geezer

Tomo - There are 3 of us here that have talked about making a day trip or overnighter, so we could take in the car show at least, but being on a Tuesday makes it a little more difficult for the other 2 guys, who are tied to work. It is coming up fast and we just realized that we don't know if the car show is open for foot traffic by the general public? None of us are affiliated with any official club, because it is just us, with no other Zs in the area other than our own. I hesitate joining the OZC; attending meetings would mean being on the road all day. It just seems too far removed. We have never belonged or paid dues to the ZCCA, but sure would enjoy seeing the cars in the show.

It's all in the technique. Of course that's not to say the particular brands of paints couldn't make a big difference also. When spraying both, the graphite wheel paint and the satin clear, hold the can about twice the distance away that you normally would. Spray in very light multiple coats. Take your time in between coats. This results in a very dry spray and will contribute greatly to achieving the desired texture. Experiment, till you get it right, then come back here with your full report.:laugh:

TRtom - I don't know if your monitor will show an accurate color, but mine seems to be right on. Take a look in my gallery at the FairladyZ grill pic. That is about as close as you will get to the correct color on a computer screen. I like Jason's idea of using graphite wheel paint coated over with satin clear. That would look good and also give you the correct texture or close to it.

Khrystina, I'm glad you're still here. You are after all the only friend I have on my list. I even tried to be my own friend but this is what I got... You can't be friends with yourself. Add a Member to Your List...so your it! We were all 16 once, and maybe forget the way we were and what we did and how others saw us. We are all here because of our love for the Z, the quest for more knowledge and to get help with the problems that are sure to arise with an older classic. Some of us don't socialize much, and it can take years to get to know someone before you can talk freely without the danger of being misunderstood. I think that is all that has happened, that I can see anyhow. I will do my part to not scare away any women. I mean jeesh, I'm not going to change my avatar and I don't look good in a dress either!:sick:

I'm just watching the tube, going thru the threads here and leafing through a SLP Performance Parts Catalog and really enjoying the artwork, when I came across this thread. I think American Muscle (no matter what form it takes) will still be on the list, 20 or 30 years from now. Of course I could come up with a really long list but xray saved me the trouble. Two bouncing bunnies for your efforts Steve.:bunny: :laugh:

Never noticed that. SuperModerator eh. Congrats Arne...more work, still no pay! Just kidding, we appreciate all you do!

Carl, I have only seen a handful of these individual sections of the Mitchells Estimator and I only have the 12 page section covering the 1970 Sports 240Z, but they all provide a VIN of the particular car being covered. I did not know if they were ficticious VINs used for illustration purposes or actual VINs of the vehicles used, for remove & replace time estimates. A complete catalog may have more information in that regard. Don't quote me on the exact name, but this is the 1970 Foriegn Estimator Guide, which was geared solely for use in the US. The company is still in operation today and has branched out considerably into other venues, since their beginnings in 1946. Perhaps, if contacted they could elaborate on the questions we have, but then again the company has changed hands a few times and like so many companies today, may not have any desire to reach back into the past. http://company.monster.com/mitch/

The Glenn Mitchell Collision Estimator for the 1970 240Z is based on information derived from Nissan. Have you ever noticed the VIN for 1970? Can anything be made of this? They claim that actual cars are used to arrive at the time estimates given. Even if the fate of HLS30-00013 is never found we may at least know the engine number.

Kats, or anyone else with an interest, don’t let any of this post corrupt your views and opinions of events at Nissan Shatai. This is only derived from my experiences and only meant to be used for comparison and possibly help put a few pieces together. I think you are correct in your assumption that “K”, “F”, and “Q” represent different departments. All these different departments would need an example(s) for their own specific purposes. It is my belief that “Q” would represent the Quality Control (or similarly named) department. It was common practice for this department to keep an “example” of the completed frame-up assembly, in the Layout Room, in the Metal Shop. This “example” had been meticulously gone over during its construction to ensure exacting tolerances and other vital specifications. It was a bare shell kept for reference purposes only. No changes could be made to it. It was vital to have this example and it was an invaluable aid, for maintaining consistency in Frame-up and also when it came to setting up production jigs and other assembly fixtures, etc. Usually, after a number of changes had been made “on the roll” during the production run, it became necessary for another “master copy” to be made to reflect these changes and replace the previous example, which in turn was reintroduced into production. (I have personally requested a master copy from the Layout Room, to be used to build a vehicle for myself). Usually, individual “Masters” had to be made for different models, but not always. Some variances did not compromise the dimensional integrity. Likewise, every other division, such as Paint, Trim, Chassis, Motor Line, Final Car, etc. would want access to one of these prototypes, whether pre-production or production, to use for their own needs. Of course, Paint for the most part being a “one size fits all” operation, was relegated to referring to both the Metal Shop “Master” and the Trim example, to address their needs. For all intents and purposes they were shared. I would venture a guess that “F” represents Factory, designating it for factory internal reference or employee training use, as I previously (above) alluded to and “K” seems to be assigned to “Design” or possibly Art” department? The Service Garage & Manual preparation process would need an example available also. Several were designated for extended milage testing and others for meeting Federal Compliance Parameters (registration?). Another guess I would like to make is that there was a need to design/build both LHD & RHD example prototypes right from the start, but labeling the end market was not vital information yet needed. I enjoyed the videos. Your son will soon be able to reach the pedals and see out the windshield at the same time, before you know it.:laugh:

Great story Carl! One of many, many you have to tell, or to look at it a different way, a great story this Z has to tell. It reminded me of an old movie I once saw from the late 60's or early 70's where they recount the life history of a yellow Rolls Royce, passing from one owner to the next, going through the second world war etc. All these cars have a story to tell; some more interesting than others, but fun to hear.

You have done an outstanding job Filipe! The results are beautiful and I realize the difficulty and expense of obtaining parts in Portugal. It is great that David helped you in that regard. My hat is off to him and you also for the excellent work!

You will need to carefully remove those connectors, pass the wires through the grommet and then replace the connectors. You will require the use of a tool similar to one of these, in order to release the small lock tabs which hold the wire terminals in the connectors. Any good automotive supply store should carry the proper tools.

Kats, the statements from Mr Matsuo do answer the questions you asked at the start of this thread. I agree that everyone touched on the correct answer, but think Will came up with the best descriptive answer to explain the process and actions that had to be taken and it seems that none of this comes as a surprise to Alan or perhaps others, but does confirm suspicions. Naturally, we are left now with more questions, but maybe not of the type that Mr. Matsuo can or would be comfortable answering. His involvement or interest in the reasoning behind Mr. Katayama's objections of using the "Fairlady" name was probably limited. I'm sure he and his team were much too busy with their own daily challenges to be concerned with this objection/decision chain of events, and a timeline would be difficult to nail down after so many years, by relying on memory alone. You are correct in pointing out the difficulty of recalling events that took place so long ago. I can tell you from personal experience that one model year to the next and the shear volume of different models and the many variances thereof become a jumbled blur. Mr. Matsao would need time to reflect back so far, in order to provide answers to any questions. We are lucky and grateful that he has shared his knowledge and experiences and also that you have passed this information on to us. Thank you. Alan, thanks for your patience and explanation of the early domestic market B post emblems. I did have a problem understanding how left & right side specific emblems with different mounting pin locations could be interchanged with the export market version…but now I got it.

For when 1 clown car "just won't do".

Autobooks - 36.2 to 43.4 lbs/ft Can't help with the keyway Guy...it's always something hey?

The Haynes manual says 40 lbs/ft.

Thanks for the great summation Chris. Marketing was what Mr. Katayama was all about and it seems he was unfaltering in his efforts to establish a unique, recognizable, acceptable by the masses, roll off the tongue brand name to introduce a new model. The more I think about it, and the more I get enlightened by you guys, it is becoming more clear to me that the 240Z was “so much so” a distinctly different product than was built for the home market, yet so closely related, it really did need a different first name. Most of us, if we were put into Mr. Katayama’s position, would recognize the importance of this. 240Z is as good a name as any that I could dream up. Alan, I’m sorry for falling into the “North American” market trap. Export market really is much more appropriate terminology and I will certainly try to embed this into my conscience. One more thing about the early chrome/solid 240Z B post emblem that doesn’t set right with me is; if there was an original intent of using the later, refined, white inlayed 240Z B post emblems for the production launch, why did they have enough of the chrome/solid ones to outfit 2500 cars? I have wondered about some of the early literature and the oddities found in some of the early brochures. It is evident that decisions were being made on the roll and at a very fast pace, especially for a new launch. It makes me think that another additional model may have been in the planning, for the export market, early on, but had the brakes put on it when the overwhelming demand became apparent. Please, fight the urge to remove the quarter emblems from your project car. It’s not important, but it seems the theory of “universal emblem mounting holes” went right out the window if the pins are oriented differently. Did you have to re-drill to mount yours? Kats, thanks for the great topic. I’m sure we are all looking forward to more detail from Mr. Matsuo’s letter. Very interesting.

I apologize if this question has been addressed or answered previously. I did a fair amount of research and learned quite a bit from earlier discussions, but cannot find an answer or opinions pertaining to the early home market B post emblems. What exactly is the difference between the LH and RH sides of the early non-vented B post emblems used on the home market models? Appearance, mounting? That’s the only question I have, but would like to hear opinions on these thoughts. These early home market B post emblems would definitely seem out of place today, but if they were used from the start, in the production of the North American destined models, would you in any way associate the emblem with “Fairlady”? Do you think Mr. Katayama was opposed to this emblem, because he wanted an absolute division between the different markets? I can see the justification of opposing the sharing of the front fender emblems and the liftgate emblems (obvious), but not an emblem adorned with only a stylized Z. It was only a short time later that the stylized Z was brought into play anyhow. This makes me think that the only reason for deciding to go with “240Z” was the fact that they had 2500 of them on hand and decided to use them up and then have the remainder needed mass produced, to finish up the run, without a midstream change. I initially thought that I would not consider the use of the early home market B post emblem on a North American car a name change, if the “240Z” emblem was retained on the liftgate, but have mixed thoughts. The guys in the advertising department must have been fit to be tied, in some of these situations.

Intriguing... all 8 employees would have had to take their shoes off to count to 153 and beyond. Seriously though, I can see how that could happen and slip through the cracks. Just makes the the cars in question more interesting and adds to the history of the Scarab. That should up the price a bit?

Alan: Maybe I don’t understand your line of thought on this first point, you question. Do you contend that there was no other quarter panel emblem design up for consideration for export to North America? You did submit as your guess, “last minute name changes”…. and not, the last minute change to go with the 240Z (in white) emblem, instead of the solid version. They both say 240Z. If so, that’s where we differ in opinion. I believe the decision was not, what version of the 240Z emblem to go with, but a completely different medallion design that was up for consideration, whatever that may have been. Hope that explains my belief of "240Z" being the "predominant plan". I think the solid version is nothing more than a prototype design, in need of refinement, that was used up early in production, before the later ones were mass produced. We are in agreement on the pre-drilled status of the quarter panels. I would say they were not only drilled before being painted, but before they were even spot welded to the floor assembly, as opposed to being done on the metal line, like was done as you mentioned in the case of the liftgate drilling, where a build sheet would have to be consulted to see if a rear spoiler was called for. A clear indication of the “universal intent” of emblem attachment. That is why I noted all the photos I’ve seen of replacement quarter panel assemblies, have the holes. And the third point, relating to “As far as Nissan were concerned, the ‘240Z’ was the ‘Fairlady Export Model’. Yes, that is the way it came about, but going full circle, I’m left wondering if ‘240Z’ was a carved in stone acronym for “Fairlady Export Model” at the time. Like you, I think there is more to this story than what has been revealed. Mr Matsuo’s letter will undoubtedly leave us with unanswered questions, but perhaps, one day in the future more will be known. I think, out of respect, on the part of the principal figures much will never be said. But, you know what...a little mystery is what has me hooked.:classic:

Actual events may have been blown out of proportion, but Katayama's protests to the "Fairlady" label, and maybe more importantly, the opposing opinion, could very well be reasons for a belated decision and delay of the mass production of the later white Z version. It would be a more likely story, that Katayama was down at the dock putting the new versions on cars that had none at all. It does appear that 240Z was the predominant plan. All the pictures I have seen of Nissan quarter panel assemblies have had the mounting holes pre-drilled, which would seem to support the practice of the drilling being done before assembly. Therefore, I would agree on the need of standardized mounting pins for all models. We know the mounting points are the same for the solid and later versions. With what Kats has told us of Mr. Matsuo's explanation, I have to stick with my original guess. Maybe the letter goes into more detail? Edit: The rear plate on the 1969 Tokyo Auto Show Export Model, could be an indication of a "lack of decision" at that point in time?

The description you gave of your plug condition, made me think maybe you should move up to a hotter heat range. Look at the NGK recommendations. Be sure to check everything Stephen mentioned first because that may not cost as much as buying another set of plugs unnessesarily.

Originality aside, if there ever was a candidate for a fiberglass replacement piece, this would be near the top of the list. Also, a fiberglass battery tray area panel would be a great idea, I think. With the new panel bonding adhesives available today, these repairs could be carried out by anyone who is capable of following simple instruction. No special tools would be needed. Cheaper & easier is a good combination...we just need someone to take on the challenge.

Jason, I noticed the safety shut off switch is working. Won't it shut off with the ignition switch? That's OK if you like it loud, but your neighbors might appreciate a token pre-muffler to cancel out some of the resonance. Guess it depends, how you plan to use the car and the tolerance level of the local constabulary.