geezer

Will, I agree, it is a short list and the demand is light, except in the case of the door panels perhaps. And even so, I think most everyone who wanted a set, got them. The intent of my original post in this thread, was to point out the differing tax structures for each province and the inflated final cost due to shipping from the parts depot to the Nissan dealer. I found that I live in a heavily taxed, parts deprived dead zone with a Nissan dealer that has a take it or leave it attitude. I ordered a set of door panels. They were not delivered together. One panel came from the parts depot in Calgary and the other came from, according to the label, the Eastern PDC in Brampton ON. This really racked up the hidden shipping cost and along with both PST & GST added, the final cost was $490.41 CDN. That’s a far cry from the $380.39 CDN with free shipping that Unkle paid on the west coast. Luckily I was able to forward them to a member in the US for a nominal shipping cost without any further fees being incurred at the border. Thanks guys for volunteering the information. Next time I need a part ordered, I’m calling Zak.

In order to elaborate more, the experiences of our members from across Canada, if shared would provide a point of comparison. In the recent '70-'73 New Door Panel thread, the price differences became apparent. It seemed the lowest pricing came from Western Canada and member unkle even mentioned the club discount given by his local dealer. So, that's a good indication that they will be willing to negotiate pricing on volume purchases. The location of the parts warehouses must factor in favor of the western provinces as well as the PST (Provincial Sales Tax), which is different or nonexistant in each individual province. It is also possible, to have the GST ( federally imposed Goods & Service Tax rebated on dollar amounts exceeding $625.00 if the goods are being exported out of Canada. Any group purchases over this amount would be able to apply for a GST rebate. This is just what I found to be the case in my limited buying experiences. The biggest problem I see is finding out exactly what parts are available from the dealers in Canada that can't be found in the US and also what can be ordered directly from Japan.

Ditto! I like the ducted or ductless look equally. I don't think anyone has ever registered a complaint on the quality or fitment of MSAs spook either. Very nice product, at a good price. The proof is in the pics. Zedy; love the new avatar!

If you do plan a trip with your shopping list, credit card and a Fedex account, make sure you choose the right city & dealer to deal with. It makes a huge difference. You mentioned in another thread the tier pricing on volume that the dealers are eligible for. This allows a dealership with higher volume parts sales, some flexability when dealing with customers and they may be inclined to pass on some of the savings. Another thing I found out the hard way was the rather large price discrepancy caused by the dealers particular geographic location. I was told by my dealer that the cost of shipping the parts to them from the warehouse that has the parts in stock is charged to the customer although it is a hidden fee that only shows up as higher pricing. I think any "club brothership" purchases would benefit from a few well placed calls to a savy parts manager.

Who is the manufacturer of the new set in the box? You may have to cross reference the part numbers to see if they are compatible. I don't see a problem if the bore size is the same, brake cable fits up and you can fasten the brake lines.

This dash has been relisted and Dan had the part number correct. The seller is not who I thought it was either. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=110394605587

That sounds great Chris! It just goes to show, you can get great results for not too much money if you have the skills needed. I'm looking forward to hearing madkaw's also. The exhaust system is something I have on the back burner, but am always thinking about and I appreciate you guys showing us how you did it.

This link also provides other links to some good info. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?p=217164&highlight=filler+tube+leak#post217164

That pic is suitable for framing! Your Z looks much more visually balanced now, to me anyhow. Less is more in some cases.

Very nice! Mission Accomplished! I will be happy if mine fits that well. Does this mean we will be seeing a new avatar pic or signature pic soon?

A beautiful Z such as yours is well worth taking the extra time and effort to "sweat the details". It is a good idea to slightly elongate the mounting holes to allow the spook to "find itself", when being fastened, remembering to tighten in a sequence from the center of the valance, working outward as mentioned earlier. When I finally mount mine, I will be able to review this thread and see a couple of very nice examples. Mine is one from MSA though.

You are doing a great job and we can see how good it is going to look. I realize you are not done with it yet and I don't mean to sound critical, but I think it is going to be nessesary to use some plate/spreader washers and drill more holes in order to add additional bolts, to clamp the spook evenly to the valance panel, thus eliminating any gaps. In order to be effective the plate washers should be used in pairs, both on either side of the valance & spook. If there still is a gap showing you could always use a rubber welting strip where the spooks meets the valance. This is just what I see from your pics, but you would know better what it will take to close up the gaps.

Hi Dan - They are two different sellers. The Ebay dash was being sold by datsun-parts (Al) from Rancho Cucamonga, California. He is a featured seller in the "Bad Ebayer" thread on this site and also a member who posts every so often, when he feels the need to defend his honor. The other, www.new-datsun-parts.com is based in Port Coquitlam BC Canada and operated by Carl Jaeger, who I have bought from. I am not looking to buy a dash and only briefly glanced over the ad while breezing through the listings but did notice the odd barcode label with the Nissan part number. It was distinctly marked "CAN". It just sparked my curiosity and then when I scrolled back through the items, it was gone. I can't remember exactly what it was priced at, but I remember thinking it was ridiculously high. I think $2300.00, but don't quote me on that.

Hmmn, I was doing a quick check of newly listed items under a "240Z" search and spotted the ad, which I believe was an early dash. I continued on looking at all the other listings and then went back to check out the part number, but the ad was gone. If I was going to check for availability, I would have to give them a part number and I'm not sure if the old number could be used or not, cause that's all I have.

I suspected it was a bureaucratic snag that has never been worked out simply because there was not enough, or any opposition to whatever government agencies guideline or rule wasn't met. If I can sidetrack the topic briefly, I would like to know if anyone spotted an Ebay ad a few days ago listed by datsun-parts. It was a Buy it Now for a NOS dash panel. I would not have bid on it whatever the price, but someone did or the listing was ended early by the seller and it has disappeared from the listings. It does not even show up in an advanced search. In one of the pics (which I should have saved, but it was gone before I had a chance) the part number was clearly visable on what looked like new packaging from Nissan and had "CAN" included on the barcode label. I am just wondering if new dash panels are being made available also?

I hope so...the water can't be that cold in Texas!

Mark, since you have a week before the MSA weatherstrip arrives, it gives you plenty of time to have the old windshield removed, so you can assess the condition of the opening/flange. Your car looks to be in very good condition, but I know some of us have found rust-through hidden behind the weatherstrip. Even if it is found to be solid, with the windshield removed, it would be much easier to use your exact match paint to cover any silver paint you think might show and give it time to dry also.

I see this differently. I would agree not to "futz with it", if the tanks had not been treated with the Metal Ready. Now that they have been treated, what is left is etched, very clean metal that will be more subseptible to rusting since any coating that was still protecting the surfaces from when they were new, have now been removed. I think you have to follow through with the sealer now, in order to protect the fresh surfaces.

I find that using the same acronyms Nissan has assigned, to be a practical time saver. It lessens the chance for misunderstanding or misidentified parts. It is easier to get a point across if we are speaking the same language. It is also a real time saver when looking information up in manuals. It is understandable that with all the different manufacturers using their own different acronyms, most of us will not always get it right. I think there was a thread, or a work in progress, a while back listing Nissan acronyms.

I tried the hand spinning of the input shaft and watching how it related to the output shaft and couldn't determine anything for sure, but could detect 5 forward gears when I was trying to figure out the ratios of my 5 speed. I notice yours still has the remmants of red paint we discussed in a previous thread about production markings on the early monkey motion 4 speeds. The Non-US version you mention would be the FS5C71A, but Chris has ruled that out. It is not a F5C71B which was available as a flange type or sleeve type, either as evidenced by the shifter type. All I can suggest is, you are getting a false feel for a 5th gear being present, but I ain't no expert.

Like GEEZER? You must mean he's a suave, sophistocated, debonair man of the world with excellent taste in wine, woman, song and of course...cars?:classic: Age is irrelevant, but one day I hope to reach 71 and still be discovering treasure that has been stored away for decades. Good for him! I like the look of the Black Pearl with the SAP or without, but to me, would only be marginally more valuable and only to those who do like the look. It is something that sets it apart from other '78s and is fuel for discussion. I think it is cool that your friend has the original window sticker and that will really enhance the showability of this BP, if he decides to display it. Zak, try not to waste good beer on giving yourself nose enemas!

Very nice, congrats! Did you check for rust in all the usual places?

A few more measurements to compare to would be nice but not nessesary. You would first have to identify what is bent out of spec. Is it the entire lower boxed section of the rad core support or just the bottom outer skin caved in or a combination of both? It could be bent backwards also if the car was driven up some curbing in it's past. Regardless, I think the best course of action to take here would be to assemble the center valance to the corners and allow it to hang loose in a position that looks good. Now, measure what length is needed and fabricate a bracket like you mentioned before, to join the center valance to the bracket to hold it in the desired position. It will be nessesary to use 3/8" spacers between the rad support and center valance with longer bolts to attach the spook to the rad core support as Carl has described. I don't think I would attempt to straighten the lower rad support on an otherwise finished car if it is easy enough to fab a bracket and use a few spacers. The end result should look good and the bracket & spacers will not be noticeable anyhow. Otherwise a more thorough diagnosis will have to be made before deciding how to straighten it, and that would mean more disassembly in order to gain access and allow the use of a spreader bar, etc. Too bad this wasn't all test fitted before the paint was done.

Agreed. It would have to hold a great deal of sentimental value to justify spending the time & money it would take to "recondition". I hesitate to say "restore" because it would be so difficult to do. Sheet metal components from Nissan are next to impossible to find and pieces from Tabco wouldn't do the old girl justice. They could be used but would add a substantial amount of labor time to the bodyman's bill. All the other early parts needed would take years & years to hunt down and in the end (if there is an end) much more money would be spent than a finished comparible example or a solid, relatively rust free, low vin car could be bought for without doing any of the work. That being said, I would suggest making a comprehensive list of the parts that could be sold from this car, research the value of these parts, attach a value to your time for parting out, shipping cost etc. and total it up. Then, you will be better equipt to determine this cars present monetary value to you. You could then offer the car up for sale based on this info. The market will then decide if it is worth anyone's while to bring back to life or if you should proceed to part out. PS - Ditto on the difficulty reading this thread!

Yes, it is consistent across the opening. The center grill support is a bit messed up on this piece but otherwise undamaged. I bought it to replace the lower part of the support on my '70. Maybe a few of you other guys could take the same measurement for comparison?