geezer

Chris, I don't find the engine numbers on Gab's car or your 26th to be anything unusual. Let me explain my reasoning and you can take it for what it's worth. I know that you have assumed that 26th was delayed because of an engine change. The 11/69 build date could be attributed to something other than an engine change. With only the month & year on the door plate, it is a little difficult to narrow down a time frame, to determine the amount of time stagger between 26th & 27th. We are talking very early production with pre-production cars in the mix, in which case it could be likened to shuffling a deck of 52 cards. Back to the engines, which are assembled in a different plant or facility and then shipped on large racks which hold many engines. These racks in turn can be stacked a half dozen high, several deep and who knows how wide. There probably also were different variations/engines for other models/markets, but that isn't relevant for the purpose of this discussion. Early on in preparation for the launch all the parts needed were jammed into the plant which would be bulging at the seams until full production levels were reached. Don't forget this is long before the inception of "just in time stock systems". In all likelyhood much stock, engines included were buried in behind and under incoming stock and not used in the order that came into the plant. This is why there is so much discrepancy in what turned up in our cars.

Kats - Thanks for sharing your slides with us. They are interesting and well worth the cost of professional restoration. Someday I look forward to seeing more of the set. I noticed that several of the photographs that these slides were compiled from are the same used in the Service Manual P/N 99999-20016. Another thing I noticed and only because of a recent thread on the subject, was the later D hubcaps.

Just guesswork but let's look at it. The data plate with the date of manufacture on this car was the last tag attached going through the system. It was then as it is today, issued by a Federal Safety inspector for cars entering the US. There was an obvious long delay before this "conformance" tag was issued. Two possibilities arise. Either the car failed the Federal Safety inspection or the car did not reach this point in the system because of a multitude of possible reasons. Because the engine number reasonably coincides with what could be expected from a '69 production car, it would be safe to assume that there was no delay on the journey through Metal, Paint or the Chassis division where the engine was installed. Any parts replacement or repairs needed would not have typically held back a vehicle for more than a few days and there is a conscious effort of not allowing vehicles to "go stale". The repairs that would take the longest amount of time to complete and also experience the longest backups in automobile manufacturing are Paint & Metal repairs from damage incurred during the build. At the launch of a new vehicle a several month backup of Paint repairs was not uncommon. Not to say that is what happened but just stating the typical. This only adds to the story this car has to tell in my opinion.

That pearl orange paint really goes well with the wheel color. Nice work!! How does the Dupli-Color smoke gray metallic wheel paint compare to the color of the tail light finishers? In the pic it looks close.

I recieved the BRE 240 Z Die Cut for Airdam decals today. I followed Mike B's link in answer to Arne's post here. Bonus...Along with the decals, I was sent the reproduction brochure, "Datsun 510 Trans-Am Decor Package". Very nice!

Yep, accept his mathematical logic, but offer to complete the equation by dividing the Toyota total by 7, taking into account "dog years"!!

What happens when you step on the brakes with the headlight switch off? I'm guessing only your brake lights will come on and the turn signals will still operate fine. Does the problem only occur when the headlight switch is turned on? I'm inclined to follow E's thought about a socket problem first and bad grounds as an unlikely second.

No Mike, look where the holes are. The early one lines up with one of the simulated spokes and the later lines up with a slot, so repositioning the cap won't change that.

I have a set of each in need of restoration. Actually, you can tell the difference once they are mounted, as the valve stem location is different for each style.

Welcome sliprenoodle! Zak covered it well. There is one other thing that you didn't mention. Was this car brought to Canada from the US? If so and you don't have a title and only a bill of sale you will need to get the US Customs to clear it by stamping the export paper they will issue. Normally they want to see the car, but it is possible to fax them the information and they will mail it. Then the MTO will except this to issue you a title. I did this several years ago. If it is from Canada and you only have a bill of sale, I believe you need some form or document notorized by a lawyer.

I know now I would have been better off buying a dozen top quality Z cars then investing in stocks. After 9/11 my stock portfolio lost almost 50% of it's value and it took until about a year and a half ago to recoup the loss. Now I'm backpeddling again. I think I would have gotten more enjoyment out of a quality Z collection and would still have them today and their value would have increased somewhat...but who knew? Oh well, I think we should just count our blessings and consider ourselves the lucky ones.

Your welcome. I think the first number that you had half of was for the brake switch.

The number I came up with is 46313-68201 Connector-3 way Brake Tube

It wasn't until the transition from the '74 model to the '74.5 model that the tail pipe finisher was discontinued and the exhaust tube was plated instead and also had the diameter reduced to avoid interference with the bumper. My scanner is out of order so I can't post the Nissan documentation, but thats the gist of it. I don't have a parts catalog past 1973, but I'm wondering if the earlier mufflers were NLA and the tail pipe finishers were then made available to be sold seperately for those replacing their early mufflers and wanting to retain the proper look? PS-I'll look it up in the microfiche. In the microfiche... Part # 20105-E4100 Finisher-Exhaust Tail Tube from Sept '74 was available seperately. So, also other than the color being or not being an issue, a real "picky" or should I say discerning Judge can measure the diameter of the tail tube?

Although I can appreciate the mindset and resulting beautifully maintained original or perfectly restored Zs that very few have, it's not what most of us want. The most important thing is getting enjoyment from your car. After six years and only 2000 miles driven, I would be asking who am I saving this car for. You can upgrade, modify and modernize, without it being detrimental to the car. If you want more performance, stash the original engine under a bench and pick up a nicely built L28 that you won't be worried about driving long distance. AC is a personal choice, but a new after market unit would make those extended trips more enjoyable. It's good to get the views of others but ultimately you have to decide what will make your Z more enjoyable for you. The monetary value either way is meaningless to me.

And a LOT more fun in the spring when you get to drive it! That will be a nice reliable performance package for the street. Have you decided to remain carburated and use the triple Webers?

I recall asking that very question at a car show where a vendor booth was set up, showing examples of their work. The guy I talked to said he was able to remove individual layers of paint by soda blasting. Common sense tells me that is dependent on the type, age and adhesion factor of the paint and the softness of the fiberglass. The adeptness of the operator and quality of the equipment would be a major factor also. Fiberglass on one hand is a fairly hard surface, which will be dug out quicker, in contrast to body fillers which are softer and cause the media to bounce somewhat. The thing to be cautious of would be the soda becoming embedded into the fiberglass that will possibly become porous after blasting and not being properly removed before paint prep. Filler is easily gone over if damaged but the integrity of the fiberglass will be breached if the fibers are bared by the resin being dug out. These are just my best guesses from my sandblasting experiences on these materials. I hope to hear from someone who uses soda to enlighten us more.

Yeah, everyone is spoiled today. In 1970 AC was a rarity around here, unless you had a new, top of the line land yacht. AC for housing was just coming into vogue. The first car I had with AC was a 1978 LeBaron. Listen to me, sitting up here in Canada waiting for snow any day now. One of the most appealing things about my Z is the shear simplicity. It is not loaded down with luxury or modern technologies. It has just the basics to provide the driving experience I'm looking for. A collector car of this type is more appealing to me without AC. If I had this car, I don't think I could resist driving it on occasion. It would actually benefit the car to help keep it maintained if its driven sparingly.

Yes they did, most were aftermarket, some were dealer ordered from Nissan. My last post was just my feeble attempt to point out the differences to anyone reading this thread so they can differentiate between the BRE look you and I are trying to achieve, and what is actually considered original. Different people will look at this a different way, example, Ron Carter considers the 432 spoiler the "original". We can't say he is wrong and I don't think what we are doing is wrong either but we can't call it "original". Well you can if you want, but I just wanted others to note the difference if that makes sense. Edit - Guy, do you know if the underside of the one you ordered is enclosed at the bottom? Just curious of how it is constructed and how it is mounted.

Guy, I don't think you could correctly call it going for originality unless you used the actual Nissan rear spoiler complete with the appropriate emblem/s. Even then I believe it was an option in most markets or sold from the Sports Options Catalogs or Performance Catalogs. Anything from BRE or Interpart or any of the current reproductions are aftermarket pieces, so there is no right or wrong emblem choice. I just refer to my rear spoiler as a BRE type. I have no plans to mount any emblems on it.

I know Interpart also made what is described as a BRE type rear spoiler early on. Both the Interpart and BRE offering were sold without the raised portion for an emblem. BRE must have made both versions, with the raised area - that mirrored the 432 spoiler and without. Mine does not have the raised area and for all I know could be an Interpart piece, but the guy I bought it from said it was an original BRE - meaning - from their catalog.

This is the backside of an original BRE rear spoiler. It's just as Carl describes with two mounting studs on the outside edges of each side that correspond with the drainage channel and another further inboard on each side, that were cut off and not used on this one. I would use only the outer mounting studs and perhaps a good adhesive on the inboard locations. PS - I have been considering using rare earth magnets instead of adhesive on the inboard mounting points.

:laugh:Fe-Fi-Fo-Fine lookin car! With a downturn in the economy we may see an increase of high dollar Zs on the block, but also there will probably be fewer buyers in this price range. I think the importance of AC is totaly dependant on where you live and the cars intended use. I can easily live without it, but if I lived in a southern state, it would be a different story.

What made it easy for me was this site and the Hybrid Z site. Mostly I studied Jon's and I got some balance point advice from Will, but when I bought the three engine stands, I cheaped out and bought the $34.99 ones because I had the old cart with great wheels and some square tubing on hand. Doing it this way allowed me to piece together the unused pieces from the engine stands to make the spreader bar to connect both ends. Also they didn't have the leaned back mast to deal with. All you need is a good cutoff saw, angle grinder and a good welder. Good luck with yours! Six_Shooter - You got a PM.

Intermittant power outages can be difficult to track down. Your best option is to systematicaly check and clean all connections and do as Bo says. Get a multimeter, and learn how to use it. Then if it happens again, you will be able to find the problem. Anyone with an old Z with the original wiring should have a good wiring diagram, a multimeter and aquire some basic knowledge.