What year is mine & what badges?

[kmack]

Alfadog, the "L" in HLS stands for "left-hand drive". Your's is right hand drive am I correct?

Joe71, I'll have to check and see if I still have the vents that came off the parts hatch I bought. I have new vents so I"m not sure what I did w/ the old ones. They weren't in the greatest shape, but were still in one piece. If I can find them, I'll let you know.

[2ManyZs]

I think MSA still has the hatch vent grills. I believe they were close to 30 bucks a piece though. My car didn't have any when I bought it so I had to buy new ones.

[EScanlon]

I also had the 3 piece hatch seal that had disintegrated into three dozen very hard and broken up fragments. I checked the "original" replacements, and from asking others found out that unless I was doing a concours restoration (i.e. TOTALLY and ABSOLUTELY stock, just as it came from the factory, or "I bought it and never drove it, just stored it since then" school of thought), I should buy the later one-piece seal as it works much better for rain.

Since I live in the Pacific North West, and we occasionally get Sunshine to break up our normal year round rain, this was the way to go.

Looking around the boneyards was a waste of time, since the seals are mostly gone on the cars there. Looking at new parts made me blanche. Then in talking to Andy Russell (The Datsun Dude), he let me know that he had access to a very good and reliable aftermarket replacement seal that was as good as if not better than the original Datsun one piece seal. I bought one, and believe me it is everything he claimed.

Contact Andy at z@datsundude.com or at (480) 217-7322 for pricing. He is familiar with what's required to ship to Australia.

Regarding your original (remember?) question.

Forget what "they" told you. Get the 240Z Pillar Badges (note: they're no longer available in metal, just plastic. I have one of the ones in metal, but the chrome isn't perfect.) Andy sells these for $50US / pair.

The Hatch Vent Grilles, KMack has a set for $10 each, but he's mentioned a couple imperfections, Andy has them for $55US / pair.

Anyhow, hope you've gotten enough information to do your car right!

Good Luck, and keep us posted.

[Alfadog]

Ah yes, very well.

So mine's the 1031st RHD car... correct?

[EScanlon]

I would say you are right, but I am not sure (maybe someone else knows for sure) if Datsun differentiated between the Right Hand Drive production and Left Hand Drive.

In other words, I'm not sure if you have the 1031st RHD car or the 1031st 240Z, Right OR Left hand drive.

Anyone?

[Alfadog]

I'm pretty certain it'd be the 1031st RHD car...

Randy said HLS30 019889 was the last of the series 1 cars, and mine is a series 2 and a lesser number....

[jcdozier]

ALFADOG:

Just when I'm getting comfortable with right-hand-drive Zs (HS designators instead of HSL) having their "own" serial numbers, you tell us your 240-Z is a Type II.

Your Profile lists a 1970 240-Z. Since the Type-I Zs were built into early 1971, I'm getting confused. It has long been my understanding that ALL 1969 and 1970 Zs were Type-I. My Type-I 1971 240-Z (HLS30-17559) was built in 12/70.

Do you have more than one 240-Z? Am I wrong in thinking that all 1970 240-Zs are Type-I? This isn't some kind of metric thing, is it?

[Alfadog]

My car has no grille things under the back window, but it is registered as a 1970 car.

I'll go look at the dates printed on the car (if I can find them)...

I'm getting confused

[EScanlon]

Ok guys, at the risk of repeating myself, if I haven't done so a couple times already.

Trying to identify whether a vehicle is a Series I, II or III based on what features it has now, without knowing the complete total detailed history of the car is an exercise in logic, and sometimes, circular logic.

Items or features of the car that are not easily removed or replaced are easier to use to "type" the car than items that are a known weak spot and hence easily and commonly replaced.

I'm referring to the hatch. It is a known problem item, they rust, they break, they get hit, they ....end up being replaced quite often. The chances that a 1970 Series I got a replacement hatch from a boneyard mid 1980 or 90 just before the current owner got it? Good to Very Good.

Now, let's find out about his vents, or his tool compartments, or whether or not he has the retracts for the seat belts, or whether his fuel vapor recovery tank is metal or plastic. Those items will be more of a "tell-tale" than the hatch.

That his car is registered as a 70 is a good indication that it IS a 70, and therefore a Series I, his hatch not having vents is a good indication that it has been transplanted from a Series II, not that his car is a Series II. Follow my reasoning?

[Alfadog]

My tool box things are in the parcel shelf thing behind the seats..

I tried to look for some dates but couldn't find any!

Series 2 only started *production* in 1971? Or were they built in 1970 but just sold as 1971 models ???

[jcdozier]

Alfadog - I don't know about the right-hand-drive models, but the Zs here have a metal plate above the door latch on the driver's side that has the build date on it.

EScanlon - looks like you understand some of us aren't real bright and have some bad habits - thanks for your patience. Your "registered as 1970" logic parallels mine - if Type-IIs weren't built until 1971, then a 1970 MUST be a Type-I, (or rather, started life as a Type-I). Your point about replacement parts is well taken. I know my Type-I has had a number of parts replaced that weren't from another Type-I.

If Alfadog can't find a build date, perhaps some guru like Carl Beck can shed some light using the serial number?

[EScanlon]

Regarding someone being "bright" and with "bad habits" I'd rather not use those references, nor imply that anyone here is brighter (smarter) than another.

We EACH have our "bright" points. Logic is one of mine, and so is being anal retentive meticulous about how and with what I restore my car. But I will admit to being dumber than a box of rocks when it comes to the mechanical stuff that goes on inside the engine. I know the basics, but why this ring instead of that ring, unless you have a couple hours in which to explain....I'll admit I'll just take it to my mechanic and let him have at it. In fact, even after the explanation, I'd probably take it to him. I know some of MY limitations, and that's one of them.

This just happens to be one of MY "bright" points. Hopefully when I'm posting "Why does this Thingg-A-Ma-Jig affect that Doo-Hickey like this?" type question, then you guys will discover YOUR "bright" spots and help me out. QUID PRO QUO.

As far as being patient, wait till you try to explain something to me and then wonder who needs to be patient.

Enough, you get my point. We all like & endeavour to improve and maintain our Z's. That's the common thread through us all. That you know Differentials, and someone else Suspensions, and someone else ....and you know Jack Schitt about the other parts, that's what makes this site so valuable to us all, we each contribute what we can, and derive from it what we need. Nuff Said.

Regarding the 70 registration automatically being a conclusion that it MUST be a Series I.

I said it is a GOOD indication, not that it was PROOF. There is a series of situations that could result in a Series II being registered as a 70.

Easiest of all? Clerical error. When the car was re-registered after a sale, a clerk inadvertently changed the registration to 1970.

Granted you could make up all sort of Machiavellian or Rube Goldbert type scenarios, but it doesn't really matter, as it is just an INDICATION. The vehicle itself is what must give you the "proof".

Alfa saying his tool compartments being IN the rear deck and not the plastic covers behind the seats and in front of the rear deck, says Series II. His Hatch says Series II. We need to find out about the other indicators, to say it's a I or a II.

So, Alfa, once again, could you check off those items on your car that indicate what year your car is?