Check this out

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-Z-Series-/150739135558?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2318c0ac46

That will be interesting to watch. That car needs so much work, it will be cool to see how historical significance plays out versus parts car condition...

I had an e-mail conversation about this car with a fellow about a week ago.

"I went and saw it today, and it is in extremely rough shape to say the least; rust literally everywhere, including floor pans you can press your fingers through and a completely demolished battery tray with a hole below that you could put your head through. They say that if you can see rust, figure that the rust you can't see is 10 times worse. If that's the case, I'm not sure what's holding the car in one piece at this point. Rust bubbles were noticeably coming through the paint on absolutely every body panel, and every non-painted metal surface had moderate to heavy, flakey orange rust covering it either completely or partially. Literally every piece and part on the car (interior, exterior, undercarriage, engine, engine bay) would need to be refurbished or replaced. Many parts were obviously missing from the car, and although the owner said he had "almost all" of them somewhere in his garage or above his garage, it was one of those places where there was so much junk lying around from obviously many, many different cars and other projects, I would be very skeptical about his ability to actually locate those parts in any reasonable timeframe. I do know that he has the original engine and transmission because of the attached pictures, but we didn't actually get to see those today because it was literally buried in a corner behind mounds of clutter. According to the owner, the original engine had spun a bearing but was repairable.

The owner of 00022 had it on Ebay a year ago (that's where I first saw it) and the bidding ended with two bidders tied at $10K, but the car failed to sell because it didn't meet his reserve! In talking to him afterwards, he said his reserve was set at $20,000 based on an "offer" he'd had some years back. He claims to have interest in the car from as far away as Japan and Denmark."

The VIN number on the firewall looks like the "HLS30-000" part is a very different font from the "22" font.

The size of the rivets on the dash seem bigger than on vin 48 http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/members/gabringuette/index.html

Take a good look if you plan to buy it.

Its an old datsun, that description makes it sound like an old ferrari.

Here is the thread from the last time it was listed, almost exactly 1 yr ago http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?40855-240-22. I thought it had been sold then. I was very surprised it got bid up to over 10K, since it is so rough. After seeing the car in person last year, the seller should have taken the money and run then.

-Mike

My personal sense is that this is #22, and not a doppelganger, just based on the photos. Everything looks equally old, including the data plate, and these cars were pretty much worthless until recently - it would take more money than the car is worth to try and fake it to this degree, IMHO.

I agree that it most likely what is left of HLS30-00022. I wouldn't make too much of sloppy firewall stamping/engraving. That is pretty common for the early cars at least. Dashes are easily swapped and the one in the car now is from a 72 or 73, so no surprise the VIN tag would be swapped on it. However, it is missing the door data plate, which is a bit more troubling. There are no holes where the plate would mount either, so I assume this is a replacement panel?

-Mike

Edited January 18, 201213 yr by Mike B

Yup,I checked earlier Z's and they also have the strange sloppy-font stamps. It would be interesting to know when they changed over to cleaner stamps. The zero's look like tear drops.

Edited January 18, 201213 yr by Blue

Couple of observations:

HLS30-00048 has been fully restored. A rivet size issue would not be surprising to me.

I think we pretty much discussed to death the idea that firewall serial numbers were engraved and not "stamped". That's why they don't have a uniform look.

Actually all of the zeros look the same in the pics I inserted ... sort of like a teardrop... so they look to be stamped from an engraved stamp master. Likewise the soft curvy "L" with a hooked end looks the same.

Edited January 18, 201213 yr by Blue

Couple of observations:

I think we pretty much discussed to death the idea that firewall serial numbers were engraved and not "stamped". That's why they don't have a uniform look.

What was the outcome of the discussion, stamped? I doubt they would be engraved. Possibly the prefix was stamped first (HLS30 000) with the 01 to 99 being stamped later as required. The 22 looks too uniform to be engraved, ie both 2's are identical.

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?35813-S30-Construction-Theories&highlight=engraved+VIN