DatsunZGuy

My '73 had a splash pan, and it was 98% stock (even the braided top radiator hose) when I purchased it in Denver back in 1992. I hated the pan because every time I would drop a screw or nut while working on the engine, I would hear it impact the against the splash pan and it would be gone forever. I like my pan-free '72. Any dropped nut or bolt falls nicely to the garage floor.

I tried the Eastwood Gold Cad paint system on my anti-backfire valve and good portion of the paint flaked off when I had the engine steam cleaned. :mad: Furthermore, you have to purchase the gold, red tint and green tint all come in 12 ounces cans. Invariably, you will most likely end up going through 10 cans of gold before you even start to run out of the red and green tints. This is because you are just using the red and green to lightly spray on to simulate the gold cadmium (a.k.a. zinc dichromate) tinting. Needless to say, I wish they would sell the the reds and greens in smaller cans for less money. For the rest of my parts that will require plating, I think I’ll give this outfit a try. Click Here

Here's a link to an outfit that sells some pretty cools looking wheels. I've emailed twice asking for a price quote, but have never heard back. Maybe you have better luck:cry:. Click Here

With the price of a gallon of gas these days, filling my tank will double the value of my Z

A couple of weeks ago, I had a mobile detail service stop by the house and professionally steam clean my 72 Z. I parked the car next to the curb in front of the house, put the car up on jacks and removed the wheels. The guy spent about an hour and a half cleaning the engine compartment and undercarriage. I was amazed to find the original yellow paint marking the bolts, as well as various undercarriage markings from the factory. I spent $200.00 for the cleaning, but it will make from a much cleaner experience pulling out the engine, replacing suspension bushings and repainting the components under the car.

My '72 is 918 (Mexican Orange), and the air cleaner is of a darker shade of orange. You may want to email Ztherapy. They may be willing to give out the secret formula. :classic: Or...have them restore the air cleaner for you. http://www.ztherapy.com/ ZT130 69-72 ½ Flapper or NonFlapper Air Cleaner (restored with decals and paint, no element) . Correct color PPG catalyzed urethane paint over epoxy primer. Very nice. $200.00

This is the best price I've found so far for a 3-Core radiator. Click Here!:classic:

Howdy Cardogman, Many years ago I had a ticking sound just like you described. It turned out that I picked a large screw :dead: on my drivers side tire. Pulled it, plugged the hole and off I went. Cheers!

The big chartreuse machine just sold on Ebay for a cool $10,700. Not too shabby. Yep, I’ve been living large in Lompoc for almost 10 years now. During the week I work in Santa Barbara for a software company, and I’m also a reservist at Vandenberg. Mar2c, I think you work at the schoolhouse. Don’t you? The reason you haven’t seen me around town is that I’ve been keeping the miles down on my Z just driving her around the block every other week or so. Another reason for the short jaunts is the fact that the car has the original wheels and tires back on it, which I really wouldn’t trust going too far on. The odometer is currently showing 41,552 original miles. I bought the car in Kansas last July and had it trucked back to California. I bought the car mainly because of the low miles, original owner, lack of rust, perfect dash and the final good omen…the clock is still working after 31 years! The original owner, Edwin, bought the car for his wife, Donna, on Mother’s Day 1972. It was really great meeting the both of them. They took really good care of the car, but the rest of the world wasn’t so kind. She has her fair share of door dings and other battle scars from encounters with irresponsible owner’s vehicles. I made a pact to myself to restore the vehicle to an original looking condition with only a few exceptions before the odometer hits 50,000. KYB shocks, lower springs, urethane bushings and 15 inch Superlites with charcoal centers will be the major modification I plan. I may also install the BRE front spoiler that came with the car, but the original owner never mounted. So far the bumpers are off the car getting re-chromed down in LA. Last weekend, I took the AC out of the car since all the R-12 was gone anyway. As you can attest, you really don’t need AC on the Central Coast. I’m had someone stop by the house last Sunday to steam clean the engine and undercarriage so I can commence with the rest of the restoration. That’s if the war with Iraq changes my military status and pocket book. Chris, the guy that painted CCZCC member Mark’s 1970 red 240, has agreed to do the paint and bodywork later in the year. From what I’ve seen so far, he does fantastic work. I will most likely join the club once the car has been completed. My goal is to have the car finished and back on the road in time for the MSA show in May 2005.

Mike at Banzai Motorworks sells leather seats for $600.00 a set. I’ve never seen the set firsthand, but I’ve been very impressed with the quality of the items that I’ve purchased from him so far. Click Here You can find a description of them under “Soft Trim”. Another source a list of suppliers would be Memmings Motor News Click Here.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2404339586&category=6187 This Z sat on a used car lot in the city of Buellton, on the California Central Coast, for the better part of eight months. If I recall, the asking price then was $7995.00. When I saw the Santa Inez Valley license plate frame, the light came on! I remember going to see the car one Sunday, so I wouldn’t have to worry about being pounced on by a salesman. The car looked pretty good, but I could see the first signs of rust on one of the lower rear quarter panels. I wonder if that has been repaired. I came close to returning on Monday to make them an offer, but I could bring myself to accepting the color. And this is coming from a guy that bought an orange 240. Anyway, interesting to see the car took a road trip from California to “No Rust State” Arizona in the search of a new owner…small Z world. :classic:

that interior looks pretty rough for a car that has under 20K. I wish they would have added some photos of the engine comparment. The contrast of the shiny exterior paint (white no less) against that faded interior makes me wonder if it was repainted. If I were interested in the car, a request for a complete paper trail of documentation would be in order.

For $10.99 Catalog #671J-02, Page 205, Upper Left Corner

Hi Marty, I used Krylon clear on the faux wood steering wheel. When all was said and done I used almost half a can on it. I wanted to get a good thick base coat before I proceeded with the wet sanding and polishing regiment. Like Kmack, I learned a lesson not to rush the spoke drying process on the first wheel I did. The best tape that I have found for masking is called 10-day masking tape. I found a roll at my local Ace hardware store. It's blue in color and keeps the over spray off without having a tenacious grip like a Bulldog on a soup bone.

Same steering wheel taken with a flash. I feel this shot shows more of the red tint of the original wheel color. I guess this should have been the picture I posted first :stupid: Better?

Hey Mr. C, I recently restored two 240Z steering wheels. I’m getting better at it with each attempt My first project wheel is currently installed on my 1972, which can be seen in my photo gallery. Since I had materials left over from my first wheel restoration, I decided to complete another one. This is the wheel in the attached photograph. I’ll be putting this wheel up for sale on ebay in the next couple of weeks. Here is the process I used: I stripped down the black spokes by machine sander, and not chemical stripper as not to harm the rim’s finish. Then, the center was masked and hub/spokes were painted flat black with a semi-gloss clear coat added. The faux wood was stripped, prepped, and finished using the following process: 1. Wood was thoroughly cleaned with a citrus degreaser and a mild Teflon-safe scouring pad to remove all accumulation of old varnish, grease and dirt. 2. I applied a single, light coat of red mahogany stain to revive the color. 3. Multiple coats of clear urethane was then sprayed to seal and protect. 4. The wheel was wet sanded with 600 grit sandpaper to smoothen the surface. 5. Polishing compound was then applied and surfaced was buffed by hand for many hours to achieve a glossy finish.

Well, the UPS driver has delivered all my goodies from shox.com. And very quickly I might add (ordered Saturday, everything here by Thursday). This will be the first time in my life I’ve ever done any type of major suspension work. I scanned through the many archives of various Z car Web sites and learned the value of having a propane torch at the ready to win the battle against the control arm bushings, and the great books of wisdom will be close at hand. Any prayers or additional advice/warnings would be most welcomed before I take the plunge. :eek:

I replaced the right side trim on my rear window while it was still on the vehicle. Just remove the corner pieces and carefully pry the long trim sections out. To install the new pieces, I found it beneficial to use one of those cheap plastic narrow putty knifes. You risk tearing the narrow rubber lip which holds the trim pieces if use a metal screwdriver. Also, spray some silicone around the trim, which should help with the installation. Last, make sure you use some rubbing alcohol to remove any residual silicone in the area where the end pieces will go. Apply some weather strip adhesive to those pieces and tape it down with masking tape overnight.

Hi Royce, Click on "1972 Datsun 240Z" on my original post and the hyperlink will take you to the URL.

DESCRIPTION: 1972 Datsun 240Z no smog needed, all original, orange with white interior, engine runs strong, tuned up, started to restore, you finish, $1200 or reasonable offer.

Hi Burt, In my past experience trying to replace the clock without harming the cardboard glove box is a risky proposition. I’ve tried it myself and ended up with pieces in my hand. If I were in your shoes, I would invest $20.00 and purchase a new glove box from the likes of Victoria British. Keep it aside just in case you tear the old box up trying to remove it. You have a very nice car; I wouldn’t skimp on reasonably price stuff like that. If you don’t need the new box, you could always sell it on ebay. In fact, I am astounded how much people bid for stuff that you can mail order for a lot cheaper from MSA or VB. I must be lucky since the clock on my 1972 is still functioning (albeit running a little fast). If it kicks the bucket, I think I would opt for one of these quartz conversions. CLICK HERE I am saddened to read about all the problems you are having with your car. You have invested a lot of money in it so far.

Enrique is absolutely right about test fitting before doing drilling. Make sure there’s enough clearance will save you a lot of heartache in the long run. Another note: Make sure you don’t have any screw drivers or other tool laying on the radiator core support when you shut the hood. It will be a hard lesson in cleaning up after yourself. :stupid:

In my experience the answer is both YES and NO. On the 1972 I currently own, the front bumper guards were cut to accommodate the overrider bar. On the 1973 I owned previously, the bar was directly on top of the rubber guards. My front and rear bumper are off and being rechromed down in Los Angeles. I think I’ll leave the overriders off to have a cleaner look.

Wick Humble’s book, "How to Restore Your Datsun Z-Car", provides this formula: Ditzler Duracryl DDL 2862 Argent with some suede additive added 1 Pint DDL 200 units DX265 300 units DX264 Thin 100-150% and spray on fairly

I’m glad to find out who actually bought this incredible car! I must admit that paying that much money even for a survivor car like yours is a little more than I was willing to fork out. But if you can afford it, more power to you. If I recall, the owner purchased the car and immediately had it rust proofed by Ziebart. There is a debate if this type of rust prevention treatment will actually promote rust by trapping in moisture. In your car’s case, it helped to preserve its rust-free body. Additionally, being garage stored, hardly driven in the rain and living in an area where salting the road is not necessary certainly helped as well. I think the original owner had that black stripe on the hood added at the dealership….a nice touch. May you enjoy your car for many years to come.