HLS30-00400 on CL

[moonpup]

Another 69 car up for grabs.

"I am posting this for a friend. He has a 1970 Datsun 240Z. Mint condition. No rust to speak of. The only place where it is at all tender is the floor pan around the seat mounts. The engine bay and part of the underbody was greased, lathered in the stuff, years ago. This being the case, the paint is absolutely perfect underneath it. It is a 4 speed manual tranny. The build date is 11/69. The serial number for this car is HLS30-00400. There are only 86747 miles on the odometer, and with the condition, I can safely say that there is no 1 before those numbers. The car sat in a barn for the last 15 years and as such, the motor is currently stuck. Mystery Oil has been sitting in all 6 cylinders for over a month, but we just havent had time to try to turn the crank by hand. We did get the carbs unstuck and freed up nicely. The car is in great condition, it just needs a good home and someone who can impart loads of time cleaning it up. This is a piece of Nissan history that is worth saving. If you are interested, please reply to this post (I will contact my buddy with your info) and put '69 240Z Datsun' in the subject. If that is not there, I will not even bother reading it."

http://nh.craigslist.org/cto/1795823768.html

[deadflo]

Like to see the interior...

If you go to the Craigs Listing the pics are a lot larger.

I wonder why the bumpers are so black? Dirt?

The gas filler door doesn't have the chrome knob?

Also would the air filter housing on such an early car have that long intake? Weren't the first one real short?

[cbudvet]

I think the bumpers have been painted black. You are right about the fuel door. It should have a chrome knob. The air filter housing looks correct. I have #333 and its the same. I am curious about the paint. I don't think it was originally red. Correct me if I am wrong but mine was green with butterscotch. I know they did batches of cars all the same color so I would think that many of the cars around this vintage would be green also. I didn't think they used red until later. It still could be a great buy. There was rust under the battery tray in one of the pictures. Hopefully the engine wont be too much trouble.

carl

[deadflo]

I don't doubt that this car could have been red it was one of the original colors.

I haven't heard about the cars being painted in batches according to their serial numbers, plus as you know the cars may not really be sequential in actual production, in connection with the numbers they were assigned.

You can see that in Carl Becks Z car serial archive.

I know that the dark BRG cars had both butterscotch and black interiors.

[Mike B]

I don't see anything in the pictures that leads me to believe it wasn't originally red. Red cars were produced from the beginning. There was a red car shown in the first brochures and the service manual. I think it may have been HLS30-00003? There are many red cars before HLS30-00400 listed in Carl's public registry info on zhome.com. Many of the early cars were built in batches of two or three of the same color, but as deadflo noted, there was some mixing of the VINs too, so I don't think you can read too much into that.

I would hardly call this car "mint condition" though, as the ad describes it.

-Mike

[sblake01]

I know for a fact that HLS3000488 was red. I thought it was 110 but Mike B reminded me that it had to be 905 since 110 came later. You know, my advancing CRS......

[MikeW]

There are only 86747 miles on the odometer, and with the condition, I can safely say that there is no 1 before those numbers.

It must look a lot better in person than in the pictures because in the pictures I don't see anything that would preclude a 1, 2, or even 3 before those numbers.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. Generally speaking a low mileage used car is better than one with high mileage simply because of reliability and wear and tear. With a 40 year old car I don't think it matters so much. I'd rather have a high mileage car in great condition than a low mileage car that's been rusting away somewhere. My car had 41,000 miles on the odometer it when I bought it in 1985 but a previous title from a few years earlier showed 14,000 miles. From that I have to assume that it had rolled over at least once. 25 years later and it only has 189,000 and most if that was before 1990.

[cbudvet]

I thought I had read somewhere that they had a color available and painted a number of cars that color and then moved on to the next batch. Something like the first cars to come over were all the same color and that the first ones sold didn't come with a color choice. You took what came off the boat. I could be completely wrong. Does it seem weird that they smothered the car in grease? It may make sense but to me its not the first thing I would think to do.

carl

[Gary in NJ]

Does it seem weird that they smothered the car in grease?

The paint under the grease looks better then the paint on the car. For $6,500 this car looks like in may be in need of a lot of attention.

[zcar70]

The red car in the first 240Z brochure was HLS30-00007. The green one is HLS30-00006 and the silver one is HLS30-00008. Thanks to Carl Beck for this.

By the way 00006 AND 00008 AND 00013 are all going to be on display at ZCCR's All Japanese Car Show on July 10, look at the events calendar.

#400 was/is red, look at the engine bay tag THROUGH the grease. Lotta money for a siezed up car that was driven hard and put away wet. Buyer is buying the VIN and a huge restoration tab.

[Mike B]

The red car in the first 240Z brochure was HLS30-00007.

I think the attached brochure was the first in the US. It has a 1969 production date and shows a very early car without emblems, no radio or clock, etc. I think this is the same car used in the service manual and may be HLS30-00003. I think HLS30-00007 was also red and was used in the 1970 brochure you are referring to.

-Mike

[moonpup]

It must look a lot better in person than in the pictures because in the pictures I don't see anything that would preclude a 1, 2, or even 3 before those numbers.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. Generally speaking a low mileage used car is better than one with high mileage simply because of reliability and wear and tear. With a 40 year old car I don't think it matters so much. I'd rather have a high mileage car in great condition than a low mileage car that's been rusting away somewhere. My car had 41,000 miles on the odometer it when I bought it in 1985 but a previous title from a few years earlier showed 14,000 miles. From that I have to assume that it had rolled over at least once. 25 years later and it only has 189,000 and most if that was before 1990.

Just wanted to go on record that the "text" you are responding to was part of the ad's wording by the person that listed it and has nothing to do with me.