kinfish

Agree with Rick Bolus on what the seller's actual net was after expenses. I could not locate what the 2008 seller's fee was on the website but think it was about 7% in the past. The seller also also has to buy a parking space on the lot which varies from $600 to $1200 depending on what day and time it goes on the auction block. I am sure he also pays an application fee. The buyer has to add a 10% commission ($1,225) for Barrett Jackson and I think our Governor Charlie Christ wants his 6.5% sales tax ($796) on top of that. Buyers also pay a $250 application fee for being qualified to bid on any car up to his/her line of credit. These auctions are terrific for "ego enhancement" on those with extra bucks burning holes in their pockets. It is no place to look for a bargain. However, it a great place to look at many excellent restored automobiles. Also there are many things to look at other than cars. The crew that sold a 1955 Austin-Healey powered by a Range Rover V8 also brought several shapely models from South Beach to attract attention to their cars.

DeesZ - mirror on left side is not correct style and it also has added mirror on right side Kurtwalters - dash is not perfect; it does have axial cracks When I took photos of car the owner was not around. Doors were locked and hood was closed. The paint was in good shape and chrome bumpers were either new or rechromed.

I attended the Barrett Jackson Auction in West Palm Beach, Fl on Thursday, March 27 and viewed most of the cars on the lot. Surprised to find this '72 240Z (HLS30-74204) under one of the tents. It is scheduled for the auction block on Sunday. Will be interesting to see what it sells for. My general observation during Thursday's auction and review of cars sold so far is that prices are not as wild and out-of-control as in prior years. Lots of nice vehicles but I didn't see the bidding wars escalate into 6-figures on any of the 60's muscle cars. Signs of the downturn in economy.

Gus, Congratulations on the new toy for your collection! I knew it would be just a matter of time before you linked up with a 240Z. HLS30-22555 born just 2 months after my 240Z. Only 32,000 miles in 37 years is just 865 miles per year. Great that you bought the car from original owner and it appears unmolested. It would be best if you avoid mods that impact its originality and keep it as a virgin, unlike your 350Z. I do have a looseleaf book with copies of tips from experts on various web sites that might be useful bringing car back to life or fixing issues. Take a close look at the oil distribution manifold that is bolted on the passenger side of the head and make sure that the cantilevered legs and solder joints are still in good condition. Now the bad news is that you may have to sell your house and move into one with a five-car garage and room and equipment to work on parts.

Welcome "old Z, old owner, new member". You are not alone in that type of categorization. Keep the SU's. Once you learn the basics about them, they are easy to work on and perform great.

Sounds like you have planned an excellent trip to see some of the great spots in USA. My Z has passed thru many of the spots on your route, including San Jose. However, you seem overly optimistic that your 37 year old 240Z is going to perform perfectly for 3,000 strenuous miles that may include some challenging weather. Cars that have been sitting will develop unanticipated ailments during long trips. It would be wise to draft some recovery plans.

Series I 240Z configuration ended sometime with cars manufactured in Jan, 1971. After that Series II started shipping in USA. There are significant design changes (improvements?) going from Series I to II. 1st generation terminology is not the same as Series I, II, etc.

Arne, I bought the Appliance Aluminum mags 14" x 7" wide in Orlando,Fl about June, 1972. Believe I paid $150 for the set of four. I installed Goodyear ER70-14 tires on them and did encounter clearance issues on my Series I 240Z. When making hard right or left turn the tire would rub the valence piece on each side. My fix was to provide some additional clearance by rolling the lip of the valence. I am currently running Falken 195/65/14 tires coupled with Tokico spring/shock kit which lowers car about 1 inch. I have not experienced any additional problems with this combo. The extra stiffness of the shocks also probably helps. I have not measured with the actual clearance with the valence at extreme conditions but will do so at next opportunity.

George, Congratulations grandpa! Start looking for an early Z for him now and put it in storage until his teen years when he might develop an interest to restore it with his grandpa.

Early Z's secured the nut by staking it. By carefully removing the staked area you will insure there will be no damage to the threads on the stub shaft when you untorque the nut (has 200 ft-lbs at assy).

I suggest that you be patient and keep advertising for the right buyer. $3,900 for a Oct,'70 Series I with low mileage and minimal mods is reasonable price. I suspect the repaint and noticeable bondo may be scaring some buyers. Put the VIN # in your ads. Fixing the brakes and clutch to make it driveable would enhance your chances of selling. Garage space in Brooklyn is got to be a costly monthly expense.

Failure of the solder joint of the tube to the mount boss is very common failure mode. Unfortunately the disruption in oil flow/spray usually caused damage to the hardface coating on the cam lobe. If you got lucky and the cam lobes are not trenched with a wear groove, spring for a new oiler instead of investing in a bandaid fix. I assume that after 30+ years that Datsun fixed their soldering process and the parts on shelf today have better reliability. Bending of the mount boss is another problem that I have not seen before.

Great pictures and commentary! That thicker flange on the header should fix the old problem of mismatch between the intake and exhaust manifolds at locations using the thick washers which are supposed to clamp down to secure both. Hopefully they toleranced the new flange to match the OEM flange thickness.

Carl Beck and others ------ Parking concern at the Hilton: I stayed at the Hilton in early May and highlited the parking concern on the Fl Z association forum on May 26. Somebody was supposed to negotiate parking options with the hotel but the thread has no feedback if anything was done or resolved. The parking lot south west of the hotel is really not that large considering there are 744 rooms in the Hilton. This is a pay lot and those with long trailers may have to jump the curbs to get thru the entrance which is narrow and an attendant shack sits between the entrance and exit lanes. The Hilton does have valet parking on the north west entrance of the hotel but I don't think many of us would let that high school kid have the keys to your car ......... and don't think the trailers will fit. Best option may be to keep the trailers away from the beach and leave them at the racetrack. Not sure what you do for the days outside the racetrack window?? Parking trailers on the beach would have been a great option but the weather man says the depressions in the Atlantic will be sending in huge waves to Daytona and other shorelines and the hard sand beach may disappear at high tide.

If your Z had the dealer installed Air Conditioning option you probably have a spacer plate sandwiched between the hub pulley and the flange for the fan mount. You can remove it to shift the axially location of the fan rearward which increases the clearance with radiator. You will need to shorten the studs in the water pump mating flange or replace them. Metal fans are notorious for causing high loads on the water pump and the the pump shaft will eventually shear, especially if you like running high rpm's. When the shaft shears it will generally destroy your radiator and may even cause other impact damage. You should consider replacing the metal with the plastic fan sold by MSA as an upgrade kit.

Alex, Where have you been hiding ..... didn't see you at Feb club event at park? I installed the MSA one-piece, fiberglass radiator shroud in 2003. Is your plastic or fiberglass? I did have trouble with the fit and rigidity and made some adjustments: 1) I installed the thin piece on the outboard side of the top hand guard and then bolted it in place at two locations to keep it from flexing. 2) Did drill holes in the mount tabs to align with 4 holes on radiator. 3) Added 1"x1" aluminum right-angle piece, from mount hole to mount hole, to both left and right sides to provide some added stiffness

Your blue '71Z must be a cousin to my '71! Looks like we both have the Appliance Aluminum mags but my Falken tires do not have raised white letters. I have no objections to the raised white letters except they were not readily available in the early 70's.

Wow ...... I own one of those brochures. Never new the details on the cars shown until Carl shared it with us. Another thing to add to the package when I decide to sell my original Series I 1971 240Z.

Front end is out of whack. I am not faniliar with those springs but maybe the Tokico shocks were reversed front to rear??? I used the Tokico spring and shock package and it lowered car all around about an inch of so.

Secret for the peened nuts on the stub shafts is to use a dremel and very carefully grind away the peened area without damaging threads on shaft. Hopefully you purchased the superceded p/n which is a lock nut to replace them. Proper way to remove and install the bearing races on the stub shaft is to use a hydraulic press with the appropriate adapters. Heat and big hammers may do more damage than you can afford to live with.

Wow!!!! A record setting "return on investment" if engine and drivetrain are still original. If it is original, contact your local Honda dealer to sell if they or the Regional Sales Rep would have any interest for promotional material.

GreenZZZ, You have the same problem I experienced with the Energy Suspension sleeves several years ago. The ID of the sleeves shipped were actually smaller than the OD of the new spindle pins. A tight fit, impossible to assemble and not the design intent. I called Energy Suspension directly in Calif and they admitted Quality Problems on some lots of these kits. My assessment was that they missed the final honing operation to meet the final diameter and it must be larger than .628 dia of the pins. The Technician promptly sent me replacement sleeves which fit much better and were loose fits. Somewhere in my archives I recorded the actual diameter of the correct sleeves but need to find same. Get replacement sleeves. Do not assemble using force, heating/cooling, etc.

Vicky, Shocked to hear about your devasting loss! I met Scott at Zfest 2005 and then again last Oct at Zfest 2006. Scott was unique with his vibrant personality, unlimited ambition, creative ideas and his passion for Zcars and music. Cherish your good times and preserve his memories.