Goose52

Hi Dan - I'm going to keep it for a while. It's the original one from when the car was new in '72 and was only used for a bit less than 2 years as I put a Datsun comp 5-speed (and an R-190 4.44 LSD) in the car in mid-'74 or so. I should display that knob in my den ... next to my original '72 steering wheel, which is also in great shape as it was also in use for less than 2 years when I first installed a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Not too much early stuff out there - just some take-offs as I modified the car. Some of the parts I gave away over the years - wish I had some of it back - like my original console ashtray and ashtray cover!

Ahhhhh - let me think about it - hmmmmmm, ahhhhh, hmmmmmm, ahhhhh - that would be no! Glad I could show you guys the real deal though ....

After posting the photos in the earlier thread - I got to thinking so I went out to the garage, opened a cabinet, dug to the back and found the "Z-Parts Box" - opened the box and dug down to the bottom of that and found the box shown in the photo. This would be the box the 5-speed knob came in - and inside the box was my original 4-speed knob from 1972. I have a feeling that my 5-speed knob is from the '74 time frame...

I ran a 5-speed in my car from '74 to '77, then again from '82 to present. I can't remember if the knob in the photos was from the '74 install, or a different knob that I used for the '82 install. Anyway, the maximum diameter of this knob is 1.58" - don't know if that makes it the old one or the larger newer one. FWIW

Both Carl Beck and myself have posts on that old HybridZ thread (mine was post #31). That repair method worked for me. Carl's post over at HybridZ, post #26, mentions the boot/sleeve that was mentioned by datsrex in the first post of this thread. To bad there isn't a new source for these but kudos to datsrex for coming up with a "Plan B" !

Howdy. It's obviously a GREAT car considering how many of us still own them after all these years!

17 years probably SEEMS like a long time.............but.................

It sorta seems clear - the longest uninterupted time. You could be the SECOND owner of a 69/70 car and have a longer period of ownership than I have as the original, and only, owner of a 72 car.Perhaps another nuance (for another thread) would be who has been a Z-driver the longest...especially since a number of long-term owners had their cars in storage or under restoration for periods extending to many years...

If we don't have one yet, we soon WILL have a 40-year owner! I wonder how many of us original owners ever thought we would still have our cars 35 or 40 years later? ...probably none of us I expect! In my case, I came to a "crossroads" a number of times in regards to selling it, several were major life events like loss of a job and the passing of my first wife, others were minor like loss of the garage space...but each time I made the decision to keep it. After a certain amount of time goes by, it's not just a car, it's not just a formation of steel (some of it rusty!), but it becomes embedded in your life and is a partner in life. In one way or another, every major life event I've had in these past 37 years has involved this car. And then, I stop to think of all the people that have ridden in it and it just brings back so many memories. Drats, here I am getting all emotional One thing for sure, had I known I was going to keep my car for this long, I wouldn't have made some sophomoric modifications to it 35 years ago :stupid: Wayne J.

I can't win this one - I've only had mine for 37 years, 2 months, and 27 days. But, it HAS been in-service and ready to go for nearly all of that time (minus about 6 weeks for engine swaps/rebuilds and paint...plus 1 year up on blocks while I was stationed in Japan). Goose

I bought my car new in September 1972 and immediately named her Brandy - after the song of the same name (Brandy - You're a Fine Girl) by the Looking Glass. It was the number one hit for only one week on the Billboard chart of August 26, 1972, about 2 weeks before I bought the car, so the tune was fresh on my mind. I still have a brass plaque on the console that says "Brandy - 13 September 1972." This is the second plaque that I installed three years ago - the original plaque from 1972 finally got too scratched up after 34 years of service... Also - more reading about car names here: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26191

I've been running the quick steering knuckles for more than 30 years - long enough that I don't really remember how much difference there was compared to stock - but the car is not "twitchy" at all. There have been two downsides for me. One is that at full lock, the tire rubs on the tension/compression rod but that only happens when parking so it's a minor issue. The major issue for me is the increased steering effort. It was no problem when I was younger but as I get older the steering effort is beginning to be an issue. It's not a problem at speed ... but when parking it's a bear. And the other mods that we commonly do like smaller diameter steering wheels and bigger tires just adds to the problem. I usually run 38-40psi in my tires so that helps somewhat with the increased effort.

It's not a 260 or 280 ... but it has a black rear bumper ...

Well - it looks like a serious, clean drag car. Nothing much new - I have a Popular Hot Rodding article on file from May 1978 that shows one of the first installations of a Chevy rat motor in a Z. Most of the folks on this site may not care for this car but the folks over at HydridZ would probably like it. Since I had a 331ci SBC in my Z for about 5 years but have an L28 now, I can go either way ! Goose

Wow - that is clean! I still have my original spare as well - but like Dennis, mine has been on the road - I've probably had 4 or 5 flats with the Z-car. It still holds air and I've always kept it topped off (check it about every 6 months to a year). One of these days, I've GOT to get a new tire as a spare and finally retire the 37-year old RD-150. Not sure I'd want to have a flat on the interstate and have to drive very far on a 37-year old tire !

In 1974 I was driving my Z cross-country and was in Wyoming when I had to have a broken headlamp replaced. Pulled into a garage, got a new lamp put in, checked it, and drove away. Next morning, I get an early start and turn on the lights - that right lamp looks REALLY bright ... then poof - it burns out. The shop put in a 6 volt bulb - I guess since all them 'furrin cars have 6 volt electrical systems ...

VERY nice ! As close as I'll ever get to one of those is the 5-spoke design of the wheels on my Z-car !

We only have two cars right now - the 1972 Z that I bought new ... and our daily driver which is a 1988 Toyota Camry that I also bought new for my wife. 225,000 miles on the Camry and it doesn't burn any oil at all. The Camry has been around and back in 1993/94 was in all of the lower 48 states within a 12-month period. I keep waiting for the Camry to expire so I can get another car but it just keeps running and is really a pretty good car. For us, it's the ideal size - not too big, not too small - even with 225k still gets over 30 mpg on the highway, and with the back seats folded down I can get 8ft 2x4's home from Lowe's! Indeed, if I could get a "new" 1988 Camry, with anti-lock brakes, a 5-speed automatic, and about 25 more horsepower ... I'd be a happy camper !

I had a BRE/Interpart Spook installed when the car was new in 1972 and really like that traditional look. However, with a lowered car, the Spook was prone to getting dinged up on parking stops, deep driveway dips, etc. Plus, I would sometimes have a problem pulling over garage lifts and also had a hard time using a floor jack on the front of the car. For about 14 years I kept fixing the cracks in the lower lip and repainting until finally the 'ole Spook was looking a bit worse for wear and I pulled it off. I ran just the stock nose for about 20 years but never really liked the plain look. I wanted to put something back on and considered a Spook or an airdam. I finally compromised with the MSA "AeroLip." It probably only does a little for the aero but at least the front end doesn't look as plain as just the stock lower valance. I can get a floor jack under the front of the car which is handy ...

I ran clamp-on type louvers for a few years in the mid-70's. They had two hooks that slid over the top (leading) edge of the hatch, and two clamps on each side that engaged the sides of the hatch. They were painted flat black and I left them that way. Benefits - much cooler interior, much less sun damage in the luggage area (as previously mentioned), and a much clearer view out the back in the rain. Negatives - rattled a bit, the type I had were not hinged and you had to remove the entire assembly to do a good job of cleaning the rear window. Also, the side clamps marred the paint on the hatch.

Ken is my hero. I hope I can still turn the steering wheel in 20 years when I match his age. Enjoy the ride !

Thank you sir. It's just a plain humble Z-Car.....

I'll be 57 this year. I've only had two Datsuns. I bought a '69 510 wagon in 1971, drove it a year, and then bought a new '72 Z that I still have. Here's the story of the Z (pasted from an earlier thread): I read the road test of the 240Z in the April 1970 issue of Road&Track magazine and recognized the car as a great value. Then, in 1971 I visited my brother down in Miami and he pulls up in a blue 1970 Z - so that was my first ride. Between the article and that ride, I said to myself: I should get one of these someday... Bought my Z new in 1972 while in the Marines, using a re-enlistment bonus to pay cash for the car. Had a BRE/Interpart header, spook, and rear spoiler installed by the dealer at delivery. After I had the car for a month or so, drove up to the BRE/Interpart shop in El Segundo, CA and bought the Mulholland suspension package. In ’73, put in a hotter cam. In ’74, bought a new WR OD 5-speed, driveshaft, and R-190 LSD w/4.44 gears from Datsun Comp ($575 through a mechanic friend at a dealer). The car scooted pretty good with that gearing. Car was up on blocks for a year while I was stationed in Japan in late ’74 into ’75. By 1977, I wanted more power, so skipped the triple carb scene and went with a 331ci SB Chevy – 11:1 forged, cam, Edelbrock Tarantula manifold, 650 Holley double-pump carb, headers. Had to pull the R-190/4.44 out and put a R-180/3.36 in for the V-8 (the R-180 lasted while the V-8 was in). After 5 years with the V-8, I got married, needed a better transportation car, and was getting caught up with smog/legal issues with the swap, so in 1982, put in an L-28 with just a slightly hotter cam, and another 5-speed. In 1983, the R-180 pinion gear finally failed while I was doing a 1-2 shift (must have been something to do with the V-8 service!) so put in an R-200/3.54. In ‘86/’87, did a moderate refresh of the car – went through the mechanicals, had it repainted original color (901 silver). Then, didn’t do much but drive and enjoy it for nearly 20 years. Then, in late 2005, I started a mechanical refresh again (mostly suspension). In December 2005 (unfortunately) the head cracked and I had an oil pan full of coolant – so, an unplanned engine rebuild. As long as the engine was apart, went with flat-top pistons and a hotter cam. In January ’06, decided to go to the MSA show, so I worked on the cosmetics a bit and finally refreshed the interior. In 2007 I installed Z-Therapy carbs with SM needles. The car should now be ready for another 20 years of driving. I will then be more than 75 years old, and will probably not be able to steer the thing, so will have to pull out the quick steering knuckles and put stock ones in, and put in a really BIG steering wheel … and then drive it some more! Over all this time, the car has only been out of service (not counting the year on blocks while I was in Japan) for about 6-7 weeks due to engine swaps/rebuilds, paint, etc. It was a daily driver for the first 17 years, about a “twice a week” driver for the next 17, and is about a “once a week” driver now. It’s been a long, but fun, 36 1/2 years of ownership.

This was around 1986 - at the time I had a Corbeau GT-8 seat that was slotted for only a 4pt harness (no hole in the seat bottom). There was probably about an inch slack in the lap and shoulder belts; that inch, plus the back and neck extension, was enough to get my head up and back far enough to hit the bar. I have the stock seat back in now with stock belts so hopefully I won't have another event to test the upward retention ability of the stock belts ! (but at least the roll bar is padded now ...)