you pay $500-$1700 for a used dash or use a plastic overlay to tidy things up.

Hey, I love the Z car. I just am bitching because the aftermarket has not shown the Z or their owners, much love.....

Mike

[26th-Z]

You can get a 240Z dash recovered / restored for about $700, I think. I did one a couple of years ago and it was $600. Search the archives. Parts for the Z are just going to get harder to find as time goes on. It has become a point to restore the part you have rather than replace it.

[Carl Beck]

But consider - they built more than a half-million MGBs over an 18 year run. Far more than there were S30s.

Hi Arne:

If by "S30's" you mean all First Generation Z's - as I recall Z Car Sales hit the half million mark in 1978.... ie in just 9 years. Production by the end of 1978 seems to have been 575,954..

Everyone:

The supply of reproduction and after-market parts for the First Generation Z's seems to be growing every year. So if the trend keeps up - we should see more supply over the coming years..

One big difference between the "B" and "Z" is that everything on the "B" has always had to be replaced quite often - so demand for repair/replacement parts has always been high. Whereas the Z's ran almost forever without the constant and continued need for repair and replacement parts - so demand was low - and no one wanted to provide low demand parts..

But seriously - one problem is that MG went out of business, so the aftermarket could supply repair/replacement parts with no competition from the factory. Whereas Nissan supplied just about everything/anything for the First Generation Z's until just the last few years. I'm sure you'll see the aftermarket kick in once there is demand and no other supply.

FWIW,

Carl B.

Edited March 22, 2009 by Carl Beck

[mbarjbar]

Carl, I hope you are right about more aftermarket items coming on line. Now about your B comments: what fun is a hobby car if it doesn't need your attention? It is funny, if I don't drive my B often enough, she gets cranky and stiff. But, she gives back so much pleasure in driving her that all the attention is well earned. If we did not want to work on our cars, we would be restoring Toyotas;-)

Mike